Umenohana Kichijoji Tokyo : Charming Yuba and Tofu Kaiseki Restaurant

Umenohana Kichijoji (i梅の花 吉祥寺店) in a quiet part of Tokyo was the most memorable restaurant of our recent trip. With an emphasis on traditional ingredients such as yuba and tofu, it offers a healthy kaiseki lunch course that exceeded our expectations in terms of taste and creativity.

Tofu Lunch in Kichijoji, Tokyo’s Most Desirable Neighbourhood

Kichijōji (吉祥寺) is a neighbourhood in Western Tokyo. According to Wikipedia, this location has been voted the number one place in Japan that the Japanese would like to live in every year since the 1990s. Based on our short visit, we can understand why. It is a small town that has quiet, pleasant suburban vibes, yet only a 30 minute subway from busy Central Tokyo. In fact, once we get used to navigating the Chūō Line express (Rapid) lines, the ride would be even shorter.

Tokyu Department Store in Kichijoji Tokyo

Most of the commercial activity in this town is clustered around the Kichijōji Station. There are lots of shops, restaurants and a few department stores. There is a covered street known as Sun Road linking the station to areas nearby. There are also attractions within walking distance such as Studio Ghibli, Inokashira Park and Inokashira Park Zoo.

We wandered from the station to the Tokyu Department Store which was about a 10 minute walk away. We were on a search for healthy food options while visiting this less touristy part of Tokyo and the famous tofu restaurant on level 9 is said to be one of the best in the city.

Umenohana Kichijoji Tokyo

The Tokyu Department Store has a laid back atmosphere. Like many malls in Tokyo, it has a main dining floor where restaurants are concentrated. Together with several other restaurants, yuba and tofu restaurant Umenohana Kichijoji is located on the 9th floor. We were quite amazed once we walked through the door. We felt like we had entered a restaurant in a traditional Japanese house rather than a mall restaurant.

The restaurant takes up a large space and most of the dining is done in private rooms of different sizes and configuration. Here are some pictures of the rooms we passed by along the corridors.

This is one of the larger dining rooms that we saw.

Umenohana Kichijoji Menu

Umenohana Kichijoji is primarily a kaiseki restaurant and so there are a series of kaiseki course menus to choose from. Some of these have to be reserved so it is advisable to make a reservation in advance. On weekdays, a few lighter lunch courses are available. You can view the menus on the restaurant website (link below). We picked the Irodori lunch (3,200 yen per person). Fortunately, they had an English menu for us to study the various items served in this menu.

A good kaiseki meal would not be complete without some sake. This is a picture of the Umenohana sake menu.

In addition to the course menus there were some seasonal items available. We decided to try the grilled swordfish sushi (800 yen).

Tofu Restaurant Lunch at Kichijoji Tokyo

The meal comprised mulitple dishes. They were served in groups, started with small dishes including a chawanmushi and tofu and yuba (tofu skin which is made collecting the film that forms on the surface of simmering soy milk). Everything was light and delightful. The chawanmushi in particular was most memorable for its smoothness and depth of flavour.

Next were some larger items that were served singly. The picture above is the famous tofu shumai (siew mai). All of these were very good.

Next to arrive was the grilled swordfish sushi. It worked as intended to break the flow of tofu items. But it was not our favourite item as the fish was mildly fishy.

A large pot with tofu was placed on the induction stove on the table. We cooked it till boiling point and tasted it. Despite its pale plain looks, it was very enjoyable. We liked its clean taste and could have easily eaten another serving.

Finally, the serving of rice, pickles and miso signalled the end of the meal. Some dessert items put the finishing touch to the meal. After our experience here and at Brown Rice Omotesando, it seems like healthy food can be very delicious in Tokyo.

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

Umenohana Kichijoji
Address: 〒180-0004
Tokyu Department Store 9F, 2-3-1 Kichijoji Honmachi, Musashino City, Tokyo

Opening Hours:
Lunch 11:00-16:00 (L.O. 15:00)
Evening 17:00~22:00(L.O.20:30)

Website