Lunch with Mama & Papa at Obun Te (Oven Restaurant)

The day after New Year's Day, Mama and Papa decided to take a quick trip to a nearby mall and have lunch.  It's located on the top floor of a department store with a handful of other restaurants as is typical throughout Japan.  

All sorts of foods are represented among the restaurant choices from traditional Japanese food, Chinese food, Sushi, Italian etc.  They love going to a place called "Obun-Te".  It's a very typical Japanese style 'family restaurant' serving Japanized Western, American food like hamburger, steak and spaghetti.  

I LOVE Japanese style hamburger or Hamburg (ハンバーグ hanbāgu, Hamburg steak) as it's typically called.  Hamburg is a popular Salisbury steak style dish in Japan. It is made from ground meat with finely chopped onion, egg and breadcrumbs flavored with various spices, and made into a flat, circular shape about a centimeter thick and 10 to 15 cm in diameter. 

Many restaurants specialize in various styles of hamburger steak.Some variations include hanbāgu topped with cheese (チーズハンバーグ, or chizuhanbāgu), hanbāgu with Japanese curry, and Italian hanbāgu (with tomato sauce rather than gravy).

My 'Hamburg Steak' Lunch - miso soup, rice, pickles and salad are typical accompaniments

Hamburger steak became popular during the 1960s as a more affordable way to serve otherwise costly meat. Magazines regularly printed the recipe during that decade, elevating it to a staple dish in Japanese culture. In Japan, the dish dates back to the Meiji period and is believed to have been first served in Yokohama, which was one of the first ports opened to foreigners. 

Papa opted for the Gyu (Beef) Steak version which is a steak (rib-eye) grilled and sauced

They had a 'drink bar' at this place which allowed you to get all-you can drink beverages for an extra charge - well worth the price!!  I had several cups of coffee and a matcha green tea latte to finish out my lunch.

Papa paying the bill for lunch...thanks Papa!!