It's been a while since I last visited. I had simmered flounder and fried fish. I think tempura used to come with this as well. There used to be coffee after the meal, but it's no longer available. I was told it's an extra charge, so I ordered iced coffee and the total was 1000 yen. By the way, I had seconds of rice. Thank you for the meal.

Today's lunch was at "Amateur Cooking Shizu" in Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City, near Hankyu Kamikatsura Station, up the Yamadaguchi intersection. I had always been curious about the amateur cooking sign whenever I passed by, but since the lights were never on, I wondered when they were open. The other day, I found a signboard saying "set meals available" and a small open sign, so I finally visited. Inside, there are counter seats and table seats. I couldn't tell from the outside, but the lights were on. Some regular older ladies were chatting at the counter. One of them came to take my order. She invited me to sit at the counter, but I declined. There are plenty of a la carte options, including sirloin steak and hot pot. They also have lunch set meals. Both the vegetable stir-fry and pork ginger stir-fry are all priced at 800 yen. I chose the most expensive option, the "yakiniku set meal" for 800 yen. They brought a homemade cloth towel and a tray with warm tea. There were no ashtrays on the table, but at least smoking seemed to be allowed at the counter. They told me to wait a little longer while they were cooking. When the dishes came out, it was a bit confusing to figure out the composition. The miso soup with wheat gluten was a bit strong but normal. The simmered potatoes had a simple home-cooked taste. It was just as they declared, amateur cooking. The pickled daikon radish was cut into thin strips, which was a bit unusual. The main plate was a bit chaotic. Half of it was filled with salad. At the bottom, there was also macaroni salad. The other half took some time to analyze. In the front, there were red sausages, and the purple was purple cabbage, part of the salad. The black part at the back was the grilled meat. It was cooked with a rich sauce, a lot of meat, but a bit tough. The flavor was rich, and it had a slightly burnt taste. They asked me several times during the meal if I had enough rice. Even when clearing the table after eating, they asked if I was full. This mysterious rice shop may be amateur cooking, but it's a warm place where a kind motherly figure takes care of you.