I had a business trip to Mitaka and decided to make a reservation at this restaurant to meet my son who lives alone in Tokyo on the way back. My son surprisingly agreed and we were looking forward to it. However, the private room they advertised turned out to be a two-person table right next to another two-person table. The all-you-can-drink option for 1800 yen did not include beer, which was disappointing. Also, the last order was after only 60 minutes. My son arrived a bit late, but we had to start right on time according to the reservation. The food was decent in taste and portion, with the seared meat sushi being particularly delicious. However, the overall cost performance was not great, as the appetizer was 580 yen per person and they added an additional 10% service charge on top of the consumption tax. Despite some dissatisfaction, it was a fun experience for my son and me at our first sushi restaurant together. All in all, we made some good memories.

On a certain holiday afternoon in May 2019, I visited a creative izakaya in Shinjuku East Exit with my middle school daughter to have lunch. The restaurant is located on the third floor of a building in an area where many restaurants and bars are lined up near Shinjuku East Exit. The building also houses Ootoya on the second floor. The interior of the restaurant has a calm atmosphere with dim lighting. For lunch, you need to order and pay at the register when you enter the restaurant. Credit cards are accepted. The lunch menu ranges from 680 yen (excluding tax), and rice refills are free, which is a great deal. We ordered the "Karaage set" (680 yen), "Chicken Nanban set" (same), and "Ginger Pork set" (same) and shared them. The freshly fried karaage and chicken nanban were delicious, and the rice had a fluffy texture which was very satisfying. The restaurant's name is a bit confusing as the menu on the first floor of the building says "Rinzuki Yusen," while the receipt we received had the logos of "Gyoka" and "Enbu." As of the date of this review, there are pages for "Washoku Izakaya Rinzuki Shinjuku Branch" and "Gyoka Shinjuku East Exit Branch" on this food review website, which might cause some confusion.

[2018.11.23 Visit] Location: Located on the 3rd floor of a mixed-use building about a 3-minute walk from Shinjuku Station. Visited around 2 pm on a holiday. There were long lines at Ichiran on the 1st floor and Ootoya on the 2nd floor, so decided to go to this restaurant on the 3rd floor. The interior was quite dimly lit, as expected of an izakaya, and quite spacious. There was only one group waiting ahead of us, and we were seated after about a 5-minute wait. Payment is made before ordering. I ordered the Chicken Charcoal Grill Set for 680 yen (excluding tax). There are a total of 9 options on the menu, all priced at 680 yen, including Chicken Karaage Set, Seafood Bowl Set, Tonkatsu Set, and Mackerel Salt Grilled Set. Rice refills are free. The food was served in about 5 minutes, and it came with pickles, miso soup, and salad. The taste was average, but it was convenient to be able to dine in without much of a wait on a holiday lunchtime. Many customers were dining alone. Overall, it was a convenient restaurant. Thank you for the meal.

I started using Tabelog! First post, the restaurant near Shinjuku East Exit, Enbu, was delicious~ Let's gather there again next time~

The price is understandable for a small and dirty place like this in Shinjuku.

Lunch was under 1,000 yen with a good variety, so I was satisfied. The portion size was generous, so next time I might ask for a smaller portion. It was convenient that there were ashtrays available.

The portions were generous. It was okay to stay for a long time.

The food was just okay.

The dish that came out was lukewarm...

I was hungry and decided to have lunch here. It's quite common nowadays for izakayas to offer lunch menus. One of the good things about izakaya lunch menus is that they are quite affordable, making it easy on the salaryman's wallet. A set meal usually includes rice, miso soup, pickles, and a main dish, which is usually satisfying. The menu at this place caught my eye with a picture outside the restaurant offering rice, miso soup, and a main dish with free rice refills for ¥680. They also offer about 9 different main dishes, providing a good variety. Upon entering the building and going up to the 3rd floor, I arrived at a traditional Japanese-style restaurant. The atmosphere inside was a bit dark and the decor seemed a bit overwhelming with colorful fabrics on the walls. I paid at the counter before being seated, and then ordered the "charcoal-grilled local chicken" which looked like a picture of oil-drizzled chicken. The food took about 10 minutes to arrive. The meal consisted of rice, side dishes, miso soup, salad, and the main dish on a hot plate. The salad was drenched in dressing, and the cabbage seemed to be pre-cut and vacuum-packed, giving it an off taste. The spinach on the hot plate was watery and lacking in flavor. The chicken was cut into pieces and seemed to be cooked in old oil, giving it a greasy texture, with a heavy amount of mayonnaise on top. It turned out that the main dish was different from what was shown in the picture, as it was supposed to be chicken nanban but was served as charcoal-grilled local chicken. The main dish was oily and heavy, causing some stomach discomfort. The rice, however, was delicious.

I visited the restaurant Enbu, located about a 2-minute walk from Shinjuku East Exit. It has a calm atmosphere and private rooms. We started with a toast with beer, which was delicious. We enjoyed a Caesar salad with soft-boiled egg, followed by fresh salmon and tuna sashimi. The salmon was particularly delicious with its fatty texture. We also had crab shell gratin and butter-grilled scallops, both of which were tasty seafood dishes. I would like to visit again. Thank you for the meal.