Guessing on the name here, but I think it:s right. This place opened recently (they still have orchids on the stairwell landing) and it seemed like worthwhile try today when Ponkan and I went out in light rain for an early lunch. It was OK, but not up to the standard of the recommended places […]
lower-mid-price
- izakaya
- ...
Manaita, Kanda (まないた)
My colleague Waddap was in town from London, and since I’ve still never been to London this is the only chance we get to socialize. Here we are leaving the office. I like to call this ‘Still Life With Waddap’ except that he’s walking. I was keen to get back to Manaita after the lovely […]
- Italian
- ...
Pizzeria Ghitaro, Gaienmae
What could be more American than eating pizza and going to a baseball game? I guess doing it IN America would be a bit better, but let’s not pick nits. This place sits out in plain view in a big brick plaza off Aoyama Dori between Bell Commons and the entrance to Gaien; it was […]
Shonosuke Sweets, Kanda (庄之助、淡路町)
Small sushi lunches just don’t fill a guy up, especially not one with bulging…err, muscles, like me. But I really do need to lose some weight, eh, and managed to avoid eating anything too bad after lunch. Still, I knew there was this quaint old sweet shop… I first saw Shonosuke when I went to […]
- French
- ...
Galerie Coupe Chou, Shinjuku
Have you read any of my rants about ‘old French’ in Tokyo? This is a term I coined soon after arriving in Japan, when I ate at Chartreuse in Roppongi. It refers to the abundant class of ‘first wave’ Japanese-French restaurants. These were opened by quirky guys who thought Europe was awesome 25 years ago and went […]
- Italian
- ...
Trattoria Kantini, Kanda
There’s a series in the New York Times at the moment called ‘What You Get For…‘ The amount changes, but they always show you a house somewhere. At the moment there’s a $300k house in San Antonio that’s over 100 years old but completely remodeled. It’s also close to a entertainment area, if the article […]
- izakaya
- ...
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 […]
- bistro
- ...
Asterix, Akasaka
Asterix has been around for positively yonks. Even after going, I’m not sure if I’ve been before or not – it’s very possible that I went once, back in that halcyon month known as September 2004 when I had just moved to Japan and everything was fresh and exciting (except for work, which was a […]
Yoshimaru Ramen, Yaesu (由丸)
It’s not that I wanted to eat Hakata ramen two days in a row. But a note to late diners everywhere – 3 PM is just too late for lunch. Most places will be closed, except those places that stay open all day, which is going to get you into a lot of chains. The […]
Fumotoya, Marunouchi (麓屋)
Originally I was thinking of just going for a walk today (it’s a health thing) but in the end decided to squeeze a quick lunch at a relatively faraway destination (MY Plaza, in south Marunouchi) into the middle of 40 minutes of walking. Fumotoya seems to have a learning disability, but its soba-based food is […]