Natu-Lino Gelateria ナチュリノ・ジェラート 022-397-8235

Website:  http://www.natu-lino.jp

Address:  宮城県名取市飯野坂字南沖93-1.   Located just off of Route 4 just before the AEON Town in Natori.  Or about a 15-minute walk from the Morisekinoshita JR Station (taking the Sendai Airport Access Line).

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open everyday except Thursdays from 10 am to 6 pm.

I found a bit of heaven today, and in Natori of all places!   I may be exaggerating a bit, but it always pleases me when I find a new place that I love from first bite (first lick, in this case), and I was certainly tickled pink today.

My dear friend, Michael Martin, recommended Natu-Lino Gelateria to me last July when it first opened.  Michael had the inside scoop on this joint as he was instrumental in the interior designing of the shop, as his photographs grace the walls of the restaurant.

Today’s featured flavors were as follows…

Matcha

Milk

Rice

Fig

Mushroom

Zunda

Chocolate

Vanilla

Cappuccino

Strawberry Rare Cheesecake

Sweet Potato with Black Sesame

Melon

Banana Milk Chocolate

Burnt Caramel

Yuzu Sherbet

Strawberry Sherbet

Kiwi Sherbet

Apple Sherbet

Wow!  What a selection to choose from!

Picky me had to go with the basics, a double scoop of chocolate and vanilla (420 plus 30 yen for the cone), while my better half decided upon a single banana milk chocolate cone (380 yen in total).  
The chocolate was exquisite!  
Rich, creamy, sweet, with strips of chocolate mixed in!  
The vanilla was also creamy and quite nice, but I preferred the much sweeter chocolate.  
I stole a spoonful of my wife’s gelato to find that the banana milk chocolate was bursting with banana flavor which she really enjoyed!  
I recommend going with the cone, as it was also quite sweet and flavorful.

Vanilla and Chocolate cone

I can’t recall a better gelato I’ve had in Japan.

The gelateria has a nice little patio with sofas that was covered for today’s blustery winter weather.   They also sell coffee for 150 yen and offer a free hot tea service which is a nice plus.   Take out is also available with an additional cost to cover for packaging.

The gelateria is not located on a main street, but it is just off of Route 4 and somewhat near the Aeon Mall in Natori.   I Googled the address and came up with accurate directions that made it easy to find.  There are ten parking spaces available and it was nice to see that business seemed to be doing well as people were coming and going with quiet regularity.

Today was my first visit to Natu-Lino, but if it were a bit closer to home I could easily see this Italian ice cream parlor having a permanent setting on my Favorites list.  I can’t wait till my next opportunity to delight in this dairy nirvana!

Oh, and by the way, if you’re ever in need of a top-notch professional photographer like the good people at Natu-Lino, drop my friend Michael a line at friedtoast@gmail.com.   

A sampling of my friend's work

UPDATE: Rigoletto リゴレット タパスラウンジ 022-716-0678

Website:  http://www.rigoletto.jp/sp/sendai/party/ 　

For my previous post on Rigoletto, please click HERE.

Address:  仙台市青葉区中央1-6-1.   Located across the street from the AER Building in between Hirose-dori and Chuo-dori.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open 7 days a week from 11:30 am to 4 am, with lunch till 3 pm.

Last Saturday night, my good friends and I held a Welcome Home party for our dear friend, Yvonne, who requested to have it hosted at Rigoletto after remembering the wonderful food we were served at a company enkai we attended there over two years ago. 

As the organizer for the party I first checked Rigoletto’s website to see what types of party plans they offered.

Unfortunately, their websites are not easy to navigate, with many of their links being inactive.  The link I provided above should take you to their party plan menu.  After a few different searches, it appeared as if two options were available: one for 4500 yen and the other for 5000 yen.   I called the restaurant on the Sunday before to make a reservation for my party of six confirmed partygoers for the less expensive plan, which, according to the outdated web page, included ten separate dishes and a two-hour nomihoudai.   

I was informed that at least eight people were necessary to partake of the party plan.  I told them that perhaps more of my friends would join later, but that at the time I wasn’t sure, and asked if there was anything they could do.

They put me on hold and apparently consulted management.  After a few moments they came back and assured me that it would be okay this time to utilize the party plan with only six people, but that if it dropped to five then we would have to order a la carte.

We actually ended up with seven in total, or seven and a half, as one friend could not find a babysitter and brought her two-year-old son in tow.   She had contacted Rigoletto herself and asked if children were permitted.  The restaurant was very accepting and accommodating and did not charge any extra for her little boy.

After being seated we requested our first round of beverages in order to give a welcome toast to our dearly missed friend, Yvonne, but it seemed as if we waited and waited for all of our drinks to arrive.  This concerned a couple of us, as we are well aware that many restaurants have an iffy time schedule and often lack timely service when it comes to nomihoudais.  This did not seem a like a good sign.

But as the night progressed, so did their service.  Each platter was brought soon after the previous one had been finished.  And much to my surprise, as we were half way finished imbibing our refreshments, another round for all was brought to our table before we even had a chance to request them.  This artful customer attentiveness was greatly appreciated!

When it was time for “last call,” the waitress brought us multiple drinks to last well past the allotted two-hour time limit.  This brought smiles to everyone at the table!

But on to the food! 

The first platter served was the fish carpaccio.  This picky eater does not like seafood, but since I was paying a little more than usual for an enkai, I decided that I was going to try everything.  I’m so glad I did!  This was so tasty that  I even had a second helping!

鮮魚のカルパッチョ

Next came the ham platter with green olives, with four different types of ham.  Being a meat lover, this initially looked tempting.  But again, my pickiness had predetermined that I wanted nothing to do with the green olives.  The ham slices were nice, but nothing special.  And since I was going to get my money’s worth, I popped an olive into my mouth just out of principle.  Rigoletto was batting two for two with foods that I formerly detested, as these olives were great!  I popped a few more in my mouth before the night was through.

生ハムの盛り合わせ

Following this was the bacon and mushroom platter, which I did not see listed on the website.  Succulent is the best word to describe this!

Bacon and Mushrooms

Another surprise soon came with the hot bread with escargot and shrimp in a butter garlic dip.  I’m picky, remember?  Escargot is not something a picky eater indulges in.  But with the invitingly buttery garlic aroma wafting through the air, I could not resist.   Magnificent!  I couldn’t stop dipping!  And the bread was delicious in its own right!

Bread with Escargot and Shrimp in Butter Garlic Sauce

The Chef’s Salad was good, despite the cheese (I really don’t like cheese), but my friends seemed to enjoy this.

シェフズサラダ

The Margherita pizza was terrific!  The crust had a flavor all its own, and the toppings just seemed like a bonus.

ピッツァ・ディアボラ

Two varieties of pasta were then brought at the same time, one with scallops and the other with bacon, cheese, and eggplant, although, I could be mistaken about these ingredients.  Either way, both were delicious!

Pasta with Scallops

Pasta with Bacon, Cheese, and Eggplant

The finale was the gigantic dessert platter!  Each person was able to devour a fruit tart, a slice of chocolate cake, cheesecake, and two other cakes.  I preferred the chocolate slice myself, while most at my table praised the cheesecake.

デザート

A close-up of my dessert plate!

Even though we paid a higher price than most restaurants charge for a party plan, my friends and I all seemed to be in agreement that this was an excellent and satisfying choice for a party.  While preparing the photos for this post, I noticed that we were actually served only nine dishes, but I believe they actually brought us two pizzas, which would then add up to a total of ten servings.

To be honest, I was quite surprised that Rigoletto was able to accommodate us on such short notice during Golden Week.  I appreciated that the staff member Chisato-san contacted me during the week to confirm my plans.

If you have a party to plan, I highly recommend Rigoletto!  The food was fantastic and the service superb!

It’s a bit pricier than other places, but you get what you pay for.  Actually, I think you get more than what you pay for at Rigoletto!

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Pizzeria Padrino del Shozan ピッツェリア パドリーノ デル ショーザン 022-213-9220

Website:  http://www.shozankan.com/pizzeria/

Address:  仙台市青葉区上杉2-1-50 勝山間１F.   Located about a 15-minute walk from Kita-Yōbancho Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Lunch:  11:30 am – 2 pm.   Dinner:  5:30 pm – 10 pm.  Closed Mondays.

I was really excited about dining here considering this restaurant was recommended to me almost two years ago by a number of acquaintances, but until this particular day I was unable to fit it in.

This pizzeria was originally situated inside the Shozankan Wedding Palace but has since relocated to being adjacent to the palace as of August of this year.

Padrino is one of the few Sendai restaurants to offer outside dining, although the majority of tables are inside.  And about the inside; the interior is beautifully decorated creating a very pleasant eating experience.

The service was impeccable, as we were offered water outside on a hot day while waiting to be seated.  And wait we did, for about twenty-minutes, as the place seems to be very popular.  We were also given detailed menus while waiting, and since they offer a wide variety of pizzas, it was nice to peruse each selection and decide on our meals even before entering.

For the starter, my wife and I shared a Componata (680 yen), cold stewed vegetables in a tomato sauce dressing.  This went very well on such a hot day and tasted delicious.  This place looked promising!

カポナータ

I went with a Margherita Pizza with cherry tomatoes (1200 yen), and paid extra for the rucola (300 yen) and ham (500 yen) toppings.

マルゲリータ　フィレットとルコラと生ハム

My wife went with a basic Margherita Pizza (1000 yen).  All pizzas are 28 cm in diameter, and our pizzas arrived looking fantastic!  Upon first bite, I thought, “Hmm. Not bad, but I bet it gets better.”  I kept tasting and tasting and, no, I was wrong.  It didn’t get any better.  In fact, I really started to notice its shortcomings.  

マルゲリータ

The proscuitto ham was good, but almost a little too salty.  The rucola and cherry tomatoes did not have the same freshness of the veggies at amo la Pizza.  And the mozzarella cheese was pretty tasteless, and almost seemed to become rubbery as the pizza began to cool down.  

The crust had a bit of flavor, but I would rank Shiogama’s Pizza La Gita and, of course, the aforementioned amo way above in the flavor department.

But because the restaurant was packed, I wondered if it was my pickiness that was causing me to be so critical.  I asked my normal-eater wife what she thought of Padrino, and her response was, “I don’t think we need to come back here again.”

So that pretty much summed it up.

There is a paid parking lot available across the street, and Padrino presented us with a service ticket that covered the entire cost of the parking, which was a nice gesture.

I do think you should try this for yourself, as many others seem to enjoy  Padrino.  Please let me know if you have a differing opinion of this restaurant.

**I must apologize for the not-so-perfect photos.  I had forgotten my camera this day and these photos were taken with my wife's ketai.

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Golden Week Wrap-Up (and before)

Gobbled gobs of great grub this Golden Week and in recent days gone by.   

First off, I apologize that this is a rather late notice but Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream currently has their 31% discount off any double scoop of ice cream.  This works out to 280 yen for a small double or 400 yen for a regular double.  This campaign will end on Thursday, May 9^th.

Next, a special shout out to my favorite pizza in Japan, amo la pizza, who is celebrating their one-year anniversary this weekend.  My wife and I feel so fortunate that amo opened up within walking distance to us, and they seem to be flourishing!  Extra staff has been hired and they often sell out of their course sets and, unfortunately, pizzas.  But they have been very kind and gracious to us and we hope for their continued success.

I’ve forgotten to mention that amo now offers a point card!  You receive one point per meal.  Due to our numerous dining experiences at the amo, we have received a free soft drink and a free dessert, and are now six visits away from our 500 yen discount.

This was sometime before GW, but we recently returned to Koan Bakery while out for a drive.  I ordered the Koan Special Plate lunch for 850 yen, which came with a hot sandwich of mustard chicken on a cubed croissant roll, drink, salad, soup, cheese toast, and a sampling of fruits.

The salad was mainly cabbage with some red and yellow bell pepper slices, but it was quite nice.  The soup of the day was minestrone, which went down nicely.  Despite me not caring for cheese, I would rate the cheese toast as not bad, mainly due to the softness of the bread.  I’m sure someone who liked cheese would rate this much higher.  The highlight was the cubed croissant chicken sandwich.  This was very good, the croissant possessing a flaky and crispy outside with a wonderful taste.  The mustard chicken was tender and delicious.  The fruit sample rounded out a nice variety of flavors on one platter.  Oh, and I forgot about the rich coffee!

こうあん特別プレート

My better half ordered the hearty pumpkin chowder soup set with extra bread for 650 yen.  There was also an option for vegetable corn chowder, as well as only the regular serving of bread for 550 yen.  My wife really enjoyed her pumpkin soup, and was quite happy that she was given three different rolls to try.

具沢山スープセット

And although I was quite full, I forced upon myself a delightful lemon danish.

Lemon Danish

We’ve also stopped by on a couple of occasions to another of our favorites, Bistro Ampoule, where we’ve tried a couple of new items.  First off was the pork and duck rillete as an appetizer.  Despite me savoring every morsel, I’m afraid that my description of this plate will not sound very flattering:  it tasted like an exquisite Underwood Deviled Ham.  That was the first thought that entered my mind upon first bite.  But the rillete was really tasty and I would not hesitate to order it again.

豚肉と鴨のリェット

My wife ordered the “Perfectly Round Hamburger Steak” that she absolutely loved!  I sampled it and found it to be extremely soft, almost creamy, and flavorful.

まん丸ハンバーグステーキ

On another visit, Bistro’s Spanish omelette was the appetizer of choice.  I keep saying that I’m not a fan of omelettes, but I did like this Spanish version.  I don’t recall the ingredients, but paired up with the accompanying salad made a nice starter. 

Spanish Omelette

And a special update that my friend, Tony, told me about me.  Barbaresco Pizzeria has a special half-price discount on all their pizzas on Sunday and Holiday evenings.  This sounds like a great deal!

I hope you've enjoyed your Golden Week as much as I have, but hopefully, you haven't packed on the weight like I have. 

KAMAKURA: Ōfuna Burosso 大船ブロッソ 0467-50-0525

Website:  http://www.burosso.com/

Address:  神奈川県鎌倉大船1-20-14三友ビル１F.   Located about a five-minute walk from Ōfuna JR Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  Lunch: 11:30 – 2:30 Dinner:  6:00 – 10:30

On a recent trip to Kamakura my wife and I were at a conundrum on where to dine for the evening.  I Googled 「鎌倉食事」and narrowed down our choices to what was in the vicinity of our hotel.  Burosso looked interesting so we called and made a reservation.

Though the restaurant appeared easy to find on Google Maps, we walked up and down nearby streets and couldn’t find it.  We called Burosso again and were instructed to walk down a small side street where the kind waitress came out of the restaurant to look for us.

I have a theory that inconspicuous restaurants are very often hidden gems.  Well, Burosso took the hidden part to a whole new level.  I advise you to look closely to the map on the Access page of Burosso’s website for the most accurate directions, as Google maps had us on the wrong street, but less than twenty meters from the place.

Ordering turned into a huge ordeal for me as I was quite overwhelmed by all the tantalizing selections available.  The menu board listed twelve varieties of pastas, fourteen different pizzas, eighteen appetizers, along with a slew of meats, gratins, risottos, and salads to chose from.  Burosso’s Menu page on their website is currently under construction, and I can see why due to the wide assortment of entrées they serve.

We started off with a green salad (600 yen) that came with Romaine lettuce, red cabbage, big chunks of tomato, and as a pleasant surprise, thick avocado slices, all topped with parmesan cheese and an excellent tangy Italian dressing.  

新鮮野菜のもりもりサラダ

I ordered the grilled pork roast (1400 yen), while my wife decided upon a margherita pizza (1100 yen).

The grilled pork was thick, tender, and basted in a savory gravy sauce, alongside a risotto-like rice serving with cheese flavoring.  Due to my pickiness, I really don’t care for cheese but I found this to be palatable.  My wife helped herself to a couple of generous spoonfuls of my rice and loved the cheese flavor!

もち豚ロースのやわらかグリル

The homemade Margherita pizza’s crust, which was made with whole-wheat flour, was very crispy, and this tactile feeling with the crackling sounds made it even more delectable.  Again, my wife raved about the rich mozzarella cheese flavor.  We sprinkled a little olive oil with togarashi chili pepper that was in a bottle that was brought to us, and this proved to be a stunning supplement to the pizza.  

フレッシュトマトとハジルのマルゲリータ

My wife appreciated that they offered her two wines to choose from when she asked for a glass of house red wine.  She chose the Italian wine over the Australian and praised its flavor.  

If Burosso was located in Sendai, I’m sure it would make my Favorites list quite easily.  It’s unfortunate that I probably won’t be in Ōfuna again, but I feel fortunate that I feasted on their fine food!

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Pizzeria La Gita ピッツェリア ラ・ジータ 022-364-1774

Website:  http://www.mapion.co.jp/phonebook/M01008/04203/G0223641774-001/

Address:  塩竈市港町 1-6-10.   Located across from the Shiogama Marine Gate, or a seven-minute walk from Hon-Shiogama JR Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Lunch:  11:30 am to 2:30 pm.  Dinner:  5:30 pm to 9:00 pm.

First off, let me just say that I think it’s commendable that the owners of Pizzeria La Gita set up shop in a neighborhood that was ravaged by the tsunami.  This restaurant opened in May of this year and these small business owners are helping to rejuvenate the area that was destroyed by the March 11^th  disaster, and for this alone I feel that it’s worthwhile to patronize their restaurant.  And for those who do, you’ll also be quite happy with the food!

My friend, Keiko, who knows that I am always on the lookout for great restaurants, recommended La Gita to me sometime back, but I hadn't been able to see what she was raving about.  But the other day I was lucky enough to persuade my friends (Takayo, Rumi, Tony, Michael, Fong, and Yashima-san) to join me for a midweek lunch.  

Upon entering, a couple of my friends were impressed with the décor of the pizzeria:  photos taken from the owner’s personal travels from around the world, which makes sense as “gita” apparently means “trip” in Italian.  I felt that the place carried a warm, inviting atmosphere and I immediately noticed the stone hearth, wood-burning pizza oven, indicating to me that La Gita was an authentic pizzeria.  No second-rate electric or gas ovens here.  But on to the food ….

The lunch set comes with a salad, a beverage, and offers a choice between six varieties of pizzas for 1200 yen.  Despite my pickiness, I had some difficulty choosing a pie as four out of five of them sounded really delicious to me.  At the last minute, I copied Fong and chose the pizza of the day:  ham with arugula sans tomato sauce.  This pizza, with tomato sauce, is one of my favorites at one of my Favorites, Amo La Pizza, so I was a little skeptical on how this would turn out.

本日のピッツァ: Ham w/Arugula (Rucola)

My pizza did not disappoint. The ham was salty and delectable, with the arugula complimenting the ham well, and a light crust (Fong was of the same mind) with a hint of individual flavor.  Although I was very satisfied with my pizza, I think it would’ve been even tastier with a tomato sauce base.

I thought the salad was good, with a tangy vinaigrette that I managed to save, quite noticeably, on my shirt.  But one of our group thought that the flavoring could have used some pepper.  I didn’t realize it at the time but afterwards I could see how this would have enhanced the flavor.

Salad with Tangy Dressing

Our group ended up ordering five of the six pizzas on the menu, and we traded slices with each other in order to get a good assessment of all the assorted flavors.   

My first sampling was Takayo’s カラブレーゼ, with spicy Italian salami, mozzarella cheese, and red onions on a tomato sauce base, which was quite nice, but the salami was sparse and there should’ve been more substantial servings.   But Takayo thought that my ham pizza was better than her salami pizza.  I agreed.

Spicy Italian Salami w/ Red Onions

Next was Michael’s メランツァーネ, with bacon and mozzarella cheese on a tomato sauce base.  This actually comes with eggplant but Michael requested that it be left off, and since I’m not a big fan of ナス either, I was quite pleased.  I liked this pizza and it appeared that there was bacon on every slice.  Afterwards, Michael stated that flavor-wise, this was one of the better pizzas he’s had.

Bacon and Mozzarella

I didn’t try Rumi’s anchovy pizza because I don’t like anchovies.  And I forgot to try the Margherita pizza that was also ordered.

Anchovy Pizza

Margherita Pizza

My friends all seemed to be in agreement that this was a very nice place with good food, good service, and decent prices.  We also decided that we would definitely be back.

But one common consensus was that it was a bit disappointing that there was no dessert option offered, as a nice scoop of gelato or a light tart would have went well with the pizza.  A related criticism was that the pizza was actually too big, and it would have been better to serve a smaller sized pizza and then a nice dessert.

I took a peek at their dinner menu and it looked very promising, with a wide variety of appetizers, pizzas, and even desserts available.

Stone heath pizza oven

Pizzeria La Gita is a non-smoking establishment and they have five parking spaces available.  It’s unfortunate that there is not a lot of foot traffic (nor car traffic, for that matter) outside of summer in this area.  But if you happen to be near the Shiogama Marine Gate or on the way to Matsushima, stop in and have a great meal (and help the recovery effort) at Pizzeria La Gita.

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Weekly Update: November 2, 2012

I thought I put on the pounds (or kicked up the kilograms) after two great lunches this week, but luckily for me the damage wasn’t so bad.

First off, due to a change in my schedule, I had a very rare (actually first time) midweek lunch at Amo La Pizza, where the benefits of writing this blog are paying off, or, they have decided to reward their frequent customers.   Either way, I’m getting extra stuff!!!

Although there are only three pizza options listed on the lunch menu, the lovely assistant, Ms. Honami Suzuki, remembering that I prefer meat-like toppings, asked if I would like some grilled chicken added to a margherita pizza.   She also recalled that I don’t like pottage soups very much and mentioned that that the soup of the day was pumpkin pottage, and would that be all right with me?  Pumpkin pottage sounded much better than the spinach soup they usually offer so I told her I’d give it a go.  

Pumpkin Pottage

The fresh vegetable salad (with all veggies grown in Miyagi) topped with the wonderful miso dressing was delectable, as usual.  The pumpkin pottage was a very pleasant surprise:  a definite pumpkin taste without being overbearing.  The pizza … awesome!

Fresh Veggie Salad w/Miso Dressing

Margherita Pizza w/Bonus Grilled Chicken

The orange tart cake for an extra 200 yen was well worth it as it topped off a perfect meal.  Oh, and I forgot the coffee, that was my choice for the drink, which was included in the lunch.  Still, only a 1200 yen lunch.  

Orange Tart Cake

Get a load of the super small sugar spoon

A little more on reaping the benefits: the kind staff has rewarded us recently with extras on our dessert orders and free, quite generous, refills on my wife’s wine glasses, saying they appreciate our business and promotions.   Thanks Amo la Pizza!!!  You sure know how to take care of your customers!

Later in the week I introduced my friend to the fantastic flavors of another Favorite of mine, Bistro Beouf d’ Or.   We both ordered the pork fillet with balsamic sauce from the 1000 yen “A” lunch set, which came with rice or bread, dessert, and coffee, along with the soup of the day (mushroom pottage) for an additional 350 yen.  

伊豆沼産霜ふり赤豚温野菜添え

Because of my faith in Bistro Beouf d’Or, I decided to go with its mushroom offering, despite not being big on mushrooms nor a promoter of pottage (as mentioned above).  Like a good pottage should be, it was quite creamy (did I forget to mention I’m not crazy about creamy, either).  Yet despite all these strikes against it, I still liked it.  In fact, I ate the whole thing!  My friend, upon tasting the first spoonful, exclaimed, “すごくおいしい！”  and then proceeded to devour the bowl.

Mushroom Pottage

Because we were both rather engaged and focused on our conversation, we really didn’t pay much attention to the flavors we were ingesting, but from time to time we’d stop and say something like, “This is really good!”   Then continue on with our heart-to-heart.   At one point we were a bit confused by the white orb-like, yet yummy, vegetable on our plate, only to discover that it was a turnip.  Turnips never tasted so good.

The mango jelly dessert was sweet … very sweet, yet scrumptious.  I had chunks of mango in my jelly, while my friend didn’t have such luck.  Haha.  Sorry.

Marvelous Mango Jelly

Oh, I also forgot to mention that my wife and I stuffed ourselves at Bistro Ampoule last Saturday, another Favorite of ours.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera at the time but I ordered my usually steak and fries.  The only difference on this day was with the appetizer, as we selected the pork pâté salad for the first time, which was a nice change of pace.

I don’t know where we’ll be dining this weekend, but I’ll keep you updated so please check back soon.  

Thanks for reading!!!

Mamma Viva マンマ・ビバ 022-249-9008

Website:  http://mammaviva.com/

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open for lunch Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.  Open for dinner Monday thru Saturday, 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

We happened upon this small restaurant by chance while strolling through this Nagamachi neighborhood, and we are so glad we did.  I’ve driven by this area countless of times but never noticed it before this day, yet, this restaurant has been in the same location for forty years. According to their website, Mamma Viva specializes in homemade dishes, sauces, and dressings using only organic vegetables, and this seems to translate well into their meals.

My wife ordered the hamburger patty lunch set for 1000 yen, which came with a carrot salad topped with sesame seed dressing, egg flower soup, rice, and dessert.  The beef patty was rather sizeable and thick!   I sneaked a quick bite and found it to be astonishingly creamy, something I wasn’t expecting in a beef patty.  My wife noticed the same thing and loved it!  Picky me that I am, didn’t find the creaminess something I wanted in a beef patty, but it was still flavorful, and I could see where a person with normal tastes buds would be quite pleased with this.

ハンバーグ　ランチ

I went with the beef curry lunch set for 900 yen, which also came with the above sides.  The sesame seed dressing on the carrot salad was delicious, although the egg flower soup could have used a bit more seasoning.   The beef curry platter had nice big chunks of beef with some pickled veggies.  The curry was deceptively sweet, as a couple of spoonfuls into it the sauce became quite hot and spicy.  Overall, I’d say this was top-notch curry, somewhat reminiscent of Curry House Sakura.

カレー　ランチ

Carrot Salad w/Sesame Seed Dressing & Egg Flower Soup 

The dessert was a delicious slice of roll cake.  We ordered their advertised 100 yen siphoned coffee which was well worth the price.

Roll Cake

Siphon Coffee

There was a third option available for lunch which was a salted seafood pasta for 880 yen that came with garlic toast, but since I don't do seafood this wasn't an option for me.  I thought it was interesting that Mamma Viva sells spaghetti sauces and salad dressing for take out.  They have a couple of parking spaces available but you'll have to run in and ask where they are.  

If you happen to be in the Nagamachi neck of the woods, I highly  recommend Mamma Viva.  We are definitely looking forward to sampling their dinner course soon.

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