Niú Chuāng カフェ - 瀬戸内市

Café in a renovated old house on Karakoto Street in Ushimado-cho, Seto Inland Sea, Okayama Prefecture. I believe it used to be a dentist's office a long time ago. The mushrooms used in the dishes are locally sourced from Ushimado (Mitsukura Agriculture and Forestry). Additionally, all salad dressings and cooking oils are made with olive oil from Japan Olive. The mushroom salad that comes with set menus consists of fresh mushrooms with a great texture and aroma. It was my first time trying fresh mushrooms, and I enjoyed it. Today, I tried the skillet cheese curry, which was also very generous in portion. Next time, I would like to try the Ushimado shrimp and vegetable paella, fish gapao rice, and sautéed sablefish paella style.

Niu Mado is located on Karakami-dori in Shiomachi. They seem to have paella on weekends, but for weekday lunches, your options are mushroom cheese curry or gapao rice. They use ingredients from Shiomachi. The restaurant is a beautifully renovated old folk house. It's stylish, but even men can easily enter. I ordered the curry, and even the salad had mushrooms in it! They were thinly sliced and had a light, snack-like texture. They probably use olive oil from Shiomachi as well. The cheese curry is served in a skillet, piping hot. I thought the small potatoes were mushrooms, and they packed a concentrated umami flavor. I also ordered ginger milk as a drink, and everything, including that, was delicious.

I stopped by Ushimado Cafe during a walk in Ushimado. Today, even though it is almost November, the weather was so nice and hot that I felt like having something cold. Without hesitation, I ordered the Lemon Cream Squash, the name of which I am not sure about. It was a lemon paradise and very delicious. It was also refreshing. I highly recommend it.

お店の駐車場もあるみたいなのですが、海沿いに車を停めて牛窓をプラプラ散歩して来ました。 牛窓カフェさん、昔ながらの土間を活かした間取りのカフェで、お店に入り左側の細い通路を入っていきます。こういう造り、ドキドキしてなんだか好きです。 この日はパエリアが無かったようで、おさかなのガパオライスという前衛的なメニューを頂きます。おさかなよりもピーマンと玉ねぎが幅を利かせている様な気が…。これはこれでヘルシーで嫌いではないです。 少し甘めのニンジン、牛窓産マッシュルームなど、お野菜美味しいですね。 カシスとバニラのアイスクリームは文句無しで美味。 食べ物の好き嫌いが激しい同居人や友達を連れて行くのは難しいかな。個人的にはとても落ち着く空間のカフェでした。

自家製ジンジャーミルク、また頂きたいです。 ゆっくり時間が流れる良い空間でした。