Tokyo: Hiyama Sukiyaki すき焼 日山, Chuo District

One of the few sukiyaki restaurants in Tokyo that have been recommended in the Michelin guide is located in a nice neighbourhood in Ningyocho. A family business that also runs as a butcher has been providing good quality meat products for the locals. Their lunch menu offers an affordable option to enjoy sukiyaki at the Michelin level and I would love to go back once travelling is permitted. It is possible to make reservations online on their website and the English language is available to make it easy for foreign tourists.

Do be ready to experience authentic Japanese way of service which you may not have an opportunity for elsewhere – a staff member will be in charge of your dining – bring ingredients to the room, prepare your meals by the table and dish up and present each dish in front of you. Sukiyaki is one of my favourite Japanese cuisines and it is essentially a type of beef hot pot. It generally comes with seasonal vegetables and is traditionally enjoyed by dipping sautéed beef in whisked raw egg yolk.

There are different classes of beef quality you can choose from their menu and a sukiyaki course comprises an appetiser, rice, main course, pickles and seasonal fruits. I particularly like konnyaku (konjac) noodles in the flavoursome juicy from cooking the beef and these noodles are of zero calories – no burden to your body yet tasty at the same time. Pears in Japan are bigger those British ones and are much juicier as well – great for refreshment after such a meal.

Ningyocho is full of shops that have been around for a long time; hence, an excellent neighbourhood to spend a day wandering and exploring if you love being immersed in a retro atmosphere.

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東京都中央区日本橋人形町2-5-1

https://hiyama-gr.com

© diningfotolog 2021

• 日本橋人形町1丁目15番

Tokyo: eat anytime at and around Tokyo station

Despite the hustle and bustle at the busiest station in the world – Tokyo station, you can still have a space to yourself and enjoy the moment if you know where to go. For breakfast, there are two Starbucks coffee shops you can visit to have your morning dosage taken care of – one in the old post office building now goes by the name of ‘Kitte Marunouchi’ while the other lies in Shin Marunouchi Building (Shin Marubiru) opposite the station. It is relatively easier to find a seat in the Kitte branch while it tends to ge busy in the Shin Marubiru branch.

Two other places are perfect for a snack, a gift or a quick lunch. One is Nenrinya Daimaru Tokyo, conveniently situated on the ground floor in the department store Daimaru inside the Tokyo station. Great to grab a local’s favourite for your afternoon treat or get a whole log as a souvenir. Cakes are freshly made on site and seasonal limited flavours only make it more difficult to choose which flavour to go with. おむすび処 (八重洲南口店) is where you can get a rice ball (おむすび in Japanese) for a meal on the go – plenty of options for fillings and one of the best cheap-eat locations.

Dom Piere Express Curry is located in the Kitchen Street inside the Tokyo station and open for long hours. All the classic flavours such as beef curry and pork cutlet curry are part of the menu where you can also find seasonal specials. It has a good ambience of early western restaurants you would find in Showa era. You may order a la carte or as a set that comes with soup and dessert.

P.S. These places may be closed temporarily due to the current pandemic.

1. Kitte: https://marunouchi.jp-kitte.jp
2. Shin Marunouchi: https://www.marunouchi.com/building/shinmaru/
3. Tokyo Station (food guide): https://www.gransta.jp

© diningfotolog 2020

• 東京駅 (Tokyo Sta.)

Tokyo: Tempura Kondo Ginza. 近藤 天ぷら 銀座。

A famous and popular place for high quality tempura cuisine is without surprise to be found in the land of Ginza. I find myself coming back here just so that I could feel that history in every corner of the streets and sample authentic flavours determined chefs aspire to retain over the years.

We made a reservation about one month in advance and were thrilled that we were able to. It was packed with customers though on the day of our visit. (We visited the restaurant in the pre-Covid days.)

They have mostly counter seats as it aims to present you a visual show of their artful cooking procedure. Before tasting the dish presented right in front of you, you have taken the pleasure of seeing ingredients being prepared and fried. All that builds up in tantalising your taste bud and ends with a delightful note in your mouth.

We had the lunch set which included a selection of daily seafood and vegetables. There was also rice, pickles and miso soup included and draft beer to order on the side. At the end of the meal, there were tea and fruit. I was completely amazed by the simple deliciousness of the pear. So sweet and juicy, no doubt the best I’ve ever tasted. (In the head an image of highly priced fruit gifts in supermarkets emerged.)

All in all, if you do like tempura then this has to be on your list of places to visit at least once in a lifetime. It sounds banal I know but it is simply true.

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東京都中央区銀座5-5-13 坂口ビル9F

https://tempura-kondo.com/

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Tokyo: Hiyama Sukiyaki すき焼 日山, Chuo District

by gochisousan January 31, 2021

Tokyo: eat anytime at and around Tokyo station

by gochisousan December 31, 2020

Tokyo: とんかつ　のもと家 Nomotoya Tonkatsu Minato

by gochisousan August 31, 2020

 

Tokyo: とんかつ のもと家 Nomotoya Tonkatsu Minato

What is that particular type of food that you would not want to miss while in Japan? For us, tonkatsu would be one of them. We came to Shibakoen area this time in search of a good plate of deep-fried pork cutlets.

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We both had their signature tonkatsu set that came with rice, pickles, miso soup, potato salad and of course the unmissable shredded cabbage. The only difference was the size of tonkatsu. A bigger portion indeed did make somebody totally satisfied.

This tonkatsu house is situated on the second floor in an apartment-like building in a competitive dining area. The place is not big and can probably accommodate around 20 customers. It is not far from Tokyo Tower, either. So it would be convenient if you have plans to visit the tower. Or it would be also great if you are happy with just a photo of it as it is easy enough to take one from the main street nearby.

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東京都港区芝公園2-3-7 玉川ビル2F

https://hitosara.com/0006086570/?cid=gm_hp

https://gm.gnavi.co.jp/shop/0118027001/

©diningfotolog

 

Tokyo: にしむら銀座凛 Nishimura Ginza Rin Sushi

It seems too difficult for us to leave Ginza so we might as well keep coming back~ When it comes to making a reservation for a restaurant you have your hearts on, I’ve noticed a growing level of difficulty in successfully pulling this through, especially when what you fancy is sushi. Some Michelin-starred sushi places simply do not take bookings directly from customers or they are simply booked out as soon as when they start taking bookings. These high-end restaurants usually start taking bookings from the first day of each month, so you have to make a phone call at the earliest hour possible as most of them do not have online booking systems. You might be thinking that Japan is such a pioneer in everything technological, but you will grow to know that they also like to keep their traditional way of doing things in certain areas. If you look out for reservation agents either on the Internet or App Store, you may find quite a few of them providing such services of booking a table for you at the expense of some commission fee.

So here we are at 銀座 凛 にしむら Ginza Rin Nishimura for a lunchtime omakase nigiri (おまかせ握り). The restaurant is tiny with mainly counter seats and even the chef himself doesn’t have ample working space, either. Yet, it feels quite cozy and somewhat intimate like being invited into a friend’s house for a really nice meal and this friend happens to be a sushi master. First course is probably not designed to calm you down (especially when you vey much likely have got lost in trying to find this restaurant in the big big city of Tokyo), however, its creamy texture will no doubt lull you into a wonderful journey full of flavours – soup of fish testicles.

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Kohada is the most representative fish for Edo-mae sushi style and it has beautiful silvery skin and a subtle umami flavour. What follows next are squid, amberjack and saba. Slight sweetness of the squid simply permeates in your mouth the second you start biting it. As the colour of the fish goes darker dish by dish, the depth of flavour grows more prominent. You would probably find yourself tasting the peak of umami flavour when savouring saba in the mouth – I wish I could have a bite of that now…

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Then the chef brings you another level of intensity in the oceanic flavour with bluefin tuna (Maguro in Japanese) – akami, chutoro and otoro. Akami is a slice of tuna from around its spine, rich deep red in flesh with a profound flavour; chutoro is said to have a well-balanced flavour with moderate distribution of fat, delivering a sensational taste. Otoro, king of sushi, is cut from the fattiest part of tuna and a bite of it is simply a divine joy.

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The following session offers a variety of different seafoods – salmon roe, oyster, tiger prawn, sea eel and sea urchin gonads. All of these jewels from the sea have their distinctive flavours and it is like going deeper into the sea as you savour each dish.

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Lastly, miso soup and tamagoyaki are served, indicating the ending of this lovely delectable course. Have a little conversation with the chef while sipping matcha – pleased to find out that we share the same viewpoint in that saba is the most flavoursome fish and tastes great in nigiri.

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[info]

http://ginza-rin.com

7-2-8 Token Building B1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

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• 中央区

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Tokyo: 千真野 Senmaya izakaya, Shibuya-Ku

That was a really nice night out to have dinner down a quiet alleyway, even better that we had to go down the stairs to the basement in order to enter the place – kind of a retro feel to it.

This cozy izakaya (Japanese-styled pub) is run by a couple and specialises in local cuisine from Iwate prefecture (岩手県) that is situated in the north-east of Tokyo. Locally brewed beers are also available and do check on their daily menu for anything particularly enticing to you on that day. All dishes are carefully prepared and cooked attentively by the chef. Sitting at the counter we were able to have a glimpse into the process going on in the kitchen, which was part of enjoyment dining in such a place. Pork was tender, even the fatty bits were tasty and simply melted in the mouth. Saba (mackerel) was full of umami and so perfectly cooked that flesh was flaky while the skin crispy. Soup made of fermented rice had a distinct flavour to it, almost like a fragrant sake. Less exciting but probably more easily acceptable option was tea and rice set. Both came with great pickles. Grilled chicken was moist and delicious. You could see a bit of pinkness in the meat – we did ask if it was safe to eat. They responded that it was the best way to enjoy this dish so we just went along and ate it all. At the end of the meal, we were given a little treat – a cookie from Iwate prefecture to go with the tea. It was a bit like senbei (Japanese rice cracker) but denser, crispier and in a curved shape.

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千真野 Bib Gourmand Tokyo

 

[info]

https://senmayatokyo.gorp.jp

東京都渋谷区富ヶ谷1-51-12 B1

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Tokyo: 吉澤 Yoshizawa Sukiyaki, Ginza

I’ve begun to go through all my photos as we are not allowed to go traveling in this ongoing lockdown, which leaves us with the only option – to imagine a journey or relive the journey you have taken previously.

Yes, in Ginza again… I’ve grown to love Ginza more every time I go to Tokyo not because of all the international big brands and luxury goods but because I am exceptionally attracted to its alleyways and hidden gourmet treasures. I did not know why I or we had decided to come here but I remembered passing by this sukiyaki place before thinking it was one of the Michelin-starred restaurants. So I managed to make a reservation for this recent trip only ended up coming here for dinner the day before the reservation. As part of the standard service, a lady would be responsible for cooking the sukiyaki and serving a portion for each guest. Staff here would likely fall in the category of being considered mature, which was not a bad thing as it would probably mean the restaurant has a long history and staff work together well. Indeed if you go to their website it does tell you the place was established in 1924 and has been providing its customers with quality meat as it is also a butcher. The lady was nice and held a conversation with us from time to time – good, I was able to practice my Japanese then. Food was alright and a bit heavily flavoured with soy-based sauce. Great to have a space to yourselves, which did come with a price as there was a surcharge for the table. They did specify in the first place but we were already sat down and just had to go with it. All in all, it was a great experience.

 The tea served at the end of meal was so refreshing that I just couldn’t stop drinking it…

[info]

http://www.ginza-yoshizawa.com

3 Chome-9-19 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061日本

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Tokyo: すし屋 一柳 Sushiya Ichiyanagi, Ginza

This is from my previous trip to Tokyo – seafood is one of my favourite meals and it would be unwise not to have nigiri or sashimi while in Japan at least in my opinion. All these sushi places listed on the Michelin guide require reservations in advance and nowadays you should be able to find online apps that provide booking services for oversea visitors. However, I prefer the old-fashioned way… but done in a modern way – I called them up using online apps for voice calls. Luckily, my basic Japanese language skills were just enough to deal with this.

On the day we were a little lost, which was not really uncommon in Ginza even though we had been there many times. It was almost packed when we arrived. The waiting staff were very friendly and we ordered a lunchtime set with sake. During our time in there, the chef spent most of the time chatting with a group of three men sitting at the corner, looking like they were probably regulars. The way he handled and fish and rice seemed very natural and without many movements of fingers nor undue attention, all of kneading and shaping actions being completed in just a few second. He would state clearly the name of the fish while placing the nigiri in front of you and that was all and only interaction we had. We did not mind that much as a matter of fact and felt rather relaxed while enjoying each nigiri. You would find a usual make-up in this lunch set menu, nothing too exciting but it was all up to standard.

[info]

https://www.sushiya-ichiyanagi.com

東京都中央区銀座1-5-14 銀座コシミオンビル 1階

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Tokyo: Gyoza and Ramen

Anda Gyoza, a home-like eatery located near Yoyogi-uehara metro station, is listed on the Michelin Bib Gourmand since last year. Ginseng flavoured dumplings are not seen before nor elsewhere, but the taste is actually quite good. Do not forget to try the sauces offered on the table if you are one of us that love a bit of spiciness. I also particularly enjoy the soup of bits of seaweed. As there are not many seats you may need to be prepared to queue up at busy hours.

The ramen street is conveniently situated inside the Tokyo station and you can come here any time during the day for a quick meal. For it be thickly bone-based or spicy flavour, it all goes very well with thin noodles. Moreover, you have options of flavours from different prefectures and regions that are characteristic of local savour.

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Anda Gyoza

https://andagyoza.tumblr.com

Tokyo Ramen Street

https://www.tokyoeki-1bangai.co.jp/shop/?area=area3&floor=b1f&anchor=1

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Japan: food on the islands of Shikoku

Scenery was beautiful and towns were full of traditional lifestyles; however, there were not plenty of places for you to get replenished during the local art festival, Setouchi Triennale. During our couple of days of island hopping, we made do with food from convenience stores, which we were actually pretty happy with. We did manage to have two cooked meals, and they all happened to be curry.

ナカオク offered a cozy space inside a Japanese one-storey house and having curry just fit so well with vibe that aimed to make you feel at home. You could also have it as a set with a drink and cake at the end of your meal.

島キッチン was a curry house that offered a daily menu of house made curry. You had to order, pay and wait for your own food. Then you could enjoy it at the seats outside. It was more like an outdoor canteen.

Near the port on Teshima, you could buy locally made snacks and treats. Ice cream of local sugar flavour (wasanbon) was not a bad choice.

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Cafe Salon Naka-oku ナカオク

https://cafesalon-naka-oku.jimdofree.com

Shima Kitchen 島キッチン

http://www.shimakitchen.com

© diningfotolog