mutsumutsu7
Having an early dinner before the usual night meeting. I was running out of ideas for restaurants in Gotanda, so I decided to try a family restaurant for a change. On this day, I visited a Jonathan's near the station, which I had passed by many times but never entered. After my recent visit to Shinshu, my impression of family restaurants had changed, so I decided to give it a try around 5 pm. This restaurant had a self-seating style, which was new to me for a family restaurant in the city. It had been a few years since I last visited Jonathan's, so I took some time to look at the menu and ended up ordering the Vegetable Doria (799 yen) with an additional salad and drink set (490 yen). Feeling a bit nostalgic, I also ordered the freshly baked Danish with soft-serve ice cream (399 yen). When I went to get water and a wet towel, I noticed that the restaurant was quite spacious. Although the entrance was not very wide, it extended far back, and I thought there were quite a few seats. There was even a magazine counter where customers could freely read, which was a nice service. It seemed like a great place to stop by during my rounds. The Doria and salad arrived within 10 minutes of ordering. The Doria looked delicious with large pieces of broccoli, tomato, and sweet potato arranged in a circle, with spinach in the center mixed with bechamel sauce. It was a delightful sight. The taste was beyond my expectations, with the spinach and broccoli being delicious, and the sweet potato complementing the bechamel sauce perfectly. The butter rice and bechamel sauce seemed to be the foundation of this deliciousness. It had been a while since I had Doria at a family restaurant, and it exceeded my expectations. The salad was also enjoyable, with tasty Caesar dressing. I finished it quickly because it was so delicious. Without delay, I asked the staff to bring the Danish, and while they did, I poured myself an iced coffee at the drink bar. I remembered that the Skylark Group had eliminated plastic straws to reduce waste. I had visited a Gusto in Nagano recently, and they did the same thing. They provided long spoons for desserts to mix the milk and syrup. I hope more restaurants will adopt these practices. The Danish arrived, and it was a fluffy, thick 20cm pastry with a generous swirl of soft-serve ice cream melting slowly on top. I quickly poured maple syrup over it. Initially, I thought about eating the Danish and ice cream separately, but when I tried them together, the combination with maple syrup was excellent. The maple syrup was aromatic and added to the deliciousness. Eating only the Danish, it seemed a bit too sweet with the maple syrup. However, when I had it with the ice cream again, the refreshing taste and vanilla flavor of the ice cream balanced out the sweetness of the Danish and maple syrup, creating a perfect harmony of flavors. The Danish and ice cream were unexpectedly delicious! I was impressed by the quality of the maple syrup, which was fragrant and added to the overall deliciousness. I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious both the Doria and Danish were. I had a positive impression of Jonathan's and family restaurants in general. Following my positive experiences at local family restaurants, I was starting to change my perception of family restaurants in the city as well. I wonder where I will go next for a family restaurant meal? (I don't think there's a Sunday Sun anymore). Thank you for the meal.