Tonight's dinner at Ootoya was the classic sweet and spicy chicken Karaage set, with extra Karaage (lol). The sweet and savory sauce paired well with the crispy chicken, especially when eaten with the multigrain rice (my choice for tonight). Personally, I prefer the tangy chicken and vegetable stir-fry with black vinegar sauce set. However, I felt that the eggplant and pork miso stir-fry might be better left to a Chinese restaurant.

On this day, there were only a few open restaurants outside of lunch hours, so I chose this place. Even though it was past 2 p.m., there were already 2 people waiting to be seated. I got seated at the counter shortly after joining the line. I couldn't decide from the touch panel menu, so I went with a classic Ootoya lunch set. It came with pumpkin croquette, grated daikon radish fried chicken, and a raw egg yolk soy sauce dip, which I love! The food was served surprisingly quickly, and the grated daikon radish fried chicken was delicious. The chicken thigh meat had no skin, the starch-based coating was light and nice, and the daikon radish with citrus flavor was refreshing and tasty. It's a stable and satisfying taste! The approach here is definitely different from "Yayoi-ken". The pumpkin croquette had a subtle sweetness on its own, but it became even tastier with tonkatsu sauce. And the raw egg yolk soy sauce dip was delicious as expected. Before I knew it, I finished all the rice. The miso soup was also delicious without any complaints! With this quality, it's understandable why there are many female customers. I'm interested in trying other menu items, so I would like to visit again next time. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

I visited for lunch on a regular day using a 50% PayPay back offer. It had been a few years since my last visit. I arrived at 12:30 and there were about 5 people waiting. Even though many customers were dining alone, they were seated at 4-person tables, so the turnover seemed slow. I placed my order at 12:35 and my food arrived at 12:50. I ordered the Chicken and Vegetable Black Vinegar Sauce Set Meal (890 yen). The miso soup was quite ordinary, but I was happy to see plenty of wakame seaweed in it. The salad was colorful, but the cabbage was a bit dry. The Chicken and Vegetable Black Vinegar Sauce had a delicious flavor from the black vinegar. It was rich and went well with rice. The chicken was good, but the quality of the vegetables was lacking. It would have been nice to have other vegetables instead of just potatoes. I like the taste of black vinegar, but I think it could have been even better with an extra touch. Overall, thank you for the meal.

The desired restaurant was full...so I reluctantly went to this nearby chain restaurant. The menu is quite extensive, with the option to choose between multigrain rice and white rice. You can also add side dishes. It seems to be quite popular as it was crowded, but I managed to get a seat without much of a wait. Now, what should I order? Orders are made through a touch panel. I ordered the fried mackerel with plenty of leeks in sauce, with a small portion of multigrain rice. I added seaweed as a side dish and sent the order! It took about 7-8 minutes. The nutritional balance seems quite good. The mackerel is boneless and cut into easy-to-eat pieces. The sauce is rich in flavor but has a light touch to it. The fried eggplant is also delicious. The miso soup is a bit on the strong side, so I think a bit more diluted would be better. The multigrain rice is a bit crumbly due to the high amount of barley. There is plenty of cabbage, so you can get your vegetables intake. Despite being a chain restaurant, it is quite fulfilling. However, the cost performance is not that great. This meal cost ¥1,060. Without the side dish, it would have been under ¥1,000.

Hiroshima-produced Fried Oyster Set Meal for 990 yen. I love fried oysters (^^) When I see fried oysters on the menu, I can't help but react. Ordered the Hiroshima-produced Fried Oyster Set Meal with 4 pieces of fried oysters. Chose multigrain rice. The restaurant was calm as it was just after opening. After ordering, the dish arrived shortly. Wow, it looks really delicious (^^) Let's dig into the fried oysters. Add some tartar sauce... The homemade tartar sauce has a nice touch. The egg is crispy, and there's also pickles. The seasoning is subtle, but it complements the fried oysters well. The fried oysters are piping hot. Be careful (^_^;) The coolness of the tartar sauce may be just right. When you bite into it, the oyster juice bursts out. Honestly, I was prepared for the possibility of it tasting like frozen food, but it had a surprisingly good oyster flavor (^^) It costs 1,220 yen for 6 pieces. I opted for 4 pieces this time, but I slightly regret not getting 6 pieces. I love multigrain rice. Last time at Ootoya, I had white rice, but multigrain rice is also good. However, depending on the side dishes, white rice may be a better match, so it's important to choose according to the occasion (^^) The fried oysters were better than expected, so I plan to visit another Ootoya restaurant this season to enjoy fried oysters again. Next time, I'll go for 6 pieces and upgrade (^^ゞ

As expected, when Friday remote work ends, I feel relieved. I had a late lunch. I had the Ootoya lunch set, which was delicious as always. The white fish fry is always tasty! I had the set meal with a hamburger topped with a fried egg, white fish fry, 2 pieces of chicken karaage, and tartar sauce on the side. My beautiful wife, who only eats beautiful food, had the miso-flavored chicken set meal. We also ordered additional hokke fish and chicken karaage to share. The side dishes at Ootoya are generally delicious, but the miso soup is not good. The broth is weak. Even if you pay extra for barley miso, it's still not good. It's fatal for a restaurant that specializes in set meals to have weak miso soup. On a different note, the dessert pudding is cheap, delicious, and wonderful. The quality for 290 yen is impressive. It would be great if they had miso soup with a stronger broth, like tonjiru or clam soup!

It's been a while since I visited Ootoya. The prices seem to have gone up since the old days, but I like that they offer many healthy menu options. They have taken thorough measures against COVID-19, with dividers between all tables and ordering done through a touch panel. It feels safe. The pork and vegetable stir-fry with salt koji set meal I had this time was delicious. It felt relatively healthy, but with a satisfying, well-seasoned taste.

Near the Ogawa-machi intersection, there is a restaurant called Ootoya. The clean interior has counter and table seats, making it friendly for solo diners. You order using a touchscreen panel on the table. Oh no! It looks like they no longer have the Ootoya lunch set, which was a good deal. Other regular menu items seem to have increased in price as well. If you choose the Bakudan Don (800 yen), you can specify your preferences on the next screen. Tuna amount: regular or 4 extra slices (180 yen), Rice type: mixed grain or white rice, Rice amount: regular or less (-20 yen) or slightly larger or large, Miso soup change: no change or barley miso soup (180 yen) or pork miso soup (180 yen) or seaweed soup. Even after deciding on your dish, they tempt you with additional options. If you make too many changes, it can end up being quite expensive. I changed the rice to mixed grain and less (-20 yen), so it was 780 yen in total! The Bakudan Don includes 2 slices of tuna, natto, okra, nagaimo (Japanese yam), egg yolk, seaweed, and chopped nori. In addition to the rice bowl, it comes with miso soup, pickles, and bonito flakes. The bonito flakes are a pretty pink color and plentiful. They are said to be from Makurazaki. I added a generous amount of bonito flakes to the rice bowl and mixed it all together. The sticky and creamy Bakudan Don is delicious. The miso soup is a bit on the salty side. Overall, Ootoya has become a bit more expensive.

Tomorrow I have a health check-up. I had to work late, so I had dinner near the office before the time limit. I had a set meal with colorful vegetables and saury with sansho pepper sauce, served with mixed grain rice. The vegetables were not as colorful as shown in the menu photo. Is it still expensive? On the other hand, the saury had more volume than I expected. I enjoyed it by generously pouring on the sansho pepper sauce. Thank you for the meal.

Microwaved shumai and rock-hard fried chicken... Well, it can't be helped. σ(^_^;)

Spicy cod roe potato and sardine fry set meal (with chewy multi-grain rice)

130424 Ootoya Kanda Ogawamachi store Special Ootoya lunch 650 yen