cafeshadetree

For lunch, will it be omurice or pasta? At cafe shade tree, part of the pleasure lies in choosing how the eggs are prepared and which sauce to pair with them. The old-fashioned omurice wraps buttery house-made ketchup rice in soft, creamy eggs. The rice is a blend of brown and white rice. If you would like more sauce, there is also a version topped with a soft omelette. Cut into it and the egg spills out; choose either a demi-glace sauce simmered with beef, red wine, tomatoes and aromatic vegetables, or a soy-milk-based cheese sauce. One diner recalled the pleasantly firm texture of the brown-rice blend in the ketchup rice and how well it paired with the egg. It is a classic flavour, with the rice’s texture worth noticing too.

For pasta, the mentaiko cream comes with a soy-milk-based sauce, the little pops of pollock roe, seaweed and Hokkaido butter; lemon lets you change up the flavour. On another visit, a diner ordered the cream pasta with seared mozzarella and vegetables, and the green-vegetable and anchovy peperoncino with egg. They described both as generous with their toppings and the portions of pasta as substantial. Choose something mellow and creamy, or a dish that brings together the savoury flavour of vegetables and anchovies with a soft-cooked egg. There are different ways to satisfy a pasta craving.

The set appetiser plate features plenty of vegetables, and its contents vary from day to day. With the soup of the day and a drink included, the meal makes a good choice for a lunch to enjoy from the first course onwards. The weekly lunch can also include fried white fish in a spicy soy sauce, served with brown-and-white rice, miso soup and a daily salad—a different option when you fancy something other than Western-style dishes.

For something sweet, there is a moist, fine-crumbed chocolate pound cake, or a Belgian waffle with a crisp, crunchy bite from pearl sugar. The coffee selection includes blends and single-origin coffees, giving you a choice of cup to enjoy after a meal or baked treat.