There are many ways to explore a city, from recommendations to just wandering around. Recently, I got my hands on a Sendai Lunch Passport, and it has introduced me to many wonderful restaurants around Sendai. Being included in the Passport is a great form of advertising; restaurants that are out of the way or hidden can get a huge number of potential repeat customers.
CoCoMi-Tei is a restaurant that is a little out of the way. It's actually not far from City Hall, by the Kotodai-koen subway stop, but it's not a direction people would usually walk in. Even on a Saturday, and despite the Passport, it was still very quiet during the Saturday lunchtime.
The lack of people certainly helped the atmosphere though. The restaurant has been decorated to evoke nature, with big windows to let in light. The background music is an eclectic mix of Kesha, David Bowie and the French strains of Champs Elysees, but they're all upbeat tunes. There's food set out, simply but nicely presented, and it smells wonderful. Their aim is to make healthy food, and there's plenty of it: rice served in different ways (and all sourced from Miyagi prefecture); several types of salads; karaage (fried chicken, a five-time award winner); Chinese-style food (which smelled delicious); and more. One purpose of this mouth-watering selection is similar to a salad bar at a supermarket – you fill a plastic tub, and pay by weight. The second purpose is a buffet, which is limited to lunchtime (¥1200 for 1 hour). Other than this, they offer bentos (boxed lunches in over 20 varieties that can be ordered in advance) and a small selection of set meals all day. If you eat in, you can help yourself to coffee and miso soup. It's open late compared to most restaurants, too.
The Passport meal was a set meal. It contains chicken karaage, a choice of burger or katsu (breaded, fried meat) with miso sauce (I chose the latter), a few tiny salads, shredded cabbage and rice. It was delicious. The chicken was juicy, with the tasty layer of fat that is preferred in Japan. The cabbage, an accompaniment to the karaage, was a bit dry on its own without the customary mayonnaise, so I served myself some very tasty Thousand Island dressing. The katsu wasn't oily, and the miso sauce was slightly fruity; the little that there was went a long way. Each salad had its own merits, from the creamy potato salad to the refreshment of the greener ones. The miso soup was pleasant, with fried tofu and soft onions. It was a decent portion for lunch, and certainly didn't feel as unhealthy as the inclusion of fried food suggested. I'm looking forward to going back to try the buffet.
