Starting March 24 (Tuesday), sesame-specialty café & izakaya goma to (ゴマト) near Jiyugaoka, Tokyo, will begin serving a new spring menu. The restaurant's most popular lunch offering—the "goma to Plate Course"—is getting a seasonal makeover with spring-inspired colors and flavors, while two new desserts join the lineup as well.
About goma to
goma to opened in June 2022 as a café and izakaya built around the concept of "NEW STANDARD." The name embodies a vision of discovering new ways to use sesame and bringing it into everyday dining. The menu spans café fare and izakaya dishes, all centered on sesame.
Location: 2-24-8 Midorigaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo (arbre Jiyugaoka)
Hours: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM (Last Order 8:00 PM)
Phone: 03-6459-5959
Closed: Irregular
Seats: 30 indoor, 8 terrace
Official Website: https://www.kadoya.com/gomato/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gomatocafe/
Spring Menu — Available from March 24
Lunch: goma to Plate Course — ¥2,200 (tax included)
The restaurant's signature lunch course has been refreshed for spring, presenting sesame in new and playful combinations. The course features a selection of small dishes, each putting a different aspect of sesame to work.
Edamame Purée with Sesame Aroma
A drop of sesame oil adds depth to a smooth edamame purée, drawing out natural sweetness with a lingering, quiet finish.
Grapefruit and Onion Salad with Mint and Sesame Flavor
Refreshingly bitter grapefruit is dressed with rare sesame seed oil and a hint of mint for a light, fragrant salad.
Moist Chicken Breast and Cucumber with Sesame Plum Dressing
Lean chicken breast and crisp vegetables come together with the bright tang of plum and the rich depth of pure sesame oil—a clean, seasonal dish.
Corn and Tofu-Cream Cheese Two-Layer Mousse with Shrimp and Sansho Sesame Dressing
A two-layer mousse of tofu and cream cheese layered with sweet corn, topped with plump shrimp and tied together by a sansho-pepper sesame oil dressing.
Pounded Burdock with Black Sesame Espuma
A new-style sesame dish: burdock root seasoned with rich sesame oil, then dressed in an airy espuma that balances lightness with bold flavor.
Fried Sesame Tofu
Deep-fried sesame tofu topped generously with sesame paste sauce and a sprinkle of ground white sesame—a popular menu item where crispy texture meets toasty aroma.
Tomato Farci Stuffed with Lentil Miso
Lentils simmered in sesame miso fill a ripe tomato, while the umami of tomato and bacon is gently wrapped in sesame oil and miso.
Horse Mackerel and Okra in Kadaif with White Sesame Sauce
Horse mackerel and okra wrapped in shiso leaves, rolled in kadaif, and lightly fried. Served with white sesame paste sauce and pure sesame oil—one of the restaurant's top recommendations.
Spice-Marinated Sesame-Crusted Roasted Chicken
Chicken marinated in spices and sesame paste, coated in sesame and roasted until fragrant—a goma to take on tahini-style cooking.
Seasonal Grilled Vegetables with Black Sesame Tapenade
A goma to-style tapenade made from black sesame paste and rich sesame oil, served over colorful grilled seasonal vegetables.
Rice Ball with Plum and Bonito Flakes, and Turnip Pickles
Small rice balls coated in white sesame with a plum and bonito filling, paired with turnip pickles finished in sesame seed oil—a gentle combination to close out the course.
Sweets
Petits Fours Plate — ¥1,200 (tax included)
A plate featuring six kinds of sesame sweets, making it easy to sample a range of flavors in one sitting.
Kuro-goma Brûlée — ¥850 (tax included)
A brûlée packed with black sesame. The caramelized crust shatters with a satisfying crack, revealing smooth black sesame cream underneath—a dessert that delivers both texture and deep, roasted flavor.
Fried Yokan (Genmai Goma Tea Set) — ¥700 (tax included)
A goma to original yokan wrapped in kadaif and fried until crispy in pure white sesame oil. The hot, concentrated sweetness of the freshly fried yokan pairs with the coolness of ice cream for a hot-and-cold dessert that feels right at home in a sesame specialty restaurant.
