249 replies to this topic

[Hiroyuki]

Not recommendations but some restaurants/shops that I know of/have actually tried:
Naka-meguro

Johann, shop specializing in cheese cakes:
http://okiraku.cside.com/johann.htm

Yotsuya
Sankin, tonkatsu restaurant
http://gourmet.yahoo...719013/P000817/
One of my favoriate tonkatsu restaurant

Iidabashi (adjacent to Ichigaya, which is adjacent to Yotsuya)
http://gourmet.yahoo...687066/P000873/
Why not try the 2.5 kg chahan, jumbo ramen, or 100 gyoza?

名物の挑戦メニューは、重さ2．5kgの一升チャーハン、2人前のジャンボラーメン3杯、餃子100個、または2．5kgのジャンボ餃子を、それぞれ60分以内で食べれば無料！　ただし失敗したら、その料金は支払わなければならない。炒飯やエビチリなど普通の単品メニューも本格派。

[thelobster]

Tetsugen (the meat place mentioned above) has a branch in Naka-Meguro, although I haven't been. The other two branches both have great food and sake though, so it's probably worth a try. There's also a branch of Aburiya izakaya there that should be good. Here's a map of other restaurants centered on Naka-Meguro station that might be useful.

Toki no Ma just up the road in Ebisu specializes in food from Kyushu, and they also have a sushi counter (they do horsemeat sushi!) and a great list of limited-edition seasonal sake. And Okinawan in Ebisu has good Okinawan, a cuisine you probably won't find in New York.

Up near Akebonobashi I'd recommend Dodo for excellent yakitori.

And worth a special trip and a splurge is Kikunoi kaiseki restaurant in Akasaka (they're about Y15,000 for dinner).

Sorry, I think almost all of these are evening-only places. Good luck!

Great! Sounds like you've got your finger on the pulse.

While I'm not reading any newspapers or listening to the evening news in Japanese, in a restaurant situation my Japanese is pretty much fluent and nearly native. Also in sales meetings and talking to strange women at bars.

I'm bouncing around friend's houses and working out of them during the day. I'm based in Shimo-kitazawa until tomorrow, then Naka-Meguro. I'll also be over to Akebonobashi which is basically Yotsuya-sanchome/Ichigaya.

Looking to eat outstanding lunches for under ¥1000 or a sushi lunch for not much more, and dinners around ¥5000. I'm a NY-native so no need for any recommendations which would be eclipsed by the international community there. Mostly looking for standout Japanese traditional, nouveau, fusion, etc. - the types of places you see covered on TV programming....

I'm here until Monday. Thank you so much for your help!

[cookaburra]

great photos raji.Thanks for taking the effort to share them with us.The video on the porta loo on your blog was very funny.

[raji]

Man I gotta update that thing.

Likewise, I got a TON of tasty pictures yet to post. The posting procedure on here is a major pain in the ass. You have to bulk upload, then cut paste, etc. etc. And this after processing all the RAW files. MENDOKUSE!

[snausages2000]

Thank you to everyone who's contributed to this board.
I just spent two weeks in Japan and
eGullet, as always, provided much guidance...

Here are 132 photos of food from the trip to prove it:

Japan Food

I didn't caption any of the pictures,
but would be happy to answer any questions about them.

Though, the catch-all answer is: delicious.

[lannie]

Wow! Great pics!

I am intrigued by photo 0969 - the multi-coloured half-circle thing, that, if edible, looks mighty tasty! What is it?

[snausages2000]

I shared your uncertainty over whether it was food.

The first thing I asked was, "Is this food or soap?"

Turns out it's a decorative dessert from a fancy little
sweets shop in Kyoto. It has a gummy, rubbery,
mochi texture. Each color within the cake is a different flavor.

It's about 6 inches tall and costs 12,000 yen.

I'd say appearance trumps taste.
Amazing to look at, but not much flavor.

There was also a brick of dense, sweet rainbow gelatin,
reminiscent, visually, of Rachel Perlow's rainbow jello.

[lannie]

It's about 6 inches tall and costs 12,000 yen.

I'd say appearance trumps taste.
Amazing to look at, but not much flavor.

I suppose that it is often true that aesthetics reign supreme. I am always amazed by the precise artistry of Japanese sweets. It's too bad about the lack of flavour, though. However, the price is rather extravagant for just a few bites!

[prasantrin]

It's about 6 inches tall and costs 12,000 yen.

I'd say appearance trumps taste.
Amazing to look at, but not much flavor.

Just to make sure, it was Y12 000??? That's about US$100.

I had a question about one of the pictures, but can't remember the number now. I'll have to go back and find it, but it looked like a little fried ravioli.

[snausages2000]

Yes, 12000 yen for one colorful cake.

The picture, happily, was free.

[prasantrin]

Yes, 12000 yen for one colorful cake.

The picture, happily, was free.

Do you remember where in Kyoto it was? Or the name of the shop? I'm not so far from Kyoto, and I'm curious about what's actually in the cake and why it's so expensive (other than because it's so pretty).

The picture I was wondering about was this one. It's now labelled "Tempura" and "Tokyo", and since it's amongst Gonpachi photos, can I assume it was from there? What was tempura was it? I like anything fried, and it kinda looks like it might have cheese in it...

One more thing....is this picture of chicken skin, and if it is, where was the restaurant? I LOVE chicken skin!

Edited by prasantrin, 01 May 2007 - 06:07 AM.

[snausages2000]

Colorful Cake: The shop is on one of the main shopping streets in central Kyoto - a street that runs perpindicular to the river. (Maybe Shijo-dori?) It's on the side of the street closer to the Kyoto train station (not that it's close to the train station).

I noticed that the store also seems to sell its stuff in the basement pastry section of the Takashiyama department stores.

Tempura: I believe it was eel tempura. But I might be wrong. It was ordered in the latter stages of an epic meal. Yes, Gonpachi. About 8 blocks from Roppongi Crossing.

Chicken Skin: Yes, chicken skin. In a great little Izikaya on the far end of the Dotombori arcade in Osaka. But chicken skin yakitori seems to be readily available in Japan. Was on the menu in many places and I had it again a couple times in Tokyo.

[snausages2000]

Also, I've now captioned most of the photos, so there's a bit more info if you go to the link in my first post.

[mkjr]

My wife and I are pretty much doing the same trip as you in 17 days. Great shots!

I am so jammed at work these days I have not had a chance to dig my way through the forums here.

[snausages2000]

MKJR,

Dont sweat it if you don't plan every food destination.

I found no drop-off between the places I had made a point of going to
and the places I just stumbled into because they looked interesting.

My general impression in Japan was that the quality of local ingredients - beef, pork,
poultry, fowl, vegetables - was so high you could walk into most places
and be rewarded with fresh, flavorful food.

[The Blissful Glutton]

After a grueling 14 hour flight, I am here in Tokyo and trying desperately to get on Japan time. Forever the glutton, I have already covered a heck of a lot of ground food-wise. I am still a bit hazy, but wanted to blog when this was fresh in my mind. I have a lot of photos that I am blogging on my website with slideshows that don't work here so I will just link to my albums for those entries.

Last night, we arrived late and went searching for something to eat, but found many things closed. We ended up a place near the hotel that served food from Okinawa. I can't say it was the most flavorful of cuisines, but it filled our tired bellies. English at the place was minimal (my parents' Japanese is still rusty), but I took a photo of the sign in case you are somehow able to translate. I unfortunately do not have the correct terminology for the food, so I hope the photos are enough.




Tofu soup

You can view the rest of photos HERE.

This morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. Hooray for jet-lag! I waited until my parents were awake and we headed out to Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market for a little breakfast. This place made me want to move to Japan by the sheer amount of gorgeous looking food for sale.




Fresh wasabi root


Fish for sale

You can view the rest of the photos HERE.

There were also a variety of food stalls serving anything from tempura to oden. My sister is an oden fanatic, so she got a bowl at one of the stalls.


My Dad choosing the oden


My sister digging into her daikon.

I spotted a woman splitting fresh uni (and conch) open and grilling them over hot coals, so I left my folks and sis to their oden (never been a fan of fish cake) and stood in the very long line. Here are some photos of the woman cooking and the final product.





Forever the food-crazy family, we headed to a favorite haunt of my parents, Mitsukoshi. I was really not in the mood to go shopping until I saw where my Dad was taking us--the food floors. The sheer volume and quality of the products made me want to cry out. It was just AMAZING. The store is like the Japanese version of Harrod's, but so much better. Anything you could ever want or need for your kitchen.

My mouth was watering at the sight of this beef


Dumplings for sale


Assorted tempura items

Check out the rest of the photos HERE

You'd think we were done with food for the day--no way. It was only noon and that meant it was time for lunch. I had been asking for udon and my Dad delivered in a big way. We went to a little spot in Ginza called Sato Yosuke--killer place. My tray was so big I could hardly get a proper photo. But, here is my best take on the place. Great spot if you are looking for fresh noodles + chic decor.


If you would like to view my full post, with slideshows and more photos, please visit my website: The Blissful Glutton

I still have a week here and then I am off to Hong Kong, so stay tuned....

Jennifer

Edited by The Blissful Glutton, 18 September 2007 - 02:57 AM.

[Hiroyuki]

Thank you for starting the thread. It's always a pleasure to hear what non-Japanese people think about Japanese cuisine. I hope you post more photos along with comments.

[Domestic Goddess]

Jennifer - there's a pool of drool now on my keyboard looking at all those food pics. The beef! The fresh wasabi! Those sushi slabs! Oh be still my heart.

[Fibilou]

Oh, how I wish I was back in Japan ! You are so lucky - I'm guessing you are Japanese ? Make sure to try unagi at least once. Are you going to Hiroshima, if so I have a great recommendation for a tempura restaurant, I can look it up when I get home.

I am very jealous with you talking about Mitsukoshi, my husband hated japan as it magnified my shopping mania !

Hiroyuki, I loved the food when we went to Japan. It was really nice, as a Brit, to try something other than sushi and sashimi - because that (apart from noodles and tempura) is all the Japanese food you get over here. We stayed in Matsumoto for a few days and I loved the forest vegetables. We went in hanami, and I especially loved all the food stalls around in the parks - we were in Kyoto for the tail end of the holiday and the food stands in the park near Gion were wonderful. I have a mania for those steamed char siu pork buns, and tried making some recently after finding a recipe on a Japanese blogger's site.

Okonomiyaki !! Yum yum !

If I could afford it I would go back tomorrow ! Some of my pictures are uploaded here - http://www.photobox....k/album/4816878

[Fibilou]

Oh yes, and I just remembered. Haagen Dazs black sesame ice cream wafer sandwiches

[rykomatsu]

Are you staying in Tokyo, or more specifically near Asakusa? I may be able to point you to a place that serves whale-nabe ;) (though their primary specialty is Dojou nabe)

I envy you ma'am :)

Edited by rykomatsu, 18 September 2007 - 03:59 PM.

[Kent Wang]

Are you just touring the world? I envy you greatly.

[The Blissful Glutton]

I am not Japanese and staying in Ginza--any recommendations would be appreciated.
Jennifer

Edited by The Blissful Glutton, 18 September 2007 - 12:04 PM.

[The Blissful Glutton]

I am finally getting into the groove of Tokyo. I love it here. It is like a much cleaner and calmer New York. If it was not so far from where my family lives, I would move here in a heartbeat--I always say that about cities I love.

So, we are trying to mix it up food-wise. Tuesday night we went to an old haunt of my parents' (they met while both of them were living in Tokyo) in Roppongi, where many of the expats live. I have to say this was the best meal I have had in a long time. It was simple and straightforward using nothing, but great product. The way it works is that you sit at a counter that encircles two chefs surrounded by baskets of fresh vegetables, meat, and fish.

One of our chefs for the night


Selection of items to choose from--you are out of luck once it is gone.

These two guys cook everything for the restaurant. You order from your waiter who yells the order to the chefs--yelling a lot is key here. It makes for a very cool enviornment. Once your order is ready, the chefs pass you your dishes on a paddle.

Sake--which is very strong here--is poured out of wood bowl into you square cup. I can normally handle my sake, but I was definitely blurry after one cup. I still had another and was very silly for the rest of the night--this was the kind of place where it is okay to get rowdy--my kind of spot.

The food we had was just amazing. The lighting was kind of weak, but the blurriness pretty much replicates the way I was seeing things this particular meal. Don't worry--I never forget a flavor.

Fried river crabs and hirame (flounder) sashimi


Fried red snapper: this was so buttery and tasted amazing.


Ginko nuts


Clams

I woke up the next day with the most incredibly bad headache I'd had in years--darn sake. My dad took us for some katsudon (fried pork cutlets over rice with egg and caramelized onions) to soak up the alcohol in our stomachs. There are plenty of stalls around Tokyo where you can get this and we just walked into a random spot near hotel in Ginza. It was great.


After a small nap, we headed out for shabu-shabu. The shabu-shabu spot, Nigyocho Imahan (located in the Barneys NY building), was pretty good, but I have had better in Hawaii and NYC. I hate to complain, but the meat was almost too marbled. The service was excellent though and we got our authentic shabu-shabu fix in Japan.


The shabu-shabu pot


"High-quality beef" for shabu-shabu


Veggie assortment

Well, that is it for now. You can check out my whole photo album, which I will be continuously be updating HERE.

Stay tuned for more...I will update when I have the time.

Edited by The Blissful Glutton, 20 September 2007 - 02:56 AM.

[docsconz]

Jennifer, this looks to be an extraordinary trip if your photos so far are any indication. I have not yet been to Japan, but have wanted to go very badly for a loooong time. I want to even more now secondary to your photos, but also to a demonstration that I saw earlier this week at the Starchefs International Chefs Congress in NYC. That was Seiji Yamamoto of Ryugin in Tokyo. If you can, I suspect that it would be very much worth your while to visit and dine at that restaurant. It appeared to be quite, quite extraordinary and has vaulted itself into the top two or three restaurants that I would like to visit in the world. In any case, have a great trip. I will follow with great anticipation!

[The Blissful Glutton]

Doc: Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out if we can. I think most of our meals are planned as of now.
Jennifer

[mkjr]

Jennifer, this looks to be an extraordinary trip if your photos so far are any indication. I have not yet been to Japan, but have  wanted to go very badly for a loooong time. I want to even more now secondary to your photos, but also to a demonstration that I saw earlier this week at the Starchefs International Chefs Congress in NYC. That was Seiji Yamamoto of Ryugin in Tokyo. If you can, I suspect that it would be very much worth your while to visit and dine at that restaurant. It appeared to be quite, quite extraordinary and has vaulted itself into the top two or three restaurants that I would like to visit in the world. In any case, have a great trip. I will follow with great anticipation!

Jennifer: Great thread. Look forward to the next posts. This brings back memories of our very recent trip to Japan in May 2007 and how much we long to return.

Doc: You so have to get there. We went on a whim with only a month to plan and had a great (i mean amazing) time. I am not sure where I will be able to get sashimi like this (which we picked up at one of the stalls in Tsukiji for only 500Y (at the time around CDN$5) ever again.

[rykomatsu]

Great thread :) I really envy the culinary delights you're enjoying.

If you have a chance and want to give whale a shot (or dojou), this place is pretty well known in the Asakusa area. It's called Komagata Dojou (though it's written Dozeu in hiragana).

http://www.dozeu.com.../menu/menu.html

I'll add more later...gotta head out for a company gathering >.>

[Sam Salmon]

Thanks for sharing O Blissful One!

[prasantrin]

Cool! I want to eat at all the places you're eating! Maybe next time I'm in Tokyo, I can get to some of them...

I want to try Ryugin, too, but damn! If that website isn't one of the most annoying websites I've ever used...

If you come down to Kansai, and you want company to go to Koyoshi Sushi, I'd be happy to show you the way! It's one of the places that Anthony Bourdain featured in No Reservations, and it's right by Hankyu Umeda Station!