Kobaian

Open a plum-shaped bento to find more than a dozen side dishes. Kobaian’s Koubai Bento [Ume] makes a satisfying lunch for anyone who likes a little variety on the table. It comes with homemade rice topped with tiny dried sardines and sansho pepper, clear soup and dessert. One review recounts a lunch that included the sardine rice, soup and amanatsu citrus jelly.

For tempura, choose the [Take] version, which adds it to the [Ume], or the [Matsu], which also includes savoury egg custard. A diner who ordered [Take] recalled enjoying the tempura, rice with tiny dried sardines and soup, followed by amanatsu jelly. Another visitor noted the tempura’s light, crisp coating and the flavour of its ingredients.

For a more extensive lunch, the Hakubai Bento adds premium sashimi, tempura and savoury egg custard. Choose between adding tempura to the Koubai bento or opting for a box that also includes sashimi and egg custard, depending on how much you’d like to eat.

Kaiseki dinners include tempura made with seasonal vegetables and fish, as well as a steamed dish featuring seasonal ingredients. Options include a lotus-root dumpling; in winter, it may be replaced by turnip steamed with fish.

To finish a kaiseki meal, rice is cooked in a pot with a topping selected by the diners. Choices include sea bream, chicken and burdock, salmon, and spring onion with char siu. The restaurant cooks enough for the group, and refills are available. It’s a chance to choose a final dish to suit the table.

A diner who booked a celebratory lunch reported having a relaxed meal in a private room with partitioned table seating. If you’re planning a family meal or celebration, consider booking ahead and asking about seating as well as the bento options.