Lunch with a colleague. I’m so used to picking where I go (sorry about that, friends and family) that it’s very confronting to have someone else say we’re going for Chinese. Because I would ordinarily NEVER GO FOR CHINESE. But this was cool, because it’s a Szechuan place. In fact it’s a classically smoky, yellowed […]
Chinese
Juhachiban, Kanda (十八番)
Have you seen this picture before? I have a feeling I’ve taken it before, like the taxi driver with the red hair who squats and smokes (that picture is Nihonbashi, but I saw him outside my house one time). The lion seems to be saying “Suckazzzz! I’ve got it made in the shade!” but the […]
MaMa, Kanda (中国料理 媽媽)
There are days when I just think “Chinese”. They are few, and they are far between – only twice a year, maybe. This was one of them. After a lot of walking around in a dangerously dithering state (all the untried places looked crappy), I came upon MaMa. And it turned out really well! I […]
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Emmado, Kanda (炎麻堂)
Another lunch, another chain store. Only this was the last day before Golden Week, and I felt festive. Really wanted ramen, but didn’t find anything, and when I saw a mapo tofu specialty store, I was hooked. Spicy is almost as good as ramen, and sort of healthier if you neglect to mention the pork […]
Taishoken, Nihonbashi (大勝軒)
Hey hey, it’s magnolia season. I wasn’t even aware there was a magnolia season until this year; this tree is on the way that I usually walk to the office, and it’s getting into full bloom here in the space between plum and cherry blossom seasons. Nice. Less nice is Taishoken, which I of course […]
Tenpou ramen, Kanda (天宝)
There are some weird things in the back alleys of Kanda; not all of them have proper signs. This one does, and in some ways it would be better not to see it. To put it simply, it’s maid barbeque. To put it a little longer, it seems you can pick which skimpy cartoon costume […]
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Yunrin, Awajicho (神田 雲林)
In a funny little corner between Kanda, Akiba and Ochanomizu is this triangle holding a bunch of preserved buildings (like the famous Yabu and Matsuya sobas, but also an inscrutable chicken sukiyaki specialist, monkfish stew house Isegen, and a lovely sweets cafe), but also a good Italian, and even a well-rated Chinese. It’s a good lunch meeting point for […]
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Zuien, Kanda (四川厨房 髄苑)
While friendships and taxes may be forever, value is fleeting. Yesterday while walking deeply northward into Kanda to revisit Yamaichi, I passed this place and was impressed by the spread of gaudy crap outside. I resolved to visit. At 35% the price and probably 50% more calories, Zuien is never going to be as exciting […]
Dairyu, Kanda (大龍)
The heat, my friends, makes one do stupid things. I keep having this problem where I get headaches from exercise, mainly from cycling – after 80 or 90 minutes, I start getting a headache that lasts all day. It feels like dehydration, but I drank gallons of water last time and it still didn’t work. […]
Sankoen, Jimbocho
Oopsie, on the heels of Yosuko Saikan, I accidentally ended up with my colleague Mitch in another place offering cold noodles. It was less good, but they did have lice dishes on the menu, including flied lice, so the cooked food might be better. I’ll keep this short, so here’s the deal. They give you […]