On a bright sunny Sunday afternoon, I found myself driving around Toride. Unfortunately, my wife was working so I was alone for this little adventure. I had a prior engagement in Toride and before going to that I was getting hungry for lunch. I had eaten a big meal the night before and wanted to have something light. I used Google and the first restaurant to pop up was a place called LICO. Time to go have a light healthy lunch!
Veggi Cafe and Restaurant LICO
LICO is a nice looking house/ restaurant located in the Nonoi area of Toride. There is really nothing around the restaurant except a few houses. I parked my car in the rocky parking lot next to LICO and headed inside.
Inside
Walking into LICO everything looked and felt new. I think LICO had recently opened.
There was a drink bar near the entrance, a small store area filled with scented oils and plants, and tables on the first and second floor. I didn't get to see the second floor because I was seated on the first.
The Menu
I was given a menu and took a while to see what I wanted. Sorry, no English on this menu. This was the lunch menu so I have no idea if the dinner menu is the same.
There was a pasta section to the menu, a pizza section, an assorted dish section, and a kids section. I decided to try the most popular dish on the menu. It had a red arrow pointing to the dish on the right page. I ordered the Banana Pork Roast with Two Kinds of Dishes for Comparison. Quite a long name.
Not a light meal
Yeah, this dish has a long name and quite frankly, I don't think I translated the last part correctly. When this huge meal arrived at my table, I sat wide eyed and in shock at how much food I got. There was a small salad, huge slices of pork, rice, fresh cooked vegetables, pickles, potato salad under the meat, sweet potatoes, and just more food than I could have handled.
Everything on that plate was delicious. The meat with those fine chopped onions on top was great, the vegetables were extremely fresh, the small pumpkin dish was creamy, generally everything was fantastic. The vegetables, particularly the roasted peppers, really impressed me. But it was way too much, especially since I was looking for a light meal. I finished the banana pork roast (didn't really taste the banana which I found weird) and was beyond full. I would need to walk a lot after this meal.
That's why it's fresh.
After paying, and walking back to my car, I looked behind the restaurant and saw the small farm area LICO had. Now I know why all the vegetables tasted so fresh. They grow their own vegetables at the back of the restaurant and most likely in other places around Toride.
LICO was an interesting experience and I hope I can go visit again when I am in Toride. I just have to come way more hungry next time.
So if you are in the mood for fresh veggies and have the appetite of three people, why not give LICO a chance? Who knows, you might see me there, wondering how I am going to finish the huge plate in front of me.
Enjoy!
For more information on LICO, check out their website:
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