Suminoe is my favorite bakery in Tokyo. The value for money is unbeatable, and even on taste alone it holds its own against any famous shop. But it is actually a restaurant at heart, and I had always wanted to eat there, only the line was always so long that I never got to find out how the food was. This time I somehow had some time to spare, so I was able to take a friend. Being able to walk into a great place with no plan at all is probably the biggest charm of Tokyo.
The entrance
It is in the basement dining arcade (Metro Shokudogai). The line is a bit long. This arcade has plenty of places where you can fill up reasonably. If you ever find yourself lost in Shinjuku and wandering around looking for somewhere to eat, give it a try.
Bread
What you see in the photo is for two. Refills are unlimited, and I think it is probably the most famous thing on the menu here ^_^ Hard on the outside and chewy on the inside, which is exactly my favorite style. Honestly, bread of an even higher level has a crust so hard it shatters, but this place doesn’t take it that far. Probably the Japanese style. If it is too hard, it is tough to chew, after all. My friend and I got refills of the bread alone three times, and that by itself made the meal feel worth the money. On the third refill they brought us a huge pile ^_^ Thank you, thank you.
Butter
Pretty, isn’t it? At first I thought it was margarine or mayonnaise.
Pasta with winter vegetables and beef belly
It seemed a fair distance from authentic Italian. It lacked bite, but just like its unusual color, the flavor wasn’t bad either. I could taste spinach, too. The sauce of beef braised like a stew felt like Japanese nikomi, which I liked. I guess winter calls for nikomi.
Pot-au-feu
Japanese-style Western food. The flavor was nothing special, but it was made with care.
Eggplant pasta with tomato sauce
I love eggplant dishes so I ordered it, but it was just so-so. The first pasta was the best.
After the pasta, next up is the main.
Chicken grilled with sabayon
Chicken topped with a cream made from egg yolks. What seems to set this place apart is taking inexpensive ingredients and cooking them with care. Compared to the overall level of the cooking, the quality of the chicken was not great. Then again, that is probably why we could have a lunch course for a cheap price of around 2,000 yen. (With unlimited refills of delicious bread, no less.)
Three winter fish
This one comes with the slightly more expensive course, and here too the ingredients were ordinary, so it didn’t strike me as especially delicious. The portion was plenty, though.
Pork belly with mustard sauce
A really generous portion, and well cooked. It was just a bit of a shame that the meat was not top quality.
Grape juice
Nothing special.
And so we made it through the lunch course. Overall, they serve inexpensive ingredients with care, and it seems popular with ladies out shopping. The lunch course is around 2,000 yen and there is also a pasta lunch on weekdays, so ordering any lunch and holding out on the all-you-can-eat bread looks like a decent plan too. The problem is you end up eating way too much bread, but it would be great to go when you are craving bread. Like Outback. It is not a place that pursues flavor alone, so I was a little disappointed, but anyway I have fulfilled one of my lifelong wishes, so from now on it is time to go chasing new places again. It might take a while until the next one, though.