Even more sesame flavor! It seems the famous sesame-lover’s spot “goma to” has been reborn as a sesame specialty café dining venue @Jiyugaoka | We went

Hello! My name is Min from Social Relations Division 3, and I have just started my second year with the company.

In this season filled with new encounters, did you know there is a place where you can discover the wonderful appeal of sesame?

Jiyugaoka’s sesame specialty café “goma to,” run by Kadoya Sesame Mills—famous for its sesame oil with the yellow cap and known for offering an all-sesame menu—has now undergone a major menu renewal as a sesame specialty café dining venue!

Since joining the company, I have been in charge of PR for Kadoya Sesame Mills, sharing the appeal of its new products day by day—not only sesame oil, but also the brand’s strengths as a comprehensive sesame manufacturer. I had the opportunity to try the new menu, so I will report on the experience!

■ What is “goma to”?

Opened in June 2022, “goma to” is a café where you can enjoy dishes made generously with sesame, based on the concept of NEW STANDARD.

The name reflects Kadoya Sesame Mills’ desire, as a comprehensive sesame manufacturer, to introduce new ways to use sesame and new aspects of its appeal, and to help create dining tables that feature sesame.

▼ Click here for the tasting report from when “goma to” first opened
This is sesame, that is sesame, and that is sesame too… Enjoying the all-sesame winter menu at the sesame specialty café “goma to” in Jiyugaoka | We went and tried it

Many of you may have just remembered, “We have Kadoya sesame oil at home!”

However, when it comes to how to use sesame oil, it is easy to fall into the same routine—using it as cooking oil for stir-frying, or as a seasoning for dishes like namul…

What makes “goma to” so appealing is that it solves those concerns and lets you discover, “So that’s another way to use it!”

The interior has a modern atmosphere that is the complete opposite of what you might expect from a long-established brand with 165 years of history. You might not even realize it is operated by Kadoya Sesame Mills.

As soon as you step inside, the toasty aroma of sesame oil gently wafts through the air, instantly making you even hungrier.

■ Unfailingly delicious. Tasting a sesame-filled meal!

After taking our seats, the first thing I ordered was the “Black Sesame Tantan Noodles with the Aroma of Sesame Oil,” which I decided on the moment I saw it on the menu.

From the moment it arrived, the scent of sesame oil drifted up along with the rising steam.

At first glance, the black sesame presence seemed surprisingly subtle… but that impression was completely overturned the moment I put my chopsticks in.

As I loosened the meat miso sitting in the center, jet-black sesame appeared. The “ground black sesame” and “black sesame paste” generously blended into the soup also coated the noodles thoroughly.

Adding the accompanying “sesame chili oil” brings a sharp kick that becomes the perfect accent—absolutely excellent. Be sure to enjoy an extra drizzle, too.

Next came the “Black Sesame Seafood Curry.” It is, quite simply, very black!

Because the curry, made with several kinds of seafood, includes “black sesame paste” and squid ink, one bite fills your mouth with the umami of seafood and the rich depth of black sesame—pure bliss.

It was an outstanding dish that you can enjoy with both your eyes and your palate.

■ It is this stylish, yet the recommendation is an “izakaya-style light-drinking menu”?!

This was what surprised me most about the renewal.(Ta-da!)

It is, unbelievably, “sesame shochu.”

After wondering, “What would it taste like?” and debating how to drink it, we ordered it with soda. Our nervousness about encountering a new flavor quickly disappeared, and everyone raved, “It’s lightly sweet and easy to drink—almost like sake!”

Then came the “White Sesame Paste Hummus.”

Seeing me tilt my head at the unfamiliar name—“Hummus…?”—the senior colleagues who came with me explained that it is a classic traditional dish from the Middle East, made by adding sesame paste, crushed garlic, olive oil, and more to mashed chickpeas.

At “goma to,” their hummus reportedly contains plenty of “white sesame paste” compared with other restaurants’ hummus, and it also uses “pure sesame oil”!

With its slightly more grown-up flavor, my senior colleagues could not stop reaching for it as a snack to go with their drinks.

Meanwhile, I was captivated by the final dish to arrive: “Fried Chicken Tossed in Sweet Sesame Chili Sauce”!

A wonderful aroma of garlic and sesame oil wafted through the air.

This dish features chicken marinated with garlic, ginger, and “pure sesame oil,” fried crisp in “Kadoya’s Taibai sesame oil,” then coated in a sweet chili sauce made with “pure sesame oil.”

The addictive seasoning meant I could not stop reaching for the “sesame shochu,” and I thoroughly enjoyed the sesame-filled menu.

■ Impressions Summary

How was it? At “goma to,” there are also plenty of sweets, including the hugely popular “goma to Parfait” from last year, the “Black Sesame Paste Homemade Warabi Mochi Vanilla Shake,” and the newly introduced “Black Sesame Pudding” made with plenty of “black sesame paste”!

In this season of new encounters, please visit “goma to,” where you can enjoy a new encounter with “sesame,” and experience it for yourself.