More than once, my friends, I have been accused of completism, photo-phetishism, and other sins. Well, I thought this narrow tunnel, small enough for only one car at a time, was pretty neat. And now I’ve tricked you into reading about it. haaa haaaaa. After a brisk day’s hiking and soaking, we roared back along […]
mid-price
- bistro
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Brasserie But, Ningyocho (ビュットブラッスリー)
What what? Brasserie But. Really they want you to say ‘Butte’, like ‘a solitary hill‘ (yes, ideally populated with cabarets and a winery), but when they write ‘but’, my inner 5 year old can’t help but wiggle. Funny exterior, isn’t it? It’s a-way off on the east side of Ningyocho, near that street that’s divided […]
- Other treats
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Junk Garage, Tokyo (ジャンクガレッジ)
Years, I’ve wanted to try this place. Years. About the same length of time since they moved from southern Tokyo to a location way out in the Saitama suburbs (Omiya). Now they’ve brought the magic to Tokyo. Look at the skull-and-crossbones-with-ears pig logo. When I say they’ve brought the magic, I really think they’ve done […]
- Other treats
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Shichisai ramen, Tokyo (麺や 七彩)
The Tokyo Ramen Street re-open is a major improvement, and well worth the wait. Before, the options were frankly uninspiring (except Rokurinsha, and that was so inspiring that there are always 30 people in line and it’s impossible for a regular working guy to get in at lunch). Now they’ve got Honda (ramendb’s 2011 #1 […]
- bistro
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Aila, Ebisu (アイラ 恵比寿店)
Aila is a French Colonial restaurant. Or so they say. You say ‘French Colonial’, I think ‘Le Colonial’, and I like that atmosphere. (Of course, if you say ‘black’, I say ‘white’, and if you say ‘bark’, I say ‘bite’.) The exterior here is very much ‘converted house’, with ivy and discrete lighting (or ‘le lighting […]
- izakaya
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Tsuki Maru Umi, Koenji (旬の魚と炙り焼 月○海)
We were on the hike now, walking between Nakano and Koenji. The original plan was to start while it was light and get to Asagaya around dark, but there was the crap weather, with the wind and the rain and the darkness. Once we spent an hour in another izakaya, the whole walking-outside thing wasn’t […]
Mameya, Shintomicho (小料理 まめや)
Shintomi is a funny little neighborhood, and I like it. It’s not obviously charming – the main thing is small office buildings, but there are some nondescript modern apartments mixed in. And here and there, a shop or restaurant scratching out a living. Mameya’s building, an old townhouse built sometime early in Showa, reminds me […]
Pizzeria Il Tamburello, Kodenmacho (日本橋堀留町)
DISCLOSURE: I was comped Y300 on the bill for this meal. ANOTHER DISCLOSURE: I wish people would give me free meals. What am I doing wrong? Willing to write for food, OK? While I took this picture on a different day, it’s something I’ve been seeing a lot lately on the way over to Nihonbashi […]
Katsu Hey!, Nihonbashi (かつ平)
Hey! What’s up! I’m sure the staff at Katsu Hey! would be surprised to see the store name written that way too, but I think it’s cheerful. There’s not much else cheery here, just a kinda old-style building that’s now squeezed in between taller office buildings that are already old and tired in their own […]
Bouya, Nihonbashi (和牛一頭焼肉 手打冷麺 房家)
Another day of this week, another visit to Muromachi Coredo. Today, working clockwise brought us to Bou-ya (and I say ‘us’ because I was pleasantly accompanied by Ponkan). I was super-pleased to realize that this is a branch of the well-rated yakiniku-ya I wanted to try during the Hongo project, but found them closed and […]