This is a beautiful, inviting space that gets packed at lunchtime yet still retains an intimate atmosphere. It really is like finding the treasure at the end of a long hunt. The food, of course, is just as much a part of the reward. Their signature set lunch, Tamana Teishoku (¥1,890), includes about 40 different ingredients to maximise nutritional balance and incorporates traditional recipes.
‘Is shrimp okay?’ Being vegetarian in Tokyo, you get used to hearing questions like this all the time – the well-meaning but rather clueless attempts of restaurant wait staff to comprehend how and why someone would choose not to eat delicious yakiniku or the best sushi on the planet. Yet life has improved for the capital's long-misunderstood herbivores: as diners get increasingly health-conscious, we've seen farmers' markets become a regular feature on the urban landscape, more places are indicating which dishes on their menus are suitable for veggies, while the floor staff seem to be getting savvier (even if there are still plenty of exceptions). Still, sometimes you just want to go somewhere you can enjoy your meal with having to triple-check about whether there's bacon in the salad or katsuobushi flakes on the tofu. Read on for a comprehensive intro to vegetarian Tokyo – you'll start feeling hungry in no time.