About food in Japan

LA BETTOLA da OCHIAI (ラ・ベットラ・ダ・オチアイ) - casual Italian in Ginza (銀座)

LA BETTOLA da OCHIAI(ラ・ベットラ・ダ・オチアイ) is one of the most famous Italian restaurant in Japan. At the same time, it is known as a restaurant for which it is not easy to reserve a table. The small restaurant with 36 seats is situated close to the edge of Ginza, surrounded by office buildings and is not far from Tsukiji Market (築地市場).

The chef, Mr. Ochiai started his carrer from French cuisine. He suddenly changed his pass to a cook of Italian cuisine, when just he dropped by the origin country. He was so impressed by the original Italian dishes that never make him tired even he eat ones every day. His own restauran, LA BETTOLA da OCHIAI, opened in 1997. With its vital atomosphere and dishes with fresh ingredients at reasonable cost, it attracts even Italian people living in Tokyo.

One afternoon on weekday, luckly I was able to slip in the casual dining without a resevation for lunch just before the last call time for lunch 14:00.

I ordered pasta with sea urchin(uni, ウニ) creamy sauce, one of his specialty. It is very simple with the creamy sauce and smal pieces of the main ingredient from the sea. The perfume of sea urchin surely comes from the cream sauce. I understand that a lot of people are fancinated by the restaurant.

 

 

 

Reservation for lunch accepted only at the restaurant (no telephone, email) from the morning 10am.

Restaurant name: LA BETTOLA da OCHIAI (ラ・ベットラ・ダ・オチアイ)

Address: 1-21-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Official site (Japanese version only) : http://www.la-bettola.co.jp/restaurant/ginza/info.html

 

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Chinese - Aichun (愛群) in Yokohama China Town

The biggest China Town in Japan is in Yokohama. It is close to the bay front Minato-Mirai area, Yamashita Park. Along with these other attractions, Yokohama China Town is one of the most popular leisure spots for Japanese living in Tokyo and the surroundings. From lunch time the main street is filled with tourists and chestnuts(栗, くり) vendors.

Without a guide or any helpful information, it is not easy to decide which restaurant to dine. One of my suggestion is to get out from the main street, where lavish restaurants of big name are lined up. Lunch menu wont be so expensive even at these big houses. If you still feel uncomfortable with dining at such big space with big number of people, let's turn into small streets stretching from the main China Town Avenue. There you will find less expensive, smaller and more calm restaurants.

Aichun(愛群) is one of them, situated along the second largest street, close to Kaiteibyo. 

If I look from the rustic outside without any information about its reputation, probably I would not be enough curious to try the small restaurant.

The restaurant presents a sign board informing several TV programs where it had been featured. It is known for homely Cantonese food. The inside atmosphere, yes!, reminds me local restaurants in Hong-Kong.

I selected holiday lunch set including its specialties; beef stew with Chinese cake, a piece of spring roll and almond jelly.

The restaurant hostess suggests that we put beef pieces sandwich between two sides of the cake. Self-making Chinese style beef burger!

 

   

The volume of set lunch could be small fully to satisfy your stomach.

However that is favorable exceptionally here China Town, because after lunch, we are able to (or can not leave without doing...) try other attractive tastes at food stands along the street; beef, pork or seafood buns, a few pieces of dim-sum, cakes or sweet tea with tapioka...

Restaurant name: Aichyun 愛群

Address: 138 Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa

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LA TABLE de Joel Robuchon - French (Michelin Guide 2010 **)

Among several restaurants in Japan by the great master of French cuisine, Chateau Restaurant Joel Robuchon in Ebisu, Tokyo is the best place to enjoy luxurious atmosphere as well as the best French dishes. The Chateau stands on the commercial and cultural site, Ebisu Garden Place. Inside of the Chateau the French cuisine master provides gourmet entertainment in different style by floor by floors, from the basement for "La Boutique" to 3rd floor as a private dining "Salon."

LA TABLE de Joel Robuchon is where we are able to taste his modern French plates at reasonable cost in casual style (relatively...). One day I had special course for a party with several friends.

The menu are not same with what you will find on the list at the restaurant. Still show you the excellence and imagination of the plates.

Starter - Scallop marinee with vegetables

The yellow in the sauce is curry oil which stimulate our appetite at the beginning.

 

 

Perch grilled in spumed sauce of Iberia ham.

Can't imagine to make such a flavored cappuccino style cream as sauce for fish...

 

 

 

Roasted pork with girolle mushrooms

The rich taste is unforgettable...

 

 

 

We would never be disappointed by the dessert plates....

 

 

 

With the wall in purple color, luminous chandeliers and attentive staff, even the casual version is surely enough enjoyable as a Michelin star restaurant.

 

 

Restaurant name: LA TABLE de Joel Robuchon

Address: Ebisu Garden Place, 1-13-1 Mita, Meguro-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.robuchon.jp/

 

 

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Shanghai Asaichi (上海朝市) - Chinese

Shanghai Asaichi (Shanghai Morning market in Japanese) is a Chinese restaurant located in Jimbocho (神保町). It is named from the restaurant's atmosphere which is vital and casual like morning markets in Asia. Additionally, the restaurant is known to be by same operator with other two luxury Chinese restaurants in the area. The fact implies for us that food quality of Shanghai Asaichi must be good as a casual Chinese restaurant.

That is why I chose it for quick inexpensive meal one day. On the ground floor, dinners can see a part of its kitchen through a large glass wall where a chef could prepare noodles or dim-sum. The scenes is as if we were in Shanghai, not Tokyo.

My plate, fried noodle Shanghai style is quite simple but the taste, flavor of the sauce is still impressive for me. In Tokyo, there are a lot of Chinese restaurants, but I cannot find so often such a good and something maybe close to ones provided in China.

I would like to come back here to have more plates of real Chinese food with more friends.

Otherwise I would try its lunch buffet to try its different specialties at a tiny cost.

Restaurant name: Shanghai Asaichi (上海朝市)

Address: 2-3-10 Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.asa-ichi.com/

     

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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

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Delicatessen (デリカテッセン) - Gourmet cafe and grocery shop

Delicatessen is a part of a luxury hotel, Park Hyatt Tokyo known for scenes in the American film "Lost in translation." Some people might hesitate to step into one of the best hotels in Tokyo. The hotel main part is on the 39th or above floors, while Delicatessen is situated far low on the ground floor. It is easily accessible from public space of the building even without going through the hotel's main entrance. The cafe is not a place where we have to mind casual appearance so much. We are rather able to visit it more freely as ordinary casual cafes in town.

At Delicatessen, fine international deli food are available with high quality beverage menu. Not only pasta, pate, sandwiches, salad, Japanese sushi rolls also can be found.  (Photo: Sushi roll with cucumber and fish eggs) Peaceful time will be guaranteed for a break or lunch in the middle of Shinjuku, at the foot of skyscrapers.

Selected grocery foods from the world fill all dimensions walls of Delicatessen. After taking a rest with a cup of fresh aroma cappuccino, let's shop around the space!

Cafe name: Delicatessen

Address: 1st floor Park Hyatt Tokyo, 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo

Boutique's direct link : http://tokyo.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/services/shops/index.jsp

   

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French - Quand l'appetit va tout va

  The French restaurant "Quand l'appetit va tout va" is one of those restaurants for which we are not able to book seats so easily in Tokyo at this moment. And we are not able to remember the full name, even though I spoke French language a little The restaurant name or the sentence can be translated to English "When appetite goes all go"(When you have an appetite, everything is OK.) By knowing the meaning, we become more comfortable and ready to enjoy the meal....

It is located along a street in Azabu Juban (麻布十番), a　residential area in central. The majority of seats are along a plain wood long counter. It can be used as a dining bar on late evening with nice selection of glass + bottle wines.

The menu list in Japanese and French are well-thought and very attractive by the chef experienced at some top French restaurants in Japan and in France. It is hard to choose, even though only up to 6-7 dishes for each section; starter, fish, meat and dessert. The restaurant staff are happy to make a plate share between two accompanied guests. Then it will give us a chance to take one to two more plates...

Here is finally what we had,

Starter

Gazpacho fresh orange and tomato

(with cucumber jelly)

Croquette pork toes with salad

*creamy pork toes (pied de porc) stew inside of the crispy pan-fried coating

 

Kinmedai(金目鯛 alfonsino) in cabbage soup

Melting chocolate with pistachio sherbet

 

Cherry and cream cheese tarte

Every plates were unforgettable. We surely would like to come back in next season autumn for finding different fantastic dishes. Our appetite never go away here.

Restaurant name: Quand l'appetit va tout va

Address: 2nd floor Visco Building, 2-3-12 Azabu-Juban Minato-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~quand/

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Brasserie VIRON - French style brasserie cafe in Marunouchi

VIRON is the name of a French company in the flour milling industry. The flour by VIRON is often used as an ingredient of high quality breads and cakes in France. The brasserie in Japan proudly serves breads, French style cakes and sweets made from the VIRON flour from France.

Needless to say about breads for lunch or taking out, the tarts also can be a reason to visit the brasserie. During the time between lunch and dinner, you are able to enjoy a nice pair of tart and "cafe au lait" at sunny terrace tables close to Tokyo station.

 

Restaurant name: Brasserie VIRON

Address: 1F TOKIA Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

 

RESTAURANT SANT PAU - Spanish

The Michelin-two-star restaurant is located in Nishonbashi, Tokyo. In spite of the real central location with hundreds of history and traditions, known as financial district at the same time, during weekend, it is rather quite area.

Restaurant Sant Pau is situated in a shopping complex Coredo-Annex. The dinning room is on the second floor after going up from the spacious bar lounge with a wine storage room and through a staircase with leather handrail. Leather and wood furniture and original paintings arts on the wall create warm and cozy atmosphere in the luxury restaurant, even during this chilly Winter in Tokyo. 

 

Restaurant Sant Pau, leads by the chef Ms. Carme Ruscalleda, has its flagship restaurant in Barcelona, Spain and keeps Michelin star since 1990, serving mixture of local food in Catalonia and modern cuisine. The restaurant in Tokyo inherits the concept and cooking style from the orginal one. 

Dinners are welcomed with its iconic "Micro menu", 4 kinds of very small starters. 

Every plate entertains its guests not only by taste but also by visual presentation.

The combination of ingredients is unique and sometime big surprise for us.

Pluma Iberica pork served with mandarin confit & pistachio mousse

We could not stop ordering its cheese set called "contrasts". Five different types of cheese from different countries are offered with suggestions of food paired with pieces of cheese.

A small card telling the contrasts pairs through illustration by the chef Ms. Carme Ruscalleda.

This is definitely a good souvenir of the excellent dining experience.

 

The-beyond-expectation experiences did not stop till the end of the lunch time.

The last plate was this colorful and joyful one with coffee.

 

Surely it is worth spending some amount of money and time for the Michelin 2-star Spanish restaurant.

Restaurant name: Restaurant Sant Pau

Address: Coredo-Nihonbashi Annex, 1-6-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Toky

Website: http://www.santpau.jp

Lunch at Ginza - French, Le 6eme sens

Meal cost at Ginza is considered expensive. I found an exception here. The cafe lunch shows high cost performance.

The Michelin star restaurant Le 6eme sens by an experienced French chef Dominique Corby offers a reasonable alternative for lunch time at Ginza. The restaurant is located in the west part of Ginza, on a gourmet street called コリドー街(korido gai) along with Yamanote line railway and Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway(首都高速). The cafe-bar space with large glass window can be easily found from the street.

Weekend lunch price starts from Yen1500 for starter, main dish and dessert.

It costs only Yen2000, even with a glass of wine. The menu changes day by day maybe and provides no selection list for each plate. But still it is quite reasonable considering the quality of food come from the Michelin awarded kitchen.

Here the menu I had,

Starter - salty cake with vegetable, Main - chicken breast, Dessert - caramel nuts cake with vanilla ice cream along with a cup of coffee.