We were the only people there at the time, though it steadily got busier as the hours went by. Our reservation was early, something like 5:30 p.m. The whole building and the restaurant itself had a fancy vibe. To get there, we took a train to Shibuya Station, then walked to the (somewhat) nearby Cerulean Tower, where Szechuan Restaurant Chin awaited us on the second floor. We were, of course, very much looking forward to it. It was the first of four that are a part of the "Szechuan Restaurant Chin Group." Their goal is to help customers enjoy "full-fledged Szechuan cuisine," and they try to "offer dishes that use seasonal ingredients from different genres with Szechuan's various seasonings." The particular restaurant we went to opened in 2001. Cooking without love is no good.) It's no wonder his son became an Iron Chef, carrying his father's torch (though originally, he wanted to be a baseball player). He later opened a couple other restaurants, and is known to be the person who popularized Szechuan cuisine in Japan. His father, Chen Kenmin, opened the first Szechuan restaurant in Nishi-Shinbashi, Tokyo, in 1958 (though it's now closed).
Cooking without love is no good.īut all this cooking didn't actually start with Kenichi-san. He always seemed like he was having fun, and he made a lot of mabodōfu ( some things never change).
We both had grown up watching Iron Chef almost religiously, and Chin-with a record of sixty-six wins, three ties, and a win percentage of 72.6%-was one of our favorites.
Viet and I had high hopes for Chin Kenichi (Chen Kenichi, in the US), the only Iron Chef from the original series that battled through all six years and 309 episodes. Come back and see new Iron Chef restaurant reviews, and (coming soon) a final ranking of them all! This article is part of a series where the Tofugu team visits Iron Chef restaurants, pitting them against each other in some kind of Iron Chef sequel.