LOHB
I hate to say it, but this is the girliest restaurant I have ever been to. I have more than once noted that all the patrons are groups of young women, with the exception of the occasional couple on a date. Why is this, are women more susceptible to the promise of healthy dining? Perhaps. Case in point: the last time I dined with so many women was at a “detox tabehodai” (all you can eat). An oxymoron of course, made only more ridiculous by the fact that it included hearty beef curry amongst its buffet.
But back to Lohb, a restaurant with the so-called “Natural&Healthy[sic]&Beauty” theme: in addition to be generally populated by women customers, there is a true sense of pretty in the décor, which incorporates water, crystal, plants, and lush, cushiony seating. The upstairs couches (pictured above) seem like they’d be ideal for a date, although I have not tried them out. Seated by the window downstairs on my visit, I recognize immediately at least one feature that should be attractive to any visitor. The full glass walls of both floors of this restaurant look directly out onto Shibuya Station crossing. My tourist friend was delighted, however, when she immediately began snapping pictures on one visit, we were told—both in English and Japanese—that photos were not allowed. When we pressed the matter (after all, we were not taking photos of the restaurant’s interior), we were told that the buildings across the street would make the restaurant pay money if they allowed visitors to take photos of the very public and often photographed square.
With a good fifteen photos already in the can, we shrugged off this odd rule and checked out the menu. There did seem to be some genuinely healthy dishes, as well as a great selection of unusual cocktails, many boasting high vitamin content. The most interesting and healthy choices came from the changing seasonal menu, which featured a few different dishes using wild rice, and we enjoyed a smooth risotto. Off of the year-round menu we liked the beef carpaccio, although how it would benefit our beauty, I’m not quite sure. We also had a light, albeit unremarkable proscuitto and rucola pizza, and some nama harumaki (fresh spring roll), which fit the healthy bill, but did not wow us .
We finished off with the dessert plate (pictured above), which was definitely the highlight. Everything on it was just as it should be: sweet, rich, and probably pushing us on the road towards heart-attacks. So do not come to Lohb for the healthy food. Do not come for the photo opportunities. Come when you want a great view, food of a solid quality with some seasonal stand-outs, décor done all the way, and maybe when you want to impress a girly-girl.
LOHB
渋谷区道玄坂2-3-1 LikesBldg 4・5F
TEL 03-3464-1919
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