Kohrinbo

Taiwanese vegetarian restaurant 

After reading about Kohrinbo in the Japan Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide I'd been meaning to check out this little place for quite some time.  When the lure of Nakano's used camera shops brought my companion and I to the area, I finally got my chance.

Located on the second floor of an aging mall, Kohrinbo's neighboring shops are filled with the stuff otaku and collectors' dreams are made of: Gundam models, cosplay getups, old movie posters, and original figurines from 1980's kids shows that are now worth more than I make in a month. Although the merchandise ignites no yearning in me, I loved the atmosphere of the place, living in a city where so much is shiny and new, there's something comforting about a place where most shops look like they haven't changed in decades.   

Kohrinbo is a tiny place with a small menu.  Check out the photos and (if your Japanese is decent) the 本日の定食 (today's set meal) board outside to see what's being served.  Step inside, take a seat at the counter, and the owner will pour you a cup of tea and take your order.  While all food is vegetarian, some dishes are made with eggs, so let the lady know if you'd like yours without. (For those who don't speak Japanese, a simple way of saying this is "tamago nashi-de onegaishimasu".)     

One of the things that struck me about Kohrinbo is the feeling that I was having dinner at someone's long lived in house rather than at a restaurant.  In the family photos on display, I recognized a younger version of the lady cooking our dinner, and wondered about the laughing baby- a grandchild perhaps? whose photo sat on the shelf amongst cups and an accumulation of trinkets.  A TV mounted in the side of the shop was playing a reality TV show about a 12 member (nuclear) Japanese family, and I let go of my tendency to irritably resist the television's lure, and allowed my mind to slip into that confortable zone of passive entertainment.

My meal, the 精進カツ定食 (shoujin katsu teishoku 1100¥), was a pleasantly salty omelette with renkon chunks tucked inside, a sweet miso eggplant dish, a simple clear soup of enoki mushrooms and wakame, and a delicious katsu (breaded cutlet) stuffed with mushrooms and vegetables. Accompanied by a bowl of rice and pickle slices, this made for a filling meal with the satisfying level of fattiness I associate with Taiwanese veggie cuisine.

My companion's set, the 日替わり定食 (higawari teishoku 940¥) included goya chanpuru, a popular Okinawan dish of stir fried veggies and tofu, featuring the squash known in English as bitter melon.  A hijiki, bean, and vegetable salad, a bowl of the enoki and wakame soup, rice, and pickles were served aside a few slices of vegetable tempura.  Both meals had a definite home cooked taste, and being a real one-dish-dinner cook myself, I left with great admiration for the lady that whips everything up singlehandedly in Kohrinbo's small kitchen.  

Practical Information:

how to get there: From Nakano station, take the north exit, head straight out and into the shotengai (covered shopping arcade).  After a few minutes, the shotengai ends at a mall called Nakano Broadway, head inside and take the stairs to the 2nd floor (avoid the escalator as it goes straight to the 3rd floor!).  Once you get to the 2nd floor, take a right from the stairs, then the next right shortly after, and follow the lane to the very end.  

address: 東京都中野区中野５−５２−１５ブロードウェイ２F

Nakano Broadway 2F, 5-52-15 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 

hours: 11:30-3pm (last order), 5pm-8:00 (last order), closed on Sundays 

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Alaska

vegetarian restaurant 

It had been a while since I'd ventured out of my comfortable rotation of conveniently located veggie friendly favourites to try out a new vegetarian restaurant, but Golden Week offered a bit of time and motivation to go the extra mile.  A friend who had done some dining out with a visiting vegan pal recommended I try Alaska, a place that's been on my radar for some time.  Sunday afternoon brought a bizarre storm involving horizontal rain and hail (and a tornado in Tochigi!), but when the skies cleared, we took the walk from Shibuya station to Nakameguro.  

I started off my Alaskan experience by ordering a glass of sangria (750¥).  When it came, a conspicuous lack of floating fruit or the appearance of fruit juice led me to wonder if they'd just brought me a glass of wine instead, but the taste- sweet, fruity (lime-y?) was a pleasant sangria indeed.

The menu was fairly limited- a list of sandwiches (mostly cream cheese based) on one side and some à la carte items and a handful of sets on the other.  They have four set choices (1260¥): pizza, curry, a brown rice (genmai) plate, and a homemade bread plate.  My companion's first choice, the curry, was sold out, so we ordered a brown rice plate and a pizza set.

The margarita pizza was nothing special, though the focaccia crust was a nice variation.  As a vegetarian in Japan, I often find myself ordering margarita pizza because it's the only non-meaty option on a menu, so perhaps my lack of enthusiasm for this meal is due to a sort of margarita pizza fatigue, no fault of this particular restaurant.  The accompanying salad was a nice mix of greens and thinly sliced vegetables with a zesty balsamic vinaigrette, much more satisfying than the pathetic butter lettuce and corn (or just shredded cabbage!) piles that pass for salads in many Japanese restaurants.  I loved the little bowl of homemade pickles included with this meal.

   
Our other set, the brown rice plate, would be my recommendation of the two.  A serving of genmai (unrefined rice) was flanked by the same lovely salad as the pizza set.  Next was a small bowl of abura-age (thinly sliced deep fried tofu) strips, mizuna (a Japanese leafy green),  kiriboshi daikon (dried, then rehydrated daikon strips), kurogoma (black sesame seeds) with a hint of mustard.  The mock meat karaage, deliciously fatty, impressed my dining companion, who happens to be a vegetarian cook and no stranger to veggie karaage preparation.  This set had a more traditionally Japanese tsukemono in place of the pickles, with daikon, combu, and chopped greens.

Alaska's menu doesn't push any boundaries with its small selection of typical Japanese vegetarian restaurant fare, but what they serve is fresh and well made.  Many dishes include cheese so aren't vegan, but they do have a number of vegan options, the brown rice plate being one of them.

Ambiance is something that Alaska does well.  A visually appealing space is created by light walls, concrete floors, big windows letting in lots of sunlight, and the repetition of wood surfaces.  Pretty lanterns, dangling plants, art and knick-knacks add to the chill, natural vibe.

Practical Information:


how to get there: Alaska can be accessed from Nakameguro station (Tokyu-Toyoko line, Hibiya line) or Ikejiri-Ohashi station (Denentoshi line). From Nakameguro station, turn left as you exit the station, walk straight along Yamate Dori (山手通り) and you will pass a Baskin Robin "31" after a few blocks.  After about a 10 minute walk from the station (maybe 11 blocks), you will see an old fashioned hamburger shop called Golden Brown at the end of the block.  Turn to the left here, and you'll see Alaska on the right-hand side of the first block.

address: 東京都目黒区東山２−５−７


2-5-7 Higashiyama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo

phone: 03-6425-7399

hours: I neglected to make note of this when I visited the restaurant and information available online has been inconsistant, so I present you with a summary of what I found:

open daily from 11:00am (or perhaps 11:30?), last order at 9:30pm (10?), closes at 10:30 (11?).



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It's Vegetable: Taiwanese vegetarian cuisine in Tokyo

Vegetarian restaurant, vegan friendly

A random Wednesday off today gave me a chance to check out a place I'd been meaning to go to for ages. Back in August I went on a short trip to Taiwan and since then I've been craving another dose ever so delicious Taiwanese veggie cuisine.

A 30 minute subway ride away from Shibuya, It's Vegetable is a bit of a hike out the areas of Tokyo I usually frequent, but a satisfying meal tonight and a good book for the train convinced me it was time well spent.

Some of the reviews on Happy Cow had mentioned that it was necessary or at least a good idea to make a reservation for this place, but I got the feeling one would be fine without one.  That being said, the restaurant was nearly full when I left around 7pm (on a weeknight), so perhaps during peak times a reservation would be a good idea.

 Lunches run buffet style, with all you can fit on a small, medium or large plate system (with some weight restrictions).  Dinner can be ordered from an extensive menu of dishes, most of which feature soy based fake meats.  Many of these items can be ordered either small (630¥) or large (840¥).  I tried the braised "chicken" and mixed veggies with hot sauce, a flavorful dish with chewy meaty bits reminiscent of the sweet and sour pork of my childhood.

While nearly all of the menu is handwritten in both Japanese and English, the soup noodle section curiously has no English translations.  The friendly owner kindly walked me through the soup varieties, and I selected the first one on the list, a shoyu (soy sauce) based soup topped with a variety of veggies (900¥).

My only regret with this dinner was that with only one stomach, I was limited in the number of items I was able to try.  Given that there were so many yummy looking options I'd like to sample, I'll try to return here with friends and share a feast of little dishes.

It's Vegetable is easy to find.  From Kinshicho (on the Hanzomon and Sobu Lines), head to exit 5, turning to your left as you exit.  Take the first left from there, and you'll find the restaurant on your right within the first block.

As mentioned on the menu, while all items are vegetarian and contain no egg, some items do contain dairy products.  If you are vegan, let the staff know and they'll point you in the the right direction.

Practical information...

address: 東京都墨田区錦糸4-1-9


4-1-9 Kinshi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo


telephone: 03-3625-1245

closed on Mondays

opening hours: lunch 11:45-2:30 (last order 2pm), dinner 5:30-10:00 (last order 9:30)

veggies strut their stuff at Vegetable Sushi Potager

vegetarian restaurant 

I'd been wanting to go to this place for months, after reading a review printed in Metropolis magazine.  Vegetable Sushi Potager's concept is one inherently appealing to vegetarians: to celebrate seasonal vegetables, making them the heart of the meal, rather than simply side dishes to meat or fish.  This restaurant is entirely vegetarian, and they can also prepare a vegan selection if you let them know in advance.

Their dinners are a bit pricy, at 5,250¥ and up, so we opted for a lunch visit, where meals start at 1,575¥.  We arrived at 2:00 on the dot, exactly the time for their last lunch order.  Their closed sign was already up, but when I squawked to the staff member showing 2 customers out, we were let in.  They had already sold out of the chirashi-zushi (1,575¥), so we ordered two nigiri-zushi (2,100¥) sets.

While the restaurant does have some tables for larger groups, smaller parties are seated at the counter around their gorgeous open kitchen, where you can watch your meal being carefully assembled on a stretch of ample counter space that (as fellow Tokyoites will understand why) we looked upon with great envy.  While we waited, we took in the carefully constructed decor.  This place oozes an oshare (stylish)-natural, modern vibe, with green and neutral colouring, and seasonal displays decorating the shelves forming the backdrop behind the kitchen.

Our first plate of nigiri arrived, and we were given a brief explanation of each of the 5 spectacular looking morsels laid out before us.  Each piece was unique, and sauces and seasonings used sparingly to play up but not overwhelm the natural flavor and texture of the vegetables. Many of the nigiri looked an awful lot like regular sushi: the uni, for example, was rather convincingly played by a lovely carrot mousse.  Despite the visual resemblance, many of these little bites proved to be rather un-sushi like in flavor, delving into rather un-Japanese kinds of delicious.

Along with the 10 pieces of nigiri we were also served a little bowl of (combu, not katsuo-based) miso soup and a lovely cup of tea at the end of the meal.

Vegetable Sushi Potager is not the kind of place that I'd become a regular.  The places I frequent tend to be a bit noisier and a bit less polished, so I can feel at ease being my noisy, not so daintily eating self.   We were, however, thoroughly impressed with our meal, and I'd love to return from time to time to sample another season of vegetables or celebrate a special occasion.  If you are a vegetarian living in or visiting Tokyo you have my recommendation to give this place a try, as they offer a unique dining experience you will not soon forget.

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おすすめ / recommendation: Though we sampled no other dish to compare, the nigiri-zushi was delish and reasonably priced

good points: unique, delicious, healthy, seasonal, all vegetarian, beautiful food 


bad points: dinners are a bit pricy 


hours: Lunch 11am-3pm (Last order 2pm), dinner 5-11pm (last order 10pm).  To keep everything at its freshest, they have a limited quantity of dishes available so making a reservation or arriving early may be wise!


address: Roppongi Keyakizaki Dori, Roppongi Hills, 6-9-1-1F, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo


〒106-0032
東京都港区六本木6-9-1六本木ヒルズ 六本木けやき坂通り1F

From Roppongi Station (on the Hibiya Line) take exit 1C

From Azabu Juban Station (on the Oedo Line) take exit 7

Head to the green arrow!

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Their website has a lot of English content!  Check them out here for more information.

Sofa Vegetarian Cafe

vegetarian restaurant

To celebrate the birth of this blog, I thought it fitting to try out a new vegetarian restaurant.  After a quick ride on the Inokashira-sen, we were in bustling Shibuya, crowded with Tokyoites trying to squeeze a few more hours of play time into their weekends.


Arriving at Sofa Vegetarian Cafe, my first impression was that it was more of a take out/ fast food style restaurant. The front window displayed a blown up version of the menu, and the register was directly in front of the door, so I expected them to ask us to order at the front.  Instead we were instructed to head up to the 2nd or 3rd floor and choose a seat.  Up on the 3rd floor, it looked more like a proper restaurant, although my dining companion thought that the plastic server call button gave  the place a family restaurant feel.

The menu includes a number of pastas, a few curries, sandwiches, salads, a soup, as well as a few other items like gyoza.  I went for a focaccia katsu ("meat" cutlet) sandwich (840¥) and my companion had the lasagna (840¥).  While I had no major objections to it, my dining partner was not impressed with the lasagna.  When pressed for an explanation, she said it reminded her of frozen food and she could have made something tastier at home.  The katsu sandwich, luckily was more of a hit- it was the right amount of greasy, crispy, and I was told, had the texture and flavor of fish.

For dessert, we tried the baked tofu cake (630¥).
It definitely tasted like a vegan dessert, with a light tofu flavor and not too sweet.  It certainly wasn't the most delicious tofu cake I've ever tasted, but it was pleasant end to the meal.

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menu: main menu has English, specials menu in Japanese only, vegan items clearly marked with a V,
O means oriental vegetarian (no garlic...)

おすすめ / recommendation: focaccia katsu sandwich


good points: convenient location, cheap

bad points: decor and ambiance could be better, seats are quite close together

how to get there: When you exit from JR Shibuya Hachiko-guchi, directly in front of you (across the street) you will see big flashy screens and a Starbucks, (across the street) to the left you will see the 109 building. At the scramble, walk to the left.  You will be walking towards 109, but on the opposite side of the road.  From there, just walk straight up the hill (Dougenzaka 道玄坂) for a few minutes.  Sofa is right by the first traffic light (Dougenzakaue koubanmae 道玄坂上交番前) you will come across, just before the kouban (police box).



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