Lunch at Värmen, Tokyo Midtown Hibiya

Salut! It's Yoko.

I had lunch at Värmen in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya!

Värmen is an unusual name, isn't it? Look at the dots over the a.

It's Swedish for "giving off heat," and it's pronounced "Värmen" (bah-men in Japanese). The name is meant to express the "heat" of the craftspeople, the cooking and the guests all coming together.

For a second I wondered if it was a ramen or pasta place, but it has nothing to do with that...

A terrace lunch overlooking the greenery of Hibiya Park

The interior has a southern France or Spain feel.
It was full, but they still had room on the terrace, so we managed to get in.

You slip past the counter and find the terrace at the back. It's quite a big one.

There were several tables for four on the terrace.
There's a fair distance to the fence, so it feels open and airy.

Outside, Hibiya Park is full of green, and glancing at it while you eat is very soothing.

Värmen's lunch menu

This was the lunch menu that day.

Salmon pasta, shrimp macaroni gratin, a cheeseburger, red sea bream bouillabaisse and pork spare ribs.

Did you notice? Whatever you choose, you get a solid dose of protein!

I've been paying a lot of attention to protein lately, with 50 g a day as my minimum, so this is great.

It was lunchtime, so I ignored the carbs and went for the cheeseburger.

First, the salad arrived.
It has a light vinegar and olive oil dressing.

My companion's salmon tomato cream pasta came first.

The sauce coats the pasta well, and it's garnished with capers and dill, so you get a nice touch of acidity and herbal fragrance.

Cream pastas tend to get boring toward the end, so I like it when there's an accent like this.

A few minutes later, my cheeseburger arrived!

Wow, that's a serious size! The patty looks about three times as tall as a McDonald's one...

The portion of fries is generous too, and I loved the fresh pickles.

The bun is like a bread you could happily eat on its own, with a fairly sturdy crust.

What stood out to me most was the patty. It's thick, but coarsely ground and cooked just right, so it's fluffy and tender.
It also had plenty of coarsely chopped onion, which made it sweet and juicy.

There were other things I wanted to try, like the Basque cheesecake and the sangria, but I ran out of time.

I'll go back another time.

How to get to Värmen

Värmen is on the 2nd floor of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. Enter through the front of Midtown Hibiya and go up to the 2nd floor;
it's at the far end on the opposite side.

It seems like a good fit for a girls' lunch or a get-together with other moms.
The terrace is spacious, and although I haven't confirmed it, I felt it would be fine with kids too. Try it on a nice day!

Värmen

Tokyo Midtown Hibiya 2F, 1-1-2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006
03-6205-7723
11:00-23:00

I plan to work my way through the lunches at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya little by little, so I'd love for you to read along!

See you next time! Au revoir!