Sarasha Cafe

( Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — ⁵⁄₁₀₀)
This is a unique, somewhat difficult location to access unless you’re familiar with the bus system that runs out of the south side of Mitaka station. It’s actually faster to walk in a southeasterly direction along the road/​river that runs directly to Inokashira Park. Follow the map within the Unilocal mobile app — you’ll find it.
That said, the location features: An organic foods restaurant (this review), a Chinese tea room, a yoga studio (upstairs) and an art gallery (downstairs). Each business should/​will have their own checkin spots so let’s talk about the restaurant.
Short Summary:
* Atmosphere: FOUR-​plus stars — unusually shaped space with a large tea serving table in the front room, central dining area with a round-​walled kitchen area in the middle and a large dining room in the back. YMMV, depending on the number of people in your party but all tables/​seats were spacious, well-​lit and comfortable
* Menu: FIVE stars — for the lunch set, there is only ONE item on the menu. Makes decisions and the ensuing preparation easy, ha, ha
* Service: FOUR-​plus stars — pretty standard but the staff are very patient and thorough in explaining the ingredients, their origins and the preparation methods used… if you ask (we did, on purpose)
* Value: FIVE stars — the quality of the food was top-​notch. Not only was it tasty but it was served in various hand-​made pottery dishes; wood utensils — no plastic here
* Experience: FIVE stars — high quality ingredients, careful preparation, beautiful presentation, great combination of the above factors at a VERY affordable price
Longer Story:
The restaurant features organic ingredients prepared in traditional monastery style. This means much of the food is vegan, and I believe today’s menu was 100% both.
Everything is hand/​home-​made, including the base ingredients like the miso (soybean paste) used in the soup. All veggies are fresh and prepared to minimize vitamin and nutrient loss due to over-​cooking. The main dish was accompanied by steamed «genmai» (a type of barley rice), Japanese pickles and various small side dishes.
Please note that the menu is seasonal and thus ingredients will vary according to the time of year you visit. Weekdays at mealtimes shouldn’t be too crowded, even though we visited on a Saturday.
Five stars for the high quality of the ingredients, cooking and overall presentation, plus great value for the complete lunch set. In US dollars, the cost per person was less than $ 10, local tax included.
This is a place you’ll want to search out, but it’s like a secret you don’t want to share. Well, now you know. Enjoy!