Looking for a tasty doria?

Area: Nagoya Station, Takashimaya department store 3F
Restaurant: Cafe de Salue カフェドサリュー
Website and Info: http://www.jr-takashimaya.co.jp/cafe2/f_3.html

For a light lunch, this was the perfect doria (840円).  The thin layer of rice makes it almost pizza-like, with the baked cheese topping.  This doria is without a doubt Japanese flavor, with it's drizzle of miso sauce.  The cabbage and the eggplant go well in the dish.  The thin slices of eggplant were big in flavor and really brings everything together.

The downside of this cafe is the price of coffee (it can cost you about 700円 for one cup), but being Takashimaya, this is kind of expected.

For someone who doesn't usually eat doria, this one would make me come back for more.  

Warm, comforting gratin on a rainy day...(smile)

Area: Endoji Shopping Arcade　円頓寺　 (5 min. walk north of Kokusai Center Station)
Restaurant: Como House コモハウス
Map and Info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23007992/

This cute little cafe has a country house feel.  On a day when there was a typhoon and skies were dark and grey, it was somehow comforting to walk to into Como House.  The lunch (all for under 900円), included a drink, omelette, bread, salad and gratin.  The other option was a half sandwich.  The omelette of the day was a mushroom and corn filling.  It was quite standard, plain perhaps so you can adjust the seasoning of salt to your taste.  The gratin was the highlight and worth mentioning; baked cream sauce and cheese with macaroni, potatoes and broccoli.  This one needed no extra seasoning and was great just the way it was.

THREE desserts included!

Area: Meieki, a 3 min. walk east of Nagoya Station. It's on 2F of the building beside the ComTech building (arcade).  琥珀ビル２F
Restaurant: ZenZero ゼンゼロ
Map and info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23002479/

This restaurant's lunch is available until 4pm, so if you're hungry at a late hour, and you're a lady, you can enjoy this combo (Lady's set 1000円）.   There are a variety of baked and regular pastas to choose from.  I had the baked Milan style pasta.  I'm not sure if it's really Milan style, but it was cheesy with a half cooked egg hiding under the crust of baked cheese.  That was probably the best part of this dish.  There was some ground meat in the tomato sauce, but I'd like to see more ingredients added to it.

The bacon bits in the salad added a nice touch to liven it up.  The dessert was mango pudding, poppy seed cake and light cheese cake.  I personally liked that I could have 3 different flavors to enjoy.  The coffee was actually a nice cup of java; I wouldn't mind just dropping by for coffee and dessert one day.

Tea is not only for drinking

Area: Kokusai Centre (Nagoya International Centre) Station, 100m from Exit 2.  It's in the side alley of the building so it's a bit difficult to see.

Restaurant:  Pistocha Cafe ピーストチャ　カフェ

Map and Info: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/bu325apz0000/

This cafe instantly gets a thumbs up for its hours of operation; mainly because lunch can be eaten at anytime!!  It doesn't matter if it's after 2pm, you can still enjoy the set meal.  Today's donburi (rice dish) was boiled pork with a ketchup+worcestershire sauce.  The pork was served on top of Hojicha rice (roasted green tea rice) with beans and beansprouts.  This is the only place that I've seen so far that charges less if you want less rice.  The sauce may have been a bit overpowering in that it was difficult to taste the Hojicha flavor of the rice.  It was, however, refreshing since it was served cold almost like a salad.  

The set also included miso sauce konyaku, eggplant tsukemono, simmered squash and soup (all for 750円).  Since this cafe is centered around the theme of Japanese tea, you can enjoy different varieties as well as food made with the tea, such as matcha french toast.  

Pistocha cafe also gets my approval for its clean white chair, wooden table top decor.  Very modern in design, it's a great way to pass the time here.    

Honey and curry...really?

Area: Endoji shopping arcade 円頓寺、 5 min. walk north of Unimall Exit 10 (The underground shopping area on the east side of Nagoya station).

Restaurant: Honey Style Cafe TOSHIN  ハニースタイルカフェトーシン

Website and map: http://www.honeystylecafe-toshin.com/

As the name suggests, this cafe is centered around honey.  Even the spinach curry (about 800円) has hints of honey.  You might think that it's a sweet curry, but it still has the spiciness of a regular curry.  If I didn't know there was honey in it, I probably wouldn't taste it.  I like that it came with genmai (brown rice) instead of white rice.  The slight chewiness of this healthier version grain goes well with the softness of the stewed and roasted veggies.  The vegetables were not seasoned much, but that's perfect for dipping in the curry sauce.  

For and extra small fee, you can add a drink to the meal, so I tried the kinako honey latte.  If you like the flavor of kinako (slighty nutty), then this mildly sweet drink is a nice way to round out the spicy after taste of curry.  

It has the feel of a small food store rather than a restaurant, but that's probably because that's essentially what it is.  If you're looking for different honey products (not just for eating), then you might be lucky to find it here.  

Haven't had a pressed sandwich since I was a kid!

Area: Meieki (a 5 min. walk NE from Nagoya Station)
Restaurant:  Cafe San Rafael カフェサンラファエル
Website and Map: http://cafe-sanrafael.com/shopinfo.html

This spacious cafe is a relaxing and quiet place to take a break.  It has a slightly older and run down feeling than the photos on the website, but it does seem to be surrounded by buildings of the same sort.

The egg pressed sandwich lunch (1000円）、coffee included, seems a bit expensive, but I hadn't had a pressed sandwich since the days when those presses were popular.  It was a nice flavored simple sandwich with the right amount of ketchup and mayonnaise.  The egg was not egg salad by the way, but was an omelette.  I love the crunchy outer layer sides of press sandwiches!

The one complaint I had was that the hazelnut coffee was not very tasty.  When I added cream, it didn't incorporate very well and when I asked the waiter about it, he said it's normal.  Somehow I don't think it's normal for the cream to slightly congeal!  Next time, I'd order one of their specialty world coffees and see if the flavor more heartwarming.

How do you eat your crispy rice?

Area:  About a 5 min. walk SE of Nagoya Station (EME Nagoya Building B1)
Restaurant: Seoul Table ソウルテーブル
Map and Info: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/du291ufs0000/map/

It's rare that I post blogs about Asian restaurants, mainly because the Japanese do it consistently well.  Also the menu items seem very similar where ever you go.  However, I was feeling like Korean bibimbap today.  I was craving the heat of the kimchi, the abundance of veggies and the flavor of Korean hot miso paste.  I found all of this in the bibimbap at Seoul Table (the set, salad and soup included is a great value for 819円).  The salad looks plain, but with the simple dressing, it provides a nice way to cool down the tongue after eating the bibimbap out of the hot, hot bowl.

The soup was a mild sesame oil flavor that goes perfectly well when you add the crispy parts of the hot stone bowl's rice.  I'm not sure if that's the right way to use/eat it , but I quite  enjoyed the slighty burnt flavor of rice with the texture of crispy rice absorbing the soup.

The dimness and black tables of the restaurant may make it more suitable for a night dinner outing with friends, but if you want a good lunch deal and authentic Korean, an afternoon visit is recommended!
 

Inexpensive French galette lunch

Area: About a 5min. walk north from Kokusai Center (国際センター） station, Exit 2.
Restaurant: Pas a Pas 　パザパ
Open: 11:30 - 5pm (closed Wed, Thurs).  Lunch is served on weekends even after 2pm!
Map and Info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23043152/

I came across this cafe when I was looking for Cafe de Lyon, so that might give you an idea about it's location.  It was closed for a short period, but I'm glad I came back when it was open again.  This shrimp, cream sauce galette lunch (950円） was a satisfying plate.  The greenery was a little plain, but I guess the potato salad is there to liven it up.  Sorry about the photo; it's difficult to see that it comes with a carrot salad, and pickled veggies as well.  The cream sauce was mild in flavor, but that brought out the natural flavor of the mushrooms and onions, in addition to the crispy edged crepe.

Give me the WHOLE bun please!

Area: Meieki (about 5 min. NE of Nagoya Station)
Restaurant: Paff パフ
Website and Map: http://www.paff.jp/

I know I've been going to this area quite often recently, but I keep on finding cafes that seem worth visiting.  This one, Paff, is on the top of my list for interior decoration and atmosphere.  The moment you walk in, there's the feeling of ‘I'm going to enjoy my quiet time here'.  It's spacious, comfortable and although it seems to be popular, it's quiet.

The food, on the other hand, was not horrible, but not top notch either.  Today's pasta lunch was smoked Kajiki (tuna) tomato pasta (1050円）.  The edamame topping was actually quite delicious; it had a certain crunchiness (usually soft and mushy) that lent to a refreshing feel and flavor.  However, the smoked tuna was overly dry and hard, and the sauce was lacking in something.  It's rare, but I decided to try something other than coffee, and went chai latte.  If you like your chai mild, then this cup will satisfy you.

The accompanying bread was a treat, enough that I wish they would serve a whole bun.  To make this dough, the cafe uses rice flour instead of regular flour.  This is why it has a chewy texture and ever-so-slight sweetness of rice.  It also had a light flowery after taste (not sure where this comes from) that makes this bread unique.

Next time, I'll order a set that comes with dessert (sweets seem to be their big specialty here).

Slightly surprised

Area: Meieki, Nagoya Prime Central Towers 1st Floor (about an 8 min walk NE from Nagoya Station).

Restaurant: Hugs Cafe and Bar ハグ

Website and Info: http://eau-de-vie.co.jp/hugs/access/index.html

This good value lunch had a bit of a surprising aspect to it.  Before I get to the surprising aspect, the set, not including the soup is about 650円.  There are a few sandwiches to choose from for lunch (served until 2:30pm).  I had the shrimp and avocado.  It was creamy and light, but was lacking in seasoning.  The flavour of the avocado was covered by the fishy sea smell of the shrimp.  Normally, avocado itself doesn't need much extra, but in this case it needed something to bring out its flavour.  It might just be my preference, but for a filling like this, the bread needs to be more substantial.  It was a little to light and fluffy.  

Now for the surprising part.  For about 100円 extra, you can include a soup.  For once, it wasn't corn soup, or clear onion soup, or miso soup that is often served in Japan!  It was a seafood bisque.  There actually weren't many chunks of seafood, but the flavour itself was enjoyable.  

The decor fits the description of a modern lounge more than a cafe, but this elegance makes for a quiet and comfortable place to take a break in the afternoons.

A good bowl of coconut Thai Curry

Area: On the Bic Camera side of JR Nagoya Station

Restaurant:  Cafe Matahari ロジウラのマタハリ春光乍洩

Website and map: http://cafematahari.com/

Unfortunately at lunch time you can only order from the lunch sets.  The menu had items on it that I'd like try, but these choices are not available if you're only there for lunch.  So, I chose the Thai Curry set (800円, drink and soup included).  The soup had a nice light essence of fried garlic.  The curry could have used some more chicken and veggies, but overall it was a satisfying bowl of curry.  The dried shrimps added oomph to the mild  sweetness of coconut milk.  I think coconut thai rice would go perfect with this curry, but it's difficult to find restaurants that put out non-Japanese short grained rice.  

A filling quiche lunch is rare isn't it?

Area: across the street from Nagoya Station and Bic Camera
Restaurant: Tiger Cafe
Website and info: http://tiger-cafe-nagoya.com/map_coupon/

The first thing that surprised me about this spinach and bacon quiche (800円, not including the coffee) was the size.  Usually when you order quiche from other places, you get a slice of the pie, however at Tiger Cafe, this is what comes; a whole pie!  It's thin, but filling, and the crust (the important, defining feature of this quiche) was between a dessert pie's flakey one, and a harder, cookie-like crust.  Not too solid and also didn't fall apart easily; a well-done crust.  The coffee was pretty much standard.

The decor and high ceiling somehow makes it feel like a European cafe.  It's comfortable (with the bench seats), and not too loud or crowded (even for the small size).  Next time, I'd like to try the chicken or shrimp cream sauces served with rice.

Mascarpone cheese and basil, a great match

Area: 2 blocks from Nagoya station on the Bic Camera side

Restaurant: Tsubaki ツバキ　

Map and info:  http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23009229/

I was too late to make it in time for the lunch set (until 2 or 2:30pm), but I'm glad I missed it.  Instead, I had a delicious basil and mascarpone cheese panini sandwich (～700円).  The olive oil basil paste married well with the other ingredients, and the toasted, pressed bread was sturdy enough to stand up to the juiciness without becoming soggy.  I was happy to find an actual sandwich (if  you know what I mean) in Japan.  

It's a small quaint restaurant in the back of an area filled with izakayas and bigger name eateries, so it may be difficult to find, but if you do you may be pleasantly eating.  The first floor just consists of a small counter, but if you asked to be seated on the 2nd floor, you can also comfortably dine at a table.