About food in Japan

Vegetable dishes for everyone - Marche de VinShu (Nihombashi, Tokyo)

What kind of food do you image for "vegetable dishes"? something for vegans? 

Marche de VinShu could change your impression on "vegetable dishes". The unique restaurant features vegetable cuisines that are not only for vegetarians but for everyone. It means the restaurant offers various dishes for which vegetables are used as main ingredients and which give pleasure to non-vegetarian diners. Their ingredients are not necessarily vegetable only. For most dishes, it places stress on good taste of vegetables.

One of the most significant examples is "daikon steak with miso paste" (大根の味噌焼きステーキ). Daikon is Japanese radish which is often used for Japanese traditional home cuisines like Oden. When it is cooked with low heat for long time, daikon appears with sweetness and very soft texture. Grill with miso paste could be the best way to enjoy the radish.

Sweet, tender and browned edge gives savory flavour

Usually we don't take such big portion of daikon at a time.

But this way of cooking makes us enjoy the dish and finish it.

Surely it can be a main dish as alternative to meat or fish.

 

For non-Japanese people, Marche de VinShu also gives a chance to try Japanese unique vegetable speices; daikon (大根) as above, yamaimo (山芋, yam potato), okura (オクラ, gombo), kyo-yasai (京野菜, vegetables from Kyoto).

At the same time, the restaurant provides plates that must be familiar for you. That might be another reason to visit the restaurant when you would like to take a break between times to discover Japanese cuisine.

For example...

     
Ratatouille and German potato,

both are good match with wine and other alcohol drinks.

The German potato is the restaurant's own style.

Well cooked potato brings sweet flavor. 

 

Some of French speaker may notice the name includes "vin" (=wine in French language). Wine is the restaurant's second feature after vegetable dishes. In same way with food menu, Marche de VinShu put worldwide selections for wine from France, Italy to South Americas. Particularly we suggest that you try Japanese wine from different regions. The restaurant has selected good quality of Japanese wine based on their visit of wineries and tasting by own. 

 

Marche de VinShu is located in Nishimbashi (Nihonbashi, 日本橋) and is very close to Mitsukoshi Department flagship store and Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It also less than 10 minutes drive from JR Tokyo station.

 

Restaurant name: Mache de VinShu

Address: B1 (underground) floor, 3-4-4 Nihonbashimuromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Official site (Japanese) : http://sake-dining.com/marche

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Genka Bar (原価バー), Gotanda(五反田) Tokyo

Genka (原価) is a business term and it means "original cost price". 

The bar, called Genka bar (cost price bar), offers an interesting system.

First at the entrance, guest is required to pay Yen 1500 for entrance. After that, all drinks and food menu are served at cost price.

Yes, that is true Let's us list up some of their menu with price.

 

Beer Asahi Super Dry regular pint - Yen 180 

Cocktail Gin Tonic single size - Yen 90

Cocktail Martini single size - Yen 120

Whisky I.W.Harper - Yen 90

Scotch Whisky Lagavulin 16years - Yen 300

Potato chips - Yen 90

Salami and olives - Yen 150

Cheese platter - Yen 300

Sausage platter - Yen 300

Fois gras terrine　- Yen 420

Surprising prices

 

The quality of food plates provided is as good as or even better than ones at other casual bars which charge much more.  As long as you are ready to drink a few glasses, it is a wortwhile option.

Of course the more you take drinks and food, the more you get better total value.

Please be careful not to drink too much

 

The bar is only one minute walk from JR Gotanda station which is on JR Yamanote line. It is 3 stops from Shibuya and 2 stops from Shinagawa stations.

 

Bar name: Genka Bar (原価BAR)

Address: 2-5-8 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.genkabar.jp

 

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Rose Bakery in COMME des GARCONS, Marunouchi Tokyo

"Rose Bakery" is not an ordinary style bakery where we can buy some bread. It is a cafe produced by a British lady Ms. Rose Carrarini and her French husband. The unit in Marunouchi Tokyo is their 6th one after Paris, London and Korea.

What is unique of Rose Bakery in Marunouchi is that the cafe is sharing the space with COMME des GARCONS brand boutique for which Ms. Rose Carrarini's sister-in-law (Ms. Rei Kawakubo) produces and design its products. 

Marunouchi area, where luxury brand boutiques, many of them from Europe, stand by in a row along its main street, is just five minutes walk from JR Tokyo station. The space of COMME des GARCONS boutique is surrounded by white walls and ceiling. It is very modern that is well matched with COMME des GARCONS cloths. On the other hand, foods offered at Rose Bakery, like their cafes in other locations, are rather natural taste and traditional European dishes with a lot of vegetable menu, such as quiche, pancake, scone or carrot salad.

 

 

It also adds a bit Japanese flavor in its tea selection and pot. 

 

"Campagne" bread on a board is one of the cafe's icon item.

It is baked in its original recipe and

served with butter by Lescure (French high quality butter producer) and rock salt in rose color.  

 

Enjoy healthy and natural light meal, while looking at the latest fashion by COMMES des GARCONS.  

 

Cafe name: Rose Bakery

Address: 1st floor Meiji Yasuda Seimei building, 2-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://rosebakery.jp/ 

 Location map: http://rosebakery.jp/map.html

Cafe restaurant by Mercedes-Benz, Roppongi (六本木), Tokyo

The global prestige car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz did open a cafe restaurant in its showroom in Roppongi (六本木), Tokyo last month. The German company named the whole two floors space facing Tokyo Midtown, as "Mercedes-Benz Connection", refering that the place is a connect point between autocars and people's lifestyle. 

When we enter to the modern designed showroom, firtsly we found a large wooden table with electric outlets on it and a coffee shop counter next to high and big glass wall. The cafe space is called "DOWNSTAIRS".

The coffee provided there are as high quality as ones served at chain coffee shops like Starbucks.

 

 

 

The upper floor is a restaurant offering lunch and dinner and also opens as a bar until 4a.m. during weekend. For lunch time, it offers several choices of main dishes like pasta, meat or fish all include appetizer and dessert buffet. The price is NEVER expensive as much as Mercedes-Benz cars... It is quite reasonable price, less than Yen 2000.

Because the restaurant's dishes are produced by a chef who works for AW Kitchen, known for fine quality selection of vegetable ingredients, we are able to find colorful and healthy collections of fresh vegetable plates on the buffet table. Here we do not have to worry about nutritional balance, you cannot take less healthy meal.

 

What I took from the buffet board

Left: from appetizer buffet

Right: from dessert buffet, including pumpkin role cake, carrotte mousse 

Main dish - pasta plate 

Sauce with minched meat and turnip

 

Tokyo Tower and Midtown buildings are visible from the window side seats.

The cafe restaurant provides what ladies like in the globaly-known autocar showroom. 

The comfortable space with high quality and well-designed funiture is also adding value to experience at the restaurant. It is an ideal place to take a break during shopping or visiting art museums or hanging with friends before going out for night entertainment in Roppongi.

************ UPDATE 14 January 2013 **************

  As scheduled. Mercedes-Benz Connection restaurant & cafe was once closed on December 2012. And from 18 January 2013, the luxury autocar showroom will be moved to another location, just across a steert from the former location, and the restaurant & cafe will be also re-opened. 

We will post a new report, when we visit the newer space.

***************************************************************

*The cafe and restaurant opens limited-time until December 2012.

Please do not miss a chance to try the modern and cool oasis in Roppongi. 

Restaurant name: Mercedes-Benz Connection 

                           DOWNSTAIRS (coffee shop)

                           UPSTAIRS (restaurant & bar)

Official site: http://www.mercedes-benz-connection.com

Address: 7-8-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 

大きな地図で見る

 

 

 

 

Mt. Takao (高尾山), what to eat there? - Fantastic dining experience in ancient Japan, Ukai Toriyama (うかい鳥山)

After mount hike in Takao (高尾), to make the most use of travelling far from central Tokyo, whether it is lunch or dinner time, we suggest a fantastic dining experience in Takao.

The experience is even for us, Japanese, something special and unforgettable. 

The luxury restaurant, Ukai Toriyama (うかい鳥山）is 10 minutes car ride from Mt. Takao's (高尾山) gateway rail station, Takaosanguchi (高尾山口). The restaurant provides complimentary shuttle bus service for their diners to/from Takaosanguchi railway station every 20 minutes. The 10-minute bus journey took us into unfamiliar area deeper woods and less residence houses.

As soon as we arrived and after we were checked in with table reservation, we waited for a few minutes at a cozy waiting space with folk decorations and "irori" (いろり) fireplace. 

The restaurant seats are not accommodated in a single modern building but are scattered in Japanese traditional garden and in traditional style small or middle-sized buildings.  While a lady in Kimono took us to our table in a dining hall, we were admired by the beautiful and romantic scenes of large Japanese garden with red painted bridge on creek, thatch roofing bower and wooden water wheels.

WOW, it is "time trip" to ancient Japan which we imagined as "old tale". 

Our table was ready and facing to the lovely Japanese garden with a pond. 

Whatever we have, it must be nice experience already with the Japanese garden and folk room decoration.

Anyway, here chicken or beef barbecue is the restaurant's speciality. After some starter dishes and/or soup bowl, let's enjoy self-BBQ in ancient style, meal cut in large size and skewered. 

At the end of the course meal, rice with tororo (とろろ, Japanese yam potate) and miso soup are served.

Our dreamy experience was continued to a seasonal special event there.

From the beginning of June to Mid-July, the restaurant offers "firefly show" (hotaru gari, ホタル狩り) at the garden on evening.

After the BBQ dinner, we had been fully fascinated for about 20 minutes with subtle lights by fireflies drifting in the dark. Really sorry for you, it is not technically possible to picture the scene. It is available only when you visit there in real. 

I could never imagine that I was able to see a dream, such many of fireflies in the dark as real-life experience. As you know, Tokyo surroundings where the land is totally developed everywhere, it is rarely found a place which is completely dark without light. The experience was even for Japanese, beyond our expectation. 

Don't miss the chance after you visit Mt. Takao

The restaurant offers different attractions season by season.

Reservation is of course essential for the restaurant.

 

Related link: 

Mt. Takao (高尾山), what to eat there? - Tororo Soba (とろろそば)

Mt. Takao (高尾山), what to eat there? - Japanese traditional sweets at Yukido (有喜堂)

 

Restaurant name:  Ukai Toriyama (うかい鳥山)

Address: 3426 Minamiasakawa, Hachioji-city, Tokyo

Website: http://www.ukai.co.jp/toriyama/

大きな地図で見る

 

Accommodation in the area

八王子プラザホテル

京王プラザホテル八王子

八王子スカイホテル

Nostalgic dining car - Nippon Shokudo (日本食堂) at Tokyo Station (東京駅)

From the end of April to the first week of May, it is one of the biggest holiday seasons in Japan, called "Golden Week". Along with four bank holidays, the 29th of April Day of Showa (previously known as Showa Emperor's birthday), the 3rd through to 5th of May Constitution Memorial Day, Green Day, Children's Day consecutively and weekends around, some people take a long holiday week and go out for vacation, outdoor activities or sightseeing. This year it is a bit different especially in Tohoku region where the best season of Sakura, cherry blossoms, falls in the Golden Week of May. Because of the natural disaster damage, less people visited cherry blossom spots in Tohoku, while many people across Japan rushed to the Pacific coast side for volunteer activities at damaged area. 

JR Tokyo Station, which is a base for departing to provinces, is still crowded with tourists during this week. Before or After the trip to outside Tokyo, why not take Yoshoku (洋食) lunch or dinner in a nostalgic dining car style restaurant? 

Nippon Shokudo (日本食堂) has been an icon brand of dining car in its florescence 60's to 70's. The good-old-days dining car atmosphere is re-created as a restaurant inside JR Tokyo Station where it has been a base of Japan journey even today.

The food provided at the nostalgic restaurant is also included in the atmosphere. The restaurant's speciality are dishes with "demi-glace sauce" which has been taken over and developed from the original version served for 70 years as a part of Nippon Shokudo's history. It also offers NIPPON SHOKUDO special course which includes French cuisine dishes, as main and dessert, same with ones at popular overnight express trains, "Cassiopeia"(カシオペア号) and "Hokuto-shichisei" (北斗七星号)  both running between Ueno Tokyo and Sapporo, Hokkaido.  Even without moving physically, we could feel as if we were travelling on board for a while at the restaurant.

I had Nippon Shokudo's speciality Hayashi-rice (ハヤシライス),

stew with Japanese sirloin beef well cooked in demi-glace sauce.

It is an excellent Yoshoku (洋食) plate

Taking advantage of the location, inside of Tokyo Station, it opens from 7a.m. in the morning and provides special breakfast menu, "Omelette with demi-glace sauce". It must be a good morning break... I will try it some day.

 

Restaurant name: Nippon Shokudo (日本食堂)

Location: Gransta Dining, North Court, First floor of inside Tokyo station

Restaurant operator's site (in Japanese): 

http://www.nre.co.jp/shop/db/detail_00430/

大きな地図で見る

Sushi Dai in Tsukiji Market (寿司大 築地市場)

In addition to visit of Tsukiji Market (築地市場) wholesale area, we got a chance to dine at restaurants in the market site. In Tsukiji Market where the trades is mainly made for wholesale professionals, restaurants on site welcome not only market workers but also general visitors as their dining guests. That is why some restaurants have a long queue lines in front of them. 

Among restaurants stand in a row and those are located on the ground floor of 10 buildings close to a car parking, a few hundreds meters away from the main gate, we selected Sushi Dai, one of the most popular restaurants in Tsukiji Market. For the restaurant Sushi Dai, it has NOT been rare that diners have to wait for a few hours to get a seat in the 12-seat counter Sushi restaurant. However when we visited the restaurant on a weekday of the last week on April 2011, only 4 people were waiting before us!! Finally we were seated after about 20 minutes waiting. What lucky we are !! In other words, it means, after the big earthquake on March 2011, Tsukiji Market restaurants also got negative impact on their business because of decreased number of both international and domestic tourists. Anyway, at least we got an advantage of the situation and  we were happy financially to contribute to the restaurant's business.

The restaurant offer two sets menu; "Omakase course" (おまかせ, "trust chef" or chef's selections) and Jyou (上, literally meaning "Superior" but the restaurant humbly express in English as "Standard" course) On the entrance door, it hangs an information plate in English as well. 

 

To embrace the opportunity, of course, we ordered "Omakase couse" which includes 10 pieces of chef's selection "nigiri sushi" (握りずし, hand-shaped sushi with raw fish on top of rice)  plus one piece of sushi as your favourite, as well as, "maki sushi" (巻きずし, rolled sushi), rolled egg, abd miso soup. The chef are enough kind to consult and listen to what you want and you don't or can't eat  then adjust the menu for your request based on Omakase course, before the meal starts. So please feel ease and just look forward to what will have for next an hour at the sushi counter. 

Seating on one of the twelve high chairs at the Sushi restaurant, the scene is exactly for a typical Sushi restaurant; some fresh seafood in a refrigerated case is just in front of us and behind the case, chefs are making Sushi with the hands and serving them to clients with smile as soon as they are made. 

Several examples what we had there as seasonal Omakase course. (Just keep in mind that sushi items are changed by season and by fishery supplying situation.)

Hokkigai (ホッキ貝, surf clam),

it was "alive" when it served in front of me

Uni (ウニ, sea urchin)

Maguro (マグロ, tuna) duke (づけ, dipped in soy sauce)

Shiroebi (白海老, white shrimps)

Aji (鯵, horse mackerel)

Kohada (コハダ, spotted shad)

I have never seen one twisted like this

Kinmedai (金目鯛, alfonsino)

kobu-jime (昆布締め, fish stored and flavoured with kobu, dried kelp),

ordered as my favorite request

As an additional dish with supplement,

we had grilled Anago (穴子, conger eel),

one piece seasoned with salt and another with soy sauce 

Rolled egg is sweet and soft and

something that cannot be missed

Related links: 

My post related - Tsukiji Market

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/tsukiji-market.html

Tsukiji Market plan in Japanese

http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/youkoso/medemiru/medemiru.htm

*Buildings with light orange colour, where restaurants are mainly located

Restaurant name: Sushi Dai (寿司大)

Address: the 6th building, Tsukiji Market, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Website in Japanese: http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/22_sushidai/index.htm#03

大きな地図で見る

Mifune Gochiso Izakaya, Ningyocho (三船 ご馳走居酒屋 人形町)

Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997) is a legendary actor who played all (except for one) Kurosawa films. His career had continued for almost a half century from 1947 and workd for tens of films not only of Japanese but  of international, including "Seven Samurai" (1954 七人の侍) and "Rashomon" (1950 羅生門).

The Izakaya just opened this spring in Ningyocho features the theme of "Mifune". Walls in the Izakaya are decorated with the theme; movie shot photos, wooden plaques of names for which he played in films..

Unexpected find is BGM music there, Beatles!! I am not sure why but he could be a big fun of the most famous Bristish band. At least Japanese businessmen 40's to 50's, a target market of the unit must like the music reminding their youth age. 

The dishes there are casual traditional Japanese food. The concept of the Izakaya, the world of Mifune or Samurai, reflects in the food; rustic, simple but what every ones like, respect on traditions of Japan and  masculine. If you love Japanese films and Japanese food, it is the best place to experience both at the same time in Tokyo.

 

Food that we have today are....

 

Original cocktail "Shichiroji"(七郎次) named after from one of Seven Samurai.

Japanese citrus, shochu and soda.

 

5 kinds of fresh vegetable

with Japanese version "Bagna Cauda"(fish and oil mixed) sauce and Miso-mayonaise sauce.

 

Chicken meat balls in Houbayaki (朴葉焼き, grill　with miso paste on leaf of Hou)

and pork skewered (not typical Izakaya menu Yakitori, chicken skewered)

 

 
Fried chicken black pepper and sesami.

Very crispy and spicy!!

 

A big onigiri (rice ball) and tonjiru (とん汁, miso soup with pork and full of vegetable pieces)

It is a typical homey receipi.

 

 

 

 

 

The sister units also fearure Mifune world but each altered in a bit different taste. Roppongi, the first branch is upscale, one in Shinjuku for meat grilled infront of dinners and the newest one in Kanda for seafood.

Restaurant name: Gochiso Izakaya Mifune, Ningyocho (ご馳走居酒屋　三船　人形町)

Address: 1-18-2 1F Nihombashi Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.tokyo-rf.com/restaurants/m02/index.html

 

 

 

 

大きな地図で見る

 

FIAT cafe - Italian cafe in Aoyama, Tokyo

The Italian automobile maker offers a cozy cafe in the central Tokyo,

Aoyama known as a stylish town.

Mid-August weekend, in the central Tokyo business districts it is calm and has few people. I like to stay in Tokyo during such time, as the cosmopolitan city becomes more relaxed and less crowded.

The upper floor of FIAT show room, FIAT cafe provides not only fine Italian cafe menu but also cozy sofas by top funiture designers.

Especially its lunch sets are reasonable, for example, with a pasta plate, salad buffet and a cup of cofee + dessert. Each of lunch set has named from FIAT cars such as Fiat 500, Fiat Grand Punto...

Even for those who are not interested in automobile, it is an oasis in central Tokyo to take a rest or to have reading with nice espresso. 

Cafe name: FIAT cafe

Address: 1-4-5 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Nearest subway station: Aoyama 1chome, Gaien-mae

Website: http://fiatcaffe.jp

大きな地図で見る

YEBISU bar - エビスバー

Yebisu beer is one of major Japanese beer brands considered as one of the highest quality beer. To be the proof of that, the beer brand is sold at a bit expensive price at super markets. People are likely to purchase the Yebisu beer cans only for special occasions such as birthday party or any kind of celebrating events. If you prepare Yebisu beer when you invite someone to your home, guests would feel special welcome.

Yebisu beer was born 120 years ago, in 1890. Sapporo Breweries LTD. who produces Yebisu beer, opened "Yebisu bar" in Tokyo by celebrating the 120th anniversary of the brand beer.

I visited the first bar unit in Ginza, where five different versions of "draft" Yebisu beer welcome guests.

Yebisu, Yebisu the black, Kohaku Yebisu (琥珀　amber), Yebisu Staut creamy top and Silk Yebisu...

Only by the fantastic beverage choices, beer fan must be excited. All food menu are also selected and created for the best match with Yebisu beer. I found different icons with each food menu. The icons suggest with which kind of Yebisu beer the food plate has the best "mariage". Food menu is mix of Japanese and Western. Some of them are made by original recipe. Others are cooked with Yebisu beer!

For example, what I ordered....

Kyo(Miyako 京) style Fish and Chips: It looks normal? Sea bream (鯛 tai) is used as ingredient of the British menu. Sea bream is known as fish that Yebisu (God in Japanese local belief) holds. 

A small bowl of pink color sauce made from Shibazuke (しば漬け, Japanese pickeles) is served with it.

Cream cheese: dipped in tamari (thicker) soya sauce and coated with seaweed powder

It can't look like cheese any more...

The amount of bill is not so expensive as much as the beer brand image.

That must be a good experience to enjoy taste of Japanese fine beer together with unique excellent food.

Restaurant name: Yebisu bar

Address: 1st floor Yamashita build. Corridor-gai, 8-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Related Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/yebisubar-g/
Sapporo breweries LTD. :  http://www.yebisubar.jp/