Monthly Archives: July 2007

今半万窯 (Imahan Banyoh)

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2735855180096864855EASwsg_fs4725yen set with sukiyaki beef, vegetables, rice, miso soup and a small dessert. Expensive but good quality Japanese beef restaurant which is very famous and has many branches. I have never been to the original restaurant in Ningyocho but this branch, located between Yoyogi and Shinjuku stations, is spacious and has comfortable private rooms. And if you ask, the pretty lady in kimono will cook and serve you every slice of beef while you eat – very important service as I have wasted very good beef due to my crappy cooking before….Last time I came(see tag), I had the full course cos I wasn’t the one paying, while this time I had the more modest set which I found satisfying enough. There are also cheaper sets only available at lunch time, but if you make reservations in advance, there is a minimum charge of 2500yen per person.
Imahan Banyoh 今半万窯
Add: Southern Tower Building 4F, Shinjuku Southern Terrace, 2-2-1 Yoyogi Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-3375-1919
Open: 11:00-23:00 (No holidays)

UPDATES! (2007 Nov)
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Tried the shabu-shabu too. Too bad I didn’t take pics of the shabu hotpot.

The appetizer and the beef sushi are okay but nothing special. Better to just order shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, or steak, which are the most satisfying.

メナムのほとり (Menamu no Hotori)

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0707090006Lunch A, 1575yen. Thai-style beef salad(too sour), Thai green curry with aubergine and beef(very watery curry…), Tom Yum Kung soup(very sour again), stir-fry cabbage and something else I forgot, rice, and fried banana with coconut milk. Pretty expensive for the mediocre quality. This restaurant is under the same group as this restaurant and they are right next to each other. Gosh my complaints were exactly the same! ^^;;;
Lunch menu: 1, 2.
メナムのほとり

さぶちゃん(Sabuchan)

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0705300028半チャンラーメン、￥６５０。
Half fried rice and half ramen set. The ramen is nice but the chashu pork and the fried rice are way too salty~. This place seems famous and they only have ramen and fried rice on the menu. Everyone ordered the half fried rice and half ramen set. I usually avoid double carbs(in Japan, udon+rice, ramen+rice kind of set meals are very common) but oh what the heck. I went early so there was no queue, but when I left half an hour later the queue was just crazy. I don’t think there is an air-conditioner inside…I wonder what it will be like in summer….
さぶちゃん
(Sabuchan)
Add: 2-24 Jimbocho, Kanda
Tel: 03-3230-1252

IL BORRO

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トスカーナ産の生ハムに、山羊のクリームチーズをのせて。イタリア産サラミとハム。フォアグラとリンゴのテリーヌ。 サルチッシャ。真鯛のカルパッチョと黒米のティンバッロ。
Toscana Prosciutto with goat cheese cream. Salami and ham. Foie gras and apple terrine. Salsiccia. Red seabream carpaccio with black rice Timpano.
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ムラサキウニとフルーツトマトの冷製カッペリーニ。
黒あわびとボッパルガ（からすみ）のキッタラ。 ホロホロ鳥とサマートリュフのリゾット。
Murasaki uni and fruit tomato cappellini.
Black abalone and karasumi Chitarra. Guinea fowl and summer truffle risotto.
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イベリコ豚のソテー　ヴィンサントビネガーのソース。
Iberico pork saute, Vin santo vinegar sauce. Cheese.
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カシスのムース、ティラミス、クリームブリュレ、ロールケーキ。クレーム・ド・リモンチェロ。
Cassis mousse, tiramisu, creme brulee and rollcake. Creme de Limoncello.

Very gorgeous environment perfect for special occasions. There were at least 3 groups of customers celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. Also hold wedding receptions apparently. Though the food is as good as party food gets. ^^;;
IL BORRO
Add: 7-12-27, Roppongi, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-5770-8800

Ginza La Tour (ラ・トゥール)

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6500yen lunch course.
Huge bread…for one person!
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殻つきオマール海老の温かいサラダ仕立て　トマトラヴィゴットソース。
Amuse-bouche – salmon mousse rolled in salmon. Colourful plate.
Lobster warm salad, tomato ravigote sauce. The lobster is a bit overcooked~.
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本日の魚： カサゴのグリーンアスパラソース。
Today’s fish: Kasago in green asparagus sauce. The sauce is super delicious!
More bread~
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温かい鶏のスープ。
仔羊のグリル。
Chicken soup, cappuccino style. Warm and full of flavour.
Grilled lamb chop. Soft and tender. Very very good.
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Wagon dessert. Usually you choose a few of what you want but the server saw our greedy faces and suggested “Why not all?” ^^;;; Four different types of sorbet and a bit of everything from the wagon. All are good! Not too sweet too.
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Herb tea. And a few choices for the petit fours. I had macarons.
Free refill for the herb tea. Pretty cups here and here.

I love the main and the dessert. The service is great. Very friendly staff. The wagon dessert is only available during weekdays lunch time though.
Menu: 1, 2, 3.
Ginza La Tour
Add: 5F, Kojun building, 6-8-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tel: 03-3569-2211
The restaurant is right above Barneys.

Bistro La Ciboulette (ラ・シブレット＠浅草橋)

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カキのスープ。生ハムサラダ。
Oyster soup. Salad.
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和牛ホホ肉の赤ワイン煮。
Wagyu cheek simmered in red wine.

Everything is absolutely delicious! Been here before for dinner(see tag). Heard that lunch is very good value but doesn’t accept reservation. Came early before the restaurant opens at 11:30am with a friend, and there was already a queue even though it was a weekday! The tiny restaurant was filled up in no time. We had to share a table with a guy who came alone.

Lunch set is 1050yen, which includes a big salad, a main dish and a very good Canelé at the end(coffee not included). The oyster soup is additional order(630yen). There were about 6 choices for the main dish, 3 fish and 3 meat. The Wagyu cheek I ordered had an additional charge of 840yen…It added up to 2520yen for me, not including dessert and coffee. Comparing with the dinner menu, the wagyu I had costs 1890yen as a la carte at night, which is actually the same price as lunch(1050+840=1890), except that you also get a salad and a canelé at lunch time. Considering its inconvenient location, dinner is a much much better idea. At dinner, reservation is accepted. There is no course menu, only a la carte. Last time I came, taking photos was okay but this time there were signs saying no photos….the chef and the madam were so busy and not looking so I just took anyway…oops. ^^;;;
Bistro La Ciboulette
Add: 2-27-5, Asakusabashi, Taito-ku.
Tel: 03-3863-6232

Goutte d’or et Crattini (グットドール・クラッティーニ)

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This famous Italian restaurant is much more casual and smaller than I had expected. 1890yen lunch course includes salad, appetizer, pasta(85g) and coffee. There are so many choices available for appetizer and pasta and they all sound creative and tempting.
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茹で豚の筍のグラティナート。 とっておき、生うにのスパゲッティ。
Boiled pork and bamboo shoot gratinato(gratin?). A bit salty but quite good.
Uni spaghetti. An extra charge of 840yen for this choice. The spaghetti is very salty from the first bite…to the point that you suspect the chef has accidentally added the salt twice. Quite spicy too, while not much uni taste unless you eat the uni on its own, which is creamy and sweet.

The menu says the course will take 1~1.5hr which is quite a long time for a pasta lunch, but indeed the food came so slowly that by the time we had our coffee, 2 hrs had past. The service is just okay. The Japanese waitress’ attitude was a little rude when I asked her about the menu.
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生しらすと蒸し野菜。
根野菜とトマトのポタージュ、ポーチドエッグのせ。
Came back again to try the 3150yen lunch course which consists of 2 appetizers, 2 kinds of pasta and coffee. The pasta is slightly smaller portion(65g) for each plate.
Raw shirasu(baby fish) and steamed vegetables. I thought it was going to be warm but it was a cold appetizer. A bit too strong pickle taste for me…very sour and bitter.
Root vegetables and tomato potage with poached egg. Somehow the potage is not so hot while the egg is overcooked.
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鯵とフェンネルのスパゲティ、からすみと。
キャベツ畑のスパゲッティ。
Spaghetti with Aji(Horse mackerel) and Fennel and karasumi. Quite spicy!
Spaghetti with cabbage. There is some cream cheese on top. The cabbage is fresh and sweet. Apparently a specialty of the chef.

The appetizers are pretty normal, the pasta are nicer. This time the pasta are not overly salty like last time, but they are still saltier than what I would call “just right”. My friend whom I went with said the overall taste in this place was too strong for her that she had to drink a lot of water. Maybe we should have ordered wine. Also not quite al dente. Having complaining so much, the pasta are tasty in an unconventional sort of way. The table next to us ordered Uni pasta and it looked totally different from what I had last time! The uni was made into the sauce and mixed well with the spaghetti, like how it should be done!

Lunch menu(J) here and here.
Goutte d’or et Crattini
Add: 2-2-3, Marunouchi, chiyoda-ku
Tel: 03-6212-6882