Lunchtime is usually crowded, so around 12:30, two groups of customers arrived, followed by three more groups. There were many regular customers. I ordered the fried set meal, which was freshly fried and delicious. It came with salad, rice, miso soup, pickles, boiled komatsuna, cold tofu, and fruits (pineapple and banana) on a plate. The set meal came with so many side dishes, and the balance was great! I just wish the interior of the restaurant was a bit cleaner.

I have eaten at almost all lunch spots near Hachioji station, but there are still hidden gems to be found. This time, I visited an izakaya called Mirakurai (also known as Oyaji Gag) located near the area where the former Murau Denki used to be, close to the recently opened shopping mall. The restaurant had high ratings on Google Maps with 18 reviews averaging 4.5 stars, despite only having 2 reviews on Tabelog. The seafood bowl for 750 yen and sashimi set for 850 yen seemed popular, but I noticed a pork miso bowl on the wall for 700 yen. When I asked if I could switch the rice from the sashimi set to the pork miso bowl, the staff seemed a bit confused, so I ended up ordering the pork miso bowl with a side of sashimi. The dish arrived in about 10 minutes, presented beautifully in a large bowl with the pork miso bowl, half-cooked egg, generous sashimi assortment, and side dishes. The sashimi included tuna, yellowtail, sea bream, salmon, bonito, minced tuna with green onion, and large botan shrimp. The side dishes were pickled greens, cold tofu, simmered chicken and shiitake mushrooms, and pear with Shine Muscat grapes. The pork miso bowl was delicious, as well as the botan shrimp and yellowtail sashimi. The total cost for the meal was 1350 yen, which was a great value for the quality and quantity of food.

I visited this izakaya for lunch on a whim. It is run by a female owner who provides speedy service and good customer service. I had a delicious sashimi set meal with various small side dishes at an affordable price. The sashimi included tuna, scallops, shrimp, salmon, yellowtail, and minced tuna, among others, and the fatty tuna was particularly delicious. The seafood bowl for 750 yen seems to be recommended by regular customers. They also offer a variety of other dishes like simmered fish, grilled fish, and fried chicken, with prices around 700 yen. I would like to visit again for dinner at this izakaya next time.

This will be my last visit to Hachioji for a while. There are still many unvisited shops, but I wanted to end on a good note and decided to revisit this place. Around noon, there were about 5 or 6 customers before me and 3 or 4 after me. I ordered the seafood bowl, just like last time. It was served in about 10 minutes. Here we go. Compared to last time, the shrimp was small but made up for it with other ingredients. Tuna, squid, salmon, bonito, and minced tuna. The tuna portion was huge! The amount of fish and rice was almost the same! The stir-fried potatoes and pork were delicious. The strawberry was sweet and sour, perfect for spring. A great last meal! Goodbye Hachioji, see you again. (2020.3.23)

There is a cozy izakaya with a friendly mom-like owner and regular customers that will make you feel relaxed. They also have karaoke available.

I learned about dowsing for the first time. I have a memory of seeing it on TV as a child, with someone holding an L-shaped metal rod and walking around to find underground water veins. The rod would swing, indicating the location. I feel a similar sensation when walking around town, sensing that there must be a restaurant in this area even though there are no listings on food review websites. I found a restaurant like that. It looked like an old-fashioned izakaya or snack bar. I entered without hesitation because they had a lunch menu displayed outside, but if not for that, I probably wouldn't have gone in. It was past 12 o'clock when I visited, with no customers inside and only one after me. The interior matched the image of an izakaya or snack bar. I thought it would be run by an old man alone from the outside, but it was actually managed by two women. I had already checked the lunch menu outside and glanced at the blackboard inside, so I ordered the seafood bowl based on my first impression. There were nearly 10 lunch options, with sashimi set at the top. The seafood bowl was a gamble, but it turned out to be a hit. It was served in about 10 minutes. When I saw the meal tray, I couldn't help but smile. It looked promising. The bowl wasn't very large, but the toppings covered the surface completely, hiding the rice. There were various side dishes and even fruit. My excitement grew naturally. I dug into the seafood bowl. Tuna, salmon, scallops, white fish, shrimp, minced tuna, and yellowtail. Everything was fresh. The yellowtail had an amazing texture. Even after removing the toppings on top, more kept coming from below. At 750 yen, even if it was just the bowl, there was nothing to complain about. I think they are rotating the ingredients well and maintaining the quality. The large commercial refrigerator in the kitchen goes beyond just an izakaya or snack bar and supports that feeling. The rice was soft. It wasn't vinegared rice, but it was good. The side dish of macaroni salad seemed like a nice appetizer for the evening. After finishing the fruit, I savored the joy of discovering this restaurant by chance. The name of the restaurant is "Mi La Kuru". (2018.2.7)