About food in Japan

Café with panda items in Ueno(上野)

Some of you may visit Ueno Park in Japan. In the large Ueno Park, some major tourist attractions, such as Tokyo National Museum, National Museum of Nature and Science and Ueno Zoological Garden, are located.

 

Ueno Park will be a good spot to spend a half day by visiting one or two museums you are interested in. You will also be able to enjoy the nature showing different scenes by season, while moving around museums etc in the park.

Current season, on the beginning of December, we can find yellow leafs everywhere in the park.

 

 

 

 

Well, today we will introduce two recommendable cafes in Ueno around the train station.

 

Café name: Ueno Green Salon

The café is situated just at the entrance of Ueno Park near National Museum of Western Art. The casual canteen like café offers some cute “PANDA menu”, celebrating the most popular animal in Ueno Zoo in the park.

 

 

 

I wish I could try this “Panda Curry”

but my stomach did not allow that.

 

Alternative recommendation, café latte,

if you are not enough hungry to try the cute main dishes

like curry, Omuretsu(omelet & rice).

 

 

It has a plenty of,100, seats and it will be easier to find a table out of peak time, lunch time during weekend. It also has some tables on outside terrace which will be a nice option when the weather is in good condition.

 

 

Address: 7-47 Ueno Park, Taito-ku Tokyo

 

 

 

Café name: Nomono Ueno　（のもの）

Nomono café is a part of Nomono shop in the building of JR Ueno train station. It is outside the gate near Central Exit and is accessible without a train ticket.

From outside you can find the grocery store. The café is behind the shop.

 

“Nomono”(のもの) is a food store operated by JR East railway company, offering local specialties and seasonal products in East Japan area.

 

As long as you order one drink or food at the café counter, you can also take food products available from Nomono grocery shop, from sweets, snack etc.

At the small café, lunch set, small salty plates and Japanese sake are provided. Some menu are changed by month and products from different prefectures are introduced.

It will be a good place to try some Japanese local food and sake or to take a short break before or after taking a train from the station.

 What I selected for today is…. A piece of Panda  hand-made rice cracker from Nomono shop and “Azuki” beans tea served by a pot.

 

If you arrive there on evening, sake tasting set (Kikizake set 利き酒セット) will be interesting. It costs Yen 500 for 3 different kinds of alcohol.

 

Address: Grand Concourse JR Ueno station Central Exit, 7-1-1 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

 

 

If you look for something associated with Panda, you will find more souvenir products or food at other stores or cafe. Like this!

 

 

Souffle “Doria” by Hoshino Coffee (星乃珈琲)

Not only Starbucks, we can find some Japanese domestic coffee chains in Tokyo. Today we introduce one of them, Hoshino Coffee (星乃珈琲) with its interesting food menu.

 

 

Hoshino Coffee shop has a kind of atmosphere like an independent coffee shop, although they are operated by a major restaurant chain in Japan. The interior and their menu cannot be felt as modern and latest. We could rather regard it as being in the good old days. That makes the coffee shop comfortable space from young girls to an old couple.

 

 

Another feature of Hoshino Coffee is a series of menu, “Souffle”(スフレ). Some of you may know “souffle” is a way of cooking invented in French cuisine. The original one has fluffy texture made by whipped egg white. The fluffy texture is essential element of food called “soufflé.”

Hoshono Coffee offers several menu on its soufflé series from pancake, cheese cake, traditional soufflé cake etc.

 

 

But the most interesting menu is “Souffle Doria.”

 

“Doria” is popular lunch menu in Japan and you may find it at family restaurants in Japan. It is a kind of “rice gratin.” Cooked rice is covered with white sauce and cheese in a thick pot and it is baked in oven. It is considered as “Western food” among Japanese but now we found it born in Japan. As per description on Wikipedia, it was invented by a chef from Switzerland but based in Japan when he served to a banker from Europe.

 

The original doria is also recommendable but, at Hoshono Coffee, in a large cup, rice is covered with soufflé(whipped and baked egg white maybe)!!

 

I was so excited for the great match, when I found the menu,

soufflé doria.

 

The rice under souffle part is flavored with ketchup, so the taste may be a bit similar to omelet with rice, which is also popular menu in Japan. But the texture of soufflé is much better. It is melting in the mouth…

 

That is not traditional Japanese food but it’s worth trying the texture in Japan.

"Souffle doria" is available only at Hoshono Coffee chain shops.

 

 

While many of Hoshino Coffee units are situated in residential area, some are in central locations, such as Shinjuku, Shibuya and Roppongi.

Here are some of them;

 

Shinuku Alta

Address: Shinjuku Studio Alta B1, 3-24-3 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

 

 109 MEN’S (Shibuya)

Address: 2^nd floor, 109 MEN’S, 1-23-10 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

 

 

Roppongi

Address: 1^st floor Trinity bld. 7-14-7 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

 

Ginza 8chome

Address: 2^nd floor Taiyo bld. 8-8-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo