Hyperlocal Tokyo

Located in the Tokyo Station's Gourmet Zone Tokyo Ichiban Gai on the 2nd floor, just outside the ticket gates, this restaurant was bustling with lunchtime crowds on a weekday. Despite being full, the restaurant had a large capacity and a quick turnover. We were seated at a two-person table with a bench seat and chair combination in the back of the restaurant after waiting for only five minutes, even though there were two groups ahead of us. We ordered using a QR code on our phones. I had the "Chicken Nanban Set", while my wife ordered the "Honmaguro (Bluefin Tuna) and Tai (Sea Bream) Rice Handroll Set with Seven Pieces and Tempura Soba Noodle Set". Considering the restaurant's popularity among nearby workers, the chicken arrived in about five minutes, and my wife's dish, which had more items, arrived in seven to eight minutes. The service was excellent for lunchtime customers. The Tai rice had a delicate flavor and a gentle seasoning, making it delicious. While I expected to see shredded fish, it was actually cooked with a Tai broth. The Chicken Nanban was a flavorful, dark-colored fried chicken with tender meat and a soft coating. The tartar sauce was smooth and tangy, almost like mayonnaise. The handrolls had a delicate Tai rice that didn't overpower the flavor of the toppings, but the wasabi was strong. The soba noodles were firm, and the tempura was crispy (according to my wife). The miso soup was served in a large bowl and was a light, wakame seaweed soup with a blend of miso. The subtle flavor and saltiness didn't interfere with the delicate Tai rice. The Tai rice was available for refills, but we decided to pass on that option due to our travel plans. Considering the Tai rice refill option, the price was very reasonable. The restaurant was packed with nearby workers, making it a lively lunchtime hangout. The noise level was a bit high, with people discussing work and creating a conference room atmosphere. If possible, I recommend visiting during off-peak hours to avoid the wait.

I booked a course with all-you-can-drink for 5,800 yen. The menu included: * Appetizers: Four kinds of appetizers, including seasonal chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) * Sashimi: Four kinds of seafood sashimi, including Honmaguro (bluefin tuna) * Main Dish: Salt-grilled Wagyu beef sukiyaki * Fried Dishes: Deep-fried pike conger eel with perilla and plum shiso, and eggplant with aromatic herbs * Side Dishes: Two side dishes (toro-taku atemaki - tuna and cucumber roll, and edamame with a light dressing) * Meal: Bon-zaru (bamboo basket) cold soba noodles with sudachi (Japanese citrus) and bonito broth The sashimi, seafood, and soba noodles were all very satisfying. The sudachi broth for the soba noodles was so delicious that I drank it all. This was my first time trying salt-grilled sukiyaki. It was light and refreshing, with tomatoes and lettuce included. The Tokyo craft beer, Junmai Ginjo Yume no Ka (pure rice sake), plum wine, and yuzu sour were also delicious.

It's so frustrating that lunch information during Obon is so vague... So I chose a place that was sure to be open. I went to "Tokyo Kotobuki Tokyo Station", a Dinac chain located in the "Tokyo Gourmet Zone" on the 2nd floor of Yaesu North Exit in Tokyo Station. I ordered the "Sudachi-scented Sea Bream Dashi Bon Soba Udon and Sea Bream Rice Seafood Mini Donburi (¥1,380)". *Sea bream rice is all-you-can-eat. The "Sea Bream Rice Thief Set", which I was aiming for, was sold out, so I went with this recommended menu. It's basically a meal that covers all the major food groups. The double serving of soba and udon was bigger than I expected!💦 There was sashimi on top of the sea bream rice, making it a seafood bowl, and there were also 3 mini tempuras. The sea bream rice was all-you-can-eat, but I didn't have the energy to get seconds... lol. All-you-can-eat sea bream rice instead of all-you-can-eat rice makes it feel a little more upscale and appealing, right?✨ I'm pretty full, even for a pregnant woman🤰. I don't need dinner tonight, lol.

Lunch ☀️ The all-you-can-eat tai meshi (sea bream rice) lunch is incredibly popular! For ¥1,100 and up, you can enjoy as much tai meshi as you want! ( 〃▽〃) Located on the 2nd floor of the Grand Maison in Tokyo Station, Tokyo Kotobuki opens for lunch at 11:00 am. The tai meshi that comes with the lunch menu is all-you-can-eat ❤️ It's a popular lunch spot because you can order as many refills as you like. This time, I ordered the ◆Tai Meshi Dorobou Zen (¥1,300) to fully enjoy the tai meshi. It came with sashimi, grated yam, three types of rice toppings (dashi broth), braised pork and tofu, and miso soup. The tai meshi was delicious on its own. I ate it with the various side dishes, and then had it as a dashi tea-zuke (rice with broth). It was surprisingly good! (lol) Even the dashi broth itself was delicious ❤️ There are other lunch menus besides this one that features tai meshi, but the other lunch menus start at ¥1,100 and include a set meal. They also come with tai meshi, which is, of course, all-you-can-eat (*’ω’ﾉﾉﾞ☆ﾊﾟﾁﾊﾟﾁ Grilled fish, fried dishes, noodles, etc., all come with tai meshi and refills are ok! I was really interested in the shrimp cutlet and chicken nanban for ¥1,100! (lol) I want to try that next time. However, the lunch is really good value for money! The restaurant is quite large and has a lot of seats, but it was almost full before 12:00 pm. Many people were enjoying their meals. Then, customers who looked like they worked in nearby companies started coming in one after another. If you want to have dashi tea-zuke, this set meal is recommended. I ordered a refill and my stomach was so full I couldn't eat anymore! (lol) Tokyo Station lunches are generally quite expensive, but this one is a great value for money and you're sure to be satisfied! It's a good place to remember... I recommend it. The staff's greeting of “Counter-sama, o-kaeri desu” (Welcome back, counter customer) wasn't really my favorite, but the service was kind of like an izakaya (Japanese pub). (lol)

I had lunch at a restaurant called "Kotobuki" where they offer an all-you-can-eat "Tai Meshi" (sea bream rice). Even though it was lunchtime, the spacious restaurant was always full. However, the food was served quickly and the flow was smooth. The small sashimi was also delicious. If I had to say something, the miso soup was a bit too salty, and the broth also had a strong salty flavor. I personally thought it would be even better if it was a little less salty. 😅 Maybe it depends on the timing of the order, but the Tai Meshi I ordered for seconds was piping hot and much more delicious than the first serving. The small piece of "niku dofu" (meat tofu) was also delicious. Surprisingly, there were a lot of young women among the customers, and it was great to see everyone ordering seconds and eating heartily. 😁