I stopped by for takeout dinner on the evening of Thursday, June 8, 2023. It was just before 6 o'clock and there were no customers inside. Although it was takeout, I had to buy a meal ticket from the machine. I ordered extra rice for the oyakodon. I had to wait a bit because the customer in front of me placed a large order. When I got home and opened the meal, I was surprised to see that the egg part of the oyakodon was served in a separate dish. I had to put it on myself, but the taste was truly authentic. It would have been perfect if there was some mitsuba on top.

August has arrived and hot days continue. In the past, the formula for hot days was: hot day -> build stamina -> eat eel. However, in recent years, eel has become expensive and the opportunity to eat it has decreased. This year, various chain restaurants have entered the market, making the prices a bit cheaper. Some chain restaurants end their eel menu in August. With this background, I decided to try it before it ends. I went to "Nakau". Here, the eel is served in a box, not in a bowl, which made me want to eat it. I bought a meal ticket at the vending machine at the entrance, then sat down and handed the ticket to the staff. After a while, the food arrived. I love the moment of lifting the lid, which is why I eat "eel box". I lifted the lid. There was a large piece of grilled eel, next to it was shredded egg. I like to sprinkle plenty of sansho pepper on it and eat. I finished it in no time. It was delicious. I feel like I want to eat it multiple times if it were cheaper. When eels can be completely farmed, they will become cheaper, but it seems to take some time.

GW has ended, but the state of emergency has been extended and the streets of Kyoto are quiet. At my workplace, we go in once and then work remotely twice. Well, in terms of my job, I can work from anywhere, but the environment is... Actually, my two children are taking remote lessons at home using the internet. When we have a video conference at home, the internet slows down. This may be a concern for remote work. Yesterday, I went to the office for the first time in three days. The cafeteria at work is operating with a reduced menu, so the options are limited and we end up going out to eat. Near my workplace, there's a popular bento place called "Nakau." You can order online and even take home noodles. I decided to try it out. I ordered the lunch beef bowl set, which includes a small portion of "hai-kara udon" and a beef bowl. I ate at my desk. I've been working here for a long time, but I wasn't used to eating at my desk, so it felt a bit strange at first. I opened the "hai-kara udon" first. The noodles and broth are separated, and you put the noodles in the broth to eat. Next is the beef bowl. The rice and beef are separated. Eating this way kept the food warm and it was delicious. This format might be good to continue.

I had beef curry for the first time at Nakau. It was a quite different type of Western-style curry than I had expected. To be honest, it was delicious. Nakau's curry is tastier than Yoshinoya's. The first bite tasted sweet, followed by a gentle spiciness. It also had big chunks of beef, which was unexpected. If I had to say something negative, it would be that the price is a bit high. Thank you for the meal.

We went to Nakau after visiting the clinic. We went there specifically for the mini bowls they offer. This location has two floors, but the first floor only has a large counter and no table seats. I ordered the mini Japanese-style beef bowl (330 yen) with an added egg (70 yen), while my husband ordered the mini Japanese-style beef bowl with a side of zaru udon (500 yen). When my husband's udon arrived, the beef bowl was forgotten. The staff apologized and said they had forgotten about it (laughs). It's convenient that you can choose the portion size at Nakau when you're on a diet.

Yesterday after finishing work, I went to Nakau. I was curious about their new menu item, the gyutan donburi, so I ordered it. It was around 980 yen, which is considered expensive at Nakau, haha. The gyutan was thick and satisfying. I also ordered kakiage udon as a side dish. I'm so full now!

I ate katsudon.

I came here after a long time. Work got delayed (until 11pm) and it's difficult to find places to eat in Kyoto outside of the center (Shijo, Sanjo) because many close early. I often rely on chain restaurants for help. It really helps me out. ★ The tantan udon is delicious. They also serve cold noodles in the summer. Perfect for the hot weather. ★ The gyudon and miso soup are so comforting. The gyudon was much better than other diners in the area.

On Sunday, the weather was unsettled with light rain. Despite this, I didn't want to stay in the cramped hotel, so I decided to head to Kyoto once again. I took the Keihan train from Yodoyabashi to Kurodani's Kinkakuji Temple. After exploring Kinkakuji Temple, I walked along Marutamachi Street to Kyoto Imperial Palace. This time, I didn't go inside, but instead, I explored the surroundings of the palace, such as Hamagurimon Gate and the Tsuijibei wall. On my way back to Osaka at Marutamachi Station, I stopped for a late lunch at Nakau facing the Kawaramachi Marutamachi intersection. I had the "Premium Kaki Fry Curry (890 yen)" with three large and juicy kaki fry pieces. After walking for almost 4 hours, it was a much-needed break for my feet and stomach.

Last week, I had beef bowl at a beef bowl restaurant for the first time in a while. I went to "Nakau" in Kyoto. The sign is not as eye-catching in color compared to other places because it is in Kyoto. Even the sign for McDonald's changes color in Kyoto. This "Nakau" has been under the operation of "Zensho," which runs "Sukiya," so I had been avoiding it for a while. However, recently they have started focusing on various menu items, so I decided to go back after two years. They had a lunchtime limited menu, which was a combination of rice bowls and noodles at a reasonable price. This kind of attempt seems to be the first among chain restaurants. I bought a meal ticket at the ticket machine at the entrance. The restaurant was almost 90% full as it was past noon. I chose the set of "Japanese-style beef bowl" and "small Kitsune udon." You can choose between hot and cold udon. I chose cold udon. It arrived after a while. There are bottles of "sansho" and "shichimi" on the counter. First, I put shichimi on the udon before eating. The noodles were thin with Kansai-style kombu dashi, and the shichimi added a nice accent. Next, I put pickled ginger on the beef bowl and sprinkled sansho. Eating beef bowl after a long time was delicious, the combination of pickled ginger and sansho was good. There was a time when "Nakau" didn't have beef bowl, but now it's back. It seems that not having beef bowl at a beef bowl restaurant affects sales. In my personal opinion, "Nakau" > "Yoshinoya" > "Sukiya" > "Matsuya." The "Japanese-style beef bowl" I had at "Nakau" after a long time was delicious.

After enjoying the night with the butterflies, I felt a bit hungry, so I decided to go to a different chain restaurant instead of my usual Matsuya. I ended up at "Nakau," a popular spot among the staff at my regular hangout. I ordered the "Oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl) with small udon in broth" for 780 yen. The food was delicious, especially the udon in broth. I enjoyed my breakfast in the bright morning sunlight with other salarymen who were starting their day. It was a simple but tasty meal. I would recommend Nakau over convenience store bento any day. Eating in the refreshing early morning atmosphere with a lingering buzz was a great feeling. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Here is another place that does not offer fried food. There are quite a few places that don't offer fried food, aren't there? I wonder if it's because of the fryer. I'm not sure, but it seems like it. Today in Kyoto was quite cold. When I exited at Sanjo Station, it was so cold that my pores closed up tightly. As I walked north on Kawaramachi Street, I even thought about going into Sukiya along the way... but in the end, I really do like Nakau. It's a silly habit of mine, really. On this day, I ordered the regular size of the Japanese-style beef bowl. But when I started eating, I noticed that the portion seemed larger than usual... especially the rice, which seemed to never decrease (sweating). I also felt like I didn't have enough pickled ginger (true story). It's a bit of a mixed feeling, feeling grateful yet annoyed. But I was satisfied because I was able to eat it deliciously as usual.

There is a Nakau restaurant located at the intersection of Kawaramachi Marutamachi. The inside of the shop is small with only a counter. They offer a breakfast set with plenty of root vegetables in miso soup for 290 yen, which is perfect for breakfast. They also have a wide variety of menu options. Check out this blog for a review of having breakfast at Nakau Kawaramachi Marutamachi store.

Lunch at my workplace still follows the rule of eating in the cafeteria or bringing your own bento. This rule seems to be in place until the end of the pandemic. The cafeteria menu has been reduced, and I'm getting tired of it. Even the convenience store options are getting old. However, a nearby restaurant called "Nakau" has introduced a limited-time new menu item - "Pork Kakuni Donburi". Since I no longer mind going outside, I decided to get it for takeout. Lately, "Nakau" allows you to make a reservation over the phone, so there's no need to wait. When I opened the container at home, the ingredients and rice were separated. Both are microwave-safe, so they can be reheated even if they cool down. The advantage of having them separated is that the rice doesn't get soggy, but the downside is that if you don't arrange it nicely, it may not look good. This time, I managed to arrange it well. I sprinkled the included mustard and sansho pepper on top and it was ready to eat. First, I tried a piece of the kakuni - it was soft and melted in my mouth. Then, I tasted the rice with the sauce - it had a slightly sweet sauce with the mustard and sansho pepper adding a nice touch. It was delicious, but it tasted more like something I'd want to have with a beer rather than for lunch. It was a flavor I'd like to enjoy with a drink in the evening.

I had my meal delivered by a wet nurse. I ordered a parent and child bowl for 650 yen, 5 pieces of fried chicken for 250 yen, and yes, udon for 390 yen. Nakau is a bit nostalgic to me. Established in the 1960s, this local chain based in Osaka has gradually grown to what it is today. However, in the process, there was blatant interference from a certain Y-san (at least in Kyoto). As soon as a new store was opened in Kyoto, the nearest Y-san immediately launched a strong discount strategy. It was quite pitiful to watch. Anyway, I felt that I had to eat udon and parent and child bowl, but I was a little worried about delivery. However, my worries were unfounded. The udon, broth, parent and child bowl, and rice were all separated and I could combine them just before eating. Although it was a bit lukewarm, the food had a good shelf life. It had been a while since I had eaten at Nakau, so I was happy. Thank you for the meal.