meu nota
Supervisor / Recommender
General Incorporated Association Japan Halal Business Association Secretariat Public Relations / Director
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I am currently working as an editor. However, I experienced working as a cook in restrunts, hospitals, and catering industry. Looking back now, I was connected to the Idea of Hala, since then.
At one point, few decades ago, I worked in a cafeteria at an auction site. More than 60% of the visitors to the venue were foreigners, including many Muslims (There were mosque in the venue as well). I remember many people asked me about the food we serve, the types of meat and whether they are Hala qualified.
At a certain time, the cafeteria becomes lively like a festival. Because the Indian restaurant next door to the venue served food for free. Indian dish, such as biryani, curry and sweet drinks were served to the visitors. Over 100 foreigners dressed in red turbans, garabayas and folk costumes gathered in the cafeteria, and everyone had a great time surrounding the same table. Now I learned about Muslim culture, it was a fast-starting Iftar.
Also, I remember that many participants were only eating curry from the Indian restrunt, eventhough there were choices of other food. As I study about Halal, I learned that they did not chose to eat curry, but they did not have a choise. I personally think that they wanted to try some of the Japanese food, if they had a chose. I still regret that moment, when I could not do anything because of the lack of information. “Inconvenience” of food is quite different based on their cultural background, and therefore, I understand now, that it is crucial to create an environment where all people can enjoy delicious meal, regardless of their backgrounds.
In Japan, Halal food is still a minority. Many people from Muslim background visit Japan, but they fell enconvininet about it. Japan Halal Business Association advocates in the halal business: HAVO (Halal, Organic, Vegetarian, Allergy).
The idea is to aim to create products and services that many people can eat and use, regardless of their religion and various backgrounds.
Seeking for delicious, safe and secure meal is commonly shared through the nations. The time demand us to find new ways of living that transcend borders and religions. We hope that Halal will help eliminate food inconvenience and contribute to the harmony of the world where you can respect, coexist, and co-prosper with a more liberal idea to eating and enjoying food.
The concept is to provide vegan food that everyone can enjoy without “discrimination.”
Meunota is an international vegan cafe in Koenji. The restaurant’s menu is free of “meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products,” and is made only from fresh vegetables and plant-based ingredients such as grains. The food prepared by the owner, Mr. Ban, is healthy, stylish in appearance, and most importantly, delicious. Although you may not imagine it from the narrow entrance, the restaurant has a gentle American country-style atmosphere, where you can enjoy a relaxing meal away from the hustle and bustle of Koenji. Recommendation is the “one-plate lunch,” served colorfully on a single large plate.
Although there are not many dishes on the lunch menu, they are all generous in volume and beautifully presented. This is the “Veggie & Grain Deli Plate,” a standard lunch menu.
Plenty of side dishes are arranged around a bowl of fluffy brown rice. On this particular day, there were fried burdock root, sweet potato and shishito pepper, carrot and cumin namul, homemade tofu, yuzu and turnip pickles, sprouts, salad, and more than 20 different vegetables at a quick count. For soup, I chose the mushroom potage. It was very rich with the flavor of mushrooms, which I could not believe was only plant-based.
This is the “Vegan Meal” which comes with two types of curry.
Brown rice, South Indian style coconut curry, curry of the day, soy milk yogurt, papad, salad, and side dishes are served on a tray. The coconut curry has the perfect combination of the sourness of tomatoes and the mild sweetness of coconut milk. The time I visited, “Today’s curry” was a vegan keema curry with lots of ideas, combining vegetables and wild tofu. Even though it does not contain any meat, the taste is satisfying enough. There are also plenty of side dishes that go perfectly with brown rice. Simple but not monotonous, such as achar with onions and pickled turnips, and very well seasoned to bring out the flavor of the ingredients.
During lunch time, you can get a drink set for an extra 100 yen, which is highly recommended. You can also choose from health-conscious herbal teas, grain coffee, and organic soy milk. You do not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy the taste of vegan food and the comfort your body will feel after eating!
「 meu nota」Basic information
Store name | meu nota |
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Tel | 03-5929-9422 |
Address | 3-45-11 Koenji-minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo |
Business hours | Lunch 12:00 - 14:30 L.O. (15:30 close) |
Holiday | Monday and Tuesday |
Budget | 1,000 yen-2,000 yen |
Payment method | Cash only |
Parking Lot | N/A (Parking available nearby) |
Language | |
Advance reservation | |
Cooking description | International Vegan Cafe |
Note | |
Store HP |