jem589's Profile
3 days in Tokyo - where to eat?
Darn right! There isn't a better value for money in sushi, for my money.
But most of them aren't open 24 hours. There were 5 or 6 around my neighborhood and I think they closed at 3 or 4.
Seeking Retro restaurants in Tokyo - Art Deco cafés, 1960s hotel bars, etc
Also, Cafe de l'Ambre is right on the other side of that block, one street towards Chuo. They're got some decent atmosphere as well as the famous aged coffee beans (1954 Colombia, 1974 Cuba, etc). And it's crowded.
Seeking Retro restaurants in Tokyo - Art Deco cafés, 1960s hotel bars, etc
Haha, I still remember Bordeaux as being the single worst experience of my entertainment career in Tokyo. I had such high expectations based on the awesome exterior and interior, but then the service was so weird, and the prices were so, so high, and the quality was low. I can laugh about it now, and it sure is cool to be in there.
Zauo/ other "weird" restaurants
Bummed that I never penetrated that sphere of corporate life. Work dinners were usually quite bad.
Seeking Retro restaurants in Tokyo - Art Deco cafés, 1960s hotel bars, etc
I feel weird about these places since they're mostly so old that they feel dirty and not ironically retro like the kids are into these days. Here's one: http://bit.ly/x1182n and here's a ramen place that fits the bill too http://bit.ly/yeOqxW and wait, here's another one http://bit.ly/zYRABY Now that I look back at my notes, the list in Kanda is indeed pretty long.
The food is never as good as I want it to be though (if that's an issue). I went through a big streak of trying these places, and they're consistently disappointing. If you want the pure, old-fashioned curry or coffee or ramen, there are always young guys trying and succeeding at doing those styles better.
Although I DO like the food at Sakaeya Milk Hole in Kanda. The outside is super-retro, very picture-worthy.
Zauo/ other "weird" restaurants
Was that real?! I've spent a lot of time looking for a place like that online and could never find anything. Did they exist during the Bubble? (Which I hesitate to point out was more like 30 years ago...)
Tokyo izakaya/yakitori recommendations (for people living in Japan)
You've already done a great job finding good prospects, but this list has a few more, for example Honoka that Beks mentioned.
http://iitokorone.blogspot.com/p/izakayas.html
Just looking at all those names brings a tear to my eye.
Top Japanese restaurants in Tokyo
I'm available for consulting projects through mid-August.
Ganko ramen
yeah, it was good. They were complaining about the quantity and expense of raw materials that went into it.
Maybe other shops do wackier things; Fukumen is the only one I'm really familiar with, but theirs are usually pretty tame (chicken-soy milk, that sorta thing).
Maybe I'll go to the founder's new place for the July day.
Ganko ramen
I've only been once, and it was these awesome shrimp wontons with soup made from dried scallops.
Ganko ramen
Hey, what's your favorite Ganko ramen? I enjoyed the one in Baba, but really fell in love with Fukumen in Jinbocho. That was when Ichijo san was working there, and I have to admit that I think it's cool to have ramen from a guy that invented a whole new style.
A while ago I didn't see him there any more. Today I ate at a pretty good Ganko at the north end of Akihabara, and the master told me Ichijo took 6 months off and is now working at a place in Arakicho. It's called Fuwa-Fuwa, and I'll be there soon.
Anyway, what other Gankos do you like?
Abura soba in Kyoto and Osaka
Now THAT'S a topic everyone can enjoy.
There seems to be a Tetsu branch in Kyoto station: http://ramendb.supleks.jp/shop/24075
Other than that it seems a bit limited. Remember to look for maze soba as well as abura soba, either name will get you done.
Curry
Just got back from Bondy (only took 18 months from the above post). Quite nice, surprisingly spicy, complex and sweet. I wouldn't compare to the low-end tasty junk at Manten; the styles are so different. Both have their place.
Summer sake
I'll look for Wataribune for you. Last night had summer sake from Izumibashi, the guys who do the labels with brightly-colored dragonflys and bugs. Another nice place, in Shibuya this time.
Summer sake
Summer sake is already out - with the cool blue bottles. Last night I had a nice Tedorigawa and another I already can't remember (at a terrific little place in Ochanomizu). What are you excited to drink this year, and where are you going for it?
Undercooked/Uncooked Chicken
Reiterating and adding a little:
The degree of doneness is usually specific to what you're eating. Is you get sasami like Robb says (aren't these called 'tenderloin' in America?), often with wasabi or plum topping, it'll be cooked outside but not browned or charred, and still raw inside. If you get 'toriwasa', or chicken-wasabi, it'll be either raw or just cooked on the outside, then chopped. If you get tacowasa, it'll be octopus and you'll know you're not in a chicken shop. If you're in a Miyazaki chicken specialist, you should watch out, because their chickens are more free-range, and the raw meat is (to my American tastes) unconscionably chewy.
However I think it's pretty much always the way they intended it. My rule for eating raw stuff in Japan is "If it's on the menu, it's safe to eat."
Without minimizing Prasantrin's story, do you know how many raw eggs are eaten every day in Japan? I see where the International Egg Commission estimates Japanese whole-egg consumption at about .5 per person per day (160 per person per year; I'm not making this up, by the way), and if half or 1/3 of these are raw (over rice for breakfast, with dinner for dipping beef or chicken, as a ramen/curry topping...), we're still at 15-20 million raw eggs daily. My extremely drawn-out point is that poultry management seems to work differently here, and our deeply-rooted foreign fears just don't exist.
And I like raw chicken. I said to someone in New Jersey last week "If you like chicken and you like sushi, you'll like raw chicken."
Cozy restaurants in or near Tokyo
Oh yeah, I can go along with both of those. In different ways though. Did you notice that Otafuku fulfills about 4 of Robb's criteria for not cozy?
Okajouki, do make sure to get there not long after 4 on weekends. I went by at 5 recently and it was packed. But still cozy.
The awesome place in Oshiage is also cozy to me. Anything with 8 seats can't be bad. http://bit.ly/jHBINk
Wagyu Ranch / Farm Tours??
I used to love the beef at Wakou, way out in Yamanashi. Like a Denny's with chilled cabarnet and $80 steaks. http://www.k-wakou.com/
They had barns behind the restaurant, and you could pretty much wander out there to say hi to the cattle as you liked. It's right off the highway, if that helps (and I don't mean that in a bad way).
However they told me one time that they weren't allowed to serve their own cattle directly - the grower's association mandates that everything be auctioned first. Makes it tough to be sure where your beef comes from, although I've heard of places that offer you a nose-print of the cow they're carving from that night.
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http://iitokorone.blogspot.com/
Authentic bánh mì in Tokyo
Banh Mi Sandwich in Takadanobaba (first in the TimeOut article above). Creative name, nice people, bread made in house, good sandwiches.
Top Gaijin eats or Non-Japanese foods in Tokyo
This place Qino's in Hongo-3 looks like the business, but I can't steel myself to pay $15 for a pastrami sandwich despite that possibly being cheaper than in NY. Maybe today.
http://www.firehouse.co.jp/friends_qinos.html
Agreed, no Suji's.
Breakfast in Tokyo
I was going to say I think it's good as long as someone else pays, but your story is exactly what also happened to me last time I had a business breakfast there.
Sake Season Underway: your favorite spots in Tokyo?
Radiation and tremors aside, has anyone been to these Sanpei Shuryo places? They claim to have a lotta sake, and they look cheap. I keep seeing the Ginza one and finally remembered to look it up.
dress code?
Went to Kyoto last weekend, ate at 2-star kaiseki restaurant Sakurada. All the serving staff are in kimono, and it's quiet and reserved. There was a group of four, no foreigners, where one guy was wearing shiny silver sneakers, ripped jeans, and a white t-shirt that said 'Grandma Take Me Home'.
My point being that, in Japan, paying cash for service does a lot to negate any potential dress codes. French places are probably a bit different.
Best restaurant in all of Japan?
Y'know, I think it's more a personality thing than anything else. I hate picking a favorite anything (like Aso, top several by category could work). On the other hand, I've been to...oh, about 1500 restaurants in Japan, and the number that I would actively recommend (as in, 'make a special trip regardless of category or location') is pretty low. And on the third hand, I recognized a while ago that there were people who wanted one answer, and resolved to just say 'Merveille' when they asked for my favorite restaurant.
On the fourth hand, I just looked at my 'recommended' tags for the last 4 months and kept going "ooooh, that one!...THAT one!" If you asked for my favorite kappo of the last 6 months, it's Uemura. Sake bars, I couldn't even pick.
As long as this thread is revived and totally random, let me just say that the charcuterie at Bistro Abats in Hongo (lunch today) is probably the best in Tokyo. If you like the phrase "2 year old deer salami", it's your place.
BYOB in Tokyo?
Come to think of it, I BYO'ed at Quintessence too. Y5k, and worth every penny.
overrated/overpriced in tokyo
Hirosaku looks like good value for lunch. For dinner, it is oh-my-god expensive. Don't go.
Quintessence seemed extraordinarily overhyped and expensive to me. But that was a couple years ago, and it's still just as popular, so whaddoIknow?
I liked Yonemura a lot, but I had a much better experience than Aso (didn't realize that was recent). I even liked the cheese-and-cheesecake! Lunch is a better idea there too, but the whole thing is still steep.
Oooh, while I'm complaining, I went to Sushi Isshin in Asakusa a while back. Michelin starred, nastily-priced, mediocre quality.
BYOB in Tokyo?
I've BYOed at Merveille (Nihonbashi, French), Mikawa (Kayabacho, tempura), and Onodera (Kagurazaka, kaiseki), paying Y2k each time.
There is not, however, a culture like I remember from Australia where restaurants without liquor licenses allowed you to BYO for $2 or $5.
