Archive for May 24th, 2008

Ponta Honke (ぽん多本家)

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0805220002穴子フライ、¥3675。カツレツ、¥2625。
Took a friend to try this super expensive but also super delicious tonkatsu place. Had the standard “Katsu-retsu”. Also tried the “Anago Fry” for the first time - 3675yen is crazy(rice and miso soup not included) but they give you two big pieces and damn they just taste so good that you don’t regret paying(though I didn’t have to pay at the end hohoho).


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(20 Sep 2007)
Yoshoku restaurant established since 1905. I was a bit dazed when I saw the menu…a salad is 1050yen, deep-fried seafood is 3000~4000yen, cow tongue stew is 4200yen…good thing my target was katsu-retsu(i.e. tonkatsu) which is an affordable(relatively speaking) 2625yen. Rice and soup and pickles are an additional 525yen. Seriously, it never cease to amaze me how yoshoku sometimes can be so expensive and yet many people are so willing to pay. I mean you can have a full course French lunch with that amount of money. Anyway, the cutlet turned out to be quite delicious. ^^;;; Coating is thick but crispy. Apparently thick and floury coating is the traditional style for deep-fried things in Japan. I guess people in the past didn’t worry so much about calories. The pork is fried twice, first very slowly in low heat oil, and then a quick finish in very hot oil. It did take a long time for it to come. The pork is a thick huge piece, has very little fat, soft and tender, feels a bit sandy in the mouth and not the juicy kind but I like it a lot. Didn’t feel ill afterwards but apparently it is fried in lard….There is only a bottle of sauce on the table which I reckon is for the cutlet but I prefer eating it just with salt and mustard. Oh, I sat in the counter(only 4 seats) on the first floor and there was only a salaryman eating alone. He was drinking wine and eating a plate of something, and I overheard his bill was over 13,000yen…^^;; I found an English review here.
0709110009Couldn’t resist and went back to try “Ebi korokke”, i.e. Prawn croquette. With rice and miso soup, it is 3150yen also. Very expensive…but it is so delicious! Inside the perfectly-fried crust are corn cream and big chunks of prawns. Only two croquettes but they are quite big. Though I think the pork cutlet is of better value. I want to try other things in the menu….but the price is just too high!!
Menu(J) 1, 2.

ぽん多本家 (Ponta Honke)
Add: 3-23-3 Ueno, Taito-ku
Tel: 03-3831-2351

issa (日本茶と豆乳のカフェ いっさ)

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合鴨の漬け丼、¥650。しろチョコ(抹茶+ホワイトチョコ)、¥420。
Rice bowl with marinated duck. Shiro-choco: hot matcha with white chocolate.
A cute cafe in Akihabara offering a variety of rice bowls and drinks made from matcha and soy milk. The food is of simple, cafe quality and the portion is quite small. Though the price is cheap and it seems to be very popular with OLs and salarymen.
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(19 July 2005)
温泉卵とドライカレー丼。抹茶あずき、¥880。
Hotspring egg and dry curry rice bowl. Iced matcha and red bean drink.

Menu(J): 1, 2, 3.

issa
Add: 2-3-24, Sudacho, Kanda, Chiyoda-ku
Tel: 03-5294-3636