Why is it that some places sit right near my apartment and never get ‘the nod’? In the case of Marukin, it’s because it looks so spartan from the outside, or that’s what I thought. Why was I opposed to that? I’m not usually. And it was more clean and spacious than spartan, and I […]
lunch
Santoka Ramen, Nihonbashi (山頭火、八重洲)
Everything came up aces today – I was carrying my camera in anticipation of dinner with the Peafowl, and decided that You was the kind of guy who wouldn’t make a big deal out of it if I started taking pictures of noodles. The ramen, in the Asahigawa style from Hokkaido, turned out to be pretty […]
Itadori, Tsukiji （築地虎杖）
Tourists are always writing about how the fish they ate at a little restaurant in the inner or outer market of Tsukiji was the best possible fish EVER (especially if they waited 2 hours to eat at Daiwa). I don’t think that’s really true; whatever fish is identified as the best is almost certainly going […]
- Kanda
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Miso no Shou Ramen, Kanda (二代目つじた 味噌の章、淡路町)
Not that it comes as a surprise after seeing a bunch of people talking about how good this chain was, but this was very good. Definitely in my top 3 as far as Kanda ramen goes. Worth a return visit, especially because I got the tsukemen, and the ramen of the guy next to me […]
- Otemachi
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Mimikyu Soba, Otemachi (美美久)
This is a real, old-fashioned salaryman soba lunch hangout…which makes it quite sensible that I went there with my company’s CEO (and that’s pretty funny isn’t it? The American equivalent would be ‘just grabbing a burger with Lloyd Blankfein’.) If you go, expect to be elbow-to-elbow at formica-topped tables with middle-aged and older guys in […]
Goutte d’Or Crattini
On a day as crappy as this, where I labored under a deadline until lunch time (self-imposed, but if we can’t manufacture our own urgency, who can?) and stepped out to find gray everwhere, there was only one solution. Pasta. I thought about a few places I’ve been to before, but ultimately decided to wander […]
Kaotai, Marunouchi
Today really didn’t start out that well – a little rainy, went for a run, thinking about an unfortunate email overnight, walked to work, quiet. For lunch I wanted to get more exercise and thus walked down to My Plaza like yesterday, bringing the total restaurants I’ve been to in their food floor to 3 […]
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 […]
Torikaku, Otemachi (とりかく)
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, […]
- Kanda
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Menya Sora, Kanda (めん屋 そら)
This place comes recommended from several sources – I’m pretty sure it was the top in the area on Tabelog sometime, and only a week ago my colleagues came back from a return visit, recommending it. I’ve been meaning to go for months and months. All of that adds up to a big disappointment since […]