Me – Korean food – confusion. Seriously, what is great Korean food? What would it entail? A subtle blend of herbs and spices? The highest quality produce? An ass-load of pepper? I have a bad feeling that if great Korean food came right up to me and seared my tongue off, I probably wouldn’t know […]
mid-price
Kikkon, Otemachi (吉っ今)
Somehow I got it into my head that this place was good…as soon as we got out of the elevator (Sankei Building, 6th floor, watch out because you need to take the one labeled ‘goes to 6th floor’) and saw the crowd barrier dividing the big entry hall and the poster-sized menu from which you […]
- izakaya
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Tsugaru, Kashiwa (つがる)
Well, Tsugaru looked great on the web. Maybe it’s the photos they used, but I expected a lot from this place. It turned out well in the end. But first, I was disappointed when I stopped by in the afternoon before opening – the exterior is tiny, plain, and very much in keeping with its […]
- Other treats
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Yataichi, Kashiwa (やたいち、柏)
Quirky is pretty much always good in Japan, especially when the quirk focuses on food and drinks. I wasn’t sure about Yataichi based on what I could see on the interwebz, but it’s a real winner in person. The quirk starts with the door, which is no more than 4 feet high and will have […]
Santoka Ramen, Nihonbashi (山頭火、八重洲)
Everything came up aces today – I was carrying my camera in anticipation of dinner with the Peafowl, and decided that You was the kind of guy who wouldn’t make a big deal out of it if I started taking pictures of noodles. The ramen, in the Asahigawa style from Hokkaido, turned out to be pretty […]
- Kanda
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Miso no Shou Ramen, Kanda (二代目つじた 味噌の章、淡路町)
Not that it comes as a surprise after seeing a bunch of people talking about how good this chain was, but this was very good. Definitely in my top 3 as far as Kanda ramen goes. Worth a return visit, especially because I got the tsukemen, and the ramen of the guy next to me […]
Chacha Yufudachi, Shinjuku (茶茶白雪)
Never ceases to amaze me how pretty good places are hiding all over in plain sight…CCYD is sequestered in the top of an average building, the entrance to which is not too obvious from the street. It’s meant to be Kyoto style ‘banzai’ food, and while being decent quality is very good value. This would […]
Vin Picoeur, Marunouchi
This is an odd position to be in – needing to recommend a restaurant from the Aux Amis chain. After a series of mediocre experiences at the Maru Biru glamour outlet and the Brasserie outlet, I don’t know what I was doing steering this work dinner toward yet another one (in the same building as the Brasserie, […]
- Kanda
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Menya Sora, Kanda (めん屋 そら)
This place comes recommended from several sources – I’m pretty sure it was the top in the area on Tabelog sometime, and only a week ago my colleagues came back from a return visit, recommending it. I’ve been meaning to go for months and months. All of that adds up to a big disappointment since […]
- bar
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Por Tin Tin, Yoyogi Uehara
We all know the stereotype of Japanese people who do something really well, to excess. If you didn’t know, that applies to all classes of endeavor – including smoky jazz bars. Just up the hill on the north side of Yoyogi Uehara (I think it’s ‘Uehara Ginza’), you’ll see a small street on the right, […]