Yakiniku Jumbo Shirogane(焼肉ジャンボ 白金)

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ユッケ刺。黒毛和牛タン下煮込み。
Yukke. Simmered wagyu tongue. Both very good!
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キムチ盛り合わせ。牛刺。
Assorted Kimchi. Beef sashimi.
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Some pork some beef…can’t remember names… Veggy on the right is “Sanchu”.
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The beef on the right is “sabuton”.
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Pork feet is cold and hard and tasteless – don’t order it!
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All different parts but can’t remember names…
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0901120001冷麺。クッパ。
Korean cold noodles. Spicy soup with rice.

Have been to the honten(original shop) in Shinozaki(see tag). The variety and the quality of meat is about the same(i.e.very good), but I must say the portion is much smaller in this Shirogane branch. I was stuffed to my throat by the end in Shinozaki and I paid about 7000yen including drinks, while in Shirogane I wasn’t really that full but the bill came up to 10,000yen per person. Though my visit to the Shinozaki honten was in 2007 and I haven’t been back since then. Shirogane is a much more convenient location and not too far from the station, while the honten is a hell of a walk from the out-of-the-way Shinozaki station. If you care for nice interior, young and lively staff, high percentage of female customers in trendy clothes, then Shirogane is your choice. I, on the otherhand, prefer the honten’s busybody owner who sticks a gun to your head if you cook his top-quality meat too long(3 seconds max!). I don’t think there was a time limit in Shinozaki, but you can only stay for two hours in Shirogane. I took pictures of the whole menu but most of the meat we ordered were not on it and were explained to us by the staff. I was too lazy to take notes but my friend’s choice “U-wa-mi-su-ji” had the most marbled fat and was the most juicy. Sabuton was also my favourite. Just like the honten, the grill wasn’t really that hot so I actually preferred cooking the meat – which was so fresh that it could be eaten raw – for more than 3 seconds(*gasps*). All the side dishes like yukke, soup rice were much nicer in Shirogane branch.

Menu: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

This place is very near to Labyrinthe’s Patisserie Shinohashi which I’ve bought some bread before(entry here).

焼肉ジャンボ 白金 (Yakiniku Jumbo@Shirogane)
Add: 3-1-1 Shirogane, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-3679-8929

Ponta Honke (ぽん多本家)

0901150039(Jan 15 2009)
カキフライ、¥3150。
I think this is the most expensive fried oyster set I ever tried. 3150yen including rice and soup. The oysters are MASSIVE and there are six of them, all perfectly fried and undeniably delicious….

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0805220002 (May 22 2008)
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).


0709110009(Sep 11 2007)
Couldn’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.

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(Aug 09 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.

Menu(J) 1, 2.

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

L’oiseau de Lyon (ロワゾー・ド・リヨン)

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This French cake shop is not new but it has just opened a cafe on the second floor recently. I always complain that there is no nice place for cake and tea around Yushima area(walkable distance from Ueno or Akihabara) so I am really happy(you can tell that by how many times I’ve visited in just a few months….)

サントノーレ。
Saint Honore(tea flavour). It is served on second-floor cafe only and is not available for take-away. Love the cream but the chou aren’t as crispy as I would like.
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モンブラン。
Mont Blanc. One whole Japanese chestnut in the middle.
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ドゥーブルタタン。キャラメロ。
Apple tart. A bit sour but pretty nice.
Chocolate tart with caramel mousse with nuts.
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フラム(チョコラムースにクレームブリュレ入り)。タルトシャンソン。
Chocolate mousse with creme brulee in the middle – very nice!
Strawberry tart. Royal Milk Tea.
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ガーネット(4種類のベリームースの中に、ホワイトチョコレートのムース)。
シューリヨネーズ(2種類の紅茶クリーム)。
ペカン(コーヒークリーム、ピーカンナッツ)。
Garnet: 4 types of berry mousse and white chocolate mousse.
Chou cream with 2 different tea-flavoured cream.
Pecan: Coffee cream and Pecan nuts. Heavy but very good!
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オペラ(チョコレートクリームとコーヒークリーム)。
フレジェ(イチゴのケーキ。クリームはカスタードクリームとバタークリームをあわせたもの)。
タルトブランベル(ブルーベリーとアプリコットのジャム)。
シューパリジャン。
Left: Opera(chocolate cream and coffee cream). Frasier(strawberry cake with custard cream and butter cream). These two cakes are absolutely wonderful.
Right: Tart with blueberry and apricot jam. Chou Parisian(the cream inside is delicious but the crust isn’t so crispy).
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タルトシトロン マカロン入り。ティラミスロール。
アンブルノア(ヘーゼルナッツ、プラリネのムースとチョコのムース)。シューパリジャン。
Tart citron with macaron. Only remember the macaron was nice.
Tiramisu roll. Hmm the sponge cake part was not as smooth as I expected.
Chocolate and Praline mousse with halzelnut. Very good. I think mousse cake won’t go wrong in this place.
Chou Parisian. One more try but still not crispy crust.
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パリブレスト。 Paris-Brest.
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Croissant is sweet here and is my favourite! You can choose the pastry/bread from the bakery on the first floor and eat in the cafe.
Quiche with mushroom.
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クロワッサン・オ・ザマンド。シュトーレン。カヌレ。
Croissant with almond cream.
Canele is a MUST-TRY. I always buy a dozen and force everyone I know to try it.
Around Christmas time you get a piece of Stollen to try if you eat in the cafe. Unfortunately I really really hate marzipan…
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フロマージュドゥース(チーズケーキ)。
ボストック(ブリオッシュにアマンドクリーム)。
クロックムッシュ。
Cheese cake is surprisingly nice with a hint of orangy flavour. “Bostock”(sp?) is the round brioche pastry with almond paste and icing sugar on top.
Croque-monsieur.
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Marron pie. Olive bread. Tomato bread.
“Bacon-epi”.
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ノアゼットとスリーズ。レーズンとピーカンナッツ。アプリコットとイチジク。
3 kinds of very nice brioche bread. Walnut and cherry. Raisin and Pecan nuts. Apricot and fig.
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ガレット・デ・ロワ(ルール)。
La Galette des Rois. I am lazy to explain so read about it here. The pie is very crispy with almond cream inside.
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0901020058ロワゾー・ド・リヨンのオリジナルガレット・ショコラゆず。
L’oiseau de Lyon’s original La Galette des Rois with chocolate ganache and yuzu confit. The yuzu flavour is nice but I prefer the standard one with almond cream.

Drink menu here.

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Forgot the name but it is really good chocolate mousse cake!

L’oiseau de Lyon (ロワゾー・ド・リヨン)
Add: 3-42-12, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku
Tel: 03-3831-9901

粋な一生 (Iki na Isshou)

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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).
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味噌つけ麺、¥850。
Miso Tsukemen.
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塩ラーメン、¥700。味玉、¥100。味噌ラーメン、¥750。
Shio(Salt) Ramen plus Aji-tamago. Miso ramen.
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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).
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0811140054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)

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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).
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(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.
061224 003061224 002
(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)

Tempura Kondo (天ぷら 近藤)

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From 8400yen “Fuji” dinner course. Prawn head.
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Two prawn.
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Asparagus. Shiitake mushroom.
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Kisu – white sillago fish. Renkon – lotus root.
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Haze(Goby). Small onion(tongue-burningly hot!).
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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.
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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.
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“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

インドカレーカーマ (Indo kare Kama)

08080400100810070039
チキンカレー、¥850。 Chicken Curry.
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0808040009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