Aloha, again. Hawaiian music and macrobiotic deli plates? How can I refuse?
Enter Island Veggie in Hiroo. With two floors of seating, you won’t have to worry about finding a seat despite the single females occupying whole tables alone. (Unknowingly, I did worry even though it was well past lunch rush at 2 o’clock.) Upon entering, I immediately placed my order at the front counter, waited for it to be prepared, grabbed a plastic cup of complimentary lemon-flavored water, and claimed a cozy bench seat in the front of the store. Mineee.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect despite having read great reviews for the place. After all, deli items are very much customized to the shop, cuisine and chef. Unsurprisingly, it was a pretty darn tasty meal.
The オススメ (recommended) deli items – vegan sloppy joe and lentil Cobb salad – were flavorful and enjoyable. Especially the former. For my third deli item, I chose the shredded carrot and seed salad, also quite good. One of my favorite parts was the brown rice, topped with black seeds, and accompanied by shredded carrots. My vision may just have improved after this carotene-rich meal. I also ordered a coffee – strong and aromatic – just my style.
In general, it was a good, filling meal in a calm environment with great background music. A pleasant afternoon rest. Would I recommend Island Veggie? Yes and no. For the amount delivered and going out of my way to get there, it was a bit too pricey. What is 1180 yen for a Tokyo lunch? Average. Yet I could do better. The food alone was tasty, which I suppose isn’t always the case in more expensive settings. So my suggestion is visit if you’re in the area and hungering for something new. Perhaps not if you’re hungering too much ;-P
Tokyo Doll 