Community Salon Waya Shokudo: Local ingredients for a healthy feel

Area:  About 500m north of Kokusai (International) Center station 国際センター駅
Restaurant:  Community Salon Waya Shokudo  わや食堂
Map and info:  http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23044929/

Hours:  11:30am-8:30pm (Lunch specials until 2pm, Dinner from 5:30pm)


This cafeteria seems to stock local, organic ingredients only.  They even have a vegetable stand outside the door where you can pick up some of these ingredients.  Lunch is served until 2pm, and there are a few to choose from such as a doteni rice bowl (stewed meat, usually beef tendon, or pork offals in miso), a vegetable curry lunch, a lunch plate including miso soup and rice (today's main was salt seasoned grilled salmon).  I chose the quiche lunch (¥600), which included a salad, soup, dessert and drink bar.

At the drink bar, there were a variety of teas such a chamomile and lemongrass, flavors you don't normally find in Japan.  The black mint was interesting; different than peppermint and tasting like a gum flavor. 

The salad was dressed with a homemade yuzu kosho (yuzu is a citrus fruit and kosho means pepper).  Normally it's very salty and only a bit is used, but this dressing was easy on the sodium level and worked well as a dressing. 

The soup was a tomato gazpacho.  It tasted very fresh and was definitely made in house.  Its natural flavors were brought out by only a mere seasoning of salt.  

The quiche's scent of butter quickly hit my nose when the plate was placed in front of me.  There was a squash or a sweet potato quiche to choose from.  I went for the squash.  The large chunks of squash melded well with the butteriness of this pie.  The flaky crust, sprinkling of cheese and bacon (few pieces, but just enough to impart a light flavor), made this quiche a nice treat.

It has a cafeteria feel; casual with people always coming and going, especially since it seems to be not only a spot to eat, it's also a community centre.