とんかつ　やまいち(Tonkatsu Yamaichi)

Posted on March 17, 09 by seat

特ヒレ、￥２１００。
Special pork filet cutlet(Toku-hire), Y2100.

I love this tonkatsu place! Very small hole-in-the-wall restaurant with only a big round table for 8(need to share with strangers), a small table for 2, and 4 counter seats. The nearest station is Awajicho but it’s not far to walk from Akihabara. I’ve only been here for lunch and it is usually packed especially on Saturday, but there is no crazy lines. The chef fries everything himself behind the counter so during busy lunch hour, you may have to wait for some 15-20 mins. Watching the chef at his work with a very serious expression will make you patient though. The staff(chef’s wife and daughters?) are very friendly, and no matter how busy the chef is, he will always say thank you when you leave. Just love this sincere attitude of Japanese.

Anyway, the most expensive menu is Toku-hire but I think it really is the best. The meat is lean but soft and tender. The set comes with rice(refillable), soup and pickled vegetables.

特ロース、￥2000。ロース、￥１５００。
Special pork loin cutlet(Toku-rousu), Y2000.
Regular pork loin cutlet(Rousu), Y1500.
Toku-rousu is much nicer than Rousu so I think it is worth the Y500 difference, but Toku-rousu is not as good as Toku-hire. There is more fat in Rousu than in Hire and normally I will prefer the former because I like fat….but this place is an exception.

ヒレかつ丼、￥１７００。合びきメンチ、￥１０００。
Hire Katsu-don, Y1700. Menchi-katsu, Y1000.

カキフライ、￥１４００。　車えびフライ（３本）、￥１９００。
Kaki-fry(fried oyster), Y1400. Kuruma-ebi fry(3 pcs), Y1900.

海老しんじょう揚げ、￥１４００。
Ebi-Shinjou-age(fried chopped prawn), Y1400.

貝柱コロッケ、￥１４００。串かつ、￥１３００。
Scallop croquette(cream inside), Y1400. Skewered pork and vegetable katsu, Y1300.

ロースかつ丼、￥１６００。
半メンチ、ヒレ一口かつ、海老しんじょう揚げ、カキフライ。
Rousu Katsu-don, Y1600. Love the katsu-don here.
You can order all the katsu by one piece. I ordered one kaki-fry(Y250), one bite-size Hire-katsu(Y250), one Ebi-shinjou(Y250) and one half-size menchi-katsu(Y300). For 400yen you can make it a set with rice and soup. Good idea if you want to try a bit of everything.

Menu(J) 1, 2.

とんかつ　やまいち(Tonkatsu Yamaichi)
Add: 1-8-4, Sudacho, Kanda, Chiyoda-ku
Tel: 03-3253-3335

粋な一生 (Iki na Isshou)

Posted on January 4, 09 by seat

特製醤油ラーメン、￥７５０。味玉、￥１００。チャーシュー丼、￥３００。
Tokusei Shoyu Ramen(Special soy sauce noodle) plus Aji-tamago(seasoned boiled egg). Chashu-don(rice with roasted pork).

味噌つけ麺、￥８５０。
Miso Tsukemen.

塩ラーメン、￥７００。味玉、￥１００。味噌ラーメン、￥７５０。
Shio(Salt) Ramen plus Aji-tamago. Miso ramen.

つけ麺（塩味）、￥７５０。手作り餃子、￥３００。
Tsukemen(Salt-based soup). Store-made Gyoza(only available at dinner and Saturday lunch).

醤油ラーメン、￥６５０。炒飯、￥６００。
Shoyu Ramen. Fried rice(available at dinnertime only).

Ramen shop in Akihabara. Doesn’t usually have queues except busy weekday lunch hour. I like the soup(shio, miso, shoyu) here which is not too salty and full of flavour, but unfortunately the noodles leave a lot to be desired….for this reason I enjoy the ramen with soup more than tsukemen. My favourite is Tokusei Shoyu Ramen. Aji-tamago is a must-add topping. “Rice service” at lunch time where you get a small bowl of rice for free. The portion for fried rice is a bit too big for me to eat with the ramen but it is nice too.

Menu: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

粋な一生(Iki na Isshou)
Add: 1-27-2 Taito, Taito-ku
Tel: 03-3837-8117

九段斑鳩(Kudan Ikaruga)

Posted on December 27, 08 by seat

特製らー麺、￥８８０。特製濃厚和風豚骨。
Tokusei ramen(shoyu base), Y880.
Tokusei noukou wafuu tonkotsu(pork bone broth).

(June 6, 2009)
チャーシューガーリック油そば、￥１１２０。
Chashu(roasted pork) Garlic Abura-soba, Y1120.

(Dec 27, 2006)
特製塩本鰹らー麺、￥１０００。
Hongatsuo(some fancy version of dried bonito?) soup based ramen. Usually bonito soup never works for me but I really like this one. Thought it would have been nicer if the soup were piping hot, but after reading other people’s reviews, seems like the lukewarm temperature is deliberate. Noodles are perfectly cooked, the pork and the eggs are both soft and tasty. No wonder there is always a long queue. I went twice before but gave up because of the queue. This time I went early, around 11:30am, and I got in pretty quick. I sat at the counter and the staff in front of me(not the guy in pic) has his head quite interestingly shaved…seems like he is the owner. He is all smiley and softly singing(literally) irashaimase the entire time.
九段斑鳩(Kudan Ikaruga)

インドカレーカーマ (Indo kare Kama)

Posted on December 2, 08 by seat

チキンカレー、￥８５０。 Chicken Curry.

野菜カレー、￥８５０。キーマカレー、￥８５０。
Vegetable curry. Keema curry.

Nice Indian curry shop near Jimbocho. There are only three kinds of curry available at lunch time. Chicken curry is the hottest and I like it the best. Keema curry is nice too but a bit salty for me. Veggy curry is not spicy at all – very sweet with yogurty taste. Kinda healthy home-cooking feel with very little oil.

I read some reviews complaining that the chef and the madam can get a little rude if you order vegetable curry during busy lunch hour because it takes too much time to prepare….I tried ordering it at very late lunch hour when there were no other customers but the madam said they had run out. I went back another day at very early lunch hour(when the shop just opened) and ordered vegetable curry again and the madam seemed reluctant to take the order at first(so the rumour is true…) but she gave in and only warned me that it is not spicy at all. What a strange curry shop….^^;;;
Menu(J) here.

インドカレーカーマ
Add: 1-2-3, Sarugakucho, Chiyoda-ku
Tel: 03-3233-8787

Sarafan (サラファン)

Posted on November 25, 08 by seat

露西亜風ハンバーグ、￥１０００。
A couple of lunch visits to this Russian restaurant in Jimbocho.
Russian Hamburger(Y1000). When I cut it into half, hot juice from the veggy in the middle came out. Very nice!

ボルシチ、露西亜風パン。
Borscht and Russian bread come with ALL lunch sets. I haven’t been to that many proper Russian restaurants so I can’t really judge but the Borscht here is the best I’ve tried.

若鶏のソテー　ローズマリー風味、￥１０００。
若鶏と小松菜のブイヨン煮込み、￥１０００。
Weekly lunch(Y1000) is always chicken. Left pic is Chicken Saute with Rosemary. Right pic is Chicken and komatsuna in Bouillon. Both are good.

ブリンチキピロシキ、森の壺焼（キノコと若鶏のホワイトソース仕立て）、￥１８００。
1800yen set includes the usual Borscht and bread, “Blintz”(crepe version of Pirozhki I think), and white stew of mushroom and chicken baked in a small ceramic pot(not sure but probably called “Zharkoye”). I like the “Blintz” but it is a bit small. The stew is good but nothing too special. Dessert and tea are not included and I was still hungry…

白いビーフストロガノフ、￥２５００。
White Beef stroganoff lunch set(Y2500) also includes Borscht, bread, cheese cake and Russian tea(with blueberry jam and lemon). I’ve never had a beef stroganoff with the cream sauce this thick. It is not bad but the beef is a bit tough. The cheese cake is so-so.

名物お米入りロールキャベツ、￥２５００。
Cabbage roll lunch(Y2500) also includes Borscht, bread, cheese cake and Russian tea. The cabbage roll is quite rice – there is rice mixed with the meat. I wish I could skip the cheese cake and tea and have a “Blintz” instead(you can order it as a side at lunch time).

In terms of value for money, I think Hamburger lunch is the best. This basement restaurant is very small and I think quite old too. Two chefs cook behind the open kitchen, and one staff serves in a robotic and formal way which was a little strange at first but I got used to it after a while. Seems popular as it gets full like 5 mins after it opens at 11:30am!

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

Sarafan (サラファン)
Add: B1, 3-10-3, Ogawamachi, Kanda
Tel: 03-3292-0480

Topca (トプカ)

Posted on October 18, 08 by seat

ムルギカリー（チキン）、￥８５０。
Murugi(chicken) curry – Indian style. Comes with a free boiled egg if you order the “Today’s recommended curry”.

A really nice curry shop about 10 mins walk from Akihabara(nearest subway station is Awajicho). There are two types of curry – European and Indian – each with a variety of menu options. In general Indian curries are much spicier and in my opinion much nicer than the European ones. Though I have this thing about curry with deep-fried things as toppings…which they have many options to offer from the European curry menu so I ended up trying them all. The shop is opened everyday of the week; I often go on Sunday when the Japanese owner chef is in the kitchen, while in other days an Indian(?) chef will be in charge. Not every item on the menu is available on Sunday though. There is a branch in Ikebukuro which I had visited a long time ago(see tag).

メンチカリー、￥９００。
Menchi curry – European. Cabbage salad.

マトンカリー、￥９００。欧風ポーク野菜カリー、￥９５０。
Mutton curry – Indian. I couldn’t eat the RAW onion on the rice…
Pork and vegetable curry – European.

カツカリー、￥９５０。キマカリー、￥８５０。
Katsu(fried pork) curry – European.
Keema curry – Indian.

ハヤシライス、￥８８０。コロッケカリー、￥８５０。
Hayashi rice. Croquette(potato) curry – European.

白身魚のカリー、￥１０００。牛すじ野菜カリー、￥９５０。
Fish curry – Indian. Hmm don’t like the fish so much.
Beef tendon and vegetable curry – European.

チキンカツカリー、￥９５０。ポークカリー、￥８５０。
Chicken katsu curry – European. Pork curry – Indian.

スパイシーバターチキン、￥９００。ザ・ビーフ、￥１３００。
Spicy butter chicken. Beef curry. These two are new menu and are both very good.

Menu(J) here.

Topca (トプカ)
Add: 1-11 Sudacho, Kanda, Chiyoda-ku
Tel: 03-3255-0707

Chef’s Table R&D (シェフズターブル R＆D)

Posted on October 11, 08 by seat

若鶏モモ肉のロースト、レモンと焦がしバター風味、ネギソース、￥１０００。
1000yen lunch includes a main dish, bread or rice, dessert and coffee. Salad(150yen) is an additional order. Today’s meat dish is roasted chicken thigh with lemon and burnt butter, onion sauce. Dessert is caramel pudding with cherries.

A casual French cafe in Akihabara. A bit out of the way from the main shopping area, but it is only a few minutes walk from Akihabara station. Value for money is great considering you only pay 1000~1500yen for pretty decent food in generous amount. Taste-wise there is still room for improvement but really, thinking of the price I have only praises for this place. It is just the chef cooking everything himself so delivery can be a bit slow, but no matter how busy the place is the food is always freshly prepared. Lunch is available on weekdays and also on Saturday – for some reason it is never crowded on Saturday.

もち豚ロースステーキ、シャルキュティエールソース＋カサゴのポワレ　バルサミコソース。
若鶏ムネ肉のロースト、レモン風味マスタードソース + メカジキのムニエル　フレッシュトマトソース。
Left: Pork loin steak in Charcutiere Sauce + Kasago(rockfish) in Balsamic sauce.
Right: Roasted chicken breast with lemon, mustard sauce + Meuniere of Mekajiki(swordfish) in fresh tomato sauce.
The 1300yen lunch plate consists of fish and meat, both of which are so big that it is like having two main dishes. If you don’t say anything, bread(always reheated) will be served, but you can ask for rice which I prefer.

ステーキランチ：本日のスープ、牛サーロインステーキ、パンまたはライス、￥１５００。
Sirloin steak lunch. For 1500yen I didn’t really expect good quality beef but it turned out to be surprisingly tender and soft. This is regular menu.

仔羊のハンバーグ　フレッシュトマトソース + スズキのポワレ　マスタード風味クリームソース。
1300yen lunch. Lamb hamburger in fresh tomato sauce + Suzuki in mustard cream sauce.

アッシェパルマンティエ（挽肉とジャガイモの重ね焼き） + サーモンのポワレ　キノコ入りカレーソース。
Hachis　parmentier + Salmon in curry sauce with mushroom.

もち豚のローストポーク、レモンと焦がしバターのソース + カラスガレイのムニエル、バジルソース。
Roasted pork with lemon and burnt butter sauce + Meuniere of Karasu-garei in basil sauce.

カサゴのポワレ　バルサミコソース。
1000yen lunch. Kasgo in Balsamic sauce. Caramel pudding with blueberry.

若鶏ムネ肉のロースト、アンチョビレモンバターソース + サーモンのポワレ　ラヴィゴットソース。
Roasted chicken breast in achovy lemon butter sauce + Salmon in ravigote sauce.

サバのムニエル　フレッシュトマトソース + 特製ポークハヤシライス、温泉玉子添え。
1300yen lunch. Meuniere of Saba in fresh tomato sauce + Pork hayashi rice with hotspring egg. Banana and coconut chocolate cake

ローストポーク、マスタードソース。
豚バラ肉のステーキ　マスタードソース + サーモンのポワレ　アンチョビ風味レモンバターソース。
Left: Roasted pork mustard sauce.
Right: Pork belly steak in mustard sauce + Salmon in anchovy lemon butter sauce.

Lunch menu(J): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

(Feb 08, 2010)
Was meeting a friend at Akihabara for dinner without prior planning and this place was the only option I could think of. I am sorry to say……the dinner was terrible. The quality of food here was good value for a cheap Y1000 lunch, but paying some 4000 yen gives you no better quality. It’s still a nice cafe to have lunch since there isn’t much around Akihabara train station. But better avoid having dinner here.

Chef’s Table R&D
Add: 3-35-5 Sakumacho, Kanda.
Tel: 03-3863-4562

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