Hakataya Kamata-ten (元祖もつ鍋居酒屋博多屋蒲田店)

Posted on December 24, 08 by seat

A friend took us to this local Hakata-style motsu-nabe place in Kamata. Reservation is a must as it is very popular. You can only stay for 2 hours but then you don’t really need more than that.

ハツ刺し。山芋ステーキ。
Hatsu-sashi – raw heart. Yamaimo(mountain yam) steak – don’t know why it is called steak while it is actually a fluffy omelette/pancake. Very nice though!

じゃがいもめんたい。豆腐めんたい。
We tried almost everything from the “Mentaiko series”. Left pic: Potato and Mentaiko. Right pic: Tofu and Mentaiko.

なすめんたい。めんたいホウレンソウ。
Aubergine and Mentaiko. Spinach and Mentaiko.
The spinach one is stir-fried with butter while the other three are grilled with cheese. They are nice but they taste pretty similar – trying 1 or 2 is actually enough. There are other common Izakaya dishes in the menu like “yakiton”(pork version of yakitori) but we didn’t order.

The main is of course Motsu-nabe, which is soy sauce based. The motsu is really nice! Noodles or rice are added to the soup at the end.

At first I thought each dish was a bit small(especially the hatsu-sashi), and we ordered the motsu-nabe for 3 people(we were a group of 4) but it wasn’t quite enough so we asked for one more portion. However, when the bill came we were really surprised…only about 2000yen per person! We got a coupon from the homepage below and got ourselves a free drink each so that contributed to the cheap price, but still!

Menu(J): 1, 2, 3, 4.

元祖もつ鍋居酒屋博多屋蒲田店(Hakataya Kamata-ten)
Add: 2F, 7-4-6 Nishi-Kamata, Oota-ku.
Tel: 03-3736-1666

Tempura Kondo (天ぷら近藤)

Posted on December 10, 08 by seat

From 8400yen “Fuji” dinner course. Prawn head.

Two prawn.

Asparagus. Shiitake mushroom.

Kisu – white sillago fish. Renkon – lotus root.

Haze(Goby). Small onion(tongue-burningly hot!).

Anago. Satsumaimo taro(pic shows 1/4 cut) is not included in any of the courses but it is a MUST order. It takes a long time to make so you must order at the beginning.

Kakiage(with lots of scallop) tendon. You can also choose chazuke with the kakiage, or have kakiage and rice come separately. I wanted to try the sweet sauce so I opted for the tendon but to enjoy the crispiness, it is probably better to have it come on a separate plate.

“La france” pear.

Kondo is so famous that I think every foodie interested in dining in Tokyo knows. Somehow the idea of a 9F floor high-end restaurant in Ginza with only counter seats made me a little nervous before going, but to my surprise the atmosphere is totally casual and the staff are friendly. We sat in front of Kondo-san but there is a comfortable amount of space in between and he was busy making the food anyway so we were quite happy to be left alone. He cooks for other customers too and the younger chef also cooks for us so I guess it doesn’t really matter where you sit. We had the cheapest course with 2 prawn, 3 fish and 4 veggy, which is actually quite enough. The ingredients are all top-notch and fresh that I ended up eating them with just salt and sudachi and didn’t want to “spoil” them by dipping into the sauce with grated raddish. We were there for about 2 hours and as far as we could see, the oil(100% white sesame oil) was changed 3 times. I saw other customers ordering uni and shirako which looked so amazing that I couldn’t help drooling…too bad my friends were all too stuffed. I haven’t been to that many high-end tempura places so I can’t say much but I totally enjoyed the meal in Kondo.

Tempura Kondo (天ぷら近藤)
Add: 9F, 5-5-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-5568-0923

Nagomi Dining WAKU (和楽)

Posted on November 30, 08 by seat

Complimentary appetizer is warm pumpkin.

I don’t normally go to this kind of trendy “modern Japanese dining” restaurants cos alcohol and nice interior seem to be the main focus while the food is usually not that great, but I was looking for a casual washoku place for a gathering near Shibuya area and the reviews on this place are quite positive so I decided to give it a try. The quality of food turns out to be pretty good. They have a regular menu, a seasonal menu and also a daily menu – everything we tried was nice. The drink menu(mostly Japanese sake) is quite extensive. I tried the store-made fig wine and red sour plum wine and they are both good. We printed out a coupon with a 10% discount and 4 of us shared all the food below plus 2-3 drinks each and the bill was about 4000yen per person – really a great deal! The restaurant is at the basement and is not that big – other than counter seats, all the tables were full on the Saturday night we went. But the atmosphere is quiet and relaxing – there is a table with sofa seats which looks so comfy. Service is friendly.

海老しんじょうととろけるチーズの春巻き￥６７０。
ラーメンサラダ半熟玉子のせ（すりごま風味）、￥７８０。
Deep-fried Harumaki(spring roll) of Ebi Shinjou(prawn dumpling) and cheese.
Ramen salad with half-cooked egg(sesame seed dressing).

アボカドとベーコンのチーズ包み揚げ、￥７８０。
Deep-fried dumpling with avocado and bacon and cheese.

エビのオーロラマヨネーズ(プリプリの海老フリッターを特製ソースで)、￥７９０。
かんぱちのカマ塩焼き、￥７２０。
Prawn fritter with mayonnaise sauce.
Kanpachi(yellowtail) head grilled with salt.

黒糖そら豆、￥４００。腸詰め、￥４５０。
Soramame green bean coated in black sugar. Sausage.

和牛のハラミ炙り焼きおろしポン酢、￥９８０。
牛すじのシチュー　バケットを添えて、￥８９０。
Grilled Wagyu harami(skirt meat) with grated radish and ponzu.
Beef tendon stew with baguette.

里いもとエリンギのラザニア風、￥８００。
木の子づくしの石釜ご飯、￥９００。
Satoimo taro and eryngii mushroom Lasagne-style.
Mushroom rice in stone-pot. Takes 30mins to prepare.

豆乳豚しゃぶ鍋　コラーゲン入り（２人前）、￥２４００。
Soy milk and pork shabu-shabu(portion for 2). The jelly thing on top is “collagen”. You can choose ramen or rice to add to the thick soup at the end – I think rice is better.

Today’s menu: 1, 2. (The regular and seasonal menu can be found in the restaurant’s homepage)

Nagomi Dining WAKU　和楽
Add: B1, 16-6, Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-3463-7035

marukawa

Posted on November 15, 08 by seat

From the 12300yen dinner course. Maitake mushroom, yuba(tofu skin) and ikura.

Persimmon, kuruma-ebi prawn, anago eel, tsubugai shellfish in Shiraae(tofu dressing).

Nerimono(paste) made from oyster and tamago-dofu(egg tofu) and Tai snapper.
Seared wild torafugu(a kind of fugu) and Kanpachi.

Scallop with miso.
Layer grilled aubergine and kamasu, karasumi and yamaimo taro on the side, fried chestnut chips on top.

Kabu(turnip) and komochi-konbu(kelp covered with herring eggs).
Hirousu(fried tofu dumpling) with crab meat, Konjac, shimeji mushroom.

Kuromai(black rice) cooked with satsumaimo. Dessert is Kyohou(Japanese grape), black beans and pear in Persimmon sauce.

I really have mixed feelings about this kaiseki restaurant. Taste-wise, I think the ingredients used are truly top-notch but because of the way they are cooked and seasoned, I’m not entirely sure if I can introduce the restaurant as one of my favourites. Service-wise, since we were the only customers that night(this restaurant is reservation-only), the madam(and occasionally the chef too) were waiting right behind the counter and not doing anything as we ate and maybe I was just paranoid but I felt like I was being watched and felt quite uncomfortable. My Japanese friend didn’t seem to mind at all so that could just be my problem. After we finished our dinner, we started chatting a bit with the chef and the madam and that chat turned out to be a really long one because they are just the most friendly and nice people. You can really feel how hard the chef is trying to do his best in getting the freshest ingredients, creating good menu, communicating with customers, getting the best out of its location in a quiet residential area etc.. I do appreciate his efforts but then when it comes to food, preference is preference. ^^;;
marukawa

鈴なり (Suzunari)

Posted on November 2, 08 by seat

A fantastic Japanese restaurant that I’m so happy I decided to give it a try. The chef was trained in the famous Kaiseki restaurant “Nadaman”, but “Suzunari” is very casual and reasonably priced – the cheapest dinner course starts from 4500yen. We opted for the 6000yen course and were all very surprised by the large number of dishes served to us as well as the high quality of each dish. The value for money is truly amazing! Since there were so many courses, I think we spent more than 3 hours(close to 4 probably…) there, but we didn’t feel like we had to wait between courses cos the timing of delivery was perfect.

シジミのしょうゆ漬け。おひたし。
We printed out a coupon from “Hotpepper” and got the Shijimi clam in soy sauce for free(one per table). Ohitashi(boiled vegetables dish) starts the dinner course. All the pics show portion for one person.

ヒラメの刺身。生ガキ。
Hirame sashimi. Raw oyster.

八寸（バイ貝、柿の白和え、イカの塩辛、アン肝など）。生うにの玉地蒸し（フカヒレ入り）。
Assorted appetizer: Baigai(Japanese ivory shell), Persimmon Shiraae(tofu dressing), squid Shiokara, Ankimo etc.
Tamaji-mushi(just Chawanmushi) with fresh sea urchin and shark fin.

刺身盛り合わせ。合鴨と白身魚のたれ焼き。
Assorted sashimi. Grilled duck and fish in tare sauce.

鯛しゃぶ。
Tai Shabu. The soup is delicious enough to enjoy on its own and adding the fatty fish is…heaven!!

松茸ご飯。杏仁豆腐。
Matsutake mushroom rice. Almond pudding.

The restaurant is very small and gets booked up very quickly. I tried calling 1-2 days in advance and it was always fully booked – at least one week in advance is necessary to secure a table. The restaurant is near Yotsuya Sanchome – the location is central enough but there is nothing much around other than office buildings and I’ve only come here a few times in the past for dinners. The small alleys leading to the restaurant are quite hidden and accomodate many intriguing(in fact slightly scary) restaurants – we got curious and ventured into one after dinner and found out it was a bar. Before dinner, I also didn’t forget to drop by the famous Wakaba to take out some taiyaki. Not my favourite kind of taiyaki but it is not bad.

鈴なり (Suzunari)
Add: 7, Arakicho, Shinjuku-ku
Tel: 03-3350-1178

くいもんやす多ち/すだち (Kuimonya Sudachi)

Posted on October 4, 08 by seat

A very small restaurant offering casual Kyoto food with only one table and about 12 counter seats. It is located on the third floor of a “multi-tenant building” near Shinbashi and Ginza. The Obanzai(Kyoto daily family dishes) lined up on the counter made me drool hungrily while waiting for my friends to arrive. Other customers all ordered from the a la carte but we decided to go for the 5000yen omakase(chef’s choice) dinner course and let the okami(madam chef who is from Kyoto apparently) decide for us.

Obanzai moriawase(assorted): (anti-clockwise from bottom left)Unohara, squid, shirataki and mentaiko, cha-mame beans, potato salad, turnip, Koyadoufu, and marinated sanma in the middle. The picture shows portion for 3 people.

Clear soup with yuba(tofu skin) and matsutake mushroom.
Sashimi(for 3 people): Hirame(bottom left), himedaikon(little radish, eat with miso), octopus(eat with sudachi and salt), Aji coated in sesame seed(at the back).

Wakasagi tempura and sweet corn kakiage(round fritter) in curry flavour. Grilled Onigiri(rice is flavoured) and Kenchinjiru(miso soup with root vegetables).

This is a side order not included in the course. Deep-fried crab meat potato salad.

Buri daikon(Buri and radish simmerered in sweet soy sauce) is a side order also. Dessert included in the course is fruit.

Everything is absolutely delicious. Kyoto food gives the impression of very mild and light taste but the food served here all had strong flavour, which I actually prefer. The ingredients used are of good quality and you can really tell the attention paid to the detail in making each dish. The obanzai is reheated before serving which is important for me to enjoy it fully. The madam chef behind the counter was working non-stop throughout the night but whenever she had a moment she would smile at us and ask if everything was alright, so even though we did have to wait quite a bit for each course, we didn’t really mind. The restaurant is not non-smoking which is really a shame though…must remember to book the table away from the counter seats next time. Including a drink, side order(which proved to be too much and we were all bursting-full at the end…), about 7000yen per person.

Menu(J): 1, 2.

くいもんやす多ち/すだち (Kuimonya Sudachi)
Add: 3F, 8-5-15, Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tel: 03-5568-3321

栄一 (Eiichi)

Posted on September 25, 08 by seat

(Sep 2, 2008)
ささみ（塩焼）。正肉（タレ）。
From the 4500yen yakitori dinner course.
Sasami(breast). Grilled with salt. Raw inside. Very good!
Momo(thigh). Grilled with “tare” sauce.

枝豆。合鴨（塩焼）。
Edamame. What is with all that salt?!
Aigamo(duck). With salt.

もろ胡瓜。う玉（塩焼）。
Cucumber with miso. Quail egg with salt.

つくね（タレ）。ねぎ間（塩焼）。
Tsukune with tare sauce. Negima(thigh and leek) with salt.

手羽（塩焼）。しし唐。
Teba(wing) with salt. Very good!
Shishito pepper.

砂肝（塩焼）。皮。
Sunagimo(gizzard) with salt.
Instead of liver, which is included in the course but one of us can’t eat, we had chicken skin, again either with tare sauce or with salt.

The quality of chicken is good and everything is grilled perfectly. You get so much food for 4500 yen – each yakitori skewer is quite big and there are 9 of them in the course excluding the veggy. Though I really think they make everything too salty, especially for people like me who can’t drink that much. Also the course is really just yakitori after yakitori and I did get a bit tired towards the end. I wish there were some rice/noodles at the end. In retrospect, we really should’ve ordered plain rice to eat with the yakitori. Having said that I do like the food here.
Dinner menu(J) here.

(Oct 31, 2008)
Came back for lunch. Yakitori rice bowl, Y1050. It is nice too but I think for lunch, Isehiro(which is right next door to Eiichi) is better.