Ishikawa Tei is a somewhat-famous French bistro in lower Kanda (just the other side of the river from Otemachi). It’s reputed to offer the #1 tastiest-valuest lunch in the area. That’s why there was still a line outside when I tried to go at 1:45 (lunch hours are 11 – 2). Around the corner, I […]
lunch
Amalfi Moderna, Otemachi (Oazo)
Ahhh, the limitless options continue. Here in week 3 of our new Otemachi Adventure, my friends, there’s not even a hint of revisiting the same places. Several readers have now accused us here at EOITwJ of excessive completism, but we continue to view it as our public service, nay, sacred mission, to provide information on […]
Wu Shang Lu, Otemachi (五香路)
If it quacks like a duck…I dunno. Things get really crowded around Otemachi at lunch time. I mean like “If you don’t leave the office at 11:30, lots of places will have lines of people waiting outside”-full. This is one of those places (quacks) but it didn’t really taste like duck (platypus?). Going with the […]
Kassen Ichiba, Otemachi (活洋市場の大手町２号店)
Having lunch with different friends is good, my friends, because they surprise you with destinations you wouldn’t otherwise think of. I’m in office-building-basement mode for lunch (unless Oazo is involved), but my friend Fred is decidedly not (not the one who was scared of still-twitching shrimp, but just as bald!). He’s now driving to work […]
- Otemachi
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Kamiya, Yurakucho (実は香味屋から弁当だ。)
Mmmmmmmm, Yoshoku. Some people love this stuff. I don’t quite see the attraction, and today’s pre-made bento did little to dispel my preconceptions. I should really go somewhere famous to try serious yoshoku. Kamiya might be kinda famous. Anyone else know it? This branch in Yurakucho near the corner of Hibiya and Harumi (from the […]
Lion D’Or Beer Cafe, Otemachi
Have I mentioned how hard it is to find a vegetarian counter lunch place in Otemachi these days? It’s hard. The basement of the Otemachi Building is massive. At a guess I’d say there are 50 restaurants down there, and at 12:00 sharp, when I went today, many of them were packed. A few places […]
- Chinese
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Sekkomon, Otemachi (石庫門, Oazo B1)
Oazo B1 branch of this purportedly Shanghai restaurant. 4 choices of lunch set hovering around Y1000, with today’s choices including Ma Po Tofu, Tan Tan Men (these are Shanghai specialties? I didn’t know Shanghai was in Sichuan!), Hoi Ko Lo (sorry I can’t spell this) and egg/jellyfish/pork stir fry. My ma po was adequately spicy […]
Ganesha, Otemachi
“I just saw Slumdog Millionaire and boy am I hungry!” ==> Indian lunch.OK, that wasn’t really how it went, but the movie was mentioned at lunch (again, after its strong performance at Golden Globes). Ganesha is in fact the Indian restaurant in the basement of the JA building where I knew the waitress from another […]
- coffee
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The Acquarium at Dunhill, Ginza
Ever since I saw a picture of this place on someone else’s site, I wanted to go. It’s not the food, as you’ll see below, but it IS the ambience and location. Similar to Harrod’s Brompton in Roppongi, this captures some refined English atmosphere in the heart of Tokyo. It’s very different; in fact the […]
Kanda Grill, Akihabara
Once again finding myself in Akiba (funny how that always happens…), I wandered around the Showa Dori side for quite a while looking for somewhere tasty to lunch. Seat seems to post Akiba places every week, so I thought I’d run into them…but nothing appealed, and I ended up back at the big Yodobashi and […]