Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2008

Photos Courtesy of Roof

After a long and strenuous day’s sakura viewing, we found ourselves outside Roof, bathed in the warm glow of fairy lights surrounding the floor-to-ceiling window. This small cafe/bar cum gallery is frequented by west Tokyo’s thriving artist community, who reside a healthy distance from the beaten track.

Hearty home-cooked, rice and pasta dishes feature heavily, with a nod to Italy and the Mediterranean. The menu, though not resolutely vegetarian, certainly isn’t shy of the old veg and two-veg staple. The interior is every inch the faux beach house, with light-wood tables, exposed whitewashed beams, and a host of wicker baskets and glass jars behind
the bar. A few nice touches allude to the owners’ more artistic leanings, including the porcelain throne bearing the mark of one “R. Mutt 1917.”

We were shown to our seats upstairs in the gallery space where local artists display their work. Our first dish, a tangy miso-marinated pork salad (¥650), was fresh and green, laden with thick juicy slices of pork that were well-balanced by the simple citrus dressing. Being that the menu was entirely in Japanese, we thought it best to ask our helpful waitress to recommend our main courses.

We were shortly presented with two side dishes, one bearing a selection of gyoza-style pancakes and the other a caponata of chilled vegetables. The gyoza (¥600) were soft, fat and warm and came stuffed with a crescent slice of lotus root and cabbage, with a delicious dipping sauce heavy on the rice vinegar. The caponata (¥450) was slightly unusual in that it contained cubes of lotus, daikon and potato alongside the mandatory eggplant, onion and pepper, but it was in a fantastically rich tomato sauce that had clearly been freshly made.

Photos Courtesy of Roof

Next came the mains: an aromatic Indian vegetable curry and classic pasta with tomato sauce (both ¥780). Granted, tomato pasta may not the most exciting dish in the world but when done well can hold its own with the best of them. Roof’s is indeed well done, with hints of olive oil, garlic and fresh basil all coming through. The curry tasted of fresh cumin and turmeric, and was thick with eggplant, carrot, onion and pumpkin, with a mild chili kick. The accompanying rice was fleshed out in the flavor department by means of plump barley and sesame seeds. To round off the meal, we shared a warm slice of biscuity raisin and apple cake (¥400) and helped it on its way with a 25-year-old rum (¥650).

All the dishes were warm, filling and satisfying, thanks to a simple formula: using the best, freshest ingredients to produce punchy flavors. Upon learning that I was from Ireland, the owner even deigned to devote the evening’s airplay to the Pogues. This is characteristic of the spirit of Roof: welcoming, unpretentious and homey, just like the food.