Going to meet Jimmy Dean for an early opener at a chanko place that someone suggested near his residence, I thought I’d go for a bit of walk to build hunger, exercise the legs, see some sights. Once in a while a restaurant listing pops up in Hatanodai or one of the other stations on […]
mid-price
- Other treats
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Aji no Machidaya, (味のマチダヤ)
No great service is being visited on the world because I’ve visited Aji no Machidaya, but it was pleasant to walk there from Ochiai station, then backtrack and ‘urban hike’ over to Mejiro for dinner at Le Mont. This little liquor shop has featured in various online writeups over the years, but I saw it […]
Méli Mélo, Iidabashi (メリメロ)
Quaint exterior? Bio-dynamic wines? Decent cooking? Good prices? Yeah, I can think of some people who would like that. It would be too pat to say “And I’m one of them!” because I’ve gotten out of the habit of drinking wine, or in fact of going to wine-oriented restaurants for dinner. The pendulum will swing […]
- izakaya
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Sakanatei, Shibuya (酒菜亭)
Hey hey, it’s the first year-end party of the year-end. I would have just called it a party, but Journey was in the holiday spirit already, and we all have plenty to forget, so it was billed as a year-ender (which is traditionally and literally ‘forget-the-year-meeting’). With Jimmy Dean, Carter of Mars and Woodrow also […]
- izakaya
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Toyokichi, Kameido (亀戸 豊吉)
Recently the exploring bug hits every few days, leading to bouts of random bike-riding in medium-close neighborhoods. Last week was Kinshicho (weird, uncomfortable, some good places), tonight was Kameido (quiet, dull, not recommended. And I’m not just saying that to hide the good places.). Eric Clapton’s followup to the awesome 461 Ocean Boulevard (This is great, […]
- Italian
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Manuel, Shibuya
Hola. Manuel Towers. Looks like a Portugese cottage in the middle of Shibuya, doesn’t it? First time I’ve had Portugese food, I think. If you can manage to plan ahead, you’ll want to go to the other Portugese restaurant in Shibuya, Bacari da Porta – it’s a cheap outpost of Yokohama’s fabulously popular Salone 2007. […]
La Lettera, Kagurazaka (ラ レッテラ)
Another Monday, another trip to Kagurazaka. This time it was a place you’ve all seen before – if you leave Exit 1 and double back to the left, toward Akagi Jinja, it’ll be just down the hill to the left when you get to the crossing. Wedged onto the corner like this, it’s awkward getting […]
Seikanin, Kagurazaka (清閑院)
After a truly terrible lunch that I won’t link to because I want to forget it happened and wouldn’t like any of you to repeat my mistakes, Mayu and I walked around Kagurazaka. It’s a mellow neighborhood – apart from the homey, shitamachi feel; abundant french bistros; and high-end antiques and art shops, you can find […]
- Other treats
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Takatora ramen, Takadanobaba (麺屋武蔵 鷹虎)
Wh…wh…what what? Is this the second day in row for tonkotsu-gyokai ramen in Takadanobaba? Why yes. Yes it is. Today I had a run and a small breakfast to prepare. I also accidentally waited until about 2:30 to eat. I just figured, as long as I’m here, I might take advantage of the proximity of […]
- Other treats
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Watanabe ramen, Takadanobaba (渡辺)
It was a day of disgruntlement. The morning started off weak at work, and by lunch I was ready to pack it in – which in EOITwJ-land means “Have an extravagant lunch”. That can come in many forms, like a long course, or a big burger, or a distant location…in this case a small street […]