Does this fusion meal really deserve all the criticism it’s been getting?

As one of the biggest and most popular beef bowl chains in the country, Matsuya doesn’t really need to do much to attract customers. However, it chooses not to rest on its laurels, instead adding new items to the menu regularly in the hopes of pleasing its fanbase. Its latest new release has left customers divided, though, with some praising the new dish and others criticising it, so we stopped by to see whether the flak was warranted.

There are actually two new dishes in the lineup, the  Toroto Tamagodon (“Melty Egg Bowl”) and the Toroto Egg Sausage Bowl, and we chose to try the latter. With both bowls only on the menu from 5-11 a.m., these are designed to be breakfast meals, and when our meal arrived — each bowl is served as a set with a side of miso soup, pickles and nori seaweed — we couldn’t think of a better way to start the day.

The bowl of rice was topped with what looked like an open omelette (Japanese omelettes tend to be rolled), with a good dash of black pepper and four sausages in the mix. To our eyes, it looked like a fantastic breakfast, so we picked up our spoon and went in for a taste.

The first thing that struck us was just how well the topping went with the rice beneath it, as the compatibility was perfect. However, the “melty” texture of the dish appeared to be missing, because although the name of the dish led us to believe the egg might be half-cooked and runny, only the surface was soft, while the rest was like a well-cooked omelette.

While we were hoping for a bit more meltiness, we were also hoping for a bit more richness, as we were told the topping contained cheese. However, we could only taste it very slightly, so a bit more cheese would’ve held up nicely against the other ingredients.

The simple seasoning of salt and pepper worked well to enhance the flavour of the sausage, though, and when combined with the white rice, it had a moreish flavour that was very satisfying.

There are seasonings on the table so you can add more flavour as required, and we highly recommend adding a dash of barbecue sauce as it gave it a good punch of flavor.

So what was the reason for the divided reviews? Well, after trying it, we realised that its simplicity may be the thing that divides opinion. Though some might like this simplicity, especially for their first meal of the day, others might be hoping for something a bit more punchy, especially from a beef bowl chain.

The prices are also on the expensive side for a local, with the Egg Bowl on the menu at 380 yen (US$2.44) and the Egg Sausage Bowl at 530 yen. When you change the miso soup to tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup), which many customers like to do, the prices go up to 550 yen for the Egg Bowl and 700 yen for the the Egg Sausage, so for these prices customers might want something more in return for their yen.

A lot of beef bowl chains do have fried eggs on their breakfast menus, so perhaps customers are used to having their eggs done that way too. For us, though, we didn’t think it was a bad deal at all — it’s not every day you see an open-omelette bowl on the menu and when you’ve got sausages and rice in the mix, it makes for a tasty, hearty and convenient breakfast that’s like a perfect fusion of East-and-West flavours.

So next time you’re looking for a fast and easy breakfast in Japan, it doesn’t hurt to try Matsuya. Even if you don’t go for their Melty Egg bowls, they do have a cheap and cheeky breakfast beef bowl…for those who know how to order it.

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