Very near to Inokashira Park is Los Lobros which is an old favorite of ours for the last 10 years. It used to be known as Cafe Nigiro’s but changed it’s name a few years ago and while doing so went a little more upscale in its decor.
On nice comfortable days they open up the terrace. Today is too hot though.
Lunch is a great deal: 1000 yen for a main with salad, bread and coffee/tea. Add 300 yen for a small beer.
The one drawback is that a lot of the seating by the windows are for smokers. Sort of makes sense but why treat healthy people like 2-Class citizens?
Good freshly tossed salad with tangy summer dressing. Nice toasted home made bread.
I went with the Daily special: Salmon Risotto with Haricot and Wild Rice. Great texture and cooked to perfection. Not soggy mushy risotto which makes you feel like you’re eating salty pudding.
My wife and I used to go to Nigiro often, but when it changed to Los Lobros, it seemed to us that not only the decor but also the menu changed. We ate there a couple of times after the change, then stopped going. Anyway, when you're there next time, be sure to check out the flower/knickknack shop directly across the street. It's my wife's favorite.
ReplyDeletePS. I've been following your blog for the past few months. I lived (rented) in Kichijoji for 20-plus years -- up until this spring, when we bought a house a bit further out (Jindaiji).
Yes I know what you're talking about. I'm not much a flower person or green thumb so never paid much attention to it. I'll check it in more detail next time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking the site regularly. For our family, jindaiji means onsen. Though with this heat, just writing "onsen" makes you want to swoon. It's called Yukari Onsen and has a FengShui concept. The restaurant is quite good. I might write about it as one of those "near Kichijoji" articles.
Did you build your own home? or was it Tateuri? Built for Sale home? Are you happy with it?
Our budget wasn't quite as high as yours (under 50M), so Kichijoji was out. We were looking at used homes in the Suginami-Musashino-Mitaka area -- saw dozens online, and a few in person. Then our realtor suggested a house that was under construction in Chofu by Life Housing (LH; I have only good things to say about how they treated us, and the quality of their work.); it fit all of our "wants" perfectly, except for one major one: walking distance from a train station. Because of that, we almost didn't look, but the realtor talked us into it.
ReplyDeleteEven though the house was still two months away from completion, and the day was miserably rainy, we immediately fell in love with the house, and the neighborhood. We visited it again the next day, then went to see an already completed "this is similar to what it will look like when it's done" LH house in Nakano, then visited the LH office to talk to the architect, then went back to the realtor and signed the contract. (Sorry to say, but I've enjoyed your reading about your travails because for us the whole process, from finding a good realtor (Towa) and getting approved for a mortgage to closing the deal went so smoothly I still can't believe it.)
We moved about three months ago, and no regrets. We signed early enough that we were able to make some small changes to what the builder had planned, all at minimal or no extra cost.) Lots of greenery (well, not on our small lot, but in the neighboorhood), including right behind us, and an uguisu (bush warbler) who seranades us (loud enough to wake me in the morning if the bedroom window is open. A nice newly widen Musashisakaidori, with wide brick sidewalks and bicycle paths on both sides. And just an 8-minute walk from the Jindaiji Botanical Garden entrance (we've aleady bought season passes).
We just happened to find the right house, at the right time, and at the right price. And I've gotten used to riding the bus or bicycling to the station instead of walking. Actually, I kind of feel like like that line from John Denver's song: coming home to a place I've never been before.
(Sorry, probably more than you wanted to know. Kichijoji was great, but for now at least -- with the demise of Lon Lon and the never-ending construction on the Inokashira Line platforms, I'm kind of glad to be gone.)
is that joint just off the road leading into the park, near--ahem--a love hotel called elizabeth? i seem to recall a nice brunch offering there, with the usual brunch alcohol suspects (screwdrivers and the like)...
ReplyDeletestill, nothing beats grabbing a brew from the cooler at that sausage joint or elsewhere and enjoying blues in the park. a shout out to my man broomduster kan!!!