Komeda is □ Higashiginza

July 20, 2020 Ginza

Vegan Menu

Komeda Coffee is one of the big chain restaurants in Japan and famous for its big volume dishes!

I’ve always wanted to visit (and a few years passed since then) but could n’t have a chance or an excuse to visit.

Then, finally, I had a great chance to visit this time!

Plant-based Cafe of Komeda Coffee opened in Higashiginza!

The name of the cafe isKOMEDA is □.

Not only vegan dishes they offer but also reused materials are used for the walls, floor and lamp inside the cafe!

I’d like to introduce the details of the cafe here!

Characteristcs of KOMEDA is □ Higashiginza

Plant-based Vegan Menu

Most biggest characteristics of the cafe is all the dishes are plant-based

Not only meats and fishes but also eggs and dairy products are not used in the menu.

It looked like meat or whipped cream of milk but they are made from vegetables such as soybeans or rice.

Made of Reused and Recyled Materials

Not only the menu but global environment and ecology they pay attention .

The wall next to the cashier is made from volcanic ashes and coffee beans which are already used.

The lumps hung from the ceiling are glasses to be thrown away but made into pendant lights.

Even the floor is made using unused glass bottles which were unnecce.

I felt the decoration inside of the cafe is very nice but I did not know that they are made from reused and recycled materials, so I was surprised after knowing it!

It was the cafe made with cares for global and ecology as well as vegan dishes.

Origin of the Name

Name of the cafe is KOMEDA is □.

It has □ at the end.

What’s the meaning of this □?, I thought first but I knew that it was the meaning of “What word do you wanna put if asked?”.

It might be a relaxing place, place to enjoy vegan food or place to think about global and ecology.
It depends on the person!

Creating new attractions to put into this □ more, this is the concept of KOMEDA is □.

By the way, the origin of Komeda Coffee is from a job of the founder Taro Kato who run rice shop in those days.

Rice is Kome in Japanese.

Although there was no menu made of rice as long as I checked for Komeda Coffee, I found this KOMEDA is □ the one.

Here, the main dishes are made from vegetables and rice.

You can also enjoy pancakes made from rice!

Came to KOMEDA is □!

I rarely come to Ginza but I came this time just for the purpose of “visiting KOMEDA is □”!

It is about 2 minutes from the Higashiginza station.
If you use Yurakucho station, 15 minutes on foot and I came here from Yurakucho station this time.

The cafe is on the 1st floor of this GINZA SHOCHIKU SQUARE building

Entering the building to find KOMEDA is □!

It was just 2 days after the opening, so I could see flowers for the celebration in front.

I enter the cafe!

Inside was spacious and there are some seats available from table to counter seats as I came here at 15:00 avoiding lunchtime.

Seats of the cafe is 68 in total.

Staffs are polite and kind.
When I asked to make sure for photo shooging for this website, she told me

“Thank you very much, have any seats available”

So, I took a table seat by the window as it is not crowded now.

I see, the order is made by this tablet, isn’t it!

Atmosphere Inside

Anyway, it’s very relaxing here.

It might have been good to carry my laptop PC and write this article here.

As I introduced first, floor, wall and lamp are made using reused and recycled materials.

I was watching the lamps, feeling like it was like a small universe and these lamps were originally made from glasses produced in the process of creating blown glasses but to be thrown away.

Without throwing away, they made them into pendant lights.

I could see artificial trees made using scrap woods near the entrance.
They said the scrap woods were originally used as a transport pallet.

Ferns are also hanging from the ceiling.

Mr. Shirai, President of Komeda Coffee, says the decoration of this place is from an image of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

I’ve just watched Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind about a week ago at a movie theater!!
It’s a coincidence but somehow this kind of coincidence happens frequently recently, so I feel like getting used to it and I’m glad that.

Mr. Usui had an interest in an environmental issues and also attended Vegan Conference held in Japan.
So, that was the start to open this cafe, wasn’t it!

Counter seats are good, too!
Looks like a bar counter table!

Various Types of Plant-based Vegan Menu!!

I choose dishes with a tablet!

Food Menu was separated into some items such as Beppin Burger, Koiki na Sand, Wabi Sabi Toast, etc.

Soy cream penne casserole and chunk stew in red wine sauce of Gattusi (Substantial) Meal looked like popular that all sold out now.

I can still order soy meat bolognese and soy cream pasta of Karada Yokorokobu (Make your body happy) Pasta.
Soybeans are the main ingredients for both pasta, aren’t they!

Wabi Sabi Toast is an ordinary bread, isn’t it.
But the toast of Komeda Coffee has a good reputation, so I’m curious.

By the way, Where is Wabi Sabi?
Maybe ogura and matcha toast in the middle.

Beppin (Beauty) Burger has a various type burgers such as abocado, miso, wasabi, etc.
Aboteri (Avocado and Teriyaki) stands out in a bigger picture than others, so maybe popular one.

Dessert has two types, Kome pancake and soy sweets.

Kome pancakes are all made from rice.
I’m curious!

Soy Sweets has homemade coffee jelly, citron tart, four types of nuts tart, etc.
Sweets made of soybeans!

I’m also curious about the coffee.
First of all, the name is Komeda Coffee, so coffee is the home ground of Komeda Coffee, so it must be great coffee.

Order Vegan Dishes!

I was torn to choose as there were various kinds of dishes.

I had a vegan burger at the MOS Burger a few weeks ago but am not feeling like to have pasta now, so decided to go for a hamburger after all.

Usually, I choose a hamburger of avocado as I like it and it stands out on the menu but it is too ordinary, so decided not.

Miso or Wasabi look interesting!

I was attracted by Wasabi that decided to order hamburger of Taru Taru (Tartar sauce) Wasabi after all.

The price is about $10.5(1140 yen) including tax.

Using the tablet, I found that I could choose how to cut.
Half or quartering.
Without cutting is also OK.

This is very kind, especially for me as I am not good at eating a big size hamburger.
Although I chose without a cut this time.

Let me see, ok, I’ll order a coffee, too.
Among several types of coffee, siphon brewing style coffee is for about $7.5 (800 yen)!

Surprising price even Starbucks will get a shock !! Σ(ﾟДﾟ)

But I’m curious about it and it is a good opportunity so I order this siphon brewing style coffeeKome Kuro.

Waited for a while and here the coffee came.

“Shall I pour coffee?”
The waiter asked.

So I say “Yes, please” this time.

This is Siphon, isn’t it.
It is a rare chance to have a siphon brewing style coffee.

I also like the cup, it makes the coffee more attractive.

Taru Taru (Tartar sauce) wasabi Burger

For the food, the waiter first told me

“It might take about 30 minutes now and is it OK?”

But the dish came actually in about 15 minutes.

Looks good!

From the top, ingredients are Tartarsauce, tomato, patty, nori (dried seaweed), cabbage.

Itadakimasu!

Patty is made of soybeans and fried!
The texture is close to a fried cutlet.
This patty itself is already flavored with a sort of Japanese seasonings and tasty.

Tasted a little bit of wasabi flavor and that light spiciness becomes a good accent.

The sourness of Tartarsauce goes well with the fried patty and tomato!

And the buns are fluffy and thicker than usual buns of burgers.
They had a light sweetness and tasted good.

Cut opened to find that each ingredient is thick.

So, I became close to full after having the dish.

Oh, and I can not forget about this fried potato!
Crispy outside and hot inside, it was very tasty fried potato!

Like the fried rice made by a master of ramen shop, sometimes fried potato which comes with a burger almost eats the role of the main dish!

Kome Kuro

I don’t have enough knowledge about coffee and do not know the subtle differences among them, actually.

Still, this siphon coffee tasted good!

I could enjoy rich taste coffee had.
It was full-bodied and had a straight bitterness but clear taste at the same time.

High-grade beans of Brazil and beans of Kilimanjaro are used, they say.

Brewing by siphon makes the taste of coffee clear and mild, they say.

Privately, I recommend you a black coffee but if you like sweet one there is a sugar pot on the table.

Checking it and found that it was not an ordinary sugar but beet sugar (or cane sugar).

They pay attention even to its sugar!

Homemade Coffee Jelly

I’ve almost full so I was torn if I should order or not to the end.

If I had a space in my stomach, I wanted to have a pancake of rice flour but no space for it at all
But feel like jelly is OK although looks a bit big size.

So I ordered this Homemade Coffee Jelly
Ther price is about $6 (680 yen) including tax

“Is this also all made of the plants?”
I asked.

“Yes, it is made of only plants, whipped cream is from soybeans and beet sugar is used for the sweetness.
She replied

Usually, you need to use gelatin which is taken from the pigs to make jellies but this is made from plants only that no gelatin included, doesn’t it.

I tasted whipped cream on the top and it was just light!!!
Far lighter and softer than those made of daily products.

And gentle, mild sweetness, it tasted very good!

Jellies below the whipped cream are also different.
I imagined an ordinary jelly before eating but the texture was different than ordinary jelly.

How can I put it, like al dente of pasta, it has a texture.
I see, this is homemade.

Without bitterness, it was a jelly you can enjoy the sweetness and homemade texture.

It was good I could find cut bananas on the bottom,
It was not just a part but many cut bananas.

It was a substantial coffee jelly and made me full but I was very satisfied with it!

Summary of KOMEDA is □ Higashiginza

I was first surprised as I couldn’t find a connection between Komeda Coffee and vegan.

But the president Mr. Usui had an interest in environmental issues and vegan, hadn’t he.

Vegan or vegetarian is still not popular here in Japan but is spreading little by little especially among the young generation.

The number of famous people and influencers as well as big companies like Family Mart, MOS Burger, CoCo Ichibanya and this Komeda Coffee shifting to a vegan diet has been increasing recently.

They have a big impact, I think.

Not only technology such as AI but our diet also reaches its turning point in history, I feel.

I’m very glad if Food Diversity is accepted more here in Japan, too!

In the meaning of it, opening of KOMEDA is □ is a great news!
I’d like to visit the cafe once again if I have a chance to go to Ginza area!

Google Map of Komeda is □ Higashiginza