Yotsuba Team Open Casual Izakaya Man Yo in Jianguomen

Longtime beloved for its Japanese traditional fine cuisines and armed with 12 years of Beijing experience, the team behind Yotsuba have just opened its first izakaya, Man Yo, near the Scitech Plaza. And the great news is, when compared to Yotsuba, this place is less likely to burn a hole in your wallet. 

Compared to a traditional izakaya – dark wood and nooks to hide away in – Man Yo is modern and bright and squeezes in 120 seats across two floors. The majority of the seating can be found on the second floor, with an open sushi bar, several private rooms, and a tatami seating area in the middle, which was particularly elegant thanks to well thought out ornaments from Japan that adorn the space. The floor seating are also cleverly backed, relieving the pain often encountered for anyone over the age of 12 forced to sit in a backless chair for more than 30 minutes.

The imported seafood is priced reasonably: starters got for RMB 20-35; tempura of shrimp, pumpkin, tofu, and oyster RMB 20-120; sashimi platters RMB 120-350; sashimi RMB 75-250 (five pieces); sushi RMB 50-90; Japanese hot pot RMB 70-150; udon noodles RMB 55-65; and desserts RMB 20-30. The kitchen's signature dishes are wagyu and seafood robatayaki, skewers cooked over hot charcoal.

The smokeless charcoal at Man Yo is imported specially, as was the 82kg bluefin tuna we saw during our visit, which was dissected in front of us via a slicing ceremony. As you might have suspected, the tuna sashimi was amazingly fresh. The clear tuna soup was also a hit, the umami fish working well with the refreshing hint of sliced cucumber.

As a dessert–aholic, we loved the matcha pudding, which was smooth and not too sweet, made using imported matcha powder from Uji town in Japan. The sweetness from the red beans and fig, when coupled with the bitterness of matcha, made it particularly moreish.

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Those working nearby will be happy to hear that Man Yo's lunch set is also great value, with five different set menus priced RMB 80-150, each featuring eight to 10 courses each. There are also 30 kinds of sake, shochu, and plum wine to choose from, including a bunch of sake at good value (RMB 200-400 per bottle). Even if you skip the lunch set, compared to Yotsuba, ordering a la carte from Man Yo would still be less expensive at around RMB 300-500 per person. We must admit that we also prefer the more casual atmosphere, and will certainly be back to try the lunch sets and robatayaki. 

Man Yo
Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30-10.30pm. W-4 Bldg 3, Dongfangruijing, 16 Jianwai Dajie, Dongcheng District (6521 2511)
万叶海鲜炉端烧：东城区建外大街16号东方瑞景3号楼底商W-4号

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Photos: Man Yo, Tracy Wang