Tag Archives: 3.5 stars

{  Rigoletto Kitchen  }

Rigoletto Kitchen
Rigoletto Kitchen
Rigoletto Kitchen

Rigoletto Kitchen is located in-between Shinbashi and Ginza where all the salary-men work. During lunch-time it gets packed with local business people. It’s an Italian/Spanish restaurant which serves a variety of affordable options for a great deal. I got the Assorted Mushroom Pasta (800yen) and added a B set (250yen) — which includes a sip of wine or juice before the meal, salad and drink. The pasta of the day (green spring pasta) was 900yen. The Panini was 900yen and includes a soup and drink in that price. What a great deal for the amount of food plus they don’t rush you to leave which is nice. The service was great too. My friend and I both enjoyed our pastas but the others who ordered the panini said it was more like a club sandwich than a panini.

When we saw the menu drawings, we immediately realized that this place is owned by the same owner as Hacienda Del Cielo, the Mexican place in Daikanyama!

Address // B1, 8-2-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5537-3351
Website // www.rigoletto.jp

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{  Bills – Shichirigahama  }

Bills - Shichirigahama
Bills - Shichirigahama

Finally got to eat at Bills in Shichirigahama!

This place is somehow known for having “The Worlds Best Breakfast”. I’m not sure if it really lives up to that standard but they sure do have some tasty food. Since we knew this place gets VERY crowded on the weekends, we went here during the week on a Friday hoping to avoid the crowds. We got there at around 1:30pm and were seated at 3:15pm… It ended up being almost a 2hr wait but we went to another cafe to kill time so it was fine.

Bills is located at a fabulous location. They have a great open view of the ocean and it’s very airy and bright. The cafe is decorated beautifully as well and I loved the feeling of the place. We ordered their famous ricotta cheese pancakes with banana and honeycomb butter (1400yen), Sweetcorn fritters with roasted tomato, spinach, bacon and avocado salad (1400yen), and Parmesan crumbed chicken schnitzel with spicy slaw (1500yen). They were all delicious and made us want to come back to try their scrambled eggs which is another one of their popular dishes.

I thought this place might just be all hype but now I can see why people love it. If only they didn’t have such a long wait I’d be there much more often.

Address // 1-1-1, Shichirigahama, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 0467-39-2244
Website // www.bills-jp.net

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{  Ginza Tatsutano  }

Ginza Tatsutano
Ginza Tatsutano

If you ever crave traditional Japanese sweets such as anmitsu, check out Ginza Tatsutano on chuo-street. Pictured above are the “Ogura Shiratama Anmitsu” (1100yen), “Yoyogimochi Anmitsu” (1000yen) with an extra topping of green tea ice cream (160yen) and the “Kuzumochi Kinako Anmitsu” (1000yen). They were all very authentic and perfectly satisfied our tea time craving :)

Address // 7-8-7, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3571-1400
Website // www.ginza-tatsutano.co.jp

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{  Cafe Yokohamaya  }

Cafe Yokohamaya
Cafe Yokohamaya

You’d never think of going into this coffee shop if you were just passing by, but it’s the quintessential traditional Japanese coffee shop that you can imagine seeing in the movies. Nothing fancy, it’s just a small coffee shop but it serves the perfect cup of coffee. The best thing about this place is their master/owner and his wife. They have run the shop for over thirty years and they haven’t let the waves of different trends in Japan influence it. For thirty years they’ve kept their menu simple and only serve three items: Hayashi Rice, cheese cake, and Tarte Tatin (Apple Pie). They make them all from scratch fresh daily and it’s really an impressive dedication to their craft. Go for lunch, you can get Hayashi Rice, coffee, and a small dessert for only 900yen.

This kind of old school coffee shop is very rare in Japan nowadays with Starbucks taking over everywhere, but I hope it doesn’t disappear because it’s not just the food and coffee that makes it special, but the character and dedication to quality that the master and his wife bring to it. If you’re wondering why their coffee is so good, it’s partly because all of their coffee beans are sourced from local growers and he doesn’t serve any beans that are more than a week old.

PS: The owner named this place Yokohamaya because that’s his hometown :)

Address // B1F, 1-11-2, Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3586-7486
Website // n/a

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{  Taiyaki Hiiragi  }

Taiyaki Hiiragi
Taiyaki Hiiragi

Taiyaki is an authentic and very distinct Japanese fish-shaped dessert. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Hiiragi is a small shop located in Ebisu that has Taiyaki with a subtle level of sweetness. If you eat it right when it’s freshly made, it’s perfectly crisp on the outside and the combination of the hot redbean filling with the cake surrounding it tastes so good. But remember, the key is to eat it when it’s freshly made since it’s crucial to have the beans be hot on the inside.

If you want to give Taiyaki a try, check this place out.

Address // 1-4-1, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3473-7050
Website // www.taiyakihiiragi.com

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