Starting this April, Monosus has begun an initiative called " Buddy Lunch ."
For more details, please see the linked article, but in short, you go to lunch (or dinner) one-on-one with a randomly selected member. The cost of lunch is sometimes subsidized, so it seems that many members take advantage of this opportunity.
However, going to lunch with someone you don't usually talk to can be a little stressful and nerve-wracking. Here, we'll introduce some lunch options that you can enjoy even in these stressful situations.
The name of the restaurant is "Green Spot, Kyoto, French, Italian and Seasonal Cuisine." It is about a 3-minute walk from Yoyogi Station towards Kitasando, and is located very close to " Shinobu ," which was introduced in the first installment of this column.
Grilled hayashi rice? Stewed hamburger?
Rice gratin? But still...
Green Spot is a restaurant that serves Western-style lunches during the day and French-Italian-based creative cuisine and wine in the evening. This year marks the 43rd anniversary of the restaurant's opening.
Although I had been curious about the restaurant for a long time, for some reason I had never been there. It was only last year that I went there for the first time, and since then, rather than going alone, I have started to drop in when I want to invite someone over for a leisurely lunch.
The most popular lunch item is the "Special Plate Lunch," but they also have a selection of classic Western dishes, so let's take a look at the menu.
Grilled hayashi rice. Apparently it's been a staple since the restaurant opened in 1974.
Doria (rice gratin). It's interesting that they specifically describe it as "rice gratin."
A stewed hamburger steak with our famous demi-glace sauce is tempting.
A lunch set where you can choose either meat or fish as the main dish each day.
In addition, there are three courses available, A, B and C, which require reservations.
So, if you're wondering how it tastes, I'm sorry. To tell you the truth, I haven't tried any of them yet. The reason is that after a lot of deliberation, I always end up choosing the special plate lunch. (I'll try a different menu next time, but I can't seem to break this cycle.) So, today I'll have the special plate lunch again.
Following the salad and soup,
A large plate is placed on the table.
Special plate lunch 1,100 yen
The first thing we were served was a salad topped with stylish striped turnips and soup. This soup is especially delicious in the cold season. Once we had calmed down, a large white square plate measuring over 40cm was placed in front of us. This was the special plate. It was colorfully presented with four types of meat and fish dishes and vegetable appetizers of the day, and a visually pleasing sight spread across the table.
The daily fish dish is seafood stewed in tomato cream. It goes surprisingly well with rice.
Another daily meat dish is the Teriyaki Chicken with Wasabi Sauce. The addition of wasabi sauce to the familiar teriyaki flavor makes it a stylish dish.
The side dishes placed between the two main dishes were also impressive: sautéed pumpkin, sliced raw vegetables with black sesame dip, beans simmered in tomato sauce, and French fries.
About 10 years ago, the chef decided to incorporate vegetables into the menu to keep up with the changing times, and he decided to focus on Kyoto vegetables. The special plate features appetizers made with Kyoto vegetables. By the way, there is a picture of a vegetable on the restaurant's signboard.
By the way, the most memorable thing about the special plate that day was not meat or fish, but sauteed pumpkin. It was drizzled in rosemary-scented oil. I thought, rosemary on pumpkin? But it went surprisingly well with the dish. I even found myself wanting to eat a little more. Even the side dishes for lunch had a hint of French and Italian cuisine, which made me imagine that dinner would surely be delicious.
Finally, we will tell you about the unique interior of the store.
On the table in the back is a huge flower arrangement that reaches up to the ceiling. Apparently, the owner arranges it by hand every time.
You can't see much of the inside from the outside, so I'll tell you what the place is like. The lighting inside is subdued, with antique lamps on the ceiling and around the tables. The area around the large table at the back creates a bar-like atmosphere.
Besides the many lamps, there are also objets d'art and paintings displayed throughout the shop. I imagine the owner has collected them little by little. Even though there are so many items, the shop still feels comfortable, perhaps because each item has become part of the shop over the years.
Green Spot opened in 1974. It has been in business for 43 years, which makes it a long-standing establishment in Yoyogi. You have to try their historic "yakihayashi rice" someday. Of course, I would love to go there during the day, but I would also love to go at night.
Kyoto, France, Italy Seasonal Cuisine Green Spot
Yamano 25 Building 1F, 1-21-12 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
TEL 03-3379-0013
http://www.green-spot.jp/
Business hours Lunch: 11:30 - Last order: 14:30
Dinner 17:30~Last orders 22:45
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays
FURIHATA Yukari