I’ve been to Nagoya so many times, and there are still places I’ve never tried. This one is a café called Konparu… there’s one in the underground mall near the station, and they’ve got branches all over the place.

The Chunichi Dragons, on the way there

Further in, there’s something like a food court.

A soba place too…

This is in the basement of the Chunichi Building, where the Mineral Marché was being held, and there really are a lot of good-looking places down here. But I’d already had a burger, so I couldn’t eat here… Next time I don’t think I’ll even need to hunt for somewhere to eat.

Blue Bottle

Turns out there’s one in Nagoya too.

Coffee and Sandwiches Konparu

The café is right inside the station.

Konparu’s display case

For a café, the food feels pretty substantial. The kitchen is big, too. I get the feeling that eating proper meals at cafés is just part of the culture in Nagoya. Some people say it’s all because of Toyota.

Sandwiches

This is a sample to give you a rough idea, but when you actually order, it doesn’t come out looking this pretty.

Menu

The fried shrimp sandwich is the most popular, so that’s what I went for.

Parfaits

They do look pretty dated, though… I bet the real thing looks better than this…

The number I got after ordering takeout

Very retro. They call your number when your order’s ready.

Sandwich

Nice and hot.

Sandwich

Unlike the display, it doesn’t show you the cross-section. Of course this is the right way to make it, but then what was the display for…

A cross-section that took some effort

The filling looked like it was about to spill out and it was dripping with oil, so it wasn’t easy to photograph. They take big shrimp, fry them and put them in a sandwich, and maybe because it’s packed with cabbage, it also tastes a bit like the street toast I know from Korea. The oil-soaked bread was rich and nutty and the shrimp were plump and bouncy, so I really enjoyed it. The fried shrimp is top quality, and between this and the ankake spaghetti, Nagoya really seems to be good at yoshoku… That said, it’s not much to look at… and it’s a bit greasy, so I think it’ll be a love-it-or-hate-it thing.

While I was waiting in front of the café for my order, people just kept lining up. It’s definitely popular… Next time I’d like to take my time and try one of the parfaits too.

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