Nagoya Oyster Bar: a great find!

Area: Lucent Tower 2F, about 500m north of Nagoya Station, ルーセントタワー

Restaurant:  Nagoya Oyster Bar  ナゴヤオイスターバー

Website and Map:  http://tyu.co.jp/shop2/

Hours: 11am-11pm  (LO 10:30), Lunch serverd until 3pm

This is the first Oyster bar I've been to in Nagoya.  The nice part about it is that it's open through the late afternoon and early evening hours.  They also don't charge a sitting fee.  There is a lunch menu served until 3pm (for less than ¥1000), but there is also the option of ordering a la carte.  The black olive tapenade (around ¥580) was addictive with the salty puréed olive seasoned with plenty of pepper. The oysters were lightly coated in flour or starch before cooking so it had a somewhat crispy outer that soaked up the flavour of the dressing.  The shrimp was cooked to the point just before becoming overcooked.  The onions were a perfect flavour balance addition to this dish. 

The fig and ricotta baked oyster (¥470) was an interesting combination.  The topping was sweet like dessert, but this brought out natural and fresh flavor of the oyster (unlike the stir-fried version which had a more sea water fragrance).  

I returned again to try the lunch menu (served until 3pm). There are various sets to choose from such as oyster chilli mayo, fried oyster, etc.  I  was kind of curious to see what a garlic steak oyster lunch was (¥850), since there was actually no steak in the picture. Turns out it used steak sauce, infused with butter and garlic infused this sauce.  It went deliciously well with the oysters.  The salad had a light emulsion vinegrette.  It was plain but refreshing.  It's a bit disappointing that the salad was made up of the same veggies in the rice bowl.  The set might benefit from more variety in this area. The barley mixed in with the sauce gave the rice a chewy texture. 

   The soup was not miso soup, as I had expected, but being an oyster bar, I'm guessing it was an oyster broth.  Perfect in sodium level, it was a nice change from the regular soups.  

This restaurant has made me become addicted to oysters.  This time I ordered the fried oyster tortilla ¥820.  On the menu it says it's their most popular item, and I can see why.  I was a bit surprised in the amount of heat and spice in this dish since I thought the Japanese don't really go for strong aroma spices.  But I guess in this case, this isn't necessarily a Japanese style restaurant and the spices add more smokiness than heat to this dish.  The mayonnaise had a chipotle flavour and it was sprinkled with perhaps dried ground chipotle.  Inside the chewy wrap was lettuce, avocado, breaded fried oysters and tomato salsa.  All of the flavors melded well, and although high in the sodium factor, the smokiness from the chipotle, the creaminess of the avocado and the juice of the oyster all added an extra level to this dish.  After all, this is a bar so the flavours are going to be bold to make you want to drink more.

After having so much success and after receiving some coupons, I've yet again returned.  This time, I ordered the ginger marinated oyster (¥580).  I had a coupon for the day's special appetizer which was pork shoga yaki (a sweet soya sauce based gingery sauce), a Japanese home staple).  The pork is thinly sliced and is sautéed in a pan with the sauce.  Sometimes onion and other veggies are added, but this one was just the pork.  The pork in this dish had a nice fat to meat ratio and was not at all dry, but not so fatty as to feel gross after eating it.  The ginger flavor was mild and tasted like standard shoga yaki.  The house-made special ginger marinade on the oyster was a delight.  The ginger was minced as oppose to grated (in the shoga yaki), so the ginger's heat and flavor stood out.  It had a nutty flavor (perhaps peanut or sesame oil was used).  The oysters were covered in flour or starch before cooking making them crispy with a juicey interior.  It was topped with candied myoga (a small shallot-like Japanese veggie).  It had a familiar flavor, and I think it was sweetened with maple syrup!  The sweetness went perfectly well with the salty and spicey ginger sauce.

Next was the 4 cheese pizza (¥950), not as thought out as the other dishes in this restaurant.  It sounded interesting because it had Gorgonzola, my favorite cheese, and was accompanied by honey to drizzle on as desired.  The other cheeses used were a regular processed cheese, ricotta and powdered parmesan, sprinkled with pepper and dried oregano.  The crust was not greasy and was more bread like.  The cheese flavors didn't really match the honey, which just made it sweet.   

The raw oyster (¥300) was however nice.  It didn't have any fishy sea flavor, meaning it was pretty fresh. 

The nori gratin (¥730) had a familiar flavor, almost like clam chowder.  The nori did give it a pretty seafoody taste.  Little cubed potato and carrots also added to the clam chowder feel.

The fried oyster was juicy and the batter was nice and crisp.  It came with 2 dips; the first was a mayo that seemed house-made because it was a bit more vinegary and less salty than the usual Japanese mayo.  The red sauce was strong on the tomato paste and perhaps had some chipotle flavor.  

The red and yellow pepper (and onion) marinade was such an interesting experience in my mouth.  Almost like it had been marinated in soda, it was fizzy! Not salty or vinegary either.  I didn't really fancy the mushiness of the onion.  The real highlight of this dish was not the flavor but the fizziness.  

Chicken wrapped oyster with ricotta tomato sauce (¥850).  This is an interesting combo that takes 30 min to bake in the oven.  It's really difficult to tell from the picture and description that this is what the dish was.  I'm not so sure chicken works well with oyster though.  The flavor of the oyster overpowers the chicken.  Because it was slow baked, the chicken came out a bit dry and chewy.  The sauce, using fresh tomatoes tasted like a rose sauce, but played off the mildness of the ricotta nicely.  It was better off kind of deconstructing the roll and eating the chicken and steamed spinach with the sauce separately from the oyster.  The chicken could have used a bit more seasoning.  The fried veggie laid across the top was simple but was a nice addition.

The green onion and salt sauté's base was a strong garlickey oil which was the key to this dish's goodness.  It was indeed salty but that's ok when salt is included in the dish's name.  It came on a bed of salad, so eating the lettuce and warm sauce was a good combo.  Shrimps were also included giving it some volume.  This one was more of an Asian flavour, probably soy sauce. 

I wouldn't recommend the Tomato risotto if your looking for an Italian dish.  It was basically ketchup rice with a lot of cheese, bacon, and tasted more like pizza.  In Japan, I believe this is a dish adored by kids.  The rice did have barley in it, but it could have used more oomph somewhere. 

I've posted a lot here, both yummy and not so yummy dishes, but I will keep coming back to try new flavors and to get my oyster fix! 

Coq D'or: Nice for a breakfast with a bit of variety

Area: about 400m east of Nakamura Kuyakusho station 中村区役所駅
Restaurant:  Coq D'or  コックドール
Map and info:  http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23038353/dtlmap/

Hours: Weekdays 7:30a,-7pm, Weekends and Holidays 7:30am-6pm


It feels like a kissaten (Japanese coffee house) with a slight European flare with the fan lights hanging from the ceiling, street-like lanterns hanging by the window, and doll decorations that are clearly not Japanese in style.

Today's intent was to come for the morning service since it looked like it was a bit different than the regular toast and hard-boiled egg.  There were 3 sets to choose from.  I chose the French baguette toast set.  All sets are the price of one drink only (coffee was 400 yen).

The salad consisted of shredded cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, carrot and a white French dressing that was mildly salted and had a touch of lemon juice.  

The pizza toast had an onion, green pepper and cheese topping.  It tasted like pizza my mother used to make at home with a premade crust and sauce.   The other baguette's topping was a mayo and egg salad.  Although high in the mayo content, it was creamy and not too salty. Mild flavors good for morning.  

The coffee somehow had a honey essence to it, although not sweet.  

I liked the use of European tea cups and water served in glass bottles for you to pour freely. 

Journey and West-Life were playing in the background giving a relaxing and spirit lifting start to the day. 

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.