Nourishing Cafe: Tina Lente

In search of higanbana (red spider lilies), I rode my bicycle to Nakazakicho Park. Noticing Tina Lente (a cafe I had long been wanting to go to) was open, I decided to have lunch there.

The cafe has a nice view of the park from a little deck covered with flourishing house plants.

I'm a sucker for rainbows, and alkaline water.

I got the Monday lunch set, which featured organic and non-GMO produce and rice.

The rice is a blend of 40-50 different types of organic and non-GMO rice from Hiroshima. It had a nice nutty flavor and pleasing texture. A rogue rainbow climbed into my bowl.
 

The cafe's owner also enjoys taking photos and often updates about blooming flowers in the park on instagram (@tinalente).

It was a nice break, but I had to continue my quest.

I could not find any higanbana in the vincinity of the park or surrounding areas and began to worry I had missed the season altogether! But, on my way to the grocery store, a red blur caught my attention at the stop light. At last! Invading a pink-budded camellia's pot, a lone higanbana stood.