Vegan Healing Café
Check out filling meatless food at a ground-central Shibuya location

Photos by Nathan Teutli

It’s not easy to grab a vegetarian bite in downtown Tokyo, so we were excited to happen upon Vegan Healing Café, a little nugget of joy nestled up the hill in Shibuya toward NHK. Walking there from the station means navigating through the bars, past a pocket of vinyl record shops, and finally, along a 100m street mural. We knew we were close when we spied a PETA van, emblazoned with slogans like “Fur is Dead!”

We entered the tiny café, chose a two-person table in the corner, and chatted for a while with the woman who greeted us—and who, as it turned out, was also the chef, waitress and cashier. A vegan herself, she was a one-woman show dishing out good vibes and equally good food. As it was lunchtime, we were given the choice of two set meals and a variety of healthy-sounding drinks and not-so-healthy-sounding desserts. We ordered both lunch sets, eager to try it all.

The first item to arrive was a lightly seasoned broth with chopped carrots and daikon, which didn’t do much for our taste buds or appetite, but did manage to warm us up a little on this cool, early-spring day. Then came our drinks, an organic soy latte (¥540) and an iced “relax” blended tea (¥560). In this cozy interior of white walls and logs running the length of the ceiling, we hardly needed tea to feel at ease.

After a bit of a wait, the food arrived, looking as if it were straight from Mom’s kitchen. Both lunches came with a mound of brown rice and a small side salad of interesting ingredients. The “falafel burger” plate (¥950) featured a baked patty of carrot and garbanzo beans, smothered with a rich tahini sauce. Not exactly the deep-fried falafel we have back home, but delicious and healthy nonetheless. The second entrée, a “bean stew” plate (¥900), was one of the most flavorful veggie dishes either
of us has tasted on either side of the Pacific. The thick stew tasted like a delicious gravy, but was stocked with garbanzo and kidney beans.

The only thing left was dessert—which is where vegan restaurants usually go horribly wrong. Because baking almost always requires milk, eggs or butter as emulsifiers and thickeners, substituting other ingredients tends to yield dry, crumbly and bland results. It was therefore with trepidation that we ordered the soy whipped cream cake (¥490) and the apple cobbler (¥410). Sadly, the cake was sold out—next time we go for lunch, we’ll arrive before 1pm—but thankfully, the pie was not. Soft, gooey and sweet is what we were hoping for, and soft, gooey and sweet is what we got. Finally!

As is often the case at healthy restaurants that target dieting beauties and Ladies Who Lunch, our only complaint was not with the quality of the fare, but the less-than-ample portions. Leaving Vegan Healing Café though, after a delicious dessert (and a little self-control), we felt satisfied—and guilt-free.

6-20 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-5489-5185. Open daily 11:30am-9pm (LO 8pm), occasionally closed Mon. English menu available. Smoking not permitted. www.vegancafe.jp

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