Naples and real gorgonzola, a good combo

Area: Chika Machi Lounge チカマチラウンジ, B1 Level of Crosscourt Towers (attached to Midland Square in front of Nagoya station)
Restaurant: il Bamboccio イル　バンボッチョ
Website and info: http://www.chikamachi.com/floorguide/il-banboccio/

Hours: Weekdays, 11am-3pm (LO 2:30), 5pm-11pm (LO 10:30)
           Weekends, 11am-11pm (LO 10:30)

At first, I was interested in the lunch plate of the day, ginger pork, but when I asked the waiter, he explained it was just shoga-yaki (a staple in Japanese cooking).  I'm not sure why an Italian restaurant serves this Japanese dish, but instead I went for the pizza lunch (soup and pizza 980円）.  This is the gorgonzola and Italian sausage pizza.  The dough was soft and chewy like the Neapolitan pizza.  I was pleased with the gorgonzola cheese, as it actually had the strong flavor of blue cheese.  Gorgonzola in Japan is often more mild and doesn't scream blue cheese.  I just wish there was more sausage on this pizza.

The accompanying soup surprisingly had a lot of vegetables in it; that's a plus in my books (makes up for not having a salad).  One complaint I have about this place is that there is a section blocked by a small wall, where if you are sat here, you'll never be helped by the waiter.  I had to wait quite a while for service, as did the other customers around me.  People were consistently calling more than once for a waiter's attention.

Can't decide if it's worth it for just soup

Area: JR Towers 13F (food court area with Starbucks and La Vie de France), Nagoya Station
Restaurant:  Soup Stock Tokyo スープストックトーキョー
Website:  http://www.soup-stock-tokyo.com/

This company makes all different kinds of soup, but of course they can't showcase all of them, so you have a choice between 4 or 5 flavors of the day.  I had the soup and dessert soup set (1100円, includes a drink).  For this price, I would've expected a bit more in volume or ingredients. You can also choose between bread and rice.  To me, bread goes better with soup, so that's what I ordered.  It's the perfect bun for eating with soup, the chewiness and density are great for dipping.

For my savory soup, I chose the Korean style Sangetan.  It's basically like chicken soup with all different types of grains and beans mixed in.  It seems like a soup that would be good to have when you've caught a cold and need nutrients but don't have an appetite.  I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it is healthy and mild in flavor.  For my dessert soup, I chose the matcha banana.  I wish they would serve it after the meal and not at the same time as the savory soup, since it did have a melting scoop of ice cream in it!  It's well known that adzuki (red beans) match with matcha, but this soup also had corn, macadamia nuts and chick peas in it (along with banana pieces).  Interesting and new, but I'd have to say that as a dessert, it could do without the corn and chick peas.  The nuts and red beans alone would have been satisfying enough.

Being in a food court section, it's a bit noisy and busy here, but if you can snatch up a table, there's no one to tell you you've been there too long, so you can take your time and relax.

It deserves its name as a pasteria

Area: Sunroad (underground shopping area on the east, Takashimaya side of Nagoya Station)
Restaurant: Pasteria Sapore パステリヤサポーレ
Website: http://www.pasta-sapore.com/

Taking a look at the menu, there are so many flavors to choose from, cream, tomato-base, basil sauces etc.  This restaurant actually has pasta other than spaghetti; they also serve dishes made with fresh fettuccine.  It does cost an extra fee when ordering a set lunch that uses fresh pasta, but for the soft, but chewy texture, it may be worth it.

The set lunch (950円) includes pasta of your choice (from the set lunch list, or from the seasonal pastas), a small salad and drink.  I had the squash, shimeji mushroom basil meat sauce fettuccine.  I must admit that I'm not a huge pasta fan (despite all the pasta lunches I've eaten here in Japan because every restaurant has pasta lunches, but that's another story), but this pasta is a thumbs up in my eye.  The seasoning was just right, the cheese, salt and sauce had the right balance.  Basil can be overpowering, but the olive oil accent still came through.
Delicious!

Chocolat Pineapple: Rare hollandaise sauce can be enjoyed here (closed)

Area: 50m south of Exit 3 of Kokusai International Center station 国際センター駅
Restaurant: Chocolat Pineapple チョコラパイナップル
Map and Info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23030978/

I think this may be the first time trying eggs benedict in Japan, but I was pleased just to see it on the lunch menu here.  There are two to choose from, salmon or bacon.  Other menu options include kara-age (fried chicken), taco rice (a combination of typical taco flavors but on rice), hamburger patty, and all lunches include salad, potato salad, ratatouille and a drink for only 800円！

First, the potato salad or basically mashed potato had a mentaiko (cod roe) flavor.  Although the flavor was excellent, it was a bit dry.  The ratatouille had nice big chunks of eggplant, red peppers and other veggies and was also done well.  Now for the benedict; the hollandaise sauce was a bit thinner than usual (you can tell by the photo, it's not the bright yellow that I'm used to seeing), but the mildness actually worked with the salmon.  The egg was perfectly poached.  My only complaint is that under the salmon was a soggy mess of tomato, of which the flavor overpowered the hollandaise.  It depends on your likes, but I could have used without  that tomato.  Otherwise an enjoyable lunch.

The restaurant itself has a comfortable feel (aside from the mismatch in heights of the chair and tables, I felt like a kid who couldn't quite reach the table).  But the sofa seemed even more difficult to eat at with the table at the height of your knees.

This pasta flavor is a first for me

Area: Kamejima station (Higashiyama Line), or an 8 min walk from the west side of Nagoya Station.
Restaurant: Esora Cafe エソラカフェ
Website and info: http://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ000797249/ 
Easier to read map: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230113/23037178/dtlmap/?lid=tocoupon2

This little cafe may be difficult to find as it's in the middle of a residential area around Nagoya station, but it may be worth it to search for it.  It's got a bit of a modern diner feel (especially around lunch time), mixed with a comfortable, homey cafe and bar.

The food at lunchtime is centered more around asian flavors, but taking a look at the menu, the nighttime menu seems more Italian-like.  I came for lunch today (open until 2pm for lunch), and chose something I've never seen before.  The Kimchi cream pasta lunch (850円) came with onion soup, salad and a bread.  The saltiness of the soup was a bit overly done, so it was difficult to taste the onion, and the salad was topped with a plain caesar dressing.  I really enjoyed the crispy on the outside and soft, chewy inside baguette though.

The pasta was very mild in kimchi heat, but the flavor of the Korean staple was felt even though all that cream.  The thickly cut pork and the katsu bonito flakes match well with the sauce and the spaghetti.

For 150円 extra, you can add a drink.  Their espresso machine coffee is fresh, so you'd be safe to order it; you won't get reheated drip coffee.

I hope their crepes are better than the galettes...

Area: Meitetsu Department store 3F, around Nagoya Station
Restaurant: Cafe Creperie Rateau カフェクレープリラトゥー
Map and Info: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/n5af8jsa0000/map/

This cafe has a variety of sweet crepes and savory galettes to choose from.  Since I came for lunch, I went with the prosciutto and salad galette (about 800円).  It was a very simple galette, not filled with anything, so I think they needed to concentrate on the actual galette a bit more.  It was a soft and soggy mess (and it wasn't due to the salad dressing).  Because the dough is made with buckwheat flour, when it's this soggy, the grainy texture really shows through.  It definitely doesn't compete with the creperie on the 13th floor of the JR Towers restaurant.

What I liked about this dish was that alongside the ham came a scoop of light cream cheese and a shot glass of honey to pour over it.  It added an extra level to the ham and unsweetened galette.

It may be better to order a sweet crepe at this small cafe if your craving a break from shopping.

Still Japanese grains, but this fried rice is a bit different

Area: Nagoya Station, Takashimaya Department store 5F タカシマヤ

Restaurant: Cafe Menore カフェメノレ

Website: http://www.menore.com/

This cafe does have a set lunch menu, but I was interested in trying something from the a la carte page.  I don't know why a restaurant that serves pasta and western flavors has the Indonesian Nasi Goreng dish on their menu (945円), but it somehow caught my eye. 

Nasi Goreng is basically a spicy fried rice made with a sweet soy sauce and topped with fried onion and an egg.  I don't think this version had the fried onion, but the half-cooked egg worked well to calm the spiciness of the rice (although pretty mild from the beginning), and to add another level of flavor.  The chewy texture of the rice was also quite enjoyable.  I only wish there were more shrimps hiding in there!  If you're looking for something different than the usual cha-han (Japanese inspired fried rice), then this is a good plate to turn to.  

A garden high above the city

Area:  On top of the Meitetsu department store (Floor R), Nagoya station
Restaurant:  Garden Cafe ガーデンカフェ
Website and Info:  http://www.e-meitetsu.com/mds/food/cafe/

It was a nice end-of-summer day, the weather was perfect for eating lunch here.  I sat inside, but they kept their doors open for a nice breeze to waft in.  With the wicker seats and the surrounding plants, it really does feel like a garden cafe.  I had the mixed sandwich lunch (700円, drink and salad included).

It looks like a big sandwich but the bread is so light, it doesn't feel like you're chewing on anything but what's in between the slices.  One sandwich was egg, tomato and cucumber, the other was filled with tuna and cucumber.  If I say that there was nothing special about this sandwich, you could probably imagine how it tastes.  The coffee was a bit stale in my opinion, probably just reheated, or sitting out for a long time.

The lunch was a bit disappointing, but the bright garden atmosphere makes it worth making a visit.  Perhaps dessert and tea would be a better choice.

This hamburger is definitely not a hamburGu

Area: Nagoya Station, Takashimaya department store 8F
Restaurant: Louis Hamburger and Cafe ハンバーガー＆カフェルイス
Website and Info: http://www.jr-takashimaya.co.jp/cafe2/f_8.html

It seems a little weird to me to have a burger joint in a high class department store like Takashimaya.  But maybe that's how hamburgers are viewed here; it is more rare to find a burger (bun and all) in Japan.

I was craving a good ol' homestyle burger, so I ordered the classic (980円).  It comes with fries and coleslaw on the side.  I was happy to find that this restaurant doesn't just take the loved Japanese burger patty and put it inside a bun.  Those patties sold in restaurants are tasty, but they are too saucy and soft to make into a hamburger in my my opinion (see previous post about Layer's Hamburgers).  This cafe's meat has got it right; slightly crispiness on the outside and juicy inside, and the toasted bun is dense enough to stand up to the burger's juices.

Being in Japan, the topping is of course mayonnaise (they love it here).  Although they brought ketcup, I had to ask for mustard on the side.  I wanted relish too, but I wasn't sure if that was asking too much, and there was a pickle on the side anyways.

I'll definitely come back when I'm wanting an actual hamburger (not a hamburGU, the name for patty only).  

How do they do it??

Area: Passe　７F  (Kintetsu building at Nagoya Station　近鉄パッセ)
Restaurant: Pancake Days　パンケーキデイズ
Website and Info: http://www.pancakedays.jp/shop/nagoya/

This shop is superbly busy on holidays and weekends at both lunch time and snack time, so if you don't want to wait in line, I suggest going on a weekend.  The nice thing is that you can order sweet or savory dishes regardless of the time.  I was here for lunch so I chose the Avocado and Shrimp wasabi mayo pancake set (980円, drink included).  I was torn between this and the Croque Monsieur pancake (3 pancakes with ham, slathered in cheese sauce), but I asked the waiter and she said the avocado was more popular.  It was a good choice.

I've never seen such perfectly round and grilled pancakes before except in Japan.  The color and texture is so uniform; there are no big holes or burn marks (except for the smiley face) on this pancake.  I don't know how they do it!  The big chunks of creamy avocado and wasabi mayo go surprisingly well with the buttery pancake.  It's buttery in flavor only, it's not greasy at all.  They must mix the butter into the batter before grilling it.

For the drink, I chose the maple milk.  It's very mildly sweet, and of course the maple flavoring pairs perfectly with the pancake.

Fine dining not at it's finest

Area: Mei-eki, (close to Lucent Tower ルーセントタワ, 3 min walk NE from Nagoya Station)
Restaurant: Taste-6 テイストシックス
Map and Info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230113/23004981/

It claims to be fine dining, but I wouldn't call it that, at least at lunch time.  One of the lunch specials, and restaurant's popular dish, is the steamed vegetable basket (900円, available until 2pm).  You can choose from fish, meat, noodles, or vegetarian and all come with rice plus all you can drink juice, coffee or tea from the drink bar.  It's a healthy and good idea if you`re eating at home, but for a restaurant,  I think they can do better.  For starters, the steamed veggies and fish are just that, steamed.  The seasoning comes on the side, presented as a variety of dips that you can mix and match.  Olive oil and pink salt, shio-koji (fermented rice in salt), ponzu (citrus soy sauce), and miso paste `dip' are the trimmings.  It's fun to try different combinations and such, but really, it's something I can easily do at home.  Especially since this basket was filled mostly with hakusai (or as we call it overseas, nappa).

The other lunch dishes included croquettes and simmered pork, so if you make a visit here, I would suggest trying those out instead of the steamed vegetables.

Kaffeine: For a place called Kaffeine, it better have good coffee (closed)

Area: 5 min. walk south from International Kokusai Center (NSBuilding ２F)
Restaurant: Kaffeine カフェイン
Website and Info: http://www.kaffeine-coffeeshop.com/

When I asked the waiter what her recommendation was for lunch, she suggested the curry.  It's the one coin curry, meaning it only costs 500円.  What I liked about this curry was that it had fat pieces of pork, but I have to say that ordering Japanese curry in any restaurant usually means no surprises.  It is the price that stands out here.  For an extra 150円 you can add a soup and salad.

For 200円 extra, you can include a drink as well.  I ended up ordering a coffee, and this made me believe that the cafe lives up to its name.  It was a very comforting, bold, but rounded tasting coffee that I would make another visit for.

I have to mention something about the clever name.  In Japanese, it's written as Ka-fue-in.
Ka-fue is the standard word for cafe.  Just like the menu, the name mixes Japanese and western flavors together.

Who knew olive oil could make such a difference

Area: Inside Nagoya Station, Takashimaya side (the corridor just north of the main escalators)
Restaurant: Peck ペック
Website and info: http://www.jr-takashimaya.co.jp/cafe_detail/d-194.html

Peck is a store originating in Milan, and having been to the associated restaurant in Italy, I had high expectations.  The one in Japan is more of a cafe and bakery type of feel, but the ingredients should be similar.  I had the smoked salmon panino (just learned that in Italy panino is the name for a sandwich not using sliced bread) lunch.  The set was 1050円 and included a drink and salad (lunch served until 2pm).

Looking at the photos, this sandwich doesn't seem like much.  It is suited for a very light meal, and is simple as it gets; salmon, butter and lettuce.  However, there is one thing unique, and it may have to do with my Peck experience in Italy.  This store's olive oil is to die for!  I almost forgot how good it was, until I realized it was mixed into this panino...perhaps with the butter.  The high quality of EVOO can definitely be felt and it made this a treat to eat.

You can also choose from the bakery section, a variety of buns, sandwiches, and sweets (or even pastas), and have the restaurant heat it and prepare it on a plate for you.

French cafe, made for the Japanese

Area: Meitetsu Department store 6F, Nagoya station
Restaurant: Maxim's de Paris サロンドテ「マキシム　ド　パリ」
Website and info: http://www.e-meitetsu.com/mds/food/cafe/index.html#maxims

Upon looking on the internet, it seems that this is a chain restaurant originating in France.  Having said that, it is obvious that they geer their cooking to match the Japanese tastes.  Take a look at this sandwich, for example.  A shrimp cream croquette sandwich (half-size 1050円).  The Japanese seem to love cream and potato croquettes, as they are found anywhere you go.  I am not complaining though, this sandwich was delicious and it came with ratatouille, salad, and two french fries.  At lunch hours (until 2pm), you can add a soup for about 200円.  Today's soup, I was told, was a vegetable soup.  I assume it was squash cream soup, also well done, but also common in westernized restaurants in Japan.

This little cafe does have a European feel that strives to be elegant, but casual enough for anyone to enter.  Next time I will try the mille-feuille chestnut dessert (by the way, Japanese bakeries also love to feature mille-feuille).

Apple `wine', gruyere cheese....says France doesn't it?

Area: Nagoya Station, JR Towers 13F
Restaurant: Breizh Cafe ブレッツカフェクレープリー
Website and info: http://www.le-bretagne.com/j/creperies/nagoya.html

This seems to be a restaurant brought to Japan from the Bretagne region in France.  Apparently they specialize in buckwheat crepes or galettes.  The crepe itself has little added seasoning, so you really do get a feel of buckwheat, and you can enjoy the crispy outer edge and chewy inner texture.  Here, I had the cheese galette set (1050円, drink included, lunch hour ends at 3pm).  The cheese was really the key in giving this dish it's flavor.  I think it was Gruyere cheese, so it was quite strong, a nice change from the usual mild cheese that you normally find in Japan.  Overall, it was a nicely done plate, but the word that comes to mind is `simple'.

For the drink, I chose the store's specialty apple cider drink.  This fizzy, not so sweet alcoholic drink is made by a process similar to how wine is made from grapes.  You can choose from dry, sweet or organic.  I went for the dry, and was pleased with how well it went with the meal.

Perhaps being originally a cafe in France is why Breizh has a bistro feel.  If it's a nice day, you can sit outside on the terrace and look over Nagoya from the 13th floor.  Of course, there are a variety of not only savory, but also sweet dessert crepes to choose from.  You can also have your crepe made with butter for an extra fee (I think that would be a great addition).

Cafe Phlox: Something different about this businessman-filled coffee shop

Area: 500m SE from Kokusai 国際センター International Centre.  Walk along the street just west of the river.

Restaurant:  Cafe Phlox カフェフロックス

Website and Info: http://vision-62.com/nagoya/gourmet/cafe_dining_phlox/

Looking at the cafe's website, I wasn't expecting this to be one of those coffee houses filled with business men looking for a quick lunch where they can smoke.  Having said this, the menu seems slightly different than the usual lunches that those places dish out (often we see chicken kara-age, ginger pork stir fry, hamburger patty, tonkatsu, curry etc).  For example, although they do a hamburger patty, it comes on a simmering hot plate.  They also make dorias and gratins (baked rice and pasta dishes).  On the menu on this day, ingredients such as scallops were featured.

I tried the tuna pasta (800円 including soup, salad and pickled daikon radish).  The lunch also comes with rice, but perhaps coming from a western country, I find eating pasta with a bowl of rice somehow strange, not to mention overfilling.  This dish was a Japanese flavored pasta as you might be able to tell from the heap of seaweed topping. I was pleased with the amount of canned tuna underneath that mountain of seaweed, and overall the soy sauce flavor made for a nice lunch.  I also enjoyed the dressing on the salad (I think it was shiso dressing).  

For 100円 more, I added a coffee to lunch, but it was just reheated coffee, so you can imagine the flavor there.  

I'd like to try the hot plate hamburger patty, since that's what the couple running the place ate for lunch that day!

Why does this bakery have Vietnamese coffee?

Area: Meitetsu Department store B1 (Men's clothing wing). Attached to Sunroad (Nagoya Station)
Restaurant: St. Mark Cafe サンマルクカフェ
Website: http://www.saint-marc-hd.com/cafe/

For about 700円 I was able to buy a sandwich, chocolate croissant and a coffee.  Half the sandwich was egg and shrimp, while the other half was ham and cheese.  It was light and reminds me of the kind of sandwich you can buy in a Japanese convenience store, so nothing special here.  The shop seems to be famous for their Choco Kuro (croissant), which is why I had to buy one.  The chocolate is soft, and milky in flavor, but somehow I feel the croissant is too mild in butter and too airy.  It doesn't really add anything to the bold taste of the chocolate.

I was surprised to find that vietnamese coffee is sold here.  It tasted like regular coffee mixed with condensed milk.  I think it would be nice if they used a bit stronger coffee, but nevertheless it satisfied my sweet tooth.  I would return for this mildly sweet coffee, but not sure about the baked goods.