Kaisen Uoriki @uoriki1930 is a seafood izakaya 🏮 at @tobu_ikebukuro department store. Seasonal seafood dishes including isaki sashimi, hamo eel, and sushi. Popular side dishes for pairing with #sake and #shochu like Satsuma age fish cakes, dashimaki tamago, and menchi katsu made from tuna. We booked a koshitsu private room so it would be easier…
Tag: izakaya
Tanikoretani
My client put this hip izakaya on my radar and I am grateful. Shinji Mizutani was an architect in New York City and after designing restaurants for others decided to design his own place and changed careers to restaurateur at two restaurants. After about 25 years in New York City he returned to Japan and…
Izakaya Hiro
Hiro in Nakameguro is a fun evening with chef Satoshi. Just say omakase (it’s not only for sushi) and leave it up to Satoshi san to create a menu of small plates paired with sake. So much to love here. The relaxed environment, good music, and mix of dishes and sake. Spring represented in fresh…
Izakaya 🏮 Mimasuya
Mimasuya izakaya in Kanda opened in 1905. The fourth-generation shop is one of Tokyo’s oldest izakaya pubs. Long on my radar and have only finally just made it there. On a quiet backstreet in Kanda. Popular shop. We went at 6 p.m. and got some of the last seats. The menu is filled with sake-friendly…
Aomori Joppari
Spring break in Tohoku. We started in Aomori. Dinner at this very cool izakaya called Joppari. One wall is lined with sake. Diners sit around a c-shaped counter. The menu has lots of photos and features local Tohoku dishes including harako meshi of salmon and ikura over rice, tsukemono pickles, kara agé fried chicken, scallops…
Saké Bar Kinjishi
Tachigui Sakaba Kinjishi is a cool spot near Tokyo Station for nihonshu by the glass and saké-friendly small bites. An excellent selection of saké including @jikon_sake, @matsunotsukasa_official, @izumibashi_official, and @niidahonke. We loved the karaagé, and tempura of simmered daikon and cream cheese (both good), nagaimo potatoes, and tuna sashimi. The saké was poured into glasses…
Ito Marugen
A fun dinner at Marugen Marutaka izakaya in downtown Ito. The drinking pub is very popular so there was a line in front of the small shop from more than 30 minutes before it opened. One of their signature dishes is uzuwa which is sodagatsuo a meaty fish that is chopped up raw and mixed…
Kobo Brew Pub
Masuda san of Masuizumi sake brewery guided us through the Iwase area of Toyama City. We stopped by the cool craft beer @kobobrewpub for a flight of brews and meats. Czech brewer Jiri Kotvnek is creating a vast portfolio of award-winning brews. The menu features sausages, cured meats, pate, and cheeses. Kobo is a great…
Kyoto Yakitori
Tsujiya yakitori near Kyoto Station. I enjoyed sitting at the counter watching the skewers and yaki onigiri being grilled over charcoal. The tsukune ground chicken with cartilage was served with an egg yolk. A few other interesting dishes including potesara, potato salad, tōfu with shaved kombu, and a simmered tomato with a cheese sauce. Staff…
Chicken Izakaya
Chicken from Miyazaki prefecture is the theme of this casual izakaya chain called Tsukada Nōjō. Each meal starts with fresh vegetables and a miso dipping sauce – free refills of the miso! Woo hoo. Potato salad, charcoal-grilled chicken with a salty yuzu koshō, spring rolls, gyōza pot stickers stuffed into chicken wings, and fried chicken…
Osaka Kushikatsu
Kushi katsu 串かつ is a popular local dish in Osaka. Vegetables, meat, and seafood are skewered, breaded, and deep-fried. Kushi means skewer and katsu comes from the word cutlets for anything breaded and deep-fried. Kushi katsu is traditionally served with a sauce that is sweet and salty. Rampuya is a charming kushikatsu shop near the…
Fried Chicken in Matsumoto
Fried chicken at Shizuka near Matsumoto Castle. Sanzokuyaki 山賊焼 fried chicken is a local specialty in Matsumoto, Nagano. I love fried chicken and this one was crispy and juicy. Shizuka is an izakaya traditional Japanese pub. In the evening nihonshu flows and there is a long list of saké-friendly small bites like basashi horse sashimi,…
Shibuya Kotaro 高太郎
** Note, reservations required. Kotaro is very popular and not many spots open up each month as regulars make their next reservations on their way out. Kotaro is named after the owner and chef who prepares all of the food in an open kitchen behind a large wooden counter. I was introduced to Kotaro by…
All-You-Can Drink Warayakiya わらやき屋
Tokyo is filled with many nomihōdai, all-you-can drink spots. Restaurants offer different set menus with a selection of beverages and a time limit. These are fun gathering spots when getting together with friends. Recently we had a reunion and the nomihōdai restaurants are fun. The staff at the restaurant bring out the different courses while refilling your drink…
Tokyo Food Guide
photo by Olen Peterson We can demystify Tsukiji Market, the world’s largest seafood market, and introduce you to a new sushi neta, like kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) that is pink, slightly sweet, and is succulent. Introduce you to a wide variety of Japanese pickles. Lead you to a special bar where cocktails are made with seasonal fruit and…
Bettako Shochu Izakaya in Ikebukuro
When going out to izakaya I always take some ヘパリーゼ Hepalize to prevent a hangover the next morning. Usually in the tablet form. But, today I forgot to bring some Hepalize pills with me from home so stopped by a convenience store and picked up this liquid form. It worked like a charm. We had lots…
Sanukiya – Kaiseki Udonya and Saké
Tokyo is filled with a wide variety of izakaya, places with food and saké. Recently I got together with friends, two editors from a popular food magazine, DANCYU, and a famous saké and shōchū authority for a night out. I was told that we were going to Sanukiya in Kōenji. Sanuki is a region in Japan famous for…
Ginza Sake no Ana 銀座酒の穴
Some of my clients are interested in learning a bit about saké during their visit to Tokyo. However, finding somewhere in Tokyo that serves a wide selection of saké during lunch is challenging. Most of the tours we offer start at Tsukiji Market which is of course only takes place in the morning. Sake no…
Horumon-yaki Rukuma Tokyo ホルモン焼 婁熊東京
Small bite When I crave offal I usually head to the casual standing bar Saisei Sakaba in Shinjuku. When I was contacted by the production team for Andrew Zimmern before his trip to Tokyo I suggested this restaurant and was thrilled to see it on his program. He is seen on the program behind the counter…
Tokyo Izakaya and Standing Bars
Grabbing a drink after work with colleagues or friends in Tokyo is great fun as there are so many options to choose from. These are some of my favorites from Food Sake Tokyo. Saiseisakaba This friendly tachinomi (standing bar) is located on the back streets of Shinjuku Sanchome. Designed with Showa era items, it feels…
Tokyo’s Top Places to Drink
Izakaya 居酒屋 are literally places to have something to drink. When I was working as a sommelier at the New York Bar and Grill at the Park Hyatt Tokyo my shift would end late at night, well after dinner. I would often stop by a local izakaya for a beer and some small bites. What…
Sake no Ana: Best Place for Tasting Sake for Lunch in Tokyo – Part 2/2
Sake no Ana 酒の穴 Chuo-ku, Ginza 3-5-8 03-3567-1133 3. Juyondai Honjozo 十四代 本醸造 Premium sake, very hard to purchase retail. Often sold at much higher prices on E-bay (Sakamoto-san, the sake sommelier said that the bottle we had would go for 10,000 JPY even though the retail price is only about 2,500 JPY.) From Yamagata prefecture. http://www.yukinosake.com/juyondai.html (sake brewery site in Japanese)…
Sake no Ana: Best Place for Tasting Sake for Lunch in Tokyo – Part 1/2
Sake no Ana 酒の穴 Chuo-ku, Ginza 3-5-8 03-3567-1133 There are many wonderful izakaya in Tokyo, however finding one that is open for lunch is a challenge. I was in particular looking for an izakaya with a wide variety of sake by the glass that is open for lunch. All of my favorites, including Sasagin and Takara…
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…
Shinjuku Hormone for Offal Cuisine
Shinjuku Hormone 新宿ホルモン Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku 3-12-3 新宿区新宿3-12-3 Tel. 03-3353-4129 Hours: 17:00 – 24:00, no holidays http://www.ishii-world.jp/brand/motsu/shinjuku-horumon/shinjukuhoru/ (Japanese) Shinjuku Horumon and Saiseisakaba are part of a chain of restaurants managed by Ishii Group. They are the specialists in naizo, evident by the top quality products they serve, their knowledgeable staff and the wide variety of items…
Saiseisakaba for Offal Ryori 再生酒場新宿三丁目
Saiseisakaba 再生酒場 Shinjuku 3-7-3, Marunaka Building 1st floor 新宿区新宿３−７−３ Tel. 03-3354-4829 17:00 – 24:00, no holidays http://www.ishii-world.jp/brand/motsu/nihonsaisei/shinjuku3/ (Japanese) On the back streets of Shinjuku Sanchome is this friendly tachinomi (standing bar). Designed with Showa era items so it feels like stepping back in time. The shop features grilled innards but you can have some items…
Indagare – My Tokyo Picks
Some of my favorite spots in Tokyo in an interview with Indagare – a great travel website. http://www.indagare.com/passions/4/departments/173/8165 (text follows) 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. Trained as a chef at the French Culinary…
Shinjuku – Saiseisakaba Standing Bar for Offal
Hormone ryori, also called naizo, have been very popular in Tokyo. Here you can eat different offal and innards of cows and pigs.
Food Sake Tokyo 