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 […]
Kanda
- Italian
- ...
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 […]
Byakuran, Kanda (白蘭)
Look, You was really excited to take me to this place, and I confess there was some attraction in the utterly decrepit surroundings and very happy customers. But I didn’t really get it. My problem is simple: ankake. If you’re an American of a certain age, you may think of Chinese food as ‘gloppy’. As […]
- Kanda
- ...
Matsuya Soba, Awajicho
When I said to Big Bird, ‘Let’s get soba in Awajicho’, this was the place I meant. It was in Japan Times, after all. It is not the place that Bunny recommended, as well as my colleagues, because that was Yabu, and they were right, because Yabu is better. Where the Japan Times makes it […]
- Kanda
- ...
Yabu Soba, Awajicho
After the trip to Nakano, Big Bird and I planned to get together again. Due to his irregular schedule and extravagant expat lifestyle, it ended up being lunch today. Due to my silly work schedule, it ended up being postponed by an hour. Due to my frustration, and his flexibility, it ended up being held […]
- Kanda
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Hanamiya, Kanda (葉菜海家)
This place was identified by a guy in Legal, who told my colleague from Retail, who took me there today, and we ate a lot. It’s a little dark and grubby, but they say it has a line out the door most of the time (coincidentally, it’s right across the street from Bistro Ishikawatei, which […]
Jidoritei, Kanda (ぢどり亭)
The march of the yakitori chains across the landscape of Japan continues unabated. On the other hand, I feel very satisfied with my lunch today – a freshly-fried chicken cutlet topped with grated radish, some soup, pickles, salad, and a big bowl of rice. What does $7 get you at McDonalds these days? Fry, my […]
- Kanda
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Ajigen ramen, Kanda (味源)
Once a week (sometimes twice!) I continue to have lunch with You (not in any kind of Royal sense) for language practice. It’s difficult to say if I’m learning much (other than last week when he was very proud to teach me a colloquial expression for ‘cleavage’), but it’s always good to practice talking. He […]
- Italian
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Bosso, Kanda
Well, here’s a funny linguistic point to liven up an otherwise very normal lunch. Bosso sounds Italian (and auto-translates to ‘boxwood’, but never trust an auto-translator, I say) but in this case has the pleasing double meaning of implying 房総, the old name for Chiba, where the restaurant sources its products. (Yes, I had lunch […]
- Kanda
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Hakata Fu-ryu (博多風龍)
Well, I think I finally know enough about ramen to say: I prefer Hakata ramen. Of course, I’ve been saying for ages that Ippudo is my favorite, so I should have realized this, but I was lazy about the research. And I still am, but at least I noticed that all the places with those […]