Teishoku breakfast @ Shokudo Teishoku, Higashi-Shinjuku, Tokyo

It took me a long time brainstorm as to how my next post might be as there is alot of content to cover for Tokyo alone. Bot alas, I decided to keep to the old format of the blog and then post a "retrospective" article at the end. After all if the machine is not broken why fix it?

Starting the morning right

Anywho, fresh of the plane from KLIA I wanna immerse into the local culture as much as I can and no better way in doing so than going into a teishoku. A teishoku means "diner" or canteen" in Japanese and it is where most Tokyolites and probably most of Japan eat for affordable and filling meals. The one I went to is near the flat we rented for a week via AirBnB and it is a 4 min walk from the Higashi-Shinjuku Station. It is usually very simple but the decor is homely and welcoming. You really cannot miss it as if you know the Japanese symbols on the front, which is most cases, applicable to most eateries. Very helpful if you are not familiar with a locale, especially in a place that have very few expats. 

So many choices

How the place works is pretty simple and works like the diner in IKEA. You go to the display case and pick what you like, then pay at the end. Some things like soup and rice can only be ordered in the end and drinks are self service. There are actually alot of choices and I was so tempted to try them all. But as we just started our day and do not want to be so full that I become immobile, I stuck to 3 dishes and a cup of coffee. 

An average meal there would cost between ¥400 to ¥1000, depending on what you ordered. I picked out a beef and tofu dish with mung bean noodles, spring rolls and a bowl of pickled seaweed with cucumbers. My tray, which is the one above overall costs ¥750, excluding the coffee that was ¥100. The beef and tofu dish resembles the nyonya zhap chai casserole, which has sweet and savoury flavours to it. There was some nutty flavours, which I suspect comes from brown miso and sweet soy.  

Mr Spring Roll, here is your close up

The spring rolls were a surprise. It was filled with taro and mince meat. I am not so sure what mince it was but I suspect it to be either beef or pork. It was a good touch of contrasting textures but it was not as crispy as it looks. Perhaps it was out in the air for a bit too long. But for the price you get for this meal, you cannot really complain. The seaweed is an acquired taste. I generally liked it but if you are the kind of person that sushi rice sourness is you breaking point, best avoid this one. 

Also a thing to note, as the food are displayed in the open or in display trays, it can get cold. The one I went had microwaves so you can preheat the stuff you have ordered. 

The microwave point. The return hatch for the trays are just nearby.

The food in general is nice and simple. It has a homely taste and the rice is the short grain ones that fill you up easily. Avoiding the fried chicken wings was a sound strategy.  If you would ever come to Japan, do visit a teishoku to get a legit Japanese experience. You would not get avant garde cuisine, but simple home cooked style food probably cooked by someone's grandma that fuels this nation's corporate warriors. In fact, I noticed that this shop's workforce consists of elderly women. Be that as it may, I am impressed by their work rate despite their age. Just make sure to put the tray at the cleaning counter before leaving. 

As to where I had it, the address is as follows:

東新宿食堂 , 〒169-0072 Tōkyō-to, Shinjuku-ku, Ōkubo, 1 Chome−1−45.

Front of the house, Do remember the last 2 kanji symbols to identify a teishoku. 

And if you really cannot spot the place, here is the print screen from Google Maps.