Admit it. Sometimes we go to places for the wrong reasons. Today involved a bit of disgruntle – there was an Italian place that’s been on the list for months, but my boss delayed and delayed a meeting before finally canceling it. I got to the place at 1:45 and thought, phew, they’re open until […]
yoshoku
- bar
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Rose and Crown, Otemachi
Somehow I had planned my schedule weeks ago so as to have lunch with Zoner on this, my first day back at work. To compound the insult of being back in the office, he suggested walking or to Yaesu and trying RosandCrown and Goldmansachs Are Dead, or something to that effect. These guys run a […]
- Other treats
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Boissier, Yaesu
Boissier, the Daimaru Tokyo cafe-style outlet of a French patissier, is a place that I noticed in passing once when taking the elevator up to the Daimaru restaurant floor. You wouldn’t think it, but there are cafes on most of the intermediate floors too. And they (this one at least) are enormous. I was expecting […]
- Kanda
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Menemon, Kanda (麺ヱ門 )
Street food in a restaurant? Sure, why not. Lots of places want to bring the street food of other countries to Japan. While plenty of restaurants have fried noodles on the menu, not so many specialize in it. These guys are carving a little niche for themselves, and in a pleasant way. Though I can’t […]
Grill Chateau, Yaesu
Ye’ll find this elegant chateau down a narrow alley in Yaesu, the east side of Tokyo station. The crennelations and gothic woodwork are particularly striking against the backdrop of small, worn buildings that populate the rest of the region. As you cross the expansive drawbridge, you’ll be heralded by a row of trumpeters in livery, […]
- beer
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Popeye, Ryogoku
Well, it comes down to this – I’ve waited until now to write about one of the best places in Tokyo. The WORLD, even! THE WORLD! Phew, this is off to an exciting start. If you like beer, you’ll agree with me. If not, skip the rest. These two guys probably knew what they were […]
Carne, Monzen Nakacho
If you count the previous two posts, this was the third place in Monnaka that I’ve been thinking of going to for years and finally made it to all on the same evening. Like the other two, it was pretty disappointing. As a self-appointed restaurant-picking expert and all-around Monnaka booster, I don’t feel good about […]
- bar
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Nashville, Ginza
After more visits than I care to admit to Rocky Top for live bluegrass, it was finally time to try one of the other Ginza country music live venues. Nashville is the obvious contender (there’s also one near Yurakucho called, enticingly enough, Banjo, but I’m not sure if they hav bands or not), but I had […]
- Otemachi
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Intermezzo, Otemachi
That’s a fancy name for a sandwich cafe. And while I’m at it, sandwich cafe? How many times have I bemoaned the lack of decent sandwiches in Japan? This didn’t fix it, but it’s cheap, pleasant, and open long hours (at least at 3:30 when I went). I had a ‘Simple Egg Sandwich’, which lived […]
- Other treats
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Junoesque Bagel Cafe, Tokyo
Only recently I was reminded that Junoesque’s bagels are pretty edible (which is itself, I think, a reminder that my standards regarding bagels have slipped irredeemably), and after having a gander at some of the other places I hadn’t been in Tokyo Station, I decided to have a sandwich here (the sushi place chief among […]