Liven Up Your Lunch Rush With Man Man De Qi’s Dependable Eel Rice in Topwin Mall

Cheap and speedy Japanese fare never seems to go out of fashion, what with Tokyo fried dumpling joint Xiaohe Gyoza and Japanese eel rice spot Manmanhua both in the basement at Topwin Mall both recently popping up on our radars and leaving our stomachs to growl. With all those options on hand, how does yet another Japanese eel rice spot, Man Man De Qi, in the Topwin Mall, stack up?

For one, the recently opened restaurant’s eel rice makes for a flavorful quick lunch fix. Not that that dish is scarce in Beijing (just ask their downstairs neighbors at Manmanhua, or Gulou vet Murasakitama). Yet Man Man De Qi makes it a specialty, with the bulk of its small menu devoted to eel rice variations. Much like its slick and somewhat bland, oh so obviously mall chain ambiance, the eel rice is a bit devoid of character, lacking bones or straight from the water freshness and flakiness, especially when compared to Murasakitama and other higher end competitors. Yet the tender and firm texture and overall wholesomeness found here are downright serviceable overall, making it far from Beijing’s best rendition of the dish, yet satisfying in its own right. It’s serviceable and tasty, just not exceptional. The tangy teriyaki sauce of the eel rice bowl set, along with its of pillowy sticky rice and strands diced scrambled egg also helped make up for any other shortcomings. All that, along with the standard salty, cloudy miso soup, thick egg custard, some melon on the side all rounded the dish out sturdily, though those extras are quite worth the RMB 86 total (going with just the eel rice bowl for RMB 68 is a better bang for your buck).

Better still was our side of salmon sushi, which was a steal at RMB 48 for six hefty pieces. Each featured a richly sweet sauce on top and bulky blocks of sticky rice as a base. We were hoping for sashimi slices but instead the meat was ground quite fine and then pressed into clumps. Not what we expected but not quite a letdown, as that meant the meat fell apart quite delectably, its tender texture certainly aiding that element along.

All in all, this restaurant’s friendly, speedy service, light but filling and flavorful fare, and low prices amount to a solid lunch option on a busy workday, especially if you’re looking for something quick and easy that won’t immediately bulge your belly. Yes, it’s very much a sturdy mall chain option, so don’t go bringing a date here with the aim to impress them with authentic, intimate Japanese trappings and tip top eel rice and sushi (once again, its aforementioned Gulou Dajie is a head and shoulders superior choice in that regard). That said, you could certainly do worse than Man Man De Qi to give your hunger pained midday a tasty Japanese jumpstart.

Man Man De Qi
Daily, 9am-10pm. F2 102, Topwin Mall, 1 Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District.
朝阳区三里屯南路1号通盈中心F2-102

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Photos: Kyle Mullin