Tag Archives: 3 stars

{  Soba Combo Watanabe – Ippudo  }

Soba Combo Watanabe (Ippudo)
Soba Combo Watanabe (Ippudo)

The famous Ippudo Ramen opened a Soba House in February (2012)!

It’s located inside of an Ippudo ramen house, but it’s separated into it’s own area once you walk in. They named it “Soba Combo Watanabe” and this Ippudo is actually the only one in world that serves soba at this point. It’s pretty interesting because they use their famous pork broth soup in one of their 4 menu options. The other 3 soba come with a katsuo (bonito)-based soup.

My friend and I both tried the “Spicy Tantanmen Soba” (790yen), and thought it was pretty good but it reminded us of the peanut sauce which is often used in Thai food. When you are about to finish your tantanmen, they give you some rice to eat is as “Zosui“, which i thought was fun. The other one pictured above is the “Imoten Soba” (730yen) and it felt like more of a traditional soba. Even though the soup was quite strong, I wish I had ordered that one! It comes with Sweet Potato Tempura and you eat one with the sauce, but they advise you to eat the second one with honey as a type of dessert.

Not sure how this new concept of Ippudo Soba will do here but it’s definitely is a fun idea. The employees were very nice and the ambiance was a traditional counter space with a modern twist.

Address // B1, 3-8-37, Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5772-1521
Website // http://www.ippudo.com/index.html

Food:
Decor:
Service:
Cost:



{  MOSDO  }

MOSDO
MOSDO
MOSDO

The first Mosdo in Tokyo opened yesterday! (On April 1st, 2012).

Mosdo – Sounds familiar but not sure what it is? Well, it’s a collaboration between Mos Burger and Mr. Donuts. It’s a dream come true for Mos burger and Mr. Donuts fans. It’s located 1 min from Ebisu West Exit, which is a really great location. I think that this collaboration has a high potential to be successful.

Although Mosdo doesn’t serve Mos Burger’s hamburgers or Mister Donut’s regular donuts, they have a variety of panini type sandwiches and sweets that you can enjoy. We got the ham and cheese panini (320yen) and Walnut Cookie Sandwich (190yen) to go. They were both just OK, but what can you expect for the price. I really want to try the Maple Butter Hotcake (280yen) next time, which you can only eat at the cafe.

Gotta admit, this place is kind of exciting!

Address // 1-10-7, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6408-9877
Website // http://mosdo.jp

Food:
Decor:
Service:
Cost:



{  Lion no iru Circus  }

Lion no iru Circus
Lion no iru Circus
Lion no iru Circus

This hidden cafe is called “ライオンのいるサーカス” which translates to, “a circus with a lion”. I know it doesn’t really make much sense, but that’s Japan for you :) If you look carefully, you’ll find some lion’s hidden throughout the cafe. The ambiance is very cute and cozy, but their chairs are pretty uncomfortable to actually sit in.

This place is famous for their tsukemen pasta. Instead of the sauce being on the pasta, you dip the pasta into the sauce. It’s actually pretty tasty and I purchased the add-on spice for 50yen which was worth it. The holiday brunch set includes a main dish, drink, and dessert for 1280yen. If you’re hungry, you can pay 200yen to get more noodles, which I wish I had done because it wasn’t enough food for me. Their “Lion salad” was 900yen and it was good but not great.

Overall a really cute place to hang out and chill with your friends or loved ones.

Address // 2-3-1, EbisuMinami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6452-3657
Website // http://tabisurucafe.com/ebisu/index.html

Food:
Decor:
Service:
Cost:



{  Rinato Kitchen  }

Rinato Kitchen
Rinato Kitchen

Rinato Kitchen serves cafe style Japanese food that is created with natural ingredients that is good for your body. This cafe’s concept is simply to provide good healthy meals for your everyday lifestyle. The cafe is rather small and you will be sitting within inches of the next table over but the food is good and it’s a cute place to go to if you’re in Ebisu.

They also have a spa, beauty, studio (yoga, pilates, etc) service on the higher floors.

Address // B1, 5-10-1, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5459-3106
Website // http://www.rinato.net/kitchen

Food:
Decor:
Service:
Cost:



{  Sarashin  }

Sarashin
Sarashin

Jiyugaoka is known for their cute shops and cafes but if you want something more traditional I suggest you try Sarashin, a soba/udon restaurant that has been around for ages. The “nabeyaki udon” (1700yen) that came in a hot pot was perfect on a cold day. I’ve also tried the “Kaiware Ume Soba” (1100yen) that is served cold and it was pretty good but perhaps not enough food if you’re hungry. The restaurant has traditional tatami seating or table seating so it’s up to your preference.

Address // 1-29-4, Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3717-1097
Website // n/a

Food:
Decor:
Service:
Cost: