About food in Japan

Brasserie by Grand Chef at National Art Center Tokyo

If you are interested in French cuisine, maybe you know the name of Paul Bocuse, the French "Grand chef" based in Lyon. In Japan, he produces 2 upscale restaurants (in Tokyo and in Kanazawa) and several brasserie style casual restaurants.

Among the brasseries across Japan, the one in Roppongi has unique location as it is named Brasserie Paul Bocuse "Le Musee" ("the museum" in French). The casual French restaurant is accommodated in a modern wave-shape building or The National Art Center Tokyo opened in 2007. The museum often hold special art exhibitions of Western or modern art, for example Impressionism theme. After watching works by great masters of arts, at the same place, you can enjoy another type of art called "cooking" by the French grand master. Great isn't it?

 
The restaurant is on the 3rd floor, while on the ground (1st in Japanese) floor it has exhibition rooms, information center and casual cafe like other museums.

 The restaurant floor is "half-floating" on the top of a conical shape stage in the museum's  3-floor height welcome space surrounded by waving glass wall. 

 

Some people might feel it expensive as meal provided at a national museum, while the offer especially on evening time is very reasonable as French course dinner at Paul Bocuse brand restaurant. In addition for dinner time, if you have a ticket for the museum's exhibition, you will get 10% discount from your check (even if it is already used of course) . So we rather recommend visit the restaurant for dinner than for lunch time when it is busy by many visitors.

For dinner course, it has choices for main dish, fish or meat, and 3 choices for desserts. Depending on exhibitions taken place at the time, it also offers special course inspired from the art exhibition. Not plenty of choices are available like ordinary restaurants but of course the quality and finess of meals are assured by Paul Bocuse brand. 

   
For example, the dinner course I had

Starter - mousse of green pea

Main dish - quenelle (fish dumpling, specialty of Lyon) and gambas shrimp

Dessert - Gateau chocolate and sherbet  

Wine is also provided at reasonable prices from Yen 500 for a glass It's very kind to provide wine by smaller than a full bottle (1/3 and 2/3 carafe) sizes on the list. So we don't have to be drank in the museum...

The restaurant's last order time is later than the museum's exhibition close. So enjoy an exhibition fully until the closing time then move to the restaurant on the upper floor.

It was also interesting to be at the museum after it was closed and visitors left. At the exit of the museum, we were seen off by the museum guard who also showed us the way to Roppongi station. That reminds me the film "Night Museum". This last moment along with the dinner may be also an experience rarely encountered. 

 

 

At the end, just remind you that the restaurant is accessible without the museum's entrance ticket. It is a good dining choice at reasonable price in Roppongi even for those who are not interested in visiting the museum.

 

Related post, about another Brasserie Paul Bocuse unit: 

French - Brasserie Paul Bocuse Daimaru Tokyo (大丸東京)

 

Restaurant name: Brasserie Paul Bocuse Le Musee

Address: 7-22-2 3rd floor National Art Center Tokyo, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

The restaurant's official site (English) http://www.paulbocuse.jp/eng/musee/

The National Art Center Tokyo official site   http://www.nact.jp  

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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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"Eat, and Energize the East" at Fujimizaka Italian restaurant

Last December, the Italian restaurant Fujimizaka opened in an academic area between Jimbocho and Ochanomizu stations in central Tokyo. At a grance, it looks just one of many casual Western food restaurants being popular among Japanese young locals.

The round wooden plate hung on the entrance shows the restaurant's link with the organization "Eat, and Energize the East" (Higashi no shoku no kai / 東の食の会 in Japanese). Under the initiative by several key players in the food related industries, the  organization was founded last year in order to promote and support food producing business in East Japan where producers got the most serious damage by the Great Earthquake, tsunami and radioactive pollution followed. 

 

Fujimizaka, the Italian restaurant opens for both lunch and dinner time, providing Italian dishes with some ingredients harvested in East Japan, such as fresh vegetable and chicken from Fukushima and fish, seafood from Iwate prefectures. They are purchased from suppliers referred by the supporting organization "Eat, and Energize the East".

 

In lunch time, it offers wide selections of pasta at unique price system for different sizes. It means ... you can choose size of pasta plate from the smallest S (150-gram) to the largest LL (350-gram) and when you select the smaller size, you will get one or two side dishe(s) or drink to make up for less volume of noodle, while you order the largest plate no any food or drink included at free of charge. It's simple isn't it? And the large volume plate at reasonable price must satisfy the big appetite of young students in the area. 

 

 Its pasta plates are cooked from fresh noodle,

which is thicker than spaghetti and soft like "udon" Japanese traditional noodle.

My order was "Tori miso soboro" (鶏味噌そぼろ,

minched chicken and miso cream sauce).

Miso paste is well matched with fresh cream and thick noodle. 

 

In addition to typical Italian pasta menu such as peperoncino, Bologna meat sauce, shrimp in tomato sauce, the restaurant offers Italian noodle with Japanese flavours like "Mentaiko" (spicy cod roe), tuna and daikon radish, nameko mushroom and Japanese wild vegetable, natto (fermented soy beans) and meat suace. 

For dinner time, Fujimizaka sets up again unique price for wine mainly from Italy and South America. With the price of less than Yen 2000 per person, wine is served in all you can drink style. But please also do not forget beer list. It offers the local beer of East Japan exclusively. No Kirin, no Asahi here. Regardless you choose wine or Japanese local beer, it must go well with its Italian food offered, raw ham, beef carpaccio, potato basil sauce, pizza Margherita, grilled chicken and some arranged in Japanese style. 

 "Eat, and Energize the East" puts the importance on food safety issues, of course, that have to be overcome in order to promote products from East Japan. The association has invited a former IAEA team memeber or the specialist of radiation safety as advisor. With the cooperation of affiliate member companies, the group also has studied check-up system for radioactive level on food to be distributed.  

"Eat, and Energize the East" 東の食の会

Official site (in Japanese): https://www.higashi-no-shoku-no-kai.jp/

 

Restaurant name: Fujimizaka

Address: 3-20-4 Kanda Ogawa-machi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Official facebook page (in Japanese): http://ja-jp.facebook.com/FUJIMIZAKA

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Las Chicas - No worry, totally international!!

We understand that sometimes you would like totally to be released from uneasiness of language barrier in this country, even though you have been happy to come to Japan. 

So today we introduce a cafe & restaurant with very international atmosphere in Aoyama, Tokyo. It means, at the restaurant you do never have to worry whether they have English menu, whether the staff understand English or whether the meal provided there would satisfy you.

Las Chicas is located a few hundred meters away from Aoyama's main street Route 246 or Aoyama Street. The restaurant is surrounded by green plants and the environment is incredibly peaceful in the middle of the most fashionable town of Tokyo. It is as if we came to a resort destination. When the weather is fine, you can also enjoy the peaceful time with breeze on the terrace. 

Entering into the modern cafe restaurant, you may find a few staff obviously who are not Japanese national. Yes they are happy to welcome you in perfect English. No Japanese language necessary here. Here we Japanese rather could worry whether the staff speak Japanese...

On the bilingual menu, you will find ones that are very familiar with you, burger, pizza, penne, club sandwiches, even Buffalo Wings, Fish & Chips etc. 

While waiting for your orders, enjoy looking at the big screen broadcasting English program or chatting with staff there. 

You must feel that you were in your home country. It is the atmosphere Las Chicas has created. 

The cafe restaurant opens from lunch time to late evening without a break. 

On afternoon, it must be a good place to have a break with a cup of coffee or tea. The sweets offered they are also in "non-Japanese" style. They are bigger and sweeter enough to satisfy your appetite 

 

Restaurant name: Las Chicas

Official website: http://www.vision.co.jp

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Vegetable plant in SUBWAY sandwich restaurant

You may be able to find SUBWAY sandwich restaurant in your country too.

But, does the restaurant have a "vegetable plant" on site? 

 

Yes 

 

SUBWAY sandwich restaurant in Marunouchi Building Tokyo does grow green leaf vegetable in a plant located on the center of the firtst food chain restaurant. Tables and chairs are placed around the glass-wall plant case. The harvested leaf of lettuce is, of course like at normal SUBWAY unit, served there for your sandwich.

Like this

 

Enjoy your sandwich with very very fresh vegetable, while making sure where it is from on your own eyes

  

Marunouchi is a business district in very central Tokyo. The area is facing to JR Tokyo station, one of the largest terminal of Tokyo as well as holds headquater offices of major national banks and government ministries. It is also a place whose land price is one of the heighest in Japan.

So how much the value of lettuce leaf harvested in Marunouchi???  It must be more tasty if you eat it, while thinking of that

 

 

Restaurant name: SUBWAY Marunouchi Yasai Lobo

Address: B1 floor Marunouchi Building, 2-4-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 

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French - Au gout du jour Nouvelle Ere (Michelin *), Marunouchi Tokyo

Au gout du jour Nouvelle Ere, awarded one-star from Michelin guide, is situated on the 5th floor of Shin-Marunouchi building. Just in front of Tokyo station, the 5th floor of Shin-Marunouchi building must be itself an exciting place for food lovers, as we can find variety of interesting dining options from very casual Izakaya, oriental cuisine、wine bar to upscale one like Au gout du jour Novelle Ere where we visited. In spite of tens of restaurant choices on a floor, some of popular ones are fully occupied mainly with local business professionals working in the area on weekend-evening.   

Well Nouvelle Ere is one of five French restaurants by Au gout du jour group. The chef has worked at some Michelin star restaurants in France as well as popular French restaurants in Tokyo. He also has experience of working at a patisserie. With his such backgroud, the restaurant features not only sophisticated French cuisine but also its dessert plate which they consider as "the second main dish". 

Because they make the most use of seasonal ingredients changing time by time for their small capacity 24 seats, the restauran does not put detail of menu on the official homepage. Like Japanese luxury Kaiseki cuisine, only course price list is there...for example "dinner course Yen 8000 and Yen 13000".

Let us show you a part of what we had on a day of January 2012.

One of starter - tuna carpaccio

 

Another starter - flan of "Shogoin" turnip

We are always fanscinated by pieces of truffle.

 

Main dish - beef cheek confit

Surprisingly tender and large. It is cheek, isn't it?

 

Dessert - Fondant au chocolat

As the restaurant's purpose maybe,

it was really hard to choose only one from very attractive desssert list.

I believe Fondant au chocolat, which does not look like so,

is one of the best choices among them.

Crispy cake and warm melting chocolate cream...

It was good end plate of the fantastic dinner.

 

What we should note about the restaurant, 

Japanese taste such as yuzu (Japanese citrus), miso or soy sauce are often used as accent of sauce. Some of plates hint at Japanese cuisine. That is interesting point of the French cuisine restaurant in central Tokyo.

Not so wide choices on the wine list but the prices of bottle wine are quite reasonable. 

Overally as a Michelin star French restaurant, we can say that it is a value-for-money choice and a unique experience of Tokyo. 

 

Restaurant name: Au gout du jour Nouvelle Ere

Address: 5th floor, Shin-Marunouchi Building, 1-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.augoutdujour-group.com/no/

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Vege Kenarii (ベジけなりぃ), Korean cafe in Shingawa station

It's very chilly in Tokyo today. The highest temperature of day is lower than 10C degree.

To keep warm on the way of journey by trains, why not have Korean soup at Shinagawa station?

Vege Kenarii is a modern and small cafe situated inside of JR Shinagawa station. The cafe features Koean style traditional tofu and "Samgyetang" soup.

One of the most famous specialty of Korean cuisine, "Samgyetang" soup is made with chicken and Korean ginseng. These food ingredients help with making human body warm from inside by taking them. 

 

The soup is rich chicken stock.

Don't worry, it is not so spicy as Korean food.

 

For a set menu, Samgyetan soup is served with

steamed vegetables, 3 kinds of sauce for them and  a bowl of rice.

As usual as Korean food, all are healthy food. 

 

 The cafe is only 30 second from central ticket gate as well as from Shinkansen gate of JR Shinagawa station. No extra time required to move out/in the station to have a quick meal. 

 

 

Restaurant name: Vege Kenarii

Address: ecute south, JR Shinagawa station 3-26-27 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo

 

 

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Arossa, New Zealand cuisine, Ginza

Some of them have fresh impression for the country from the Rugby World Cup 2011 . How about cooking and food? I could not imagine what "New Zealand cuisine" is like, apart from lamb meat and kiwi fruit. Many other people do as well maybe. 

One day, a friend from New Zealand invited us to the restaurant called "Arossa" which is specialized in New Zealand cuisine. The restaurant is on the 8th floor of Ginza Velvia building behind Printemps department. The sic and modern space was far from our image of the southern country "sheeps on farm". Maybe it was too stereotyped, like Japan and samurai or kimono.

There, we discovered that New Zealand has not only lamb and kiwi but also other nice food ingredients and interesting way of cooking.

Here I can show you what we had, as the examples... 

 

Arossa recipe Salad -  eggs, bacon, walnuts etc, as starter

 

pasta with "scampi from NZ"

No doubt it has fresh seafood from the sea around the islands.

Oyster is also its specialty, though we did not try it.

 

 

Pork sparerib caramelized by "Manuka" honey

Honey is also one of the most known product of New Zealand.

"Manuka" honey is the one taken from a specific species of tree, "tea-tree". 

 

 

"Hangi"!! is traditional cusine of Maori tribe.

On their original version, meat, seafood and vegetables are put in a hole made on the ground to cook. The hole is to be covered by wet cloth and leaves for steaming.

After leaving it for several hours, it is ready to eat. 

At the restaurant Arossa, which is located in the center of luxury shopping district Ginza, Tokyo, French traditional pot "Le Creuset" is used, instead of a hole on the ground. 

Lamb meat, mussels, potato and vegetables are in the pot.

The meal is associated, for us, with the traditional dish of French Alsace region, "Baeckoff".

It is quite interesting to find similar types of local food but originated in different places that are far from each other 

 

We cannot miss the dessert plates that are also New Zealand's specialty. 

Pavlova - merengue cake made from egg white, with berry sauce and ice cream

 

  
Other dessert in NZ style

"Hokey Pokey" ice cream and Pannacotta with NZ honey sauce

Its specialty honey is, as we can imagine, the best for sweets ingredients. 

 

The restaurant proudly offers the wide selections of New Zealand wine.

Probably it is the best NZ wine collection in Japan. 

We tasted some nice white wine with the help of local's knowledge. 

 

Many plates we enjoyed at the dinner 

 

Restaurant name: Arossa 

Address: Ginza Velvia building 8F, 2-4-6, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.pjgroup.jp/arossa/index.html

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Our new service, Dining Experience Planner, launched!

Food Tourism Japan Consulting who organizes English blog "about food in Japan" (http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp) just launched new innovative service called "Dining Experience Planner".  

Dining Experience Planner is newly developed service for non-Japanese people who wish to enjoy having nice meal at nice restaurant(s) in Japan, even if they do not understand Japanese language and if they have no local friend who can give tips to him/her. 

 Especially in Tokyo, there are 98000 restaurants including 240 Michelin star-awarded, with various menu just for "Japanese cuisine" from Sushi or Kaiseki at upscale restaurants to Okonomiyaki, casual Japanese pancake etc etc. 

 Even with guide books and travel related websites, it is not easy to identify an ideal restaurant for your request and requirement.

 

Would it be great if you could get restaurant recommendation personally from a local person who is a professional on the field?

 

Dining Experience Planner will search restaurants as per your requests, on behalf of you book the most suitable one for your situation, and propose it with useful information.

In exchange for small amount of financial cost, Dining Experience Planner by Food Tourism Japan Consulting will help you in following ways.

To make your dining experience in Japan be fantastic and comfortable.

To release you from anxious that you might feel because of language barrier.

To save your time for restaurant searching and booking.

 

For more detail about Dining Experience Planner service, please visit Food Tourism Japan Consulting website.

http://www.food-tourism-japan.com/dining-experience-planner---restaurant-proposal-service.html 

 

We are looking forward to serving you for making your dream come true, fantastic dining experience in Japan

 

Food Tourism Japan Consulting

http://www.food-tourism-japan.com 

French style kushiyaki (串焼き) at La Gargote, Azabujuban (麻布十番)

La Garagote French grill & wine bar is an interesting restaurant located in Azabujuban, where it is not far from Roppongi Hills. The restaurant's French owner aims to be "an authentic alternative to an izakaya (居酒屋, Japanese style dining bar) in French culinary."  It is not an ordinaly French restaurant, while the grill which can be seen from the counter table makes us remind a typical Izakaya. 

The menu is also not like the ones offered at typical French restaurant where we are likely to have course meal with knife and fork. La Gargote rather provides, like Izakaya, a wide selections of plates on the list from starters, pasta, speciality seafood, duck confi, fois-gras. These plates with French style ingredients are arranged in Gargot's original style and can be shared as we do at Izakaya. Of course the French Kushiyaki (串焼き, skewered foods) is their speciality that cannot be missed. Kushiyaki and char-grill will be prepared by French chef at the grill on the ground floor.

Kushiyaki, the taste arranged with spice and hearbs also brings savory scent to your table.

 

By the way, the name "La Gargote" represents "hashery", chep and casual dining hall in English. It is a kind of joke by the French owner. The restaurant never be a such type of restaurants!

The restaurant's icon, owl also welcomes you...   

 

********* Update 24 March 2013 ***********

   The restaurant has been closed.

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

Restaurant name: La Gargote

Address: 1-3-13 Azabujuban, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.la-gargote.com

 

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