The Kawabun Nagoya: A good place to treat a friend for lunch

Area:  5 min walk from Marunouchi Station, Exit 2 or 4 丸の内駅
Restaurant:  The Kawabun Nagoya 　ザ　カワブン　ナゴヤ
Website and Map:  http://www.thekawabunnagoya.com/en/access/

Hours:  11am-10pm


You`ll feel like VIP walking into this modern Japanese establishment, with the staff greeting and opening the door at your arrival.  It's separated into two sections, a cafe and a dining area.  Since I was not here for fine dining, I chose to sit in the cafe.  With the dim lighting, and tables facing the outdoor garden, it felt almost like a fancy resort.  To give you an idea of the prettiness, there was a wedding party taking photos in the garden on this chilly day.

The lunch menu includes a small soup and salad.  You can choose from a fried shrimp sandwich (900円), a croque monsieur (900円), lasagna (1200円), or the main of the day (1200円).  Today's main was pork loin with a roasted red pepper, onion and olive garnish.  It started off with focaccia bread, plain with a slight saltiness, it needed some olive oil to enjoy it.  The salad had a variety of leaves and a tart, perhaps white wine vinegar and olive oil emulsified dressing.  This dressing was a nice change from the usual and went well with the strong flavor of celery leaves.  The carrot soup had just the right amount of natural sweetness.  The pork was not over-salted and was laden with juicy fat.  The accompanying vegetables, asparagus, and rapini (first time seeing this is Japan), not only added a pretty green but the roasted flavor went well with the meat.

This meal was not filling, but the flavors and the affordability, along with the atmosphere, make for an enjoyable experience.