If your body is lacking veggies, but don't feel like salad...

Area: Chikamichi チカミチラウンジ (Crosscourt Tower B1), about a 3 min walk from Nagoya Station
Restaurant:  Beer Bar Ma Maison
Website and Map: http://www.ma-maison.co.jp/beerbar.html

Having my break from work after lunch hours, it's difficult to find places that are still serving food (not just sweets and drinks).  This bar however serves food from open til close.  You can choose from lunch sets such as curry, omelette rice, hamburger patties, croquettes, etc or there is also the option of ordering dishes a la carte.

Today, I chose the seasonal vegetable curry (980円).  The vegetables are cooked in an iron pot (cabbage, lotus root, sweet potato, onion, bamboo) so you can use the curry like a dip.  I'm a fan of grilled veggies, so I quite enjoyed the flavour.  They aren't seasoned but curry is pretty heavy on the flavour side, so they match well together.   I'm not so keen on the match of miso soup and curry (something salty with yet an even saltier side), but this combo is often found around city.

Next time, I'd like to try a cheese plate and order a beer! Seems like they have REAL cheese, and not just the processed stuff.

If there's a next time, I'll skip the pasta and order pizza

Area: Nagoya Station JR Towers 13F
Restaurant: Mano Magio マーノマッジョ
Website: http://www.mj-sangyo.co.jp/r/manomagio/nagoya/

It was a good thing I didn't pay full price for this pasta lunch (usually 1500円, but with a coupon, 1000円).  The pasta was a shrimp, zucchini and mushroom white wine sauce dish.  Sounds good, right?  Didn't taste as good as it sounds though.  There wasn't much flavour or seasoning in the sauce, nor did I get any sense that it was cooked with white wine.  The smell of shrimp (or the sea) was all that stood out.  What was interesting, were the noodles themselves.  It wasn't the usual spaghetti, but more like ramen egg noodles.  The problem with this is that the noodles clump together when not in soup.  The accompanying bread was bland, which may be good for sopping up pasta sauce, but there wasn't much sauce for that.

The nice part about the lunch was sitting out on the terrace.  From the 13th floor you can look out onto busy Nagoya in peace.  Even on a hot day, the breeze made it a nice place to take a break.

You call yourself of burger?

Area: Winc Aichi Building (Exit 7 of Unimall) B1 Level
Restaurant: Layer's Hamburger and Cafe レイヤーズ　
Website and Map: http://www.layers7.com/access.html

There's a lot of hype about this place, maybe because it's an actual burger and not just a burger patty.  Or maybe it's because the pictures make it look so big and juicy.  Keep in mind, this is the opinion of a Canadian, but I don't understand this hype.  It was rather a disappointment.  I ordered the most simple burger on the menu, the so-called hamburger (850円).

The one thing that is good about this burger is that the meat is 100% beef.  However, there are more things gone wrong with it.  The flavour of the beef is such that you can tell it's of good quality, but it's overpowered by the layer of cracked black pepper.  Also, why ruin that wonderful beef flavour with a smothering of worcestershire-like or demi-glace sauce? A juicy burger is usually a good thing, but like the Japanese hamburger patty dishes, it falls apart almost too easily, and the running juices along with the sauce make the bun soon turn soggy.  So soggy that turns to mush.

The fried chicken and onion rings at Layer's was more to my liking, but being a burger specialty restaurant, isn't that a little sad?  I'm sorry for being so harsh, but I was really craving a good ol' homestyle burger!  

Dublin Room Cafe: A place you can relax and take a deep breath

Area: Kokusai International Center (About 100m from exit 1 of Kokusai Center Station)
Restaurant: Dublin Room Cafe ダブリンルームカフェ
Map and Info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23006453/

This little hidden cafe has a slow food atmosphere.  It's a place where you can take your time.  The lighting is pretty dim, so you may find yourself getting sleepy if you try to read a book, but it's probably not a problem if you get a seat by the window.

The lunches (900円) available might change every day, but today there was a pasta, curry and omelette rice lunch to choose from.  I had the tuna and tomato pasta lunch.  It was a simple tomato sauce that could have used more tuna in my opinion and a little more oomph.  But the texture of the spaghetti was a nice al dente.  The salad and soup were pretty standard.  Coffee and dessert are also included in the lunch.  The coffee cake (or could have been a banana cake) was light on the sweetness level and a bit dry, but some might prefer this (I do sometimes).

You don't have to be a highschool girl to enter

Area: Hisayaodori station (about 200m North of the station)

Restaurant: Panda Cafe パンだ　カフェ

Map and info:  http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230103/23040712/

So the decor and atmosphere is a little high school girlish, but the food can be enjoyed by any adult (there were salary men here).  Lunch here is served until 4pm, so it's good for people who eat lunch outside Japan's frequent 2pm limitation.  

At this cafe, the lunches to choose from are pasta, curry, salad or burger patty.  I chose the pork shabu-shabu salad lunch (900円).  Look at that volume!  It's rare to see a salad this big served in a restaurant in Japan.  It was a good mix of veggies and leaves and all went well with the creamy sesame dressing.  The soup was nothing special, and the quiche was a regular ham quiche.  The bread was delicious though; danish-like bread smothered in butter.  The egg tofu was very silky and the cold dashi broth made it so pleasant and refreshing.  

If I were in this area more often I'd visit again, if not for the food, to see them make the panda face cappuccino.

Kind of bland, but rare in this city

Area: Close to Winc Aichi building, Exit 7 of Unimall, 4th floor above `Ciao'
Restaurant: Rogoski ロゴスキー　(Russian food)
Website and Info: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/n064400/

I'm no expert in Russian food, but I have had it before, cooked by Russians in Toronto.  Today was a light snack with Pirozhiki (200円) and some sort of baked mushroom soup with a bead topping (800円).  The pirozhiki could have used a bit more meat, and more juiciness.  The soup had a nice, very light flavour of mushrooms, and the bread had a delicious crispy outer layer and soft centre.  

It was a bit difficult for me to read the menu because the names of the dishes were in katakana, but sounding like the Russian names.  I just noticed that the website says they have English menus and English speaking staff so maybe next time, I'd ask for that (if there is a next time!).

Turn down the sodium level please

Area: About a 3-min. walk from the east side of Nagoya station (Meitetsu train exit).  On the same street as the spiral tower.
Restaurant: For You Grill and Cafe
Map and info: http://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ000748057/

A casual but modernly furnished cafe, it seems pretty popular at lunchtime.  For the daily lunch, you can choose from the daily special omelette rice, pasta, grilled item or curry.  I chose the simmered chicken in a rosemary tomato sauce (900円).  The thick sauce had lots of little chunks of tomato and other veggies in it, making it easy to coat and eat with the chicken.  The one complaint I have is one that I have of a lot of food in Japan; it was a bit too salty.  I now know why the Japanese like rice so much.  The saltiness of the main dish makes you crave something plain to accompany it.  I did however, enjoy the rosemary seasoning that matched well in the sauce.

This cafe seems to also specialize in omu-raisu (seasoned rice covered in an omlette).  They offer flavours other than the usual ketchup. Cream sauce omu-raisu, for example, in addition to a variety of toppings to choose from, you can build your own dish.

This ramen is different...in a good or bad way, you choose!

Area: Winc Aichi　ウインクあいち building, basement level (Around exit 7 of Unimall, attached to Crosscourt towers)
Restaurant: Roku-San-Roku　六三六
Map and info:  http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23033417/

This is ramen shop serves a dish slightly different than the regular ramen.  Normally ramen is made with a pork-based soup, but this shop's soup is fish-based, making the broth have a lighter feel to it.  Since it was a hot day today, I went with the rei-men (cold noodle soup, 780円).  Cold noodles and fish broth makes a refreshing combination.  I only wish there were more slices of cha-sui (grilled pork) on top since the flavour and cut of meat used is perfect for this ramen.  I'm sure there's a way to buy extra slices on the ticket vending machine.

If you're in love with pork broth ramen, you may find the ramen here has a little less punch, but if you're looking for something different or lighter, this is a good option.

I keep coming back here!

Area: About 200m on the east side of JR Nagoya Station (or exit 7 of Unimall)
Restaurant: Kirin City キリンシティ
Map and Info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23000231/

You've probably already guessed by the name, but this restaurant is centred around beer.  It has a western bar feel with both Japanese and western flavours.  I particularly like the sweet lamb saute (880円).  Anytime I feel like eating lamb, I come here since at that price, it's a great deal.  I love lamb, but since coming to Japan, I even find it difficult to find it in the grocery stores (and even then, it's quite expensive just for 3 small chops).  Kirin City's lamb dish is juicy and the thickly cut pieces are the perfect size for tasting the slight gaminess that I like about lamb.  Although the sauce is a teriyaki-like Japanese flavour, it goes well with the meat.  It's a small point, but the baguette is also delicious.  It's got a crunchy outer shell with a soft, but doughy centre (this hard outer layer is something also difficult to find in Japan as well).

Other interesting menu items include red wine hayashi (beef stew), and black beer curry.  You can actually taste the beer in the curry!  Also, I haven't tried it yet, but they seem to have a variety of sausages to choose from (and they look like actual sausages, not the so-called sausages that are actually wieners).

Buttery Croissant will make me come back

Area: 400m east of Nagoya Station (Hirokoji-dori)
Restaurant: Hare Cafe
Website and Map: http://hitosara.com/0006017610/map.html

The first thing I noticed when I walked into this cafe is that all of it's clientele were women, but that should give you an idea of the air of the place.  The decor, along with the wooden walls and furniture makes for a perfect place to chat with, and have lunch with a girlfriend.

The udon lunch (880 yen) included a cold tomato and shiso Japanese-flavoured udon (perfect for a hot summer day), a huge salad, and a house-made croissant.  The salad could have used a bit more dressing, but I was pleased with the volume of it. Next time, I'd be interested in trying their carbonara udon, or a more western flavoured udon.

The best part of the lunch was the croissant.  You know it's homemade when you get a whiff of the fresh-out-of-the-oven buttery bun.  The outside is crispy, but the inside is a nice chewy texture.  I could definitely eat more than one!

Nagoya, please take this off your list of local specialties

Area: Meichika メイチカ　(underground shopping area on the Takashimaya side of JR Nagoya station, between Unimall and Termina)
Restaurant: Belle Herald ベルヘラルド
Map and Info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23005237/

For those of you that know the Chateau Blanc cafe, this seems to be the same company, but a more run down older version of it.  What made me want to try it are the signs out front advertising their Nagoya specialty, Naporitan pasuta (pasta).  It's basically a tomato based sauce spaghetti on top of a thin layer of egg on a hot plate (780円).  I wish Nagoya wouldn't call this their specialty because there's really nothing special about it.  The only thing I enjoyed was the egg portion; it becomes browned and slightly burned on the one side, and soaks up the juices of the sauce making a surprising pleasant match.

So-called cafe closes early, beware!

Area: Exit 12 of Unimall.  Walk about 2-3 mins north of this exit.  

Restaurant: One Cafe ワンカフェ

Map and info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23040436/

Lunch comes with a salad, soup, main, and drink (880円).  I had the ground chicken and basil saute.  The basil flavour was strong, but not too overpowering, which is why the egg went well with it.  However, the dish was salted way too much.  A little less salty, and the flavour would be perfect.  The soup was definitely a miss; the cream and the squash separated, and I felt like I was drinking milk.  

Despite being a cafe, they close at 2:30 and lunch last order is at 2pm, so if you want to take your time, be sure to get there early.  It does have a bright and modern cafe feel, so you'll want to take it easy and relax here.  

Bistro feel in the middle of nowhere!

Area: 7 min walk from the Bic Camera side of JR Nagoya Station

Restaurant:  Starfish Cafe スターフィッシュ　カフェ

Map and info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23031647/

It opens at 2pm as a cafe, and stays open late as a bar.  It has a bistro feel with a full bar and counter.  Table seating is available as well.  During cafe time you can order a crepe (1200円） or parfait/smoothie (600円）.  When I ordered the seasonal fruit crepe, I was offered a choice of liqueur to go with it, meant to be poured over the crepe and ice cream.  The apricot flavoured one went really well with the dish.

It would be a nice place to have a drink and share some plates with a friend during bar time, so I think I'll have to come back to try that.  

DIY Lunch, a great deal

Area: Nagoya Station (Takashimaya side, close to Kintetsu wicket)
Restaurant: Hisayda-ya ひさだ家
Website and Info: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/n020221/lang/en/

The lunch here is all about making your stomach happy (980円)! The reason is that you choose 4 dishes from 12 different dishes and make your own bento box.  It comes with rice and miso soup, and a small Japanese-style dessert as well.  I was feeling like a healthy meal so I chose fish with ama-zake sauce (made from the curds of the sake-making process), hijiki (seaweed) salad and jakko (tiny fish) and wakame sunomono (vinegar salad) and sashimi.  The fish was the best part, being moist and sweet, it's a dish that matches well with rice.  The dessert was also nice as it was light and not overly sweet, it was a perfect ending to this lunch.

Any Time Cafe: Cheap, Go-To place at Nagoya Station (closed)

Area: JR Nagoya Station (Takashimaya side)
Restaurant:  Any Time Cafe
Map and Website: http://www.heart-link-c.co.jp/anytime/access.html

This cafe serves everything from sandwiches, pizza, pasta, loco moco to sweets, coffee and beer.  I had the shio chicken (salt seasoned) loco moco (in the 800 yen range).  When you say loco moco here in Japan, it usually means hamburger patty, but this one is shredded chicken with the usual salad and egg on top of rice.  I actually enjoyed this version which was a change from the sweet teriyaki sauce that usually is associated with loco moco.  The chicken breast meat was juicy, and the seasoning was perfect to accompany rice.  The egg yolk mixes with the chicken and rice creating a different, delicious flavour and experience.

Although crowded, as it is in a main train station, the location is convenient and it is on the cheaper side compared to the station's other eateries, so I'd consider it as a great place to go if craving cafe or western-style food.

Blueberry: For sandwiches you would never make yourself, and a light lunch (closed)

Area: Unimall ユニモール　around exit 13
Cafe:  Bluberry ブルーベリー
Map and Info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23028090/

For lunch you have a choice of pilaf, sandwiches or curry and included is a salad and drink (680円).  What I like about the sandwiches here, are that there's variety in one lunch (you choose from prepackaged sandwiches, each package with a different mix of sandwiches).  For example, shown here in the hotdog bun is half kara-age (fried chicken), half mushroom and spinach.  The baguette is an omlette with lettuce.  There are other varieties as well, such as a croquette (fried potato patty), yakisoba (pan-fried noodles), tuna salad, etc stuffed in a sandwich.  These are probably things you wouldn't have the patience or time for to make yourself just for lunch, right?

Also, I like the balance of having veggies and fruit on the side.  This cafe also specialized in real fruit drinks, a little pricey but if you're craving a refreshing drink, you can find it here.  There are also cakes and sweets, of which I've only tried the little almond flan (delicious by the way) for 130円 to go with my coffee.

It's not the most elegant cafe, but it's not crowded and you can enjoy your laid back time if you wish to do so.

More than the food, I recommend this area

Area: Chika-machi at Cross Court Tower B1 Level (it's between and attached to the basement level of Midland Square and Winc Aichi, which are in front of JR Nagoya Station)
Restaurant: Maruha まるは　
Map and info:  http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23045794/

This is the Kaisen-don (880円), a bowl of rice topped with fresh sashimi and tamago-yaki.  I like ordering kaisen-don because of the variety of sashimi that you get.  It was my first time having black shrimp sashimi.  Plump and sweet, I quite enjoyed it.  By looking at the photo, I'm sure you can imagine the flavours of this bowl (just like ordering sashimi, you dip each piece in your own soy sauce and wasabi concoction).  I can say that it was fresh, but sashimi is mostly always of this quality in Japan.

Next time, I would like to try the ebi-furai (friend gigantic shrimp) at this restaurant.  It seems they are known for it.

What I actually wanted to showcase in this blog was the area this restaurant is in.  It's in the basement of a building, but every restaurant is open concept, and the design makes you feel like you're dinning on the patio of a small street.  There are a variety of shops to choose from (Korean, Chinese dumplings, a chicken donburi specialist, Spanish, English bar, etc), so I do recommend taking a trip over.

A taste of Nepal...enjoyed the Nan immensely

Area: Jingu-mae station 神宮前 (on the side of the station without the shrine)
Restaurant: Spice スパイス
Site and Map: http://hitosara.com/0006024256/map.html

This gigantic nan (flat bread) included, and it's all for just 680円? Unfortunately the cheese nan (in the 2nd photo) is not included in that price, but it is worth the extra fee!  I'm not sure if cheese nan is authentic Nepal food but it sure is delicious.  The curry is mild with a slight sweetness and goes well with the chewy, but soft and fluffy nan.  

It's a small restaurant with floor seating but somehow it feels like a different country, making the experience feel authentic (even though I've never actually been to Nepal!).

Light Cafe: Find quietness in a busy area

Area: Spiral Tower (a 5 min walk from JR Nagoya Station, in front of Meitetsu department store)

Restaurant:  Light Cafe ライトカフェ

Map and info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23041386/

The daily lunch, with drink and salad included, comes to 880円.  The daily quiche was already finished for the day, and although it seems pancakes are a highlight of this cafe, I was here for lunch, so I chose the peperoncino pasta lunch.  The spaghetti was cooked to a nice al dente, but I found the dish to be a little too on the salty side.  BUT I do think I tasted a hint of truffle oil which I am a huge fan of, so that made it a pleasure to eat.  The coffee art is also a nice little treat...how cute is that sleepy bear!

The shop is surrounded by beauty salons and relaxation spas so that might give you a clue as to the atmosphere of this cafe.  It's quite an open and bright space, but not crowded so you can take it easy here.

On the pricey side, but a nice treat

Area: JR Towers Nagoya (51st Floor)

Restaurant: Cepages

Website: http://www.cepages-nagoya.jp/

This is a go-to restaurant for a special occasion.  The view and modern atmosphere are great for a celebration of any sort.  I had the Menu Gourmand course which consists of a choice of 4 tapas, soup or pasta, 2 mains, dessert and coffee.

There were 8 tapas' to choose from such as smoked salmon, ikura and cream, scallops, pate, etc.  All were light and fresh tasting.  Great combinations!  The soup was a gourd soup, which wasn't so impressive, but wasn't bad either.   Next was the duck, then foie gras and steak.  You can't go wrong with ordering foie gras, so that was a treat.  The vegetable part of these dishes were a bit boring and bland, but the tastiness of the meat made up for that.  Dessert was a fig sherbert, a bit sour for my liking, but that just made it a refreshing dessert.  
All this for 4725円...I'd say it was worth it (a nice Birthday dinner!)