Neuuu, this was not the most brilliant fried chicken lunch I’ve ever had. Nor was the conversation particularly inspiring (sorry You). Combination of the weather, obsessing over the financial markets, and the indignity of having lunch at 11:30 (back at my desk by 12:15 – good lord the afternoon was long). Uhhhhh…Torikaku is very utilitarian, […]
lower-mid-price
Tengou, Otemachi (天鴻)
Sky goose? Something like that. A grand name for a little chain (12) of gyoza shops. This one is 1 floor down in the Otemachi Building (the long, narrow one), and this visit actually marks the very first time I’ve been to that floor. Usually we visit the B2 floor, which has over 20 restaurants, […]
- Other treats
- ...
Junoesque Bagel Cafe, Tokyo
Only recently I was reminded that Junoesque’s bagels are pretty edible (which is itself, I think, a reminder that my standards regarding bagels have slipped irredeemably), and after having a gander at some of the other places I hadn’t been in Tokyo Station, I decided to have a sandwich here (the sushi place chief among […]
- 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
- ...
Daiichian, Kanda （更科大一案）
Hmm, somehow I expected this place to be a touch better than it was. It’s on the main drag of Kanda’s east side, and has just been sitting there for over a year, daring me to come in for lunch. Today I did, along with my colleague Felt from London. They were out of two […]
- Kanda
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Atami Ramen, Kanda (あたみ)
This is one of the higher-rated places for ramen in Kanda (Tabelog-wise; I accept your criticism that Tabelog is more of an authority on the high end and in particular foreign food). As such, I’ve been meaning to go there for a while. Every time I wondered by [sic], I was overcome by an overwhelming […]
- bistro
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Brasserie Bec, Yoyogi
There are a couple places I went years ago with my friend Naoko. They were all bistros – he was really good at picking bistros in outer suburbs – and after the visits I remained confused about where they were, ignorant as I was about geography in the year after I moved to Japan. In […]
- Kanda
- ...
Yokohamaiekei Kandaya, Kanda (横浜家系 神田屋)
[Jan 2011: I’ve learned a lot about ramen in the 373 days since my first visit and my second, today. And now I can say with a touch more authority that this is damn good ramen. Get shoyu, add garlic, love it. This must have opened soon before I visited, because as I look now […]
- Other treats
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Hisanoji, Takasaki (ひさのじ)
So I was still in Takasaki, and I went to Darumaji, and it was only two stops away on the train, and I needed some exercise, and I thought, “Eh, I’ll just walk back.” This was a stupid idea, but at least I got an hour of walking in. And stopped along the way in […]
Mori no Panya, Takasaki (森のパン屋)
Takasaki, it must be said, is not a city of delights. There was just about enough to keep it interesting for a day. But not quite. To stretch it out, I was forced to do some things like visiting a temple in the countryside (and a local bath-house, but that’s another story). Now, this isn’t a […]