cafe OWL

Choose your main and the rice to go with it. At cafe OWL, the daily Owl Lunch is a set plate with a choice of main dishes from 2 options and rice from 4 options. The menu lists soup, tofu, vegetable deli sides and a drink with the meal; it is limited to 20 servings and costs 1,670 yen. One day's plate featured fried yellowtail in grated-daikon sauce, alongside sake-lees soup and small sides. One diner chose a half-and-half serving of fox-style hijiki rice and five-grain rice, and described enjoying the springy fish and the variety of small dishes. If the daily special is what brings you here, consider arriving early.

For a more seafood-focused meal, consider Sakanaya Curry, made with a generous helping of seafood from the owner's family fish shop. The lunch costs 1,470 yen and comes with salad and a drink; rice is available as white rice, five-grain rice or seasonal rice. A diner who ordered the seafood curry mentioned squid, prawns and scallops among the toppings, and chose from white rice, five-grain rice or that month's rice.

For dessert or a break, choose a cake from the display case and make it a set. One diner enjoyed cheesecake with coffee and took another slice home. Hand-drip coffee is available hot or iced, making it an easy pairing whether cake is the main event or you're taking a breather after lunch.