It is rainy season here in Japan right now, so it is very hot, humid and raining on and off like clockwork. I was super eager to try out some new vegan food to help me get over the fact we still have over 2 weeks of rainy season left until Summer. Coming from the Kyoto station, it took me literally only about 10 minutes to walk to Organic House Salute. The restaurant is mixed in with the traditional houses in the area and it would be pretty easy to miss if it wasn’t for the pink sign out front. Because of the current pandemic we are all facing, the Organic House Salute has currently changed its operations to a members only system. For those of you who live in Kyoto or in the area and would like to become a member, it is very easy to sign up. You pay a fee monthly, and renew your membership every 6 months.

But where does that leave me? I’m not a member!

Well luckily, the owner and the only person working in the restaurant Ms. Yasuda, offers take away bento platters!

There are 3 bento boxes you can choose from:

1.Salute Lunchbox

2.Quiche Lunch Box

3.Burger Lunchbox

Which one do you think I chose to devour?

(Decide in 3 seconds)

If you guessed

SALUTE LUNCHBOX

YOU ARE CORRECT!!!!!

Ms. Yasuda said this is the bento platter which is the most popular so I had to go with this one. Even though I was unable to eat inside of the restaurant, Ms. Yasuda kindly let me into the store while she was making the bento to peruse around and see what kind of place Organic House Salute is!

Check it out!

She’s offering many different vegan products to use to make your own vegan goodies. ^^

This is where she puts more of her vegan goodies, specifically the desserts/treats she makes.

Depending on the season and how she is feeling, she makes various types of sweets. The menu is always changing!

The seating area, plenty of books to read while you wait for your food!

Here is also another seating area, and the main area where Ms. Yasuda offers cooking classes on certain days of the week.

As I was admiring all the vegan treats and aesthetics of the store, Ms. Yasuda said, “Thank you for waiting, your food is ready!”

My brain started going off like a lunch bell on the farm when the farmer says to the animals “Come and get it!” I kept myself under control and picked up my food, thanked Ms. Yasuda and went on my way to find a comfortable please to eat my Salute bento box!

ARE YOU GUYS READY ??

(Opens bento)

(Angelic sounds start playing in my head!)

The food smelled and looked amazing!

For me, I love simple foods which don’t have an overbearing taste, light, and beneficial to improving your health. Everything in the bento hit my interests right on the head!

The bento contained:

Vinegar flavored chickpeas, brown rice, fermented lentils, a garden salad with fried fish (not real of course) fillets sitting on top, and a nice fresh carrot salad with capers mixed in.

I would have to say my favorite part of the bento would have to be the brown rice with the fermented lentils on top! I highly recommend eating both of those together, the taste was phenomenal! And just like that, there was no trace of the food ever existing!

Before heading out of Organic Salute, I grabbed one of Ms. Yasuda’s dessert creations.

Do you know what these are?

Macaroons, yes! But they are RAW macaroons!

A nice little treat to end a great meal!

At the time of my visit to Organic House Salute, Ms. Yasuda was busy, so I was unable to speak with her. The next day I reached out to her and found out a bit more about her restaurant. Ms. Yasuda originally worked with Italian food, but as time passed, she believed that she should be more eco-friendly, and do what she could to leave a smaller footprint here on earth. So about 7 years ago she decided open up Organic House Salute, and by the food selection she decides to use in her dishes, it is pretty clear what her stance on food is. She combines the philosophies of macrobiotic and ayurvedic food principles to create the dishes she puts on the menu. Without going into huge detail, these ways of philosophy are using food to heal the body.

What is interesting about Ms. Yasuda is that she is actually content with how the pandemic has played out. She says she has regular customers who come to her restaurant and eat often which are enough to support her business. As she is the only one working at the restaurant preparing food, and serving the customers, she says she has found a balance at her restaurant and she is very content! She hopes in the future to stop cooking as much and just teach people how to make these kind of dishes to benefit their bodies, but also the world!

LESSON WRAP UP

Even though I was not able to sit in and enjoy the great macrobiotic/ayurvedic food at Organic House Salute, I was still very happy to come across this gem that is so close to the Kyoto train station. If you are traveling around visiting Kyoto`s ancient temples and shrines, pick up a healthy bento platter at Organic Salute, you won’t be disappointed. If you are in Kyoto for a couple of days it would be awesome as well for you to check out Ms. Yasuda’s cooking classes. For more information you can check out her website below! Until next time class,

CLASS DISMISSED!

(Bell rings)