Koaji

At lunchtime, Koaji offers a choice between a colourful set meal of small dishes and a daily curry plate. Both cost ¥1,000. Choose the set for a little of the day’s vegetables and fish, or make dashi-rich curry the centrepiece. The set changes daily and comes with soup made using stock drawn from ingredients such as fish bones, homemade pickles and miso, and a small dessert. Rice options include white rice, aged brown rice, mixed-grain rice and, on some days, rice cooked with other ingredients.

One diner describes opening a two-tiered serving box to find an array of small dishes, including sashimi, grilled food and dashimaki tamago, a Japanese rolled omelette. Another says each dish made with seasonal ingredients seemed carefully prepared. The contents vary by day, making the changing selection part of the appeal. A small dessert rounds out the meal: one diner recalls brown-sugar ice cream, while another remembers amazake. The set suits a lunch when you want to sample a range of side dishes in smaller portions.

The other daily option is a colourful spice curry served three ways, combining dashi curry with varieties such as white curry or keema. It comes with salad, a small dish, soup and a little dessert. The different flavours make for an enjoyable tasting plate; a diner who returned especially for the curry praised the way its complex flavours, including the dashi, came together. Lunch portions are limited, and reservations are recommended. On Saturdays, an assortment of rice balls is offered in place of the small-dish set. Check the day’s menu and opening schedule if you are hoping for something beyond the usual lunch choices.

In the evening, Koaji also offers its seasonal Koaji course, featuring 10 recommended dishes, as well as a course centred on Japanese sake. The board lists daily snacks, sashimi and creative dishes, offering a different selection from the lunchtime small plates for those looking to pair local sake with dinner.