Name: Delirium Cafe
Neighborhood: Kasumigaseki
Style: Belgian Beer Cafe
Website: http://www.deliriumcafe.jp/
Wow, I'm really behind on the blogging. I went with my friend Manny to Delirium months ago, and had forgotten to write it up until I found the business card today.
Delirium is located in the very business-y district of Kasumigaseki; fortunately, that's easy for me to get to since it's on the Hibiya line. It claims to be a branch of the famous Delirium Cafe from Brussels, which got into the Guinness book in 2004 for having the most varieties of beer commercially available (also 2,004). It's pretty plausible, since even the Tokyo branch has a huge selection of beers.
Most of them are indeed of the Belgian variety -- sweeter Trappist-style ales. It's going to take you a while to make your pick from the beer menu, and if you're not familiar with the Belgian beers they really are quite different (certainly all different from a Japanese lager). I don't remember everything I ordered, but I got a slightly off-the-Beligan-path doppelbock here that was delicious. We were here for awhile so I got to try a couple other ales as well.
Unlike the very light food at most beer cafes, the food at Delirium as fairly substantial. Full entrees as well as the expected euro-esque snacks are available, and there's usually a course menu available from 3000-4000 yen.
Like most Belgian or craft beer cafes in Tokyo, this selection doesn't come cheap. You should expect to be shelling out 800 to 1000 yen for each full-size beer you get here.
Delirium is definitely a more upscale option than some of the other beer bars, with its European-park decor. If you're near Kasumigaseki and want something more interesting than Kirin, check it out; I'm sure I'll be back from time to time.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Magic Spice
Name: Magic Spice
Neighborhood: Shimokitazawa
Style: Curry
Website: www.magicspice.net
Magic Spice is tucked away near the Shimokitazawa Town Hall, but it's easy to find once you're close: look for the line of people waiting outside. In general, there's not much of a waiting culture here; I'm always surprised by the fact that the default response when a restaurant is full is not, "Can I put my name in?" but rather "Ok, bye." However, at Magic Spice, they don't take reservations so if it's a weekend, you're gonna be waiting a while.
In this as in many other ways, it feels like a bit of a hippy hangover place. It's all Tibetan-themed decorations applied several layers of brocade thick and overlaid with flyers advertising various local yoga classes, and of course peridically they feature live music as well. A quick trip to the website will give you a good sense of the vibe.
But, people wouldn't be there for the decorations alone, it's all about the curries. And thankfully, unlike the canonical Japanese "curry house" that serves overly sweet, completely mild, thick curries, these are Indonesian-style, awesomely spicy, thin soup-like curries bursting with fresh ingredients. They're even spicy enough to give a San Franciscan pause, so don't rush to order the maximum spice level like you would in most places in Japan.
I went here with a group of 7 and we spread ourselves out around the menu trying various of their specialty curries, and every single one was delicious (there was a lot of sampling going on around the table). So take your time to work through the menu (an English menu is available but as is often the case, may not have the specials on it) and pick something, but don't sweat it too much cuz they're all good (you can do the sweating after the curry arrives).
The prices are all pretty reasonable -- I don't have the menu anymore but I recall it was 1000ish yen for food -- and a bowl of curry here will keep you nicely filled up. A couple draft beers and you've had a dinner that made the wait well worthwhile.
Neighborhood: Shimokitazawa
Style: Curry
Website: www.magicspice.net
Magic Spice is tucked away near the Shimokitazawa Town Hall, but it's easy to find once you're close: look for the line of people waiting outside. In general, there's not much of a waiting culture here; I'm always surprised by the fact that the default response when a restaurant is full is not, "Can I put my name in?" but rather "Ok, bye." However, at Magic Spice, they don't take reservations so if it's a weekend, you're gonna be waiting a while.
In this as in many other ways, it feels like a bit of a hippy hangover place. It's all Tibetan-themed decorations applied several layers of brocade thick and overlaid with flyers advertising various local yoga classes, and of course peridically they feature live music as well. A quick trip to the website will give you a good sense of the vibe.
But, people wouldn't be there for the decorations alone, it's all about the curries. And thankfully, unlike the canonical Japanese "curry house" that serves overly sweet, completely mild, thick curries, these are Indonesian-style, awesomely spicy, thin soup-like curries bursting with fresh ingredients. They're even spicy enough to give a San Franciscan pause, so don't rush to order the maximum spice level like you would in most places in Japan.
I went here with a group of 7 and we spread ourselves out around the menu trying various of their specialty curries, and every single one was delicious (there was a lot of sampling going on around the table). So take your time to work through the menu (an English menu is available but as is often the case, may not have the specials on it) and pick something, but don't sweat it too much cuz they're all good (you can do the sweating after the curry arrives).
The prices are all pretty reasonable -- I don't have the menu anymore but I recall it was 1000ish yen for food -- and a bowl of curry here will keep you nicely filled up. A couple draft beers and you've had a dinner that made the wait well worthwhile.
Russian Restaurant Rogovski
Name: Russian Restaurant Rogovski
Neighborhood: Shibuya
Style: Russian (duh)
Website: http://www.rogovski.co.jp/
I can't believe I haven't blogged about this restaurant yet! My friend Sonoko's family are the operators of this Russian restaurant right in the middle of Shibuya as a result of which I've eaten there two or three times. Rogovski has been around for a good long time, so they have a stream of regular patrons but it's still fairly easy to get in.
Russian food always conjures up images for me of overwhelmingly heavy stews and borscht, so Rogovski was a pleasnt surprise by providing reasonably light Russian fare (it helps that Japanese portion sizes mean that you don't get too much of any one thing). I've never actually seen Borscht here but they have a lot of Russian standards, including Piroshki, Chicken Kiev, nd the highly recommended Pickled Herring (I know you might not immediately rush to order Pickled Herring, but seriously, it's good).
If you ordered a course meal (I never have because Sonoko's family is always consulting on the items for the evening) they range from 4000 to 7000 yen, which gives a good idea of the price range for the place. They have plenty of drinks to choose from including various Russian beers and of course Stoli, in addition to the standard Japanese beer on tap.
Because the Chogayas are really enthusiasts for Russian cooking, there's also a selection of Russian mixes and canned goods you can buy to take home. If I heard the story right, the original way that the family got involved in Russian cooking involved WWII and a POW camp. I often forget to think of this place when I'm in Shibuya, which is a shame because it's actually easy to find: it's on the 9th floor of the Tokyu Plaza, in the same building with the Kinokuniya (south exit from Shibuya-eki).
Neighborhood: Shibuya
Style: Russian (duh)
Website: http://www.rogovski.co.jp/
I can't believe I haven't blogged about this restaurant yet! My friend Sonoko's family are the operators of this Russian restaurant right in the middle of Shibuya as a result of which I've eaten there two or three times. Rogovski has been around for a good long time, so they have a stream of regular patrons but it's still fairly easy to get in.
Russian food always conjures up images for me of overwhelmingly heavy stews and borscht, so Rogovski was a pleasnt surprise by providing reasonably light Russian fare (it helps that Japanese portion sizes mean that you don't get too much of any one thing). I've never actually seen Borscht here but they have a lot of Russian standards, including Piroshki, Chicken Kiev, nd the highly recommended Pickled Herring (I know you might not immediately rush to order Pickled Herring, but seriously, it's good).
If you ordered a course meal (I never have because Sonoko's family is always consulting on the items for the evening) they range from 4000 to 7000 yen, which gives a good idea of the price range for the place. They have plenty of drinks to choose from including various Russian beers and of course Stoli, in addition to the standard Japanese beer on tap.
Because the Chogayas are really enthusiasts for Russian cooking, there's also a selection of Russian mixes and canned goods you can buy to take home. If I heard the story right, the original way that the family got involved in Russian cooking involved WWII and a POW camp. I often forget to think of this place when I'm in Shibuya, which is a shame because it's actually easy to find: it's on the 9th floor of the Tokyu Plaza, in the same building with the Kinokuniya (south exit from Shibuya-eki).
Nagatacho Kurosawa
Name: Nagatacho Kurosawa
Neighborhood: Nagatacho. Around the corner from the PM's house.
Style: Shabu-shabu
Website: http://www.9638.net/eng/Nagatacho/index.html
The son of the famous film director Akira Kurosawa runs several restaurants, of which the flagship is Nagatacho Kurosawa. We ended up coming here for our big Saturday night meal during the SIGGRAPH Asia CAF Jury meeting.
The restaurant is a spectacular old Japanese building in Nagatacho, the seat of Japanese government. It really looks like its been here a couple hundred years, though that's probably not the case in actuality. The service is excellent, as is the shabu-shabu. Unfortunately, I don't eat pork so I couldn't join in on eating the kurobuta (Black Berkshire Pork) which is one of the specialties of the house.
There's no one thing I would rave about at this place, but it's very well-executed in all regards and is commensurate with the price. Course dinners starts at about 5500 yen and range upwards depending on what you order; kaiseki is also available.
They're used to foreign guests, so going here without a Japanese speaker is basically fine.
Neighborhood: Nagatacho. Around the corner from the PM's house.
Style: Shabu-shabu
Website: http://www.9638.net/eng/Nagatacho/index.html
The son of the famous film director Akira Kurosawa runs several restaurants, of which the flagship is Nagatacho Kurosawa. We ended up coming here for our big Saturday night meal during the SIGGRAPH Asia CAF Jury meeting.
The restaurant is a spectacular old Japanese building in Nagatacho, the seat of Japanese government. It really looks like its been here a couple hundred years, though that's probably not the case in actuality. The service is excellent, as is the shabu-shabu. Unfortunately, I don't eat pork so I couldn't join in on eating the kurobuta (Black Berkshire Pork) which is one of the specialties of the house.
There's no one thing I would rave about at this place, but it's very well-executed in all regards and is commensurate with the price. Course dinners starts at about 5500 yen and range upwards depending on what you order; kaiseki is also available.
They're used to foreign guests, so going here without a Japanese speaker is basically fine.
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