Weekday Lunch Crawl | Discovering Delicious Food Around Shinjuku #2
Hello, this is sabor. This is a note where I record how I, a person who has
become unemployed and gained free time, go about doing the things I want to do. This time, I am delivering the second installment of my bucket list item “Go on a weekday lunch crawl.”
Go on a lunch crawl on a weekday.
〈1〉 First, choose restaurants within walking distance of Yotsuya Station.
〈2〉 The total cost of lunch should be 2,500 yen or less per person.
〈3〉 Limit eating out to three times a week.
Since I am unemployed, I have set the above rules for my lunch crawl. If you are planning to visit the
Shinjuku area or Yotsuya, please use this as a reference for choosing your lunch. Now, let's get started!
#ARMWOOD COTTAGE Shinjuku Gyoen
“ARMWOOD COTTAGE” is a cottage-style cafe dining spot that feels like something out of the world of “Tom Sawyer.” The wooden cabin that suddenly appears among the office buildings lining Shinjuku Gyoen feels like a secret base.
They offer a daily set meal at lunchtime. The daily special for this day was “Stewed Demi-Glace Hamburg Steak Set” <¥1,200>. I relaxed and waited in this wonderful space while drinking the tea that comes with the set.
The set meal is perfectly balanced. From the mildly flavored stewed hamburg steak to the side dishes like daikon radish and salad, everything was delicious. Surprisingly for a cafe, the miso soup was exactly to my taste; I wonder what kind of dashi they use.
My companion ordered the “Mexican Taco Rice” <¥1,200>. The balance of textures and flavors between the ground meat, cheese, avocado, and taco chips was excellent. They seem to have a cafe menu as well, so I thought it would be lovely to have tea in such a wonderful space.
#Kokokara Sanchome
Located on the second floor of a building right by Yotsuya Sanchome Station, “Kokokara Sanchome” is a restaurant where you can enjoy kappo-style cuisine casually. Because you can enjoy authentic fish lunches that change daily, the restaurant is full and bustling.
I sat at the counter and ordered the “Today’s Grilled Fish Set - Black Mebaru Saikyo-yaki” <¥1,100>. My companion ordered the fixed menu item, “Seafood Arare Sesame Sauce Bowl” <¥1,500>.
Today's grilled fish set meal comes with a choice of side dish, a small bowl, a vegetable side dish, and miso soup. It is so wonderful to be able to get this many items for this price. For my choice of side dish today, I chose the "jellyfish sashimi and water dropwort with sesame vinegar dressing." It was delicious.
As expected, fish grilled by a professional is just too good. The meat is packed with umami, and the skin is also a delicious part of the dish. The yamamomo berry garnish gives it a refined, kappo-style touch.
The fixed menu item "Seafood Arare and Sesame Sauce Rice Bowl" features fresh fish seasoned with care, providing a superb sense of satisfaction. This comes with a salad, two small bowls, and miso soup. This casual kappo restaurant is loved by regulars. I would definitely like to go there for drinks at night as a kappo-style izakaya.
#OSTERIA Quattro Valli
An Italian restaurant in Yotsuya-sanchome that celebrates its ingredients, "OSTERIA Quattro Valli". Located right by Yotsuya-sanchome Station, it is on the floor above "Kokokara Sanchome," which I introduced earlier.
On this day, I ordered the "Quattro Valli Lunch Set (Available only on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)" <¥2,050>. I thought it was a weekday, but it was a holiday; being unemployed makes you lose track of the days... No wonder there were so many happy families around. I apologize for thinking it was a weekday.
"Quattro Valli Lunch Set" is a great deal at 2,050 yen, including an appetizer platter, 1/2 portion of today's pasta & 1/2 portion of Quattro Valli-style penne, a small homemade daily dessert, and your choice of coffee or tea.
I paid an extra 400 yen to change my drink to house wine, and the red wine in particular was delicious.
An appetizer platter featuring smoked swordfish carpaccio, homemade chicken liver pate bruschetta, salami, and ham. The swordfish and liver pate were especially delicious and went perfectly with the wine. Red wine and liver pate are a genius combination.
The main dish is a platter of two types of pasta, allowing you to enjoy two flavors in half portions. Today's pasta was "Oil-based spaghetti with snow crab, whitebait, and radicchio". It was delicious, with an oil sauce that had the umami of the seafood fully infused into it."Quattro Valli-style penne" had a delicious flavor where the cheese notes intertwined with the meat. It reminded me of the penne I ate in a European home.
The homemade small dessert of the day was "Italian pudding." The firm pudding expressed a rich egg flavor, and the bitter caramel and berry sauce enhanced the taste of the pudding. It was a homemade pudding that perfectly rounded off the meal. Since the appetizers and wine were also exceptionally delicious, I plan to visit again at night for drinks!
#CLOVE
Located on the basement floor of the Kinokuniya building, directly connected to Shinjuku-sanchome Station, is a vegetable and spice curry shop called CLOVE. Even in Shinjuku, a highly competitive area for curry, this shop stands out for its refreshing spice curry, and I often stop by after visiting the bookstore since it's in the same building.
My favorite menu item is the Whole Onion Spicy Curry (¥950). The flavor of the melted onions combined with complex spices is addictive. The freshness of the three types of achaar served on the side is also a favorite, as it further enhances the spices of the curry.
On this day, I ordered eggplant and pumpkin as toppings. It's great that you can customize your meal with plenty of vegetables.
Spices and fukujinzuke pickles are placed at each table, allowing you to enjoy changes in the curry's flavor. Since the spices provided vary by table, please try changing the flavor and experimenting with different aromas!
*Information is current as of the time of my visit. Please check each shop's official website for the latest information.
Since becoming unemployed and being able to get out during weekday lunch hours, I'm very happy to have more opportunities to discover wonderful shops. I hope everyone will visit at least once!
I will continue my lunch tours, so I would be happy if you would take a look again.
I'm now in my fifth month of unemployment! I'm making progress on my bucket list, albeit slowly (and my editing is lagging behind), so please continue to support sabor in the future!