Monthly Archive: July 2007 [28]
« June 2007 | Main | August 2007 »
July 30, 2007
今半万窯
4725yen 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(entry here), 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)
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.
Comments(2) [ japanese food | 代々木・新宿・新大久保 ]
メナムのほとり
Lunch 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
半チャンラーメン、￥６５０。
Half fried rice and half ramen set. The ramen is nice but the charshu 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
July 26, 2007
IL BORRO
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.
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.
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.
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
Comments(4) [ italian food | 麻布・六本木・赤坂 ]
July 23, 2007
Ginza La Tour (ラ・トゥール)
6500yen lunch course.
Huge bread...for one person!
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~.
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~
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.
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.
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.
Comments(2) [ french food | 新橋・銀座・日本橋 ]
July 19, 2007
Bistro La Ciboulette (ラ・シブレット＠浅草橋)
カキのスープ。生ハムサラダ。
Oyster soup. Salad.
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(entry here). 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
Comments(2) [ french food | 浅草 ]
July 18, 2007
Goutte d'or et Crattini (グットドール・クラッティーニ)
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.
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.
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.
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
Comments(2) [ italian food | 有楽町・丸の内 ]
July 17, 2007
キッチン南海
カツカレー、￥６５０。
Very famous yoshoku place. Look at the long queue(mostly guys) at lunch time. It really wasn't easy for me to join the queue. ^^;;; At first the waitress(hair dyed gold) made me sit in a small table with 3 other guys and I immediately said I would wait for a counter seat. Unfortunately the next available counter seat was right in front of the toilet...people brushed pass me when they got out of the toilet and I tried not to breathe too hard. Katsu(pork cutlet) curry is a big plate and only 650yen. No wonder this place is so popular with guys. Though the pork is a tad thin and the coating is thick. The black curry is nice though.
キッチン南海 (Kitchen Nankai)
Add: 1-5 Jimbocho, Kanda
マキアヴェリの食卓
たけのこと生ハムのペペロンチーノ、￥９８０。スープとサラダとコーヒー、￥４００。
Bamboo shoot and prosciutto peperoncino. Plus soup, salad and coffee, 1380yen. Just an ordinary pasta place. Generous with the ingredients but the price is higher than most places.
鴨肉のミートソース、フランク、野菜のスパゲッティ、￥１０３０。
Duck meat sauce with sausage and vegetables.
I usually go early for lunch before salarymen and OLs start to flood the nearby restaurants, but this day I came out late and everywhere was too crowded so I just went back to this place. The price is high for the quality so there is always seats available. ^^;;
マキアヴェリの食卓
Add: 2F, 1-13-2, Jimbocho, Kanda
海南鶏飯食堂
海南鶏飯、￥９００。
Hainan chicken rice. A very popular place that always has a queue outside and I have heard many positive reviews about this place....turned out it was quite bad. The chicken is those dry fatless tasteless breast meat that you need a lot of the sauces for flavours. The rice is too mushy and lacking in fragrance and flavour. Why this place gets so popular is beyond me.
海南鶏飯食堂 (Hainan Ji-fan Shokudou)
Add: 6-11-16 Roppongi, Minato-ku
Comments(0) [ 麻布・六本木・赤坂 ]
キッチングラン
しょうが焼き、￥６８０。
Pork with ginger. Tasty but the amount of oil is quite scary.
キッチングラン (Kitchen Guran)
Add: 2-24, Jimbocho, Kanda
July 16, 2007
Chocolatier Palet D'or (ショコラティエ パレ ド オール)
Chocolate tart is rich yet not too sweet. Very nice! Herb tea "Spice" is good too.
Dessert plate with nut souffle(in the cup) and chocolate souffle. The chocolate is not as rich as I had expected, and the souffle is not that fluffy. Tried the other herb tea "Fruit". I like "Spice" better. This place is a chocolatier and the menu offers chocolate chaud drink(about 1300yen) and you can also pick the chocolates from the showcase and eat in the cafe. Prepare to pay at least 2000yen for a dessert and a drink though. The shop is inside Shimaru building.
Chocolatier Palet D'or
Comments(0) [ cakes and sweets | 有楽町・丸の内 ]
Sol Levante （ソルレヴァンテ）
モンテ ビアンコ、￥５００。ババ。
From two separate visits.
Monte Bianco. Italian version of Mont Blanc. Bottom is merengue, then chestnut paste, topped with a mountain of cream. Nice but....too sweet! Even the cream is sweetened. It is very big too. I only managed to eat half. Baba with lemon liquor.
カフェミスティ、￥１１００。
Dessert plate with espresso-flavoured sorbet, ice-cream, mousse and semi-freddo in a cup shape. Not bad. Very strong espresso taste. Though it doesn't look as nice as the picture in the menu...^^;;
Menu: 1, 2, 3.
Sol Levante
Add: 3-10-14 Kita-aoyama, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-5464-1155
Comments(0) [ cakes and sweets | 神宮前・青山・広尾 ]
July 13, 2007
Au goût du jour Nouvelle Ère (ヌーヴェルエール)
Very nice view of the old red brick facade of Tokyo station.
The bread is very good.
軽く温めたサーモンの軽い燻製、ゴマ風味、山葵の冷たいクリームソース。
Amuse: Pork pate puff.
Appetizer: Warm smoked salmon with sesame seed, wasabi cream sauce. Delicious! Couldn't taste the wasabi though.
ゆっくり火を通した長州赤鶏の胸肉、タブナードソース。
Main: Chicken breast in Tapenade sauce. Very tasteless and dry meat...I couldn't finish it.
Dessert: Strawberry roll cake. Specialty of the patisserie. Super good.
Lunch course is 3500yen. This restaurant is under the same management as 1, 2, 3. Service is warm and friendly. The food is not super impressive but the value is not bad. After coffee, herb tea was also served. The restaurant is quite small and is inside Shinmaru building, right next to igrek.
Menu 1, 2.
Nouvelle Ère
Comments(4) [ french food | 有楽町・丸の内 ]
July 12, 2007
bel mare (ベルマーレ)
Salad, bread or rice, main dish, half-portion pasta and drink, 1250yen. Bread is garlic bread, which is warm and pretty massive. Main dish is salmon saute in green(pesto) sauce. Quite tasty! Two options for the pasta and I had the scallop "Genovese"(pesto sauce). It is definitely not half-portion! Rather normal pasta but not bad. For drinks, other than coffee and tea, there is also blood orange juice. I was so stuffed that I didn't need dinner at all....
Today's lunch menu(J) here.
Went back again for the same course. Puttanesca with squid, tomato, caper and olive.
Main is pork saute with lemon sauce. The lemon sauce is a little too sour and the pork a bit dry, but it is okay. Garlic toast today is focaccia bread. Also includes a salad.
Another lunch menu(J) here.
bel mare
Add: 24-2, Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-3476-3681
July 11, 2007
La Belle Epoque (ラ・ベル・エポック)
6500yen lunch course. Menu here.
Amuse-bouche: Melon and duck meat. Many layers of potato, beetroot, carrot etc. Cranberry bread, and cumin bread with pumpkin seeds.
Maguro tuna tartare on jelly made from bell pepper and tomato. Avocado cream in between.
Chiled broad bean soup with Parme ham flavoured mascarpone cream.
Pan-fried whiting, tomato and aubergine gateau, Nice-style sauce with olive, caper, anchovy and herb.
Grilled baby lamb chop with Dijon mustard and herb, and spring vegetables.
Berry jelly with lavender soup. Main dessert is mousse made from cream and egg and wine, with grapefruit jelly and pineapple sauce. Petit fours from a wagon.
A French restaurant inside Hotel Okura. Food is overall quite good. Very light-tasting. Portion a bit small....the fish is tiny! My friend remarked that you can probably eat this kind of French even when you get old...in fact other customers were mainly elderly. ^^;;; I heard that this French restaurant is famous for heavy sauces and traditional French-style and big portion...that's why I wanted to try this place in the first place. I wonder if the chef is different. The service is brilliant though. Very attentive and warm. There was a 40-something couple celebrating birthday behind us and also an Omiai going on in the private room....
La Belle Epoque
Add: 12F, Hotel Okura Bekkan, Toranomon 2-10-4, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-3505-6073
Randy (ランディ)
アスパラサラダ、￥１９０。ハンバーグ（２００ｇ）、バターソース、￥８７０。
Asparagus salad is drowned in too much dressing. For the 200g hamburger steak with butter sauce, the waitress warned me that "medium will be quite rare in the middle" but it turned out to be over-cooked. But the texture is great with the beef not grounded too much or with too much breadcrumb or other stuff added to it.
デミシャスハンバーグ、￥８７０。 温泉玉子、￥７０。
Second time I had the hamburger with demi-grace sauce. A bit too minced and mushy, and the sauce is very salty. The salad on the side is again drowned in too much salty dressing...better ask for "less dressing" next time. Also ordered a hotspring egg for 70yen.
ハンバーグ（２００ｇ）、ガリマヨソース、￥８７０。
Hamburger with mayonnaise sauce. The third time is cooked just right. Solid beefy texture and pink in the middle. A bit too much mayonnaise sauce though...the chef seems to love his sauces and dressings. Rice and soup are refillable.
Choices of sauce for the hamburger(J) here.
Randy
July 10, 2007
der Akkord (アコルト)
アップルジャムパイ。よもぎぱん。
Apple jam pie and yomogi anpan. Just these two cost 997yen! But understandable since this bakery is 100% strict organic/macrobiotic: doesn't use sugar, animal products or chemicals. All the ingredients are either homemade or carefully selected. Taste-wise...the yomogi bread tastes like grass and the red bean inside has a strange sour and salty taste...^^;; But the apple pie is crispy and the apple filling is sweet(natural kind). Very "whole food" tasting but quite like it.
パンプキンパイ。ココナッツケーキ。
Went back another day to get the pumpkin pie and coconut cake. The coconut cake has too much raisins in it...I gave up halfway. The pumpkin pie is good but I prefer the apple pie.
der Akkord
Add: 5-45-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-6419-2928
Comments(5) [ bakeries ]
July 09, 2007
Arossa Ginza (アロッサ銀座店)
アロッサ式もりもりサラダ。 玉ねぎとコーンのフリッタータ。
Salad. Onion and corn frittata.
地鶏と野菜の煮込み。 フランボワーズのグラニテ。
Chicken and vegetables stew. Raspberry granite.
The salad is for two people but it is massive. The rest are included in the lunch course for one person and the lunch is only 1050yen!! Not just being cheap, everything is delicious, including the bread(refillable). The restaurant is on the 8th floor of a shopping building in the middle of Ginza. So many reviews(1,2,3,4) had been written about this amazingly good-valued lunch. The menu is fixed but it changes everyday and also available on weekends. Also there is a 2620yen lunch which is basically the same thing except the main dish is New Zealand roasted beef(btw this place is supposed to serve Australian/NZ cuisine).
Today's lunch menu(J) here.
Arossa Ginza
Add: 8F Ginza Velvia-kan, 2-4-6 Ginza
Tel: 03-5524-1146
Comments(1) [ good cheap eats | 新橋・銀座・日本橋 ]
July 07, 2007
KAIKAYA (開花屋＠神泉)
桜海老と水菜のサラダ。くるまえびの甘エビ味噌炒め。
Sakura prawn and mizuna salad. Kuruma-prawn in prawn sauce.
鮮魚のカルパッチョ。雑魚(ざこ)のグリル。
Fresh fish carpaccio with garlic, olive oil, balsamico and sweet basil. Grilled fish with garlic, olive oil and lemon.
マグロのかまのスペアリブ。
"House Special" tuna spareribs.
I have heard about this place for years and have always wanted to try it but somehow never got around to it. Finally! All the food are very good! Quite heavy use of olive oil and lightly salty to eat alone, but with a bowl of rice, you simply can't stop eating. The restaurant is very tiny and crowded. The waiters are friendly and patient even though they are so busy. Sort of an izakaya but we didn't order any alcohol and just had tea and it was okay. We sat at the big table sharing with other people and the guy sitting next to us wouldn't stop smoking so that was a bit tough. But if you sit at the counter, maybe you can avoid the smoke to some degree. The homepage has Japanese and also English with the whole menu translated to English. Indeed there were two tables of foreigners(other than us) the day we went. Three of us shared all the food, plus a bowl of rice, less than 2000yen each. Very cheap! The nearest station is Shinsen, but it is just 15 mins walk from Shibuya. Some reviews in English here.
KAIKAYA
Comments(0) [ my favourites | japanese food | 渋谷・恵比寿・代官山 ]
July 06, 2007
La Tida (ラ・ティーダ)
ジーマミー豆腐。 ゴーヤーチャンプルー。
Ji-ma-mi Tofu(Peanut tofu). Goya chanpuru.
スヌイ（もずく）のてんぷら。 アーサーサラダ。
Mozuku seaweed tempura. Seaweed salad.
豚三種と根菜の煮込み（ラフテー・ティビチ・ミミガーと季節野菜の煮込み）。焼きティビチ（豚足）。沖縄そば。
Pork in 3 styles: Pork belly, pork feet and pork ears, simmered with vegetables.
Grilled pork feet. Okinawa soba.
サーターアンダギーアイス 黒糖シロップかけ。紅芋のアイス。
さんぴん茶（ジャスミン茶）のクレームブリュレ。２種類のグレープフルーツのシークワーサーゼリーよせ。
Okinawa donut ice-cream with black sugar syrup - taste like cookies'n cream. Red taro ice-cream.
Jasmine tea creme brulee - very good! 2 kind sof grapefruit and sikuwasa(Okinawa's citrus fruit) jelly.
Old entry here. All the food we ordered were very good. The pork feet and pork belly were nice but quite heavy - better not order more than one item of the fatty pork. Shared between 3 people, plus tea, about 2800yen each. Very good value!
Menu(J): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
La Tida
Add: 4-9-13 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-3441-1961
Comments(0) [ japanese food | 渋谷・恵比寿・代官山 ]
July 05, 2007
キッチン カロリー
カロリー焼き、￥６８０。ミニサラダ、￥８０。
This place is called "Kitchen Calorie". ^^;; I had the "calorie-yaki", which is beef and onion cooked with soy sauce and garlic. There is a bed of spaghetti underneath the beef, and it also comes with rice... Too bad the hot plate didn't come sizzling hot and the greasiness became overwhelming....Also got a small salad which is mainly cabbage.
トマトサラダ、￥５００。ハーブ豚の生姜焼き、￥９２０。
Tomato salad. Herb pork with ginger. Comes with rice and tonjiru. Very nice! Again there is spaghetti underneath the pork.
有機野菜サラダ、￥３００。 オムライス、￥８５０。 ジャンボ焼き：カロリー焼き、ハンバーグとカニクリームコロッケ。
Organic salad. 300yen is a bit expensive for just a few lettuce leaves, even though it is supposed to be organic. Omurice. Quite a lot of chicken meat in the ketchup rice. Other than that, tastes pretty normal. Jumbo-yaki: "calorie-yaki", crab cream croquette and hamburger. Hmm, just so-so. The hotplate is not hot not sizzling again. Conclusion after a couple of visits: will go back for the herb pork with ginger but not the others.
キッチン カロリー
Add: 3-10 Ookawamachi, Kanda
Tel: 03-3291-3266
July 03, 2007
Fogliolina della Porta Fortuna
This popular Italian restaurant is by reservation only and offers only the chef's course which is 15000yen(I know...). Wine course(7000yen), which I didn't order, includes champagne and wine selected by the chef that go with the food. The restaurant is tiny and they only take 1 group of customers of no more than 4 people each time. So we had the whole place to ourselves.
Menu for food and wine.
Mainly the chef himself served us even though there were also two other staff. The chef's explanation for each dish is impressively long and detailed. Each ingredient used, down to pepper and salt, and cooking procedures. You can really tell that the food is prepared with large amount of time and effort and attention to little details. Unfortunately I was unable to catch-up/remember/translate the stuff he said so here is the simplified menu...
Guinea fowl egg. Iberico pork tongue.
To give you a sense of its actual size...^^;;
Only two tiny bread the size of a quail egg were served throughout the whole course and you can't ask for more. This one has rosemary in it.
Soup made from guinea fowl and leek. A slice of flatfish(hirame) and green asparagus on top.
Gnocchi and anchovy.
Guinea fowl's thigh meat wrapped its breast meat and roasted. The main is a cold dish...
Cheese and onion(maybe...I forgot).
Dessert...can't remember exactly but some fruit soup mixed with red wine. Very very strong alcohol taste. Two of my friends who can't drink alcohol were having a hard time finishing it.
Chocolate with raisin in it.
I only had mineral water(2,000yen per person), plus service charge and tax, came up to 20,000yen per person(o_0). The food is not bad, though not sure if it is worth the price. The portion is tiny - each dish including the main is literally bite-size. Most dishes are too salty to eat alone. Basically the food is like wine bar menu, i.e. bite size so that it won't fill you up so quickly, and very salty to prompt you to drink more. I guess in order to enjoy this place, ordering the wine course with the food is a must. Some of my friends who love wine are big fans of this place so...
Fogliolina della Porta Fortuna
Add: 4-8-12 Nakameguro, Meguro-ku
Tel: 03-3719-7755
July 02, 2007
Yakiniku Jambo (焼肉ジャンボ＠篠崎)
たんの赤ワイン煮。キムチ盛り合わせ。
Cow tongue simmered in red wine. Free appetizer. Very good!
Assorted kimchi.
レバ刺し。ハツ塩。
Liver. Heart.
たん塩。ユッケ。
Cow tongue. Yukke - Korean version of Steak Tartare.
ろんぼそ、うわみすじ、ロースのどれか、、、
Ronboso? Uwamisuji? Ro-su?
サガリとシンシン。芯ロース。
Sagari and Shin-shin. Shin ro-su.
ミスジとサブトン。
他は三角カルビとささみカルビも頼んだ。
Misuji and sabuton.
野菜スープ、和牛ビーフカレー、オムライス。
Vegetables soup. Beef curry rice and omurice.
The beef are all fantastic! Absolutely fresh, tender and juicy. The owner is so proud of the beef's high quality that he kept giving us instructions:
"Don't grill more than 3 seconds each side!!"
"Taste better to eat it raw!!"
"You are over-grilling!!"
"STOP grilling!!".....etc.
The 3-second window was too short for me to take any pictures of the beef on the grill...Also not sure if it is intentional but the grill is set to very weak fire that there is not much smoke coming out of it and there is no need for ventilators at all(there isn't one). For the seasoning, it is better to order the simple "salt" instead of "tare" sauce, which is a bit too sweet. Yukke is also too sweet. The owner-recommended omurice and curry are all too sweet-tasting as well. Vegetable soup tastes like instant soup so not so recommended. Five of shared all the food. There were 4 more plates not on pictures(they all look the same bloody meat anyway ^^;;), all of us had rice, 1-2 beers each, came up to about 7000yen per person. Not super cheap but good value considering the quality. Though the place is quite far from central Tokyo, and from the train station it is more than 20 mins walk.
焼肉ジャンボ (Yakiniku Jambo)
Add: 4-13-19 Shinozaki, Edogawaku
Tel: 03-3679-8929
Comments(0) [ my favourites | other cuisines ]
July 01, 2007
山本屋総本家 神田和泉店 (Yamamotoya Souhonke)
親子味噌煮込みうどん、￥１２５０。
Nagoya miso nikomi(stew) udon with chicken and egg. Thick, hard, chewy, handmade udon noodles served in boiling hot miso soup. The original shop is very famous in Nagoya. The branch I went in Akihabara is tiny, with a few counter seats on the ground floor and a few tables on the second. Single portion consists of a big bowl of soup but not much udon. Probably better to order 1.5 portion(+250yen), or like many salarymen do - order a bowl of rice(200yen) to eat with the leftover soup.
Menu(J) here.
山本屋総本家 神田和泉店 (Yamamotoya Souhonke)
Add: 10-8, Ichiban-chi, Kanda Izumicho, Chiyoda-ku
Tel: 03-3861-5030
天丼 いもや (Imoya)
海老天丼、￥７５０。
"Imoya" is famous for its tempura and tonkatsu(pork cutlet). Sort of a chain, with a dozen of branches distributed around Jimbocho/Kanda area. This one is specialised in tendon(tempura on rice). Of course not the delicate high-end tempura. This shop's selling point is cheap, quick, and big portion. The normal tendon is 500yen which is incredibly cheap. I ordered the more expensive Ebi-tendon, expecting a few more pieces of tempura, but instead I got the same amount but with the fish and the squid both switched to ebi(prawn). Guess it is better to just order the basic tendon, and add extra tempura which are like 100yen a piece. I have visited the tonkatsu branch(entry here) which I like more.
天丼 いもや
Buona Maia (ボーナマイア)
ランチプレートＡ（￥９８０）：キノコと帆立貝のペペロンチーノスパゲッティ＋オムライス。
イベリコ豚のサルシッチャとブロッコリー トマトソーススパゲッティ、￥９９０。
Lunch plate A: Mushroom and scallop peperoncino spaghetti and omurice.
Iberico pork salsiccia and broccoli, tomato sauce spaghetti.
Just your regular pasta lunch. Very convenient location just right above Jimbocho station.
Lunch menu here.
Buona Maia
HAINAN CHI-FAN (海南鶏飯)
海南鶏飯（蒸し）。ラクサ。
Hainan chicken rice and Laksa. Both 850yen. Both are pretty bad...The chicken is dry breast meat with the skin missing. Noodles are hard and dry and the soup is no good...
海南鶏飯
