Secret staff cafeteria in Tokyo is a hidden gem you won’t find in travel guides

Rub shoulders with governing administration officials at this cheap eatery that feeds the ministry.

We have been eating off the beaten path not long ago, taking pleasure in a style of personnel foodstuff at cafeterias that serve workforce but are also open up to the community.

These hidden gems are commonly only recognized by men and women who operate and consume there, but we’ve been sharing our secret finds with you and now we have an additional excellent discovery, around at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Tokyo.

As the administrative agency that oversees every little thing meals-connected in Japan, we experienced high hopes that this team cafeteria would be one particular of our greatest finds yet, so we sent our reporter Mr Sato about to the ministry in Kasumigaseki to test it out.

Restraining the urge to scream “Give me all your delicious food items!” as he walked through the entrance to the making, Mr Sato set on his ideal manners, quietly telling the security guard “Shokudo ni ikitain desu kedo” (“I’d like to go to the cafeteria“).

The guard explained to him to head over to the reception desk, wherever Mr Sato filled out a variety with his title and call information and facts and showed personnel his license as a variety of picture I.D.

He was then handed a pass (pictured beneath), which reads: “Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Temporary Go (Cafeteria)“, with directions in smaller print to only use the team cafeteria and return the move in the returns box in the lobby when leaving.

The cafeteria, named “Afu Shokudo” is positioned on the very first basement floor of the creating, so Mr Sato headed downstairs, in which he was greeted by this humble entrance.

▼ On the lookout at the signboard, Mr Sato could listen to his tummy commence to rumble at all the fantastic food possibilities.

In accordance to the restaurant’s formal website, the foods here use domestically sourced components as substantially as possible, with a focus on deliver from Fukushima Prefecture. Two kinds of every day set foods are made available through the functioning 7 days, from Monday to Friday, and the menu consists of noodles, rice bowls, curries, and specials that transform weekly.

▼ The rice at present used in the meals has been freshly harvested from Fukushima Prefecture.

As usually with team cafeterias, it’s finest to stop by exterior of peak lunchtime hrs to stay clear of extended queues of workers, so Mr Sato implies stopping by possibly in advance of 12 p.m. or following 1 p.m. Mr Sato visited just before midday and did not have to wait to be served the Exclusive Afu Set Food that he picked and paid for at the vending machine.

▼ At the time you pick and shell out for your meal at the equipment, you’ll receive this meal ticket, which you will have to have to hand to personnel at the kitchen counter.

Mr Sato’s Particular Afu Set Food was priced at 1,200 yen and limited to only 30 servings for each day. When he frequented, the set food was the Fukushima Hayama Plateau Butadon, which comes with butadon (pork rice bowl), alongside with two smaller sides of your decision and soup.

Hayama Plateau Pork is a Fukushima brand of pork manufactured solely by selected farms within the prefecture. Raised with meticulously selected, purely plant-centered feed, which is reported to suppress the odour of the meat, this is a quality brand name that’s gaining a standing for becoming significantly delightful.

When Mr Sato experimented with the meat, he was amazed by its soft texture, and amazed at the full absence of any pork odour. Inspite of being odourless, it experienced a sturdy and delectable flavour, and was nicely complemented by the sweet soy-based mostly sauce and delicate seasoning.

The total food was effectively-balanced and remaining Mr Sato emotion recharged in a healthy way. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries certainly has a popularity to uphold as the protectors and promoters of local generate, and Mr Sato could come to feel that perception of satisfaction and perseverance in the diligently intended meals made available at the personnel cafeteria.

Right after finishing his food, Mr Sato stumbled throughout a keep in close proximity to the cafeteria, and he could not resist acquiring a T-Shirt for 2,900 yen as a memento of his stop by to the ministry.

▼ “No rice no life” was printed on the entrance of the T-Shirt, and on the back …

▼ …the kanji for “rice”!

It’s a exciting and unusual shirt that’ll absolutely change heads on the street, but Mr Sato ideas to use it when he following visits the cafeteria to insert an additional sprint of exciting to his food. With lunch sets starting at just 650 yen, Mr Sato would consume below every single day if he was in the neighbourhood, but for now he’ll have to make do with the college cafeteria for grown ups in Shinjuku.

Cafeteria Facts

Afu Shokudo / あふ食堂
Handle: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kasumigaseki 1-2-1, Tokyo Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Main Making B1F
東京都千代田区霞が関1-2-1 農林水産省本館B1F
Hours: 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Shut: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holiday seasons
Internet site (Instagram)

Images © SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest article content as shortly as they’re revealed? Observe us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]