We’ve been having fun discovering vegan restaurants in Nagoya since we moved here about a month ago.
But there was one place that we were excited about RE-visiting.
It’s Toraya Vegetiger Second Room, located at Shinsakae.
It’s a vegan restaurant managed by a wonderful couple, a Japanese wife and an Australian husband.
We visited the restaurant a few years ago during our winter vacation in Japan, and we really liked it, both the food and the people.
It’s a small restaurant, so I recommend making a reservation especially on weekends.
This is me, having a hard time deciding what to order because there are so many things I want to try.
I’ll show you some pages from the menu so that you will understand.
The menu has expanded so much since the last time we were here.
My husband ordered Tiger Plate.
It’s a beautiful plate packed with various well-prepared components.
He said it was super flavorful and loved it.
After contemplating for I-don’t-know-how-long, I decided to try Toraya Vegan Thali.
It was absolutely amazing!
The South Indian style curry was rich and super flavorful, and the other small dishes that came with it were all great too.
Especially the vegan meatballs were exceptional! (I would love to purchase these meatballs, like dozens, and keep them in my freezer (lol).)
We were already talking about coming back even before we left the table (lol).
I want to try one of the noodles next time, but I may have to have the same thing because it was so good.
The decision will be difficult again for sure…
It was a beautiful day yesterday, and after lunch we decided to stroll on the street and hope to find a little snack.
Before finding a snack, we spotted this Japanese tea shop.
As soon as we entered the shop, we were greeted by a couple with a great smile.
While we were browsing the store, the lady invited us to try a cup of tea at the counter.
It smelled wonderful, and we couldn’t resist.
It was strong and delicious.
They told us the leaves were from Shizuoka.
The gentleman told us some interesting stories about the current tea situation (e.g., high demand for Matcha overseas; Asian tourists are now purchasing high-quality Matcha in Japan; when you grind Matcha the traditional way, you can only produce 40g in one hour, etc.).
We also learned that tea leaves are grown in not only certain areas, like Shizuoka and Kyoto, but in many regions of Japan, such as Kyushu.
They generously made another cup of tea for us, this time the one from Kyushu.
The tea was so good that we purchased the leaves.
The package has this warm colors and is perfect for this season.
I’ve never been treated this warmly at any tea shop before.
The couple really made us feel comfortable and want to come back again.
Shinrakuen 新楽園 - They have several locations in Aichi. We visited their main store at Chikusa.
After leaving the tea shop, we became serious about finding our after-lunch sweets.
I did a little google search, we headed to this shop called Fukudaya.
Since a lot of reviewers on Google talked about their Oni-Manju (photo above/right), I was happy to find that they still had a few left.
Oni (demon) Manju originated in Nagoya.
It’s a steamed dough with Satsumaimo sweet potato cubes.
I had Oni Manju many times before, but theirs was definitely the best!
The dough had wonderful texture, not too chewy (I always thought Oni Manju had to have the chewiness, but surprisingly, I liked the not-so-chewy-version better), and the sweetness was perfect.
The Black Sugar steamed cake (my husband’s pick) was also delicious.
It was soft, moist, and had a rich flavor.
By the way, the handsome gentleman in the back (I asked him to be in the photo) is the fifth generation of the family business.
He told us that he actually went to school with the son of the tea shop!
They both became school teachers, but he decided to quit teaching and take over the family business.
He shared a lot of interesting stories about the history of the shop and the neighborhood.
He was so knowledgeable (he said he used to be a Social Studies teacher).
He showed us some tools that they’ve been using to make various sweets, and he told us that many of the tools made by skilled workers from over 100 years ago are better quality than the recent ones.
He also gave us a map of Nagoya of the time when the shop started, 130 years ago.
So cool!!
I cannot find their website, but if you are in this area, you should stop by.
Definitely try their Oni Manju, and if you are lucky, you may be able to chat with the owner family.
Wait!
I have a better idea.
Plan an afternoon at Shinsakae.
Start lunch at Toraya Vegekitchen Second Room, then stroll on Iitda Kaido street, stop at Shinrakuen to learn about and buy quality Japanese tea, and then go to Fukudaya for Oni Manju.
The Iida Kaido street may seem quiet at first glance (it’s not like Sakae or Osu), but there are some cute small shops here and there, like this flower shop.
So take your time and explore.
You may discover some treasure!
