Kitchen M, Imabari: A Local Yoshoku Restaurant with a Daily Lunch, a Daily Curry and Mixed-Style Omurice
Kitchen M (キッチンエム) is a small Western-style restaurant in a residential part of Imabari, just behind the Tachibana Culture Centre.
It is one of the places the author of this site, who runs an acupuncture and judo-therapy clinic in Imabari, goes back to again and again for lunch.
Every day there are two daily specials: a lunch set and a curry.
The rice can be made a large portion at no extra charge, and the omurice is made in a way you do not often see.
Why it is worth knowing about
In Japan, yoshoku means Western dishes as they developed in Japanese kitchens: breaded cutlets, curry rice, omurice and demi-glace sauce.
Kitchen M is an everyday yoshoku restaurant where local people eat, not a place built for tourists.
The daily lunch set changes every day, and it comes as a full meal on one tray.
If you want to eat what people in Imabari actually have for lunch on a weekday, this is a good example.
It is not on the Shimanami Kaido cycling route.
It is on the southern side of the city, about 2 kilometres south of JR Imabari Station in a straight line, and more than 8 kilometres from Sunrise Itoyama, where the bridge route starts.
Finding it
Look for the large green and red “M” sign on the wall.
Under the name, the sign says カレーと定食の店, which means “a curry and set meal restaurant”.
There is also a sign for omurice (オムライス) on the same wall.
The restaurant is just behind the Tachibana Culture Centre, so that building is a useful landmark.
Parking is a narrow space in front of the restaurant.
A full-size car may stick out, so a small car, a taxi or a bicycle is easier.
Inside there is a raised wooden-floored area where you take off your shoes and sit at tables, as well as ordinary tables and a counter.
Two daily specials: lunch and curry
Kitchen M has two daily specials every day: the higawari lunch (日替わりランチ) and the higawari curry (日替わりカレー).
Higawari simply means “changes daily”.
The author nearly always orders the daily lunch.
When you cannot decide what to eat, it makes the choice for you.
Here are some of the daily lunches he has had over the years.
Shogayaki, pork cooked with ginger.
A squeeze of the lemon on the side goes very well with the meat.
White fish fritters are the one he orders without thinking whenever they are on.
The first time he had them, the owner explained that they are like a Western-style tempura.
The fish is soft and moist, and the dish is light to eat.
A day with menchi katsu, a breaded and fried minced-meat cutlet, alongside karaage fried chicken.
He likes menchi katsu, so that day the decision was quick.
Grilled chicken.
He arrived late, near the end of the lunch session, and the daily lunch was still available.
Chicken ogon-yaki, “golden grilled” chicken.
He still is not sure whether the citrus slice on top was lime or lemon.
On the nira-tama day, egg with garlic chives, the plate also had karaage and fried mushrooms.
Chicken stir-fried in oyster sauce, with plenty of vegetables.
Some days it is pork in oyster sauce instead, or pork with kimchi.
The photo at the top of this page is chicken katsu day.
The crisp breaded chicken fills the plate, yet it does not feel heavy, and it is gone in no time.
The daily lunch comes with salad, potato salad, a small side dish and miso soup.
You can ask for a large portion of rice at no extra charge.
Sometimes, the daily curry
The author usually has the lunch set, but some days he just wants curry.
The daily curry changes its topping from day to day.
On this day it was fried squid rings and aubergine.
Some days it comes with meatballs.
He has also seen bacon curry, fried prawn curry and chicken curry.
Choosing between the two specials is not always easy.
On one chicken curry day he took the lunch set, but only after a long look at the curry.
Omurice, mixed and wrapped
Outside the daily specials, the dish to try is the omurice.
Most omurice in Japan is fried rice with a thin omelette laid over or wrapped around it.
At Kitchen M, the egg and rice are mixed together and cooked, so it feels as if the rice has been folded into the egg.
The egg and rice blend together, and that is what makes it so good.
On the same visit, the author’s wife had the katsu rice.
A breaded pork cutlet on rice with a generous amount of demi-glace sauce.
It is a properly filling plate.
What other diners say
Reading through reviews from other customers, the dish mentioned most often is the omurice.
Several reviewers write about the unusual way it is made, with the egg and rice mixed and cooked together.
That matches the author’s own experience, so it is fair to call it a feature of the restaurant rather than one person’s taste.
Many reviewers also mention generous portions and the free large serving of rice.
Others describe it as a homely place with a kind owner.
Questions people ask
What are the opening hours? 11:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 22:00.
Which day is it closed? The closing days are irregular.
Please telephone before you go: 0898-25-1164.
Is it open in the evening? Yes, until 22:00, so it works for dinner too.
Is there parking? Only a narrow space in front of the restaurant.
A full-size car may not fit well.
How can I pay? PayPay is accepted.
We could not confirm card payment, so bring cash.
Can I take food away? Yes.
Is there an English menu? We could not confirm one.
The words in this article (higawari lunch, higawari curry, omurice, katsu) will help you order.
Is it near the Shimanami Kaido? No.
It is on the southern side of the city, so it suits a lunch or dinner while you are staying in Imabari.
Another local lunch in Imabari
For a local Chinese diner with three daily lunch sets, see Fukurin.
For everything else on the Imabari side of the bridge, see The complete Imabari guide for Shimanami Kaido cyclists.
Restaurant information
Kitchen M（キッチンエム）
Address: 愛媛県今治市郷六ケ内町1-5-25 (just behind the Tachibana Culture Centre)
Telephone: 0898-25-1164
Open 11:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 22:00, closing days irregular.
Narrow parking in front, PayPay accepted and takeaway available.
Hours can change, so please check before you go.
Original article in Japanese: キッチンエム｜今治市郷六ケ内町の洋食屋さんは日替わりがランチとカレーの2つ・オムライスは混ぜて包むタイプ
