Name: Macchinesti
Style: Western-style coffeeshop
Neighborhood: Hiro-o / 広尾
Website: http://www.macchinesti.com/
Macchinesti is a chain of three aggressively western-style coffeeshops, which has a branch in Hiro-o near my office. They are absolutely the most westernized place I've been into, clearly targeting an international clientele. Not only are the menus bilingual, they have this week's copy of the Economist sitting out on the counter!
In keeping with that theme, they have awesome coffee. Besides a variety of espresso drinks, you can get French Press coffee by the individual pot -- definitely the best way to brew coffee. As a fairly new place, the staff wasn't really familiar with the procedures so it took time to get my coffee, but it was as yummy as expected afterwards.
The atmosphere is remarkably western; since you can't see outside very well, once you're indoors you could easily be in a cafe on the US West Coast. Tasteful wooden appointments, light-color walls and ceiling, the advertised WiFi (didn't try it out), and various decoration all make this a great place to while away a couple hours.
Baked goods selection (the other primary criteria I use for picking breakfast spots) wasn't so great. I was late for work on a weekday so I didn't sample, but they had a couple good-looking options in the muffin vein. Overall a cut below their coffee selection. The light lunch options a couple of western women picked out right behind me in line looked more compelling, quantities were in line with Japanese rather than Western expectations of course.
The downside to Maccinesti is cost; it's just an expensive coffee place no matter how you look at it. My French Press pot (kind of small at that) set me back 500 yen and was appreciably smaller than the Starbuck's grande around the corner. From what I've seen the place is usually pretty thinly populated, so they're clearly having a hard time competing with the social-center coffeeshop a few doors towards National Azabu.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Best. Soba. Ever.
Name: Soba no Mi / そばの実 / "The Reality of Soba"
Style: Soba
Neighborhood: Togakushi Village in Nagano Prefecture, between Chuusha and Okusha
Website: None
As I mentioned in the last post, Himanshu and I were up in Nagano this weekend. We hiked around in a small village called Togakushi which is famous for Ninjas, and Soba. We didn't get a chance to try any Ninjutsu while we were there, but we did stop into a great Soba restaurant called Soba no Mi.
Soba no Mi is by the side of the road in between two of the famous shrines in Togakushi, Chuusha and Okusha. Like a lot of places in non-Tokyo Japan, it's primarily intended to be accessed by car, so there was a lively parking lot. We saw it while we were hiking up the road towards Okusha; after hiking over the snow to see the cedar trees and shrine there, we came back down and stopped at Soba no Mi for lunch.
Like several dozen other restaurants in Togakushi, Soba no Mi makes their own Soba noodles from scratch, in this case in the front window where you can watch from the waiting room. Togakushi soba is rolled out into a big, flat circle before being cut up, which was indeed pretty entertaining to watch. Maybe because the restaurant is not near anything else, they, unlike restaurants in Tokyo, had a waiting list; we had to wait about ten minutes for a table.
I got Pheasant Soba, which was on the o-susume (daily recommendations). It came with the broth in a small iron pot over a flame, with a plate of pieces of wild pheasant meat. You put the meat in the broth (yourself) and let it cook to your taste before ladling the broth into the bowl and dipping your noodles in it. The wild meat really flavored the broth, and both it and the noodles were fantastic to start with. The single best thing in my plate, though, was actually the Tamanegi (green onions, more or less), which were completely suffused with the broth and incredibly delicious. Himanshu had a similar reaction to his Mushroom Soba.
This yumminess was pretty cheap, Y1200 for the pheasant and Y900 for the mushroom. The snack they brought at the beginning of the meal was also a standout: soba noodles deep-friend and seasoned. Unfortunately they didn't sell that at the souvenir stand or I would be eating some right now!
Style: Soba
Neighborhood: Togakushi Village in Nagano Prefecture, between Chuusha and Okusha
Website: None
As I mentioned in the last post, Himanshu and I were up in Nagano this weekend. We hiked around in a small village called Togakushi which is famous for Ninjas, and Soba. We didn't get a chance to try any Ninjutsu while we were there, but we did stop into a great Soba restaurant called Soba no Mi.
Soba no Mi is by the side of the road in between two of the famous shrines in Togakushi, Chuusha and Okusha. Like a lot of places in non-Tokyo Japan, it's primarily intended to be accessed by car, so there was a lively parking lot. We saw it while we were hiking up the road towards Okusha; after hiking over the snow to see the cedar trees and shrine there, we came back down and stopped at Soba no Mi for lunch.
Like several dozen other restaurants in Togakushi, Soba no Mi makes their own Soba noodles from scratch, in this case in the front window where you can watch from the waiting room. Togakushi soba is rolled out into a big, flat circle before being cut up, which was indeed pretty entertaining to watch. Maybe because the restaurant is not near anything else, they, unlike restaurants in Tokyo, had a waiting list; we had to wait about ten minutes for a table.
I got Pheasant Soba, which was on the o-susume (daily recommendations). It came with the broth in a small iron pot over a flame, with a plate of pieces of wild pheasant meat. You put the meat in the broth (yourself) and let it cook to your taste before ladling the broth into the bowl and dipping your noodles in it. The wild meat really flavored the broth, and both it and the noodles were fantastic to start with. The single best thing in my plate, though, was actually the Tamanegi (green onions, more or less), which were completely suffused with the broth and incredibly delicious. Himanshu had a similar reaction to his Mushroom Soba.
This yumminess was pretty cheap, Y1200 for the pheasant and Y900 for the mushroom. The snack they brought at the beginning of the meal was also a standout: soba noodles deep-friend and seasoned. Unfortunately they didn't sell that at the souvenir stand or I would be eating some right now!
Just your friendly neighborhood Ninja Restauranteur
Name: Gotoku-tei
Style: Japanese (general)
Neighborhood: Near the station in Nagano / 長野駅に近い
Website: None, but here a Google Maps link to the address:
380-0801 Nagano City, Hakoshimizu 3-24-19 026-234-3277
This weekend my friend from Singapore was in town and he wanted to get out of Tokyo, so we wriggled our way through the JR reservation system to book a trip to Nagano. When we got in we asked where we could get some soba, since Nagano is famous for Soba (see next post). He directed us to Gotoku.
As is usual these days, I greeted the staff in Japanese and we sat down to puzzle out the menu. They then brought by an English menu -- I was surprised since Gotoku doesn't look like the kind of place to have an English menu. When we tried to actually *order* from the English menu, we found out it was left over from the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and had the selections from 10 years ago! A little negotiating in Japanese and we sent in our order.
The food is Gotoku was good, straightforward Japanese food. It's a safe choice if you're looking to eat near Nagano station. But the most interesting part of the trip was when we went up to pay. The round-faced proprietor started ringing up the check, and casually asked, "So where are you from?" Seeing our surprise, he added, "I speak English too! I lived in Philadelphia for eight years." What a goldbricker, he hadn't let on that he spoke English at all during the entire mail. His English was excellent, too - he hadn't lost any of his ability since he came back. We explained where we were from and added we were going to the village called Togakushi the next day. "Oh!" he said as his face brightened. "For the Ninjas!"
"Yes, so I've read," I said. The guidebook had mentioned that Togakushi is a center for the study of Ninjutsu, the martial art associated with ninjas. And so began a long conversation with Miyashita-san about ninjutsu. He had studied many martial arts over the years, but had eventually settled on studying ninjutsu because, he said, unlike the other martial arts, it has no rules. He goes to Togakushi once a week (it's about an hours' drive from Nagano) to study at the Dojo there, run by the famous ninjutsu master. He proudly showed off his handwritten letter from the master, kept carefully framed.
It was really fun to talk, we ended up standing at the checkout stand for over half an hour (I think slightly annoying the other staff in the process). Miyashita-san said that traditionally, only the ninjutsu master really knew who was a ninja and who wasn't; apparently things aren't quite so secret now since his card list three affiliations: Gotoku, a hotel called Yamanokami, and "Togakushi Ninja." So, if you're looking for a friendly place near Nagano station, look up Gotoku and say hi to Miyashita-san. But don't tell him I let out that he's a ninja... just say you're going to Togakushi, he'll know what you mean ;-).
Style: Japanese (general)
Neighborhood: Near the station in Nagano / 長野駅に近い
Website: None, but here a Google Maps link to the address:
380-0801 Nagano City, Hakoshimizu 3-24-19 026-234-3277
This weekend my friend from Singapore was in town and he wanted to get out of Tokyo, so we wriggled our way through the JR reservation system to book a trip to Nagano. When we got in we asked where we could get some soba, since Nagano is famous for Soba (see next post). He directed us to Gotoku.
As is usual these days, I greeted the staff in Japanese and we sat down to puzzle out the menu. They then brought by an English menu -- I was surprised since Gotoku doesn't look like the kind of place to have an English menu. When we tried to actually *order* from the English menu, we found out it was left over from the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and had the selections from 10 years ago! A little negotiating in Japanese and we sent in our order.
The food is Gotoku was good, straightforward Japanese food. It's a safe choice if you're looking to eat near Nagano station. But the most interesting part of the trip was when we went up to pay. The round-faced proprietor started ringing up the check, and casually asked, "So where are you from?" Seeing our surprise, he added, "I speak English too! I lived in Philadelphia for eight years." What a goldbricker, he hadn't let on that he spoke English at all during the entire mail. His English was excellent, too - he hadn't lost any of his ability since he came back. We explained where we were from and added we were going to the village called Togakushi the next day. "Oh!" he said as his face brightened. "For the Ninjas!"
"Yes, so I've read," I said. The guidebook had mentioned that Togakushi is a center for the study of Ninjutsu, the martial art associated with ninjas. And so began a long conversation with Miyashita-san about ninjutsu. He had studied many martial arts over the years, but had eventually settled on studying ninjutsu because, he said, unlike the other martial arts, it has no rules. He goes to Togakushi once a week (it's about an hours' drive from Nagano) to study at the Dojo there, run by the famous ninjutsu master. He proudly showed off his handwritten letter from the master, kept carefully framed.
It was really fun to talk, we ended up standing at the checkout stand for over half an hour (I think slightly annoying the other staff in the process). Miyashita-san said that traditionally, only the ninjutsu master really knew who was a ninja and who wasn't; apparently things aren't quite so secret now since his card list three affiliations: Gotoku, a hotel called Yamanokami, and "Togakushi Ninja." So, if you're looking for a friendly place near Nagano station, look up Gotoku and say hi to Miyashita-san. But don't tell him I let out that he's a ninja... just say you're going to Togakushi, he'll know what you mean ;-).
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Hawaiian Tsunami
Name: Dining Cafe Tsunami
Style: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Ebisu
Website: http://www.tsunami.co.jp/east
Determined to find somewhere new to eat one night, I explored the streets to the east of Ebisu-eki and found Tsunami because they serve a little later than the other restuarants there (last order is 24:00). Tsunami is a Hawaiian-themed Asian Fusion restaurant (there's another Hawaii-themed bar on the same street... not sure what the connection between Hawaii and Ebisu is though). Normally, I don't consider that kind of strong theme a real recommendation, but in August I ate at the new Roy's in Los Angeles and they're not only Hawaiian-themed but a chain, and they were still great, so Tsunami got a test.
Unfortunately, I'm been slow about posting, so I don't remember exactly what I ate at Tsunami, however I remember that they lived up to billing. I avoided some of the overly themed items on the menu (Spam Omeraisu) and got a salad and some sort of fish entree. Both were well-executed, and the place had a good complement of beers from stateside as well, which was a plus. Tsunami is well set-up for parties or groups, and it does have a mellow atmosphere (as oyu'd hope with a Hawaiian theme!). The entree was around 1500 yen, and beers were 800 yen or so.
Style: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Ebisu
Website: http://www.tsunami.co.jp/east
Determined to find somewhere new to eat one night, I explored the streets to the east of Ebisu-eki and found Tsunami because they serve a little later than the other restuarants there (last order is 24:00). Tsunami is a Hawaiian-themed Asian Fusion restaurant (there's another Hawaii-themed bar on the same street... not sure what the connection between Hawaii and Ebisu is though). Normally, I don't consider that kind of strong theme a real recommendation, but in August I ate at the new Roy's in Los Angeles and they're not only Hawaiian-themed but a chain, and they were still great, so Tsunami got a test.
Unfortunately, I'm been slow about posting, so I don't remember exactly what I ate at Tsunami, however I remember that they lived up to billing. I avoided some of the overly themed items on the menu (Spam Omeraisu) and got a salad and some sort of fish entree. Both were well-executed, and the place had a good complement of beers from stateside as well, which was a plus. Tsunami is well set-up for parties or groups, and it does have a mellow atmosphere (as oyu'd hope with a Hawaiian theme!). The entree was around 1500 yen, and beers were 800 yen or so.
Sweating out Tuk Tuk
Name: Tuk Tuk Italian Thai Restaurant
Style: Thai
Neighborhood: Meguro
Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g405800
In general, Japanese people don't like spicy food. This can kind of get in the way when it comes to Mexican, definitely affects the relative paucity of Szechuan places here, and takes some of the enjoyment out of Indian food; but the time it totally changes the eating experience is with Thai food. If you can't get spicy Thai food, it can't be real, can it?
Last week I tried out Meguro's "Tuk Tuk Italian Thai Restaurant." I have no idea how a half-Italian, half-Thai restaurant came to be, but it's the first place I've eaten since coming to Japan where I actually had food that was so hot, I took the first bite and went, "Uh-oh."
Tuk Tuk is 3-4 minutes east of Meguro-eki's east gate towards Shirokanedai. It's actually next door to Meguro Kitchen Bar, a place I've been meaning to try for awhile, which is why I went there. But I saw Tuk Tuk's menu and concept and couldn't resist checking it out. It is, indeed, a half-Italian, half-Thai resturant; there are full Italian and Thai menus with daily specials off both sides.
I got Spring Rolls (the o-susume salad was sold out), and a green curry. The spring rolls were fine, but didn't prepare me for the green curry. Literally the moment I put the first spoonful in my mouth, my lips puckered, my heartrate increased, I flushed, and I instantly ordered a beer because I knew I would need it! The curry was really good, but what caused the reaction is that, unexpectedly, it was just as hot as I wold expect at a Thai restaurant in the Bay Area. Most Tokyo restaurants are a very much mild experience by comparison.
I don't know whether the Tuk Tuk staff sized me up and brought me the extra-spicy or whether everything they serve is like that, but it was a joyous experience. I ate slowly, used lots of rice, and cooled down with the beer when needed. Ah, the sweat of a good Thai meal! If you're looking for that, give Tuk Tuk a try.
Prices are moderate, I think the curry was 1200 yen and the spring rolls 700 or so.
Style: Thai
Neighborhood: Meguro
Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g405800
In general, Japanese people don't like spicy food. This can kind of get in the way when it comes to Mexican, definitely affects the relative paucity of Szechuan places here, and takes some of the enjoyment out of Indian food; but the time it totally changes the eating experience is with Thai food. If you can't get spicy Thai food, it can't be real, can it?
Last week I tried out Meguro's "Tuk Tuk Italian Thai Restaurant." I have no idea how a half-Italian, half-Thai restaurant came to be, but it's the first place I've eaten since coming to Japan where I actually had food that was so hot, I took the first bite and went, "Uh-oh."
Tuk Tuk is 3-4 minutes east of Meguro-eki's east gate towards Shirokanedai. It's actually next door to Meguro Kitchen Bar, a place I've been meaning to try for awhile, which is why I went there. But I saw Tuk Tuk's menu and concept and couldn't resist checking it out. It is, indeed, a half-Italian, half-Thai resturant; there are full Italian and Thai menus with daily specials off both sides.
I got Spring Rolls (the o-susume salad was sold out), and a green curry. The spring rolls were fine, but didn't prepare me for the green curry. Literally the moment I put the first spoonful in my mouth, my lips puckered, my heartrate increased, I flushed, and I instantly ordered a beer because I knew I would need it! The curry was really good, but what caused the reaction is that, unexpectedly, it was just as hot as I wold expect at a Thai restaurant in the Bay Area. Most Tokyo restaurants are a very much mild experience by comparison.
I don't know whether the Tuk Tuk staff sized me up and brought me the extra-spicy or whether everything they serve is like that, but it was a joyous experience. I ate slowly, used lots of rice, and cooled down with the beer when needed. Ah, the sweat of a good Thai meal! If you're looking for that, give Tuk Tuk a try.
Prices are moderate, I think the curry was 1200 yen and the spring rolls 700 or so.
Harajuku's Mexican Hangout
Name: Tacos del Amigo
Style: Mexican (if you couldn't tell from the name)
Neighborhood: Harajuku/Omotesando
Website: n/a
Yoichi introduced Earl and I to Tacos del Amigo a year or two ago with the introduction, "There's this really cheap Mexican place along Omotesando..." That highly improbable leadoff took us to a B1 restuarant which was indeed just off the tony shopping area but sported affordable prices and a character-filled, disjoint interior. Unfortunately, we learned they were losing their lease and not likely to be there for long.
That building has since been demolished, but Tacos del Amigo managed to find another B1 storefront to operate out of (right now, there's a sign at the old place -- aka the construction site -- but it probably won't survive the winter). They're now downstairs on Takeshita-dori (they're on the part farther away from Harajuku station, not the intense shopping street part). They're still pretty cheap! Most dishes are 780yen and Mexican beers are 550yen. I wouldn't say this is the most authentic Mexican in Tokyo but it certainly will do if you're looking for a pile of cheap Mexican food. They even have Machaca!
I couldn't find any traces of a website, but you can call 03-3405-9996 if you're lost. They're open 7 days from 17:00, last order is at 23:00.
Style: Mexican (if you couldn't tell from the name)
Neighborhood: Harajuku/Omotesando
Website: n/a
Yoichi introduced Earl and I to Tacos del Amigo a year or two ago with the introduction, "There's this really cheap Mexican place along Omotesando..." That highly improbable leadoff took us to a B1 restuarant which was indeed just off the tony shopping area but sported affordable prices and a character-filled, disjoint interior. Unfortunately, we learned they were losing their lease and not likely to be there for long.
That building has since been demolished, but Tacos del Amigo managed to find another B1 storefront to operate out of (right now, there's a sign at the old place -- aka the construction site -- but it probably won't survive the winter). They're now downstairs on Takeshita-dori (they're on the part farther away from Harajuku station, not the intense shopping street part). They're still pretty cheap! Most dishes are 780yen and Mexican beers are 550yen. I wouldn't say this is the most authentic Mexican in Tokyo but it certainly will do if you're looking for a pile of cheap Mexican food. They even have Machaca!
I couldn't find any traces of a website, but you can call 03-3405-9996 if you're lost. They're open 7 days from 17:00, last order is at 23:00.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Steak House Satou
Name: ステーキハウスサトウ / Steak House Satou
Style: Wagyuu (Japanese beef) steak
Neighborhood: Kichijouji
Website: None but Yahoo gourmet listing is here
Michael Chang, a friend from Polygon, had heard about something called "Matsuzaka Beef" (I think ) that's supposedley a step up from even Kobe beef. He found a listing for a place out in Kichijouji so we trooped out there for lunch this Saturday.
Steak House Satou is just a couple minutes from the north exit (aka "Central Exit") of Kichijouji station, and it's primarily a butcher shop. It looks like the truly popular option for this place is buying take-out from the first floor -- the entire time we were out in Kichijouji there was a long line of people waiting to buy take-out, for upwards of 30 minutes.
The restaurant is an incredibly 狭い (narrow) second floor over the butcher shop. There's no reservations, so the line goes up one of those frighteningly-narrow-and-steep Japanese stairways. I sure hope the handrails are securely bolted to the wall, because they're surely necessary sometimes.
We showed up purposely late for lunch on a Saturday -- the line was about 20 minutes when we arrived at 1:30, but by the time our last party member made it at 2:00, we could ascend the stairs and sit down directly (the take-out line downstairs was still going strong, though).
Ordering consists of picking which level of set menu you want. There are 1250円 and 2500円 lunch sets which provide a really good deal. Matt and Atsu went for that option, which is very good but largely equivalent to eating at a place like Kennedy's steakhouse. Michael and I, figuring we don't get out to Kichijouji too often, splurged on the お勧め (daily recommendation) 5300円 ロース set (ロース is kind of like saying Roast Beef, but I think it actually corresponds to Sirloin?). That was really good wagyuu, juicy and rich and a noticeable step up from Kennedy's (albeit at a price up as well).
There's no reason to stop there, Steak House Satou has several higher-end options as well. The Matsu set was around 8400円 and the highest-end set meal reach 121000円. The difference is just the quality of beef; all of the sets come with the same bottomless rice, salad, and beverage of choice. There are also (as in almost all Japanese steak houses) a big pile of grilled bean sprouts served with your steak, it's somehow tradition here.
I enjoyed Steak House Satou, although I'm not sure I'll ride the Inokashira-sen out to Kichijouji every weekend for it. I am, though, really curious about what's so good about the take-out to keep all those folks in the 30-minute line!
Style: Wagyuu (Japanese beef) steak
Neighborhood: Kichijouji
Website: None but Yahoo gourmet listing is here
Michael Chang, a friend from Polygon, had heard about something called "Matsuzaka Beef" (I think ) that's supposedley a step up from even Kobe beef. He found a listing for a place out in Kichijouji so we trooped out there for lunch this Saturday.
Steak House Satou is just a couple minutes from the north exit (aka "Central Exit") of Kichijouji station, and it's primarily a butcher shop. It looks like the truly popular option for this place is buying take-out from the first floor -- the entire time we were out in Kichijouji there was a long line of people waiting to buy take-out, for upwards of 30 minutes.
The restaurant is an incredibly 狭い (narrow) second floor over the butcher shop. There's no reservations, so the line goes up one of those frighteningly-narrow-and-steep Japanese stairways. I sure hope the handrails are securely bolted to the wall, because they're surely necessary sometimes.
We showed up purposely late for lunch on a Saturday -- the line was about 20 minutes when we arrived at 1:30, but by the time our last party member made it at 2:00, we could ascend the stairs and sit down directly (the take-out line downstairs was still going strong, though).
Ordering consists of picking which level of set menu you want. There are 1250円 and 2500円 lunch sets which provide a really good deal. Matt and Atsu went for that option, which is very good but largely equivalent to eating at a place like Kennedy's steakhouse. Michael and I, figuring we don't get out to Kichijouji too often, splurged on the お勧め (daily recommendation) 5300円 ロース set (ロース is kind of like saying Roast Beef, but I think it actually corresponds to Sirloin?). That was really good wagyuu, juicy and rich and a noticeable step up from Kennedy's (albeit at a price up as well).
There's no reason to stop there, Steak House Satou has several higher-end options as well. The Matsu set was around 8400円 and the highest-end set meal reach 121000円. The difference is just the quality of beef; all of the sets come with the same bottomless rice, salad, and beverage of choice. There are also (as in almost all Japanese steak houses) a big pile of grilled bean sprouts served with your steak, it's somehow tradition here.
I enjoyed Steak House Satou, although I'm not sure I'll ride the Inokashira-sen out to Kichijouji every weekend for it. I am, though, really curious about what's so good about the take-out to keep all those folks in the 30-minute line!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)