Visit time: 11:30-12:00 Weather: Sunny I felt a bit intimidated by this restaurant at first and hesitated to enter. However, once inside, I found that there were only counter seats available. There were two other solo diners as well. Some seats were directly in front of the owner, which was a bit awkward. For lunch, you had the choice of a dish with sashimi or without. I opted for the 1,200 yen dish without sashimi. That day, it came with grilled saury and chestnut rice. The portion size was just right, not too much. I felt like I would have preferred the dish with sashimi. The food was clearly made with great care.

I was looking for a restaurant that accepts Go To in Shinyotsuka and found a place that was located on the first floor of a building, despite having the image of a standalone house. It was a modern Japanese restaurant with a spacious counter and jazz music playing in the background. The clientele seemed to be mainly women who were willing to spend money on lunch. The atmosphere was relaxed and the service was friendly. The lunch menu changes daily, and on this day, they had grilled silver cod marinated in saikyo miso and grilled sawara with salt. I chose the silver cod. While it was being grilled, the owner asked if I wanted sashimi as well, and I couldn't resist saying yes, which added 600 yen to the bill, making it a bit pricey for a lunch. The lunch consisted of sashimi, burdock rice, clam soup, pickles, silver cod, and vegetables. Without the sashimi, the portion seemed a bit small for a 1200 yen lunch. The sashimi, either tuna or striped jack, was delicious, but I would have preferred a three-piece assortment for the extra cost. The rice, soup, and pickles were tasty, and I appreciated the offer of seconds. The silver cod could have had firmer flesh and fewer bones for the price. Last week, they had chestnut rice, which I would have liked to try. The burdock was delicious, though. When I tried to use Go To, it seemed like I was the first-time customer, and they were a bit unfamiliar with the process, but I appreciated their efforts. The chef and the hostess were friendly, and the atmosphere was modern, but it felt like a high-class traditional Japanese restaurant. It's popular among the upscale regulars in the area for a reason. Since Go To discounts are in increments of 1000 yen, even if you get an 800 yen discount on a 1000 yen purchase, it still feels a bit lacking in value, in my opinion.

I visited last week for lunch and was so impressed that I immediately made a reservation for dinner the next day. Unfortunately, it was drizzling when I made my way to the Marunouchi Line Shin-Otsuka Station, where the A and B lines have separate ticket gates that are not connected inside, so I had to go outside and cross the road to get to the other side's ticket gate. I met up with my friend and we went straight to the restaurant! Just like last time, the husband and wife welcomed us warmly. Tonight, we sat at a counter seat in the middle. We had Montes Alpha white wine. The dinner course consisted of the following: - Blowfish with roe, shirako, scallops, abalone, ginkgo nuts, beef and asparagus, topped with muscat grapes and sudachi citrus - Chawanmushi (savory egg custard) - Suimono (clear soup) - Grilled fish: salt-grilled Spanish mackerel - Rice dish: rice with sansho pepper and whitebait - Tsukemono (pickles): homemade bran pickles - Mizugashi (dessert): yuzu sherbet - Sencha (green tea) Everything was meticulously prepared and delicious. It may look simple, but the flavors were fantastic. The Montes wine quickly ran out. And I was very satisfied with the gentle service from the husband and wife. It was wonderful. I will definitely visit again! My stomach was satisfied, so I will go for some wine in front of Otsuka Station. Thank you for the wonderful meal!!!

I had some business to attend to in Yokohama, and my appointment was initially scheduled for 1:00 PM, but it was rescheduled to 3:30 PM, leaving me with a 2.5-hour gap. So, I decided to pick a restaurant from my saved list and visited a place that was featured in a magazine last month. After getting off at Shindaita Station a little after 12:00 PM, I found the restaurant located deep inside a building facing the road leading to Ikebukuro. It was indeed inconspicuous and had a surprisingly high-class atmosphere. As there were no other customers at the time, I took a seat at the end of the counter. The friendly proprietress served me green tea. The restaurant had only 9 counter seats. The lunch menu offered only two options: "Grilled Fish Lunch Set" and "Gotou Lunch Set" with grilled fish and sashimi. I decided to go for the "Gotou Lunch Set" to try some sashimi as well. Soon, two elderly women entered the restaurant, discussing how they had found it closed on a previous visit. Shortly after, a young couple also arrived. It was clear that this was a popular spot. The main dish, featuring "Miso-marinated Cod Grilled" arrived, and it looked absolutely stunning! I was frustrated by my inadequate smartphone camera skills. The sashimi included abalone, tuna, sea urchin, and scallop with homemade pickled ginger. Each piece of sashimi was delicious, and the pickled ginger was exceptional! The Miso-marinated Cod Grilled was also incredibly tasty, showing the meticulous work put into it. Even though I'm not a fan of soft rice, the rice topped with whitebait was delicious. The red miso soup with clams was flavorful, and the pickles complemented the meal perfectly. I usually don't ask for rice refills, but the deliciousness of the meal prompted me to ask for a half portion refill and thoroughly enjoy it. What a wonderful experience! I decided to make a reservation for next week in the evening as well after seeing the evening menu. Thank you for the amazing meal! This restaurant has an overall rating of 3.08 on Tabelog, but their eye for quality is truly exceptional!

Delicious! The hot sake was made from pure rice and was 900 yen for one cup. The fish set meal was also amazing at 1200 yen. Although it's a bit late, I was really happy to have osechi dishes with vegetables. I will definitely visit again for a relaxing meal.

The taste is gentle, and you can tell that they use fresh and high-quality ingredients. If you have a small appetite, the dinner set in the 3000 yen range is enough to make you full. I have visited several times and have been satisfied every time. Additional note: I have added photos from my visit in September 2016. Finally, when it started to cool down, I had my first Matsutake mushroom of the year.

I visited the restaurant around 12:30 on a weekday. There were no customers at 12:30, but it quickly filled up to 80%. The restaurant has a quiet and calm atmosphere with only a counter seating. I could see the chefs preparing the food in the open kitchen with great care. The lunch menu offers options for 1000 yen and 1500 yen only. I ordered the 1500 yen "Gotou Lunch Set" this time. Surprisingly, there was no small side dish. The portion size was a bit small overall. However, the sashimi was fresh and the grilled fish was cooked perfectly with high heat, making it delicious! Rice was refillable, so I left feeling satisfied! This is a perfect hidden gem for older customers or women who want to enjoy Japanese cuisine.

This is a restaurant located in a passage inside a condominium near Nishi-Otsuka Station. It's a place that people who don't pass through this passage often may not notice. I didn't know they served lunch because I rarely pass through this passage during the day, but after seeing their lunch menu, I decided to visit this time. It's a small restaurant with only 12 seats at the counter, offering a calm atmosphere. They have two lunch options priced at 1500 yen and 1000 yen, and this time I ordered the 1500 yen dish. The meal included side dishes of bell peppers with chili pepper, simmered jacopearl fish, a single-caught horse mackerel sashimi, scallops and octopus like those from Aomori, marinated tuna, and very fresh and delicious dishes. The grilled fish was autumn salmon and was incredibly tasty, while the grilled eggplant and rolled omelette appetizers were also excellent. The miso soup had a refined and delicious miso flavor, and the rice was made with new rice grains that shone brightly, allowing me to enjoy truly delicious rice after a long time. I can't believe there's such a delicious restaurant in Nishi-Otsuka.

Tonight's dinner menu was a full course meal. We started with homemade pickled radish and freshly boiled edamame. The white asparagus with beef was a delightful combination, bringing back memories of when I first tried it in Germany. The shiitake mushrooms were moist and delicious. The sea bream sashimi was much better than what you would find at a sushi restaurant. The Indian tuna was also excellent. The salt-steamed abalone and grilled barracuda were flavorful. The rice and miso soup with small fish and myoga were a comforting end to the meal. The landlady was attentive and poured drinks for us, making it a very pleasant dining experience for the two of us.

On a night approaching December, I went with five friends to a restaurant we had reserved. I had been there at night a few times before, but I hesitated to recommend it because it was so special. The evening meal is basically omakase, where they will accommodate your preferences or requests when you make a reservation. The restaurant has a small counter with about 12 seats, just the right size for the husband and wife owners to reach everything. The meal consisted of 7-8 dishes focusing on seasonal ingredients, such as vinegared dish of raw baby sardines, steamed crab shell, chawanmushi, simmered dish, soup, roast beef, salmon roe rice, and more. All the dishes were elegant and carefully prepared, with a subtle flavor overall. But what I would highly recommend as much as the food is the hospitality of the husband and wife. They watch over your meal flow, explain the dishes, and engage in casual conversation, sometimes adding light jokes. Meanwhile, the wife's smile next to them. Every time, it's hard to leave. Delicious food and a relaxing atmosphere. It's just a 3-minute walk from Shin-Otsuka Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, one stop away from Ikebukuro.

- Approach: Get off at the Marunouchi Line "Shin-Otsuka" station, cross the pedestrian crossing in front of you. Located on the first floor of "Shin-Otsuka Plaza" where there is a flower shop. - Lunch: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm. Today I went to "Ryori Gotou" near my home. I had known about it before, but today was my first time. The lunch costs 1500 yen. - The interior of the restaurant is elegant, with only counter seats. As soon as you enter the entrance, you will see beautiful fresh flowers. I sat right in front of the chef. - Sashimi: Seabream, tuna, kohada (gizzard shad), octopus, conger eel, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette), squid. The variety was surprising, especially the sashimi of seabream was truly delicious. The tuna was caught in Choshi, with two pieces of medium fatty tuna and one piece of lean tuna, both were delicious. The conger eel was also very tender. Enjoyed with freshly grated wasabi right in front of me. The explanation of the origin of each fish, such as the seabream from Shikoku and the tuna from Choshi, added to the taste experience. - Grilled dish: Grilled yellowtail marinated in Saikyo miso. It was perfectly grilled and delicious. - Soup: The skin of the seabream from the sashimi was used as an ingredient, and the soup made from the head of the seabream was also delicious. The chewy skin was full of collagen. This soup was truly impressive. - Overall, it was delicious. Definitely worth a try. The 1500 yen lunch is a great deal. You can have seconds of rice. It's not often you get to eat seabream or Ishigaki grouper. The miso soup made from the skin is also great. The food is rated 3.59, which is quite high.

On Saturday night, I called a restaurant saying, "I haven't had a refreshing, good Japanese meal in a while," and they said they had a table available, so we decided to go. We had the chef's special course, which included: jun-sai (seasonal appetizer platter), ponzu sauce with Isaki sashimi, Kiss kelp, thick boiled asparagus, fruit tomato with Kinzanji miso, abalone simmered in a delicate broth with wasabi, boiled komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) with sesame sauce, tempura with only sakura shrimp - served with salt, sweet potato, shiitake mushroom, silk pod, shrimp, and conger eel, grilled beef fillet with grated daikon radish, wasabi, and ponzu sauce - served with daikon radish pickles, rice, eggplant and komatsuna soup, cucumber and carrot pickles, pickled turnip, pickled shiba, white sesame ice cream, and green tea. All dishes were prepared with a subtle and refined dashi (broth) that complemented the ingredients beautifully. The presentation was simple and elegant, without any unnecessary garnishes or excessive decorations. The chef's confidence and professionalism were evident in every dish, and the timing of each course was impeccable. The thick asparagus and tempura with sakura shrimp were exceptional, and the grilled beef fillet was tender and flavorful. The restaurant had a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, despite the high-quality and sophisticated cuisine. I would definitely love to visit again.

This restaurant has an early last order at 1:00 pm. I made the mistake of arriving after 1:00 pm before, but this time I arrived in time for my revenge. The restaurant is located deep inside a building, a bit hard to find, but I had practiced beforehand so I had no trouble finding it this time. I visited on a weekday around 12:10 pm. The exterior gives off a high-end vibe. Inside, the kitchen is surrounded by counter seats in an L-shape layout. The atmosphere is quiet, calm, and spacious. It seems like it would be even better for nighttime use. There were two groups of seven customers in total. The owner and a female assistant were running the place. The lunch menu had two options: grilled fish set meal for 1,000 yen and the same with sashimi for 1,500 yen. I ordered the one with sashimi. I chose grilled fish from salmon or kamasu, and went with kamasu. It was skillfully cooked to avoid being watery. It was served on a large plate with grated daikon radish, tamagoyaki, and simmered shiitake mushrooms, all beautifully arranged. The sashimi included tuna, konoshiro, octopus, mackerel, and sea bream, if I remember correctly. The quality of the fish was good, and freshly grated wasabi was served alongside. Slices of cucumber were used in between different types of sashimi to prevent mixing of flavors and smells, adding a nice touch to the presentation. Overall, I was satisfied with the meal. The owner's service at the counter was attentive, not interfering with the group of four who seemed to be having a business meeting, while engaging in conversation about the origin of ingredients with a group of elderly women. Perhaps displaying a stand-alone menu with prices at the entrance of the building would make it easier for new customers to come in, but maybe they choose not to in order to maintain the calm and sophisticated atmosphere of the restaurant.

We had lunch with three people sitting at the counter seats. They only offer one course for both lunch and dinner. When you sit down, delicious dishes come out silently. The restaurant is located at the back of the building on the first floor, it is quiet, and watching the master's knife skills while eating is very soothing.

★Great restaurant★