My friends, not eating a lot of meat has several strange effects on a person. The main one that I always notice is a powerful craving for meat, and over the past few days it’s been no exception. After a big beef-oriented Saturday night, I didn’t eat much protein for a couple days, and yesterday […]
lunch
Eiraku, Otemachi (永楽)
This place is uncanny – how do they pack so little flavor into every bite?! I think they’ve perfected a Sino-Japanese version of FRT (Flavor Reduction Technology). Then again, I’m learning every time I visit that the JA Building is good for a laugh, in a depressing and age-yellowed way, but not a place to […]
Monsoon, Minami Funabashi
Not exactly a name to conjure with, Monsoon…for me it brings up memories of a trip to Tokyo a long, long time ago (relatively) in a distinctly weird period of my life. I had lunch with my former boss, generally known as Indian John, which is weird enough in itself – careful reflection over the […]
Kushihan, Otemachi (Tokyo Station)
Tokyo station has a wealth of dining options, my friends, and is well within your purview if you’re one of the lucky, elite few that work in Otemachi (Or Tokyo. Or Nihonbashi. Or Marunouchi. They’re all so close that it’s almost pointless to differentiate. What a great city!) Outside the station are the Sapia and […]
- Otemachi
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Wolfgang Puck Express, Otemachi
10 minutes of dithering about which place to visit on Thursday led us past a succession of mediocre-looking washoku places and eventually to Puck’s. I think everyone has been to a Puck’s outlet once; the notable one is surely the cafe right at the top of Takeshita Dori in Harajuku (also known as ‘cosplay street’, […]
- Italian
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Taverna Messina, Jiyugaoka
My friends, I’ve figured out what I think of Jiyugaoka. This is not to say that I don’t like it, but the plethora of cute cafes, homewares stores and clothing boutiques says nothing to me so much as ‘rich housewives’. Perhaps in the same way that Sugamo is Obaa chan’s Harajuku, Jiyugaoka is a housewifve’s […]
- Otemachi
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Nenohi, Otemachi (ねのひ, Oazo 6th)
Someone wiser than myself once said “You get what you pay for”. This has been repeated ad naseum but still holds water, as recent Otemachi dining experience has shown. Fortunately there are still gradations within the spectrum of getting what you pay for, and today’s lunch was a good example of paying a healthy amount […]
- Otemachi
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Takadaya, Otemachi (高田屋)
Y’know, for some reason I thought this was a huge chain. I feel like I’ve seen tons of them around town. Now, I’m not so sure – the card lists only 4, and a quick googling produces mainly some stores in Hokkaido (which seem like the main part of the chain, but only 6 or […]
Yuboku, Marunouchi (遊牧, Shin Maru 5)
My friends, I believe I have uncovered the secret of receiving a good and worthwhile lunch in the Otemachi Metro Area (OMA, not to be confused with 鮪で有名な大間市). It is a simple secret, but one that has been known to man since the beginning of time. Pay for it. You get what you pay for. […]
Day Nite, Otemachi
There are always those days when it’s rainy and cold, and no one feels like going out, and you just want to stay in the building. Today wasn’t one of those days, so I’m not sure why we stayed in the building, but I got to have my first experience with the wacky cafeteria-style place […]