Japan Cafe Style

Unomachi Coffee, Okayama Shop

The original Unomachi Coffee shop is in Uno, which is the downtown area of Tamano City. Tamano City is a small coastal city edging the Seto Inland Sea, and is known for its ferry port and shipbuilding factory. The main shop, however, is on the 2nd floor of a shopping center and doesn’t overlook the sea or the port area, but rather the street running in front of city hall.

The Okayama branch shop also is on the 2F of a small shopping mall in city center. You’d expect the bustle and noise of the city to bleed into the cafe, but it doesn’t: Unomachi Coffee is a quiet haven in the middle of the city. The entrance to the cafe is tucked back in a corner of the 2nd floor, across from a large book store, and since the design is somewhat minimalistic, it doesn’t stand out right away.

Unomachi Coffee, entrance and order counter

Unomachi is known for their Instagram-worthy parfaits and soda floats, but my business partner and I were just stopping in for a quick lunch before work. He was hungry and got a curry lunch set (which I failed to photograph, my bad), but I wasn’t very hungry and so decided to order a cheese toast & coffee set. Also, a friend had told me that when she’d recently visited Unomachi, her toast hadn’t been toasted at all–that it was served to her raw. So naturally, I wanted to see the toast for myself.

Cute, right? While not raw, my toast was definitely undercooked. I mean, the bread was just regular cheap sandwich toast and the cheese was processed sliced cheese, so nothing special at all, but the toast wasn’t crispy at all. I snapped this photo and showed my friend, but she said hers wasn’t even this cooked, so I can only imagine how…not delicious hers was. Instead of making cute pictures on the toast with veggie pieces, I’d actually have preferred to have well-toasted, crispy and bubbling hot cheese toast. But no….

My business partner said his curry was very good, and the coffee that came with my set was also very good. Maybe next time I’ll just stick with coffee and a dessert.

I suspect that people don’t go to Unomachi for the food. Maybe for the coffee, and probably for the atmosphere. There are loads of great books and magazines in both Japanese and English that customers can peruse while there.

The great thing about the books and magazines is that they’re all really interesting and well-chosen items. I’ve been to several shops that just have random stuff on the shelves just because it’s in English, but the books and magazines here actually seem curated. The furniture is also an eclectic mix of contemporary, custom, and retro pieces, but somehow everything works well together and the effect is a quiet, cozy space that you want to stay in for a few hours.

The other side of the cafe is made up of a series of large windows, so even though the cafe feels calm and quiet, it’s not gloomy.

+ What I like about this cafe: The interior feels sleek yet cozy; lots and lots of great books and magazines; good coffee and pretty dessert drinks

_ What I don’t like about this cafe: Undercooked toast, very limited lunch/meal menu.

Service was friendly but not especially notable.

Address: 〒700-0821 岡山市北区中山下1 丁目 8-45, CRED Okayama 2F / Okayama-shi, Kita-ku, Nakasange 1-chome 8-45, CRED Okayama 2F

TEL: 086-230-3922

Homepage: https://www.cred-okayama.com/news/shop_list/unomachi-coffee

Hours: 10:00am~8:00pm

Access: https://goo.gl/maps/RYLwhMrhWwT6e1gC8

Date visited: March 25, 2021

Cody-no-Isu

This place is listed as a cafe, but technically it is not–it’s a dog & cat cafe. Most animal cafes that I’ve been to offer some sort of drink or food, but this place doesn’t. It is strictly dogs and cats only, no food or drink whatsoever. And in fact, there are no tables or chairs.

A friend told me about this place, and I decided to visit with my son, who really, really wants a big dog. Since we can’t get a big dog in the foreseeable future, we are relinquished to enjoying OPDs (Other People’s Dogs). There are a couple of dog cafes in our area that specialize in miniature shiba-inu dogs, but I hadn’t heard of any place that has large dogs. Until I heard about this place.

Even though this business is listed on Google Maps, it was still just a little hard to find. I was expecting a street-level store, but Cody-no-Isu is on the second floor. We knew we were nearby because we could hear the dogs barking, but it took me a few minutes to notice the dog statue at the entrance (my bad!).

The stairway was a bit narrow and there were safety gates at the bottom and top of the stairs, just for extra fun with obstacles (but I understand why they’re necessary, of course). We were asked to remove our shoes and pay before entering. The entrance fee is 1,300 yen for the first hour, and you can add on time for a small extra fee if an hour isn’t enough for you.

As I mentioned, there are no tables or chairs, so guests have to sit on the floor. As soon as we sat down, we were greeted by the animals, most of whom were not shy at all. At other animal cafes I’ve been to, the animals are often very shy and/or tired of people. But the animals at Cody-no-Isu are the friendliest I’ve met, and they all seemed to want lots of attention.

Even though the building is somewhat old, the cafe room was clean. The animal “staff” are rotated so that they don’t get too tired of being handled by people, and you can see their photos on the back wall. There seem to be more cats than dogs, but since my son and I both like cats and dogs equally, that was fine with us. All the animals seem to get along well–we didn’t see any fighting, other than a cat or two hissing because they didn’t want someone else on our laps.

We will probably go back again during my son’s next long school holiday, because the owner had only one large dog on duty when we visited, but she said that she would be getting a Borzoi pup in the near future.

In general, the animals seem very happy, and they have a penned-off area to retire to if they get tired or need a break, and the cats have large cages and climbing towers with beds and perches. And after following the shop’s Instagram account, it looks like the owner has a rooftop dog run where the dogs (especially the large ones) can get exercise and de-stress.

Some extra information: Plan to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Since you’ll be sitting on the floor and the animals will be sitting on you, expect to get dirty. Expect to leave with a lot of hair on your clothing (the owner does have tape rollers at the exit so you can roll off some of the hair, but still….). Also, children under 10 years of age aren’t allowed, even with parental guidance.

+ What I liked about this cafe: FUN! Animals are friendly, healthy, and seem happy / unstressed; reasonable price; LOTS of animals and unusual breeds of dogs to interact with; clean shop.

_ What I didn’t like about this cafe: It’s not a problem, but technically not a cafe.

Homepage: https://codynoisu.wixsite.com/codynoisu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/codynoisu

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codynoisu/

Address: 〒700-0822 岡山市北区表町 3丁目 7-15 ファミリービル 2F / Okayama-shi, Kita-ku, Omotecho 3 Chome 7-15, Family Bldg. 2F

Tel: 080-9675-9599

Hours: 1:00pm~6:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday~Sunday / 2:00pm~8:00pm Monday / Closed Thursday

Access: https://goo.gl/maps/8y2Rtv6nb4McW9yB8

Date visited: April 6, 2021

Koe Pizza

Outdoor dining is WONDERFUL. Period. And since it’s hard to find cafes and restaurants that offer outdoor dining, it’s one of the things I miss about my hometown. Well, Koe Pizza has filled this niche and they’ve done it extremely well.

Set it Okayama City’s Ishiyama Park, Koe Pizza is right near all the attractions in what the city calls the “Culture Zone”. The shop is semi-temporary and has a “food truck” vibe, but also has nice tables and canopied seating that overlooks the Asahi River near Korakuen Garden. You place your order at the converted truck/counter, and then your pizza is made in the prefab building behind the truck.

The menu offers a few different kinds of pizza; the thing that I like is that all ingredients are locally sourced and very high quality. The pizzas are not cheap–if you’re looking for volume + cheap prizes, go to Domino’s instead. These are hand-made, high quality pizzas and you’ll pay accordingly.

Lunch comes with a side salad and a regular drink (coffee or tea), or you can add on a premium drink. On this day, my business partner had invited me out for lunch and we were being a bit cheapo, and anyway I do like coffee and tea just fine. That said, the iced tea was excellent and was extremely flavorful.

The staff always say that we’ll have a semi-long wait while they make our pizzas, but the service is actually surprisingly quick. We sat down at a table near the sidewalk and enjoyed the view and conversing with each other, and the server brought out table settings, drinks, and salads right away. The pizzas were maybe another 10 minutes or so.

The pizzas were freshly baked and piping hot.

Okayama “Shinrin-dori” Teriyaki Chicken Pizza (seasonal special) 1,800 Yen

Both pizzas were absolutely delicious. I know a lot of non-Japanese people turn their noses up at corn and ‘nori’ seaweed on pizza, but honestly it was tasty if you can get past the “this isn’t authentic!” boxed-in mindset.

Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of the table settings. The place mats, napkins, and cups are disposable, and the plates, salad bowls, and cutlery are reusable, it’s all designed so very well and everything is so stylish. If you want to see the design sense of the shop, you can check out their Facebook page (link below).

While we were eating, this gentleman and his BMD (Bernese Mountain Dog) passed by, and he let me pet his dog. Besides cafe hopping etc, another “hobby” of mine is enjoying OPD (Other People’s Dogs), haha.

After lunch, we went to work and passed through the park. The trees were beautiful and there were lots of seasonal flowers planted in the flower beds. Koe Pizza makes a nice addition to a very nice public park.

+What I like about this cafe: outdoor dining, great location with nice scenery, actually very good food that is made with locally sourced ingredients, fast and good service, really stylish design in all elements

_ What I don’t like about this cafe: almost nothing. I honestly can’t think of how it could be made better.

Homepage: https://www.koe.com/koepizza/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Koe%20pizza./100630735050511/

Address: 〒700-0813 岡山市北区石関町 7、石山公園内 / Okayama-shi, Kita-ku, Ishizeki-cho 7, inside Ishiyama Park

Tel: 086-201-1331

Access: https://www.google.com/maps/place/koe+pizza+okayama/@34.6659008,133.9325387,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xae2fd5bfa4e67aa9!8m2!3d34.6659008!4d133.9325387

Hours: 10:00am~5:00pm, closed Wednesdays and Thursdays

Date visited: May 9, 2021 and several times previously

Nodaya-cho Cafe

My friend Jennifer invited me to join her for lunch at a cafe she found. It turns out that the young lady working at the cafe is Jennifer’s student, and she spoke English very well.

The cafe looks like a pretty normal cafe, and is located just one street off of the main road in Okayama City and just a few blocks from JR Okayama Station. The name of the cafe isn’t on the signboard but it’s obviously a cafe, and they advertise their daily specials on a white board near the entrance.

The interior of the cafe was clean–super clean–but also it looked a bit “crafty” or “homemade”. There’s nothing wrong with this, and in fact it was charming, but the cafe lacks a professional look and feel. The interior items, dishes, and other things lacked a coordinated feel.

I was debating on what to order; daily specials are generally good deals, but I didn’t really feel like having Japanese-style food. The sets looked like semi-Japanese fusion-style food.

Jennifer and I ended up getting BLT sandwiches, which was a good choice, albeit maybe not the best value. The sandwiches came with a small salad and a drink; I chose hot coffee, of course. I don’t remember how much the sandwich set was, but I think it was around 980 yen.

The sandwiches were delicious! The bacon wasn’t American-style crispy bacon–it was thick-cut Japanese-style bacon, which is softer than American-style–but it was still excellent. The vegetables were super fresh and the toast was toasted to perfection. The salad and coffee were really good too, and the cups and saucers were very pretty (every set is different; you can see the set Jennifer got with her hot tea in the photo).

+ What I liked about this cafe: cozy atmosphere, good sandwiches, pretty coffee & tea cups & saucers, friendly staff

_ What I didn’t like about this cafe: strange fusion menu, the waffles were expensive but all other dessert options were Japanese items.

Homepage: http://n.cafe.oit-sv.jp/

Facebook: %E3%82%AB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A7/570738020069233/

Access: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1PDZP_jaJP912JP913&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:9&tbm=lcl&sxsrf=ALeKk02eeFyP1EnriIQwbQeuLTFSX7MRLQ:1623511506986&q=%E9%87%8E%E7%94%B0%E5%B1%8B%E3%82%AB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A7&rflfq=1&num=10&ved=2ahUKEwiIkabVs5LxAhXSyIsBHT3qAKcQtgN6BAgEEAQ#rlfi=hd:;si:6361036937992916425,l,ChLph47nlLDlsYvjgqvjg5XjgqdaGiIU6YeO55SwIOWxiyDjgqvjg5XjgqcqAggDkgEEY2FmZaoBHAoJL20vMDIwZmIyEAEqDSIJ44Kr44OV44KnKAg,y,8sEZhLKFWgc;mv:[[34.66967637876594,133.9293454447357],[34.6632346960208,133.91089184671324],null,[34.6664556,133.92011864572447],16]

Address: 〒700-0815 岡山市北区野田屋町1丁目1-11, 101号室 / Okayama City, Kita-ku, Nodaya-cho 1-11-11, Room 101

Hours: Weekdays & Saturdays 11:30~17:30 / Closed Sundays and possibly Thursdays

TEL: 090-1356-8139

Date visited: May 28, 2021

cafe | lunch | Okayama | Okayama-shi | sandwich

Chaiya

I vaguely remember visiting this little curry restaurant when I first came to Okayama, and I remember that the food was good and the atmosphere pleasant. Nearly 20 years later and nothing has changed; it’s still one of the best curry restaurants in town.

Chaiya’s signature dishes are Indian-style curry and Indonesian-style fried rice, and chai and lassi drinks. You can also get a wide variety of side dishes, salads, and desserts; the menu is a full three pages. My favorite entree is the Coconut Shrimp Curry.

Coconut & Shrimp Curry / Mango Lassi

All entrees come with a serving of yellow rice and a small side salad. The salad vegetables are super-fresh lettuce, a slice of tomato, sliced cucumber, parboiled carrot, and saffron-boiled potato; the dressing is a plain yogurt, which I admit sounds strange, but it actually very good in its simplicity.

Oops! I ate the tomato…

The Indonesian-style Nasi Goreng (friend rice) looks like this:

This dish is my friend’s favorite; I am in love with the Coconut Shrimp Curry, but I will have to try the Nasi Goreng sometime, because it does look really delicious.

For dessert we had a banana fritter and coconut pies, which we shared. Both were good but we agreed that the banana fritter was better.

Banana fritter with yogurt

Coconut pies

The restaurant is located on a backstreet near Okayama University; the interior is natural and cozy, and the wood floors and furniture give it a very welcoming feel. There is a good selection of magazines (in Japanese), which is nice for people who want to relax for a while. It was great to rediscover this place (thanks to my friend!) after so many years.

In addition to having lunch / coffee ・chai / dessert, etc, Chaiya offers a small selection of teas, breads, and spices for sale.

Chaiya was recently featured in this local publication, which highlights area restaurants and cafes that have been in business and have been popular / well-loved for more than 30 years (Chaiya has been in business for 36 years, since 1979, in case you were wondering).

+ What I like about this place: Great food, inviting atmosphere, has a “hidey-hole” feel, loads of free parking, loads of menu selections–this makes me want to come back again and try something different next time.

– What I don’t like about this place: no separate areas for smokers & non-smokers, staff could be a bit friendlier.

Homepage: n/a

Facebook: n/a

Address: 岡山市北区津島南1-6-17 / Okayama-shi, Kita-ku Tsushima Minami 1-6-17

Tel: 086-255-1915

Hours: 9:00am～10:30pm; closed Fridays

Map:

https://goo.gl/maps/pfZyR

Dates visited: September 19, 2013 & February 16, 2015

Yuichiro’s Coffee Roastary

Fresh.

That is the one word, the only word you need to know about this place.

Technically, this place, like many others, is not a cafe. It is a coffee roastery and tasting room. It’s unusual in that the owner keeps no stock of roasted coffee ready to sell: all coffee is roasted in small batches and upon order only.

Centerpiece of unroasted coffee beans

On the day that we went, my friends made reservations for us to try several coffees and to learn how to make a good cup of coffee using the cone drip method.

We were taught how to calculate and measure out the beans, how to grind them, and how to fit the filter into the cone so that no gap remains between the cone and filter. Then we learned how to steam the grounds and pour hot water over them to yield a delicious cup of coffee. The freshness of the ground beans resulted in a heady aroma, and the grounds looked fluffy and light in the paper cone, something which I’d never seen before.

I usually take my coffee with a bit of cream or milk to dull the acidity, but Yuichiro’s coffee is best enjoyed plain. Pictured above right is a cup of his house blend, Tsubaki. Mild and delicious.

Along with the coffee workshop, my friends ordered a small lunch for us. We were served salad with slices of French bread toast (to be dipped in olive oil), and a wonderful dish of Chicken Cacciatore.

Fresh green salad with French bread toasts

Chicken Cacciatore: mild flavors of virgin olive oil and red wine

Our meal wrapped up with a sampling of Geisha coffee from Panama. It was served in tall champagne flutes, for a touch of elegance. At 2,800 Yen per cup, and served with handmade fudge and freshly roasted almonds and cashews, it was quite a treat and the perfect end to a meal. It had a rich, fruity taste that paired well with the chocolate and nuts.

We not only had a great time, but also learned a lot about something we drink everyday but actually don’t know much about. This is a really elegant little place hidden in the backstreets of Tamano. The building is the family’s antique home that has been renovated in a modern, comfortable space, and the owner is friendly, personable, and really knows his stuff. He loves what he does and it shows. I will definitely be going back to learn more.

Services include sales (including special gift boxes), tastings, and workshops. Everything is by reservation only. Workshops are taught in Japanese.

Coffees available for roasting include selections from Indonesia, Panama, the U.S.A., Jamaica, Ethiopia, Brazil, El Salvador, Peru, Tanzania, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala.

Roast almonds & cashews

+ What I liked about this place: Emphasis on superior quality. Excellent product and friendly, excellent service. The beautiful interior is a mix of contemporary with antique accessories, East and West.

– What I didn’t like about this place: Nothing. A bit pricey but absolutely worth it!

Homepage: http://yuichiroscoffee.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YUiCHiROSCOFFEEROASTARY

Address: 〒706-0011 岡山県玉野市宇野4丁目13－11　/ 706-0011 Okayama Prefecture, Tamano-shi, Uno 4 Chome 13-11

Tel: 090-5267-2136 Fax: 0863-31-5789

Email: yuichiroscofee@icloud.com

Hours: 12:00 ~ evening. (no set holidays). Tastings 3x/day: 13:00~, 15:00~, 18:00~ (on days when no workshops are held); please call or email for reservations.

Map:

Date visited: February 19, 2015

Balloom

If you know me, you know that I really love donuts. My business partner & I had a meeting today at a cafe that specializes in tofu donuts, and I confess that I was thinking, “Ah, tofu donuts…probably not so good.” WRONG. These are the best tofu donuts I have ever had. In fact, they are some of the best donuts I’ve had. Period.

Balloom is a small cafe on the west side of JR Okayama station; it’s owned & run by two entrepreneuring sisters who grew up in a tofu-making family (hence the tofu-rich menu). The cafe is small but elegantly stylish 2-storey building that is decorated with a SoHo feel: dark-wood antique furniture mixed with a few newer, artsy pieces, glittery lights, and rich jewel-toned walls make for a stimulating yet very relaxed atmosphere.

I absolutely adore this light fixture, which hangs in the stairwell between the first and second floors. It’s a wire fixture adorned with little colorful birds.

As we were there at tea time, we just had a cup of tea and a donut each. What a treat! The tea was served in generously-sized footed cups. The tofu donuts look plain, but were oh-so-fabulous. Even though the donuts are made with no sugar, eggs, or milk, they were remarkably sweet, soft, and fluffy. I also ordered a few for take-out, because I knew my family would also enjoy them (they did!).

The dishware is all from New York; it’s probably difficult to see in the photo, but the donut plate is adorned with a New York-themed design.

The lunch menu features selections such as a specially-made curry with rice, seasonal quiche, tofu ‘donburi’, tofu lasagna, a green smoothie made with soy milk from the family tofu shop, a fruit tart, and a few other select items. The cafe turns into a bar with a completely different menu at 6:00pm.

Next time I visit, I’m going to have the quiche lunch! With a tofu donut or two for dessert, of course.

+ What I like about this cafe: Elegant decor, menu featuring a few well-thought out & high quality items, friendly staff, owners that take pride in their product and enjoy sharing it with customers, easy access from the station.

– What I don’t like about this cafe: Not much! No dedicated parking but it’s in the city center so that can’t really be expected.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balloom.NY/timeline

Address: 　〒700-0024　岡山市北区駅元町21-13　/ Okayama-shi, Kita-ku, Ekimoto-cho 21-13

Tel: 086-250-7363 / Mobile: 080-6263-7377

E-mail: yamamoto@otoufu.com

Date visited: January 15, 2015

Tereya Cafe

If you like antiques, great food, and arts & crafts, Tereya Cafe is the place for you. Located on the main road in Ushimado, Okayama, this cafe is exactly the kind of place I’d choose to open if I ever get my own cafe.

Tereya Cafe is operated by American-born Teresa Stockwell, and her Japanese husband. The building is actually an antique Japanese house; the house has not been renoved, so it has a very homey, warm feel to it.

The menu features curry and baked desserts.

Note, the curry is really great handmade curry (not Japanese curry, but more authentic Thai-style curry). Being a freak (yes, that’s right) for anything coconut, I opted for the Coconut Curry despite Teresa’s having warned me that it is quite spicy.

The portions were large; the curry was served accompanied with a fragrant, saffron rice. And yes, it was spicy. As the day was really chilly, spicy curry really hit the spot. My colleagues order the vegetable curry, which was probably considerably less spicy.

The curry was also served with a side salad.

I confess, this looks like “just a salad”. But, the vegetables were super-fresh; the tomato was excellently sweet despite it currently being winter; and the potato salad was perfect. The whole thing was drizzled in olive oil with a sprinkling of sea salt–so very Ushimado.

After our meal, we couldn’t resist dessert–after all, it was Teresa’s baked goods that greeted us when we first arrived:

It’s hard to see from my poorly-taken photograph, but an array of handmade cakes and pies are lined up on the kitchen counter. The only problem was deciding what to get, because frankly, everything looked equally delicious.

In the end, I got the Apple Cinnamon cake:

Yum. Soft cake filled with chunks of cinnamoned apple, and topped with a light sugar glaze and sliced almonds.

My friend Judith got the Apple Pie with a dollop of whipped cream on the side:

You just can’t go wrong with good ol’ apple pie.

Our colleague Kaz got the Ushimado Honey Cake:

Even though the honey cake looks the plainest, it was my favorite (yes, we traded bites!). It had an earthly, whole-grain goodness that the honey accented nicely.

Teresa and her husband also display and sell an array of arts & crafts in their cafe, including handmade greeting cards and postcards, accessories, hand-blown glass, and pottery. Additionally, they also host live music performances. For more information / updates on events, check out the Tereya Cafe blog and /or Facebook page (links below).

If you’re driving through Ushimado and need a great meal or just a place to relax, look for the Tereya Cafe signboard.

Next time I visit, I’ll be sure to a) bring more money to buy crafts; and b) plan to spend more time there!

+ What I liked about this cafe: Great food and desserts; large portions; eclectic mix of arts, crafts, antique / vintage Japanese and Western furniture make for a great atmosphere.

– What I didn’t like about this cafe: Nothing, absolutely nothing. My only regrets are that we didn’t have more time to enjoy coffee and conversation with the proprietors and that I didn’t bring more money to buy craft items.

Blog link: http://tere-ya.at.webry.info/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tereyacafe

Address: 〒701-4302 岡山県瀬戸内市牛窓町牛窓4178 / Okayama-ken, Setouchi-shi, Ushimado-cho, Ushimado 4178

Tel: 0869-34-5397
Hours: 11:30~18:00 (Sat. & Sun. until 20:00); Closed on Tuesdays
E-mail address: teresa@amethyst.memail.jp

Map: http://yahoo.jp/cfxNz7

Date visited: February 13, 2014

Neighbor Coffee Company

“Cool!” and “Yum!” sum up my experience at Neighbor Coffee Company, a sweet little cafe located just at the entrance to the up-and-coming “Jeans Street” designer shopping area of Kojima, Kurashiki-shi.

I first learned of Neighbor Coffee Company from Luc Gougeon’s blog. You can read his review here: http://foodietopography.net/neighbor-coffee-company/ As a prelude, Luc’s photos of the shop are really nice–much nicer than mine, in fact, and he obviously knows much more about coffee than I do.

Neighbor Coffee Company is located in central Kojima, on the north side of the Shimin Koryu Center (which used to be the Seto Ohashi Bridge Museum). It’s on the second floor of a corner building and is accessed by a really narrow circular staircase. The cafe doesn’t really stand out when you’re looking at it from the street.

Once you’re inside the cafe, it looks totally different.

The cafe is bright, spacious, and modern but feels very relaxing and inviting. I love the mix of concrete, glass, metal, and wood; the simple lines of everything blend well to great effect. The concrete flooring has a “reclaimed” feel that is inviting. The two main walls are made mostly of glass, and even though the view isn’t especially great, the effect still has that “wow” factor.

At the counter, I was greeted with this sight:

Look at those gorgeous doughnuts, arranged “just so” in their individual paper cups and sparkling like gems in the showcase. I was visiting with a friend, who ordered a Wild Blueberry doughnut and a Mango juice. I chose an Organic Sugar doughnut and a White Chocolate Iced Latte.

I am a freak for white chocolate and forgot that I don’t really like sweetened coffee, and this was pretty sweet. However, it was still really good because the underlying coffee was good–rich and smooth. It had obviously been properly made. The Mason jar-esque mugs were pretty cute too.

The doughnuts were AWESOME. Yes, they were more expensive than the 100 Yen donuts from Mr. Donut or Krispy Kreme but they were really worth their price. My friend and I traded bites, and even though the Organic Sugar doughnut was really great, the Wild Blueberry was even better! If you go to Neighbor, you should definitely try the Wild Blueberry doughnut.

Here’s a photo of the full counter:

Unfortunately, the really cute guy who made my coffee was bending down when I snapped this shot.

Even though Neighbor Coffee Company markets their own coffee, they told me that they buy their beans already roasted from their supplier, who they did not want to reveal.

Even though we were in the cafe for a couple of hours, there was only one other customer on a late Sunday morning. I’m surprised that such a great place isn’t busy all the time.

Outdoor seating is also available (see Luc’s blog, above, for a photo).

+ What I liked about this shop: Awesome interior, nice service, fabulous doughnuts and coffee.

– What I didn’t like about this shop: Not much. No dedicated parking available, but there are two pay parking lots across the street.

Neighbor Coffee Company also offers sandwiches as well as a wide array of coffee and juice beverages, but it was impossible to get a shot of the menu without glare from the glass frame. For menu information, etc. see the website and / or Facebook page, both listed below. The website is minimal, but the Facebook page has nice some photos.

Website: http://neighbor-coffee.com/index.html

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NeighborCoffeeCompany

Address: 岡山県倉敷市児島味野2－2－39　２Ｆ　　Okayama-ken, Kurashiki-shi, Kojima, Ajino 2-2-39 2F

Tel: 086-472-5183

Hours: 8:00 – 20:00 Closed on Thursdays

Map:

(*NOTE* : This map shows that the coffee shop is mid-block, but actually it is on the corner)

Date visited: July 28, 2013

Cannery Row

What’s up with all these all-you-can-eat luncheries in Japan at the moment? This is another one of those places, but a very pleasant way to spend a lunch hour (or two).

My friend introduced this restaurant to me. We went as a fairly large group consisting of 3 adults and 4 children; even without a reservation, we were seated promptly. That being said, I think this place is probably really full during the proper lunch hour. We went a little bit later than the lunch rush.

The restaurant is situated in the western portion of Okayama city. It’s a fairly small, one-story building surrounded by tall buildings.

From the parking lot, it looks like a slightly weedy oasis.

Here is a shot of the entrance:

You can barely see the entrance for all the olive trees, potted plants, and herbs and shrubs lining the path.

Once inside the door, you can’t help but notice the dessert case:

Look at those gorgeous cakes and tarts!!!

The menu consists mostly of pastas and pizzas; the prices fall into the range of 1,350～1,450 Yen, and this includes the all-you-can-eat buffet, salad bar, and the drink bar. I ordered a bacon, tomato, and basil pizza to share with my son, but I didn’t take a photo because it had been delivered to the table while I was a the buffet, and he ate a good portion of it before I got back. The pizza was thin crust and was really good; it looked as if it had been baked in a proper pizza oven. The buffet consists mostly of appetizers and various salads, but also included a curry pilaf, chilled corn potage, and really good focaccia bread.

The salad bar was incredibly basic: just salad greens, grated carrot, sliced onion, purple cabbage, two dressings, croutons & bacon bit toppings. Those pretty yellow peppers and bottles of vinegar and oil are just for decoration. The best part of the salad bar?–the HUGE wheel of cheese! That cheese was awesome and would make anything taste great. This was an instance of “simple is best”.

After lunch, we chose to have dessert. You can’t just order one dessert; you have to order three! You get three small desserts for 280 Yen, which is a really good deal. The waitress brings a dessert cart around and plates up your desserts as you order them.

Here are a few close-ups of our desserts with descriptions:

(Left to right) My son ordered a slice of mango tart, a slice of white peach tart, and a slice of cheesecake.

(Front to back) I also ordered a slice of mango tart, a slice of zuccotto, and a red berry triffle.

All I can say is YUM!!! Thank goodness, my son couldn’t eat all of his dessert so I got to try to cheesecake and the white peach tart as well. Everything was outrageously good. The zuccotto was especially good–it was filled with fresh whipped cream blended with flaked chocolate, walnuts, and rum.

I couldn’t really get a good photo of the seating area because there were just too many people in the restaurant, but it was done in an “Italian country” theme: stucco walls, calico tablecloths, and Italian foodstuffs decorating the plate racks that went around the restaurant. Even the bathrooms were tastefully done; I love the combination of pink walls, turquoise blue trim, and terra cotta tiles.

On the way out, I spotted another huge wheel of cheese: It turns out that this was a fake one used for display, but I asked the waitress how much the wheel on the salad bar cost; she said it cost upwards of 200,000 Yen (that’s over $2,000 U.S. dollars, folks!)!

I asked her if the desserts were made on-site, which she confirmed. The desserts were so pretty that I couldn’t resist taking another shot of them.

+ What I liked about this restaurant: Excellent desserts; good service; good food; cute interior; good children’s menu (the children’s menu consisted of the buffett and drink bar for 500 Yen, but they can also share an entree with an adult) .

– What I didn’t like about this restaurant: Somewhat cramped seating (tables were too close to the wall, making it hard to get in and out); narrow paths around the buffet areas; really loud music that made conversation difficult.

Address: キャナリィ・ロウ岡山西店　岡山県岡山市問屋町4丁目102　Cannery Row West Japan, Okayama-ken, Okayama-shi, Toiyacho 4-chome 102

Tel: 086-243-0708

Website: http://www.canneryrow.co.jp/ (in Japanese, but includes no information about this franchaise of restaurants or the menus)

Date visited: July 25, 2013