Nights That Suit a Chain Restaurant, Night 3: On a Night Alone at Saizeriya, the Milanese-Style Doria Is a Little Kind

Official Catchphrase Style
Delicious, fun, Italian.

Sea and Sky Catchphrase
On nights when you don't have to be perfect, there is a familiar steam.

—

There are nights that suit Saizeriya.

It can be a night of excitement with someone.
The drink bar cups spread across the table by students.
The feeling of a young couple whose conversation pace hasn't quite matched yet.
A family sitting silently while looking at the menu in the back seat.

But perhaps the night that suits it best is a slightly tired night alone.

On the way home from work.
On the way home from shopping.
A night where nothing particular happened, but you can't say nothing happened either.

At times like that, the brightness of Saizeriya is just right.

It doesn't shine a light on your circumstances like a high-end restaurant.
It doesn't demand energy from you like an izakaya.
It doesn't require you to sit there composed like a cafe.

Open the menu.

Milanese-style Doria.
Small shrimp salad.
Spicy chicken.
The wilted spinach dish.

And then, the Diavola-style vegetable sauce.

I love that stuff so much.

Even though it's just sitting on top of the meat, it's not just a garnish.
The fineness of the onions.
The hint of garlic.
The slightly rough deliciousness of oil and aromatics.

Just having that sauce there changes the atmosphere of the plate.

It's not a flashy protagonist.
But it would be lonely without it.
In Dragon Quest terms, it's not an attack spell, but like a support spell that quietly keeps working.

On a tired night, that kind of taste is just right.

When people are energetic, they can look for new tastes.
But on a night when you're a little worn down, a familiar temperature is better than something unknown.

The Milanese-style Doria is brought to the table.
A white plate.
A browned surface.
At the edges, the sauce has hardened just a little.

When you put your spoon in, steam rises.

Watching that steam, the version of myself from today comes back a little.

It's not perfect.
It's not special.
But there is something warm in front of me.

Just that is enough for a person to recover a little.

I think the good thing about Saizeriya is that it doesn't make anyone's night a big deal.

Even if you're feeling down, you don't have to put on a serious face.
Even if something happy happened, you don't have to celebrate too much.
Whether you're alone, with two people, a family, or friends, the table is there just the same.

It's not a meal that changes your life.
But on a night when you don't need to change your life, it's properly there for you.

That is, unexpectedly, an amazing thing.

The ice in the drink bar clinks in the glass.
At the next table, someone is silently doing a spot-the-difference puzzle.
Near the register, a child is fussing a little.

The world isn't neatly organized today either.

But the Milanese-style Doria is warm.
The Diavola-style vegetable sauce is properly delicious.
There are paper napkins on the table.
You can go get your own water.

That level of freedom is just right for the night.

On the way out, I pay at the register.
It's cheaper than I thought.

There are days when you are saved by the low price.
There are also days when you are saved by the taste.
But perhaps, what saved me tonight was that this place didn't ask me anything.

When I go outside, the air is a little cold.

My stomach is full.
My heart isn't completely full.
But it's not empty either.

There are nights when that is enough.

There are nights that suit Saizeriya.

You don't have to be perfect.
Eat a little, be silent a little, and return a little.

Tonight, that is enough.

—

Today's closing sentence

Sometimes, a non-protagonist sauce can help you rebuild your night.