• CLOSED: The Biokura Cafe

  • (4)
    4

    Closed

  • White Vegan
Vegan
Macrobiotic

Cafe and shop. Last order taken an hour before closing time. Address in Japanese: 東京都渋谷区神宮前5-53-67. Previously named Marche and located on Ebisu, Shibuya-ku. NOV 2014 REPORTED SHUT BY COW MEMBER.


Venue map for The Biokura Cafe
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4 Reviews

First Review by Nihacc

eatinggreen

Points +608

Vegan
07 Sep 2014

Slightly disappointing

Having read the raving reviews on HC we came away feeling a bit disappointed with our lunch here.

The ambiance is a bit unsettling - feels very much like an attachment to a cooking school, which is exactly what it is, as you can see into their cooking studio. Something about it feels kind of artificial and less than cozy but I guess this *is* Tokyo so the aesthetic probably has some fans. In our opinion they need a consultation with a feng shui master to sort out the flow of ch'ii.

Anyway that's not so important. What's important is the food and less so the service. We were asked to move tables after having started into our drinks and the tone was somewhat less than apologetic - the lady who did the deed was quite abrupt and matron-like which for Japan felt to verge on mean.

The food... Well it's certainly not terrible and if you're in the area looking for lunch it's probably worth a visit. But given that it's a cooking school you'd expect a certain level of professionalism in the flavour profiles and we felt that was missing. It's fusion, so neither Japanese nor really Western, but the chef doesn't have great taste. It seems they throw random ingredients together in an attempt to be original and creative but it doesn't always work. Case in point - mint in the shiokoji cucumber appetizer confused more than it achieved. We also tried a tri-colour noodle dish only to find that none of the 3 sauces were particularly delicious and the noodles were average to boot. The vegetable balls covered in crunchy rice puffs were good and the miso soup was decent but for a cooking school we felt there was room for improvement.

For access, check the review below ours as that description was really useful when our taxi dumped us in some random backstreet based on the shop address.

Pros: organic orientation, some nice dishes, hygienic feel

Cons: taste profiles often pretty off/ random , ambiance feels artificial and unsettling, service not extra special either

Nancy Cadet

Points +876

Vegan
17 Oct 2013

Delicious food, quiet setting, memorable meal

Location: next to Aoyama Book Center, in shopping mall under the United Nations University on Aoyama -dori. Directions: at Omotosando metro station , exit at the intersection of Aoyama & Jingu-dori, at Mizhuo bank. Walk 3 blocks --past the Natural Home supermarket, Starbucks , KFC, etc to landmark on street: United Nations Univ Building & pedestrian overpass. At the side of United Nations building , follow signs down the escalator to Aoyama Book Center.

Food and ambiance: Lunch only; then coffees , teas & cakes for sale till 5 or 6PM. The cafe has carefully prepared,tastefully presented meals at moderate prices: there are 2 vegan menu options and one vegan lunch set; also cakes, coffee, tea, and non -veg items. Some macrobiotic products are for sale too. Our lunches were really delicious, with interesting combinations of flavors--no English menu, but the servers understand what "vegan" means and can explain the basics of the printed menu. I had the vegan burger lunch set, with salad , coffee and miso soup, and my partner a wonderful blueberry smoothie, tofu "caprese" , steamed veggies, rice (1200 yen). Surprisingly low prices for the quality and worth the trip .
Updated from previous review on Thursday October 17, 2013

Pros: Gourmet food, Quick , attentive service, Tasteful decor, tranquil setting

Cons: Lunch only

eatyourveggies

Points +2120

Vegan
24 Oct 2010

Love it!

I was caught in a rain storm and hung out at Marche for a bit. I didn't eat food, just had tea and tiramisu which was delish. Food and desserts made in the macrobiotic style, so don't expect the dessert to be sweet like in the US. Somewhat expensive. Nice little grocery store with organic and macrobiotic products. Very nice staff, many tables so would be good for a group.

Nihacc

Points +1195

Vegan
05 Sep 2010

Don't serves dinners but excellent tea and cakes!

We went there to have dinner, but they only serve lunch at midday. So we took two drink+cake menu: iced tea + green tea and soy milk cake, and iced soy latte + tofu cake; everything delicious! The shop has many asiatic products, we bought organic soymilk and ume vinegar.




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