Reading diary6

Date：2 June 2009

Name and URL：
'Depachika' eateries attracting food fans
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20090601TDY07308.htm

Text:
Depachika, or food halls located in the basement of many large department stores, often feature delicatessens, groceries, and patisseries. Recently, however, small eat-in stalls and cafes dotted around the food halls are proving increasingly popular thanks to their reasonably priced, high-quality cuisine.
Shunbanro, a fugu blowfish restaurant that started in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, has a cafelike stall with four seats at Takashimaya department store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
Shunbanro's main restaurant in Shimonoseki has a long history and was notably visited by Hirobumi Ito, the nation's first prime minister.
The stall is situated behind a shop selling takeout fugu sashimi. In the kitchen, licensed fugu chefs prepare such foods as sushi rolls and sashimi at pocket-friendly prices.
"You can enjoy seasonal cuisine, such as hamo pike conger in summer and wild torafugu tiger blowfish in winter," said Masahiro Takahashi, the stall's manager.
A Takashimaya spokesman said the stall was well established among people in the know, with many making special visits to the store or dropping by during business trips.
Food writer Ikuko Nanayama said many eat-in food corners are small and do not spend much on self-promotion. However, these small eateries are gaining popularity via word of mouth thanks to their pricing policy, fast service and good reputations, Nanayama explained.
An added advantage of these mini restaurants is that cuisine can be purchased to take home or as a souvenir.
Yonyan, a Korean deli at Seibu department store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, sells kimchi pickles using high-quality pepper and namul seasoned vegetables. Bibimba, a traditional and popular rice-based Korean dish served in a heated stone bowl, sells for under 800 yen.
Nanayama said: "At depachika, cuisine from top-class restaurants, which are usually too expensive and difficult to access, can be enjoyed at reasonable prices. The private atmosphere found in department stores is also nice as it differs from that of food malls."
Taking the time to sample the foods at these small department-store eateries is well worth the effort.

Summary:
デパ地下は大きなデパートの地下の食品売り場で、デリカテッセンや食料雑貨店、ケーキ屋さんなどがある。
しかしながらここ最近は中で食べられたり、高い質の料理を高くない価格で、と改良されている。
フードライターの七山いくこさんは、店内飲食できる食品売り場は小さくて自己販売促進に多くを費やさなくていい、と言う。
それらの小さなレストランの他の好都合な点は、料理を家に持ち帰ったり
お土産として持ち帰ることができることだ。
七山さんは「高価すぎて、入手困難なトップクラスのレストランの料理を
デパ地下は安い価格で楽しませてくれる。」と言う。

What I find interesting:
デパ地下がこんなに発展していて、
ふぐの料理店まであるのは驚きました。
デパ地下は駅の近くにあることが多いし、位置的にも便利なので、これからもどんどん
思いがけないようなお店が進出してくると思います。

New words/expressions I learn:
delicatessen　デリカテッセン、調理済食品店
cuisine　料理
via　～経由で、を通って