This is an odd position to be in – needing to recommend a restaurant from the Aux Amis chain. After a series of mediocre experiences at the Maru Biru glamour outlet and the Brasserie outlet, I don’t know what I was doing steering this work dinner toward yet another one (in the same building as the Brasserie, […]
Month: March 2010
- Kanda
- ...
Menya Sora, Kanda (めん屋 そら)
This place comes recommended from several sources – I’m pretty sure it was the top in the area on Tabelog sometime, and only a week ago my colleagues came back from a return visit, recommending it. I’ve been meaning to go for months and months. All of that adds up to a big disappointment since […]
- bar
- ...
Por Tin Tin, Yoyogi Uehara
We all know the stereotype of Japanese people who do something really well, to excess. If you didn’t know, that applies to all classes of endeavor – including smoky jazz bars. Just up the hill on the north side of Yoyogi Uehara (I think it’s ‘Uehara Ginza’), you’ll see a small street on the right, […]
Okonn, Yoyogi Uehara (おこん)
DAMN, I know how to pick restaurants. This one is a little hard to describe, but let me rattle off some ideas that describe it: secluded, stylish, simple cooking but great ingredients, and a lot of care and concern. First, the location – it’s 7 minutes walk from Yoyogi Uehara, which sounds close but feels […]
- bar
- ...
Tama, Ginza (球)
For a couple of weeks, I’ve been mentally turning over the idea of a publishable profile of late-night Ginza. I, of course, have barely scratched the area’s surface, but I think that’s true for almost everyone except those who own bars there. With my limited surface-scratching, the two words that keep turning over in my […]
- beer
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Kura Kura, Kanda (蔵くら)
After a dining fail at di Andoh, the work party I was in took a turn towards KK. I’ve walked by this place, oh, at least a hundred times, and also seen it on maps during my various sake searches. I didn’t take it that seriously because I rarely have an opportunity to go to […]
- Italian
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di Andoh, Kanda
Even by the standards of a group dinner for 20 people, this casual Italian place was poor. $40 for food plus all-you-can-drink is cheap, sure, but there’s no sense in it if the cost performance is still low. I swear the pizza was premade at someone’s apartment, not in the brick oven pictured on the […]
Fukahama, Fukagawa （深はま、深川）
You know it’s not often that I double-post places – it means I really like them. I really like Fukahama. When readers Kwong and Hachi came to town (and this was not a short trip by any means) and suggested we meet, I quickly thought of Fukahama as a place that does really well at […]
Le Caprice, Roppongi
Let’s just skip over the convoluted path that led me to be drinking wine by myself in Roppongi on a Wednesday night pissing with rain. It’s not that interesting. What you should know is that Le Caprice is a pleasant little wine bar with decent food that’s trying hard, and I think they deserve your […]
Tokiwayu Spa, Morishita (ときわ湯、森下？常盤？)
After an extraordinarily productive day, I dithered a lot but eventually went for a late dip to round things off and encourage a good night’s sleep. Mixed experience at this place. It’s on the edge of really great, but I was a touch let down – in ways that are somewhat my fault. If you […]