あすと☆
During lunchtime, I visited a Chinese restaurant located on the second floor of a building in between Yoyogi and Shinjuku, where there are stores like Docomo and the original Kaniya Kagoshima. The restaurant looked like a traditional Chinese eatery from the outside, but inside it was surprisingly clean and didn't have that old-fashioned feel. It seems like the restaurant may have recently undergone a renewal with a new name. There were about 20 tables, a mix of 2-person and 4-person tables, and it was quite spacious. Despite that, the restaurant was bustling with about 80% of the tables occupied, and the customers were mostly on the younger side.
The lunch menu is available on weekdays from 11:00 to 14:30, offering a salad bar with free refills and self-service coffee. They also have daily and weekly set menus, with options like Chinese rice bowls, Mapo tofu rice bowls, shrimp fried rice, mixed noodles, wonton noodles, and dan dan noodles. The menu changes regularly, so I recommend checking the photos for the current offerings.
For my meal, I ordered the Oyster Sauce Chicken with 2 pieces of Shumai for 880 yen. The salad they served was fresh, and the main dish exceeded my expectations in terms of quality. The Oyster Sauce Chicken was flavorful and the Shumai was surprisingly large and delicious. I also had almond jelly for dessert and enjoyed a cup of coffee. Overall, I felt that the side dishes were the highlight of the meal, and how much you enjoy them will affect the overall value for money. If you skip the sides and just focus on the main dish, the value for money might not be as good, but if you make multiple trips to the salad bar and enjoy the coffee, the value increases significantly.
In conclusion, while the prices are somewhat high for everyday dining, I found the quality of the food to be reassuring, making this restaurant a better choice compared to other nearby Chinese eateries. The other restaurants in the building, like the original Kaniya Kagoshima, are all high-class establishments. It was a satisfying meal.