Date I went: 03/22/2020
Youtube video:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oritabi808/
Today's post is going to be about some great vegan spots in Tokyo.
First off T's Restaurant, it's the go to place for vegan ramen in Tokyo!
T's Restaurant: http://ts-restaurant.jp/#news
T's Restaurant (太陽と大地の食卓 T’s レストラン)
It's a bit further away from the action of Tokyo located in the quieter neighborhood of Meguro and closest to the Jyugaoka station. From the station it's only a 5 minute walk and Jyugaoka is a cute neighborhood to check out as well with plenty of boutique clothing shops and cute cafes.
Their site features some beautiful vegan food pics! I actually heard about it from a vegan Japanese friend of mine in Hawaii named Michi. She grew up in Tokyo and pretty much knows all the good vegan spots to go so of course I was going to check out her recommendation.
I decided to invite my friend Ik-tong to come try the food out. He's a college friend of mine from Loyola Marymount University and is always surprised I'm still vegan whenever I see him. I made the change to eat vegan after I graduated college in 2015 and I think many of my college friends still don't know I am vegan actually 😂
The moment of truth... The ramen is very simple, but very nicely presented as well. The veggies were very fresh and the noodles were quite authentic as well to Japanese traditions. I got the miso ramen, and the broth was the perfect level of creaminess in my opinion.
But the real question was how did it stand up to the taste buds of Ik-tong, a native to Japan. He liked it!! But (and we had other conversations about this topic) he told me how the Japanese would probably not come here to eat ramen too much.
Why is that? なぜなら。。。
The simple answer is the cost and convenience. This vegan ramen is probably 2x as pricey as your typical train station or hole in the wall ramen that most Japanese commuters get coming home from work or after a long day. And The issue isn't just limited to vegan ramen, it's any kind of vegan food in Japan as I found out traveling through the country.
Although he liked the taste of the ramen he said he would opt to buy the beef bowl from Yoshinoya for the price and convenience. In my college days I studied in Japan for a summer learning Japanese and can definitely agree with this sentiment... Although Japan has many good vegan options in the metropolitan areas it is not a well known trend in the country.
Still if you are looking for something light, out of the main stream Japanese eateries, and you are a ramen connoisseur like me , T's Ramen is the way to go 👍
Ain Soph Journey Meguro was the next must try vegan place on my travels and they did not disappoint.
Ain Soph Journey: https://en.ain-soph.jp/journey-shinjuku
Ain Soph. Journey Shinjuku
They have more fancy food here! And lots of interesting vegan creations
It's a pretty quick journey to get to this vegan spot! Right by Shinjuku Station.
Another great vegan restaurant with well executed decor, food, and ambiance. I brought a few of Ik-tong and mine's other Japanese friends from college, and overall they liked it. They did mention how it was quite a lot of veggies and fruits, which I do love eating a lot of as a vegan person. I think the Japanese diet these days is not very similar to a vegan one 🌱 but they enjoyed it overall!
I thought the food and presentation at Ain Soph Journey Shinjuku was some of the best I've ever seen for vegan food; by the way they have locations with the Ain Soph brand in other parts of Tokyo and Kyoto as well. I think there are many Japanese who come here who are both vegan and non-vegan. It seems to hit the intersection of people who are interested in trying vegan food spot on.
We got a vegan meal course and I ended up eating most of it 😋 I had the pictures somewhere of the food, but lost them. If I find them I'll post them! The only one i could find was of the green tea tiramisu and the vegan soy meat products they sell.
This next option I thought was vegan at the time, but I think it may actually have some dairy products in it.
Shogun Burger Shinjuku (ショーグンバーガー 新宿総本店)
Shogun Burger is a chain restaurant in the Tokyo area that at the time I went had a vegetarian burger option. It is a quick walk from Shinjuku Station.
They imprint the burgers with their signature Shogun mark. After talking with some vegan friends in Japan though I am fairly certain this burger, although made with soy meat, has some dairy products inside. I also learned that many Japanese french fries also have dairy products inside them.
One last spot that has vegan food I want to give a shout out too called Linio.
Here's there website if you want to check em out ;)
Linio
It was located just 2 minutes walking from the apartment I stayed at in Shinjuku and I came across it by chance.
I got this delicious vegan gratin and a daikon dish cooked to perfection. Definitely check it out if you are in the area. They have vegan and non-vegan options so you can go with a variety of people.
At the restaurant the waiter and I struck up a nice convesation and we eneded up becoming friends! His name is Shuuichi and he ended up touring me around his neighborhood in Asakusa (he's featured in the video I made for that as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H12SqXEk6W0)
Hope you enjoyed learning about these three vegan spots and definitely check them out for the great tasting food!
Kommentare