Saika

Wellesley Street − in the city. Cheap and filling. Saika run a cafe´/restaurant in the manner of a Japanese teishoku-yasan − teishoku being hearty set menus, aimed at filling up yer frantic lunchtime customers, like students and office workers. Here, you just decide what you want to eat, pay for your meal first-up − all in short order − and, once it arrives, eat; as fast or as slow as you wish. The recommended section at the front of the menu is a nice short-cut for the inde-cisive.

This is no-frills, focusing on hot meals served in a bowl. There’s no sushi or sashimi to speak of, but all of the food is definitely Japanese, and definitely nutritious. The majority of fare is items like tonkatsu (pork cutlet and rice), curry-rice, eel and yakitori donburis, and set menus of fish, chicken or beef bentos, which come with rice, salad, and miso soup.
The world over, there will always be a place for eateries such as this. If it were Roman (by way of example), it would be in somewhere like the Trastevere − not the same cuisine, but a similar clientele. Saika is a welcome addition to these ranks.