I visited "Kitchen Origin Oji 2-chome Store" around 5 pm on a day in September 2021. Located about a 3-4 minute walk from Oji Station, the not-so-large restaurant had 3 customers already inside. I ordered the "Kaki Fry Nori Mentaiko Bento" for ¥490 at the order counter and paid with PayPay. After waiting for about 7-8 minutes, I received the bento and took it home to eat. The bento included nori mentaiko rice, 4 pieces of kaki fry, shredded cabbage, and pickles. It came with tartar sauce and thick sauce to enjoy with the kaki fry. The kaki fry was a good size and one of the oysters in it had a bad taste, which felt a bit risky despite being heated. The price of ¥490 for a seafood-focused bento like this seemed reasonably good. The portion size was just right. Perhaps due to the difficult times for eating out, the restaurant was always busy with customers. I would like to visit "Kitchen Origin" at a quieter time.

I visited "Origin Bento Oji-nichome Store" around 9 pm on a certain day in July 2019. The store is located about a 3-4 minute walk from Oji Station. The small interior was quite busy, with about 5 customers already there. I had never tried Origin Bento's curry before, so I ordered the "Butter Chicken Curry" for ¥390. The only downside was the service at the register. The staff seemed to struggle with taking orders, causing some stress for customers. Despite the stress, the food was served relatively quickly, in about 7-8 minutes. The portion size was decent for the price. When I tasted the Butter Chicken Curry at home, it had a mild flavor with a good balance of richness and no overwhelming sweetness. The butter blended well, and the chicken had a satisfying texture. The rice had a hint of parsley, giving it a European twist rather than a traditional Indian flavor. Overall, for ¥390, the quality was worth it. While Origin Bento is known for its unique curry variations, I personally would like to see them offer more standard curry options as well.

It has been quite a while since I last visited. I'm happy that I can try a variety of dishes little by little. The marinated sardines with lemon, deep-fried horse mackerel, pickled Spanish mackerel, and spicy stir-fried konjac were all delicious. They paired well with beer! ＼(^_^)／

When it comes to Hokaben, I feel a strong sense of guilt with the Nori Bento and I think the Napolitan is the best. It had been a year since my last visit, and this time I chose the Nori Bento and Napolitan (no photo). Feeling guilty, I also got two packs of coleslaw for 680 yen, and chose the meatballs. Due to COVID-19, I can no longer choose the amount I want by myself, but I think it's hygienic.

After a long time, I visited the store after finishing night shift. Due to COVID, I couldn't serve myself as freely as before, but there were still plenty of deli options. I bought a bento with seaweed, Napolitan, coleslaw, etc., and went straight home. The meal was very satisfying, but I later regretted it a lot. Even though I know better, I sometimes can't resist.

"Kitchen Origin" is a chain of bento box stores that operates in the Kanto and Kinki regions. This time, I visited "Origin Bento Prince Nijime Store," which is another type of store under the same chain? The store is open from early morning until late at night, and even though I visited in the evening around 7:30 pm, there were surprisingly many customers inside the small store. Inside, there were bento boxes and side dishes displayed similar to those sold in supermarkets. If you want freshly made items, you can order bento boxes or noodles at the counter. Perhaps because it was late, the type of bento box I wanted, like the "nori bento," was sold out, so I ordered the "tonkatsu bento" (¥490 including tax) and the "makunouchi" (¥496 including tax). Both bento boxes were inexpensive and had a good amount of food, offering excellent value for money. However, the "tonkatsu bento" had too few side dishes, which was a downside. In contrast, the "makunouchi" had a wide variety of side dishes and was overall excellent. The eggplant tempura was a nice touch. My mom was happily eating away."

I bought nikujaga, shiraae, and duck pastrami beer as a snack. They were all delicious and perfect for one person. I got them at a 30% discount, so I was very satisfied with the good deal.