It’s cool when you ask for a glass of champagne to start things off and the waiter says ‘white or rose, sir?’ I suppose you might expect that when the restaurant is named after the capital of Champagne (and still a word that my crappy French accent can’t negotiate). But it still set a nice […]
recommended
Issui (一穂), Monzennakacho
Is there anything better than a good izkaya? Well of course there is! Lots of things.Don’t be silly. But this place is definitely a good izakaya, which I would summarizewith the 3 F’s – friendly, fun, and fussy about food. I guess that’s 4, but I justmade it up.Issui is close to my place, in […]
Ogawa, Monzennakacho
In some periods my favorite place to go in Monnaka. The menu is always a single, hand-written page. That’s a little tough for me (in some places, I end up ordering what I can read!), but the writing is basically OK. Some standard and signature dishes show up every time, and these are worth getting. […]
Terada, Monzennakacho
There used to be a sad little kitchen-goods store in my neighborhood – sad because it stocked a bunch of really nice things and had a quaint, cramped interior, but rarely had customers. Perhaps the back streets of Monnaka aren’t the place to be selling Le Creuset? I was a little sad when it closed, […]
Fukahama, Monzennakacho (Fukagawa)
Right up on the list of ‘best surprises that month’ (maybe sometime around mid-late-05?) was this kaiseki-styled place that I wandered in to by myself after work. It’s really out-of-the-way – first because it’s in Monzennakacho, second because it’s actually almost 10 minutes from the station (going north, the boring direction), third because it’s down […]
Pivoine, Monzennakacho (Botan)
Periodically I walk randomly around my neighborhood, especially the streets I don’t often go to, hoping that some new little place will have popped up. One night in February I was doing just that and, several blocks south of the minor shopping street that marks the southern boundary of town, saw a new place that […]
Aux Gourmands, Azabudai (Roppongi / Juban)
I had actually seen this place from the street one time after going to cosplay karaoke (a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as I like to say) but only realized that when I arrived for dinner. It’s slightly hard to find, down a small street and up some stairs, but worthwhile! The food was great, the atmosphere cozy, […]
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Michiba , Ginza
Those with Iron Chef fetishes will be well-served here despite the absence of Roku-chan himself from the kitchen (I can call him that because I saw a documentary on him one time and his 80-year old older sisters were calling him ‘Roku-chan’). The three times I’ve been have all ranged from impressive to extraordinary (maybe […]
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Bar Fal, Ginza
Once in a while people ask if I know a good bar. I always say yes, and describe Fal to them. They never go. Maybe I smell bad? I don’t know what you like in a bar, but here’s what does it for me: Dark, woody, quiet. Jazz, probably. A wide selection of drinks in different […]
Go-Go Curry, lots of places
I wandered into the one in Ochanomizu soon after it opened and fell in love. The curry wasn’t bad either. The quirkiness of the concept (gorillas! funny names! Y2500 signature curry!) cracked me up, and then the dark, thick curry kept me happy. I haven’t been back, but that’s more a recognition of the fact […]