{  Tsuru Ton Tan — つるとんたん  }

Tsuru Ton Tan -- つるとんたん
Tsuru Ton Tan -- つるとんたん
Tsuru Ton Tan -- つるとんたん
Tsuru Ton Tan -- つるとんたん

Tsuru: tsuru tsuru tsuru the sound of eating udon
Ton: ton ton ton the sound of making the noodles
Tan: tan tan tan the sound of cutting the noodles

This chain udon restaurant on the 10th floor of Tokyu Plaza in Ginza opened in the Spring of 2016 and is not only beautifully designed but is also spacious and has quite the luxurious feel to it with a grand piano and bar. At night you can enjoy some live Jazz music and surprisingly the udon is affordable despite the location and ambiance.

You can choose from regular thickness or thin noodles and the udon comes in quite a large bowl with a large spoon. Above are the Niku udon (980yen) and Mentaiko udon (1280yen). How pretty is this salad? Tsuruton salad for two (1080yen). Everything was delicious, highly recommend!

PS: They are also located at Haneda Airport International Terminal.

Address // Tokyu Plaza 10F, 5-2-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6264-5326
Website // http://www.tsurutontan.co.jp/shop/ginza-udon/

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{  Oreno Kappou — 俺の割烹  }

Oreno Kappou -- 俺の割烹
Oreno Kappou -- 俺の割烹
Oreno Kappou -- 俺の割烹
Oreno Kappou -- 俺の割烹
Oreno Kappou -- 俺の割烹

In case you haven’t seen my post on Oreno Italian Jazz, I recommend reading it before checking this post out.

The Oreno group has been super popular in Tokyo with their affordable restaurants which provide unbelievable prices for what you get. Each Oreno series restaurant has chefs from famous hotels in charge and the only reason they can provide incredible prices is because most of the dining area is standing room only plus they only let you stay for two hours max.

I loved Oreno Italian and this is another great Oreno restaurant that specializes in Japanese food. Because the portions are a little smaller, you might eat a little more than the Italian Jazz but it’s still a great deal. Pictured above are:

– Mizudashi Gyokuro (水出し玉露) 1200yen
– Wagyu Sukiyakinabe (和牛すきやき鍋) 499yen
– Ebi Tenpura (海老天婦羅) x3 1280yen
– Carpaccio 780yen
– Renko Tai Sanshoyaki (レンコ鯛山椒焼き) 780yen
– Ageebishinjyou (揚げ海老シンジョウ) 480yen
– Daikon 480yen
– Nanbanzuke (南蛮漬け) 480yen
– Sabasushi (鯖寿司) 680yen
– Hojicha Pudding (ほうじ茶プリン) 280yen

There’s a 300yen music charge per guest since they have a live singer perform which I think is totally worth it. If you are near Shinbashi/Ginza and have time to wait in line, definitely check this place out! For tips on how to get a table, read my Oreno Italian Post.

Hours // Monday-Saturday: 3 – 11pm, Sunday: 3 – 10:30pm

Address // 8-8-17, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6280-6948
Website // http://goo.gl/yo9Xeq

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{  CENTRE the Bakery  }

CENTRE the Bakery
CENTRE the Bakery
CENTRE the Bakery
CENTRE the Bakery
CENTRE the Bakery
CENTRE the Bakery

I have never been to a “Toast” specialty store until I discovered CENTRE the Bakery and all I can say is it’s Toast Heaven!

I love Toast, bakeries, pastries, anything bread. So when I found out there’s a delicious high quality Toast Specialty cafe that opened in Ginza with lines out the door, I had to come check it out. (It usually takes about an 1-1.5hrs to purchase just the toast)

As you can see, the cafe/restaurant is adorable and has a nice ambiance. They serve 3 different types of Toast which they label on their menu “JP”, “NA”, and “EB”.

● 角食パン(北海道産の小麦粉ゆめちからを使用。湯種液種製法で作った食パン。そのまま食べるのがおすすめ)
● プルパン(米国・カナダ産の小麦粉を使用。湯種液種製法で作った食パン。そのままでも焼いてもおいしい)
● イギリスパン(北米産の小麦粉を使用。36時間低温発酵させて作った山型食パン。VILONで人気のバゲットレトロドール使用)

We tried the Toast Sampler with 3 different types of butter (they use gourmet butter such as Echire) that also comes with a glass of milk for 1050yen, Croque Madame for 1470yen, BLT Sandwich for 1260yen as well as the Club Sandwich for 1890yen.

The fun part about trying their toast sampler is that you can choose your own fancy toaster from multiple options which are displayed throughout the cafe. I have to admit it’s a little pricey for just Toast/Sandwiches (I mean who charges 6300yen for a beef cutlet sandwich?!) but if you are into beautiful high quality Toast, it may be a fun and unique experience to splurge and enjoy something different. Everything was delicious!

Toast Purchase Hours // 10am – 7pm (Toast may sell out earlier)
Lunch/Cafe Hours// 10am – 5pm
Dinner Hours // 6pm – 11pm (Different Menu. Don’t have Toast)

Address // 1-2-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3562-1016
Website // n/a

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{  Ginza Sushidokoro Marui  }

Ginza Sushidokoro Marui
Ginza Sushidokoro Marui
Ginza Sushidokoro Marui
Ginza Sushidokoro Marui
Ginza Sushidokoro Marui

Found a pretty good sushi lunch spot in Ginza. Located in a back alley behind the Matsuya Ginza Department store, this is a hidden but popular place amongst Japanese businessmen and OLs. It’s easy, good, and affordable. We came here on a weekday right when the restaurant opened and we were 3rd in line. The line was a lot longer when we came out after eating though.

Pictured above are the “Zukeana Chirashi/づけ穴ちらし” (1200yen) and “Tokusen Chirashi/特選ちらし” (1500yen). The Zukeana Chirashi comes with Anago + Tuna but all sorts of yumminess is hidden underneath the rice plus it even includes a soup and all this for only 1200yen. The Tokusan Chirashi comes with a whopping 16 pieces of sushi + soup for only 1500yen and it was quite filling- I almost couldn’t finish my lunch. This is a nice option for those of you who are already in Ginza and feel like eating sushi for lunch.

Lunch Hours // 11:30am – 2:30pm

Address // 3-8-15, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3564-8601
Website // n/a

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{  Oreno Italian Jazz — 俺のイタリアン  }

Oreno Italian Jazz - 俺のイタリアンJazz
Oreno Italian Jazz - 俺のイタリアンJazz
Oreno Italian Jazz - 俺のイタリアンJazz
Oreno Italian Jazz - 俺のイタリアンJazz
Oreno Italian Jazz - 俺のイタリアンJazz

If you haven’t heard of the “Oreno Italian”, “Oreno French”, aka “Oreno” series, you might be missing out on one of the most popular casual restaurant dinning sensations in Japan right now.

The concept of this restaurant is to serve top notch food with high quality ingredients for an incredible price. The lead chef and owner, Toshihiro Yamaura, used to work for a 3-star Michelin rated restaurant and then decided to open his own idea of serving beautiful and tasty food for an affordable price so he hired fellow talented chefs and got it started. What’s the catch? There’s a two hour time limit and you have to stand through your dinner. The restaurant is barely making money on the cost of the food itself, but by enforcing the time limits they can get through 4 rounds of service and serve 160 people in the restaurant per day. When standing and eating, people will naturally leave before their 2-hour time limit and the service keeps on schedule. There is a limited number of sit down tables but it’s incredibly difficult to make a reservation. I think the best way to make reservation is to just go to the restaurant and ask for one at the location itself but keep in mind that you can only make a reservation up to a month in advance.

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