Enjoy! East is a contemporary, healthy eating-focused update on the Japanese shokudo model: an unfussy and eminently affordable canteen serving ‘at home’-style Japanese dishes, and traditionally catering to hungry workers both at lunchtime and after-hours. In keeping with its neighbours, Enjoy! East’s interior is on the minimal side, with warmth added by plentiful use of natural wood, and there’s a small terrace which is shielded from passing foot traffic (and Tokyo’s blazing summer sun) by a high wooden fence.
Lunchtime (a conveniently lengthy 11am to 3pm) is dedicated to a daily washoku (‘Japanese food’) buffet, where for just ¥1,100 you can fill your plate (just the once) with your choice from a wide selection of filling staples such as chicken breast tatsutaage (coated with soy sauce then deep-fried), nimono (dashi broth-simmered) recipes, tofu dishes and potato salads. Salad options are plentiful, and you can refill with rice (choose brown genmai or the super-healthy jurokkoku variety mixed with 16 grains) and miso soup until you’re sufficiently sated. Dinner meanwhile consists of the same kind of fare, served as set meals and a la carte, and with an additional emphasis on accompanying sake.