I came upon this restaurant by chance as I was strolling around Shibuya. I got attracted by its big, flashy, well-lit front. There was a television in the window and I was curious to see what was showing. As I came near the window I saw the huge display of the restaurant's menu. To my surprise it was written in English, which I think is still rare in Tokyo and useful for foreign tourists. As I speak Japanese, I don't care much, so that is the gyukatsu (fried beef) that got my attention. I had always wanted to try gyukatsu before and never had the chance so I decided to go for it this time as the video made me salivating.

The restaurant is in the basement of the building. It is not wheelchair accessible and the stairs to go down are quite steep. As I got in, I got warmly welcomed by the staff and shown my seat. There is a dinning counter as well as a dozen of tables. The place is super well-lit and the decoration although minimal is nice with the wood counter and chairs and tables. It is not a fine dining restaurant as it feels more like something between a fast food restaurant and a regular restaurant, but it is comfortable to spend an hour or so on your own or with friends. The way the tables are set could allow for a big group to eat in.

The staff is friendly and most seemed to be able to speak some English as I heard from a couple of tables away from mine. Everything is written in English as well : the menu and instructions on how to eat the fried beef, which can seem unnecessary until you receive your plate and are not used to this type of Japanese set meal. I thought it was a nice thoughtful touch to have.

As for the most important part, the food, I would say that it was pretty good. I was not blown away, but I found that for the price around 1600 yens (14.50 USD) the serving was generous and the meat tasty enough to satisfy me. I enjoyed the set meal style in which I got rice, some spinach, a delicious miso soup, cabbage and the fried beef. The beef was well-cooked and the fried part not too greasy. It also came with complimentary cold tea.

Overall I would say I had a good experience at this restaurant. I wouldn't linger around for long, but if I'm ever craving gyukatsu again, I will definitively come back here.