On January 15th, I had a lunch at the Yoshinoya Yukigaya-Otsuka Station store during the long weekend, finally getting a break from the New Year holidays. I started with a toast with cold sake and had green onions with spicy oil as a snack. I sprinkled some red pickled ginger on top, which went really well with the sake. For lunch, I ordered the beef sukiyaki hot pot. The broth was quite sweet, maybe a bit too sweet for my taste. The portion was slightly smaller than what I had at Sukiya before. Unlike Sukiya's version with two eggs, Yoshinoya served it with just one egg. Also, Sukiya had udon noodles while Yoshinoya had kishimen noodles. Next time, I might try the clam and pork kimchi hot pot. Wanna join me?

Recently, Yoshinoya has been ambitious with their menu offerings, such as selling curry rice and collaborating with popular titles. On a Saturday in December 2021, I decided to dine in and try the curry rice collaboration with "Caligari Curry." I was familiar with the name of Caligari Curry but had never actually been to the restaurant, so I wanted to get an idea of the taste by trying it at Yoshinoya. My favorite spot in this store is the table seats at the back of the 1st floor, but this time I had to sit at the counter seat because it was occupied. When my order arrived, I noticed that there was no spoon on the tray, so I asked the foreign staff about it, and they pointed out the spoon (chopsticks) holder right in front of me. It was a good thing I asked, as I almost started eating the curry rice with my bare hands. Customer service skills really come in handy, don't they? (Including 10% consumption tax) The items I ordered were: Yoshinoya x Caligari Curry (limited time) - ¥393 Topping: Cheese - ¥118 Fresh vegetable salad - ¥118 In the photo of "Caligari Cheese Curry" on the Yoshinoya official website menu list, I couldn't see any other ingredients besides cheese, but the actual dish served had beef and onions in it. Lately, I've noticed that my taste buds have become more sensitive to spiciness, as the curry roux was quite spicy with a hint of bitterness. === Update as of March 2022: Yoshinoya is currently selling a "Black Curry" curry rice. Checking the prices on the official website menu, it is priced the same as the Caligari Curry mentioned above. I wonder if Caligari Curry and Black Curry are different dishes, which has piqued my curiosity a bit.

The second collaboration campaign with Pokémon, the "Pokemori Set," has been available for purchase since October 1, 2021. When Yoshinoya and Pokémon first collaborated, the bonus Pokémon figures were limited to those with names ending in "~don" such as Slowpoke, but there are no longer such restrictions. I couldn't resist buying the second Pokemori Set because it includes my favorite Pokémon, Lucario. I visited during a weekday afternoon for takeout, and the set I purchased, including tax, was as follows: Pokemori Beef Set for ¥540, which came with a small serving of beef, a salad, and a blind-packaged figure. Takeout is self-service for utensils and pickled ginger, so I made sure to grab chopsticks, a spoon, and a packet of shichimi spice. The thinly sliced and tender beef was delicious and easy on the teeth. I chose sesame dressing for the salad, but one serving wasn't enough for me, so I added extra dressing at home. Upon opening the Pokemori figure, I was delighted to find Leafeon, who could stand on its own thanks to its four legs. Although I didn't get Lucario, I'm satisfied with the cute Leafeon.

Pokemori has been revived. In front of Yoshinoya, a line had formed 30 minutes after the start of sales on the first day of the resale. The store's takeout sales style involves completing the payment at the takeout-only register inside the store and receiving the ordered items inside the store. Therefore, you cannot wait outside the store until the ordered items are ready, and when you add the density of the line to purchase, social distancing is not possible. We should avoid the three Cs now, so why doesn't Yoshinoya's official website accept reservations for Pokemori takeout orders via smartphone? (8% consumption tax included) The total amount for the ordered items, which were packed in a bag, was ¥967.

There is a tax office near the Yukigaya-Otsuka Station in Ota Ward. People who file their tax returns in Ota Ward should visit Yukigaya-Otsuka at least once a year. During lunchtime on a weekday in February 2020, it was time for tax filing season. As usual, the tax office gets very crowded in the morning, making it impossible to have a meal while waiting. To avoid this, I had lunch at Yoshinoya before going to the tax office. I ordered a small negi-daku gyudon for 434 yen and a side salad for 102 yen. The receipt showed the gyudon for 332 yen and the negi topping for 102 yen. The negi-daku gyudon has a lot of onions, which I found a bit overwhelming. It felt like I was eating an onion bowl with a little bit of beef mixed in. Nevertheless, it was a unique experience. I paid a total of 589 yen using PayPay, and I received 235 points back due to a 40% point-back campaign at the participating chain restaurants. I hope they continue to hold such campaigns in the future.

Yoshinoya's Gyudon at Yukigaya-Otsuka store. The store is located along Nakahara Kaido. There are about 7-8 seats at the counter and 4 tables for two people. It's a somewhat small store. Today, it's just past 11 o'clock, time for an early lunch. Even at this time, it's quite crowded. I decided to have the Beef Kalbi Bowl. The price is 548 yen excluding tax, which is a decent price for Yoshinoya. It took a bit longer to arrive, probably because of the process of grilling the meat. The appearance is a bowl of rice topped with Kalbi meat. The meat is tender and surprisingly tasty, with a decent portion. A little bit of white leek, sprinkled white sesame seeds. The sauce is sweet and savory, with a nice aroma. It has soaked into the rice nicely. You can also add the included Gochujang if you like. For just a bit more than the regular Gyudon, this quality is pleasing. Thank you for the meal.

This is a drinking and dining establishment, but as of April 2018, they no longer accept bottle charges. On a Saturday in April 2018, around 5 pm, I suddenly felt like eating gyudon (beef bowl) when dining in. The items I ordered were a small gyudon with potato salad (combo set) for 430 yen, dashimakazu toro~ri cheese for 280 yen, and oolong tea for 120 yen. The salad dressing for the combo set was Japanese-style, but it didn't seem to contain shiso (perilla leaf), which I dislike. The gyudon had a small amount of onions, probably because it was a small size. The dashimakazu seemed to be a dish where the ingredients of a dashimaki tamago (rolled omelette) are not rolled. It had a dashi-flavored egg topped with two types of cheese. The combination of egg and cheese didn't seem to go well together, as the sweetness of the egg and the mellowness of the cheese seemed to cancel each other out. On a Sunday in December 2018, I used their takeout service around noon. I ordered a regular-sized gyudon for 380 yen. I wish they also sold small-sized beef for takeout, but there seem to be various issues with the containers. It had been about half a month since I last ate beef, so even the thin beef tasted delicious to me. The rice, which tends to become soft when taken out, is something that can't be helped. The crunchy texture of the onions also seems unavoidable.

On a certain Sunday in September 2018, I visited this Yoshinoya alone for an early lunch around 11 AM. This Yoshinoya is located near the Tokyu Ikegami Line Yukigaya-Otsuka Station. It faces the Nakahara Kaido and is just a short walk down the stairs from the station. The surrounding area is a shopping street, always bustling with shoppers on both weekdays and weekends. The interior of the restaurant is small, with a few counter seats and tables. I had the Gyudon (regular size) which is a dish I have eaten countless times. My favorite part is adding plenty of shichimi togarashi (seven-spice chili pepper) on top. I will definitely continue to eat this dish in the future!

I think because it's a franchise, that shouldn't be the case. I'm a fan of Yoshinoya, so I also think that's ridiculous. So I tried it three times. The result, I think, is clear. The beef bowl at this restaurant tastes different from other places. In short, it's thin. The umami flavor that Yoshinoya is known for is thin. I only eat beef bowls at Yoshinoya, so I don't know about their other dishes. And I ate there three times at night, so I don't know about lunch.

I ordered a Gyudon set with salad and miso soup A after 10 o'clock. I thought there was supposed to be a morning set available, but maybe it's only until 10 o'clock? I didn't notice it when I glanced at the menu. It's been a while since I had it, but the Gyudon was delicious! Did I put too much pickled ginger? I regret it. I finished my water, but even though I was right in front of the counter, no one noticed. While I was eating and looking at the menu, I saw that there was indeed a morning set! If it's a similar set when ordering, why not suggest it? What's the point of having staff in the service industry if they can't even offer suggestions? If they can't pour water or make suggestions, might as well have self-service or use machines. By the way, the miso soup was very little, it tasted more like hot water with miso flavor. The Gyudon was delicious!

The Stamina Super-sized Donburi at the Super Special Festival. It has a rich flavor with garlic chips sprinkled on top. It was delicious. I usually prefer the regular beef bowl as a snack, but it's nice to have this once in a while.

Yukigadaira-Otsuka station got off the train. After passing through the ticket gate and going down the left staircase, you can find this beef bowl chain restaurant located very close to the station along the railway. It opened on March 19, 2018, in the former hair salon space with a cafe area. The counter for dining in and takeout are separate, and you pay after dining in. As it is a "Yoshinomi" operating store, they have a decent selection of snacks for alcohol. On a weekday in March 2018, before 7 pm, I dined in at this location near Yukigadaira-Otsuka station. It is the first time a 24-hour store has opened near the station, other than convenience stores. I have used beef bowl restaurants in the past a few times, but I feel like I haven't eaten beef bowls for about 10 years as I always ordered curry rice. I was curious about the beef bowl small size and salad set, but as this was my first visit to this store, I ordered the classic menu items. (Including 8% consumption tax) The items I ordered and their prices including tax were: Beef Bowl (regular) ¥380 - Topped with extra sauce set (raw vegetable salad, miso soup set) ¥130 - Changed raw vegetable salad to potato salad +¥30 - Chose sesame dressing or soy sauce, chose sesame. Oolong tea ¥120 Total ¥660. Beef Bowl: Tender and thin beef and crunchy texture of onions as toppings. The seasoning is slightly sweet, and I didn't particularly notice any saltiness. I started to get tired of the taste towards the end, so I sprinkled some powdered red pepper provided on the table to increase my appetite. Potato Salad: A dish that replaces corn in the raw vegetable salad with potato salad, or something similar. The potato salad itself has a spicy flavor as black pepper is used. The sesame dressing was a single-use cup that came with it, similar to the ketchup and mustard cups that come with convenience store frankfurters. Miso Soup: Commonly flavored with seaweed and leeks. Oolong Tea: It was listed in the Yoshinomi menu instead of the regular menu, so it may be a limited menu for Yoshinomi operating stores. Beef bowl, salad, miso soup, and oolong tea for dinner for ¥660 is so cheap! I was impressed by the affordability of the pricing at chain restaurants. It was a day when I truly felt the gratitude for the pricing of food and drink chain stores.