Sure, this was the third day in a row that we visited Pontocho, but what the hey? Fujita is a pleasantly reserved-looking traditional place up near the top of the alley, with a youngish master but a feeling of long history. The food was decent; this would be OK for a lunch, but if I was […]
lunch
- Kyoto
- ...
Takenaka, Kyoto (竹中)
There’s nothing like 8 courses of kaiseki to pep you up from walking around looking at red leaves and tide you over until dinner. I mean, I already felt pretty peppy from walking around this neighborhood (for reference, this is the bit on the mid-east side of Kyoto, north of Kiyomizudera and south of Yasaka […]
Royal Curry, Nihonbashi
This has turned out to be a digressive and self-indulgent post. Feel free to skip it. The curry and lunch sets here were OK. Pon and I fell prey to several traps today: one was leaving the office at the height of rush hour (12:15?). The other was trying to go to places that are popular. […]
- Otemachi
- ...
Shunsaian, Otemachi (旬采庵)
While this was a truly dull lunch food-wise, I can think of a few positive things to say about this place: – It’s cheap. I mean, $7 lunch sets cheap. – It’s pretty cool that it’s mainly private rooms, so you can sit in horikotatsu and mellow out on your lunch hour. – The rice […]
- curry
- ...
Ciao! Curry, Kanda
This got kinda long and is probably boring. Caution is advised. Options. LOTS of options. In fact, a confusing number. Have I mentioned my theory about too many options on a menu? I think it indicates lack of focus. On the other hand, this is more in the line of a list of permutations, which […]
- Kanda
- ...
Naruto Ramen, Kanda (七琉門）
I’m not a particularly diligent person. You scoff, but it’s true. Only for those brief periods when I’m really interested in something can I really apply myself to it. Right now it’s tsukemen. Which I don’t even like that much; I just want to understand why other people like them so much (I think they’re […]
- Other treats
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Sanri, Sendagi (三里、千駄木)
Have you been to Sendagi? I have. Now I’ve been twice. I’m not sure if I’ll be back, but that’s only because it’s one of Tokyo’s cute, quiet, interesting little neighborhoods – and there are lots more to see. But it would be a pretty livable place – residing in the valley between Tokyo University […]
Ethiopia, Ochanomizu
Japan has an odd love affair with curry. I’ve read the history but am lazy today and don’t feel like looking it up again. Suffice to say that one of the most common things to eat as an easy family dinner at home is curry. Outside the home it’s not as common to find shops […]
- Italian
- ...
Kimuraya, Tokyo
Tokyo Station truly contains a wealth of options. I used to think it was oddly barren, but as I’ve come to understand it better, all I can think now is that I don’t know how I was missing everything before. One recent area I’ve been browsing is ‘Number One Street’, a long corridor in the […]
- Otemachi
- ...
Tatsutano, Otemachi (立田野)
Man, I’ve been thinking of going to this place for weeks now and it turned out to be lame. Actually that’s not true – the food was every bit as lame as expected, while the retro atmosphere was about as cool as expected (marginally). That leaves us right around expectations, and strangely unfulfilled. The attraction […]