Soshoku Café ren Shijo Omiya shop

The other day, I (columnist) and a friend made our first visit to a restaurant near our homes that we had been eyeing for some time.
That is the Soshoku Café ren Shijo Omiya shop, a Taiwanese-style vegetarian restaurant.
The restaurant is located just after turning at the first narrow street about 300 meters walking straight west from Hankyu Shijo-Omiya Station.

Entrance to the restaurant of “Soshoku Café ren”

The restaurant is located in a quiet residential area with a collection of small houses that could be called a back alley.
The restaurant itself was opened in a renovated townhouse.
At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary townhouse, but a wooden plaque hangs by the entrance.

The wooden plaque

Well, when I opened the door and stepped inside, the cozy restaurant was packed with customers.

Inside the restaurant

Upon seeing us, the female waitress immediately said smilingly, “You must be the XXXX person who made the reservation?
I was glad I had made the reservation.

After setting into our seats and discussing the menu with each other, I (columnist) ordered the “Today’s vegetarian set meal” and my friend ordered the “Yakuzen Curry.”

Here is a brief description of the Taiwanese-style vegetarian cuisine offered by this “Soshoku Café ren Shijo Omiya shop.”

Taiwan, along with India, is said to be the two largest producers of vegetarian food among those in the know.
This “Soshoku Café ren” is also run by an owner from Taiwan, and currently has one store in Wakayama and three in Kyoto.
The restaurant’s motto is to serve vegetarian food without any animal products (meat, fish, eggs, milk).
Another feature is the absence of five pungent vegetables (onion, leek, green onion, rakkyo, chives, etc.).

The absence of these five pungent and garlic (gokun) vegetables strictly distinguishes it from vegan cuisine.
In this regard, the official name is most appropriately “su si,” a Chinese word meaning vegetarian food.

Well, the preface was somewhat long, but this is the dish that was brought before us as we waited with curiosity.

Today’s vegetarian set meal

　　
　Today’s vegetarian set meal: 1,600 yen

Yakuzen Curry

　Yakuzen Curry: 1500 yen

Yakuzen Curry is accompanied with salad.

The vegetarian set meal I ordered included two main dishes, five small potted dishes, brown rice with black rice, and medicinal soup.
The colorful arrangement of the rice stacks can be said to be a feast for the eyes.

I immediately put my chopsticks to the brown rich with black rice and found that crunchy texture of the rice was pleasant and full of flavor.

The brown rice

The next main side dish is fried soy meat isobe. Soy meat is a food made from soybeans used as a substitute for meat and fish.
Mugwort, lotus root, and fu are mixed together in this fried isobe.
The bite of the soy meat was not much different from that of real fish, and the bitterness of the wormwood fried with it enhanced the delicious taste.

Fried isobe

One of the side dishes, deep-fried eggplant and thick fried bean curd, is also dressed with ginger soy sauce, which is a nice touch.

Eggplant and thick fried bean curd

In addition, another small bowl of pumpkin tempura spread a sweet taste in my mouth, which was also very satisfying.
According to the explanation on the website of “Soshoku Café ren,” all vegetables used at the restaurant are naturally grown without pesticides or fertilizers in Wakayama and Kyoto.

Pumpkin Tempura

And of special note is the medicinal soup.

Photo of the medicinal soup

The soup is said to be made by slowly simmering more than 15 types of Chinese herbs for two hours.
The soup had a faint aroma unique to Chinese herbs when I took a sip, and although the taste was light, the gentle mouthfeel was exceptional and made me want another bowl.
It has a detoxifying effect and is good for cold, swelling, and irritability.

Well, my friend, who ordered the yakuzen curry on the other hand, as soon as he put a spoonful of the curry in his mouth, his face broke into a smile and he exclaimed, “This curry is delicious!”
He also recommended to the columnist, “Why don’t you try a sip of it?” So I poured a little bit of it on my brown rice, and sure enough, it was delicious.
It seemed to be made by simmering curry ingredients in a base of medicinal soup.
The finished product is as silky as a Thai curry.
Most of the ingredients are blended into the soup.
But my friend spooned it up and said, “What is it?” This, as I found out later, was a soy meat belly.

A space where you can relax and feel at home

As we each ate, we looked around the restaurant and saw that there were 15 customers in total, including two of us.
The ratio of men and women is 50-50, and the majority of the customers were in their 30s and up.
And half of the customers were foreigners.
The restaurant is furnished with four wooden tables and one L-shaped counter along the wall.

Inside the shop

The slightly dimmed lighting in the restaurant gives it a dark, indescribably relaxing atmosphere that is very pleasing to the eyes. Some customers were eating medicinal hot pot, some were eating gyoza set meal, and some were ordering pressed sushi with vegetarian eel.

Full lineup of dessert sweets

Well, after we had finished our meal, one of us said to the other, “I want something sweet, too”. So, we asked them to bring us the dessert menu.

The store offers four daily cakes, as well as a selection of ice cream and okara doughnuts.

Cakes of the day included a walnut and tofu gateau chocolat and a whole wheat cocoa cake with burdock and apple.

Cake menu board

After much deliberation, the columnist ordered the “Walnut and Tofu Gateau Chocolat” and my friend ordered the “Tofu and Cashew Nut Cheesecake” respectively.

So, the cake in the following picture was brought to us.

Gateau Chocolat

Walnut and tofu gateau chocolat 800 yen

Tofu and cashew nut cheesecake

Tofu and cashew nut cheesecake 800 yen

The cakes can also be taken out for 600 yen each. (If you eat at the restaurant, the cakes are served with fruit, which probably adds 200 yen to the price.)
The gateau chocolat that columnist ate was so satisfying that it was hard to believe that tofu was used as an ingredient.
The dough was moist and smooth, and the bitterness characteristics of gateau chocolat could be felt, so much so that it seemed to fill one stomach on its own.
Also, the plate of cakes with plenty of fruit is very lovely and is characterized by the impression that it will be appreciated by women.

The store also has a merchandising corner.

There is also a merchandising area in the back right corner of the store.
The store also offers large bags of soy meat used in the restaurant, seasonings such as soy sauce and miso, curry roux, ramen noodles, and more.

Photo of the merchandising corner

My friend who was browsing in the sales area saw a large bag of soy meat and exclaimed, “That’s soy meat belly in the curry!”

In addition, there is a line of vegan cookies by the cash register.
There are not many varieties, but they are suitable for a quick takeaway.

Cookies

The conclusion

That is all. I introduced the appearance of “Soshoku Café ren Shijo Omiya shop” and dishes offered there, and the brief description of my impression there is it is “worth visiting.”
In fact, my friend who went with me said many times, “It was delicious. I was full.” And the columnist also thought, “I found a good restaurant near my house.”
The restaurant has a wide selection of menu items and can accommodate both those who want to eat with gusto and those who want to fill their stomachs.
At the same time, it can be used as a café as it offers coffee, juice, and sweets.
It is probably quite a user-friendly restaurant.

I saw several people using it alone.
I don’ t think you will feel intimidated if you go in alone as a woman.

However, it is very popular, so if you visit without making a reservation, you will probably be kept waiting outside.

Now, I would like to add my final thought as a realization, though it is a bit of a meander.

As I found from the reviews of this restaurant, the prices of the food have been repeatedly increased in a short period of time, and it is a venerable situation.
The “Today’s vegetarian set meal” that the columnist had was also up 370 yen from the price listed in a review six months ago.
It’s not only for set meals.
My friend’s Yakuzen curry and all of the cakes have gone up in price, one after another.

This can no longer be attributed solely to recent high prices.
It could be said that many of the causes are nothing more than the popularity among foreign tourists.

I recommend that you be aware in advance of this aspect of the “Soshoku Café ren”, where prices continue to rise without a ceiling in anticipation of foreign tourists.