A long time ago my husband was interviewing for a new job and I found myself wandering hungrily through Pike Place Market and into the Japanese Gourmet restaurant where I had my first meal in Seattle alone. That was a momentous day for us because the interview went well and we ended up back in the Pacific Northwest and every time I pass this restaurant I think fondly of that day but I also remember how nerve-wracking and stressful it was to move to a brand new city.
In honor of my 52 weeks eating at somewhere new in Pike Place Market, I decided to finally revisit Japanese Gourmet. I’ve been noticing their $9.95 bento lunch sign on the street corner too so I thought that might be what I would get. I thought I’d be dining alone and had a few bags of groceries from errands I’d run at the market so I was a little frazzled and wide-eyed when I walked into the restaurant. And then I saw a friend sitting at one of the tables and she was dining alone too!
So my solo lunch ended up being a lovely meal for two and it was nice to catch up about the market together and it was nice to think that after all these years, Seattle is becoming the type of place where I DO run into people I know. And Pike Place Market is wonderfully unpredictable like this. Apparently the daily bento lunch at Japanese Gourmet is also unpredictable-there is a different lunch special each day of the week. I decided I really wanted some tempura so I ended up getting a tempura soba noodle dish instead. It even came with a cute little quail egg like I remember accompanying soba dishes I’ve eaten in Japan. (I’m still not a raw egg person, but I think these teeny eggs are too adorable!)
I’m glad I revisited this place and I will definitely make my next visit sooner than 13 years! I love how each week brings a new exciting food adventure and I’m really thankful that Japanese Gourmet still brings a smile to my face when I walk by. I think next time I’m going to bring my kids too.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)