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There are a lot of Japanese all–you-can-eat restaurants around that price, but Matsuri 123’s makes it worth a trip. You might not make the trip out there if you stay in the centre of the city, but try it out if you are looking for somewhere new to eat in Gubei.

There are restaurant themes and then there are restaurant themes. Some restaurants just do good food in a smart room and other restaurants are decked out in all sorts of colours, paintings, drapes, ornaments and whatever helps to develop the theme and enhance your enjoyment of the food. Matsuri 123 is at the latter, extreme end of this spectrum – the restaurant is all about theme.

In the elevator on the way up to the ‘Japanese Food Stadium’ (Matsuri 123’s tagline) I noticed the posters for Mister Nite and Ladyes Nite [sic] and realized Matsuri 123 was going to be a special place. The Mister Nite poster shows an enthusiastic young Japanese chap with a topknot, wiry beard and Adidas sweater, eyes like saucers and mouth straining to open wide enough to accommodate the large fish-roe sushi that is being offered to him by a pair of chopsticks - clearly a place with a good sense of humour.

The ‘Food Stadium’ is basically 1500 square metres of food stalls, seating and Japanese kitsch. You pay your money at the door and then can roam free inside, eating and drinking until you burst. Most nights are RMB168, Mister Nite (Mondays) is RMB148 for men, and Ladyes Nite (Wednesdays) is RMB128 for women.

The decoration and ambiance are unique, and my description here will be an inadequate reflection. Nevertheless, as I remember it, you walk through a tunnel of flat screen TVs playing Japanese food programs and find yourself facing the first of many stalls decorated to resemble street stalls – signage in Japanese calligraphy announces the fare offered, red lanterns and curtains hang in the doorway of each “stall.” After selecting the food you want, you can look for somewhere to sit. You walk past the wish wall where you write your dream on a scrap of paper and pin it up, a wish bell and a giant plastic gold-coloured Buddha statue before finding a seat inside a giant peach, which is on a platform in the water. To add to the sensory overload, the chefs in the stalls clamour for your attention and the background music is a seemingly endless sensational Japanese rock guitar solo.

The 12 food stalls offer a lot of standard Japanese food types – sushi (on a conveyor belt, of course), tempura, sashimi, udon, pork cutlet, teppan. There is also a Chinese food station, Western food station (with mashed potato and Beef Wellington!), salad, fruit and dessert. For what is essentially a buffet, the food was pretty good. The sashimi and sushi were very fresh and had all the right textures. The tempura was passable and the teppan was good too. They have Asahi on draft, as well as plum wine, sake, normal wine, soft drinks etc.

Matsuri 123 is an absolutely unique concept and the biggest Japanese restaurant in Shanghai. There are a lot of Japanese all–you-can-eat restaurants around that price, but Matsuri 123’s makes it worth a trip. You might not make the trip out there if you stay in the centre of the city, but try it out if you are looking for somewhere new to eat in Gubei.

-by Charles Prior

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