【Revisiting】
I have a pleasant memory of this place in the past, so I decided to give it a try.
I arrived at the restaurant around 11:30 on a weekday. There were already about three groups waiting at the entrance. I filled in my name and the number of people I was with on the waiting list and then waited there.
After about 10 minutes, my name was called, and I was led to one of the tables for two or four people, located on the right side of the hallway right next to the entrance.
The lunch menu is as follows:
■ This Week's Recommended Lunch
Limited Lunch: Delicious Menchikatsu – 1,580 yen
【数量限定】名物 冬の竹籠ごちそうランチ 2,530円
■アエンの様々なランチ
Yamanashi Prefecture Shiozuki: Shio-dara and winter vegetables in Osa filling dressing. Ghost-style lunch. 1,680 yen.
Sakurayama Pork Thin Slices Cattarunchi: 1,530 yen
Vegetable-Packed Lunch: 1,580 Yen
Famous dish: Sakurayama pork steamed lunch – 1,680 yen
Sakurayama Pork Grilled Lunch – 1,680 yen
Chicken fried rice with vegetable black vinegar sauce – 1,480 yen
Aen's 280-koku brown rice lunch: 1,480 yen
Ah-en Kids Lunch: 880 yen
●추가 추천 메뉴
Fried green peas – 1 piece, 220 yen
Post-meal drinks: 330 yen
Today's Dessert: 220 yen
Dessert & Drink Set: 520 yen
I was a bit confused when choosing the lunch option, but since I usually eat plenty of vegetables, I decided to go for the vegetable-rich option.Chicken fried rice with vegetable black vinegar sauce lunchI decided to order this.
It was a cold day, so the warm hōjicha really hit me.
NextTwo side dishesIt has been brought over.
On top of the silky tofu was a sauce made from sesame seeds and scallions. The aroma of the scallions combined beautifully with the smooth, creamy sauce of sesame seeds, creating a delightful texture on the palate.
This dish of seaweed stew contains seaweed, carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms, soybeans, and fried tofu. It has a slightly sweet taste and presents itself in a elegant manner.
After placing the order, it took about 8 minutes for all the dishes to be brought over on a tray.
Chicken fried rice with vegetable black vinegar sauce lunch： Decoratively arranged, it was the same brown rice rice that we had before.
Chicken fried rice and vegetable black vinegar sauce：The dish featured fried chicken patties and fried vegetables, all drizzled with a black vinegar sauce. It was topped with white radish and red-pepper flakes as garnishes.
The batter of the fried chicken is crispy and fragrant, the meat is juicy, and the sweet, creamy black vinegar sauce complements it perfectly!
Vegetables include pumpkins, carrots, eggplants, mountain yams, and silk gourds, and are abundant.
The pumpkins were sweet and juicy, the carrots were firm in texture, and the yams had a crispy, chewy texture—a truly enjoyable experience.
The black vinegar sauce, which combined with the flavor of white hair onions, gave a rich taste to the dish, making it easier to eat with rice.
Salad：サニーレタス、トレビスには、玉ねぎのスライスやニンジンの薄切りが添えられており、粒マスタードを使ったオリーブオイルベースのドレッシングがかけられていました。
The dressing has a refreshing taste, and since it was in small quantities, the sweetness of the vegetables became more evident.
Miso Soup: The onions and young leaves contained a small amount of shiitake mushrooms.
The onions were soft, the young leaves had a pleasant bite to them, and the white miso added a delicious umami flavor, giving the dish a slightly sweet taste.
Rice: This is rice with brown rice. The cooked result is a bit softer. (Since it's brown rice, I prefer it to be slightly softer rather than hard.)
When tasted, it had a sweet taste and was delicious.
This main dish consists of chicken fried rice with crispy skin and juicy meat, along with various types of vegetable fried dishes, which are combined with black vinegar sauce. The slightly strong flavor of the sauce helped to make the rice more appetizing.
The side dishes served at first, including salad, miso soup, and rice, were rich in vegetables. The dishes were prepared with great care using high-quality ingredients, and they were extremely delicious.
Since I really love vegetables, it was a great pleasure to have both raw vegetables and cooked vegetables available at this restaurant.
Due to the menu featuring a large variety of vegetables, all the staff in the restaurant were women, with the exception of a couple who seemed to be husband and wife!
Including two side dishes that are not listed on the menu, in terms of taste and quality, I think the value for money is high.
Although the menu has changed since my previous review, the prices have not increased significantly. This is a positive aspect (in recent years, many restaurants have seen prices soar due to high material costs. It seems that the restaurant is making efforts to maintain reasonable prices).
I usually choose stores that are relatively affordable within Isetan, so I often use the stores inside Isetan Hall. If I have the chance again, I would like to use those stores once more.
The nearest station is Shinjuku Three-Dormento, on the 4th floor of the Isetan Hall. It's a restaurant specializing in natural food.
The storefront prominently displays the words “Vegetables, Pork, and Wappa Mushi,” and it has a casual appearance that makes it easy for women to enter.
It was a late hour, just before 14 o’clock on a weekend. There were people waiting, and I was the second couple who arrived.
After about 5 minutes, I was allowed to enter the restaurant. I was directed to a table located near the entrance.
The interior of the restaurant has partitions in various places, and it’s quite spacious. There are wooden tables scattered throughout the space.
The lunch menu is as follows:
Summer vegetable tempura and cold udon for lunch – served with direct seven citrus juice. Price: 1,580 yen.
Rice with Swordfish and Summer Vegetables in Sauce Ponzu – 1,880 yen
Japanese-style Eel Gratin Graatán Lunch: 1,780 Yen
Sakurayama Pork Thin Slices Katsu Lunch, 1,280 yen
Vegetable-Packed Lunch: 1,480 Yen
Sakurayama Pork Steamed Platter – 1,480 yen
Aen's Brown Rice Wappa Meishi Lunch: 980 yen
Seasonal Vegetable Tempura Lunch – 1,180 yen
Sakurayama Pork Grilled Platter – 1,680 yen
Aen Menu: 2,480 yen
Lunch Menu: 3,240 yen
Cocktail Lunch 980 yen
アエンキッズランチ 680円
＊すべての料理に2種類のおかずが付いています
Dessert & Drinks Set: 300 yen
Lunch desserts, coffee (hot or iced), tea (hot or iced) – each 200 yen.
Served with a rich vegetable salad prepared with ginger sauce, which was also very appealing, making it difficult to decide which option to choose.Sakurayama Pork Cutlet CatarneBecause white rice and brown rice were available to choose from.Brown riceI have chosen this.
A warm wheat tea was served, which made me feel very comfortable.
Unless it's an extremely hot day, I feel that warm beverages are more soothing.
After a short while, two kinds of side dishes were brought over.
2種類のおかず: Carrots cooked in broth with tofu.
The fried tofu was thoroughly drained of oil, and the cabbage was sweet and delicious.
The tofu was topped with sesame dressing.
約10分後、桜山豚の薄切りカツが運ばれてきました。
Sakurayama Pork Cutlets： The cut chicken is scattered around, and a generous amount of salad is beautifully arranged between the chicken and its center.
This dish consists of lettuce, trevisso, and thinly sliced carrots, which have been marinated in salt and oil beforehand before being arranged on a plate.
The vegetables are fresh, and the mild flavor of the sauce enhances the sweetness of the vegetables.
The salad featured sliced chicken, which was arranged in three parts between the chopped tomatoes, cabbage and carrot coleslaw salad. It also included shredded lettuce, green onions, and a dish that resembled something seasoned with broth. All these ingredients were delicious.
The thinly sliced katsu has a well-coated batter, and it tastes crispy and fragrant. There isn’t much of an oily taste to be concerned about.
The pork had a rich taste, with a satisfying chewiness that truly stood out.
It paired well with the sweet sauce, and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Mai Miso Soup: Carrots, fried tofu, and green onions contribute to a light and refreshing taste.
Although it was called "wheat miso soup," the wheat texture was not present. However, a natural sweetness was felt, so perhaps this is the taste of wheat miso.
Brown rice: It has a plump cooking degree, offering a texture different from plain rice. It also has a fragrant flavor.
While chewing, the umami flavor became more pronounced, making it a delicious experience.
I had a delicious lunch with thinly sliced katsu that was crispy and fragrant, along with plenty of vegetables.
Firstly, the cabbage in the side dishes was sweet, and the vegetables used in the salad had a mild flavor. This allowed the natural sweetness and taste of the vegetables to be fully appreciated.
The vegetables placed between the thinly sliced katsu were also prepared with a light flavor, allowing for customization to suit individual preferences.
The thinly sliced katsu emphasizes the fragrant aroma of the fried dish and the delicious umami of the meat. However, those who prefer tontokkatsu with thick meat and where the juices from the meat overflow might find this option a bit lacking.
For me, who isn’t a fan of meat dishes, this was just fine.
The ingredients for the appetizer and miso soup were overlapping, but due to the different flavors of the seasonings, I didn’t notice it unless I paid attention.
The ingredients, including the katsu sauce, were served already seasoned. Overall, the taste was light, and it wasn’t a heavily spiced flavor—described as “overly spicy” might be more accurate. This aspect was quite pleasing to me, and it really suited my taste.
The price range is a bit high, but considering the location, taste, and quality of the food, it's quite reasonable.
Since it's close to Isetan, we could see a wide range of customers, including women who have just returned from shopping, families, and individuals.
Even on weekends, at late hours, there were constant changes of customers coming in and going out.
From the menu content, it seemed that there were a few more women among the customers.
Even if a restaurant claims to serve natural food, there are many places where the dishes do not give any impression of such a claim. However, this restaurant clearly has its own unique approach to both the ingredients and the cooking methods as well as the seasoning.
The calm atmosphere and the consistently polite service were also very impressive.
Since wappa mash is what sets this restaurant apart, I would like to try having that dish again next time.
