The area near Seijo Gakuen Mae station is filled with popular chain restaurants that cater to the general public. It seems like the more upscale crowd doesn't use the station as much, as evidenced by the types of restaurants in the area. One of the top choices in the area is "Sukiya." Recently, it has evolved from just a beef bowl restaurant to offering a more diverse menu similar to a family restaurant. I focused on the beef bowl this time, but if you go in without a plan, you might find yourself struggling to choose. The lunch set with a beef bowl, salad, and miso soup is priced at 550 yen. It strikes a nice balance of being a bit junky, and that's just fine. I'm curious to try their "pork belly grill" next time.

"Horo-horo chicken curry. The chicken thigh meat is indeed tender, easily falling apart with just a lift. After removing all the bones and mixing the curry roux, rice, and chicken together, it might resemble a Murghir lunch, but I'm not going that far. The taste is quite spicy and not bad at all."

I had a mini gyudon (beef bowl) for 290 yen and a set with egg and miso soup for 130 yen at a standing bar that opened in Seijo Gakuen Mae. After drinking there, I couldn't resist my usual bad habit of thinking, "I'm hungry... I want to finish with ramen or something." I had been holding back the urge to eat while drinking, but I got carried away with the excitement of drinking outside and ended up breaking my self-restraint. Before I knew it, I had unconsciously ordered a gyudon. But I did try to watch my carb intake by ordering the mini size with less rice. I think Sukiya has a gyudon light option with reduced carbs (it has tofu instead of rice), so I'll be more careful next time.

In the evening on a regular day, I had some errands to run and decided to head to the south exit of Seijo Gakuen-mae Station. I wanted to grab a quick bite to eat on my way back home. I came across a restaurant called "Sukiya" that I hadn't noticed before, even though I live in the area. I decided to try their specialty dish called "Una-Gyu" for the first time. I ordered the Una-Gyu Jjimijiru Oshinko set (regular size for 990 yen). The set was quite impressive, with half eel and half beef bowl. The rice portion seemed to have more eel on it. I sprinkled some sansho pepper on the eel side and took a bite. The tenderness and richness of the eel were enjoyable, and the taste was not bad for the price. As I continued eating, I reached the beef bowl side, which had a slightly stronger flavor. The pickles provided a refreshing contrast to the rich dishes. However, I was a bit puzzled by the clam soup. Did it really need to be clam soup? Perhaps a regular miso soup would have sufficed. In terms of price, I personally felt that the set was a bit overpriced at 990 yen. Overall, it was a decent meal, but there were some aspects that could be improved.

This is my second time visiting this shop located at Seijo Gakuen-mae Station. I ordered the medium size (630 yen including tax) of the yakisoba gyudon, which was a revival menu released in 2013. The dish comes with extra beef and less rice, and you can choose to have it with extra sauce and green onions. The order is placed through a touch panel, and the staff brings you water. The gyudon has a slightly sweet sauce simmered with beef, topped with a rich and sweet yakisoba sauce, creating a perfect combination. It also comes with a packet of seaweed flakes. If there was a bit more yakisoba, it would be even better. I recommend trying it while it's still available. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal!

I wanted to try the mystery menu item called "Coarse-ground Sausage Set" at a restaurant, but they said, "I'm sorry, it's sold out." What! Did it sell out that quickly? Or did they not order enough because it doesn't sell well? The truth remains unknown, but I ended up getting the not-so-appetizing Mackerel Breakfast (390 yen). The grilled mackerel was reheated in the microwave, so the skin was soggy and it had a slightly fishy smell. And why is there potato salad with it? The combination of dishes in this unreasonable set meal from Sukiya, which always aims to fill you up no matter what, continues to baffle me. As long as your stomach is full, they believe it's the best value for money! It's a strategy that captures the hearts of fools who say, "As long as my stomach is full, it's great!" (bitter smile)

I had KING Gyudon for the first time in a while, but surprisingly, I was able to eat it.

Beef bowl set with egg for 530 yen. Delicious, thank you for the meal.

I visited for the third time on a weekday night around 8pm after work. The restaurant was about half full with customers, but the staff were just chatting with each other and didn't greet me or bring water. I ordered the tuna yukke bowl, the taste was average and the price was reasonable for a chain restaurant. Service ⭐1, Food ⭐3. The appeal of being able to eat a tuna bowl is great, but when I go to a beef bowl restaurant in Seijo Gakuenmae, the quality of the staff is like this, so I usually end up going to Matsuya... (The second visit was normal, but the first time was also bad service...)

Cheap and delicious

Seijo Gakuenmae Station is full of affordable chain restaurants. One of them is Sukiya, known for its beef bowl curry. They have brought back a dish with garlic sprouts after two years, and their curry is also worth trying. After much deliberation, I decided to go with the kimchi topping. Unlike other beef bowl chains, Sukiya's menu is more appealing, but they are lacking in the quality of their rice. I prefer flavorful rice, so I ended up adding kimchi and other toppings to enhance the dish. Overall, it was a decent meal.

After crossing the scramble intersection at the south exit, there is a shop a short walk away. Just like at Seijo Gakuenmae, there is a "Matsuya" here, giving a comforting feeling. The small store has counter seats and table seats, with less than 20 seats. Takeout orders were overwhelmingly popular. I visited this day looking for saury, but unfortunately, it was sold out. I had to settle for my favorite grated ponzu beef bowl (medium size, tax included 740 yen). It's delicious to eat with grated ponzu sauce and rice, or just eat it as is. Its refreshing taste makes it a dish you won't get tired of. In a way, it's a classic menu item. It was delicious today too, thank you for the meal!

I want to eat saury~! When grilled in a house with a blue tarp, it smells and lingers, and the Pakistani housemate complains. It seems like saury is not in season, so it's hard for someone like me, below the common people, to get it. The Meguro Saury Festival this year was also affected by poor catches, and it seems they couldn't manage to get fresh Pacific saury. But I still want to eat saury. Maybe I'll make it a canzume dish. But if it's canzume, my heart will feel lonely.♪ I want warmth, so the "limited-time saury at Sukiya" suddenly comes to mind. Saury and beef (680 yen) with grated daikon. Pickles (80 yen) included. The service from the cheerful female staff is refreshing. For some reason, the service is good at the Seijo store, just like at Matsuya. I don't know why it's better than other stores. As for the saury, when I close my eyes, I can slightly imagine that I'm eating eel. It's just a delusion of waco, who has forgotten the taste of eel. Thank you for the meal.

There is a Matsuya near Seijo Gakuen-mae Station. It's reassuring to see a Matsuya with the name Seijo, where everyone is eating normally (laughs). You can purchase a meal ticket at the ticket machine for dining in or takeout. I ordered a premium beef bowl for takeout, and it was served quickly as it just needed to be plated. I enjoyed the beef bowl, and they even provided black shichimi pepper, which added a surprising kick. The thinly sliced meat was not greasy at all, and the portion was decent with a good flavor. It was a perfect side dish for rice, and adding the black shichimi pepper made it a bit more refined. I was satisfied. It's tastier than Sukiya.

Curry rice topped with beef bowl meat is called "karegyuu", which is basically the reverse version of putting curry roux on a regular beef bowl. The Curry Nanban Gyudon (490 yen including tax) at Sukiya has a thick, Japanese-style curry with a sticky texture, different from the usual floury type. However, the amount of roux is a bit small, so it feels more like an added touch. By the way, what does "Nanban" mean? It seems to have various meanings, but in the context of food, it might refer to Nanban cuisine. Nanban curry, Nanban duck, Nanban chicken, Nanban pickles... Originally, it came from the Nanban trade and Nanban arrival, bringing food culture from Portugal through Southeast Asia, using ingredients like chili peppers, green onions, and curry spices. Nanban is also associated with the concept of "southern barbarians", but in the case of Chicken Nanban, it seems to have originated from a western-style restaurant in Miyazaki Prefecture. The reviewer also adds a playful comment at the end.

If there are eggs and bacon, I want to eat bacon and eggs. And if there is asparagus too, it seems like it would make a fancy plate. Unfortunately, the kitchen at Sukiya doesn't have a cooking facility, so even though they have eggs, they can't make fried eggs, only raw eggs. It's kind of disappointing. I paid an extra fee to change the raw egg to a soft-boiled egg in order to make it look more like bacon and eggs. Does it look more like it now? Furthermore, adding something strange like potato salad to the plate as a side dish could make it look luxurious. It's only 10 yen more, but it makes me happy. However, if it looks more like a Western-style plate, I would prefer to eat it with toast instead of rice and miso soup.

There was a clam soup fair going on. I usually drink a lot of alcohol, so I need to take care of my liver and maybe take some ornithine or something. But, having clam miso soup equivalent to 70 clams or 300 clams worth of supplements, artificially mixed, is too weird and I don't like the strange sourness. I prefer to naturally incorporate it. The "Gyudon Clam Soup Penis Set" (490 yen) at a major beef bowl chain is quite rare with clam soup. It must be costly, so good job, Sukiya. When it is served, a big bowl with plenty of clams is nice, right? Slurp, slurp, slurp, mmm. I don't feel the unique clam flavor, what's this? Well, it's Sukiya, so I won't say more (laughs). And I have a friend who always says to eat all the clam meat, so I painstakingly picked out and ate all the meat as well. By the way, I happened to see on a morning news show that the long-awaited "automatic clam sorting machine" has been developed. Currently, sorting out clams that cannot be shipped is a very labor-intensive task. The machine can distinguish "full of meat/empty/mud stuck inside" by sound, so it's a relief for the fishermen who have to bend over for long hours selecting a large amount of clams. The machine has been developed, but commercialization seems to be still a long way off, so until then, I'll make sure to eat all the clam meat.