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Food Sake Tokyo | A chef's guide to the best food in Tokyo. - Food
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Cafe Sadiiq – Food Sake Tokyo
Delighted to have an American breakfast spot on the JR Chuo line at Cafe Sadiiq. Pancakes, egg, bacon, and a carrot rape salad with tuna. 1,500 yen ($10) for the pancakes, with a latte on weekdays for 400 yen ($2.50). It is just a five minute walk south of Mitaka Station, and on the way…
Kabe no Ana – Food Sake Tokyo
Wafū pasta, Japanese-Italian pasta, is becoming popular in the U.S. Kabe no Ana is said to be the first restaurant in Japan to serve this spaghetti made with Japanese ingredients like mentaiko, spicy pollack roe as a topping. Kabe no Ana started in 1953 in Shibuya (see the last photo). There are branches in Tokyo…
Goodies – Food Sake Tokyo
Lately I have been craving a diner breakfast. Delighted to have a lumberjack pancakes plate with eggs and bacon that brought me back to being in the US. I added whipped cream, because why not?🥰 I went soon after they opened at 8 a.m. and it was busy with both tourists and locals. The buttermilk…
Bridge Coffee – Food Sake Tokyo
Bridge Coffee on the first floor of the historic Eagle Building is a destination cafe. One you go out of your way to visit because it's not on the Tokyo tourist map, even for locals. However, very much worth the trip. It sits on a busy corner of Nihonbashi Bakurochō. Spacious seating and natural light…
Hello Kitty – Food Sake Tokyo
Hello Kitty is celebrating 50 years and there is an exhibit at the Tokyo National Museum. Basically it is an Instagram friendly show with a collection of Hello Kitty items produced over the years. If you love Kitty chan, then check it out. Be sure to go early, especially if you want to purchase items…
Ain Soph. – Food Sake Tokyo
Fabulous vegan restaurant, Ain Soph., is in the heart of #Ginza. The bento (¥3,500 or $22) includes a salad, walnut miso dip for crudités, sesame tofu, spinach curry, tofu and potato omelet (no eggs), brown rice, and the best soy meat karaage I have ever had. The soy meat is juicy and is marinated in…
Kabuki at Meijiza – Food Sake Tokyo
Meijiza Meijiza is a theater near Nihonbashi Hamachō Station that has a rich history dating back to 1873. It is Tokyo's oldest theater and celebrated 150 years in 2023. This month the kabuki show features the amazing Nakamura brothers, Kankuro and Shichinosuke. My dear friend who reignited my interest in kabuki affectionately calls the elder…
Rainy Day in Tokyo – Food Sake Tokyo
Raining in Tokyo? Convenience stores will sell both umbrellas and light rain gear, think cheap plastic jackets that will keep your hands free. Stores like Tokyu Hands and Loft sell folding umbrellas that can be made into a small package for keeping in your bag. The quality of these are very good. Some ideas for…
Sougo – Food Sake Tokyo
One of my favorite rice dishes in Tokyo is served at Sougo in Roppongi. It is burdock root that is julienned and fried as tempura and then stirred into rice with shio kombu, salted kelp. The shōjin ryōri restaurant serves a modern take on the Buddhist vegetarian temple cuisine. Chef Daisuke Nomura opened his restaurant…
Parklet Chicken Sando – Food Sake Tokyo
Parklet Bakery in Nihonbashi is one of my go-to spots when craving baked goods, notably their cheese scone. Finally made it to their sister shop at the Meiji Park Market in the shadows of the Japan National Stadium built to host the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The buttermilk fried chicken is served over a hearty…
Bistro Rojiura – Food Sake Tokyo
Burrata French toast Bistro Rojiura is a hip bistro and wine bar that is open for breakfast/brunch. The French toast with house-cured bacon is served with a scoop of creamy burrata cheese. Brilliant. Coffee is from the esteemed Switch Coffee. Rojiura means back alley. It is on the back streets of Shibuya near the Tokyu Hands…
Pizzeria Il Tamburello – Food Sake Tokyo
Seeking comfort in pizza at Ningyocho Pizzeria Il Tamburello. The Napoli pizza special was salsiccia e friarielli. The friarelli green is farmed by an Italian at Tenuta Campi Flegrei in Fukuoka. The punch of bitterness from the friarelli with the meaty black pork sausage is a classic combination in Napoli I was told. Delicious and…
Shichiken – Food Sake Tokyo
Shichiken has been brewing sake using the famous water of Hakushu in the Southern Alps of Yamanashi prefecture. Shichiken is just down the street from Koma delicatessen (see previous post). It's a big brewery with a sake tasting room, retail shop, and a cafe serving drinks and desserts using amazake and koji. Check out the…
Koma – Food Sake Tokyo
Koma From Kofu, Yamanashi, I jumped on the Chūō line train west towards Kobuchizawa. My friends have made the garden at a new delicatessen called Koma. My girlfriend said that I should come and check out this new restaurant. She knew that it was very special, and that I would like it. Chef Ayako Ono,…
Kofu – Food Sake Tokyo
Yamanashi Kofu in Yamanashi is only 90 minutes west of Tokyo on the Azusa express train on the Chūō line. The city is walkable and there are buses to areas for hiking, waterfalls, shrines and temples. For me I usually stay in the city as there is enough to see. Yamanashi is famous for fruit…
Kōfu Okutō – Food Sake Tokyo
Okutō Honten near Kōfu Station serves up many local dishes of Yamanashi prefecture. Tori motsu ni, simmered chicken giblets was created here in 1913. Liver, gizzard, and other offal is simmered in a sweet soy sauce. The dish has since become a regional dish that is served at many restaurants. Basashi, horse sashimi. It's like…
Sawataya – Food Sake Tokyo
One of my favorite overnight trips from Tokyo is to Kofu in Yamanashi, west of Tokyo. Yamanashi is famous for Fuji san (Mount Fuji), wine, big blue skies, mountains, fruits like grapes and muskmelons, and great local dishes like hoto noodles, basashi horse sashimi, and simmered chicken offal. Kofu city is easy to navigate and…
Rokumei – Food Sake Tokyo
What I love about Tokyo is that it’s so big that one is constantly discovering new spots. Rokumei opened only in July in a part of Tokyo Station I never go through. It is a famous Nara coffee shop and this is their first Tokyo branch. Big selection of coffee and espresso drinks. I ordered…
Mugi to Tamago – Food Sake Tokyo
Love these wafu pasta cafes. Quick meals. All the spaghetti dishes are tempting. Mugi to Tomato noodles are made with Hokkaido flour and the noodles are fresh, not dried. This salad and pasta is a bargain ¥1480 ($10). At Tokyo Station in the Yaesu Kita Shokudo area before entering the station gates. Near Daimaru department…
The Railway Museum – Food Sake Tokyo
The Railway Museum is a fabulous museum with many old trains that visitors can go into and see the history of rail transportation in Japan. We could enter a lottery for different experiences and got in on the working the counter at a station. It was a fun experience. The museum is huge. There is…
Kitakata Shokudo – Food Sake Tokyo
Kitakata Shokudo in Kanda Jimbocho serves up Fukushima style ramen. The noodles are on the thicker side and are hand massaged to be a bit wavy. The flour for the noodles is Hokkaido Yume Chikara which is high gluten. The soy sauce ramen is made with niboshi dried sardines. Niku soba with five types of…
Lemon Pie – Food Sake Tokyo
Japan is filled with shops that specialize in a dish. Lemon Pie Yoko near Tawaramachi Station (close to Kappabashi and Asakusa) serves up a fantastic lemon pie with a bouffant meringue. There are other pies, but this is their signature dish. This retro building is also awesome. I carried it for an hour until I…
Marunouchi Moheji – Food Sake Tokyo
Yakisoba at Moheji Finally managed to get a seat at Moheji monjayaki shop near Tokyo Station at the Shin Marunouchi Building, called Shinmaru Biru for short. Big fan of their shops at Tsukishima, the ground zero area of monjayaki. Monjayaki is a local dish to Tokyo cooked on an iron plate and eaten with a…
Ebisu Shodai – Food Sake Tokyo
White curry udon The white curry udon is topped with potatoes and cream whipped up to a fluffy cloud. Underneath the creamy topping is a spicy (for Japanese) curry. Shodai is also a lovely spot for sipping #sake so there is a nice list of sake-friendly small bites including dashimaki tamago omelet and soba gaki…
Gaienmae Esquisse – Food Sake Tokyo
This peaceful Aoyama coffee shop filled with large plants was a nice change to most bare coffee shops. Was going to get a coffee but the affogato was about the same price, so why not? Pistachio and vanilla ice cream with cookie bits topped with an espresso. Lovely café to do some writing and have…
Aoyama Ototo – Food Sake Tokyo
Fabulous seafood lunch set at Aoyama Ototo @ototo_01010. Simple and brilliant concept. Freshly caught seafood with rice cooked in a donabe pot. Most of the seafood is grilled. The menu simply lists seasonal seafood such as: mackerel, yellowtail, Pacific saury, or sockeye salmon. There is also a miso simmered mackerel. From my seat I could see…
Kissaten Bridge – Food Sake Tokyo
The melon pancake (1,400 yen) at Kissaten Bridge is over the top. A thick hot cake is wrapped around fresh cantelope and ice cream. This is then covered with a sweet honeydew flavored cream. This dish is the signature sweet at this quiet old school coffee shop in the basement of the Nishi-Ginza department store.…
Maruichi Bagel – Food Sake Tokyo
Big fan of @maruichi_bagel. Miho Inagi moved her #bagel shop from Shirogane to the Shinbashi and Toranomon area four months ago. Maruichi is about ten minutes from Shinbashi Station and it’s been too hot 🥵 and humid for me to make the trek. Maruichi opens at 7 a.m. with sandwiches starting at 8 a.m. It…
Tsukishima Monjayaki – Food Sake Tokyo
Most people are familiar with okonomiyaki, the savory cabbage pancake from Osaka. Tokyo's version is called monjayaki, which is similar that it is also cooked on an iron plate. Monjayaki has much more liquid and I prefer this one as it can be cooked into thin and crispy bits. https://videopress.com/v/tzwigZfj?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true The Tsukishima neighborhood is ground…
Shabusen – Food Sake Tokyo
Cool spot in the heart of Ginza for shabu-shabu or sukiyaki. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw Shabusen. Such a cool concept. Diners seated at a counter. Staff behind the counter bringing refills of rice and green onions or topping up my tea cup. Lunch starts at 2,200 yen ($15) for the…
God Bless Butter – Food Sake Tokyo
God Bless Butter. 🧈 Brilliant branding by this sweets shop at Tokyo Station. Looove the gaudy gold. The package says: “The best butter confectionery ever created, supervised by an expert with God’s perspective, has been created. Enjoy the supreme taste.”🤣 Usually impossible to purchase without queuing. Got lucky the morning of a typhoon. 🌀 Even…
Tamai – Food Sake Tokyo
Chirashizushi, scattered sushi, at Tamai in Nihonbashi. This is an old school version that is on the sweet side. Sweet black beans, candied chestnut 🌰, and sweet kampyo gourd. Mine, the tokujo, had tobiko flying fish roe. My friend ordered the tokutoku with ikura. Reminder to self to order more chirashizushi. The main store is…
Muromachi Toriya – Food Sake Tokyo
Muromachi Toriya yakitori set lunch. This tiny shop in Nihonbashi has a handful of counter seats and a few table. Right squeeze at the counter. My neighbor kept elbowing me when she picked up her chopsticks. 🥢🤣 Excellent value for ¥1,200 ($8.50). Tsukune meatballs, quail eggs, liver, and more. Popular dishes include #donburi of yakitori…
Izakaya 🏮 Mimasuya – Food Sake Tokyo
Mimasuya izakaya in Kanda opened in 1905. The fourth-generation shop is one of Tokyo's oldest izakaya pubs. Long on my radar and have only finally just made it there. On a quiet backstreet in Kanda. Popular shop. We went at 6 p.m. and got some of the last seats. The menu is filled with sake-friendly…
Utsunomiya MinMin – Food Sake Tokyo
MinMin gyōza On our way back to Tokyo from Nasu Shiobara in Tochigi we made a last minute decision to stop in #Utsunomiya for #gyoza. The city is famous for potstickers. There are dozens of restaurants in the city. As we didn't have a lot of time we went to our favorite MinMin. It is…
Tochigi Rengetsu – Food Sake Tokyo
We had the most fabulous stay at #NasuShiobara @rengetsu_natsu in #Tochigi. My kid has been wanting to stay here for a long time so we booked it way in advance. There is a private onsen bath on our veranda. The property also has a large hot springs area that also includes three private hot springs. I…
Nagano Kissaten – Food Sake Tokyo
For me nothing beats a #kissaten #Japanesebreakfast when I am traveling in Japan. For the simplicity of the meal, but also for the ambience of these old school #coffee shops. About a ten-minute walk from #Nagano Station is Saramu. The owner said she took it from the Arabic greeting salaam after watching Lawrence of Arabia.…
Nagano Chōju Shokudō – Food Sake Tokyo
Hi When we are traveling and not sure where to eat we often go to station buildings or department stores. These areas where people gather are sure to have reputable restaurants, many local. At Nagano Station is Chōju Shokudō, the long life dining hall. It is on the third floor of the MIDORI Nagano mall.…
Nagano Shichimi – Food Sake Tokyo
Custom blend spice mixture. One of the cities that I love spending time in is Nagano. It is easy to access from Tokyo. So much to love here. Zenkoji temple. The Buddhist temple dates back to 642. Zenkoji temple. https://www.zenkoji.jp/en/ I also love the many shops on the Omotesando street leading up to Zenkoji. In…
Yawataya Isogoro – Food Sake Tokyo
One of the cities that I love spending time in is Nagano. It is easy to access from Tokyo. So much to love here. Zenkoji temple. The Buddhist temple dates back to 642. https://www.zenkoji.jp/en/ I also love the many shops on the Omotesando street leading up to Zenkoji. In particular, one of Japan's most famous…