Ninja Restaurant, Akasake Mitsuke

Taken from Peps' review in Tokyo Families, 2009.

http://www.tokyofamilies.com/sections/entry.php?id=288

Mother Esta, Nakameguro

After a Sunday morning stroll up and down the river at Nakameguro, taking in the pretty Cherry blossoms and wonderful festival atmosphere, a trip to organic restaurant Mother Esta satisfied cravings to be warm, full and healthy.
The lunch options are three; however only one comes with the option of no meat - a bit of a surprise for an organic restaurant. Non-vegetarians ordered the lunch plate which is perfect for those meat-eaters who want something a bit healthy and are not vegetable shy as it comes with an assortment of small vegetable dishes.
The vegetarian option (they change the meat option upon request)- a Japanese style curry - nothing I would usually get excited about but with an assortment of 15 fresh and seasonal vegetables included, it wins the best Japanese style curry I have had thus far.

Included with lunch was a small salad & to finish a drink and small matcha cake= 1600 yen.

Vegetarian friendliness - reasonably flexible and offers various healthy food but usually with the inclusion of small amounts of organic meat.

2-20-14 Aobadai, Meguro-ku. Tel: 03-5724-5778.
Lunch 11:30am-3pm, dinner 6-10pm, closed on Wednesdays.
Nearest station: Nakameguro or Ikejiri Ohashi. English menu available.

Brown Rice Cafe, OmoteSando.

I had been meaning to visit this place for a while since it is pretty well reknowned amongst Tokyo veggies and the health conscious. The name Brown Rice Cafe is a big giveaway to what you will find inside. Unfortunately it is only open until 8pm so I kept missing out on making it here, but after making a conscious effort to be there for seven this time I could finally find out what all the fuss was about.
If you like brown rice, which can very easily be cooked badly, well it tastes good here and there is a divine sesame seasoning to accompany it. The food is fresh and healthy. Nothing too imaginative, just Japanese home cooking done veggie style (rice, vegetables, miso, tofu, tea) and potentially vegan. (looks to be so but please double check). The atmosphere is ordinary and the seats not overly comfortable but it IS a cafe afterall, and thats the feeling that you get. Simple and effective.
Good for; detox, healthy lunch, light dinner, early eats.
What did we eat?
He: SEASONAL STEAMED VEGETABLE SET ¥1,680
-Fresh steamed seasonal vegetables with a Brown rice -Miso soup- Green tea
Me: Tempeh Lettuce rolls, brown rice and pickled vegetables ¥1,050

Note: Attached is a bakery& deli which would be divine for breakfast or a Sunday treat!

Veggie friendliness: Awesome.

English Website: http://www.brown.co.jp/english/index.html

RaKuRa, Naka Meguro

Shame about the atmosphere. Still, it was a Tuesday night. Portion sizes were small. Luckily we weren't too hungry. But what really annoyed me was the 500 yen seating charge, which remains one of my major gripes with Tokyo's entertainment scene. I mean I'm eating here, bringing my friends, giving you business, and yet you're going to charge me the price of a glass of wine for sitting on your not so comfortable furniture. Hmmph.

Despite this, for some reason, I can't help but like the place. The lighting is too dark for my taste (maybe i'm not a natural romantic) but I was won over by the vegetable and miso dip, and delicately prepared pizza. Don't waste your money - plus seating charge - if you're looking to fill a hungry stomach however- you'll be left disappointed. For a light snack or food to accompany drinks it does the job.
I've got a sneaky feeling that this place leaves more to be desired on the weekend - with its convenient Nakame location I'm sure it must get busy. I might just try it again to find out. Does this review contradict itself? I think so.

What did we eat?
Miso paste with olive oil and raw vegetable dip
Margherita Pizza
Vege friendliness - good.

Aux Bacchanales, Shinagawa

Aux Bacchanales is a nice French restaurant in Shinagawa that I used to go often for their price-friendly business lunches. Their menu changes daily, and lunch menu always has two options - one meat dish and one fish dish for roughly 1000 yen. Classy decor, great food, and a nice outside patio makes up for a perfect lunch during the summer. Great option if you work in this area.

However this time, we went there for a dinner for four. The place looked great at night as well with its red european style interiors. Staff was helpful in explaining the menu to us. The menu is written on a portable blackboard with chalk. If you don't read Japanese or French, you might have a difficult time figuring out all the options. Luckily we were with a Japanese couple and soon realized most dishes are none-vegetarian.

What did we eat?
A bottle of wine (of course, we are at a French restaurant!)
Salad
Steamed vegetables
Two dinner courses (starter, meat/fish dish, dessert)
Price: roughly 15000 yen for four people including a bottle of wine.











Veggie friendly rating
Our none vegetarian friends enjoyed their tasty meals, but the lack of vegetarian options limited our enjoyment. Both the salad and the steamed vegetables are of small portions and even though they were both quite delicious, they weren't satisfying for my Friday night appetite.

Website: Aux Bacchanales, Shinagawa
Map: http://www.bento.com/gmaps/2877.html7.html

BOBOs by Queen Alice, Shinagawa

This gem of a place we found by a wonderful chance. Chosen as a default option, since the alternatives in the area looked pretty meat-heavy, it turned out to boast an incredibly peaceful and romantic atmosphere even on a Tuesday night. A good handful of fully vegetarian options, a great drink list, super comfy chairs and the waiting -on staff were nice as pie.

Bonus : It's wonderful when you can see the kitchen and the people preparing your food.

What is it good for? Date, small group of friends, party, meeting the parents! It is also a little Oasis in the Tokyo metropolis and being inside the station (though this is not a feeling you get) it's even better for rainy days. Lots of space (94 seats) so reservation is probably not needed.

Also we heard a sneaky rumour that you can bring your own booze.. wow!

What did we eat?
Mushroom Risotto - 1400 yen
Casserole of Vegetables - 1500 yen
White Wine - 1200 yen
Nama Biru
Espresso

Vegetarian Friendliness - This place has an emphasis on organic vegetables and even though it doesn't claim to be catered for vegetarians in any way it will certainly be liked by non meat-eating and meat eaters alike. It is quite apparent in the way that the dishes are prepared and presented that this is a place for food lovers from food lovers.

The address : 4F Atre Shinagawa. The digits : 03-6717-0931.

Aala Wi (Jamaican), Ebisu

Jerk Chicken and Jerk Tofu

The food was simple but good, the staff were super friendly and there was a continuous reggaeton music video on which means that, courteousy of a booty swinging J-girl, I can now practice moves like the "helicopter", "excitement" and "row dem boat" next time I hit dem club. Her dry humping the floor whilst doing the splits is a great conversation starter if you're stuck for topics or in need of an ice breaker..
What did we eat?
Me - Jerk Tofu (Pieces of spicy tofu and roast veg, rice cooked with red kidney beans — plus trimmings of crisp deep-fried plantain chips and today's coleslaw)
Them - Jerk Chicken with the above trimmings.
Drinks - Choose from a wide selection of cocktails (Frozen Mango ¥550;) or traditional Jamaican beers (Red Stripe ¥780)
My main dish plus Rum and Gingerale = ~ 1500 yen.
Veggie friendliness
The fact that there is a tofu option was a huge bonus for this place. There is also another stew option - the sweet-spicy Ital Stew, which is made with coconut milk (so possibly vegan).
Otherwise I could have happily ordered from a selection of veggie sides (corn on the cob, salads, fries, plantaine...)

Verdict
A really "fun" place, especially if you are looking for something new. Not really a place to take a date however since
the music is quite loud and you will come out smelling smokey and a bit like fried chicken.
Try it!

15 minutes walk from Ebisu station. Find the map here