Tag Archives: 3.5 stars

{  Urth Caffe  }

Urth Caffe
Urth Caffe
Urth Caffe
Urth Caffe

One of LA’s popular cafes opened a store in Tokyo on April 24th, 2013. With it’s chic location in Daikanyama and its very spacious venue, I have a feeling that this cafe will do well. They have a great terrace seating and also allow guests to bring their dogs with them to dine (only for the terrace seats). Urth caffe is famous for their breakfast, organic coffees (especially the lattes), salads and more. We decided to order some of our favorite dishes: a full-size ‘Urth Salad’ (1360yen), Chicken Curry Sandwich (1600yen), and a large Green Tea latte (600yen). Although it feels a bit pricey, the food was the same sized portions as the US and it was yummy just as I remembered it.

I’m not a huge fan of the wall decor but the cafe was filled with beautiful orchids from famous celebrities to congratulate their recent opening. Seems like pro golfer Shigeki Maruyama is the mastermind who decided to bring this cafe to Japan. He loved it so much that he decided to bring it to Tokyo. If you are looking for a good breakfast or an American-style meal, definitely stop by Daikanyama.

Address // 8-9, Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5784-3301
Website // http://www.urthcaffe-japan.com/

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{  Cafe Z  }

Cafe Z
Cafe Z
Cafe Z
Cafe Z

Cafe Z is another hidden gem in the back-alleys of Omotesando. Located on the 2nd floor of a clothing store called “Cabane de Zucca”, this cafe is a nice and quiet place to relax. I’ve dined here for lunch and also stopped by just for tea. Everything i’ve had here has been pretty good and has had decent-sized portions as well.

Pictured above: Spicy Tomato noodles (1200yen), Avocado steak burger with paprika sauce and rice (1200yen), and the Roasted Chicken flavored of Tandori Masala (1200yen). I very much enjoyed their royal milk tea (730yen) and the cake (700yen). Loved sitting on the balcony/terrace, it felt like we were in the country side for a second. So peaceful and surrounded by trees, it’s a great place to chill.

PS: Cafe Z has menu’s in both Japanese and English.

Address // 3-13-14, Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5412-7527
Website // http://www.zucca.cc/index.html#/cafe

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{  Spice Cafe  }

Spice Cafe
Spice Cafe
Spice Cafe
Spice Cafe

“Spice Cafe” is rated #1 amongst curry restaurants in Japan on a popular Japanese review site. I’ve previously posted Minoringo, which was rated #1 in the Harajuku area on the same review site but this one is ranked #1 in Japan?? As you can imagine, that instantly gave me some high expectations…

I have been on a curry phase lately and decided to make a reservation at this curry house which is very close to Tokyo Skytree (I highly recommend making reservations). We arrived at noon and the place was already full. We ordered two “Pair curry lunch set’s” (1350yen/each) and 1 curry lunch set (950yen) for the 3 of us. All of the sets include a small salad, curry, and a small dessert with coffee/tea. The “Pair Curry” comes with a slightly smaller portion of 2 different types of curry instead of one larger size (although the size difference is kind of hard to tell from my photos and even in person it’s really not that much bigger…)

I got the chicken curry (mild) and the assam curry (spicy) and I enjoyed both of them. The one with tomato and spinach is the coconut curry which is a little on the sweeter side. One of the others pictured was the shrimp curry which was one of the daily specials. This place also offers the “Oomori” option (a free larger portion of rice) if you prefer more rice. The pickles on the rice were yummy and over all we enjoyed the meal. Even the assam curry which is considered spicy wasn’t too spicy for me and had a nice flavoring to it. The service was good but felt a little rushed as there were so many people waiting outside.

As for being ranked #1 in Japan, I wasn’t really that blown away. I felt like Moona was just as good, but perhaps that’s just me? If you’re into soupy curries, you would definitely like this place.

Address // 1-6-10, Bunka, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3613-4020
Website // http://www.spicecafe.info/

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{  Yoshizawa  }

Yoshizawa
Yoshizawa
Yoshizawa
Yoshizawa

Ginza Yoshizawa is known for their high quality wagyu-beef. A food journalist recommended this place on TV saying that you won’t find a restaurant that serves this level of high quality meat for this price in Tokyo. Since it looked delicious on tv… we decided to check it out.

We got the limited edition hamburg set that they only serve 10 plates per day (barely got it even though we got there 5min after the restaurant opened) + the Sukiyaki lunch set, both for 1575yen. Each set includes: all you can eat white rice, Japanese pickles, miso soup, a small salad, and fresh fruit (apple). We enjoyed both of our meals and we were quite full. Regardless, If you’re in the Ginza area and want an authentic Japanese-style lunch for this price, this is a solid choice.

Address // 3-9-19, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3542-2981
Website // http://www.ginza-yoshizawa.com

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{  ECHIRE  }

ECHIRE
ECHIRE
ECHIRE
ECHIRE

Have you heard of this artisan French butter called ECHIRE?

Known as one of the best butters in France, it is served in the finest dining establishments. ECHIRE has a store in Marunouchi (near Tokyo Station) where you can buy their famous butter, croissants, madelines, financiers, ice cream and more. As soon as you walk in the door to the store, you immediately smell the rich scent of butter. You can’t help but want to try everything but as you might expect it’s a bit pricey. Both the madeline’s and financier’s cost 315yen/each. Apparently people stand in line to buy the croissants here and they sell out by the morning time.

This store is located at the ‘Marunouchi Brick Building’, a beautiful European-inspired brick building that is just oh so lovely. It’s a great place to come hang out with your friends and loved ones on a sunny day.

Address // 2-6-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6269-9840
Website // http://www.kataoka.com/echire-maisondubeurre.html

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