About food in Japan

Real British pub in Shibuya (渋谷)

London Olympic games will be started very soon. So honoring the sports event, this time we introduce a "real" British pub located in a part of nightspot of Shibuya. Here you may find live British football games taken place at the Olympic host (and football's origin ) country rather than the Olympic games in 2012. Anyway there we are able to feel "real British" feeling.

 

British Pub "Aldgate" is located in a multitenant building along the busiest "Shibuya Center-gai" (渋谷センター街). The street starting from the most famouse Shibuya diagonal crossing is always filled with young Japaneses and some foreigners, all who are hopping around boutiques, restaurants, bars or many kinds of entertainment places like karaoke, electric game arcade or comedy theatre.

 

Some people might be embarrassed by the noisy ambience and chaotic situation in the area around Shibuya Center-gai, especially on weekend night. So it's better to check a few of nice places to visit, like Aldgate, our today's feature. Even the Aldgate on the third floor of a small building, it might be difficult to find it without a map, as many bars and restaurants and their signs are found along the noisy long street.   

 

Aldgate offers 20 regular draught beer including ale that are rare to find in Tokyo as well as Japanese craft beer brand "Yona yona real ale". In addition, another several kinds of guest draught beer are available. Finally Aldgate must be one of bars which has the largest number of draught beer selections in Tokyo.

For food, needless to say, British icon item, fish & chips is on the list. We can also find "deeper" Brisith food such as cottage pie, beef in Ale, Welsh rabbit, Jacket potato, chicken and celery pudding and "Marmite". Now you see why it is "real" British pub.

Not only because of the wide selections of draught beer and British food but also through its interior decoration, for example, English letters on blackboard, sign boards and flags, all hang on the wall around the bar, we feel full-of-British atmosphere in Shibuya. 

 

 

 

Restaurant name: The Aldgate

Address: Shin-iwasaki building 3rd floor, 30-4 Udagawa-cho Shibuyaku Tokyo

Official site (of course English version available) : http://www.the-aldgate.com

View Larger Map

Unagi (eel) as a summer feature in Japan

As one of our previous posts, unagi (うなぎ, eel) is one of summer icons in Japan. It is believed among Japanese that unagi as food energizes us much. On the beginning of Summer season, to take eel is an important event to prepare for Japan's hot and humid summer. 

However in this year, the price of eel is shaking the Japaneses' tradition. Since last summer, the price of eel has risen up to more than double of the price range in 2008-2010. (Check the trend of eel price. Click here.) Narurally restaurants and supermarkets are foced to increase the price of the fishery products. The sky-high deal price of eel is considered due to bad catches of young eel not only in Japan area but also in China and Taiwan, two biggest alternative eel fishing places.

Some of Unagi specialized restaurants started offering alternative menu such as similar species, conger (anago, 穴子) or pork grilled with sweet sauce originally made for unagi, while increasing their prices for unagi menu by around 20 - 40% or offering smaller pieces of unagi. Finally at traditional Unagi restaurants, the most typical unagi menu "Una-ju" (Unagi with rice on a square box) is at around Yen 2500 - Yen 4000. 

Now unagi is very luxury product like fois gras or truffle. 

Any way we can enjoy it at reasonable price? 

Then we have a way to go to the most famous beef-bowl first food chain "Yoshinoya" (吉野家).

This summer, Yoshinoya offers Una-don (鰻丼, unagi on rice bowl) at just Yen 650 for regular size. The piece of Unagi is not so large to cover the rice but the reasonable price allows us to have the eel menu more than once 

 

 
Una-don at Yoshinoya

Small piece? but

it is still soft and enough rick taste eel.

The price must be enough for those who have never tried eel in your country and who is wondering if it is good taste or not. We are sure it is worth trying once in Japan. It is a food that Japanese can never miss it. 

 

Official site of Yoshinoya (吉野家): http://www.yoshinoya.com/

 

Related stories about unagi:

Unagi(うなぎ、鰻） eel - Matsukawa

  http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/07/unagi-eel---mat.html

 

Hitsumabutshi, Wasabiya (櫃まぶし, わさび家) - Shinjuku (新宿)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/11/hitsumabutshi-wasabiya-%E6%AB%83%E3%81%BE%E3%81%B6%E3%81%97-%E3%82%8F%E3%81%95%E3%81%B3%E5%AE%B6-shinjuku-%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF.html

 

Ochazuke (お茶漬け) - En (えん)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/02/ochazuke-%E3%81%8A%E8%8C%B6%E6%BC%AC%E3%81%91-en-%E3%81%88%E3%82%93.html

 

Daily Yomiuri Online: Price of eel increasing due to bad catches

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20120322dy02.htm

Robecks Juice from West Coast America

Hot and humid Summer is arrived in Tokyo. Today's post is about an oasis providing fresh fruits juice. 

If you are based in US, probably you already know about the juice-focused shop born in L.A., Robecks Juice.

The West Coast style juice shop arrived in Tokyo last year and the second unit also opened recently in Harajuku.

Robecks Juice's main products are premium smoothies made with fresh and healthy ingredients, which will be made after it is ordered. It offers more than 10 selections of smoothies with fresh fruits strawberry, banana, orange, pineapple etc. In addition, if you prefer something more watery, fresh juice carrot or orange, hot juice, fruits tea are also available. Yuzu (Japanese citrus) honey tea, Mango & Leomon hot juice etc...they are also attractive options.

These drinks are of course the best suit for breakfast time. So Robeck Juice opens from morning 7h30 a.m and offers food also suitable for breakfast such as muffin, croissant, cinamon roll and sandwiches.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first unit of Robecks Juice in Jiyugaoka residential area of Tokyo has two floors with ample seating space. In some parts, it has a large table with electrical outlets for "nomad-workers." That makes your work-life healthier? The bringht and pop atomosphere reminds us the brand coming from L.A.

   

 

Another thing to be noted about Robecks Juice units based in Japan, they use high quality "Tsujirihei-Honten" (辻利兵衛本店) branded green tea from Kyoto for their green tea related products.   

Your accompanying person would not like to take fruits juice? Don't worry it also provides coffee like an ordinary cafe. 

Cafe name: Robecks Juice

Official site: http://www.robeks.co.jp

<Harajuku branch>

Address: 4-31-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

View Larger Map

 

<Jiyugaoka branch>

Address: 2-11-13 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo

View Larger Map