Category Archives: Restaurant

{  Isehiro — 伊勢廣  }

Isehiro -- 伊勢廣
Isehiro -- 伊勢廣
Isehiro -- 伊勢廣
Isehiro -- 伊勢廣

Time for some yakitori?

There’s a ton of yakitori places in Tokyo but where can you go that is both good and affordable? I previously shared Yakitori Nenohi from Ga-do shita which I still think is a great place to experience a very Japanese Izakaya-style yakitori, but I found another spot that I also recommend.

You would never know there’s a yakitori place here as it’s quite old school and is located in the underground floors of Hotel New Otani (which is a maze!). Isehiro is one of those yakitori places that has been around for ages. The place feels old but there’s something comforting about it and the service was good.

We ordered the “5 sticks yakitori lunch plate set” for 1785yen. The choice of yakitori are all decided for you but if you want to switch something out, they will happily do it for you. They also give you a choice of recieving all your yakitori sticks at once or one at a time.

We decided to ask for all 5 yakitori sticks from our set to come at the same time but since I’m not a fast eater, my 4th and 5th one’s were cold by the time I ate them so perhaps I should have gotten them one at a time. Also, I was full by my 4th stick so I should have ordered one less. All in all, everything was good and my favorites were momo (thigh) and negiyaki (green onions wrapped with chicken thigh). If you are by Yotsuya, Kojimachi, Nagatacho or Akasakamitsuke, stop by Hotel New Otani and give this place a try.

Address // Hotel New Otani B1F, 4-1, Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3221-4101
Website // http://www.isehiro.co.jp/otani.html

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{  Gozenbo — 御膳房  }

Gozenbo -- 御膳房
Gozenbo -- 御膳房
Gozenbo -- 御膳房
Gozenbo -- 御膳房

Gozenbo is a nice Chinese restaurant tucked away in one of the side streets surrounding Roppongi hills. The lunch sets are a great deal – everything is around 1000yen and the portions are very generous.

I got the ‘Mabo tofu lunch set’ which includes a salad, soup, pickles, and dessert for 950yen and I couldn’t even finish my plate. (Tip: their mabo tofu is quite spicy so if you’re like me and you can’t handle too much spice, ask them to lessen the spiciness when you place your order.) The other set pictured above is the ‘Fried chicken with hot spice’ which also comes with a salad, soup, pickles, and dessert for 950yen. Both dishes were tasty and I would recommend them. However, while eating we noticed that the tables around us were ordering half and half lunch sets. It seems like you can actually order half mabo tofu and half fried chicken type of thing but perhaps it’s a little more in price? I would have loved to do that to get more variety.

If you are in the Roppongi area and looking for a decent Chinese place, I would recommend this place.

Address // 6-8-15, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3470-2218
Website // http://www.gozenbo.com/

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{  Sushiya no Yoshikan — すし屋の芳勘  }

Sushiya no Yoshikan - すし屋の芳勘
Sushiya no Yoshikan - すし屋の芳勘
Sushiya no Yoshikan - すし屋の芳勘
Sushiya no Yoshikan - すし屋の芳勘

We hadn’t had sushi in a while and had a craving for it so we did some research and decided to try this place and surprisingly had a great experience.

Ordered the “Matsu Nigiri Lunch Set” for 2500yen. The set comes with a starter, miso soup, pickles, chawanmushi/茶碗蒸し, 8 pieces of sushi, tamgao, negitoromaki (6 pieces), and a small dessert. Best of all, we didn’t have to stand in line or wake up early to eat there like we would have had to in Tsukiji. There were lots of locals dining there during lunch time and I have to say we were quite full and satisfied after our meal.

Here are their Nigiri/Chirashi lunch sets which are served only between 12pm-2pm for this special price:
– Ume(梅) 1500yen
– Take(竹) 2000yen
– Matsu(松) 2500yen
– Tokujyo(特上) 3000yen

If you’re looking for a decent sushi restaurant near Meguro-ku with quality fish at an affordable price, check out Yoshikan.

Address // 3-16-19, Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3793-6261
Website // http://www.susi-yoshikan.jp/index.html

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{  Betonamuchan – ベトナムちゃん  }

Betonamuchan - ベトナムちゃん
Betonamuchan - ベトナムちゃん
Betonamuchan - ベトナムちゃん
Betonamuchan - ベトナムちゃん
Betonamuchan - ベトナムちゃん

I’ve been searching for a good Vietnamese Restaurant recently without too much luck. Then a few readers recommended me some places to check out (Thank you!) so I finally got to try one of them – and it was exactly what I was looking for. Located in a random back alley which is a little hard to find, this Vietnamese restaurant is filled with a diverse crowd of people and it was constantly filled with customers. I’ve visited both during the weekday and weekend and I’d have to say it’s pretty solid.

On the weekend, they have 2 lunch sets to choose from or you can also order items from their menu a la carte.
[ A set ] Spring roll, fried spring roll, salad of your choice, main dish of your choice, and a dessert for 1480yen.
[ B set ] Spring roll, fried spring roll, salad of your choice, sauteed dish of your choice, main dish of your choice, and a dessert for 1980yen.
On the weekdays, their lunch sets are all 850yen. You choose a main dish of your choice out of 3 options. I surprisingly couldn’t finish my lunch set because of the size of their generous portions! The last photo pictured above is from the weekday lunch.

They are very generous with their portions and the food is tasty & authentic. So far the chicken pho is my favorite.

Address // 1-19-17, Hyakunincho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3365-0107
Website // n/a

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{  Sunano Misaki — 砂の岬  }

Sunano Misaki
Sunano Misaki
Sunano Misaki
Sunano Misaki

Found a lovely cozy curry house that serves authentic Indian-style curry. The place is tiny and only seats 8 guests at a time. All the details like the chairs, menus, and drink coasters have a nice handmade touch and the place is adorably decorated. Although the service was slow, many people happily waited in line. We ended up waiting about 30min outside and another 30 min inside before we actually received our food.

This place seems to be run by a husband and wife team and most of the regulars already know that the service is slow so they bring a book with them or kill time with their smartphones while they patiently wait for their food. We ordered the Lunch Set for 1230yen which includes 2 different types of curry. We went with the Chicken and vegetable. The portions are rather small but this place really knows how to make tasty Indian-style curry and you can tell that the owners really put a lot of love into their food. Everything was delicious and I already want to go back. Seems like the owners really love India and often travel there. The restaurant is frequently closed so make sure you check when they are open on their website if you decide to visit. They also have a take-out section (make sure you call in advance if you plan to use it).

Address // 2-6-14, Shinmachi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 080-4248-7720
Website // http://www.sunanomisaki.com

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