Cafe Leopard: Should I call it quiche or pie?

Area: about 200m east of Marunouchi station, exit 4 丸の内駅
Restaurant:  Cafe Leopard  カフェ　レオパード
Website and Map:  http://cafeleopard.com/cafe-leopard

Hours:  11am-8pm, Lunch 11am-2pm, closed Sundays



This cafe looks like a fast food take-out restaurant, with it's ordering counter and casual decor, but they do offer table seating and service.

Today's lunches included a kara-age and croquette lunch, or a cabbage roll and quiche set.  There are other sets such as a hamburger patty and quiche lunch to choose from.  The A and B plate (formerly mentioned) lunches were ¥750 and for 100¥ extra a coffee or fruit tea (normally ¥350-400) can be added.  Today's quiche was bacon and spinach.  It was unlike any quiche I've tasted before because although it was a savory pie, it was quite sweet.  The crust was soft and shortbread cookie-like and melded with the egg filling.  It was almost like eating a custard dessert.  There were slices of sweet onion embedded throughout, but with that amount of sweetness, it was probably sweetened with sugar.  The cabbagee roll in tomato soup was pretty standard, the meat was so soft that I think there may have been panko mixed throughout and it absorbed the soup well.  The tomato soup was reminiscent of canned Campbell's tomato soup.  The buttered cheese toast was not salty at all and the cheese topping was although mild, it made for a nice complement to the savory roll cabbage and the sweet quiche.  The salad was just lettuce and carrot with an orange color mayonnaise dressing .  It may have been a carrot flavor.  

This is a fruits and quiche cafe, so I went for the fruit tea, today was a peach one.  It had a very nice peach candy flavor, with only a slight sweetness.  It needed no sugar added.

The dessert was a yogurt and grape jelly parfait.  The yogurt, only slightly sweetened went nicely with the fruity tea.  

M Cafe: Brightens up your day

Area:  about 1 block west of Marunouchi station 丸の内駅
Restaurant:  M Cafe
Website:  http://ameblo.jp/m-cafe34/
Map:  http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230102/23051854/dtlmap/

Hours:  10am-4pm, Lunch 11am-3pm

I was planning to go somewhere farther, but it was a rainy day and the cute appearance of this cafe caught my eye.  It seems definitely geared towards women.  And they were still serving lunch until 3pm.  Today I went for the hot sandwich set (¥650) because it was labelled as a popular menu item.  There was a choice of ham and cheese or egg, but I decided on the egg.

The accompanying salad was a small bowl of shredded cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and a scoop of potato salad.  The dressing was a Japanese-flavored one (soy-sauce and bits of onion included) that matched well with the mayo, cucumber and ham potato salad.  

The soup was a salty consommé with floating bits of bacon and onion imparting it's flavours throughout.

The sandwich was a sesame bread pressed sandwich.  There were lots of sesame seeds embedded in the bread and the toastiness from the press gave it a deeper flavour.  The texture was as if homemade so I wonder if it was made in-house.  The pressed parts make for a nice crunch.  The bread was lightly buttered and the simple filling was a chopped hard boiled egg mixed with minimal mayonnaise.  The soft creamy texture of the yolks, the chewiness of the bread and the crunch of the sesame seeds and crust were all a delight.  

I was surprised that dessert was included since the chalkboard menu made it seem like the first 3 lunches only were included.  It was a chocolate baumkuchen with a crispy ball topping (like rice krispies) and whipped cream. Probably not made in house, it was not so sweet or chocolatey, so it made for a light dessert.  

It seemed that they make their own Enlish muffin (¥150) and that caught my eye.  It was recommended to warm in the microwave before eating.  The smell of fresh baked bread eminated from it once was warmed!  Although it had the airy bubbles of typical English muffins (where melted butter delectably pools), the dough still had the perfect density and chewiness to it. 

Well lit, light wooden furniture, mini chandeliers and the country music playing in the background made for a brightened day despite the rain.  The staff were also smiley and a pleasure to talk too. Would visit again! 

Al Porto: don't go with high expectations

Area:  Meitetsu department store at Nagoya station, 9F 名鉄百貨店
Restaurant:  Al Porto  アルポルト
Website and map:  http://r.gnavi.co.jp/n643400/

Hours:  Lunch 11am-3:30pm, Dinner 5:30pm-11pm (LO 10:30)



It was a weekend, after 3pm, I had planned to go to a cafe inside the Meitetsu department store but the wait seemed really long.  So I went further up to the 9th floor where I had found this Italian ristorante.

It was a bit on the pricier side but there was no lineup and lunch was still being served.  I went for the pasta of the day lunch (¥1500, includes salad, dessert and drink).

The salad was a button mushroom and watercress salad with a mild vinaigrette.  I actually welcomed the mild acidity of the dressing but I would have liked perhaps more olive oil especially since thinly sliced white mushrooms are light on taste.  The watercress added a nice peppery punch to the salad.  

The pasta was a mushroom and tuna boscaiola tomato based sauce.  There was very little tuna, and the the shimeji and shiitake, which are normally kind of woodsy in taste were kind of lost in the tomato sauce.  The sauce was just that, tomato, with no apparent depth such as olive oil or even garlic or spices.  There was a sprinkling of parsley for garnish, but flavour-wise, this dish was lost.  

Dessert was a chiffon cake, salmon pink in color, it was a blood orange chiffon, but the flavor was so light it was difficult to tell.  The accompanying cream had more sweetness, flavour and weight that that's what I enjoyed more.  The blood orange was deliciously juicy and sweet and added a vibrant color to the dish. 

The coffee was a nice brew, with a slight acidity that went well with dessert.  

The jazz music, lightly upscale decor with white table cloths and black leather seating makes it look worthwhile to come, but the food is a little disappointing.  Perhaps the fresh pasta lunch (¥1800, including a baked risotto, and strawberry dessert, and drink) would have been a better choice, but I have a feeling only the texture of the pasta would be a step up, the sauce still bland.  

Andersen: a grown-up bakery

Area: Nagoya station underground shopping area (basement level of the Meitetsu department store) 名鉄百貨店
Store:  Andersen  アンデルセン
Website and map:  http://www.andersen.co.jp/shop/shop-3542.html

Hours:  8am-8pm


There is no place to sit at this bakery, but I thought some of the items were different than regular Japanese bakeries, so I bought some bread and found a table to sit at elsewhere.

First, I wanted to try the muesli roll (¥180).  It had a crispy outer layer that was rolled in lots of pumpkin and sesame seeds.  The inside was soft and dense, the way a baguette should be, and was sweetened with the presence of raisins.  There was also the surprise of walnuts hiding inside.  Very nice texture with subtly flavored whole wheat dough.  

It's rare to find blue cheese or at least the pungent kind in Japan, but the one at this bakery was ridden with blue mould that made it look so tasty!  It was also the perfect personal size (¥180).  Upon opening, the smell of blue cheese immediately hit my nose and I knew I was going to enjoy this one.  It was ever so slightly sour, but the strong blue cheese flavour made up for that.  I know that blue cheese is supposed to be mouldy, but there were some bits of white mould growing on one side of the block; not so sure if that's a good thing.

The other product that caught my eye was the mochi bread (using glutinous rice four, I assume) butter and red bean paste French toast (¥180).  To me, it was not reminiscent of French toast at all but maybe that's because it was cold.  The egg flavor just wasn't there and it was not very sweet or buttery as I imagined it would be.  It might be a good idea, but when sitting out and cooled down, it becomes a bit of a let down.

Conclusion...I would come back for the baguette items, and the personal-size cheese.

Osteria L'aura: Not so expensive, but also main needs oomph

Area:  Lucent Tower (450m from Nagoya station, connected underground) ルーセントタワ　2F
Restaurant:  Osteria L'aura  オステリア　ラウラ
Website and Map:  http://osterialaura.petit.cc/grape3/

Hours:  Lunch 11:30am-3pm (LO 2pm), Dinner 5pm-11pm (LO 10pm)



Lucent tower always seemed like its restaurants would be in the fine dining range (or a little more on the expensive side, similar to Midland Square), but I came by to see what was available.

The lunch menu consisted of only a few choices.  It's a pasta lunch (\980) of which there are two types to choose from, and you can add an appetizer or dessert, each for an extra ¥300. 

I chose to add an appetizer and I'm glad I did.  It was a chilled chicken, ham and bamboo terrine.  The flavour of chicken seems to be enhanced when it's cold, and along with the chicken stock flavored jelly it was a good combination with the bits of parsley and black pepper speckled throughout.  The bamboo's flavour was overpowered, but it added a nice crunch.  The basil olive oil was great on the side as a dip and added yet another level.  

The salad seemed very plain, with very little dressing, but underneath all the greens was a tuna and mayo salad along with a carrot and raisin salad.  The slightly vinegary, yet sweet dressing and the sweetness from the plump raisins dressed the salad greens mildly.  The tuna salad added a more pungent flavor as it was canned tuna.

There were two types of house-made bread. One was golden brown in colour, but I'm not sure what made it this way.  It was not grainy, neither did it have the flavour of whole wheat, so I'm guessing it was some sort of dark sugar that imparted its colour.  It came warm and had a very nice density to it.  The other was focaccia.  The olive oil and subtle rosemary was balanced well.  

The pasta was a seafood, garlic olive oil dish.  There were bits of na no hana (rape blossom), pieces of squid, mini shrimp (two types, one with the head and flavorful edible shell still attached),  scallop, and clams.  The first bite had the very subtle taste of the na no hana, but every bite after that were the garlic and seafood flavours.  A bit salty, but the noodles were a good al dente.  I wish they would serve the bread with the pasta, a good sodium balancer.  A perfect addition to the pasta was the sun dried tomato.  Not only did it add a a vibrant colour, it added an extra flavour.  One may get bored with the pasta since its seafood toppings were few, and the saltiness high, but the tomato added a refreshing slightly acidic component.  

The brewed coffee was a bit sour and could have been sitting around for a while.  

Overall, it has a fine dining and modern atmosphere, good for a slow lunch, but food wise, the pasta could be improved. 

Chapeau Blanc: If you're super hungry in the morning...

Area:  Sunroad (the underground shopping area on the east side of Nagoya station) サンロード
Restaurant:  Chapeau Blanc  シャポーブラン
Website and Info:  http://www.bc-cake.com/chapeau_blanc/shop_sunroad.php

Hours::  7:30am-9:30pm (9pm on Sundays)


It's not often you find such a great deal like this in Japan.  It's one of the reasons why Nagoya is famous for their “morning”, or drink and breakfast set for the price of just the drink!

At this restaurant, however, the bread and eggs are all you can eat!  There's a huge variety of bread to choose from, and the great thing is that they are cut into small pieces so you can try almost all of them.  On my plate was every kind that was out there at the time. The cake donut was not oily, and only had a slight sweetness to it.  The sandwich which I put in the toaster oven (there for anyone to use), was actually a potato salad sandwich.

I was glad to see a whole wheat roll since whole wheat seems to be rare in Japanese restaurants.  I toasted it a little more than I hoped, but it was still nice and moist on the inside.  Like typical Japanese bread, it too had a hint of sweetness to it.  For me, this is the one that stood out the most, plain and simple but it had a denseness to it that the others didn't.

The croissant with icing was more like a danish, filled with a gooey apple jam.  The brown pastry with perhaps black sesame flecks was filled with a sweet butterscotch filling.  The pastries were more like sweet bread, not very flaky.

There were two types of melon bread (not actually containing melon, just that the cookie topping has a melon look to it).  One was a bitter chocolate chip.  It was not so sweet, and kind of dry but I guess that's expected when it's been cut in quarters and is sitting out for a bit.  The other one, yellowish in colour, was a lemon flavored.  The swirly patterned bread was a raisin margarine roll, and was great with an additional slather of margarine.  

It was all a good deal, but I feel that the bread didn't really stand out.  The coffee was fresh though, and that's what you're paying for anyways; the rest is free!  

I was pleasantly surprised when I heard my favorites by Lisa Loeb, Jack's Mannequin and even the not so well known Ben Jelen playing over the speakers.  So although bustling with people going up for seconds, it was a relaxing atmosphere with the easy listening for my ears.