Napoletana pizza are not the only type of pizzas tempting diners in Tokyo. Roma pizzas, with a thinner and thus crispier crust, are also popular and authentic versions too are available in the city. Pizzeria Romana Gianicolo Minato-ku, Azabu Juban 2-8-8, Watanabe Bldg. B1 03-6435-2080 11:30 – 14:30; 18:00 – 22:30 closed Monday http://www.gianicolo.jp/ Pizzeria…
Napoletana Pizza in Tokyo
Perhaps the best place to get a really great pizza outside of Italy is not New York City but in Tokyo. The website for the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana lists thirty-five authentic Napoletana pizzerias in Japan. Many of the pizzaiolos have apprenticed in Italy, bake their pizzas in wood burning ovens, and do an outstanding job…
Five Questions for Japan’s First Master of Wine Ned Goodwin
Ned Goodwin is Japan’s first Master of Wine. Ned is also one of the most passionate sommeliers in Japan. Ned graciously took me under his wings when I moved to Tokyo to work as a sommelier. His generosity and guidance helped me tremendously. Ned has had a great impact in the wine world in Japan…
Where to Have Sushi at Tsukiji Market
Daiwa Sushi and Sushi Dai are two of the most commonly heard sushi shop names at Tsukiji Market. The problem is that they are so popular that they have such long lines, some queue for three hours. And yes, the sushi is great here, but is it worth hours standing in line? And for me,…
Monjayaki – Okame Hyottoko Ten
Tsukishima and Tsukuda are on an island in the Sumidagawa River just as it flows into Tokyo Bay. It is very close to Tsukiji Market and offers two local foods of Tokyo, monjayaki at Tsukishima and Tsukudani at Tsukuda. Monjayaki is just one of those foods that everyone should try once in their life if they…
July Japanese Seasonal Seafood
Following is a list of seasonal seafood for July. Look for these in the market or if you are going out for sushi. Some of our personal favorites include ayu (salted and grilled), shitabirame (meuniere), shijimi (miso soup), benisake (salted and grilled), and for sashimi – surumeika, kinmedai, takabe, and isaki. Ayu あゆ 鮎 sweetfish (Plecoglossus…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats
There are so many great places to grab a cheap and delicious bite at Tsukiji Market. And don’t worry if you can’t stomach raw fish first thing in the morning. Most of these places open early in the morning and close after lunch. Here is a short list of some of my favorites: Tenfusa 天房…
Food Sake Tokyo reviewed by the ACCJ
If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, a glimpse into a city’s soul is no doubt through her cuisine. Chef, sommelier and Japan-certified shochu advisor Yukari Sakamoto’s book, “Food·Sake·Tokyo,” offers a tasteful insight into Tokyo’s gastronomic galaxy that is sometimes hard to navigate even for locals. Released last month and written…
Kintame Kyoto Pickles Restaurant 近為
One of the great delights of dining in Japan is the cornucopia of restaurants that specialize in one type of cuisine, as in the recent reviews of ramen at Ivan Ramen. Another unique dining experience is a meal based on pickles. Kintame, a store based in Kyoto, has two restaurants in Tokyo where diners can indulge in…
Seirinkan
Photo by Chuck Tanaka Peterson As a New Yorker who visited Japan often in the early ‘70s as a child, I have ingrained in my memory a pizza that was topped with squid legs. I remember the disappointment of the tentacles peeking out from under the cheese almost taunting me. For the longest time I…
Ivan Ramen
Dreams can come true. In the cold winter months, perhaps the most satisfying dish to be had in Japan is ramen. With almost 9,000 ramen shops in Tokyo, it is not hard to find one, but rare is the one where the noodles are handmade from scratch and where the chef is a graduate of…
Two Rooms
Two Rooms near Omotesando has one of Tokyo’s best dream teams at the helm of the restaurant. In the kitchen, chef Matthew Crabbe’s impressive resume includes the New York Bar and Grill at the Park Hyatt and Kyoto’s Hyatt Regency. Eddie Baffoe was the popular bar manager at the Oak Door at the Grand Hyatt….
Les Saisons in the Imperial Hotel
Tokyoites are generally spoiled by the wealth of so many outstanding French restaurants available. Many Michelin-starred chefs from France have outlets in Tokyo; Joel Robuchon, Pierre Gagnaire, and Michel Troisgros, to name but a few. Included with this group is chef Thierry Voisin, who came to The Imperial Hotel to run the kitchen at Les…
Chef Seiji Yamamoto of Ryugin
This article first appeared in The Japan Times in January of 2008. Since then I would have to say that chef Seiji Yamamoto’s cuisine has returned to more traditional Japanese techniques. But the article is still worth reading to understand chef Yamamoto’s background. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fg20080111a1.html (text follows) Nothing turns a woman on more than a room…
Alan Richman in GQ on how Food is Made Better in Japan
I had the great pleasure of spending some time with journalist Alan Richman as he tested a theory that food is better in Japan. Why is it that French, Italian, or Chinese food is so good in Japan? Read as he eats his way through Tokyo testing this theory. The story opens up in what…
Gotta Get – What to Get at Japanese Supermarkets
For those visiting Japan wanting to stock up their suitcase for foodie items that are hard to find outside of Japan I have come up with my list of “gotta gets”. When I have lived outside of Japan I also make a stop at the 100 (or 99) yen shop and stock up on cheap…
Where do Tokyoites Shop for Food?
So where do Tokyoites do their grocery shopping? There are large supermarkets, like Ito Yokado, Daiei, or Seiyu (a subsidiary of Walmart) but these require a lot of space so are usually found a bit out of the city. There is an Ito Yokado a few stops from Tokyo station on the Tozai line at…
Indagare Interview – Culinary Tokyo: Restaurants Not To Miss
This interview appeared a while back but I wanted to share it for its information on some of my top recommendations for foodies visiting Tokyo. Born in Japan and raised in the United States, Yukari Pratt Sakamoto, the author of the soon-to-be-released Food Sake Tokyo (Little Bookroom, $29.95), is a true Tokyo food insider. Here, she shares her favorite restaurants,…
Book Review – Dashi and Umami
This book includes the contributions of many star chefs, including Takashi Tamura (of Tsukiji Tamura), Eiichi Takahashi (Hyotei), Kunio Tokuoka (Kyoto Kitcho) and Yoshihiro Murata (Kikunoi). Photos of their kaiseki cuisine make this a handsome coffee table book, and students of Japanese cuisine will be impressed with the depth of information on umami-rich ingredients like…
Book Review – Japanese Hot Pots
Finally—a book on nabe in English. Chef Tadashi Ono of Matsuri restaurant in New York and journalist-blogger Harris Salat of the Japanese Food Report have teamed up for the definitive guide to Japan’s quintessential comfort food. The first chapter deconstructs the basic parts of a good nabe: broth and dashi; foundational ingredients like Napa cabbage,daikon, Japanese mushrooms and…
Book Review – Takashi’s Noodles
Takahashi Yagihashi has been a chef and restaurateur in the American Midwest for two decades. In 2000, he was named one of America’s Ten Best New Chefs by the prestigious Food & Wine magazine, and in addition to his namesake restaurant in Chicago, he’s been collaborating with Macy’s department store on a nationwide chain of noodle shops….
Book Review – The One-Straw Revolution
First published in English 30 years ago, this little green tome by Masanobu Fukuoka has been reissued by The New York Review of Books as part of its Classics series. And the timing couldn’t be better—as issues of sustainability, agribusinesses and the use of chemical fertilizers have come to the fore, the book is more relevant than…
Book Review – Everyday Harumi
This new work by the doyenne of Japanese cookbook authors will be welcomed by everyone who loves washoku. Everyday Harumi is filled with easy-to-cook, home-style recipes that cover a wide range of meat, seafood and vegetable dishes. The book opens with an entire chapter on cupboard essentials for making Japanese cuisine, in particular sauces that you will go…
Book Review – The Niigata Sake Book
There’s relatively little information on sake printed in English, so whenever a new work on nihonshu comes out, it’s worth carefully perusing. The Niigata Sake Book does not disappoint, especially for readers wanting to know more about the technical side of sake. It’s based on a work called The Niigata Sake Expert Textbook and, according to translator Mike Masuyama, is “the…
Book Review – Sushi
A professor of biophysics at the University of Southern Denmark, Ole G. Mouritsen has penned the most extensive and authoritative book—dare I say encyclopedia?—on sushi to date. This weighty tome is packed with more information than most readers will ever need. Yet that’s exactly where it shines. The author’s curiosity and passion about fish is…
Book Review – A Cook’s Journey to Japan
Sarah Marx Feldner takes readers on a trip through Japan with homestyle recipes from around the country. Her cookbook opens up with an informative guide to Japanese kitchen utensils, ingredients and basic cooking techniques. Filled with step-by-step photos to help novices master essential skills, A Cook’s Journey to Japan will give readers the courage to try new…
Book Review – Japanese Cocktails
Japanese Cocktails is filled to the brim with original concoctions with fun names like Oyaji, Salty Hachiko Dog, Bloody Mari-chan and Office Lady. And not only are the names creative, so are the recipes. With drinks based on sake, shochu, whisky and more, this thin book has a cocktail to please everyone, many of the recipes…
Chef Q&A with Ivan Orkin of Ivan Ramen
Ivan Orkin is the talented chef-owner of Ivan Ramen and the recently opened Ivan Ramen Plus. A Culinary Institute of America graduate who has worked with the best including Andre Soltner of Lutece and Bobby Flay. Ivan has been very busy with the opening of his second ramen shop as well as working on what…
Ginza Harutaka 銀座青空
Chef Harutaka developed his skills with 12 years at Sukiyabashi Jiro. This sushi restaurant is popular with top chefs in the city. Sit at the counter and watch the young, talented and soft-spoken chef as he handles the seasonal seafood with care and deft. Part of the delight in dining here is taking in the…
Tokyo Sweet Trends
Chef David Myers from Los Angeles has created a buzz with his square-shaped chiffon cake in flavors such as yuzu and mattcha or Earl Grey and raspberry. His patisseries can be found at SOLA in Ginza Mitsukoshi’s depachika. SOLA Chuo-ku, Ginza 4-6-16, Mitsukoshi B2 03-3562-1111 http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130101/13115875/
Tokyo Sweet Trends
Sweets made from choux crème in many forms are popping up throughout the metropolis. Some of what you will find include the traditional Paris-Brest at Patisserie Aimee Vibert, a pistachio Saint-honore at D’eux Patisserie in Tokyo station, or an éclair topped with a brittle candy at Aux Delices de Kenji. Patisserie Aimee Vibert Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi…
Tokyo Sweet Trends 2011
Dessert specialty restaurants and several tea salons are leading the trends for sweets. Chef Kazuyori Morita trained in France and each afternoon between lunch and dinner, Libertable, becomes a ‘salon de the’ with desserts and tea or champagne. Classical French desserts with a twist, for example Mont Blanc with a meringue made of porcini mushrooms…
Gotta Go – The Sake Fair on June 15th in Ikebukuro
The do not miss event for any sake aficionado, The Sake Fair, will be held on June 15th in Ikebukuro. A rare opportunity to try up to 450 nihonshu (impossible, but nice to dream about) at one time. And all for the bargain price of 3,500 JPY (3,000 JPY if you purchase ahead of time)….
Book Review – Drinking Japan by Chris Bunting
This indispensible guide will become the bible for anyone passionate about Japanese beverages. Regardless if your preference is for shochu or nihonshu, Chris has covered it all. Clearly written by a reporter, no detail is overlooked, and the information is easy to understand. The descriptions of each bar transports you there and he even includes…
Ginza New Castle Curry ニューキャッスル – CLOSED
So sad to say that this is now closed. We will miss you New Castle. New Castle ニューキャッスル Chuo-ku, Ginza 2-3-1 03-3561-2929 11:00 – 21:00 (Saturdays until 17:00) Closed Sundays and holidays No website An old style curry shop, in an old building in a very modern part of town, catches your eye. The shop…
Ginza Kyubey 銀座久兵衛
Ginza Kyubey 銀座久兵衛 Chuo-ku, Ginza 8-7-6 03-3571-6523 11:30 – 13:30, 17-21:45 closed Sunday and holidays http://www.kyubey.jp/index_e.html (English) Kyubey Sushi, is famous as a top-class sushi restaurant in the city. It is so popular that it often turned away customers. To accommodate everyone they have opened a bekkan (annex) across the street. They are accustomed to…
COREDO Muromachi コレド室町
Nihonbashi has a rich food history as it was the original home of the fish market before it moved to Tsukiji. The new COREDO Muromachi building is filled with restaurants and food shops, some dating back hundreds of years. Pick up Japanese knives at Nihonbashi Kiya or taste the smoky bonito stock or dashi based…
Okinawa Washita Shop in Ginza 沖縄わしたショップ
Okinawa Washita Antenna Shop 沖縄わしたショップ Chuo-ku, Ginza 1-3-9 03-3535-6991 10:00 – 19:00, no holidays http://www.washita.co.jp/info/shop/ginza/index.html (Japanese) The Okinawa Washita Shop in Ginza may be one of the most unique antenna shops in the city due to the unique food and beverage culture of Okinawa. The cuisine of the southernmost islands of Japan is very different…
Ginza Takumi 銀座たくみ
Takumi たくみ Chuo-ku, Ginza 8-4-2 03-3571-2017 11:00 – 19:00 (closed Sunday & holidays) http://www.ginza-takumi.co.jp/ (Japanese) Pottery and other crafts are showcased in this two-story shop on the outskirts of Ginza. There is daily use pottery with reasonable prices starting at 1,000 JPY. The shop features a wide variety of pottery including Mashiko, Tanba, and…
Bunmeido in Ginza for Castella and Coffee 文明堂
Bunmeido 文明堂 Chuo-ku, Ginza 5-7-10 中央区銀座5-7-10 03-3574-0002 11:00 – 21:00, no holidays http://www.bunmeido.com/ (Japanese) The original Bunmeido shop in Nagasaki and has been making castella cakes since 1900. On the main street, Ginza Dori, sits a large coffee shop with a two-story stained glass wall that look more appropriate for a church. Bunmeido is known…
Cha Ginza 茶銀座
Cha Ginza 茶銀座 Chuo-ku, Ginza 5-5-6 03-3571-1211 11:00 – 19:00 (closed most Mondays, check website) http://www.uogashi-meicha.co.jp/shop_01.html (Japanese) This cool, sleek modern building dedicated to tea in the heart of Ginza, this shop definitely draws the attention of passersby with its glass façade and long, narrow counter on the first floor. Uogashi Meicha has a shop…
Yamagata Food Fair at Nihonbashi Takashimaya 第9回 やまがた展
Nihonbashi Takashimaya was my home for two years. I loved working in the depachika and one of my favorite part of the job was the special food fairs held on the 8th floor of the department store, not in the basement where we were most of the time. Starting this Wednesday through Monday, the 30th,…
Ramen Trends for 2011
The food trends with ramen are interesting this year. Most of it is evident by the recent posts on popular and new shops in Tokyo. To wrap it all up, following are a list of five trends that Shokuraku magazine (February 2011) issue highlights below. I have included the name of some of the restaurants…
2011 Top Ten Best Ramen Restaurants in Tokyo 2/2
The February 2011 issue of Shokuraku magazine lists not only the top ten new ramen shops in Tokyo, but also their top ten ramen shops in the metropolis. As most of this information only appears in Japanese I hope by including it in this blog that more people can come to explore these popular ramen…
2011 Top Ten Best Ramen Restaurants in Tokyo 1/2
The February 2011 issue of Shokuraku magazine lists not only the top ten new ramen shops in Tokyo, but also their selection of top ten ramen shops in the metropolis. As most of this information only appears in Japanese I hope by including it in this blog that more people can come to explore these…
Gotta Get – Taberu Rayu 食べるラー油
When shopping for food products in Tokyo I find there are some items you just gotta get. Either because they are so delicious or as they are a trendy item. Taberu rayu is in the second category. Popular for about two years now it is still a hot item on the market and can be…
Wagashi Fair at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi 第65回全国銘菓展
Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi will host its 65th festival of famous wagashi purveyors. This is one of my favorite events at Mitsukoshi as the variety and beauty of wagashi is so impressive. Best of all, artisans are handcrafting edible works of art at some of the stalls so it becomes an education on how delicate and intricate…
Orimine Bakers near Tsukiji Market 築地のパン屋「オリミネベーカーズ」
A great little bakery near Tsukiji has opened up and is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. The name of the shop is printed in gold on the windows, reminds me of Balthazar Bakery in Soho. You can’t miss its green and white awning and the green exterior. The breads range…
2011 Top Ten New Ramen Restaurants in Tokyo (2/2)
The February 2011 issue of Shokuraku magazine lists the top ten new ramen shops in Tokyo. As most of this information only appears in Japanese I hope by including it in this blog that more people can come to explore these new restaurants. 3. (tied for third) Baisenshio Soba Dokoro Kinjito 焙煎汐蕎麦処 金字塔 Kita-ku, Akabane 1-62-5…
Drinking Japan by Chris Bunting
Imbibers in Japan, be on the lookout for Drinking Japan, A Guide to Japan’s Best Drinks and Drinking Establishments. The author, Chris Bunting, has an impressive website on Japanese whisky: http://www.nonjatta.blogspot.com/ Here is the link to the book on Tuttle Publishing’s website: http://www.tuttlepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=48053100473120
Food Sake Tokyo 