Roger’s Kitchen Cafe Tokyo — Restaurant in Tokyo

Located close to Highway 5 in Itabashi but nowhere near a train station, in a residential suburb, Roger’s Kitchen resembles a ballroom dance club rather than a Sri Lankan restaurant (there’s even a baby grand piano). The welcome was unenthusiastic despite having made a reservation. We were not informed that the entire menu was a possibility, and were directed to the lunch menu of 8 choices (actually 7 because 1 was a children’s plate). I only found out about the full menu option when I saw a couple had ordered an appetizer. Two of the courses were not available, so effectively just 5 choices. The vegetarian plate was not available and was one of the reasons we went there. I had the “String Hopper Plate” which was basically a chicken curry. It came with cold rice noodles shaped into patties. Roger placed the rice noodles on the plate with his hand in full view on the dining room bar. I also ordered the Lamb Shank Biriyani for take-out. The lunch course was just the main dish, tea, and a chiffon cake dessert. The food was tasty enough, but there are so many other “authentic” banana leaf Sri Lankan restaurants with far better value for money in Tokyo. At first I thought the anorexic waitress was Roger’s wife, but she was pretty clueless about everything, and it never even occurred to her to refill water glasses. She touched her hair while serving to get it out of her eyes—I guess she never thought about pinning it back beforehand. The Lamb Biriyani was vacuum packed for easy transport and reheating. When I asked if I could get a slice of the dessert (after all I had paid full price) I was told that they had made just enough cake for lunch. Which begs the question, isn’t it lunch time now? I was then told that it was not an option for take out orders. I see… During lunch loud R & B played, which made me want to get up and dance. I suppose an “ethnic” soundtrack would not fit the decor. The bill came to ¥6700 with a bottle of Sri Lankan “Lion” beer. My friend was livid about the whole experience but I laughed it off. When things are this bad, laughter is the spice of life. In the end, who is going to travel over an hour from central Tokyo to Itabashi to eat here at these...

Incredible Sri Lankan cuisine and exquisite service! We had their specialty: lamb shank biryani, that is slow cooked over four days to succulent perfection. The seasoned meat just falls off the bone and the rice is served with two types of pickles. Well worth waiting for! The avocado coconut milk smoothie was a perfect dessert.

Service was wonderful and attentive. The staff speaks both English and Japanese. Water was filled regularly and we received complimentary tea while waiting for the food to be prepared. Next time we'll make a reservation for the full course menu. The set menu served at the table next to us looked so enviably gorgeous! This was our first time eating Sri Lankan food and we want to...

I ate lunch here yesterday and I can honestly say it was some of the best food I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. I had the lamb biryani and every component was clearly so thought-out and deeply delicious and enticing and complex and exciting and the whole meal just made me think someone is making me the food they want to eat and that translates into truly phenomenal food.

The presentation was gorgeous, the lamb just fell apart (no knife necessary) and the rice was perfectly spiced and fragrant. Also- I’m not a hardcore dessert person but the dessert here was pure heaven.

If I could eat this every day of my life I’d be happy.

It’s a bit off the beaten track but anyone who loves food should eat...