I visited the restaurant with a colleague and we both ordered the recommended lunch set with grilled red salmon in Kyoto style. I asked for coffee as my drink after the meal. When the lunch set arrived after a short wait, I noticed that there were many side dishes. Each one was neatly arranged on a bamboo lunch mat. The set included rice, miso soup, pickles, simmered lotus root and konjac, chilled tofu, bean sprout salad, and the main dish of grilled red salmon with a side of rolled omelette. It felt like a home-cooked meal, which can be quite comforting during business trips. The rice was cooked just right, and although I wished the grilled salmon was a bit bigger, considering the price, it seemed reasonable. The variety of side dishes added a nice balance to the meal. After the meal, I was served coffee with a coconut cracker on the side. It was a simple snack, but enjoying it with coffee while chatting was a pleasant way to end the meal.

Visit date: 10/01/2011 (Saturday) 19:00 The male staff member at the restaurant gave a sense of comfort. The atmosphere was calm and quiet, allowing us to relax. For dinner, we chose Italian appetizers and a bottle of red wine. The appetizer plate had four items: smoked duck, prosciutto, sautéed mushrooms with olives, and potato salad. It was enough to satisfy our stomachs and hearts, but we also ordered pasta (tomato sauce) and pizza. The food was so delicious that we ended up eating too much. I will definitely go back again!

These days, I have been eating a bowl of rice for breakfast, so I don't get hungry at lunchtime and usually have a small snack in the evening. But today, I had udon for breakfast, so I decided to go out to eat for lunch. There is a restaurant near my house, tucked away in a quiet alley, and I always wanted to try it because it seemed to have a nice atmosphere. It used to be a regular house, but when it was rebuilt, the ground floor was turned into a store. At night, they serve pasta, pizza, and other dishes to go with wine and cocktails at a reasonable price. However, they also offer breakfast and lunch now. The restaurant is called "Mon Ami" in French, but they serve Italian dishes like pasta and pizza, and the interior has a vibe of "Old-fashioned America" with old big band jazz playing in the background. The atmosphere is stylish yet cozy, and there are various seating options from counter seats to window seats, tables, and even a large table for groups. They also have a party plan with all-you-can-drink for 2 hours at 3,500 yen per person. When you come to such a place, you have to start with a beer, even at lunchtime. The lunch menu includes a 700 yen "daily lunch" and an 850 yen "recommended lunch," as well as other options like hamburgers and curry. I ordered the daily lunch, which was "Hamburg with Japanese-style vegetable sauce set meal" today. It came with a sizable hamburger topped with a sauce made of Chinese cabbage, onions, shiitake mushrooms, and side dishes like lotus root and burdock kinpira, cold tofu, and pickled daikon. The miso soup had radish leaves in it. Afterward, I had coffee with a Bourbon Lamond. The food tasted good, and considering that it included coffee for only 700 yen, it was quite a bargain. I went there around 2 pm, an off-peak time, but there were still quite a few customers, like office workers. They also had manga available, so I imagine people come here to relax and read after their meal until the last minute of their break time. I also enjoyed my coffee, read a book, and then headed home.