Recent Reviews
With the recent surge in prices and land values, lunch in the Tokyo Station area has become a standard ¥1,000 or more. In fact, I feel like there are many places that cost over ¥2,000. However, the reality is that wages haven't kept up with this inflation. Eating lunch that costs several thousand yen every day is tough. Amidst this, I heard about a set meal that could fill you up for ¥1,000, so I went to the basement 2nd floor food court of the old Otemachi Building. This Tama no Hikari Sake Brewery is a popular spot for its affordable lunch, serving as an izakaya (Japanese pub) at night. I ordered the Yamakake Natto Set for ¥960. As the name suggests, it's not just tuna, grated yam, and natto. It also comes with a raw egg, cold tofu, and a hearty miso soup. And, you can get a free large portion of rice. I can see why it's loved by the Marunouchi salarymen. ▽---------------------▽ ○Restaurant Name: Tama no Hikari Sake Brewery, Otemachi Building Yonemachi Branch ○Tabelog Rating: 3.46 (as of October 22, 2024) ○2-minute walk from Otemachi Station ○Budget: ¥1,000 per person ○Address: 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Otemachi Building B2F ○Business Hours: 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM / 4:30 PM - 9:30 PM ※Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays ※Lunch is cash only △---------------------△ 【Reservation Availability】 Reservations not accepted 【Crowdedness】 The restaurant was full at 11:45 AM on Wednesday, with a line of 5 people outside. I was able to get in after waiting about 5 minutes! The turnover seems to be quick. 【Recommended Usage Scenarios】 Solo, colleagues, friends 【Order】 ◆Yamakake Natto Set ¥960 ※Free large portion of rice
Located in the middle of the basement level 2 of the Otemachi Building. While Tama no Hikari is known for its izakaya atmosphere, they also offer delicious fish-based set meals during lunch. Even today, there was already a line by 11:30 am. Although it's a chain restaurant, this was my first time visiting. Looking at the menu outside, the most affordable options were the ginger pork for 930 yen and the hamburger for 950 yen. However, I couldn't bring myself to come to Tama no Hikari and not order fish. I was contemplating my options when I was asked for my order upon entering. Since I was already there, I decided to go for the grilled fish and tuna belly set for 1080 yen, thinking I might as well have some tuna belly. I was seated and the food arrived within a few minutes. The menu inside had detailed descriptions of the dishes. Apparently, the ginger pork and hamburger also came with tuna belly. The menu outside was a bit misleading. Looking around, I noticed that there were surprisingly many female customers. The grilled fish of the day was grilled yellowtail with teriyaki sauce. While many teriyaki dishes tend to be stewed, this one was properly grilled. I was worried that the yellowtail might be dry, but it was perfectly cooked with a good amount of fat and the skin was crispy. Yellowtail skin is often considered unappetizing, but this one was delicious. The tuna belly was also quite fatty. As expected from Tama no Hikari, the fish was excellent. The rice was already a bit on the larger side, and refills were available, but it was enough even without a refill. For some reason, they also included a raw egg, so I had some TKG (raw egg over rice) halfway through. I enjoyed it with the pickled vegetables. Payment for lunch is cash only.
I went back to [Place Name] on Friday after a long time, and the price had gone up, but the amount of tuna was so small, it was the worst. I had noticed it seemed to have gotten smaller, but compared to photos from 2020, it's so much less, and they've raised the price too. It's unbelievable. This is just not acceptable, even with inflation.
Sashimi Donburi at Otemachi Building Lunch on a weekday. I had lunch at the Otemachi Building, which is accessible by multiple subway lines. Of course, I went for seafood. After walking around the building, I decided on this restaurant in the center. The menu, as expected, featured a sashimi donburi for ¥1,250. It's a sashimi donburi, not a seafood donburi. There was a line to get in. I waited about 5 minutes before being seated. This restaurant also has many seats for solo diners, making it easy to enter. As soon as I sat down, the food arrived. It was quite a generous portion. There was tuna, salmon, octopus, bonito, egg, and a center piece of chutoro (medium fatty tuna). It also came with a small side dish. Rice can be ordered in a large portion for free. The ingredients were delicious. The chutoro was especially flavorful and I enjoyed it very much. Please note that this location only accepts cash for lunch. I was full and satisfied. Thank you for the meal!
I had the ¥1000 lunch set with the daily special. The Atka mackerel was delicious. It seems they close at 2:30 pm, so be sure to check the hours if you plan to have drinks.