La Pausa ラ パウザ 022-224-8122

Website:  http://www.lapausa.jp/

Address:  宮城県仙台市青葉区中央4-6-1SS30ビル29F.   Located on the 29^th floor of the SS 30 Building next to the Kokusai Hotel and across from the Westin Trust City Buildings.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open:  11 am – 9:30 pm but closed weekdays from 4 pm – 5 pm.                 

I’m really excited about my latest find!  Last weekend while strolling around the SS 30 Building we just happened upon a restaurant whose desserts caught our eye.  Hot apple strudel with vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce for only 390 yen.  They also offered a chocolate sundae for the same amount and for those prices we figured we couldn’t go wrong.

We walked in and were seated at a table where we could look out on a fantastic view of beautiful Sendai; all the way to the ocean!

The apple strudel was warm and, with the vanilla ice cream, was the closest thing to hot apple pie a la mode that I’ve had in Sendai.  I really didn’t taste the caramel sauce too much but that was fine by me as I’m not a huge fan of caramel.  The dish was a little on the small size but I felt I definitely got my money’s worth.  My wife’s chocolate sundae was a bit bigger and definitely would have sold for more at another restaurant.  My only complaint was that they added Frosted Flakes, which seems to be the Japanese thing to do with ice cream (if not that, then Corn Flakes).  The coffee that we ordered was also a plus.  I was thinking of recommending this place purely as a nice place to see a great view of the city and have a very reasonable, yet tasty, dessert.

Apple Strudel w/Vanilla Ice Cream

But while we waiting for our order we perused the menu and came upon something that didn’t seem quite right.  It appeared that La Pousa was offering a two-hour all-you-can-eat menu for only 1490 yen per person.  We asked if this was correct and the waitress said that it was.  I told my wife, “We got to try this next weekend!”

Chocolate Sundae

So today we returned for lunch and again were seated at a window table.  We ordered their tabehoudai lunch, which came with a couple of stipulations.  First, a single diner cannot order the all-you-can-eat; there must be at least two people.  Also, since there were only two of us, we were only allowed to order one pizza and two pastas at a time.  When we finished those platters, we could then order more.  The more people there are in your party, the more platters you are allowed to order initially.

The tabehoudai menu came with a Caesar salad and French fries (more on the fries later) and offered eight different kinds of pizzas and seventeen different varieties of pasta to choose from.  Sure they had everybody’s favorites like tuna curry with mayonnaise pizza and fish egg with natto pasta, be we went with the simpler fare of pepperoni pizza (called イタリアンサラミ), eggplant and meat sauce pasta (for me), and baby clams with pasta (for my wife).

The dressing on the salad was okay, but maybe a little too … plain, but still not bad.  The pepperoni pizza was very thin but crisp and tasty.  It was definitely not the best pizza I’ve had, by far, but it’s hard to screw up pepperoni pizza, and they didn’t.  My meat sauce pasta was a little weak in the meat and tomato flavor department, but it was a little buttery so it still had some taste to it.   My wife said her pasta was quite good but lacking in the quantity of clams (we counted three).   

Caesar Salad

イタリアンサラミ

茄子のボロネーゼ

ボンゴレビアンコ

After devouring these dishes we ordered a マルゲリータピッツア.   This wasn’t as good as the pepperoni as it was limp and not very flavorful (but probably still better than the 温泉卵 pizza).

And within that thirty-five minute period we were done ordering … pretty much.  We were full … pretty much.   Why so soon?  The fries!!!  I haven’t eaten fries in quite a while, and these were really delicious!  We couldn’t stop eating them!   That’s probably their ploy.  Let’s offer a wide variety of dishes but have them fill up on our cheap, but irresistible taters!  Well, they hooked us.  The fries were crispy and salted to perfection.  

You can't eat just one!

But because I have deep pockets I said, “The hell with the cost!  I want dessert!” and splurged for the classic chocolate cake for an additional 150 yen.  And it seemed like I got what I paid for.  Quite good for 150 yen, but probably not for 500 yen.

Classic Chocolate Cake

Taking everything into account, I was more than satisfied with La Pousa.  The food was pretty good, the service was very good, the price was great, and the view was fantastic!  

The View:  Can you see the bullet train?

There is paid parking available at the SS 30 Building and La Pousa gives a 400 yen parking voucher for orders over 2000 yen.  With the voucher we still ended up having to pay 200 yen for parking.

If you and your friends are looking for a cheap yet enjoyable place to eat, I highly recommend La Pausa.  And if you have a group of big eaters, this is the place for you!  Sure it’s not gourmet food, but it’s tasty and has a great view.  

Oh, I forgot to mention their nomihoudai deal.  It appears that for an additional 1200 yen you can imbibe on their all-you-can-drink beverages for two hours,  too!

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Cocofrans Sweets ココフラン 022-722-3933

UPDATE:  FRI., JULY 25, 2014.  CLOSED!!!  I was in Sendai Station last weekend and was surprised to see that Cocofrans Sweets was no longer in business.  Oh, well.

Website:  http://www.cocofrans.com/

Address:  仙台市青葉区中央1-1-1.   Located on the second floor of Sendai JR Station in between the JR ticket machines and View Plaza.

Map:  Click the “Location” link below.

Open:  8:30 am – 9 pm.

Two weeks ago while riding the subway into downtown I noticed an advertisement for a grand opening of a bakery in Sendai Station named Cocofrans Sweets.  The ad had tantalizing photos of various desserts so I thought I’d give it a try.

When I arrived I had to line up behind the twelve or so other people who were just as eager to get their hands on the new goodies as I was.   As I slowly inched towards the counter, I noticed that there were just as many workers as there were customers, but a lot of the workers just seemed to be moving without really doing anything.  To add to the confusion the customer before me paid for her order, received her box of desserts, and took off, which left me next in line.   Four young female employees stood in front of me placing the next batch of freshly baked goods in the display case as I stood waiting for someone to take my order.  I stood there for about thirty seconds or more when another young employee came up to the register and held out a box and said that it would be 1310 yen.  I told her, “I haven’t ordered yet.”  With a shocked expression she asked me “Whose is this?”  I just gave her the international symbol of “I don’t know” and then chaos broke out.  All the employees started asking each other “Whose is this?  Whose is this?”  After about another fifteen seconds or so, with about another twelve or so people behind me in line, I said, “I’d like to order something.”  They still didn’t get it and just gave me the deer-in-headlights look.  An older employee from the back heard me and rushed forward to ask me what I’d like.

I ordered two of their apple rings, as they certainly looked tempting in the display case, and for only 170 円 each, how could I go wrong?  I went outside and devoured one instantly.  It was delicious!  Fresh out of the oven, the apples were sweeter than I imagined they would be with just the right amount of cinnamon added.  The cake part had a bit of crispiness that added a pleasant texture to it.  I took the other ring home and ate it much later, and it tasted just as good as the first one.

アップルリング

I returned to Cocofrans last weekend for another tasty treat, but things looked a bit different.  There were still a lot of workers moving to and fro, but apparently the glitz and glitter of a grand opening had already faded as there was no longer any line of customers.  On the bright side, at least it didn’t take forty-five seconds to take my order.  The apple ring was still delightful, and I hope I’ll be able to enjoy them for a long time to come.  But if they are already scarce on customers this place may not last long.  

I encourage you to try Cocofrans while you can.  And if you do, let me know if you had to wait in line.

Koan Bakery & Café こうーあん 022-365-8383

Website:  http://www.just.st/?in=305891

Address:  宮城県多賀城伝上山3-1-25. Located on Route 45 on the left-hand side going to Matsushima from Tagajo.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open weekdays:  9:00 am ~ 6:30 pm.  

Sat., Sun. & Holidays:  8:30 am ~ 6:30 pm.

I was turned on to this bakery by my boss who had bought me a scrumptious chocolate croissant a week or so ago.  I pass Koan on almost a daily basis but have never had the pleasure of tasting their specialties until partaking of that croissant.

Today on the way home from a pleasant drive to Shiogama I had a bit of a sweet tooth and decided to give this bakery a try, and I was sure glad I did!

I ordered the gateau chocolate cake set for 500 円.  It’s normally 600 円 but they are running a Golden Week discount.  My wife didn’t go with a set but instead just ordered a fig and cheese pastry with a coffee. 

I was quite surprised when I received my cake, as there was a macha ice cream シュークリーム along side of it.  The waitress told me that it was a special Golden Week service.  What luck!

Macha Cream Puff & Chocolate Cake

The chocolate cake was great: deep, rich & flavorful.  The coffee was quite nice, as well.  The pastry portion of the cream puff was extremely flaky and the macha flavoring was quite mild and pleasant.  My wife was very happy with her pastry and glad that we had stopped in.

Fig & Cheese Pastry

We thought it might be prudent to take a couple of samples home just in case our sweet tooth returned.  The crescent bread with butter and natural salt was fantastic and didn’t make it home as we devoured it on the drive.  Later that evening I ate the 黒糖デニッシュ, but it was a little too sweet for my palate.

黒糖デニッシュ

Koan advertises as a “natural yeast” bakery which I don’t know too much about but by the results I’d say it’s a good thing.  They offer lunch sets of pizza or pasta for 1000 円 and apparently offer live entertainment from time to time.

If you happen to find yourself in this neck of Tagajo I recommend you stop in just as we did.  I know I’ll be back.

大きな地図で見る

Barbaresco Pizzeria – Café 022-722-2670

Website:  http://www.stillfoods.com/barbaresco/index.html

Address: 宮城県仙台市青葉区一番町1-9-1、仙台トラストタワー1F.  Sendai Trust Tower 1F, 1-9-1, Ichibancho, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi.  First floor of the new Westin Towers on Higashi-nibancho Dori across from the Kokusai Hotel and SS 30 Building.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Lunch:  11:30 am – 4:00 pm

Tea Time: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Dinner:  5:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Sorry, no pictures today.  I forgot my camera.

Went in for lunch and walked out quite satisfied.  It was good, not great, but I still felt that it was worth the money and that Barbesco makes a nice choice for lunch when wanting something different.

Barbaresco offers a Pizza or Pasta Set Lunch.  Pizza lunches come with salad and coffee or tea, and range from 900 yen to 1300 yen.  Pasta lunches come with salad, small focaccia bread, and coffee or tea, and range from 900 yen to 1100 yen.

I ordered the Diavola (salami) Pizza Lunch Set and my wife chose the 自家製サルシッチャとひよこ豆のトマトソース　スパゲッテッィ.  The menu’s translation states that all of the different pastas are “Spaghetti Carbonara with Anchovy & Broccoli,” but my wife’s pasta was meat sauce with garbanzo beans.  The pasta and the pizza were both a little salty but still not bad and the serving sizes were suitable.  For some unknown reason they served the pasta before they served the salad. 

The salad was nice in that none of that cheap, nutrition-less iceberg lettuce was used.  Instead, it was comprised of fresh green and red romaine lettuce, red onions in an Italian dressing.

The coffee was good and strong and tasted a little like espresso, which to me was a plus.  

As we walked in the restaurant we noticed the tempting desserts in the display case and early on decided on ordering dessert, though it did not come with the set lunch.   My wife ordered the banana-walnut tart which was tasty but had a hint of rum, which I don’t care for (I’m picky that way).  I went with the gateau chocolate cake which was quite good although it had a mint leaf and some type of cream on top, which I also didn’t appreciate.

It’s a big restaurant and it was quite packed when we walked in.  Also they have outdoor seating that I imagine to be quite nice with the weather warming up.  

I liked the fact that the lunch set is served until 4 pm, unlike many restaurants that stop at 2:30.  The service was good but they didn’t pre-cut the pizza.  I don’t know if the cook forgot to cut it or if that’s the way they serve it but we asked for a pizza cutter and the waitress came back and cut up the pizza herself.

If you’re a picky eater I think you’d enjoy Barbaresco!

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Pastime パスタイム 022-352-9502

Website:  http://www.mapion.co.jp/phonebook/M01008/04104/G0223529502-001/

Address:  仙台市太白区長町5-1-16みつはビル２F.  On the 2^nd floor across the street from the Taihaku Library.  Very close to both Nagamachi Subway and JR Stations.  On the same side of the street as the JR station.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open:  Lunch 11:30 am – 2:30 pm.                                                                   Tea Time  1:00 pm – 3:30 pm.                                                                             Dinner  6:00 pm – 9:30 pm. Closed Mondays.

Sometime back, way before I started this blog, I asked my friend Nozomi if she knew of any good restaurants in the Nagamachi area.   Without hesitation she said “Pastime!”  I heeded her recommendation and lunched here a couple of times, each time walking away satisfied.  

But tonight was the first time dining here for dinner.  And quite frankly, I think their dinner is better than their lunch.  

I was very impressed with their menu, as they offer quite a few selections of salads, hors d’oeuvres, pizzas, pastas, fish, and meat dishes to choose from.  Because of the variety, I had difficulty deciding which viande platter to order, as each one sounded scrumptious.

牛ほほ肉の赤ウィン煮込み

I went with the boiled beef in red wine (1000 円) while my wife ordered the fish of the day (1200 円).  For an additional 400 yen I ordered the “a” set which came with a green salad and bread (or rice).

My wife asked for a glass of red wine, and we were both surprised when she was served a big wine glass with a tiny amount of wine.  I’m really not sure if I’m an optimist or a pessimist, but either way that glass was definitely not half full nor half empty.  It was more ¾ empty and ¼ full.  Apparently, this was a sign of things to come.

The salad was … small, and mostly consisted of plain iceberg lettuce with a few slices of red and yellow bell peppers.  But the salad dressing was wonderful and made up for not having romaine or red leaf lettuce.

Oh, but the bread … the hot, homemade baguette … brilliant!

Our meals arrived and when I first laid eyes upon mine I thought, “Is that it?”   This looked like an appetizer but unfortunately it was my main dish.  My wife’s platter looked a little more filling, but not by much.  The saving grace was the taste … outstanding!  The beef was so soft I only used my fork to cut it (as advertised on the menu!) and it melted in my mouth.  The potato wedges were crisp and salted to perfection.  The cooked carrots sweet, and the red wine sauce delectable.

My wife savored her fish/shrimp platter and raved about the accompanying sauce.  She also enjoyed the taste of the red wine, but wishing it was more than just a sample serving.    

本日のおすすめ魚料理

I recommend Pastime for its flavorful food, which I guess every restaurant should be judged by.   But I know next time I go there for dinner I’ll be ordering a pizza on the side to make it a filling meal.

And just for your info, they do have a stamp card plus a special わっしょい card for use in businesses in the Nagamachi 1-chome area.  For every 10,000円 you spend while presenting this card, you get a 500 円 discount.

There is no free parking nor do they offer vouchers for the parking lots that are nearby, but we only paid 200 円 for the parking.  Also, I noticed a piano in the restaurant, so I suspect that they offer live entertainment, although at the time I went there was none.

I'm definitely looking forward to sampling Pastime's pizzas and other meat dishes!

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UPDATE: Pancake & Café 38 Mitsubachi パンケーキ＆カフィミツバチ

**Please check my previous post on Pancake & Café 38 Mitsubachi HERE for more information.

Website:  http://r.tabelog.com/miyagi/A0401/A040101/4002901/

Address:  仙台市青葉区二日町12-25グランディプレステージ１F.  In between Kotodai-Koen Station and Kita-Yobancho Station on the same side as City Hall.

Map:  Scroll to the bottom.  

Open:  Tues. – Fri.  6 am – 6:30 pm        

Sat., Sun., Holidays they close at 6 pm.

Closed Mondays.

Since my last post about this restaurant I've returned a couple of times.  The coffee seems to have improved a little bit so that's a plus, but other than that not much has changed … they still serve delicious, light, fluffy hotcakes!  

But here's some more info on prices and varieties of pancakes.  I continue to go with the three buttermilk pancakes (12 cm) drink set (880 円) and for an extra 200 円 I have them add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  My wife also continued with the two caramel banana pancakes drink set (1080 円) with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

Caramel and Banana Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes with Vanilla Ice Cream

Here are the other flavors of pancakes they offer:

Walnut Pancakes

"I Love Berry" Pancakes

ふしぎなアリスのお城 Pancakes - Three pancakes with strawberry and vanilla ice cream, mixed berries, and topped with chocolate and raspberry sauce.
Rum Raisin Pancakes

Bacon and Egg w/Pancakes

Cheese Fondue Pancakes

I thought it was interesting that the staff felt it necessary to post signs requesting that each group of customers order at least one food dish.  I get from this that some people were just ordering drinks and sitting there taking up space.

If you try any of the other types of pancakes, please let me know how you liked them.

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UPDATE: Café de Mieux カフェドミゥ 022-712-2455

Website:  http://mieux2000.exblog.jp/

**Please check my previous post on Café de Mieux HERE for more information.

Wow!  What a meal!  Then again, that’s always the case when you eat at Café de Mieux.

My wife and I actually ordered the same thing as I wrote about in my original post of this restaurant, so I didn’t take any photographs of the meal.  But like I mentioned before, the menu often changes here and so it did tonight.   Only one meat option was offered this evening and it was listed as chicken with anchovy sauce.  But since seafood and I don’t go well together I asked if there was anything they could do for me.  They served me the chicken with the mustard sauce that I love and it was fantastic!

As we were dining, a customer at the table next to ours was enjoying a chocolate tart and its wonderful aroma wafted through the air.   It was too tempting to pass up so I ordered it while my wife chose the ミル crepe pie.

But when I received my serving there was no whiff wafting, nor was there any ice cream that I had seen on the other man’s plate.  So I asked, “Where’s the ice cream?”  Apparently, you have to request for the tart to be heated, then they’ll slap on some ice cream.  But the kind proprietress soon returned with what I wanted and it was worth the wait!  It was wonderful!

Chocolate Tart

The deep, rich, flavorful coffee just added the perfect touch, and apparently the chai was aces, too!

You know that feeling when you've just finished an absolutely marvelous meal, well, that's the way we waddled out of there.

Thank you, again, Café de Mieux!

ミル Crepe Pie

Chailicious!

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Trattoria Blair Marina トラットリアブレアマリーナ022-361-6131

Website: http://blair-blair.com/blairmarina.html

Address:  宮城県塩竈市港町１−４−１マリンゲート塩釜２F.  About an 8-minute walk from Hon-Shiogama JR Station.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open Tuesday thru Sunday from 11 am  – 10:30 pm.  Closed Mondays.

Lunch is 11 am – 4 pm.

A great lunch!  Stuffed to the gills, which is appropriate since I was at the marina … Blair Marina, that is!   This was my first time dining at this establishment and thanks to my friend, Tony, who reserved our table for our company lunch (and Julian, who paid for it!).

My initial impression was a mix of sorrow and joy.  As we drove into the parking lot of the Shiogama Marine Gate, images of last year’s tsunami flashed through my head.  I remembered last April seeing fishing boats that had been dumped in this parking lot and across the road, where boats had no business being, by the hellish tsunami.  I remembered the collapsed houses nearby and the cars piled upon each other along this very street.  

Now, the tremendous effort to rebuild is clearly evident, offering a tranquil and touching temperament.  There are a few reminders of the devastation that was caused just a year ago to this port.  And because there are still reminders, it’s lamentable, but because this area has fought on, it’s awe-inspiring.

And Blair Marina is one of this area’s success stories!  

But on to the food!  The lunch set menu consisted of four different pasta options (980 円 to 1380 円), two different pizza options (1150 円), and a meat or fish option (1200 円).  Each set came with salad, bread, and a drink.  I opted for the meat selection which was chicken sautéed in mustard sauce, but for the record here are the pasta choices that were offered:  A) Chicken and cabbage in tomato sauce, B)  Shrimp with a leafy vegetable in a garlic sauce, C) Mozzarella and mini tomato in a basil sauce, D) Scallops and からすみ in cream sauce.

When the pasta was served the waitress asked everyone if they would like their dishes topped off with fresh, grated parmesan cheese.   I feel that offering freshly grated cheese or ground black pepper from a pepper mill adds a subtle sophistication to the dining experience.

Personally, I was not impressed with the salad, thinking that the dressing was not very exciting plus it was topped with wakame (seafood is a no-no with me), but I lunched with seven other people in my group and they all agreed that the salad was good.  It must be the picky eater in me.

The three fresh bread rolls (tomato, sesame seed, and walnut) also didn’t have much flavor in my opinion, but again, maybe it was just me and my pickiness.

Oh!  But the chicken and mustard sauce!  Wow!  That more than made up for any misgivings I had!  The dish came with a variety of veggies:  sweet potato, eggplant, bell peppers, and beets.  I don’t like eggplant or beets but the mouthwatering mustard sauce made these objectionable objects manageable.

Chicken with Mustard Sauce

Our group also ordered a Margherita pizza and a Prosciutto pizza (mozzerlla, ham, and mushroom).   The thin-crusted Margherita was quite nice, but I didn’t care for the Prosciutto (too salty and just didn’t agree with my palate).  Again, apparently it was my pickiness as everyone else in my group raved about it.

Margherita Pizza

Prosciutto Pizza

My friend, Helen, who had ordered the fish said that it was a bit too oily yet still very delicious.

The oily but delicious fish

And the view!  Don't forget to request a window table, although most of the tables will provide a scenic view of the Shiogama port and the train that passes periodically.

There is a free parking area, but who knows how quickly this will fill up on a busy weekend.  The Blair Marina restaurant is rather spacious yet was a bit crowded when we waltzed in at 11:50 am on a Thursday afternoon.  But when we exited about an hour or so later there were around fifteen or so people waiting to get in.  And this was a weekday!

Oh, and there are other locations (yet untested).   Check their website for Blair House (next to Mitsukoshi Department Store near Kotodai-koen) and Blair Garden in Izumi.

One pasta dish ...

If you happen to try these restaurants, please let me know what you think.  As for Blair Marina, I highly recommend it!!!

And another ...

And another.

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UPDATE: Bistro Boeuf d'Or ビストロブフドール

Website:  http://bistroboeufdor.com/index.html

**Please check my previous post on Bistro Boeuf d'Or HERE for more information.

Yet another blue-ribbon brunch at the Bistro!  The "A" Lunch Set truly deserves an "A" grade.  This set included pork with a balsamic dressing, potatoes and veggies, salad, bread, dessert and coffee.  

The official name of this dish on the menu was written as 伊豆沼産霜ふり赤豚温野菜添え (1000 円).

伊豆沼産霜ふり赤豚温野菜添え

They offered an appetizer for an additional 500 円 that was a shrimp and scallop mix, but picky me and seafood don't go well together so I took a pass.

The salad had fresh, crisp vegetables topped with a tangy Italian dressing.  The homemade bread serving was a slice of French bread and a slice of walnut bread and they were both delicious.

The crisp salad

I've never been a big fan of mashed potatoes and when I saw them on my plate I automatically gave a silent sigh.  But these were unlike any other yucky smashed potaters; these were delectable with a touch of sweetness to them.  Even the slice of kabocha was delightful.

The pork was tender and mouthwatering with the balsamic sauce adding the perfect touch!  The dessert was a flavorful serving of mango jelly.  Despite the fact that I don't like mango, I liked this jelly!  And to top it off, the coffee had a deep, rich flavor.

My wife ordered the 1500 円 "B" set that comprised of seasonal fish and grilled shrimp in a mango sauce.  Her set came with a gobou soup that wasn't bad, this coming from a picky eater who doesn't like gobou.  I actually thought, "I should've ordered this."
She was quite happy with her dessert, which was a light and fluffy chocolate eclair with yogurt. 

季節の魚と海老のグリエ

The ごぼうSoup

In summation, if you want something special, something succulent, something satisfying, head on over to the Bistro!

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Saint Marc Café Choco Cro サンマルクカフィ

Website:  http://www.saint-marc-hd.com/cafe/

Address:  There are two locations that I frequent.  One is on Clis Road kind of across from Daiei and McDonald's.  The other is on the 3rd floor of the LaLa Garden Shopping Mall in Nagamachi-minami.  A quick look at their website indicates one in Rifu, too.

Map:  Click the "Location" link below for the Clis Road store.

Open:  The Clis Road store opens at 7 am weekdays and 8 am weekends.  The LaLa Garden store opens at 10 am.  Both are open till 9 pm.

This chocolate croissant café is not to be confused with the Saint Marc Bakery/Restaurant that is on my Favorites list, although they belong to the same parent company.

My friend Anna introduced me to this café about six years ago when it was next to the Disney Store on Hirose-dori.   That shop closed down a while back but that’s when they opened up on Chuo-dori.   

Not much to say about this place other than the chocolate croissants are flaky and delicious!  And for only 170 円 it’s not a bad value.  Recently I’ve seen some new desserts on display that look pretty good but I just haven’t gotten around to trying them.  The coffee is just okay, but they do offer a drink stamp card that will get you a free coffee quite easily.

The LaLa Garden location has a separate enclosed smoking area as well as a small children’s play area where parents can let their kids can run amuck.  So if you’re a smoker with rugrats and have a sweet tooth, this might be the place for you!