YFC Historical Archive - Ito's Galerie Cafe

 I'm sad to announce that Ito's Galerie Cafe has closed.  This was a surprise, and I hope it had nothing to do with the kind man's health that ran the place. 

The entry will remain below for historical purposes.
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Galerie Cafe is a small 25 seat, 5 table restaurant that seems to be run by one man, Ito-san, who has been running his restaurant since 2009.  It is about 2 blocks from Womble gate. See the blog map for an accurate location.

Street side

There were actually quite a few names this restaurant could go by. Their sign out front says "Coffee Time" and that name also shows up on their business card along with the owner's name Ito.
One of the menus and a wall sign says "Galerie Cafe" although this does not show up on their business card.
In deference to all of them I've named it Ito's Galerie Cafe, using the spelling that the restaurant uses.

Hours are from 11:00am - 8:00pm

He posts paintings/artwork on his walls and changes them out twice a month. Their web posting says to enjoy some artwork while sipping on some coffee.

After checking out their street menu, I was a bit hesitant to step inside. It's not a Red Ramen or 100 yen sushi where you know what your are walking in to. It's a very small place with frosted windows - what awaits? As I opened the door I was surprised to find 4 of the 5 tables were already taken by Japanese customers and the place seemed to have a following . A few were just chatting over coffee and others having lunch.

Shrimp fried rice set

After ordering the shrimp "pilaf" - as their menu describes - I set out reviewing their table menu to see in greater detail what they had. A mostly complete translation is provided below in the photos so I won't repeat here, but lunch or dinner consists of basically 3 or 4 choices or set meals. The rest of the menu describes their coffee, drinks, and desserts.

The shrimp fried rice was very good, consisting of shrimp, green onions, small bits of carrots, and corn.

A very simple beef broth soup with some assorted vegetables inside was served on the side.

The salad was the biggest surprise, consisting of lettuce, apple, tomato, asparagus and kiwi of all things along with some thousand-island like dressing. Fresh and quite good.

It was just the right size for lunch and was a good deal at just 750 Yen.

B.L.T. set lunch

Another set meal was the Bacon Lettuce Tomato - B.L.T. The set came with some pickled vegetables and some homemade pumpkin soup. The taste of the BLT was not quite the same as the American version but it was good and fresh. The bacon was more inline with the typical Japanese bacon - not crispy and less salty. The lettuce and tomato - no difference. But what really made the sandwich different was that it had a mild mustard seed spread instead of the American mayonnaise.  I prefer the taste of mayonnaise and more specifically Miracle Whip, but I'm glad that I got to try Ito-san's Japanese version.

Beef stew set

The beef stew set was very good and the most expensive on the menu. It came with the same eclectic salad as the fried rice set except for a ranch style dressing instead of thousand island. The beef stew had sweet potato chunks and tender pieces of beef. There was no gristle or fat. The white sauce seemed to be a heavy cream for some added flavor. It reminded me of adding sour cream to a bowl of chili. The stew came with a good sized portion of rice.

I wasn't expecting it, but the set came with bowl of ice cream with a blueberry/blackberry topping and was finished off with a cup of coffee.

Although I haven't tried any yet, the dessert menu boasts a homemade cheesecake I'd like to try out.

This is a place I think you should check out. It's easy to miss and not well known among the folks living on base. The menu does not change, so coupled with the translated menus below you should be all set.

The service was prompt, very friendly and you're made to feel welcome by Ito-san. He does't speak much English, but there is no need. Ito-san seems to be retired, an artist, likes cooking, and wants to keep in touch with people so he's running this small restaurant to keep company and likely to help pay some bills.

Their menu along with prices can also be viewed online.

Vanilla ice cream with blueberries or blackberries