A Tokyo insider izakaya – well now the secret is out!

I find that I am always lucky when I am in Tokyo. There is something special about that crazy city – each time I go I am amazed at the intensity of the food culture and the drive for perfection. One might think that this pursuit of perfectionism would have little to do with the more casual izakaya culture, but you would be wrong. Just because an izakaya is a more casual dining experience doesn’t mean that the chefs aren’t as creative, or that presentation is less of a focus, or that the quality and execution aren’t important. In fact, Teyandei is one example of a classic izakaya dining experience that is a true representation of Japanese food culture, simple but thoughtful. Teyandei has been around for 30-40 years, an institution among locals and expats alike – it’s one of those places that is whispered about and passed on only by word of mouth, a true insider kind of place. Well now the secret is out.

It was in this way that I came to discover Teyandei. A friend who had lived in Tokyo for 20 years recommended it as her hands down, favourite restaurant in Tokyo. Bear in mind, this is no small remark considering all the Michelin-starred dining experiences available in Tokyo. We went with a local who also knew Teyandei well and speaks Japanese, always helpful, and asked her to take us on a tour of all her favourite dishes.

We sat at the bar so we could watch the open kitchen and agreed to start with sake. There is a tradition in Japan to serve sake in glasses that sit in wooden boxes. The traditional and proper way to serve sake is to overpour the sake so that it runs over the rim of the glasses and into the box. Our friend explained to us that this is a sign of good fortune and bountifulness – as if to say, “we will give you all we have.”

What followed next was an amazing parade of dishes – each one better than the last. We watched each dish we ordered get fired on the stove top or over the grill. The kitchen was small, so watching the kitchen was like watching a culinary ballet. The chef and kitchen staff moved in fluid moments around each other to produce perfectly executed executed dishes that came together in front of our eyes.

While we had about 8 dishes, we all uninanimously agreed that the best of the best was the:

Pork Belly with Potato Puree - silky potato puree with crisp-tender pork belly

Eel Wrapped in an Omelette - a tender filet of eel enveloped in a fluffy omelette

Spinach Salad with Mushrooms and Bacon - a classic, reinterpreted Japanese style

Japanese Yams - a preparation unique to Japan, deep fried bite-sized pieces of local yam, simultaneously sweet and savory

Shrimp Mayo - wow, just wow. We placed a second order for these. Crispy morsels of shrimp goodness, tossed in a creamy mayonnaise based sauce

Potato and Meat Croquettes - again, another classic, somehow elevated with the precision of Japanese execution

When I usually go to a city like Tokyo, I try to force myself to go to new restaurants. But now that Teyandei is on the radar, it is going to become a must do on each and every visit to Tokyo. I just hope the Teyandei secret doesn’t spread so widely that it becomes hard to get a booking!

Teyandei Izakaya
Nishi Azabu 2-20-1
Minato-ku, Tokyo
Telephone: +81 03.3462.6411

What is kawaii and why is everything in Japan so cute?

“Kawaii” is the Japanese term for “cute.” And if you know anything about Japan you know kawaii reigns. The love of all things cute is found throughout Asia, but it is heightened to an art form in Japan. When I first moved to Asia I will admit, I didn’t see the allure of cuteness. It seemed childish and naive, not the stuff of “grown ups.” However, I have come full circle on cute. I might just have some Hello Kitty pens and perhaps a charm or two. I admire the cute, roly poly stuffed pandas on my adult co-workers desks. And I recently bought an umbrella in Tokyo with graphics of fat piglets in rainboots…it made me smile. Pigs. In rainboots!

But how is it that Japan has cornered the market on cute?

Kawaii is a highly valued aesthetic fully embraced in the Japanese culture and national identity. It has come to represent everything that is desirable with secondary meanings extending to “cool” and “beautiful”. Some people attribute it to the relatively controlling environment of Japan as compared to the West and suggest that this environment might infantilize adults making them more appreciate and revere childish objects. Still others say that it is “safe” to festishize cute, because in Japan non-aggressive and peaceful behaviours are rewarded. Actually, there’s no one answer on the origins of kawaii.

Kawaii is everywhere in Japan. We have all seen the Hello Kitty trinkets and such, but kawaii extends not only to consumer goods, but also to beauty. The female ideal is the large eyes and small round face characteristic of (cute) children. This is why Barbie never sold well in Japan…too real, too adult for the Japanese. Kawaii is in food – dumplings and buns are shaped into bunnies, piglets and cats. If an object can be given eyes and a mouth to make it kawaii, then it will be. Kawaii is even in sex, with the Japanese school girl being the most well-known fantasy of Japanese men. And even big business is not shy about kawaii – the national airline ANA features a gigantic Pikachu on its aircraft.

Courtesy of Now Public

There are simply no cuter random personal and household goods in the world. Take a look at a mere sampling look of what I found on a recent trip to Tokyo.

Wigs for Pets

Cute Covers for Dish Drains

Cute Face Masks

Cute Animal Egg Cups

Cute Beer Delivery Truck

And as it turns out, kawaii travels. Hello Kitty is an international sensation. Same with Pokemon and Pikachu. Felix the Cat has been widely exported. And my personal favourite is a chubby and adorable Japanese cat named “Maru.” Maru is an international sensation with his box-loving antics filmed by his owners and posted on You Tube. Maru even has a blog. In fact, there are dozens of websites dedicated to all things kawaii – seriously, google it.

Maru the Box-Loving Cat

Japan is on the path to worldwide kawaii domination. I, for one, am all for it.

An endless array of kitchen stuffs for the commercial and home chef alike

If you have even a passing interest in cooking as a home chef, you will want to make a special trip to Kappabashi Dori. You can buy everything here from plastic fake sushi for window displays to bulk ingredients and spices to glassware and ceramics to stock pots for home use (and some the size of small cars) to cash registers to kitchen sinks. Shopping here was an experience on so many levels. I learned a bit about Japanese food preparation, saw every conceivable tool for every conceivable kitchen task and learned in broken English about different styles of Japanese ceramic design.

To get to Kappabashi Dori is easy – just take the Tokyo Metro’s Ginza line to the Asakusa Station and you will see signs for Kappabashi Dori. It is one, long main street with stores lined up on either side. While most shopkeepers don’t have a massive command of English, they see enough foreigners to know enough to get by, so shopping is easy.

Example of typical ceramics store in Kappabashi Dori

Shopping and entertainment collide on Kappabashi Dori. I have never seen so many specific items – ever wonder where one purchases those fake plastic food displays commonly seen outside every Japanese restaurant in Tokyo? Well, it’s available at Kappabashi Dori.

Fake Beer and Sushi at Kappabashi Dori

What about those ubiquitous trays used to hand over cash (because exchanging money from hand to hand is not done)? Here also. Placemats and linen napkins – check! Large serving bowls and tiny ramekins for soy sauce in lovely Japanese ceramics – check! Beautiful and functional wooden spoons aplenty. Japanese square omelette pans – yes! Handheld blenders and small appliances, well of course. And so on and so on…I cannot begin to describe the vast array of kitchen / dining stuffs. I even saw a knight’s costume – presumably for the Japanese Medieval Times style restaurant?

They even have fake KFC buckets???

Japanese fake KFC bucket

Kappabashi Dori is a must do for foodies visiting or living in Japan. Run don’t walk and make sure you have plenty of time to browse the countless stores. Happy shopping

Tokyo Kappabashi Dougu Street
3-18-2, Matsugaya, Taito-ku
Tokyo 111-0036, Japan

From cheap US college student food to a serious culinary tradition in Japan

Let it be known I never ate ramen in college. My drunken snack of choice when out was a fried chicken place called Time Out where we would get a bucket of bones – the leftovers remaining on the chicken bones after the large pieces of meat were pulled off for proper chicken sandwiches. Or if I decided to have a late night snack at home it was Wheat Thins crackers and Kraft Singles cheese slices. (This was in the Southern US – perhaps you can give me a hall pass for my youthful culinary indiscretions.) I know people bought ramen noodles by the bagful at the supermarket, 4 for $1 if memory serves me correctly, but for me, something about those dried blocks of powdery noodles was distinctly unappealing. I was ramen prejudiced. This from the girl who gnawed chicken bones…I know. But now I see I had a greater purpose when it came to ramen. I was only to discover ramen, the real kind, in Asia – beautiful, delicious silken noodles in unbelievably rich broth with slices of smoky pork. This was no late-night, cash-strapped college student’s meal. This was a surprisingly sophisticated dish with a richness of history and culture that I had to know more about.

Turns out, ramen is actually of Chinese origin, despite being most closely associated with Japan. It’s only in the last 60 years that it has taken on the name ramen, before that even in Japan it was called shina soba in Japanese (meaning china noodle). It wasn’t until after WWII when low cost US flour was readily available in Japan that ramen really took off. Today is the everyday dinner food of the average person in Japan, with a bowl costing anywhere from $3 – 10 USD. It’s a kind of Japanese fast food – sometimes even eaten standing up. I even went to a place in Tokyo where I placed my order through a vending machine! That said, like all food in Japan, ramen is not taken lightly by Japanese chefs. It is a serious dish that many spend a lifetime to perfect.

In a general Japanese and a growing ramen specific obsession, we’ve started watching ramen movies. We watched the 1985 Japanese film Tampopo and then the 2008 Ramen Girl movie starring Britney Murphy (don’t judge me – it was research!). In fact, the ramen expert truck driver in Tampopo is also the wizened, old ramen master Ramen Girl. While 2 very different films, they shared many common elements – a deep respect for ingredients, the notion that the broth is the chef’s own special magic, the idea that the dish can touch the diner deeply and transform their emotions, the role of the ramen shop as a community hub for the neighborhood, the rigor the Japanese put into such a seemingly simple dish to make sure that every single element is perfect… These are all truths about ramen.

Even ramen etiquette is a bit specific – slurping is not only allowed but expected (it cools the soup which is generally served at boiling hot temperatures); you must only use the spoon for your broth or you can drink it by lifting the bowl to your mouth; chopsticks are for the noodles, bits of meat and vegetables; do not leave your chopsticks stuck down into the bowl (this represents a funeral ritual in Japan). How can something so basic be wrapped in so much preciousness you ask? Well this is the beauty of all things Japanese – there is a distinct intentionality for all actions and a serious respect for all ingredients and dishes no matter how simple.

Well I still don’t know what the cheap stuff tastes like, but I have some restaurant favourites. I am addicted to classic Shoyu Ramen – the thick brownish broth with bean sprouts, boiled egg, konbu and a slice of pork. I love newest comer to the ramen world, Miso Ramen from Hokkaido. And I have recently had the pleasure to experience Tantanmen Ramen in Tokyo – a spicy ramen made whose broth is made with pig bones and is garnished with spicy chili and black sesame oils. And perhaps one of the most special is the Butter Corn Ramen of Sapporo which uses sweet, fresh corn from the region and tops it with a pat of butter.

If you want to try ramen, I have a few favourites between Singapore and Tokyo.

• Kohmen, Tokyo
Since 1995, a fave of Tokyo residents with 20 locations. I like to go to the Karujuku location at 6-2-8 Jingu-mae, Shibuya ku Tokyo and have the Tantanmen and Shoyu ramen here. A bowl will run you anywhere from 730 JPY to 880 JPY.

• Ippudo, Tokyo
In Tokyo this is one of the more well known ramen establishments. In fact many assert this is the best ramen in Tokyo. I like the Ebisu and Ginza locations (Ginza is an especially good value for that typically pricy neighborhood). They have a nice spicy miso ramen that I always like to order.

• Ippudo, Singapore
If you cannot get to Tokyo, perhaps you can try the newest location in Singapore at the Mandarin Gallery shopping center. Paul and I ate there recently and had a solid bowl of ramen, although admittedly perhaps not as good as the Tokyo location.

I hope to add more to the list, so please do comment with YOUR favourite ramen place in your city.

However in Japan teppanyaki is much different. They’re not enthusiastically flipping shrimp into the diners mouths or spewing cheesy one-liners. At restaurants like Sazanka in Tokyo, the chef is still on show… but it’s more about his skilled precision and the quality of the ingredients.

We decided to head over to Sazanka for our first teppanyaki meal due in large part to a list of Michelin star lunch specials in Tokyo on Sunny Pages. If you’re ever visiting Tokyo in particular and have time in the day free I’d highly recommend hitting up as many of these restaurants as you can during lunch time as you can eat at some truly wonderful restaurants on the cheap.

We took a train into Roppongi and left a bit early as we didn’t know exactly how far away the hotel would be. It was a little bit out of the way, but through charades, gestures, and grunts we managed to get some building guards to point us in the right direction.

I should just come out and say that Hotel Okura is a bit dated in appearance and the long walk to Sazanka doesn’t raise one’s hopes too much about the cuisine. This is not a kitschy, hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It’s a dated hotel, with dated interior… a time capsule to the late 70′s or early 80′s.

The walls are plain, clean and free from tacky wall scrolls of inky drawn koi fish. In fact the only “art” on display here is a glass case showing off the quality of the cuts of beef being served

But the food is what people come for. And it’s good. Lunch sets are around 4725 Yen (or around 50 USD)…. not cheap, but over half off the dinner rates. The set includes an amuse from the chef

A fresh Japanese salad.

Wonderfully fresh and not at all spongy sea Scallops. These are the kinds of scallops everyone thinks they serve at fancy restaurants in the west.

And steak. Glorious steak. No matter the cut, you’ll get a tender, juicy, perfectly cooked slab of meat skillfully prepared table-side. Served lovingly with a side of fried garlic, some grilled veggies, and a bonus treat (which sadly I have on video but not on stills due to us both devouring it before pausing for photos) of cut off the fat from the steak, minced into super small cuts and grilled till just a bit crispy. Something everyone should get to eat once in their lifetime.

After the main course you’re moved over to a lounge area where you enjoy coffee and a dessert treat.

The service and experience here are top notch and the cooks are all excellent – easily among the best teppanyaki we have ever tried. Sazanka is a great afternoon treat I’d recommend to anyone more familiar with the flashy western style of teppanyaki.

Sazanka
Hotel Okura Tokyo 11F.
2-10-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
03-3505-6071

That sudden gust of air you felt around November 17th was the result of the entire nation of France collectively gasping for air. On that day the press broke the news that Tokyo had topped Paris in the number of the coveted 3-star restaurants. Should we care? Will this have bigger results?

Granted Tokyo just barely edged out Paris in the top category. With 11 three-star restaurants to Paris’ 10 it’s not a wide margin of victory… but the total numbers – 11 three-star, 42 two-star and 144 one-star restaurants is three times the total number of awards that Paris has. Paris has 10 3-star restaurants., 42 two-star and 144 one-star restaurants.

If I were more cynical I might point out that at 160,000 restaurants in the city, Tokyo has 4 times the total number of restaurants than Paris. I also might point out that when the guide was launched in Tokyo in 2007 a vast majority of chefs and other culinary figures in the country were offended at the notion of French folks reviewing their food. Skip ahead to the 2010 guide and all the reviewers are Japanese and suddenly everyone’s happy… and the guide finally shakes off it’s image of overly touting French restaurants and takes a solid step onto the modern world stage.

But I like to think of this as a solid win for the Japanese. Their attention to detail and obsession with food is apparent from your first meal in the country… their fast food chains have style and refinement not found in most American “sit down” restaurants. Our time in Japan was astounding. I could live the rest of my life in the country exploring it’s food, cities, and country side and still not fully appreciate all it has to offer. My meal of live Abalone and Tuna jaw will stay with me the rest of my life…

Congratulations to the restaurants of Japan for finally getting the recognition they deserve on the world stage. Japanese cuisine is so much more than sushi and Benihana and it’s about time the world stood up and took note.

Paul

Our favorite hotels when we are traveling in Tokyo

Tokyo can be expensive. And so it depends on how you want to do it…5 star hotel experiences are definitely available. We like the Grand Hyatt Roppongi for a truly luxe hotel experience. But we also discovered you don’t have to spend a fortune on hotels (save it for 5 star dining!). And in less expensive category, we like the Granbell Shibuya. Here’s why:

The Grand Hyatt Roppongi
¥43,000 – 50,0000 / night ($430 – 500 USD) for a double / king room for 2 people

This high-end hotel is well-situated in the hopping Roppongi district of Tokyo famous for its international dining and nightlife and right next to the exclusive Roppongi Hills Mall, so you won’t be far from the action…. that is if you want to leave the hotel. It’s truly stunning.

The rooms themselves are plush, chic and extremely comfortable. They have thought of every detail in terms of where you would want to place a water glass or a book, switch on a light or plug in a computer…and while these things may seem trivial on the surface, they are super annoying when not properly done. And despite Tokyo’s space challenge, the room is rather ample…really perfect if you are on a long trip with lots of luggage.

Beyond the room, there is an amazing gym and spa…and even though you are in bustling Tokyo, you should really make a point to take some down time here. The fitness center features the absolute latest in high-tech equipment from Life Fitness and its spotlessly maintained. And the NAGOMI spa offers a really luxurious spa experience should you want to splash out on a decadent treatment.

We actually cannot comment on the restaurants as we took most of our meals outside, trying to get in as much of Tokyo as possible. I will say though that every time we walked by a restaurant in the hotel it was totally packed, so I am guessing they are up to the same standard of excellence as the rest of the hotel. And we did really enjoy our room service breakfast every morning.

Which leads me to my next point…service. The service was impeccable, world-class even. From the details considered in delivering our room service to the absolutely tireless assistance of the Concierge, who helped Paul get tickets to the Tokyo Giants, we were impressed. I stay in a lot of hotels (and Grand Hyatt’s in particular) in a lot of cities and the service in this particular Grand Hyatt pretty much outshone them all.

Insider tip: Right next to the hotel is a liquor store, Suzusake (Phone: 03 3408 5851). They have an amazing selection of international beers, wines (US / Austrailian / Italian / French / South American) , cigarettes and other…at notably reasonable prices. Vueve Cliquot for ¥5180 ($52 USD), a bottle of Hoegaarden for ¥375 ($4 USD), a Duvel bottle for ¥572 ($6 USD), etc…

The Granbell Shibuya
¥15,000 – 18,000 / night ($150 – 180 USD) for a double room with double bed for 2 people

The Granbell Shibuya is one of those small, mod boutique hotels that every major international city is now quite saturated with. Clean, sparse and modern design can also be cost efficient thus leading to better prices for the visitor. This is a trend that Accidental Epicurean adores…thoughtful aesthetics and attractive prices, what is not to like?

Two people recommended this to us before we booked….my friend Matthias who is often in Tokyo on business and a Japanese friend Emu who is from Tokyo. I have to admit (sorry Matthias) that it was the our Japanese friend with local knowledge who really pushed us over the edge to book it.

The Granbell Shibuya is also well situated just a couple of blocks away from the famous Shibuya intersection and the Hachiko exit featuring the well-known dog statue Hachiko that is now a symbol of loyalty in Japan. You will be surrounded by major department stores like Isetan and x, not far from a Don Quixote or Krispy Kreme, and just a short stroll to our favourite yakitori place. Point is…its pretty darn central to everything.

The rooms themselves are small in basic. But they have made some nice design choices, like partially clear walls for the bathroom and built-in closets that lend a feeling of spaciousness to an otherwise small space. And the clean colour schemes and graphics keep it looking tidy.

Internet and breakfast are included. Breakfast is pretty basic…no choices except Japanese or Western, and you just get what you are served. We skipped it most days and went to the local Doutor Coffee or Good Honest Grub.

The service is OK…probably a case of you get what you pay for. There is no Concierge but the Front Desk can help you with taxis and transfers. Their English is fairly limited so don’t expect detailed descriptions.

Overall though, I while it might come off as a little pale in comparison to the Grand Hyatt above, honestly it was a lovely little place to rest one’s head. A very good value in a very expensive city.

Insider Tip: a few interesting tidbits about this hotel neighborhood

1. Since it is right around the corner from the posh Cerulean Tower Hotel you can walk next door and treat yourself to a cocktail in the Bello Visto bar with a panoramic view of Tokyo
2. there are a surprising number of serious guitar stores in this neighborhood with the best prices Paul has seen outside of America… no joke
3. directly across the street there is a hair salon where they do really amazing blow outs at a good price, and the salon owner speaks English

So if the fear of expensive hotels was holding you back from visiting Tokyo, check out the Granbell Shibuya. And if you are looking for luxe (or are on expense account ) the Grand Hyatt Roppongi is a must do.

I personally cannot wait for our next trip to Tokyo.

Shibuya Granbell Hotel
15-17 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: +81 3 5457 2681

Grand Hyatt Roppongi
6-10-3 Roppongi, Minato-Ku,
Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: +81 3 4333 1234

Glorious cheese is the star in this Tokyo restaurant

As much as I absolutely adore Japanese food, we took a break from our much loved Yakitori and Katsudon to try an interesting concept in casual dining. A restaurant entirely based around creamy, fresh mozzarella flown in daily from the Paestum and the Agro Pontino areas of Italy (how extravagant!).

Secretly I will confess, we went because we were hoping they would have our beloved burrata… they didn’t. But we stayed because the rest of the menu looked so attractive. All cheeses are provided with a DOP certification (Protected Origin Denomination) to assure that they are made in the regions claimed and in the traditional Italian style of using milk from the water buffalo. And it turns out that mozzarella is not the only focus here – there were a great number of dishes using wonderful Italian cheeses and we struggled to choose between all the tempting options.

In the end we went with a Selection of Mozzarella platter (¥2900 / $31.50 USD / S$44 )…a kind of antipasto assortment featuring 2 kinds of Prosciutto, Mortadella, Artigianale Romano and 3 kinds of homemade mozzarella di bufala:

• Paestum – delicate
• Affumicata – smoked
• Pontina – strong

Sampling the cheeses this way in a mixed platter is such a wonderful idea…comparing and contrasting the delicate differences between the cheeses is half the fun of the dining experience.

Our antipasto platter was followed by Ravioli with Ricotta and Spinach in a sage and butter sauce (¥1600 / $17.40 USD / S$24 ) and a Risotto with Grana Padano (¥1300 / $14 USD / S$19.70). While I will say, the cheese platter was truly standout, the entrees were less so.

In fact I enjoyed the same dish, Ravioli with Butter and Sage, at Mrs Jones in Hong Kong so much more. Not that the entrees were suboptimal, just nothing special….good serviceable Italian. But destination dishes? Would I go back just for the pastas / risottos? Well….no. So perhaps you will learn from our experience and stick to the star of the show while at Obika – the fresh mozzarella.

In fact, my perfect visit to Obika would involve popping by for a mozzarella based antipasto platter and a couple of glasses of Barbera d’Alba to start the evening. Bellissimo!

Obika Mozzarella Bar
Multiple locations: Tokyo, Rome, Milan, NY.
HB1F, Roppongi Hills
Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: +81 (0) 35 786 6400

We’ll start the series with one of my favorite dining terms – Amuse-Bouche.

An Amuse-Bouche literally means “to amuse the mouth” but I’ve also heard it loosely translated as a perfect bite. An Amuse-Bouche isn’t like an appetizer in that it’s sent out by the chef and not selected by the diner.

You should be able to eat an Amuse-Bouche in one bite, but I have run across some that require a couple of bites… some were so tasty I certainly didn’t mind

An amuse-bouche tells me a few things about a restaurant the moment it hits the table, regardless of taste. One, that the chef has “fine dining” aspirations as it seems an almost essential course for any Michelin starred restaurant. Two, that the chef is concerned with the tastes and journey the diner will go on during the course of the meal. By that I mean that the chef wants to give a special gift at the start of the meal to awaken the palate, showcase flavors, introduce ingredients, and / or all of the above. Lastly I can tell by looking at the amuse how inventive the chef is. I don’t think that every amuse has to be a wildly creative concoction, but it should be flavorful, respect the ingredients, etc. If a chef can’t handle a single bite, what are we in store for with a whole course?

The amuse pictured up above is one of the tastiest things I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. It was served to us at Omae Xex, the former Tokyo restaurant of Iron Chef Morimoto now turned over to his long-time sous chef Takeshi Omae. The amuse in question was a lovely beef tartar with eggplant and iberico ham served in a sort of waffle cone. Amazingly this bite edged out the insanely marbled Kobe steak that came out later in the meal. I would have happily dined on a meal of nothing but these wonderful cones of raw beef. We’d previously dined at another 1 Michelin star teppanyaki restaurant while in Tokyo and this amuse told us that though Omae Xex might have the same 1-star rating as the other restaurant, we were in for a whole other level of dining.

What’s your favorite amuse-bouche or have you had one? Let us know in the comments.

Paul

Dun
Dan
Dun!

This post should really start with the iconic “Kill Bill Theme” theme song from the movie and play throughout. If you’d like to load it up to play in the background get it here : )

We had just finished watching the Tokyo Giants win the game with a homer in the 9th. The hot dog and yakitori we ate in the 2nd inning weren’t holding us over. As we debated food options (surprisingly not a lot around the dome) our friend, who is no stranger to Tokyo, suggested we hit up Gonpachi. The name didn’t register with me at first. Then she said all that needs to be said about the place, “the kill bill restaurant”. Dun Dan Dun. The music immediately started up in my head as a grin spread across my lips. Sure I said coolly, masking the kid-like joy bubbling up inside me.

For some reason I thought the restaurant was located outside of town in the countryside. Not so. It’s right smack in Roppongi, one of the busiest and foreign friendly parts of Tokyo. The building is almost quaint outside… a nice garden, some seats with umbrellas, but nothing flashy hinting at the sprawling room inside.

Inside the restaurant is simply, but wonderfully decorated. There are lanterns hanging from the ceiling and simple lighting throughout the space. The attentive hostess and manager quickly found us a table (unfortunately hadn’t planned this meal ahead of time and booked an upstairs booth) near the kitchen and we sat down to peruse the menu.

I was shocked by the relatively low prices. One would assume, with the fame the movie has bestowed on the place, that prices would be high…it is Tokyo after all. We decided to split a 6 course tasting menu (3500 Yen), and some other items between the three of us. First out was the Natural Tofu House Salad

Next out on the tasting menu was a Fried Shrimp Dumpling & Deep Fried Potato

3rd out was Tempura 3 ways

4th to come to the table was 3 types of Yakitori

Then came Soba noodles, which I didn’t manage to get a picture of and finally the dessert course – Pumpkin and Coconut Ice Cream!

To supplement the tasting menu we also ordered a lovely Blue Fin Tuna Tartare (950 Yen)

Also a Soft Shell Crab Roll from the 3rd floor sushi bar (1350 Yen)

Lastly was the Tataki – Seared Beef with Honey & Truffle Vinaigrette Sauce (780 Yen)

So all in all the meal totaled in about 22 USD per person without drinks….very reasonable for the amount and quality of the food served. The food at Gonpachi isn’t considered fine dining by anyone’s standards…including their own. It’s intended intstead to be an elevated Izakaya experience (modern country-style if you will). And this is why Gonpachi is a success in my book. Sure you can get better Yakitori and Sushi and other more specialized locations… but if you’re a tourist looking for a nice meal in Roppongi, a seasoned traveler who needs to entertain some out of town guests, or just a rabid Tarantino fan Gonpachi is a great value. Also the large space, long tables and secluded rooms are perfect for entertaining large groups. I think everyone should visit at least once, at least for a quick bite and beer before heading into manic Roppongi.

Gonpachi
1-13-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku.
Tel: 03-5771-0170.
Nearest stn: Roppongi or Hiroo.
Open: 11:30am-6am daily
Menu: English/Japanese