Granted, it’s a bit weird to want to go for an overnight trip to a town that you’re pretty sure is going to be boring. I just wanted to get away for a day, and resolved to find someplace that was close but felt far, then wrestle all the interest from it that I could. […]
lunch
- Kanda
- ...
Kofuku, Kanda (後富久)
Were you getting as worried as I was? With only one new restaurant for lunch so far this week (one repeat, 2 bentos), I was starting to think that I’d never dine out again. Fortunately today’s inaugural ‘language practice’ lunch with my colleague You saw us visiting one of his favorites, which was new but […]
- curry
- ...
M&C Cafe, Tokyo (Oazo 4th)
Ever have hayshi rice? It’s sorta like curry rice, except that the sauce is more like a super-thick meat reduction, with more fruit and veg in it, and there’s next to no actual meat or veg included. Just mix it up and eat. Supposedly it was invented by the founder of the Maruzen book store […]
- bar
- ...
Albente Champagne Cafe, Ebisu
Several champagne cafes have opened around Ebisu in recent years (I say this like I know). Now that I have a little more experience of them, I’d say that they’re oriented toward luxury consumers – hardly surprising for champagne. Check out this place – they distinguish themselves by being your champagne-drinking home-away-from-home, and also by being […]
Coca Restaurant, Yurakucho
After all that speechifying last week about the last work day of the year and the relative freedom to go anywhere for lunch, the first day of vacation naturally brought with it a trip to a new restaurant. This Coca is a branch of a bigger one right by Bic Camera that specializes in Thai […]
Momijigawa, Nihonbashi (紅葉川)
For a solid year of workdays, I’ve visited a different restaurant every day (except two times when I had bentos, and a third time when I didn’t eat). And on those nights when I went out after work, I generally managed to get to new places also. Minus vacations and holidays, that means better than […]
Misozen, Marunouchi (みそ膳)
My ramen knowledge has expanded a bit recently due to concerted efforts to indulge (ugh), but I’m still pretty ignorant about what makes each regional ramen unique. I DO associate Hokkaido ramen with miso (and as my boss says, Northern people like saltier food. At least he does.), and Misozen, as the name implies, offers […]
One’s Drive, Marunouchi (新丸B1)
It’s marvelously open-ended, isn’t it? One’s drive to…succeed? the mall? master English? the green? That plus the incredibly cryptic and referential pop-culture columns I’ve been reading today leads me to say ‘On da gween!!!’ in hopes that someone will get it (but hopes are low). And with burgers, hope still persists. Hope dies last, they […]
- Kanda
- ...
Daizan Ramen, Kanda (大山)
Appearances are deceiving. I went into this place expecting normal ramen in a normal environment. It turns out to be shrimp ramen in a decidedly old-school space. I enjoyed the old posters, and especially liked the full-length one from Tora-san’s 1976 year-end feature Tora’s Pure Love. Koala and I both had ordering fails, but mine […]
Sant Pau, Nihonbashi
You know Sant Pau, right? If you don’t know that it’s a Spanish 3-star restaurant, and one of the few 3-stars worldwide headed by a female chef, then you probably know it as the fancy place nestled in behind Nihonbashi Coredo. As Volleyball and I confirmed today on our special “Holy Cow We Survived a […]