Category Archives: Restaurant

{  Stella  }

Stella
Stella
Stella
Stella

Stella is a local Italian restaurant right off of Gakugeidaigaku station in a quiet area right off the main street and it’s a hidden gem. It’s hard to get a seat since it only seats about 16 people and I’ve been wanting to come here for quite sometime now but never was able to because it was always full no matter what time I came. So we finally decided to make reservations and got to try this place. Results = :)

We got a table for the six of us and four of us ordered the dinner course that includes 2 appetizers, 1 starter, 1 pizza, 1 pasta, a dessert and drink ALL for 2900yen/each. The other two ordered individual items off of the menu but oh my goodness, we ordered way too much food. Just looking at these photos makes me full again… Anyhow, every plate was delicious. I particularly loved the starter “Italian veggie plate” that came with all sorts of marinated vegetables. The 2nd pasta you see was the special of the day which was a “uni cream pasta” which was surprisingly light and not too heavy on the uni (sea urchin). The desserts we ordered were pumpkin pudding and panna cotta.

It seems like this restaurant is owned by a husband and wife team, but I’m not certain. Either way, there’s only 1 chef and 1 server so don’t expect the service to be super fast here. However, the lady who served us was very polite and nice and didn’t mind answering any questions we had. If you are looking for more of a nice and quiet local restaurant to come to, definitely recommend this place.

Address // 3-14-3, Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3760-1851
Website // n/a

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{  Jin Din Rou — 京鼎樓  }

Jin Din Rou 京鼎樓
Jin Din Rou 京鼎樓
Jin Din Rou 京鼎樓

One of my favorite Chinese food is Xiaolongbao (小籠包). I’ve had my share of soup dumplings but I still can’t get over how much I fell in love with Xiaolongbao when I first tried Joe’s Shanghai in NYC. I also really enjoyed a small hole in the wall Fried Xiaolongbao place when I visited Shanghai as well. So when I found out that Joe’s Shanghai opened in Ginza, I was so excited yet disappointed because it just didn’t taste like the same Xiaolongbao that I fell in love with. I’ve also tried a few other places here and there but still haven’t found my go to spot. If you know of an amazing spot, please let me know.

In the mean time, I found a pretty decent place in Ebisu so I thought I’d share it with you. I went during lunch time and I got the lunch set that included Xiaolongbao and tantanmen noodles and my friend got the fried rice with Xiaolongbao set. They were both decent but not to die for. It’s still a pretty good deal and conveniently close to Ebisu station so if you’ve got a craving and you’re in the area check it out.

Address // 4-3-1, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5795-2255
Website // http://jin-din-rou.net/

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{  Bar Espanol LABODEGA  }

Bar Espanol LABODEGA
Bar Espanol LABODEGA
Bar Espanol LABODEGA

Even though we came here right when it opened, we had to wait in line for about an hour to dine here. La Bodega is located on the 7F of Shbiuya Hikarie and is clearly very popular considering the line was so long and it was one of the few restaurants that had a line.

We finally got seated and ordered 2 different kinds of paella. “Paella de Marsiscos” a sea food paella for 1600yen and “Paella de Chorizo y Setas” a chroizo and mushroom paella for 1500yen. They both come with an anti pasto plate which wasn’t very impressive but the paella was pretty good. The flavoring was strong and the portion was large. The garlic mayo that comes on the side was also good.

The location is great since it’s right by Shibuya station so if you’re craving for paella and you don’t mind a bit of a wait, check this place out!

Address // Hikarie 7F, 2-21-1, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6434-1480
Website // Bar Espanol LABODEGA Website

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{  Shokkan — 食幹  }

Shokkan
Shokkan
Shokkan

Shokkan is located In the basement floor of a random building in Shibuya but let me tell you this place was awesome. We went during lunch time and we knew it would be good as soon as we noticed the wait outside the door before it even opened and how it was completely packed within a few minutes after opening. This Japanese restaurant serves three options during lunch: Tsukemen, Today’s Fish Set, or Today’s Meat Set (each for 1000yen).

I highly recommend their Tsukemen. The quality is quite high considering that it’s not officially a tsukemen or ramen house. The tsukemen comes in 3 different flavors: Soy, Sesame Miso, or Curry. We ordered the soy and I really loved it. It’s nice that it comes with all sorts of toppings and also includes a choice of rice or rice crackers so you can eat it as a porridge at the end. Their other dish is a Fish of the day plate and it was Shrimp and Eggplant on the day I visited. It was good as well but the tsukemen was the highlight. Looks like they have this restaurant at Soramachi too with a different menu. Check it out!

Address // HAKKA B1F, 3-5-5, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3797-1911
Website // http://www.discovery-t.com

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{  Kageyamarou – 蔭山樓  }

Kageyamarou
Kageyamarou
Kageyamarou

This Chinese restaurant in Jiyugaoka has amazing chicken broth salt noodles (鶏白湯塩そば) which are similar to a golden chicken-broth ramen soup! The soup is delicious and it’s great that they give you just a little bit of rice so you can enjoy it as a porridge at the end.

Two of us ordered the chicken broth salt noodles (鶏白湯塩そば) lunch set which is a 3-course meal and the other two ordered the Shark-fin (フカヒレ姿煮) lunch special that is a 5-course meal.

– The Chicken Broth Salt Noodles Lunch set includes a steamed vegetable plate, main dish, and a dessert for 1500yen.
– The Shark-fin lunch special includes: a steamed vegitable plate, shrimp mayo salad, main dish, half sized chicken broth salt noodles, and a dessert for 3000yen.

I highly recommend making reservations in advance if you plan to come here. This place also currently happens to be the highest rated restaurant on a Japanese food review site in Jiyugaoka and I can see why.

Address // 2-8-21, Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3718-6436
Website // http://www.kageyamarou.com/

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