{ Ippudo Ramen }

2012, Jan 30

Ippudo ramen is famous for their tonkotsu-based (pork) soup which originated from Hakata, Japan. They are located through out Japan, and in recent years, they have branched out to locations internationally such as Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, and Seoul (though their international locations have slightly different menus).

Depending on the location, there are lines out the door, and during lunch it’s usually hard to get a seat. If it’s your first time, I recommend you try their “akamaru” or “shiromaru” ramen with a side of gyoza – so good! If you are craving a spicy ramen, try their “Ippudo karakamen” — for which you can specify different levels of spicyness (I can only go up to level 3!). I also love that they have a wide variety of condiments and side dishes so you can mix up the flavors. For example, they have takana, ginger, crushed sesame seeds, garlic etc. The moyashi (a free side-dish) that is on the table is slightly spicy but is one of my favorite things to eat before having ramen.

PS: Check out what you get when becoming an Ippudo Premium Member

Address // 1-3-13, Hiro, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5420-2225
Website // www.ippudo.com

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{ Artichaut }

2012, Jan 17

Artichaut is a Michelin 1-star rated restaurant in Ebisu/Hiroo area (about a 10 min walk from Ebisu station). The decor of the restaurant is lacking but the great food makes up for it. We had the 2300-yen lunch course and I chose the beautiful organic Kamakura vegetable for my starter (pictured at the top). The dish is made with more than 13 vegetables and I was very impressed with how they melded them together so perfectly — it was an art piece that was too pretty to eat. The main dish, beef bourguignon, literally melted in my mouth. The dessert was very good as well.

The restaurant is very quiet and it doesn’t have many seats so it feels a bit like everyone can hear your conversation, but if you want delicious french cuisine definitely check this place out.

Address // 2-6-29, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3446-9747
Website // n/a

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{ Dinner at Aila }

2012, Jan 13

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Note: According to their website, looks like Aila will be temporary closed/remodeling. They plan to re-open sometime between Fall 2014 to Spring 2015.
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Aila for dinner is very warm, romantic, and refined. The dinner menu and the food style are completely different from the lunch service. Dinner is presented in the form of a course menu which includes an amuse bouche, appetizer, main dish, and dessert. Surprisingly, the appetizer I ordered (tomato gazpacho soup pictured towards the top right) was my favorite dish of the night – truly delicious! The main dishes were also good, but the desserts left me a little disappointed for some reason.

Overall, it was a good meal but if I had to compare their lunch and dinner, I would choose lunch without a doubt. Their lunch dishes are just too good to be true for incredibly low prices. I would still recommend dinner at Aila for a special occasion though :)

Address // 1-16-3, EbisuMinami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5721-6063
Website // www.rvs.jp/aila

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{ Lunch at Aila }

2012, Jan 12

ohh Aila. This little french restaurant is adorable inside and out. You walk in and you immediately feel cozy because of the friendly staff and cute decor. I will be splitting this one into two separate posts – one for lunch and one for dinner – since they have completely different menus.

Aila for lunch is not only delicious but also the best deal out there. There’s a few lunch specials available (Quiche/Salad/Fish/Meat) and they only serve 10 of each special per day. The specials typically include a small soup, salad, bread, main dish, coffee, and a small dessert. It’s an unbeatable deal and it’s worth every penny. I particularly love that they always change up their ingredients in their main dishes and desserts so you never get tired of ordering the same dish.

Just a tip, the restaurant opens at 11:30am and if you’re not there when it opens, you might have a hard time getting a seat.

Address // 1-16-3, EbisuMinami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5721-6063
Website // http://rvsinformation.com/aila/

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{ Blacows }

2012, Jan 5

In Japan, there are many famous high-quality meats – including Kobe Beef, Matsuzaka-gyu, etc. And then there is ‘Yazawa meat’, and A5 rank wagyu-beef. Blacows is a burger joint that uses strictly Yazawa meat and it is SO GOOD. The combination of their meat, bun (specially made by Maison Kayser!), and sauces makes the most mouth watering burger I’ve had yet. I used to love Mos Burger (a popular fast food burger place in Japan), but after having Blacows, it’s just not the same anymore… the quality and taste are at a completely different level. I’ve also tried some other popular burger joints in town such as ‘Burger Mania’, but none of them have beat Blacows in my book. This place has consistently been a crowd-pleaser for all of our friends, and I highly recommend that you try it too.

If it’s your first time, you should try their signature Bacon Cheese Avocado Burger, you won’t regret it. Since I’ve gone so many times, I keep on changing the ingredients I choose inside. Their cobb salad is good as well. To my friends in California, this beats In-N-Out burgers!!

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BlacowsはA5ランクの黒毛和牛のみを取り扱う矢澤ミート直営のハンバーガーshopです。こちらのお肉、バン（メゾンカイザー特注品！）、タルタルソースの織りなすコンビネーションは、今まで私が食べてきた数々の中でも一番美味しいと言っても過言ではありません。バンズの旨みと黒毛和牛のパティの旨さが本当に素晴らしい相性です。Blacowsを知る前はモスからAS Classicsまでいろいろ食べていましたが、このジューシーな和牛パティに香ばしいパンを一緒に食べてしまうと同じハンバーガーなのに全くの別物だとすぐわかります。個人的にはポテトがイマイチ残念なのですが、周りの友人達の間でも”ハズさないハンバーガー店”として定番化していますので、是非一度訪れてみて下さい。

私は毎回違うバーガーを頼んで楽しんでいます。サイドメニューのコブサラダもおいしいですよ。

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Address // 2-11-9, EbisuNishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3477-2914
Website // www.kuroge-wagyu.com/bc/

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Tag Archives: 恵比寿

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