Tag Archives: 4 stars

{  Warito — 和利道  }

Warito 和利道
Warito 和利道
Warito 和利道

I haven’t really found my favorite tsukemen spot because I’m more of a ramen person… I LOVE ramen but I think I’ve found the first tsukemen place that I actually want to go back to. This place was introduced to me by my friend who loves it and once you go it’s easy to see why.

The ambiance is Japanese modern, the service is great, and most importantly the tsukemen is really good. It seems that they serve pork broth soup for lunch and chicken broth soup for dinner. The broth is thick but not to the point where it’s too heavy. As my friend says, it’s a “hearty soup” and it just gives you the feeling of something like home.

Anyhow, I ordered the “Ajitama tsukemen” which comes with the flavored egg. I chose the cold noodle over the hot noodle (atsumori) and got the 250g. You can choose between 200g, 250g, and 300g and the price is all the same (tip: hard core tsukemen fans tend to order the cold noodles because they don’t want their noodles to get soggy). Since I eat slow, my soup cooled down and with the cold noodles on top I was regretting not ordering the atsumori. But then a nice surprise happened — the staff came out with this super hot black stone that looked like a black egg. You basically put that into your soup and it instantly heats it up again! I was really impressed with their noodles as well, they had a nice firm texture with good flavor. Turns out their noodles are actually made by Murakamiasahi-seimen, a famous noodle maker in Japan.

Hope you get to try this place out!

Address // 3-7-10, Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5456-0278
Website // n/a

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{  Ondoru — おんどる  }

Ondoru
Ondoru
Ondoru
Ondoru

Finally found my Korean spot!! This was such an exciting find that my friend and I came back here 3 weeks in a row… This place is in Shinokubo which is known as the Korea Town of Tokyo. I’ve been dying to check out this little town in search for some good Korean food so when I finally came here and discovered this restaurant I was really excited. One thing to keep in mind is that this place not exactly a hidden gem, it’s VERY popular amongst all sorts of age groups, couples, and families. There’s constant long waits even during week days so be prepared to stand in line.

Anyhow, although I still want to go back and try more things on their menu I have to say that hands down their samgyeopsal (1180yen per person) is amazing. The meat that they use is thicker than normal, and do you see the tilted pan that has kimchi at the bottom? The pork fat starts dripping down the kimchi along with the garlic and the other ingredients. When you finally wrap everything in the lettuce leaf and dip it into their sauce… it’s SO good. I also loved their naengmyeon (980yen) which is a cold noodle dish. A lot of places don’t do this dish right but this place does it well and it’s perfect for the hot summer in Tokyo right now.

I will be back here in no time.

Address // 1-3-20 Hyakunincho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3205-5679
Website // http://www.e-ondoru.com

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{  Chen Kenichi Mabo Tofu  }

Chen Kenichi Mabo Tofu
Chen Kenichi Mabo Tofu
Chen Kenichi Mabo Tofu

We were at Minato Mirai in Yokohama over the weekend and wanted to enjoy some good food so my friend suggested this Mabo Tofu place which turned out to be owned by one of the most famous Chinese chefs, Chen Kenichi. Chen Kenichi is best known for his role on the television Iron Chef. He is the only Iron Chef to have held his position throughout the entire lifetime of the show. He was born in Japan to ethnic Han Chinese parents of Japanese nationality (according to wikipedia). His restaurant is spelled like this in Japanese: 陳建一麻婆豆腐店.

Anyhow, all of us got the classic mabo tofu lunch set for 1050yen and LOVED it. It was delicious. We were told that even the “regular” is very spicy so we ordered the “non-spicy” version and it was still a little spicy…haha The set comes with Mabo tofu, rice, soup, and za-sai(搾菜). Whenever I crave mabo tofu, I’m definitely coming back here!

Just a tip, when you are ordering, don’t forget to mention the free dessert coupon! You can print it out or just show it from your smart phone here! You can choose between mango pudding and anintofu(杏仁豆腐/almond jelly). (Not sure how long the coupon lasts but seems like a very common coupon that everyone uses.)

Address // 2-2-1, Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 045-222-5111
Website // www.sisen.jp/outline/branch.html

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{  Manneken  }

Manneken
Manneken
Manneken

Oh my! We were walking through Ginza and couldn’t help but stop to find where this sweet smell was coming from. We noticed it was coming from this small Belgian waffle store named Manneken and there was a small line out the door. Just like us, many on-goers couldn’t help but stop to check out this store as well and the line kept getting longer. We waited a few minutes and got to the counter and decided to try the plain (126yen) and the maple (147yen) waffles. Both were delicious! Soft and chewy, not too sweet but sweet enough, and the sugar coating on the sides were yummy. Can’t believe I’ve never noticed this place until now but hightly recommend it for a treat :)

Address // 5-7-19, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3289-0141
Website // http://www.manneken.co.jp

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{  Streamer Coffee Company  }

Streamer Coffee Company
Streamer Coffee Company

Streamer Coffee Company is owned by Hiroshi Sawada, who was crowned “The World’s Best Latte Artist” in Seattle’s free pour latte art championship back in 2008. This coffee shop is located slightly off the main area of Shibuya but it’s definitely worth checking out since it’s a cozy & hip place for anyone who enjoys a good latte and the art of beautifully drawn latte art. Unfortunately the champion himself wasn’t there when we came here for coffee, but the barista still drew the pretty latte art pictured above. Their coffee menu is very small but they definitely do it well. I very much enjoyed my latte and I plan to come back to get my coffee fix whenever I’m in Shibuya.

Address // 1-20-28, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6427-3705
Website // http://streamercoffee.com

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