Shinjuku 3-chome is an odd little block full of bars, serving as something of a slope to allow the declination of standards as one goes from Isetan’s glamorous flagship store east into 2-chome (no offense). This, to me, is what Shinjuku is all about – more adult than Shibuya, where they listen to pop music. […]
Month: January 2010
- bistro
- ...
C’est la Vie Nagano, Shinjuku
After planning to visit the Salon du Chocolate at Shinjuku Isetan, it seemed almost like a requirement to visit one of the many eastside Shinjuku bistros afterward. I cast about with my new favorite tool, Google Maps (seriously – just search for ‘bistro’ or whatever you want, within the neighborhood that you want, and you’ll […]
Salon du Chocolat, Isetan Shinjuku
Tokyo has nearly limitless capacity to delight, and to disappoint. I thought I was terribly clever for proposing a late-afternoon trip to Shinjuku Isetan and the 2010 Salon du Chocolat. This is a fabulous event – what is ostensibly a trade fair for the chocolate industry in Paris is transplanted and reimagined as a consumer […]
Hiyoshiya, Morishita (日吉屋)
This place has always been on my radar to some extent, and after 5 years I finally made it in. Great experience, decent food. Hiyoshiya looks like it’s been doing the same thing forever. In fact it’s since Showa 5 (1931), although you could easily be mistaken and think it was Taisho 5. Somehow I […]
- Ginza
- ...
Vinorio, Ginza
Dinner with the Swans was supposed to be a fairly quick one, followed by live music. Instead it stretched out a bit and became the main event of the evening – partly our inability to order decisively, partly the speed of service. If you were doing nothing of an evening except dining, I would say […]
Henry Good Seven, Marunouchi
What does the name mean? It sounds like rhyming slang for something, Fanny Adams and all that. Is it cryptic just for the sake of crypticosity? That reminds me, I saw one of the most fabulous Engrish garments ever on the train this morning, but failed to take a picture. If I had, that would […]
- izakaya
- ...
Umibatake, Ikebukuro (海畑)
Last year when I went to Sunny Spot in Ikebukuro, I left my camera on the bar. In fairness to myself, I was away from my seat for an extended period playing guitar, and during that time other people crowded around the spot where I had been sitting, which helped me forget the camera. But […]
- Kanda
- ...
Daiichian, Kanda （更科大一案）
Hmm, somehow I expected this place to be a touch better than it was. It’s on the main drag of Kanda’s east side, and has just been sitting there for over a year, daring me to come in for lunch. Today I did, along with my colleague Felt from London. They were out of two […]
Jiyugaoka Grill, Tokyo (新丸７階)
For the usual reasons, I had an inclination toward meat, fat, grease, whatever at lunch today. Not in a bad way, but it seemed like something substantial was indicated. 鈴寺 was fortunately amenable to this, and off we went to a yoshoku place. Out of habit, I steered toward a place that I hadn’t tried […]
- Kanda
- ...
Atami Ramen, Kanda (あたみ)
This is one of the higher-rated places for ramen in Kanda (Tabelog-wise; I accept your criticism that Tabelog is more of an authority on the high end and in particular foreign food). As such, I’ve been meaning to go there for a while. Every time I wondered by [sic], I was overcome by an overwhelming […]