There’s no question that Tabelog is the single greatest resource for Tokyo eaters. It’s a terrific example of crowdsourcing gone right, far from a regular occurence. There are only a few shortcomings that I’ve found over time. One is that popularity is self-perpetuating; the scores of the top places tend to get pushed up over […]
Author: Jon
- coffee
- ...
Bear Pond Espresso, Shimo Kitazawa
Never let it be said that Shimokita is not quirky and fun. There’s a whole store selling ‘rescue’-themed goods, like this silly shirt. Ever since seeing it on this blog, I’ve been regretting not trying the coffee at Bear Pond when I first went to Shimokita around this time last year. It looked like a […]
- Italian
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Gopal, Shimokitazawa
Shimokita: Lunch, a little clothes shopping (the Thai and Vietnamese fake Polo shirts are getting old), look for the great espresso place I saw last year but didn’t visit…just a normal day off, but thankfully not a Saturday or Sunday. A Thursday. Seeing this cold pasta on someone else’s plate made me want to order […]
Seigetsu, Kagurazaka (霽月)
Things wound down naturally as the crew worked through the sake menu at Shutoan. After 2 hours we started thinking our business was pretty near complete, and we were itching to visit another establishment. Poshand put in a quick call to Seigetsu, in nearby Kagurazaka – previously recommended by Journey and also pre-confirmed as being […]
- izakaya
- ...
Shutoan, Yotsuya (酒徒庵)
Oysters are a powerful aphrodisiac. Seeing Sarah Jessica Parker, larger than life on a billboard in a Tokyo train station, is not. I’ve never been a fan of S&tC (in fact I’ve never seen an episode, let alone the movie), but even I can pick up the style clues that are supposed to drive the […]
Bubby’s Pie & Diner, Yokohama
Big afternoon in Yokohama – after pushing through the crush of Chinatown, we used a combination of solar navigation, animal instinct and an iPhone to find our way up the hill to Yamate Bluff. The Tin Toy Museum, just down the street from St. Maur International School (or YIS, as the case may be) is […]
- Chinese
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Fukurou, Yokohama (福楼)
The Peafowl wanted to fly down and strut around Yokohama, and I figured this was as good a chance as any to disprove my previously-held notions about how boring it is while also scouting out future destinations. As one does, we flapped down on the Toyoko line, and by the time we got there our […]
- izakaya
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Orenchi, Kawasaki (おれんち)
Long post ahead, watch out. OK? OK. Let’s begin. As begin so many of my best posts (or rather, my worst posts but best memories), The Woodsman was eager to take me to his ‘local’, i.e. the izakaya down the street from his wooded compound in the forests of Kawasaki. The whole family went along […]
Sennenyu, Kawasaki （千年湯、）
“I am Ariel, of the woodland folk.” “Shut up baby, I blasted my biceps at the gym and I need to recover.” “Screw you, I’ll text my boyfriend.” Ahhh, riding the train. It’s a good thing it’s so easy to get signed release forms. The Woodsman wanted to take me to one of his favorite […]
- beer
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Baird Taproom, Harajuku
This could seem like a public service, posting something about a very American-style micro brewery and their central-Tokyo brewpub outlets (Harajuku and Nakameguro), but based on the traffic yesterday, when Swannie and I spent 6 hours perched on their stools (holy shit, 6 hours?!), every foreigner in Tokyo knows about this place already. I was […]