K. Branch: a confused cafe/restaurant

Area:  about 2 blocks north of Fushimi Station, Exit 10 (伏見駅)
Restaurant:  K Branch  ケーブランチ
Map and Website:  http://aichi.main.jp/k_branch/index.html

Hours:  7:30am-11pm (LO 10:30), closed Sun



This was the second time I've visited this restaurant because I wanted to give it a second chance.  The first time, a quick look at their dinner menu seemed promising, with shrimp ajillo (garlic and olive oil), cheese fondue and bagna cauda. Inside seemed comfortable and nicely decorated.  However, upon entering, I was surprised to find that the lunch menu consisted of the typical Japanese curry lunch or tonkatsu lunch.  That's why I ordered a piccata (on the regular cafe food menu), which was basically an omelette rice but with butter rice.  I'm not sure why it's called a piccata since that usually consists of meat coated in egg and pan fried (perhaps this was a “rice piccata”?).  I had a Wafu, or Japanese flavour, so it didn't seem at all like their dinner menu.

Upon looking at the website, the lunches are posted (different everyday).  Today there was BLT on toasted sesame bread. I thought this might be a good choice to reflect the dinner menu, however it was sold out by the time I got there.  So instead my choices were a Chinese style teriyaki chicken or a pilaf (700円).  I went with the jambalaya style pilaf.  It was basically like chahan (Japanese fried rice) with a mild curry flavour.  There was possibly some ketchup added as well and it was topped with a sunny side up egg, wieners, green peppers.  I guess this was more authentic than the piccata, since a jambalaya is basically rice cooked with a spicey broth. The accompanying salad was dressed with a lemony vinegrette ( but tasted of that pre-squeezed, bottled lemon stuff).  The soup broth actually reminded me of Campbell's chicken noodle, but was filled with shimeji mushrooms, onion, carrot, and corn.  

What can I expect from a restaurant that calls itself Italian but serves Japanese flavours, jambalaya, Chinese food, and recommends a drinking wine with lots of ice in it!