Tokyo Part 4 – When it Rains in Shibuya
On a rainy day in Shibuya, we were wandering around searching for somewhere to eat lunch when from across the road I spotted a joint called “Vege Kitchen & Cafe”. As there are many restaurants with “vegetable” in the title without offering any real vegetable dishes, we thought this may be another false alarm (especially since I hadn’t seen it on Happy Cow). We walked in and asked for a menu and were delighted when everything was vegetarian with a large amount of vegan options!
We sat down to a bowl of vegetable soup with focaccia and paid a very reasonable price of 1000 yen for the meal. It was the perfect lunch for a rainy day; the soup was tasty and full of vegetables while the focaccia was some of the nicest I’ve had. Even the simple pleasure of bread is a tough one in Japan as a lot contains milk, egg or butter.
We enjoyed our lunch so much that after strolling around Shibuya for the afternoon we decided to go back for dinner! My companion decided to get a non-vegan set meal while I opted to pick a selection from the a la carte menu.
I started with the “Fried Potatoes” which were tasty as a chip should be but nothing entirely exciting to report. This was followed by “Potato Chips & Tortilla Chips with 2 Assorted Vegetable Dips.”
The chips were tasty but could have done with a bit of salt. The dips were delightful though; one being a guacamole type affair and the other was a tangy salsa. Definitely a great start to the meal that was to come!
I wanted to compare the “Vegemeat Hamburg Steak” with the Soy Hamburg I had enjoyed at Chaya earlier in the week. I still can’t decide which I enjoyed more as they were both completely different. This one was definitely “steakier” and was served with a mushroom gravy. Definitely a great main to go for if you’re ever there! I also had some of the delicious focaccia with it to top it off.
Dessert was a tasty tofu cake served with soy cream, nuts and berries. It was awesomely sweet and moist and complemented perfectly by the tartness of the berries.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.
We enjoyed that day of eating so much we decided to head back to Vege Kitchen and Cafe the next night for dinner again!
This time I opted for their only vegan set meal which was a vegetable based affair rather than the non-vegan mock meat one.
We started off with that famous focaccia and salad that came with some of the nicest dressing I’ve ever had. I’m still trying to place my finger on exactly what was in it but I believe radish may have been involved in there somewhere.
This was closely followed by a cup of tomato based soup full of tasty vegetables, herbs and beans. As you all know I’m not the biggest soup eater but it definitely went down a treat with some of that bread.
The cold appetiser was a kawaii selection of three tiny dishes. The first was a combination of smokey mushrooms and zucchini, the second was a baby stack of tomato, tofu, avocado and basil in a vinegar type sauce and the final was some kind of pickled vegetable concoction. I enjoyed the latter the most but all were very tasty.
The hot appetiser was comprised of char-grilled vegetables in a miso sauce. Looks pretty boring huh? Looks can be deceiving, it was actually one of the tastiest things I had there. The miso sauce was perfect and had a touch of sweetness to it and you guessed it, I dipped some of the focaccia in that as well!
I’m not the biggest fan of rice-based dishes so I was a little disappointed with the choice of either paella or risotto for my main course. I chose the paella mainly because I hadn’t had one before and unfortunately it was rather bland, I also burned my arm several times on the dish! I really think I could make a better paella and I’m going to attempt to do so sometime soon.
Redemption came in the form of dessert; a banana and walnut cake served with soy cream and a pumpkin pudding. Both were equally delicious in their own right and I thought it was a nice touch that you got to sample two dishes rather than just the one. They were a great ending to the meal and left me feeling satisfied despite my disappointing main.
Vege Kitchen & Cafe
Address TBC
Hi I cannot seem to find the address of this lovely cafe you mentioned above. Was wondering if you have any landmark or directions so that we can find this place too? Thank you!
Cheers,
Priscilla
Hi Priscilla!
Now, the best way I can describe this to you is to walk out the Hachiko Exit at Shibuya Station and keep waklking straight ahead across Shibuya Crossing. Continue to walk straight. You’ll see Shibuya 109 (young fashion department store) on your right. Keep to your left and keep walking up for a few more blocks. It is just across the road from a 7 Eleven.
I really hope this helps and I hope you find it!!!
Hi Chelsey,
I also tried to find this restaurant tonight and had no luck. I can’t find it on the internet to get an exact address or map image either. I wonder if it’s still open.
We even walked down both major streets leading out from Hachiko at Shibuya Station as there are two ‘109’ buildings as you look across the famous Shibuya crosswalk.
Do you have any other tips?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for your comment, I hope you’re enjoying Tokyo!
The best I can do is send you a map that may help you out, I’ll email it through to you now. Let me know how you go!
Thanks 😀
Chelsey
Hello!
I found your blog and boy am i happy i did! i am going to Japan in May and am a vegan but i also have celiac and i am having a hell of a time figuring out what to eat while traveling.
I was hoping by some chance you still had the map for the Vege Kitchen and Cafe that you could sent me so i can see if this place could accommodate my allergies.
Thank you for your time .
-Lacey Jean-
Hey Lacey! Japan is absolutely gorgeous and I’m sure you’ll love it, I can’t wait to go back. I’ve recently found out that Vege Kitchen + Cafe has closed 🙁 so unfortunately they won’t be an option but I’m fairly certain Cha-Ya will be able to take care of you! Plus there’s plenty of sushi options as well 😀 Have an amazing time!