One - of the many - things that Japan gets right is branding and marketing. There are a few "groups" which are the umbrella companies for food, fashion and lifestyle. There aren't a lot of stand-alone restaurants that get it all on-point; fabulous environment which creates the appropriate mood, aesthetically pleasing and delicious food. This is where "groups" come in. They employ a team of people who produce these works of art.
One restaurant that I have recently discovered, and fell in love with, is City Shop and they fall under the Baycrews Group.
I was invited to lunch one rainy Sunday afternoon and off Ren I went to a restaurant called City Shop Noodle. Tucked away near Omotesando Station, I felt a bit anxious arriving at this healthy food haven as I was worried I would end up eating leaves and leaving hungry (I like FOOD) but it was the biggest surprise that I have had in a long time.
The premise of this restaurant chain is that you walk along the glass counter, look at the food on display and order various dishes according to the ordering system. You are so spoiled for choice - there are literally 100 different variations that you could have.
I ordered the custom noodle & 3 deli plate. (I was hungry!)
Custom noodle: Kale Infused Noodle
Noodle Sauce: Omega 3 Sea Salt
Main Deli: Beef and Lentil Moroccan Saute Yoghurt Sauce & Avocado Cup with Tomato, Coriander and Japaleno Sauce.
Toppings: Quinoa Mix and a Herb Mix
With your lunch set, you are given a cup which allows you refills at the drinks bar. The drinks bar consisted of Pineapple and Jasmine Ice Tea, Ice Coffee, Hot Coffee and Lemon Infused Water. I opted for the Ice Coffee, because I'm a - relatively - new mom and need caffeine!
I mean come on! Do you die?!
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It was such a great experience that I vouched to return. Little did I realize that it would be the place I would recommend for the following day's lunch with another friend. Can't over-indulge too much, right?
I recommended City Shop Delicatessen to my friend -who is 39 weeks pregnant- and she loves the concept and has frequented a few of their stores. (I must be living under a rock!) The Delicatessen is conveniently located near Shibuya Station in the Shibuya Cast Building. There is outdoor and indoor seating and we opted to sit outside so that we could have more space for Ren's pram and to enjoy the divine July weather.
This delicatessen is more cafe-esque and had less variations of ordering than City Shop Noodle. After seeing the server pile up a mound of salad leaves for the Custom Green and 2 Deli Plate option, I opted for the 5 Deli Plate.
I decided on:
Tamarind Cherry Chicken
Paprika Roast and Grain Salad Satay Dressing
Grilled Eggplant Citrus Oil with Balsamic Cream
Brown Rice Pasta Spicy Gazpacho Style Avocado Cup Grapefruit Jelly
Along with the lunch set, came your choice of drinks from the drinks bar - Ice Coffee, Ice Tea, Hot Coffee or Lemon-Infused Water.
It was so delicious that after Ren had been staring down my food for awhile, I decided to give him a taste of the Avocado Cup and some of the Gazpacho Pasta Salad and he wanted more. He's become a bit of fussy eater, well it might just be my food, so this was a crowd-pleaser.
After doing a bit more research, there seems to be a few different locations with a different vibe at each place. I can't promise that I won't try them all.
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