When Coredo comes to mind, all I can think of is compliance. Ponkan and I went to compliance training in Nihonbashi which was notable mainly for the length of the breaks and the relaxed atmosphere in the back of the room. This allowed us an extremely long lunch involving Coredo’s Quatorieme, both their standing bar […]
Italian
Hap, Kagurazaka
After being a bit disappointed with the Artist Cafe, I wanted to redeem the evening by walking around somewhere nice – and thought that Kagurazaka was close. Y’know, it’s hard to find stuff there when walking around at random. Hap, I think I had seen before on a random expedition. It’s kinda neat and modern-looking […]
- Italian
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Carta Bianca, Nishi Shinjuku
Shinjuku is a difficult area for me. It’s huge, it’s complex, I get confused, and it’s tough to find restaurants worth going to. Clue me in if you have good ideas; I struggle a lot. Recently I needed a destination for a holiday lunch with Nanban (南蛮) and others, and happened across this charming-looking place […]
- Italian
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Trattoria Birichino, Kanda
My friends, I know I’ve maligned Kanda in the past. But today the sun is shining, the sky is clear, the weather is warm, and even the salarymen look a little less gray. With no intended sarcasm, it’s nice to be alive, employed in Tokyo and able to walk to Kanda for a late lunch. […]
- Ginza
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Enoteca Pinchiorri, Ginza
We all have our maxims for life (whether we realize it or not, I think). Let’s not talk just now about what mine are, but my good friend Greg told me last year that one of his is ‘you get what you pay for’. This will make sense presently. Enoteca Pinchiorri is one of the […]
Mieux Dominus, Kanda
I’d like to use this intermediate post (between yesterday’s lunch and dinner) as a mechanism for discussing several dimensions that interest me within the socio-psychological framework of restaurant selection, including the relative importance assigned by the customer to aspects within the restaurant’s value dialogue and also the proper identification and typification of restaurants based on […]
Konami Sports Club, Otemachi
What do you look for in a restaurant, my friends? Is it good food? Service? Affordable prices? Attractive environment? Nice views? Sakura ebi? Today my good friend Volleyball (named, I promise, for his predilection for the sport and not the resemblance of his cranium to said object) introduced me to a charming little place that […]
E’tavola, Otemachi
Much to the delight of colleagues, I still haven’t been to the same place twice in Marunouchi for lunch. OK, I’m more delighted about this than anyone else. Most people think it’s funny but a little…obsessive? Yup. Today was a ladies-in-black lunch, as Ponkan, Ponyo and Koala were all in mourning due to the fact […]
- Italian
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Taverna Messina, Jiyugaoka
My friends, I’ve figured out what I think of Jiyugaoka. This is not to say that I don’t like it, but the plethora of cute cafes, homewares stores and clothing boutiques says nothing to me so much as ‘rich housewives’. Perhaps in the same way that Sugamo is Obaa chan’s Harajuku, Jiyugaoka is a housewifve’s […]
Tanta Papatoria, Monzennakacho
Many’s the time I’ve been to Papatoria, my friends, many’s the time. Usually I’ve gone to the main restaurant in Tomioka 1 as opposed to this second store in Monzennakacho 1. Some would say it’s a fine point to differentiate between similar restaurants that are only separated by 3 minutes walk, and some would say […]