Nagomi Dining WAKU (和楽)

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

魚力 (Uoriki)

Posted on September 22, 08 by seat

さんま刺身。海鮮ちらし丼。
Sanma sashimi. Kaisen chirashi don(seafood rice bowl). Rice and soup are refillable.

Somehow I was expecting this place to be an izakaya specialised in seafood but it turned out to be a cheap shabby eatery run by a fish shop. Most customers appear to be locals living nearby. The menu offers a variety of fish either as sashimi or grilled. You can order it alone or as a set with rice and soup. The quality of sashimi is not fantastic but I guess it is okay for the price. I forgot how much we paid but it was very cheap. The grilled fish other people ordered looked good.

魚力(Uoriki)
Add: 40-4, Kamiyamacho, Shibuya
Tel: 03-3467-6709

VIRON (ヴィロン)

Posted on September 11, 08 by seat

(June 6, 2008)
ステーキとフレンチフライ、￥２１００。キャラメルリエジョア、￥１２６０。
Steak and French fries, 2100yen. Caramel Liegeois, 1260yen.

(Sep 3, 2008)
ビーツのガスパチョ、若鶏のコンフィーのガレット、ペッシュ・メルバ（白桃のコンポートとバニラアイスのクープ）。
Beet Gazpacho, 630yen. Galette of chicken confit, 1050yen. Peche Melba(Peach parfait with vanilla ice-cream and peach compote), 1260yen.

Both visits above were late lunches(after 3pm) so the food was from cafe-time menu which is different from lunch menu. Everything is nice despite being a bit expensive. I wonder why the Peche Melba is more expensive than the galette….

(May 10, 2008)
グリーンピースポタージュ。クロックマダム。キャベツとベーコンのスープ。
Green peas potage. Croque madam. Cabbage and bacon soup. Went back to this bakery cafe and tried their cafe menu(available after 2pm). The soup are both nice but don’t come with bread.

(Sep 3, 2004)
Pork in tomato stew. Quail and foie gras terrine. With coffee, 2730yen.
豚バラ肉のトマト煮。うずらとフォアグラのテリーヌ。

(May 19, 2004)
プティデジュネ。
Breakfast for two!

(Nov 3, 2006)
ババ。
Baba. Gosh it is soaked thoroughly with alcohol already and you get a whole bottle to add some more yourself…the waitor said a few extra drops on top will give nice fragrance – he was right! I ended up adding more than a few drops and got quite drunk…the couple at the next table said they could smell it from there. ^^;;;; Also love the cream on top.

(Oct 27, 2006)
サントノーレ。ジャンボン・ブリー・ド・モー。
Caramel-glazed petit chou(cream puff) with praline cream inside and sweet whipped cream on top.
Jambon Brie de Meaux – ham and brie sandwich. Both delicious as usual.

I have blogged this place so many times but never took pics of the shop. Great location right in the heart of Shibuya.

(Jan 16, 2007)
鴨のスモークサラダ、８４０円。タルトタタン、８４０円。
Smoked duck salad. Nice smoky flavour. And finally tried Tarte Tartin! I have heard so much about Tarte Tartin in VIRON but somehow never had a chance to try it. The caramelized apple is absolutely delicious~. Such a big piece! But it is mostly apple and I practically inhaled it in no time. It is served hot. Could be a bit oily for some people but okay for me. Only available in winter.
VIRON

Marche aux puces (ノミの市 Nomi no Ichi)

Posted on September 8, 08 by seat

オマール海老と茸のパイ包み焼き　ラ・シブレットクリームソース（￥５００）。
牛フィレステーキフォアグラソテー添え（＋￥８００）。
Hot pie with lobster and mushroom, creme of chive sauce.
Filet of beef with hot foie gras.

本日のフルーツタルト（イチジク）。クレームブリュレ。
Tarte aux fruits(fig). Creme brulee.

Basic dinner course with amuse, appetizer, main and dessert is 3200yen(Tax included and no service charge). Many options in the menu to choose from but some of them have addtional charges like the appetizer and the main dish I had. Nonetheless the value is fantastic. The lobster pie which I’ve read many good reviews, is truly amazing. The accompanying chive sauce is so delicious that I mopped every bit of it with bread. Huge for an appetizer too. My main dish is also great but my friends’ beef harami steak and duck thigh confit, both without additional charge, are no less satisfying. Amongst the three desserts we tried(cassis sorbet not in pics) I like creme brulee the most – it is so common that I seldom choose it if I have other choices, but this one is exceptionally nice. See tag for lunch visit.

Menu 1, 2, 3, 4.

Marche aux puces (ノミの市)
Add: 2-5-8 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-5420-3691

恵比寿　にんにくや (Ninnikuya)

Posted on August 6, 08 by seat

ガーリックトースト。エスカルゴ。
A restaurant specialised in garlic. It has garlic in every single item in the menu! I have heard so many positive reviews about this restaurant that I’ve been dying to try it. Surprisingly it doesn’t stink of garlic that badly inside and the interior is much nicer than I expected(somehow I thought this place was an izakaya).

The garlic toast is very unique – the staff told us to cut a hole in the bread and squeeze the garlic paste into it. Delicious but oh so very oily. Escargot is good too(more like the sauce is good).

にんにく丸揚げ、￥９９０。トマトソースパスタ。
Fried whole garlic tasted of soy sauce. It is amazing how such a simple dish can be so good…couldn’t stop eating it. Tomato sauce pasta also has garlic in it.

豚ロース黒こしょう香草グリル、￥１８７０。カルーアパンナコッタ、￥４４０。
Grilled pork loin with black pepper and herb. A bit salty to eat on its own but the pork is soft and tender. Mashed potato on the side is good. Kahlua panna cotta is so so but the water melon is sooooo refreshing after all that garlic!

One of my friends actually got a little sick halfway because of garlic-overload. My stomach was fine though I felt like I was having a fever the whole night and my breath stank the next day….
Today’s special menu here.

恵比寿　にんにくや (Ninnikuya)
Add: 1-26-12, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-3446-5887

こんや (Konya)

Posted on June 12, 08 by seat

This izakaya is opened by four chefs who all own their own restaurants in the same area. Though not them but someone else is cooking in this place. The front door looks like someone’s apartment! It was a dinner party and we had the 4000yen dinner course, plus endless additional orders from the a la carte menu cos we were all pigs. Buri and radish is complimentary appetizer.

お造り(ヤリイカ、平目、メジ鮪)。塩漬けレバ刺。
Sashimi(Yari-ika, hirame, mejimaguro). Salt-pickled raw liver.

女のだし巻玉子。（男のだし巻玉子。）セロリのはちみつ味噌漬け。
Female version dashi-maki tamago(Japanese rolled omelette), which tasted the same as the male version, only sweeter.
Celery pickled in honey and miso. (Pic shows only the messy leftover ^^;;)

スモークチキンときのこのサラダ。
本鱒（ます）の石狩鍋仕立て（味噌）。
Smoked chicken and mushroom salad.
Honmasu salmon Ishikari-nabe(miso based). Very fatty salmon very good!

太刀魚の変わり揚げ。
大山地鶏の炭火焼き：もも荒塩焼（柚子胡椒）、つくねタレ焼き、ササミ焼き（わさびと梅じそ）。
Somen-coated fried Tachiuo(Scabbard fish).
Charcoal-grilled chicken: thigh with yuzu-kosho, Tsukune with sauce(comes with raw egg too), sasami-yaki(chicken breast) with wasabi and umejiso(sour plum and shiso).

白ばい貝の海女さん煮（a la carte）。
穴子と里芋の柚子あんかけ（a la carte）。
Simmered shellfish.
Anago and satoimo(taro) in Yuzu ankake(starchy) sauce.

洋風まるごとトマト煮おでん(a la carte)。
カキの天ぷら海苔あんかけ（a la carte）。
Western style whole tomato oden.
Oyster tempura in seaweed ankake sauce.

こんやまぜごはん(味噌汁付き)。
Pickles and rice. Comes with miso soup.

酒盗チャーハン(a la carte)。本日のデザート：柚子大福、ガトーショコラ。
Fried rice with “shutou”(salted bonito guts). Dessert from the course: gateau chocolat and Yuzu Daifuku.

The food is generally good in a standard izakaya sort of way. A bit salty to keep you drinking. Maybe not a reliable reference since I went with a huge group but (a lot of) food+drink is about 8000yen.
Menu(J): 1, 2.

こんや (Konya)
Add: 2-22-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-5423-5820

すずらん(Suzuran)

Posted on May 10, 08 by seat

味噌チャーシューそば（平打）。
Miso chashu soba. Slightly spicy soup, lots of vegetables, and very very nice flat noodles! There are about 5 kinds of noodles in different thickness to choose from. I always have the flat and thick fettucini-like ones, which is 100yen more expensive. You can check out the photos outside the shop showing the available types of noodles.

Last time I had tsukemen(below), which you can really enjoy the taste and texture of the noodles itself, but normal soup noodles is also tasty.

味噌角煮つけそば（平打）、１２５０円。
Miso tsuke-men with kakuni(simmered pork). I love the flat noodles!! Even though the miso soup doesn’t stick so well to flat sheet noodles but still like it. Many people ask for “soup-wari”, i.e. adding soup into the tsuke-soup(which is too strong to drink by itself) to finish it off. They have a large menu, e.g. curry ramen, chicken soup ramen, clam soup ramen etc. Want to go back to try others!

Suzuran すずらん (review)
Add: 3-7-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku.
Tel: 03-3499-0434

pig out diary

tokyo food blog

Category Archives: 01:渋谷・恵比寿・代官山