Mitaka Shokudo, Koriyama

Returning to Niigata from a weekend visit to Sendai, I detrained at Koriyama, Fukushima, and popped round to Mitaka (みたか) for a late lunch prior to boarding a highway bus for the final leg home. Mitaka, located a few blocks from the station, is a shokudo, 食堂, or diner, sometimes translated dining room. Such restaurants typically offer a variety of dishes: ramen, curry and rice, fried rice, and deep fried pork cutlet, are common. Set meals are also available, and prices cheap. Like most shokudo I've been to, Mitaka is run by an elderly couple who do everything: bus, cook, wait, and wash. Again, like most I've visited, Mitaka is shibui-渋い- which can mean astringent, elegant, or plain (among others). It's the last that best characterizes the diner's atmosphere. I find this 'down-home' feel quite appealing, and Mitaka did not disappoint. We ordered the pork cultlet set meal and the rice omelet (as you can see from the photos), and they were excellent. For shokudo history, there's this.