Tuesday is shrimp fry day. The appearance of the dish didn't quite live up to expectations, not very exciting, something seems to be missing!? It's not bad, but... Under the shrimp fry, there's cream croquette, pickled radish, chicken karaage, simmered pork belly, ham, imitation crab, salad, mandarin orange, Neapolitan pasta, tamagoyaki, broccoli, and pickled daikon. It's not bad, but... Upon closer inspection of the photo, the aluminum cup takes up quite a bit of space!? And the quality of each side dish is not exceptional. That's right! This place is more of a cafe than a restaurant, and that's okay, it's more than good enough. The coffee after the meal is delicious, with a solid cafe quality. At 750 yen, there's nothing to complain about, the cost performance is high. Thank you for the meal.

It's been a while since I revisited this restaurant. In fact, I haven't written many reviews about it, even though I visit this place often. However, I still enter from the front when I visit. It's difficult to enter through the door next to the kitchen. This time, I decided in advance. I chose the shrimp fry set meal. My wife struggled a lot before choosing the pork curry. Looking at the menu, it seems that several dishes are no longer available. Gyoza set meal, minced cutlet set meal, and egg bowl. It seems that I can no longer eat these. What a pity. And the prices have also increased by about 50 yen. I think there are various issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, Ukraine, and avian influenza. Time still seems to flow slowly. This restaurant is very nice. The shrimp fry set meal arrived in less than 10 minutes. Actually, there were many times when I didn't write reviews, but when I ate the shrimp fry curry last time, I felt that the shrimp fry had become smaller. It's the same size this time. When I first ate the shrimp fry set meal at this restaurant, the shrimp fry was impressively thick and long. It has become a bit smaller than that time. However, there is ketchup pasta, potato salad, cabbage, cucumber, mandarin orange, and a wiener. I'm happy that there is tartar sauce. The shrimp fry is crispy and delicious with the presence of shrimp. There is plenty of rice. The miso soup was also delicious. Coffee after the meal. The master always asks when taking orders, "Coffee after the meal is included, would you like it after the meal?" This line always makes me smile. With various events, rising prices, increasing electricity bills, and no increase in consumers' salaries, fewer people are eating out. Even large chain restaurants are struggling in this era. It may be very difficult for traditional diners that have been around since the Showa era. I want to continue supporting this restaurant. Thank you for the always delicious shrimp fry. There are still many menu items I haven't tried, so I have to try them all! Thank you for the meal!

It's Asahikawa... I walked around quite a bit around JR Asahikawa Station, so this time I got off at "Asahikawa Shijo Station" around 10 o'clock. I was looking for a shop that opens early and found a coffee shop called "Muto" about a 3-minute walk from the station. It's a super excellent shop that opens from 9 am every day, including Sundays and holidays. The couple in their 60s to 70s greeted me when I entered. There are about 8 tables for 4 people inside. I was prompted to sit at any table I liked, so I chose a table by the window. When I opened the menu, there were many set meals, rice bowl dishes, and drinks, all reasonably priced from 600 yen to 900 yen. Based on my research, I wanted to order the "Daily Special Set Meal (ginger pork with miso soup and coffee included) @ 750 yen," but I was in the mood for curry and chose the "Pork Curry @ 650 yen." It was served in about 8 minutes. When I saw the curry placed on the table, I thought it looked like curry from a ski resort. Bon appétit! It had a mild spice level and was gentle on the stomach, like a comforting home-cooked meal for elementary school kids. There was a generous amount of thinly sliced pork, but it was a bit sad that the vegetables were not very visible. The rice was cooked a bit firm, not with high-quality rice, but it paired well with the curry. The slightly weak coffee that came with it was a good deal. I hope to visit next time when I'm in the mood to eat a lot, maybe trying the hamburger set meal. Thank you for the meal.

My son returned home for a visit, and we decided to have curry for dinner in a quiet setting. He had seen Mutou from the car and wanted to try it, so we went in. Mutou's curry is delicious and affordable, so we parked at the back of the restaurant and entered through the front. My son ordered a large serving of pork curry for 700 yen, while I tried the hamburger set for 650 yen. The hamburger set came with miso soup and was quite generous in portion. The hamburger was flavorful and went well with the side dishes. We enjoyed our meal and finished it off with coffee. The total bill for both of us was 1350 yen, which was very reasonable. We have tried various dishes at Mutou, and the hamburger set is our favorite in terms of value for money. We look forward to visiting again to try other items on the menu. Thank you for the delicious meal!

After a while, I visited Muto-san. I was driving and suddenly thought, "Let's go to Muto's!" just like in Kyoto, and ended up going there. Muto-san's place is a bit confusing because the storefront says "Pit In Muto," but the entrance says "Rest House Muto." I wonder which one is the correct name? Or maybe it's a different shop altogether. Inside, there is a retro vibe with only two old-school table games. I sat at a table with Mahjong, and in the back, there was another game that I couldn't quite identify. The daily specials are written on a pillar to the left as soon as you enter, but you might miss it if you don't turn around. The menu is extensive, and you have to search for it at each table. The daily specials are available every day of the week, with Saturday offering a hamburger. On Sunday, they serve ham and eggs. I really like ham and egg rice, so this was a treat for me. The bento box on this day was shrimp fry, which came with about 15 different dishes. I opted for a large portion of rice for an extra fee. The salmon was bite-sized, and each dish was just the right size for a single bite. The main dish was shrimp fry, accompanied by croquettes, char siu, pickled vegetables, potato salad, and spaghetti. It was a lot of food, but I enjoyed every bite. The meal also included a cup of coffee, making it a great deal for only 700 yen. Overall, I was satisfied with the meal and would definitely go back again.

I really like this place. There are many reasons why I like it. One of my favorite things is the atmosphere of a retro-style coffee shop that still retains the Showa era vibe. The place looks like a clean coffee shop, but it mainly serves meals. The staff are friendly and welcoming. There are many other reasons why I love this place, but it's not something I can explain logically. I woke up early in the morning around 4 am. I had breakfast at 5:30 am because I was hungry. Since there was a lot of snow, I shoveled snow at 9 am. By 10 am, I finished shoveling snow and decided to relax in my room, but then I got hungry again. It was time for lunch. My options were limited. The main choices were a 24-hour chain restaurant or a personal favorite like "Muto" or "Nabaryu". "Muto" opens at 9 am, while "Nabaryu" opens at 6:30 am. I couldn't decide between the two, but this time I chose "Muto" because I could sit at a table and relax. I drove to the parking lot behind the restaurant from the left side. The entrance to the restaurant is located at the far right back. The location of this entrance is perfect. When I entered the restaurant, I sanitized my hands and sat at a table. I had been thinking about what to order even before I arrived. I had never ordered things like a parent and child bowl. In the past, I usually ordered the shrimp fry set meal or the pork cutlet set meal. My wife usually ordered the daily bento or beef curry. After much contemplation, I chose the shrimp fry set meal. My wife ordered the ginger pork set meal. While waiting, I looked around the restaurant. It truly is an old-fashioned place with many houseplants and old manga like Adachi Mitsuru's "Nine" that I used to read when I was in junior high school. The sound of frying and sautéing meat could be heard from the kitchen. The set meals arrived. They came with miso soup. I started with the miso soup, which was delicious. My shrimp fry was quite large and came with tartar sauce. There were three shrimp fries in total. The set also included a vegetable salad, potato salad, orange, spaghetti, and pickles. Additionally, a thinly sliced sausage was included. Even though there was only one sausage, it was enough to go with the rice. The shrimp fry was packed with meat and delicious. The portion size was generous for 850 yen. I requested a smaller portion of rice. I traded one shrimp fry for my wife's ginger pork. The ginger pork was thinly sliced but well seasoned, making it a tasty dish that goes well with rice. After finishing our meals, coffee was served (complimentary). I finished eating first, and they brought my coffee first, which I appreciated. After confirming that my wife had finished her meal, they brought her coffee as well. It was a very enjoyable dining experience. My wife kept saying, "The rice is delicious." The coffee served after the meal was like a bonus, perfect for enjoying the post-meal time. The wall calendar was a daily calendar from KEY Coffee, but the milk served with the coffee was from UCC. It was a nice touch. The customer who came in after us ordered the hamburger set meal. It turned out to be a fairly large hamburger. Next time, I might try the hamburger set meal. When paying the bill, I noticed a stereo system from the mid-Showa era. It was a Columbia system that was quite popular when I was a child. The staff showed me the inside, mentioning that it was donated when their sister moved, but it was currently not wired up and did not produce sound. Nevertheless, it still served as a nice piece of interior decor. Customers who came by car can exit from here, next to the kitchen. The exit felt like defeating a boss character in a dungeon in Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy and returning to the town. I left from there. Next to the restaurant is a large building with a few trees. Dozens of sparrows were perched there, chirping loudly. It's always a place where I can enjoy a good meal. Thank you for the delicious food. I will definitely visit again!

My wife suggested going out to eat. She mentioned soba, but I'm on a diet. I decided to go for the shrimp fry set meal for a change. The restaurant had a nostalgic atmosphere, run by a friendly elderly couple. I ordered the shrimp fry set meal with less rice, and my wife chose the beef curry. The food was delicious, with large shrimp fries and generous tartar sauce. The lemon slices were thick, allowing for ample lemon juice. The curry was flavorful and the beef was tender. The coffee served after the meal was a nice touch. The total bill was reasonable at 1500 yen. The service was friendly and the experience was enjoyable. I look forward to visiting again.

A cafe located in Asahikawa City, 5-Jo Street, 18-Chome. When you enter the shop, you'll find a retro atmosphere with game tables. I went there for lunch. Wow, they have a lot of menu items... and all of them come with photos. They offer daily specials, set meals, rice bowls, curry, fried rice, spaghetti, etc. So, while waiting, I took photos of all the menu items (lol). With so many choices, I decided to go for the "Daily Mutto Bento (with miso soup and coffee)" for 700 yen. That day's special was "Pork Slice Saute" since it was a Monday. It arrived in about 7-8 minutes. The pork slice saute was seasoned with salt and pepper. It was nothing special, but it tasted pretty good. The bento also included grilled salmon, ham, simmered Chinese cabbage, fresh vegetables, sausages, scrambled eggs, broccoli, potato salad, spaghetti, kelp tsukudani, pickles, and various side dishes in small portions. It may include store-bought items, but with so many side dishes, along with miso soup and coffee for 700 yen, it's quite a good deal for a lunch for office workers. The rice portion was decent, but you can get a large serving for an extra 100 yen if you're still hungry. Coffee is included with every meal menu. If you want iced coffee, it's an additional 100 yen, which might be a bit tough in this season. I wonder what the most affordable option is apart from the morning set? Looking at the menu again, the "Tamago-don" is 500 yen, which also comes with miso soup and coffee... Even the most expensive item is the Ebi Fry Set for 850 yen. With such a wide variety of menu items, you probably won't get bored and can keep coming back.

"Rest House Muto" in Asahikawa, I was alone and it was time to head back. I had a specific restaurant in mind downtown, but it was near an overpass so I decided to take a walk under the overpass to explore. Unfortunately, all the shops seemed closed. Feeling a bit lonely walking back the same street, I decided to take a different route and stumbled upon "Rest House Muto." I thought about buying a handmade bento box, but upon entering the shop, the atmosphere made me change my mind. The TV was blaring loudly, with two customers reading newspapers and books. The shop owner was engrossed in the TV show. I tried to get the owner's attention but failed, so I ordered an orange juice instead. The juice was surprisingly good, even though I usually don't like sour orange juice. I decided to visit two more shops before heading home, but one was sold out and the other didn't offer takeout soup curry. That's how my evening went."

I used to go to this restaurant once. I wonder how many years it's been since I last visited. I decided to go back after a long time. I remember the portions being generous. But which one is the correct name? The sign on the wall says "Pit In Muto," but the sign hanging on the side says "Rest House Muto." Which one is the correct name of the restaurant? By the way, "Pit In" means entering the pit area away from the race track in Japanese English. "Rest House" is a common term for a rest area found in tourist spots. Hmmm, neither seems quite right. The daily specials are featured in photos. Tuesday is shrimp fry, Wednesday is gyoza, Thursday is ginger pork, Friday is kushikatsu. The main dish varies slightly, but the basics are the same. There are specials on Sundays too. Saturday and Sunday also have daily specials. Saturday is hamburger, Sunday is ham and egg. By the way, regular set meals are also available, but the katsu set meal is cheaper than the daily specials. Katsu set meal and hamburger set meal are 650 yen, which is a good deal. It seems like there is no daily special on Mondays. The Monday special used to be sliced pork sauté. Looking at it this way, there are quite a few hits and misses depending on the day. The official name is Daily Muto Bento. It comes with miso soup and coffee for 700 yen. The price seems reasonable. The menu is quite extensive at this restaurant, with all items accompanied by photos for easy understanding. By the way, shrimp fry is the most expensive item on the menu. There are also rice bowl dishes. There are various rice bowl dishes available. Shrimp fry bowl is 800 yen, pork suki bowl is 700 yen, chicken suki bowl, katsu bowl is 650 yen, ginger pork bowl, meat bowl is 600 yen, oyakodon is 550 yen, egg bowl is 500 yen, all with coffee included. The prices are quite affordable, almost like fast food pricing. However, shrimp fry seems to be the most expensive item on the menu. There is also curry available. There is even curry available. Katsu curry, menchi curry, yakiniku curry, hamburger curry for 750 yen, beef curry for 650 yen, seafood curry for 600 yen, chicken curry, egg curry for 550 yen, all with coffee included. Some items come with a mini salad as well. But for some reason, there is no shrimp fry curry on the menu. Fried rice and spaghetti are also available. Fried rice and spaghetti are also on the menu. There are table games inside the restaurant. There are two table games available. One of them is called "Ippatsu Gyakuten." It seems to be a mahjong game based on the buttons and instructions. But it doesn't seem to be working now. And the restaurant is either a rest house or a pit stop called Muto, which means it also has elements of a cafe. It was Tuesday, and I ordered the Tuesday special bento. The main dish was shrimp fry. You can choose coffee before or after the meal, and the bento and miso soup were served at the same time. It takes about 10 minutes for the food to be prepared after ordering, as they cook it fresh. There was a mini salad with cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, imitation crab, and sausage, topped with French dressing. It was nice to have something extra with the vegetables. The orange seemed a bit dehydrated. There were various side dishes like potato salad, broccoli, Neapolitan, tamagoyaki, simmered kelp, and pickled radish. Each was a bite-sized portion, but there were six items in total, which was quite a variety. And there were three types of fruits - kiwi, grapefruit, and pineapple. But upon closer inspection, the left one was cucumber with miso, the middle one was mentaiko, and the right one was sweet potato. I made a mistake and laughed to myself.

I love restaurants that are hard to tell if they are a restaurant or a café just by looking at them. There used to be a restaurant called Greenhouse in Asahikawa's Asahijincho. It looked like a café, but the delicious and hearty dishes were even better than those at the Leru Tran hotel. I had been looking for a place like that. I had passed by the front of the restaurant many times, but I always thought it might be a café. One day, while surfing the internet on Tabelog, I discovered that this restaurant had a wide variety of food!! And they even had daily bento boxes on weekends!! They had a lot of Showa-style one-plate meals!! Hmm. I have to go there. I'll try not to look at other people's information. I want to enjoy everything with a fresh feeling. The front of this restaurant is a one-way street. If you turn left on Ohdori Street and head north, it will be on your right. There is a small alley on the left side of the restaurant, and you can park your car there to access the parking lot behind the restaurant. Park your car there. Walk along the same alley to reach the front of the restaurant. I thought the entrance to the restaurant was on the left, but it turned out to be the entrance to Nissen Ren. It wasn't supposed to be a building. I thought it was a standalone shop, but it seems I was mistaken. The entrance to the shop is located deep to the right when facing it. It's quite a strange entrance. There's a glass showcase with moss and other things in it. It's quite unique. When you enter the entrance of the restaurant, you'll find a large interior with mainly table seats. There are a lot of indoor plants. An elderly couple who seemed to be the owners were running the shop. Both of them were wearing aprons. There is alcohol disinfectant near the entrance, so I disinfected my hands. Then I sat at a table in the back of the restaurant. The menu was handmade and thick. It's easy to read even for my presbyopic eyes. The basics are curry, daily bento boxes, fried rice, spaghetti, etc. Each dish comes with options like cutlets, shrimp fry, hamburg steak, fried egg, etc. I had decided on shrimp fry this time, but the price of the cutlet set meal (with coffee) for 650 yen caught my eye, so I chose the cutlet set meal. My wife chose the daily bento box. Since it was Saturday, she had a hamburger. I can't wait to try it. While waiting for the food, I looked at the menu. It seems that the Sunday daily bento box features ham and eggs as the main dish. The other days have luxurious options like shrimp fry and hamburg steak, but Sunday seems to have a lighter selection. Perhaps because workers have the day off, they chose a lower-calorie main dish. The atmosphere inside the restaurant was quite nice. It had a slightly old-fashioned interior, but it was clean. It was interesting to see so many indoor plants. There were two daily calendars, both set to a date in the future. It was interesting. I couldn't help but think I shouldn't order the daily set meal after looking at these daily calendars. My cutlet set meal arrived in just over 10 minutes. The cutlet was of a decent size. The rice portion was a bit generous. The spaghetti with ketchup flavor was a nice touch. The cutlet's crispiness was just right. It was delicious. The rice was also tasty. It was nice that miso soup was included. My wife's daily bento box with hamburger had half a hamburger. But there were also options like omelet and fish, which made it enjoyable. The timing of the coffee after the meal was perfect. It seemed like the couple who ran the restaurant were always observing how much was left on the plates, but they did it discreetly and you could tell they cared. When we asked for water, they spoke in a very gentle manner. The kind couple made the restaurant a soothing place. In the past, I had been to another similar restaurant where the husband was quite arrogant. The food there was very delicious, but I haven't revisited it just because of that image. I believe that what you pay for in a restaurant is "the food, the atmosphere, and the hearts of the people at the restaurant." This restaurant made me very happy, and I want the kind couple to continue to prioritize their health. After settling the bill, they opened the door to the kitchen at the back and said, "If you go out through here, the parking lot is nearby." Indeed, there was a sliding door that seemed to lead to the kitchen near the alley of the restaurant. We exited through there. We also had coffee. It cost us 1350 yen for both of us. It was cheap and delicious. They open from 9 a.m., I heard. If it were close by, I'd want to have their morning service every day. Thank you for the meal. I will definitely come back. Next time, I would love to try the shrimp fry.

Who was it again? I think it was... Mr. Ichiro, right? He recommended eating curry for breakfast, didn't he? I've actually liked eating curry for breakfast even before Mr. Ichiro mentioned it on TV. Leftovers from the previous day... I'll eat them for breakfast~ Letting it sit overnight makes it taste even better. And... curry for breakfast is actually quite nice for settling the stomach. The menu includes a coffee with almost every dish. At first, I was thinking of getting the daily bento box, but the tempting smell of curry inside the restaurant drew me in... The couple who seemed to be running the place were very nice. "The curry smells so good...♪" "It's just ready~" "I'll have the Ebi Fry Curry, please~" The sound of frying the Ebi Fry can be heard... It seems like it's almost done. The delicious-looking curry with freshly fried Ebi Fry has arrived. I like the smoothness of the curry without any solid pieces of vegetables. With a variety of toppings, it seems like there's a lot to enjoy... The spiciness is just enough to feel a slight kick in the aftertaste, and there's a gentle and delicious sweetness from the vegetables and fruits. The saltiness is just right, creating a well-balanced curry with the rice. A simple salad is also included. The carefully washed cabbage in the salad is crisp... The dressing is store-bought but the salad was fresh and delicious. The coffee after the meal was a bit weak for my taste, but it was well-brewed. It was delicious to have curry for breakfast after a long time. Thank you for the meal~

◆Asahikawa Rest House Muto◆ I had seen this place from a distance before, but always wondered if it was open or not, and it seemed a bit hard to enter. This time, I gathered my courage and visited (laughs). Inside the restaurant, it was more spacious than I had imagined. I quickly looked through the menu. Since I arrived early, I thought maybe they only serve breakfast, but it turns out that you can order from the full menu starting at 9:00. The daily Muto bento is ¥700 (comes with coffee), even available on weekends. After some hesitation, I ordered the hamburger set for ¥650, which also came with coffee. Great value for money. I liked it so much that I revisited in the evening on another day. This time, I ordered the ginger pork set for ¥600. Last order is at 18:30, so if you finish work late, it might be hard to make it in time, but I found a great restaurant! (laughs)

Nice to meet you! I checked out the restaurant that Masaan had visited before, and I'm glad they open early in the morning. At first, I was wondering where the parking lot was, but I found a sign and was able to park behind the restaurant. The entrance was not where I expected, it was a bit funny. It felt like being in an RPG game with the parking lot and entrance. Inside the restaurant, there was a nice old-fashioned atmosphere. I sat at a table and looked at the menu, which was very easy to read. I ordered the pork cutlet set meal, which came with coffee for only 650 yen... so cheap! The set meal was served on one plate with miso soup, just like in a cafe, and the portion was huge for the price. I especially liked the spaghetti that came with it. Lastly, I enjoyed my coffee and had a relaxing time. After paying, I was guided through the kitchen to the exit near the parking lot. It felt like in an adventure movie where the difficult journey is shown but the way back is skipped.

I arrived just after the restaurant opened to have breakfast. They were busy preparing a row of bento boxes for reservations, but kindly offered to seat me at a table instead of the counter. They serve a standard morning set, but since they offer their full menu from opening, I ordered the pork cutlet set. It came with coffee after the meal, which was quite voluminous! The rice portion was around 200g, and the pork cutlet had a mix of lean and fatty meat which I personally love. They brought coffee when I finished eating. Great volume, great price, and a wide variety of menu options. I was very satisfied and it was delicious!

Muto is a restaurant or cafe quietly standing behind a model shop, with a somewhat intimidating atmosphere. The entrance is hidden and it's not clear if it's open or not, but a faint flag outside indicates its presence. They offer lunch boxes with a different menu each day - on this day, it was shrimp fry set. Coffee is complimentary, but they ask if you want it. The lunch boxes include various side dishes like scrambled eggs with leeks, bean sprout salad, broccoli, rolled omelette, grilled salmon, potato salad, etc. The main dishes like shrimp fry and croquette are likely pre-made, but the variety of side dishes makes up for it. The menu is reasonably priced, and I would like to try other items in the future. The service is attentive, as the owner somehow knew when I finished my meal and called out for coffee. Overall, a satisfying dining experience at Muto.