お子様カレーが来るたびに変わってて可愛いw : Kokuei Musashi Kyuryo Shinrin Koen Chuo Restaurant

My eldest son kept saying he wanted to go to the Forest Park, so here we are. We're having lunch at the same place again. We had planned to go to the observatory restaurant, but my son wanted to go to the same place we visited before. Maybe he's looking forward to the kids' curry here! (laughs) It's so funny how it changes every time we come. I wonder what animal-shaped curry they will have next... (laughs)

Recently, I thought the grilled Hayashi rice looked delicious, but I had planned to have crepes instead. I never expected to come back so soon! My eldest son wanted to go cycling again, so we returned to the forest park, and this time it was lunch at the Chuo Restaurant. I ordered the grilled Hayashi rice for JPY 1080. Last time, I had the Omuraisu and was not too impressed with the ordinary Hayashi sauce, so I didn't expect much. However, the grilled vegetables were surprisingly tasty! I thought the egg would be fully cooked, but it was actually perfectly soft-boiled. With cheese and a soft-boiled egg on top, even plain rice can be delicious! I was shocked at how good the sweet potatoes were! I wonder if they are from Kawagoe? They were sweet, fluffy, and had a beautiful golden color—definitely high quality! The dish also had zucchini, young corn, and eggplant, and the textures were all just right! They didn't seem like frozen vegetables at all! I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of delicious vegetables. While I was enthusiastically telling my husband how great the veggies were, he mentioned that the vegetables in the Neapolitan pasta were also chunky and tasty. The playful design of the "Pyon Pyon Hayashi"—with bunny eyes and nose made from chocolate and Apollo candy—was buried in warm chicken rice and didn’t look very appetizing at all! (laughs) My eldest son hates chocolate, so I might have to tell them to skip the face next time… (laughs)

I visited this restaurant for the first time in two years, but the menu hasn't changed much! I also checked out the menu at the observation restaurant, but I think the options and prices here at the Chuo Restaurant are better. They have 2 types of children's menus: "Pyon Pyon Hayashi" for JPY 710 and pancakes for JPY 390, specifically for children up to elementary school age. I added a potato set for JPY 420 to the Pyon Pyon Hayashi. JPY 1130 feels a bit pricey for kids! The pancakes, priced at JPY 390, come with a side of fries. You can also swap for nuggets. To my surprise, instead of just 2 or 3 nuggets, they included 5! Each children's meal also comes with a complimentary drink! The pancakes were delicious, with a soft, fluffy texture and a sweet taste. They come with marmalade jam on the side. While the Pyon Pyon Hayashi looked cute, it may not be enough for older elementary school boys. The thick-cut bacon napolitan comes with a salad for JPY 910. Compared to two years ago, the price has only gone up by JPY 10!! How wonderful! (laughs)

It's been three years since my last visit to the forest park... Since then, the menu has changed completely. The Chuo Restaurant now mainly serves Western dishes like pizza, hayashi rice, and potatoes, while the observatory restaurant offers udon and curry. I really wanted to go to the observatory restaurant, but it was too far from the kids' play area, so I decided against it. Haha. Thinking it would be fine, I headed to the Chuo Restaurant. Ah, how nostalgic! The exterior hasn't changed at all. However, the menu has changed drastically, and despite being a place like this, it feels stylish—not just relying on ready-made meals—but it feels like they put real effort into it. Before, the food was more like what you'd find in a cafeteria. So, I chose the same terrace seat as three years ago. The ordering is done via a ticket vending machine at the entrance. After purchasing a ticket, I brought it to the counter where two charming older gentlemen were earnestly tossing pans. I initially thought that the quality might be low because of the older gentlemen, but surprisingly, the pasta was cooked al dente, and the omelet on the hayashi rice was perfectly runny. I was honestly impressed with how delicious it was. Haha. I apologize for judging by appearances! For a place like this (a national park), the quality is quite high. The rice wasn't grainy at all, it was shiny and well-cooked. The prices were: Omelette hayashi JPY 900, Neapolitan JPY 900, Tiger Punch hayashi JPY 700, and the drink bar JPY 400. The drink bar includes cappuccino and matcha latte, making it a better deal than buying a single coffee ticket. The children's menu, Tiger Punch hayashi, is absolutely adorable! I heard that the observatory restaurant serves curry instead of hayashi. Haha. The normal-sized hamburg steak comes with four meatballs, so there's plenty of food! Also, there's a great service called the Kids Free Service—if an adult orders a menu item over JPY 800, they can receive kids' pancakes and a free drink bar!

I must admit, I had no expectations, but surprisingly, the food was quite delicious! Both the udon and the ramen were good. I imagined the udon would be like instant noodles, but it had a nice chewy texture and was surprisingly tasty—more like frozen udon, I guess. I actually prefer it to Marugame Seimen. Sometimes, this kind of casual diner atmosphere can be nice. Although the prices aren't exactly cheap! (laughs) Spicy dipping udon: JPY 730 Zaru ramen: JPY 730 Kids curry: JPY 500 I was surprised when the kids curry arrived as a rice bowl! (laughs) Well, it made it easier to mix, so that was good... (laughs)