Gaia Shokudo

There was a choice of two lunches on the day we went: tempeh and tofu.

I had one and my partner the other. We were so satisfied with our meals and the variety of flavours and food served in one meal is impressive!

For a single flat rate, there's no choice here, but you do get a great lunch - when I went it was a bowl of rice, a huge bowl of miso soup, and then the main plate with lots of tiny helpings of different dishes. A lot of variety for Y1000.

Located just outside the hustle and bustle of Akihabara electric town is the peace and tranquility of Ochanomizu. And perhaps the most peaceful place there is Gaia Shokudo restaurant. It is located above a macrobiotic shop and serves macrobiotic food.

There's one restaurant on the third floor and one on the second. When I arrived around 1 pm the restaurant on the third floor was closed because it sold out for the day.

The restaurant on the second floor offers a choice of only two dishes: a "burger menu" and "something with fish". Of course I went for the first option, which contains of two slabs of tofu with vegetables and several vegetable dishes on the side. As with most Japanese meals, miso soup and (brown) rice are served on the side.

The taste and quality of the menu is average for a restaurant like this. One quickly notices that macrobiotic ingredients have been used as they have a more pure and honest taste. The price of 1,000 yen per person is more than reasonable for the quality and amount of food served. If I'm in the neighbourhood I'd certainly visit again, but the restaurant isn't worth travelling for (i.e. for the Brown Rice Cafe in Harajuku I'd fly to Japan!).

How to find Gaia Shokudo: go to Shin-ochanomizu station and take exit B3b. Once outside, turn left and turn left again. That's it. 1 minute walking from B3b exit. You basically walked around the post office (recognisable by the orange "JP network" logo. The shop and the restaurants look exactly like the pictures already supplied by the staff from Happy Cow.