Brown Rice Tokyo – organic and vegan restaurant in Omotesando

Brown Rice Tokyo is an organic and vegan restaurant which features the tradition of Japanese home cooking. All the food is said to be homemade, using (whenever possible) ingredients grown using pesticide-free and organic farming methods. On this trip to Tokyo we had hoped to experience some of the healthy restaurants in the city. Brown Rice Omotesando was the one that we were most excited to visit.

Stylish Vegan Restaurant in Tokyo

This restaurant has a very comprehensive website describing its concept, ingredients used, the farmers that supply rice and vegetables, the restaurant space and even the tableware.

Omotesando is a busy Metro station in the heart of Tokyo and surrounded by lots of restaurants such as French restaurant Benoit which we had written about previously. Brown Rice is located a minute’s walk from Omotesando station. But it is in a quiet lane off the main thoroughfare. A quiet oasis of calm to hide from the crowds.

The restaurant is spread over two levels. The main entrance, kitchen and a cosy indoor dining space (picture above) are on the upper level and an outdoor courtyard is on a lower level. Connected to the restaurant on the lower level is Neal’s Yard Green Square.

The pleasant dining atmosphere was perfectly suited to the healthy living emphasis of the restaurant. A few small ornaments such as this tiny vase provided highlights but nothing ostentatious.

Brown Rice Tokyo Menu

Here are pictures of the menu on the day of our visit. In addition to a short a la carte menu there was an Organic Weekend & Holiday Lunch menu which had three options. We chose the Bamboo Basket Steamed Vegetable Set (¥3,000) and the Seasonal Vegetable Curry and Rice (¥2,700). I believe the difference between the weekday and weekend menu versions is that the latter has an additional appetiser and a price increase of ¥400.

Brown Rice Bamboo Basket Steamed Vegetable Set

Our lunch at Brown Rice restaurant started with a small appetiser. It was a lightly flavoured cup of beans and small pieces of vegetables.

The Bamboo Basket Steamed Vegetable Set features Brown Rice’ｓspeciality dish which has more than ten different seasonal vegetables steamed in a bamboo steamer.  Some homemade dipping sauces, brown rice, miso soup and Japanese pickles complete the meal.

The highlight of this set was the quality of vegetables. Japanese fruits and vegetables are known for their quality and excellent flavours. This basket of vegetables was a good mix – both visually and in taste. Each had its own distinctive taste. All that was needed was a slight dip into one of the sauces to enhance it.

Seasonal Vegetable Curry and Rice at Brown Rice Tokyo

The main reason we chose this dish was the background aroma of curry when we stepped into the restaurant. And it did not disappoint. Japanese curry is quite different from regular curries not only in the low level of “heat” but also in the blend of spices used. At Brown Rice Tokyo, it was very fragrant but not spicy hot at all. The slow cooked vegetable curry was made with slow cooked onions and tomatoes to bring out their sweetness. A few pieces of fried seasonal vegetables topped the dish. It was served with a side dish of fresh salad.

Overall it was one of our rare visits to a vegan restaurant in Tokyo (or elsewhere for that matter). It was most enjoyable to savour the tastes of the food presented. There were no allergies, calories, preservatives or other types of guilt to worry about. Service was elegant and friendly.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 5
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

Brown Rice Restaurant
5 Chome-1-8 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
(1 minute walk from Tokyo Metro Omotesando Station A1 exit)

Opening hours: 11:30 – 18:00 (Last Order 17:00 / Drinks＆Desserts 17:30)
Closed: the first Tuesday of every month

Website