Need a late night ramen shop in Ikebukuro

I have lived in Japan for a number of years and in my experience, I simply cannot accept hearing someone call Mutekiya "average". Mutekiya's miso ramen is basically the tastiest that I've tried - 4 types of miso blended into something very, very special indeed.

If you really cannot handle the queue, there's an alternative choice on the same block, towards the railway bridge on the south side, forgot the name, but they have shorter queues and I think they are more shoyu-biased. Either choice is excellent.

Enjoy

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Any opinion appreciated

Bit late for your original enquiry, but for the record... I haven't been to Robles Grill, but I have been to both the others. The Charcoal Grill is a very good straightforward grilled food with a good selection of wines and a stylish dining room which has recently been refurbished. Ideal for a date, entertaining clients or a special dinner. Cardenas Chionois, despite the name, is not really Chinese cuisine at all - I'd again call it fusion, but the great point about it is the price. One warm starter, one cold starter, a main course (there are normally at least 5 choices of each) plus a fixed dessert AND 'nomihodai' wine (you can get several glasses in if you ask politely) all for JPY 4,300 per head.... You might think that they'd cut corners on the food at that price but I can honestly say I'd pay twice the price of the course menu, without wine, if I had to. It's that good, and certainly one of the best bargains of Tokyo dining. The only drawback is its location a decent walk from stations between Ebisu and Hiroo, but it is without any doubt worth seeking out - and booking in advance is always a good idea, because they have no problem getting custom given what they offer. Enjoy.

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Marunouchi (Tokyo station area) recs

The Exchange - gourmet sandwiches on the ground floor of the Palace building which adjoins the Palace Hotel.

Kua Aina Burger - in the Maru Biru

Da Cibo - Pizzeria in Kitchen Street (Tokyo Eki)

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Questions for seasoned Japan foodies

brownonthebeach - without doubt Tokyo's foremost street / area for buying kitchen equipment and crockery is Kappabashi (a 10-minute walk from Asakusa station, which is the terminus of the Ginza subway line). Its main source of custom is the catering trade, but naturally private buyers are welcome to choose from the enormous quantities of anything and everything associated with Japanese food preparation. The selection includes such items as the ubiquitous pieces of plastic food seen in the windows of many restaurants here.

If you want Japanese cooking equipment, trust me, spare a couple of hours at least for spending in Kappabashi and you won't be disappointed...

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Quick Japan recap

Just a general observation to add to the well-researched details of kuidaore above. My friends who live in Kansai definitely (and rightly) stand by their local cuisine, but most of them will concede that Kanto's sushi is better. This is probably the result of having Tsukiji market in Tokyo, at the heart of a quite centralised fish distribution system.

I have no prejudice against either western or eastern Japanese food, my simple advice to visitors is try to plan in advance and see whether you can try the local dishes, as unsurprisingly they are normally the best at source. If you are only visiting Tokyo and you want to try Hiroshima okonomiyaki, for example, don't worry - there are plenty of Hiroshima exiles running shops here and you can still get the real thing.

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