I love food, quality food, quantity food, fancy food, and comfort food. It’s the one thing that wouldn’t abandon you in life, the only thing that won’t lie to you (probably).
I love food, quality food, quantity food, fancy food, and comfort food. It’s the one thing that wouldn’t abandon you in life, the only thing that won’t lie to you (probably).
After coming to Japan, I was surprised by the serving sizes at restaurants (relatively small). As someone who’s above average size compared to Japanese people, I tend to eat more, therefore what normally would be considered as an ok meal, is actually a small size for me.
One day, while complaining about this to a friend, they introduced me to the amazing “All you can eat”（食べ放題 read as Tabehodai) concept. As delicious as the name sounded to me, I was expecting a hefty price tag, but it wasn’t that bad. In this article, I’ll introduce some of those heavens that I’ve been to, enjoyed, and discovered my limits at. Note that when going to an all-you-can-eat, you’ll compromise between quality, quantity, and cost. It really is the love triangle of my life.
Those are 3 different all-you-can-eat places that I’ve been to. While I classify them into which meal I had them for, you can probably enjoy them at any time of the day you want. But for your own health, it’s better if you don’t try them all on the same day (or week probably).
■ Breakfast: Japanese Food
This restaurant Kyo no Uta is just outside the so popular Disneyland, inside a shopping center called IKSPIARI, the cost will vary depending on weekday/weekend. You’ll find lots of salad, some fried chicken (grab them fast before they’re gone), French fries (or chips, regardless of what you call them, they’re delicious), drink-bar, sweets, etc. As you can see in the picture below, the plates are designed to allow you to taste small portions of everything, even the sweets are small 1-bite cuts. The calm vibe inside the restaurant is actually surprising, considering the shopping center is crowded and noisy.
Overall experience was acceptable, if you’re around the area you could grab a bite there, but I wouldn’t go there just for that.
■ Lunch: Kushiage ‒ Fried Skewers
I went to this chain restaurant Kushiya Monogatari for lunch once. It costs around 1500 yen for 90 minutes of all you can eat fried skewers. You can find various types of meat and vegetables. The catch? You have to fry them yourself! You’ll get a plate, you go to the serving plate area and pick whatever skewers you like, then you go back to your table, dip them in batter and bread crumbs, then fry them. This process could take a couple of minutes, so if you’re aiming to score high, you better time your patches. And don’t try to eat as soon as you get your food out of the fryer, it’ll just burn your mouth.
The overall experience was really enjoyable, skewers are small in size and the taste is just normal. Drink bar, soft-cream, some fruits, and sweets are included as well, so don’t get full-on fried foods only.
My personal score is 62 skewers… for now.
■ Dinner: World Famous Fried Chicken
For all the KFC fried chicken lovers, for around 2500 yen, you can enjoy the only all-you-can-eat KFC in the Kanto area at Minami-machida Grandberry Park, one stop away from Suzukakedai Campus of Tokyo Tech by train. You’ll be required to pay upfront, then you’ll be guided to your table. You’ll have 90 minutes to enjoy all the delicious chicken provided by KFC. Fried chicken, chicken nuggets, fried potatoes, chicken with cheese sauce, and so many other varieties of chicken, in addition to salads and drinks. Just get a plate and fill it with your dream food, no limits, as long as you manage to eat it all on time, and still walk outside the store when your time is up. My personal experience was delicious, counting over 21 pieces of chicken, I had a taste of all the available varieties. But I have to admit, walking outside the store was a challenge after eating that much in a short time, and for the following 2 days, I couldn’t stand the smell of fried foods. Now, I just want to aim at 30+ for my next visit!
Last words?
I do believe food can bring people together, so if you’re planning to go to one of these restaurants, I totally recommend you invite your friends (maybe invite me as well?), it will be a very enjoyable time. But don’t try to have eating competition with unbelievable goals, you should take care of your health.
