gkanai's Profile
Stuck in a conbini - I eat.
Kaotan? If you're in Nishi Azabu, wouldn't you rather get a kogashi-ramen at Gogyo?
Prodigal Daughter Revisits Tokyo [Trip Report pt 1]
You mentioned Nishinomiya. I've family from that area. Was there any place you particularly liked in the Nishinomiya/Ashiya area?
Prodigal Daughter Revisits Tokyo [Trip Report pt 1]
Suntory seems to change up the flavors of Gokuri that are on the market at any one time. The competitive nature of the beverage market in Japan seems to mandate such tactics.
Sushi Saito: Wait List & Walk Ins?
Depends on what kind of ramen you want. Keizo at goramen.com has a very good ramen blog here in Tokyo and heads up Basanova which has a Thai-soup ramen that is raved about.
Reviews of Michelin-Starred Restaurants in Tokyo
Nice list and great report! Glad to see that you braved your lack of Japanese and enjoyed the food in this great city.
Food in Sasebo, Japan (also, baby etiquette)
I can't help with the Sasebo information but I can say that most Japanese do not bring infants (under 6 mo.) out in public very often. That said, when infants are out in public, "fami-resu" are probably where you would find them. Sadly Chowhounds and "fami-resu" don't go well together, but there you go. If there's a local joint where you know the owners and can ask politely (or call ahead) that's best.
Flying Solo In Tokyo?
I have a preference for the Azabu area- either Azabu Juban (which has great soba restaurants) or Nishi Azabu (which has a great tonkatsu place.) But Tokyo is your oyster- any neighborhood has at least one great place. Depends on what you want to eat.
Aquavit - review
Glad you liked it so much. I don't drink alcohol (allergy) so I didn't enjoy the signature drinks.
Looking at the impact to the economy post-quake, we should be concerned about most businesses- especially the higher-end ones. The WSJ had a blog post from the Tokyo team about Tokyo 5-star hotels doing deep discounts recently. High-end restaurants will be impacted, no doubt.
Aquavit Swedish restaurant
http://www.e-food.jp/cgi-bin/restfind/view1.cgi?no=1019
http://e-food.jp/cgi-bin/restfind/view1.cgi?no=1669
I think I went to the Roppongi one once. I don't remember it being memorable...
Aquavit Swedish restaurant
Additional info (may be obvious but...)
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Restaurant_Aquavit
Aquavit Swedish restaurant
I went a number of years ago. I haven't been to the NY location but I enjoyed our dinner (although I don't remember details.) I do remember that the service was very good (attentive.)
One Spectacular, Tour de Force Tokyo Dinner...Who to Choose??
For soba, you can't go wrong by heading to Sarashina in Azabu-Juban. There's lots of good soba but that's my favorite (we used to live right nearby.)
http://www.sarashina-horii.com/
Restaurants in Japan
There is no tipping in Japan. Any 'tip' fees are built into the cost of the meal.
Border Grill Tex-Mex in Sasazuka
Wow, very excited to find something better than Frijoles (which, I agree, is missing that magic something.)
Top Gaijin eats or Non-Japanese foods in Tokyo
Don't waste your time with Suji's. I've been a few times and always come away with the same impression: too expensive for what they serve by a long shot.
Food boredom
Have you been to: Kitchen 5 in Nishi-Azabu?
http://www.kitchen5.jp/v2/eng.html
Reservation a must.
Tokyo Pizza
Tell the owner (gaikokujin-guy) that you heard about it on Chowhound :) He was happy to hear about this discussion.
Tokyo Pizza
I liked both the toppings and the crust. I'm looking forward to going back but it's out of the way for me so I can only go on the weekend.
Tokyo Pizza
I just hit Rocco's this past Friday. EXCELLENT. Great NYC-style pizza. Better than Pizzakaya and certainly better than Costco Japan.
Tokyo Pizza
Born and raised in Murray Hill. If Rocco's is as good as you say it is, I'm very interested. That said, I can walk to Pizzakaya, and Rocco's is a haul for me, so not sure when I can get out there. Looking forward to it.
Top Gaijin eats or Non-Japanese foods in Tokyo
Frijoles is good, but somehow doesn't make it to great. I'm not sure what they're missing. The ingredients are fresh, and I've tried almost all of the combinations, and they definitely satisfy the urge for quality Mexican fast food, and I go back regularly, but they're missing something- not sure what it is. Maybe a sauce or maybe a melted cheese something or...
Top Gaijin eats or Non-Japanese foods in Tokyo
Murray Hill represented!
I hope you're right about Rocco's. Been wanting to have a NYC-style slice or three for many, many moons.
I love the quality of a lot of the pizza in Tokyo (favorite is Savoy atm) but if Rocco's is as good as you say, I'll make the trek out to Oji.
After 11 days in Tokyo..
"But I derived greater pleasures from simple meals like oden eaten on a cold day!"
Wonderful! That's the way it should be :)
Looking for a Tokyo food guide
When you say "avoid the foodie tourist spots that I can find on the web" can you clarify more? Do you mean that you don't want to go to any restaurant in the Michelin Guide? Because just about every restaurant is 'on the web' in Japan.
OH GOD!
Many of us are Japanese or read/write Japanese. If you list the restaurants you're planning to go to, we can help you make a list in Japanese to use with the taxi driver, concierge, etc.
Goma-dare dishes in Tokyo?
OOh ooh. There's a sobaya in Juban, closer to the Korean embassy, that has a great goma-tare. I forget the name but will try to look it up.
Thoughts on the Gotham Grill in Ebisu?
My favorite burger in Tokyo is the burger at Union Square Cafe at Tokyo Midtown.
That being said, I really like the Gotham Grill burger too.
I also like Burger Mania in Shirokane.
I tried the Blacows burger from take-out, and it didn't impress, but I need to try it in the restaurant. Take-out is not representative, I know.
Bakeries in Tokyo
There are bakeries near many of the train stations but that probably doesn't help you. If you can clarify more as to what sort of bread (French? Italian? German? Middle Eastern?) that would help.
You can try the Joel Robuchon bakery at Roppongi Hills for high-end pastries.
Okonomiyaki in Tokyo
My favorite is Bochi Bochi in Hiroo. I think it's Kobe-style if anything, not Hiroshima afaik.
http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130703/13009776/
Two Weeks in Tokyo: 300,000 Calories +Yen Later
Yes. There is a small Tonki in Kojimachi. Just a counter for about 8 and a table for 4. Same great tonkatsu.
