Service: Very friendly if a bit shy
Facilities: Very clean. Beautiful toilets
Prices: Reasonable. Very good value
Strong points: Healthy food. Great set lunches. Beautiful array of cakes.

The idea of a beauty salon company opening a cafe/restaurant serving health food is a very sound idea to me. After all, it is only one step going further in taking care of the looks of one’s body!
Two years ago, Belle Equipe Co. decided to open Cafe Belle Equipe Vegetable in Tenmacho, one of the newly fashionable districts of this large city, and it was about time I paid it a visit for lunch after having cycled past it so often!

After I climbed an outside stairs and penetrated through an elaborate entrance both filled with an almost retro bric-a-brac I discovered that the place was far larger than expected.

It is basically divided into two rooms at a different level. One can choose from small tables for privacy, an enormous table seating at least twelve or the second room for even better privacy.

Individual space in Japan is at a premium and I always appreciate some form of comfortable aloofness.
Interestingly enough, customers come from all ages, a good sign of the quality.

No, they won’t propose you to eat in heaven!
The place is a bit of nicely organized jumble and is worth a second and third look as they also sell all kinds of biscuits, cakes and even objets!
As for eating and drinking, they serve lunch, dinner, drinks and cakes in the afternoon and alcohol at all times!

There was just too much to choose from for my first visit, what with more than 4 regular set lunches and two specialties of the day and an array of single dishes.
I hadn’t eaten a true hamburger for a long time, so I opted for the Hamburger Set Lunch which looked so healthy on the menu!

I must confess I was surprised at the size and generosity of the hamburger plate!

Now the hamburger had two great qualities:
-The meat being a combination of chicken and read meat, it was very light in spite of its size and was heads, shoulders and whatever above the fare of some notorious hamburger diners! And certainly far healthier!
-The sauce had been made out of real tomatoes, not something out of a cheap can!

And it was accompanied by a mountain of vegetables! Talk about good balance!

It was not all as it was served with another salad, vegetable miso soup and rice!

Kabocha and almond salad!

Rice can be ordered plain, whole or both. I opted for the latter!

I had black tea to “finish” the meal. Certainly more elegant than usual!

The sugar is individually wrapped!

Now, I must admit my health took a bit of a bashing when I just couldn’t resist choosing one of the more than 12 cakes on display!
I know that one single reason for coming back will be the investigation of those cakes!

Flan aux prunes/hard custard and prunes
Definitely not a Japanese concept!
Bother, I will have to wait until next week for my next visit unless I can manage some free time for another cake!

CAFE BELLE EQUIPE VEGETABLE
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tenmacho,, 10-1, Villa Tenmacho, 2F
Tel.: 054-251-0200
Business hours: l0:00~22:00 (11:00~22:00 on Saturdays & Sundays, 11:00~21:00 on National Holidays)
Parties (small to large) welcome! Special party menus.
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery