01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
The main dish in “Today’s Meal” changes each week, giving the lunch a different appeal with every visit. On one occasion, the main was a generously sized piece of fried white fish, paired with tartar sauce that one diner noted was rich in egg. Another week brought a new-potato croquette. The menu has also featured a tofu hamburger steak topped with grated daikon in a light broth, sweet-potato and apple potato salad, simmered hijiki seaweed, seasonal fruit and miso soup. Reviews also mention the variety of small side dishes and the care taken with the presentation.
For after lunch or a tea break, there is coffee made from freshly ground beans. The menu lists an original blend, a Mocha blend and a Brazil blend; visitors have praised the coffee itself and enjoyed it with French toast or a small daifuku. Other sides and sweets include a trio of mini daifuku, seared mitarashi rice cakes, coffee yokan and matcha cream shiratama zenzai. Choose a rice cake or yokan to go with coffee, or French toast if you would like something more substantial. Matcha latte and tea are also available, with a wide selection of teas noted on the menu.
Tera Cafe Riri is set within the grounds of a temple, and offers more than meals and coffee: visitors can also trace Buddhist images or copy sutras. The listed materials include a brush pen and coloured pencils, and some sutra-copying courses include a sutra for offering and one drink. One visitor’s account mentions a choice between seats where you can keep your shoes on and seating where you take them off to relax. There are also reports of seats at the back with a view of the garden. It may suit a quiet coffee break as well as a visit for the changing weekly lunch.
