After eating at the Tokyo branch in the first week of our trip to Japan (review here), we were all excited to try the newly-opened Kyoto branch too. The menu is a little different, with fewer pieces of sushi and a selection of little side dishes instead, which helped to justify the decision to (essentially) revisit the same place.
The sushi was well seasoned with good toppings – all of them the same as the offering in Tokyo, but only six rather than ten in this branch. They were: scrambled egg, tuna mayo, vegan meat, Japanese ginger, shiitake mushroom, and tempura. None of us were very keen on the scrambled egg, and were quite disappointed that that was one of the repeat items. The others were all good. The tuna remains incredible, and the pickled ginger packs plenty of flavour without being too ferocious.
There were five obanzai (small dishes) as well: matcha soba, yuba, karaage, agedashi, and pickled turnip. The matcha noodles were the highlight from the side dishes. The soy meat and agedashi tofu were really tasty, but both suffered from being a bit cold and soggy. Imagine how good they would be crisp and fresh! But I understand that it’s much easier to serve them this way.
There was also a miso soup, which was tasty too and definitely one of the better ones of our trip.
It was a really good experience overall, even if there were a few things that weren’t to our personal tastes. The service was excellent, and it’s still a really exciting menu, in a place without that many vegan sushi options. This was a more spacious restaurant than the Tokyo one, and we were pleased to be sitting at a table rather than a bar for a change!
It’s always tricky on holiday to find somewhere for breakfast that has vegan options, is not a million miles out of your way, and opens at a reasonable hour. So we were delighted to find Coyote, a vegan-friendly cafe really close to the train station in Kyoto that opens at actual breakfast time. We spent a week in Kyoto and came here one morning before catching a train.
All three of us had the egg toast and enjoyed it very much. It was a good thick slice of warm toast topped with a generous portion of well-seasoned vegan scrambled egg. It had a good eggy texture and flavour, with just the right amount of salt and pepper. Most tofu scrambles in Prague are criminally under-seasoned, so we were thrilled! However, the egg was cold. It would definitely have been better if the topping was warm. We are used to having warm scrambles in the UK and Europe, so this was a bit unexpected. Another down side is that this was a small portion – we definitely needed something to accompany it.
Fortunately, there was cake! We also got banana bread and citrus bread slices and these were nicely baked and well flavoured. It seems like they have banana bread every day, and rotating additional loaves. They had just run out of blueberry when we placed our order, so it was lemon bread for us.
Dr and Mother HH got cafe lattes, which were nice, and I was delighted to see chai latte on the menu, which I find a bit scarce in Japan. It was tasty!
A lot of tourists are looking for the same breakfast gold that we are (open early, convenient location, vegan options), which means that this place is jumping. We had to wait a few minutes on entering for some seats to open up, but it was worth it. As it’s quite small and crowded, we were wary of going back when we had our luggage with us, so bear that in mind. But this is definitely recommended for a light breakfast in Kyoto!
We took a day trip to Yokohama on this holiday, the first time we’ve visited it. It’s not far from Tokyo, and easily reachable by train. Our main incentive was to see some (hopefully) less crowded cherry blossom, and have a brief break from the intensity of such a huge city. While researching the day trip, we were pleased to note that there was an all-vegan Japanese curry place in the train station, so we made sure we would be passing through there at a suitable lunch time.
Mother HH tried the spice curry with vegetables, and she was very happy with it. It was a good assortment of vegetables (perhaps less so if you hate broccoli, as she does), and plenty of rice.
It was spice curry with katsu tofu for Dr HH. The sauce was well seasoned and consistent with other Japanese curries we’ve made at home or tried in restaurants, hinting all the right sweet and spicy notes that we’ve come to expect.
I got the Japanese curry with katsu tofu, which was similar but a bit spicier. The katsu tofu was excellent, with a thick, crispy coating. We all got the same little side salad that was well dressed too.
Ginger ale seems to be all the rage in Japan, or at least in the vegan restaurants – we ordered it almost everywhere. Mother and Dr HH enjoyed the ginger ale here. I branched out and got an iced chai which was delicious and quite heavily spiced with cinnamon (a good thing for me).
This restaurant was not the easiest place to find initially but the explanations on Happy Cow are accurate, and once you get yourself into the basement floor in the food court area it’s pretty easy to get to.
We didn’t get to do everything we’d planned in Yokohama because Dr HH was struck down by a sudden illness (he fully recovered, don’t worry). Luckily we’d started our day with the outdoor activities that were highest on our list. We started out at Negishi Forest Park, which had loads of cherry blossom and was less crowded than the Tokyo parks we’d already seen. There were lots of people picnicking and enjoying the scenery, and there was so much blossom, it was really pretty.
We took a bus from there to Sankien Garden, which was quite a sprawling place which we didn’t see too much of in the end. We enjoyed a walk around this lake in the centre, which was lined with cherry trees in full bloom and nice relaxing views. We were told by a guide that there was a lot more to see, but we were trying to keep things moving and were really prioritising the cherry blossom. If you are visiting out of cherry blossom season, I think this garden would still be worth a visit, there was plenty to see and it was really well tended.
We went to various Ain.Soph branches a few times on our original trip to Japan in 2019 (reviewed here), but didn’t return on our visit last year because we didn’t think the savoury menu was that good. The western items were ok, but we really wanted Japanese dishes, and those weren’t too inspiring to us. This time, we really wanted a chance to take Mother HH for some vegan Japanese pancakes, because they are so different from the ones we get in Europe, so we decided to book ourselves in just for dessert. I remembered the different branches all being very popular six years ago, so we used the online reservation system just to be on the safe side. We booked for 1.45pm just for pancakes – you have to select in advance what meal type you want. I’m glad we booked, as it was busy when we arrived. By 2.30pm it was really quiet though.
We ordered two rounds of heavenly pancakes and one strawberry pancakes (a seasonal special – they also had a strawberry millefeuille for the season). In all cases, the pancakes were very different from American or European pancakes I’ve had before – they were more like a scone in their texture, with quite a cakey base and a slightly crisp exterior. They were quite dense, but really tasty. The heavenly pancakes came with an assortment of fruit, plus nuts and seeds, which added a nice bit of texture.
The strawberry pancakes did not skimp on the strawberries, and they were flavoursome too. Dr HH was very happy that he chose this one. Both kinds of pancakes came with cream and ice cream, both of which were delicious. No complaints at all about the pancakes, we were three very happy customers!
For drinks, we tried the raspberry cream soda. I thought this would be the classic cream soda which is quite common (though rarely vegan) in Japan – fizzy pop with a sweet, creamy layer on top. But this was actually what I would call an ice cream – fizzy pop with a scoop of ice cream. I was totally astonished by this, though Dr HH insists it was perfectly clear from the photo in the menu. It was tasty and sweet, but definitely far more than I needed to accompany a big plate of pancakes!
Service was friendly and quite fast – there is a note to say the pancakes take about 15 minutes to prepare, so our expectations were well managed and it definitely didn’t take longer than that. We were always happy to visit any eateries which seated us at traditional western tables, rather than at a bar or on lower seating, so in that regard this was a definite winner too!
Generally I prefer to go to all-vegan restaurants when I’m travelling, both to support those businesses that usually desperately need it and to ensure there are no non-vegan mishaps. Zen is not all vegan, but we were looking for a meal close to Shinjuku station after a long day trip, so we gave this a try. And it’s an okonomiyaki restaurant, which is another of those dishes we simply can’t get in Prague, so how could we resist?! Shinjuku is an extremely busy area, but luckily we got in without a wait at around 6.45pm on a Friday – it was busy, but no waiting.
There was seating at the bar, at western-style tables, and at low tables as well, with a drop down area for your feet under the table. We had to take our shoes off before scrambling in. Mother HH was not very impressed by this and subsequent restaurants with this low seating, but we all managed to tuck ourselves in properly.
The menu has a specific vegan page, though rather unhelpfully, not all of the dishes on it are vegan, some are vegetarian. Based on Happy Cow reviews, my understanding was that the cheese is dairy and so the truly vegan dishes are those that do not list cheese as an ingredient. I find this inaccuracy around the word vegan extremely unhelpful – and this is another reason I prefer all-vegan spots! Still, I think the staff did have a good understanding, and there is a picture page on the menu where they check which things you do and don’t eat, so it seemed there was little room for error.
After ordering, we were brought a little dish of tofu which was really nice, very well seasoned. Mother HH doesn”t much like tofu, so I got to have extra! The cost of this dish is incorporated into the table charge at the end of the meal, so there’s no getting away from it – you might as well eat it!
There are a few different kinds of okonomiyaki on the menu, but we all got the basic vegan okonomiyaki. It was quite thick, a really generous portion. Mother HH thought there was too much sauce on top – I don’t like saucy food much and I thought it was fine though. For me there was a bit too much ginger in it, but the others really loved that about it. Overall it was neither the best nor the worst okonomiyaki I’ve tried, it was good but not mind-blowing.
Importantly, it was conveniently located not far from the station, so if you’re looking for a convenient spot to try a veganised version of a classic Japanese dish, it’s definitely worth a try!
I’m not sure I’d even heard of mapo tofu before we visited Spicy Moon in New York, but since then Dr HH and I have been obsessed with it. We make it regularly at home, and if we are outside of Prague and see it on a menu (we believe there is no vegan mapo here) we eagerly order it. So imagine our delight at finding out there was an all-vegan mapo tofu restaurant in Tokyo! We had to squeeze it into our itinerary somehow.
It was quite far from Shinjuku, but Tokyo is such a massive city that that wasn’t too surprising. It seemed to be in a relatively quiet area anyway, and there was no queue, so we were very pleased about that.
Dr HH was feeling bold and reckless, so he decided to try the cheese curry mapo. It sounds a bit too chaotic to me – cheese, curry, and mapo are three things that I’m not sure belong together! It was a tasty curry sauce, but that overpowered anything we’d think of as traditionally mapo in the seasoning. The cheese didn’t melt, and didn’t really add anything either. He was hoping it would be a bit more fusion, but it was predominantly a Japanese curry with some tofu and cheese. It was still a tasty dish, but just not quite what he was looking for.
I got a simple mapo tofu and I was very happy indeed. It hit all the mapo tofu notes I was looking for, without being too spicy – perfect for me! The texture was good, the Sichuan tingle was there, and, paired with some rice, it was a hearty portion.
We all got gyoza too and they were delicious – Mother HH got a plate for her main dish, as she doesn’t like tofu enough to try a mapo, and Dr HH and I got them as sides. The dumplings were quite small and very crispy, which we loved. They were filled with some nicely seasoned silken tofu, and were a big hit with all three of us.
Dr HH got a cacao tiramisu for dessert, while the rest of us were full. He reported that this was fine, but nothing special. It didn’t have any soaked biscuits, and it mostly felt like silken tofu sitting in a sweet syrup with a dusting of coffee and cocoa on top, so the texture was all very soft. He wouldn’t get this again, but it’s always fun to try something new.
Also on the mains menu were spicier versions of mapo, as well as a white sesame mapo, so there are a few different things to try, and you can opt for noodles rather than rice if you prefer. It was an exciting looking menu, and I’m sorry we only got to go once. Let’s dream that they open a branch in Prague one day!
It was hard to resist the temptation to spend all our time in Tokyo revisiting our favourite spots, but somehow we did manage to get in a few new eateries too. I learned on social media about this hotel, which has a restaurant that serves three vegan set menus in the evenings that you can choose from – there are no vegan options before dinner. You can choose Japanese, Chinese, or western, and they each have five small courses. We reserved a table online, and had to choose our meal at that time. All three of us went for the Japanese menu, because we were trying to get in as much Japanese food as possible. It was a nice restaurant, classy without being intimidating (we were in our comfy tourist clothes we’d been wearing all day and did not feel out of place), and it was quite spacious and relaxing. The food was generally good, without being totally amazing.
The appetiser was three small bites. The vegetable rice crackers, as they were called on the menu, were just like vegetable crisps, and were pleasant but a bit unremarkable. The deep fried aubergine was nice and had a great texture, but suffered from being served cold, in our opinion. The yuba, served in a little glass, was slippery and fun. I love a bit of tofu skin!
The pureed seasonal vegetable soup was a bit bland and boring, despite the little pots of pepper and rice cracker to liven it up. My expectations were quite low for a soup course though, to be honest. It certainly looked colourful and appealing, anyway.
The biggest course came next, the yuba and mushroom hot pot. This was basically a big plate of different kinds of mushrooms, vegetables, and tofu skin that we cooked at the table in a pot of broth. It’s always fun to cook your own meals like this! The mushrooms were really flavoursome, and I loved the texture of the yuba. Mother HH had never had yuba before and was not a fan unfortunately, so it might be a bit of a risky choice for someone who is not super familiar with Japanese food. I hoovered up her leftovers though, so it was a great day for me! She really loved the theatre of cooking at the table though, so that made up for it.
Three kinds of sushi came next – one with courgette, one with turnip, and one with red pepper. To be honest, they were not super flavourful, I’ve definitely had better. They all basically just tasted like their vegetable topping, but not really enhanced or complemented in any way. But it was nice to get some rice for something a bit more filling.
Finally, the dessert was rice cake in sweet red bean soup, and warabi rice cake. As long as you like that kind of gelatinous texture, this is a good dessert! (Again, Mother HH was a bit flummoxed by this one, finding the texture a bit unexpected for a dessert.) The red beans were nice and sweet. The warabi had a great texture and a nice matcha flavour. This was a good ending to the meal.
It wasn’t mindblowing food, but we really enjoyed the yuba appetizer, hot pot, and dessert. Even Mother HH, who was not so familiar with Japanese cuisine, found lots of things she liked about it and enjoyed the overall experience of trying these different things.
It’s always good to see more restaurants adding vegan options to their menu, and this seems like a fairly ambitious entry point. Hopefully they’ll make some tweaks to bring a bit more flavour as they find their feet. If you’re dining with meat eaters or looking for somewhere a bit more spacious and quieter than a typical restaurant, this is a nice option.
Our attempt to visit more vegan bakeries on this trip to Tokyo continued (and basically finished) with a trip to not one but two branches of Universal Bakes. The two branches are about a 15 minute walk apart, and in quite a quiet, residential part of the city, which always makes for a fun walk. Unfortunately for us, that means they were nowhere near Shinjuku, so it was a bit of a trek to get there, which is why we’d never been before. Ultimately, it was probably worth the trip.
Our first stop was Universal Bakes and Cafe. We got there right after opening on a Saturday to ensure we got a seat – information online seemed a bit vague about just how big it was. I can now report that there are only six seats indoors (a table of four and a table of two), and a few more outside.
We were there specifically to get a vegan curry pan, but there were none available. It seemed like a few dishes were unavailable still at that time – there was a sign behind the counter for French toast, but we were told it was too early for that too. There were lots of savoury items, mostly toasts with toppings, and a few sweet ones too but not many.
All three of us tried the chocolate raspberry muffins, which were excellent – nicely baked, a perfect top, and loads of chocolate. Mother HH actually felt it had too much chocolate and not enough fruit, but that’s not a complaint you would ever catch me making!
We also had a weekly special, the zaatar croissant. This was sublime! The croissant was so crisp and flaky, and the savoury seasoning was perfect. It looked like they had regular themes for the special – the week we visited it was UAE themed, hence the zaatar.
We got cafe lattes and a matcha latte, both were good. The matcha latte was nicely balanced, and whichever plant milk they used had a nice creaminess to it.
Dr HH did not want to give up on his long awaited curry pan just yet, so we made the short walk over to Universal Bakes 2, and found that it had more sweets…but also no curry pan. There was no indoor seating at this branch, but quite a bit outdoor, so if it’s good weather then you’re in luck. We got some donuts to take away and they were delicious.
Dr HH got the donut holes covered with kinako (roasted soy bean flour). He thought this worked really well in places of sugar. The donuts were still sweet but now with a bit of a roasted nutty taste on top of it. It’s always fun to try something totally different!
I could not resist the chocolate cookie donut. It was a bit crispier around the edges and denser than a regular donut, and the chocolate was absolutely delicious. I loved it! As someone with more of a sweet tooth, Universal Bakes 2 probably caters better to my tastes – but it was nice to have a proper sit down and drink at the main cafe too.
Maybe one day we’ll get to try the coveted curry pan. Is it too soon to start planning another trip?!
On our April trip to Tokyo, we finally visited some of the all-vegan bakeries that get rave reviews. Marbre Vegan is not only very popular, but also very easy to get to, as it’s in Shinjuku, which is where we always stay.
It’s a tiny cafe which was very busy when we visited one afternoon, with people queuing out the door at times (lots of people got takeaway – it’s right opposite Shinjuku Gyoen Garden, which is a good spot to sit and eat, but you do have to pay for entry). It was totally full inside, so we had to sit outside. There were quite a few cakes to choose from.
Mother HH definitely ordered the best items. She had a sakura smoothie, which was lovely and thick with a strong cherry flavour. She also got the strawberry tart, which was sensational. It had a lovely case and frangipane-style filling, with jam, cream, and plenty of strawberries all combining to perfection.
Dr HH and I got the strawberry cake, which is extremely popular amongst Happy Cow reviewers, and were underwhelmed. It was extremely light on strawberries, such that most bites did not include even a hint of strawberry flavour. The sponge was light but not really spongy in our opinion. Based on its popularity, perhaps this is just personal preference. On the plus size, the cream was lovely, and it was a decent sized slice.
I only ever drink matcha when I’m in Japan, so of course I had to indulge on this trip. The iced matcha latte was well balanced, and one of the better ones I had in our visit. Dr HH also enjoyed his cafe latte.
I wouldn’t try that strawberry cake again, but I’d definitely go back and try something else on the menu – preferably that strawberry tart!
I’ve only just cleared my backlog of eateries from my trip to Asia last summer, and now it’s time for another round of Japan posts! We’ve previously visited in July 2019 and July/August 2024. One of our dreams was to get back to Japan in spring – partly to see the cherry blossom, but also partly to see what it’s like to be in this country and not be absolutely dripping in sweat the whole time. It turns out to be a delight on both fronts!
We’re revisiting a lot of our favourite restaurants from last summer, but have found a few new places to try as well. Vegan Sushi Tokyo had just opened last time we visited and was so new that there weren’t many reviews up yet, meaning we prioritised more established spots. But the glowing reviews have been pouring in since then, so it was an easy addition to our itinerary this time around.
Reservations are required for this place, and it is very easy to make a booking online. It’s a small place, with a few tables and a bar, which is where we were seated. You place your order using a QR code on your phone, and pay online while ordering. There is only one food option – a ten piece sushi set served with miso soup and pickled ginger – so the only decisions you need to make are what drinks to get and whether or not you want a dessert. Because it’s a set menu, the food arrives pretty quickly.
Miso soup is rarely impressive to me, and sure enough I found this one nice but not astounding. It did have a strong miso flavour, and I enjoyed the spongy bits of tofu, but it was never going to be the star of the show.
Happily, the sushi was wonderful! The server left us a paper menu so that we could check the description of each piece as we ate, which I certainly appreciated.
The tuna mayo and salmon roe piece was one of our favourites. We worried it would be too mayo- heavy, but it wasn’t at all. It had a good taste of the sea and a really pleasant texture. Mother HH (who joined us on this trip) is not vegan and regularly eats tuna, and even she was wowed by this one.
Alas, the scrambled egg was not a hit with any of us. This one did mostly taste of mayo, and there was no eggy flavour at all, even though that is very easy to achieve with black salt. We were also expecting more texture, but it was very soft and wet. Maybe it depends on how you preferred scrambled eggs? This one appears very popular in the Happy Cow reviews, so perhaps it’s just us who were underwhelmed.
The eggplant was well cooked so it was soft and melting away, and the ginger and soy seasoning was nice.
I thought the avocado would be quite dull, as I am consistently bored by restaurants offering avocado maki as their only vegan option. But this was delightful! The seasoning really elevated it, and I wish all those uninspired restaurants would learn from this.
Conversely, the tempura did not quite live up to our (admittedly very high) expectations. The coating on the shrimp was good and crispy, but the shrimp itself didn’t have the rubbery texture I expect, nor much flavour, which is a shame. Mother HH did enjoy this one quite a bit more than me though.
The tofu and yam had a really nice texture, while the shiitake was full of earthy flavours. It was really simple and effective, cooked to perfection.
I didn’t expect to enjoy the Japanese ginger, but it was sensational – sharp from pickling and extremely tasty. I thought that much ginger would be too much for me, but far from it!
The vegan meat was flavoursome and had a good texture. It was seasoned with something rather mysteriously referred to as “original sauce”. I’d love to know a bit more!
And finally, the king oyster mushroom was another juicy piece of flavoursome mushroom, this time elevated with an incredible yuzu and black pepper sauce. So delicious!
All in all, this was a really incredible set of sushi with some wonderful flavours and textures. Even the couple that didn’t dazzle me we’re still fun to try. You have the option to order refills of specific pieces, but we all resisted in order to leave room for dessert.
The dessert options are donuts, ice cream, or doroyaki pancakes. All three of us went for the latter, for the novelty factor. Also I attempted to make doroyaki pancakes last year with quite mixed results, so I was keen to see how they should turn out! The pancakes were sweet and light. The red bean paste that sandwiched them together was sweet but overall resulted in quite a dry dish. I would recommend paying extra for a scoop of ice cream on top, I imagine that would bring it all together perfectly.
All three of us were totally delighted with this meal. Service was friendly and easy to navigate as an English speaker. The atmosphere and decor were really pleasant too. In a journey full of excellent food, this was one of the real highlights.
And for a non-culinary highlight, here’s some of that cherry blossom that lured us in! We arrived slightly later than desirable, so most of the blossom was already quite pale, but it was still beautiful, especially in Shinjuku Gyoen Garden.
Herbivores' Heaven 