{ Chen Kenichi Mabo Tofu }

2012, Aug 20

We were at Minato Mirai in Yokohama over the weekend and wanted to enjoy some good food so my friend suggested this Mabo Tofu place which turned out to be owned by one of the most famous Chinese chefs, Chen Kenichi. Chen Kenichi is best known for his role on the television Iron Chef. He is the only Iron Chef to have held his position throughout the entire lifetime of the show. He was born in Japan to ethnic Han Chinese parents of Japanese nationality (according to wikipedia). His restaurant is spelled like this in Japanese: 陳建一麻婆豆腐店.

Anyhow, all of us got the classic mabo tofu lunch set for 1050yen and LOVED it. It was delicious. We were told that even the “regular” is very spicy so we ordered the “non-spicy” version and it was still a little spicy…haha The set comes with Mabo tofu, rice, soup, and za-sai(搾菜). Whenever I crave mabo tofu, I’m definitely coming back here!

Just a tip, when you are ordering, don’t forget to mention the free dessert coupon! You can print it out or just show it from your smart phone here! You can choose between mango pudding and anintofu(杏仁豆腐/almond jelly). (Not sure how long the coupon lasts but seems like a very common coupon that everyone uses.)

Address // 2-2-1, Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 045-222-5111
Website // www.sisen.jp/outline/branch.html

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{ Mother’s Shokudo }

2012, Aug 16

I’ve been wanting to dine here for a while now and I finally got to check it out. This restaurant is in Roppongi Hills and although it looks super fancy from the outside, the concept is “Mother’s homemade dishes”. And they literally do bring out very common Japanese home-style meals including 2 small side dishes of your choice. It also seemed like they hired elder mom-like ladies to bring out the food to make you feel like you’re at home?! The name of the restaurant actually means “Mother’s Dining Room”.

Their lunch menu is rather simple and has everyone’s favorite dishes such as curry, tonkatsu, fish, hamburg, etc and they are all under or around 1000yen! There’s also a “healthy lunch” option so if you are on a diet, you can still eat here. It’s really a great deal in this high-end building and beautiful space. The juxtaposition of the concept and the ambiance is a little ironic but it’s a nice and easy place to grab a meal so check it out if you’re in the area.

Address // 5F Westwalk, Roppongi Hills, 6-10-1, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5413-9577
Website // www.mothers.jpn.com

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{ AW Kitchen }

2012, Aug 13

This was my first time in this new building in Futakotamagawa which opened last spring called Dog Wood Plaza (it has nothing to do with dogs) and I was impressed. It has lots of good stores, an amazing depachika (food floor), and their sit-down restaurant area on the top floor is not bad. I rarely come to this side of town but I gotta say, Futakotamagawa was happening. Anyhow, we dined at this pasta house on the 7th floor and had a pretty good experience.

AW Kitchen emphasizes that they get their produce from local farmers and as soon as you walk in, you’ll notice a middle island that has a small salad bar. It’s a pasta house but the great thing about it is that they have all you can eat veggies/salad bar. It’s not just your typical salad bar, it has everything from sauteed Japanese eggplants and pumpkin salad to grilled onions and potatoes. So basically, you choose a pasta dish of your choice, and which ever pasta you choose comes with an all you can eat salad bar. So it’s great for those of you who want to get a balanced meal with veggies in your diet along with a satisfying main dish since this place let’s you enjoy as much veggies as you want.

The simple basil and tomato pasta was 1280yen and the mushroom and Japanese radish and shiso leaf pasta was 1380yen. You can add 600yen to get a dessert and drink of your choice too. Check it out if you happen to be in Futakotamagawa.

Address // 7F Dog Wood Plaza, 2-23-1, Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6805-6051
Website // http://www.dogwood-plaza.com/shop/702.html

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{ Bangkok Kitchen }

2012, Aug 1

Found a Thai restaurant in Jiyugaoka and my friends and I were all pleasantly surprised with how good it was. As summer is kicking in to full effect here in Tokyo it’s so hot and humid outside that the nice air conditioning in this restaurant felt SO good. The yellow Thai curry (1000yen) and the egg noodle soup (900yen) were both good, the pad woon sen (1050yen) was a little strong on the flavoring, and the Gapao (1000yen) was a bit spicy but good. The staff also was very attentive and kind. Will be back here whenever I have my Thai food cravings here in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo.

Address // 2F, 1-14-15, Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5701-0396
Website // www.bangkok-kitchen.com

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{ Shared Terrace }

2012, Jul 27

Is this really Tokyo? This place feels very European and I love the area it’s located in. It’s right in the middle of Gaienmae and Aoyama-ichome, on a famous street called Gaienmae Ichonamiki. Shared Terrace is a café/bakery which is produced by Afternoon Tea. They serve breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner and they have a bakery shop inside. It’s a nice place to come on a sunny day to sit on the terrace and people watch + enjoy the beautiful atmosphere and view. The outdoor terrace seating really makes this place special, it’s not very common to find places like this here in Japan.

The food is prety tasty and their special lunch plate which changes daily is one of my favorite dishes to order. I also very much enjoyed their bolognese pasta and iced latte (which is included with the purchase of any lunch dish). It gets very crowded on weekends and lunch time so definitely try to go here early if you don’t want to wait.

祝 ★★★ This is my 100th post!! :)

Address // 2-1-15, KitaAoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5772-1585
Website // www.facebook.com/sharedterrace

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