Aroma: Great for the Japanese Kissaten Experience

A kissaten is the Japanese word for cafe, however it usually has the connotation of  an "old-school" cafe, one from the showa era (1926-1989). Sadly, these kissaten are slowly diminishing in numbers due to aging owners giving up their shop when they can not keep up with the work and maintenance. If you come across one, most often found in and around residential areas, you should definitely open the door and take a step back in time!

Exterior of Aroma Kissaten with the revolving light

Walking up to Aroma, I instantly knew it was a cafe open for business by the revolving light on their sign placed just outside the door. Inside, there are the typical signs of a kissaten; an elderly couple running the place, a customer smoking in the corner enjoying his coffee and paper, a television mounted on the wall for everyone to watch, red bench seats and a shelf of magazines and manga.

Interior of a typical kissaten

The menu at Aroma consisted of teishoku set meals where the mains were items such as yakizakana (grilled fish), yakisoba (stir fried noodles), fried egg, and tamagoyaki (omlette). There were also various sandwiches listed. You could order any of the items posted on the wall as well such as champon (ramen with a veggie stir fry topping), gyudon (beef rice bowl), curry udon and nabeyaki udon.

Today’s daily lunch was an omlette but I went for the yasai itame or veggie stir-fry (650¥, 20¥ cheaper with a smaller bowl of rice). Cabbage, onion, carrot, pork, bean sprouts and thinly sliced green pepper were simply stir fried. It wasn’t seasoned very much which is why the waitress brought some soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and chili flakes to season to one’s liking. First I tried it with just with soy sauce, and then added the worcestershire sauce which made it have a yakisoba flavour. The veggies were juicy and still had crunch. From the photo you can tell the egg was a bit overcooked, but it had a rather enjoyable crunchy edge. As I sat quietly eating my lunch a regular customer yells out to the owner "hey master, this yakisoba doesn't have much flavour!", to which the master replied "I'm looking out for your health!". I suppose this is why he doesn't put too much sauce and salt into his dishes.

Today's teishoku, yasai-itame

It was a teishoku, so naturally it came with soup. It was a red miso soup with lots of wakame (seaweed) and tofu for a bit more protein balance. It was a good bowl, again, not too salty and on the milder side of miso soups. For the rice, you can choose between a small and a large bowl, but I went for the smaller one; no wasting here! As a bonus it was nice that the meal came with a warm cup of green tea.

Overall I felt like my dish was something that anyone can make at home, but I didn’t come here for gourmet food. I like the simplicity and freshness (veggies were cut upon ordering).  The best part by far is the kissaten atmosphere.

This kissaten is not bustling so it's very relaxing. I could hear only the sound of news on tv, preparation of food (plates and chopping) and voices of the owner couple talking with their regular customers. I didn't feel rushed at all, which is how I like to eat my lunch.

Area: Nakamura-ku, about a 5 minute walk from Nakamuranisseki station 中村区、中村日赤駅
Restaurant: Aroma アロマ喫茶店
Map: https://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230113/23068039/dtlmap/