Matsuya's Official X Reports First Bite of Second Test Sale Item, 'Hot Water-Seared and Soy-Marinated Tuna Bowl,' Topped with Salmon Roe

Matsuya’s official X account reported on the morning of July 23 that it had eaten the store-limited “Hot Water-Seared and Soy-Marinated Tuna Bowl.” The post follows the “100% Beef Hamburg Steak Set Meal” shared the previous night on July 22, marking the second item introduced this week in the “Test Sale Festival.”

Hot Water-Seared Tuna, Topped with Salmon Roe

Explaining the preparation, the official account described it as “hot water-seared style, briefly blanched in hot water before being marinated,” adding, “We had it topped with salmon roe.” In the posted photo, several slices of marinated tuna—seared only on the surface while left raw inside—are arranged with finely chopped scallion on top and shredded nori laid underneath. One side of the bowl is packed with glistening orange salmon roe, and the meal comes with a side dish of soy sauce dipping sauce with wasabi, plus a hearty miso soup containing tofu and scallion. The official account promoted the dish by comparing the sheen of the tuna and salmon roe to gems, writing, “This is truly a red jewel polished by the sea” and “#RubyClass.”

At Matsuya, a restaurant best known for its Beef Bowl, a marinated bowl starring tuna is a rare offering, and the familiar Macky & Yakky can be spotted peeking out in the lower right of the photo.

Listed as a Store-Limited Item a Week Ahead

Ahead of its introduction on the official X account, the “Hot Water-Seared and Soy-Marinated Tuna Bowl” had already been rolled out on July 21 as a store-limited menu item at 70 locations. It had appeared on the official website’s store-limited menu page for nearly a week beforehand, meaning the standalone spotlight on X arrived as a follow-up rather than the initial announcement. While the “Nebutazuke Beef Bowl,” released the same day, was offered at 44 locations, the Tuna Bowl’s rollout of 70 locations is a fairly standard scale for a store-limited item. Neither of this week’s two test sale items was announced on the official website’s news page, making the official X account the only channel introducing them so far.

The Latest in the “Test Sale” Series Running Since May

Since early May, Matsuya’s official X account has continued posting to introduce new store-limited items as part of a “Test Sale.” This week’s lineup, launched with the “100% Beef Hamburg Steak Set Meal” on July 22, has been billed as a “Test Sale Festival,” with the Tuna Bowl marking its second item. Looking back at past test sale items, the “Yulinji Set Meal” disappeared from the store-limited page after about two weeks, from May 26 to June 9, while the “Beef Steak Bowl” lasted about six days, from June 23 to June 29—both relatively short listings. These two latest items could follow a similarly short run, so those interested may want to visit sooner rather than later.