Stumbling across Étoile café and restaurant, which opened at around 11 am when I visited, I found the prices reasonable and the food tasty for its reasonable prices. The first morning I visited, I ordered the toast and drink combination for ￥500, a very affordable deal . The next day for lunch I tried their Vegetable Ramen and the Katsu-don. The ramen was very tasty, a salty and light broth smothered in Japanese vegetables including bamboo shoots (sadly I don't have a photograph since I shoveled it down without remembering to take a photograph). The Katsu-don's aroma filled the entire café, as the owners fried the katsu in the mini kitchen situated in the center of the café itself.

 

The katsu in the Katsu-don was fried perfectly to a crisp finish and covered with the fluffy and sweet signature egg of the Katsu-don dish. The flavors were plentiful, and I felt very satisfied afterwards. The prices were around ￥700 per dish, which is a benchmark for a good budget-level meal.

Overall, Étoile café is a convenient dining location for tourists staying in the vicinity of the neighborhood near Torii-Kuguru, in the residential neighborhood located about a ten to fifteen-minute walk from Okayama train station. I would recommend this café for a quick, budget-level meal that may not be as easy to find if you want somewhere very local instead of a chain restaurant situated in the heart of Okayama train station.



By Cordelia Ding