This post was written in 2005. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
Even after buying a book on Tokyo’s good eats and flipping through it, Shibuya doesn’t really have many places worth going to.
As befits a young people’s neighborhood, most of the famous spots have slick interiors and slightly high prices,
but only so-so food, the kind of places that suit a date. I’m not going on dates,
so I have no reason to go to those places.. (Truth be told, even on a date I just couldn’t bring myself
to walk into a place that serves bad food.)
As someone who drops by Tower Records in Shibuya a lot, this is a real problem.
I can’t exactly go all the way to Shinjuku just to eat. So after digging around here and there, the place
I found is locomoco in Shibuya. Loco moco is a Hawaiian-style rice bowl. In Japan,
there are lots of dishes where you put side dishes (-_-) on top of rice. Beef on rice is gyudon,
tempura on rice is tendon, eel on rice is unadon, and there’s quite a series of these. ^_^
Loco moco is a case of a Japanese-style rice bowl traveling to Hawaii, getting localized, becoming famous there,
and then coming back to Japan.
When you hear Hawaiian-style, you might wonder if there’s pineapple on the rice.. ^_^
There’s no pineapple. It usually comes topped with a hamburg steak, a fried egg and pasta salad.
Below are some reference photos.
Loco moco don topped with a hamburg steak.
Chicken loco moco don.
Loco moco don topped with a hamburg steak in teriyaki sauce.
If you ask me whether it’s good, I’d say it’s not bad for a fast-food place.
It’s about 700 yen and the portion is reasonable. It’s on the first basement floor, and judging by the interior alone
it feels like a restaurant or a café. When you’re hanging out in Shibuya with friends (guys or girls),
shopping and looking around, and you get hungry and want a little rest, it’s perfect. ^_^;
You can order just the basic set and sit for a long time without feeling awkward, and the atmosphere is
good for chatting.
On the ground floor of the building with the loco moco place, there’s a shop with all-you-can-eat desserts for 70 minutes for 1,200 yen.
It’s called Dessert Kingdom (Dessert Oukoku), and it was packed with women.. ^_^; If you’re interested,
give it a try and let me know how it tastes. ^_^;