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!

Freshness Burger フレッシュネスバーガー022-399-7130

Website: http://www.freshnessburger.co.jp/

Address: 仙台市太白区長町7-20-5　ララガーデン長町２F.

Located on the 2^nd floor of the LaLa Garden Shopping Mall above the Nagamachi-minami Subway Station.  LaLa Garden is not The Mall, but it does have connecting walkways to The Mall on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors.  There is also a Freshness Burger on the 1^st floor of Sendai JR Train Station, among other locations.


Map:  Click “Location” link below.

Special Half-Price Campaign running now thru March 1, 2012!!!
Well, not exactly half-off your order, but still not a bad deal if you plan to eat here again within the next month or two.  It works like this:  for roughly every 200 円 you spend now you get a 100 円 coupon for your next order.  

This evening, my Classic Burger (480円), large Onion Rings (350 円), and tall Orange Juice (400 円) with tax came to a grand total of 1230 円.  I received seven 100 円 coupons!  And I can use these all at the same time until May 31, 2012.  But, it looks like this offer is only valid at the LaLa Garden location.  If a Freshness Burger near you has the same offer, please let me know.

Classic Burger, Onion Rings, Orange Juice

And now on to the food … it’s pretty good, probably the second best burger in Sendai (Teddy’s Diner has tastier meat in its burger, but I’ll write a post on that later as soon as I get some photos).  But like the name says, it is fresh … mostly.  The Classic Burger has fresh tomato, lettuce, and onion, as well as a quarter-pound (113 grams) Aussie beef patty (more on this below).  Add ketchup, mustard, and other spices from their spice rack to your own liking.  When taking a bite of this big boy, be careful that the dripping grease doesn’t end up on your lap.  

The onion rings are usually great!  On a bad day they’re just okay.  Again, being Japan and all, the large size is probably equivalent to a medium back in your home country (unless your home country is Japan).

My wife likes the fish burger (shouldn’t it be a “fish sandwich?”), the hot dog, and the chai.  I used to order the regular Freshness Burger, which has a special sauce that is tasty, but now I prefer the Classic or Classic WW Burgers.  Their sphere-like doughnuts are also pretty good (actually, I just like the plain one, not the chocolate).

Oh, a couple of items that you don’t see on a McDonald’s menu that you will at Freshness Burger: 7-Up! and Lowenbrau.

The LaLa Garden location is quite spacious and has a separate enclosed smoker’s room.  The Sendai Station location is quite small and cramp, with the smoking seats divided only by an unenclosed glass window.

LaLa Garden in Nagamachi-minami

But I do have a couple of gripes about this place.  This used to be one of the few places where you could buy Pepsi.  Not any newfangled Pepsi concoction, just plain, good old-fashion Pepsi.  But not any more!  They’ve switched to Pepsi Nex.  Also, they used to serve a fantastic hot yuzu drink that really went down well on a cold winter night.  Again, not any more!   And last but not least … the beef.   On my trips back to my hometown I can’t wait to eat at my local In N’ Out Burger where the beef is “fresh, never frozen.”  I think it’s ironic that the restaurant is named Freshness Burger yet their meat patty is frozen.

That being said, I highly recommend Freshness Burger if your jonesing for an American-type burger! 

Saboten Tonkatsu さぼてん

Website:  http://www.ghf.co.jp/saboten_rest/menu.html

Location:  There’s one in the basement of S-Pal in Sendai Station but I usually go to the one on the third floor of The Mall above Nagamachi-minami Subway Station.  This is a chain restaurant and they are located throughout the country.

Map:  Click the "Location" link at the bottom.

The Mall hours:  11 am – 9:30 pm.

S-Pal hours: 10 am – 10 pm.

A familiar front-runner that I've formerly failed to feature.  Some days are better than others, but you really can’t go wrong here.   Sure they’re known for their tonkatsu, but their ebi-fry and kaki-fry also seem to please.  

巻き重ね御膳

And with unlimited free refills of rice, cabbage, and miso soup, this place is ideal for the big eater!

But, I’m not a big eater, just a picky one.  Yet Saboten never fails to satisfy this picky eater.

And Saboten’s take-out bentos are also great!  I often get these from The Mall in Nagamachi-minami.  The only thing I don’t like about the bentos is the nori furikake, but Saboten is quite happy to accommodate my special “nuki” request.

For take out, I usually order the 三元豚ロースかつ定食,but at the restaurant I usually just go for the regular ロースかつ定食. With the set meal, everything is good:  the tonkatsu, tsukemono, rice, salad dressing, and miso soup.  I especially like the fresh sesame seeds in a bowl that you crush to your own textural desires, which you then pour the tonkatsu sauce into.  Recently, I’ve noticed at The Mall that they have become quite frugal in the amount of sesame seeds that they serve; you can almost count them.  Still, the aroma of freshly ground sesame seeds adds a certain “je ne sais quoi” to the meal.

ロースかつ定食

Occasionally, they will offer a layered tonkatsu called something like 重ねるとんかつ that comes with a ponzu sauce and is really delicious!  Unfortunately this is only seasonal and I’m not sure what season it appears.

How many sesame seeds are there?  One, two, ....

I’m also pleased with Saboten’s generous stamp card system.   It seems that I accumulate enough stamps to get a 500 円 discount quite easily.  Instead of the discount, you can opt for a take-out tonkatsu, but who wants to take home a hunk of tonkatsu right after they’ve just finished eating tonkatsu?

Aashriwaad Indian アシルワード 022-399-9216

Website:  http://r.tabelog.com/miyagi/A0401/A040101/4008790/

Address:  仙台市青葉区一番町 3-1-16 Parm-City 131 ビル 3F.  Coming from Sendai Station on Chuo-dori there’s the souvenir shop しまぬき,next to that is the now defunct pachinko Parlor ABC, and then next to that is the entrance to the Parm-City 131 Building.  It’s on the 3^rd floor.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Lunch: 11:00 – 2:30                  Dinner: 6:00 – 9:30

Closed Wednesdays.

A difficult restaurant to find when you don ‘t know where it is.  A couple of months ago while strolling down Chuo-dori I noticed their promotion sign outside.   But the other day when looking for this restaurant I had trouble locating it as they moved their sign to a less conspicuous area.

For lunch, Aashriwaad offers about six different set meals starting from 800円.  I went with the Tandoori Chicken Lunch Set (1000円) that came with a piece of tandoori chicken, a curry of your choice, a huge slice of naan and/or saffron rice, small cabbage salad, small dessert, and a drink.  The choices of curry available on the day that I visited were chicken, mutton, and vegetable.  I chose the chicken.

Tandoori Chicken Set Lunch

The tandoori chicken on first bite, though tasty, didn’t seem all that spicy.  But as I kept eating I definitely noticed the spiciness intensifying.

The naan was very good.  Not the best I’ve ever had but definitely good enough to eat on it’s own with having to dip it in anything.  And the chicken curry … FANTASTIC!!!  So flavorful and spicy, enough to get those sweat beads forming.

The saffron rice and salad were just okay, but I had no problem with them as the curry was good enough to cover for their lackluster performance.  The dessert was a porridge-like substance with nuts.  This was also just okay, but it’s nothing I would order by itself.  Probably a normal eater would enjoy this but, me being a picky eater and all, I left half of it uneaten.

When I first ordered, I thought the one naan would not be enough and that I might order an extra one for an additional 100円, but I’m glad I didn’t because I was full from the first naan.   

I will definitely come back to Aashriwaad!  Although there are a number of Indian restaurants in Sendai, I would have to say that this is at the top of the leader board.

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Tonkatsu Sugi とんかつ杉 022-283-1968

Website: http://www.senmax.net/sugi/              

Address:   仙台市若林区志波町18-16.  Near a ヨークベニマル supermarket.

Map:  Scroll to the bottom.

Lunch: 11:30 – 2:00 Dinner: 5:00 – 8:00

Closed holidays and Wednesdays.

I’ve passed by this restaurant a couple of times on the weekend and always saw people lining up outside.  I figured that was a good sign that it was a great restaurant.  

I walked in on a Friday evening and it was quite busy.  I was seated at the counter in front of the kitchen.  I was surprised that the menu consisted of only eight different offerings.  I went with the regularとんかつ定食 for 840 円. The set meal came with the usual: rice, cabbage salad, tsukemono (or so I thought), and miso soup.

The tonkatsu was very tender and tasty, probably the tenderest tonkatsu I’ve tasted, with no chunks of fat.  I believe that the reason for this succulent sow was that each piece of pork and shrimp were breaded at the time of the order.  They were not pre-made nor frozen.  I saw first-hand as a new order was placed and the chef would take out his tray of bread crumbs and place each individual pork cutlet (or shrimp) in the tray before plunking it in the deep fryer.  And the portion size was just right.  Not overly generous but I feel I got my money’s worth.

とんかつ定食

The sauce was just right!  Not too sweet nor too tangy, and not overwhelming.  

They served a lot of cabbage, in fact, too much.  That wouldn’t have been a problem but the salad dressing was similar to plain mayonnaise and had very little taste.  Because of that I left most of my cabbage behind.  The macaroni salad was just so-so, and the tsukemono was actually just raw carrot slices.  The miso soup was quite nice.  

I noticed that this is not a place where one lingers.  People were off as soon as they finished eating.  

This is a non-smoking environment and it seemed to seat about 25 people or so.  Free parking for about eight cars is way in the back, but be careful because the side street closest to 杉 is a one-way street moving away from the restaurant.

I have to be honest, though, I don’t know if I’ll be returning to 杉.    I’m recommending this restaurant because I did like the tonkatsu itself, but I was not wow’ed.  Because of the long lines of people I had witnessed, I thought I would be wow’ed.  But I wasn’t.  Perhaps you’ll be wow’ed.  At the very least, you’ll be like me, and just simply satisfied.

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UPDATE: Curry Shop Sakura カレーショップ桜蔵 022-307-6320

Website:  http://www.warashibesha.com/index.html

If you haven't read about Curry Shop Sakura before, please read my previous post:  Curry Shop Sakura.

Another first-rate chicken curry lunch!  Tasted just as great (and spicy) as the last time.  But last time I forgot to mention that the chicken is a chicken leg, bone included.  But the meat is so soft that it easily slips off the bone.  Again, I went with the regular-sized spicy curry (600円); not so spicy that it's uncomfortable to eat, but enough to cause sweat beads to start appearing on your head.

My wife went with the regular-sized sweet flavor vegetable curry (500円).  I tasted it and, though very tasty in its own right, is quite different from the spicy flavor.

やさいカレー

We ordered two sets of the cake/drink set (500円/each), one with banana pound cake and the other with spicy chiffon cake and decided to split the cakes so that we could try both of them equally.  The banana pound cake arrived first and the serving size was quite generous!  To be honest, we should have just ordered this and split it.  And like before, it was scrumptious!

Then came the even bigger piece of spicy chiffon cake.  Between the two cakes, I couldn't finish my portion (much to the delight of my wife who obliged).  I couldn't identify the actual spice in the chiffon cake but I think it was either ginger or nutmeg, or perhaps a combination of the two.  It tasted okay, but it wasn't in the same league as the banana pound cake.

スパイシーシフォンケーキ

When paying, I used a 500 円 coupon that I had received on my last visit for filling up my stamp card.  And because it's the New Year season they had a special drawing.  We walked away with a bag of cleanser (which they make) and two decorative coasters, which were made from recycled milk cartons.

Again, I'd like to remind you that this a very special restaurant in that it employs mentally challenged individuals and allows them to support themselves and achieve a sense of self-worth and accomplishment.  

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