The Best Banh Mi in Tokyo

I've searched high. I've searched low and I can say with certainty, that the Banh Mi Sandwich shop in Takadanobaba is the best Banh Mi you'll find in Tokyo. The bread is baked fresh on site and they flavor their meats with a lot of lemongrass. Now, keep in mind, I didn't say these are the best banh mi sandwiches ever but definitely the best in Tokyo. For example, there's no pate and no hot peppers. I'm also pretty sure they use Korean kochujang instead of Sriracha. But hey, they do their best.

In any case, this place makes me happy and gets the job done. They also make desserts and breads you can buy to go.

Banh Mi Sandwich Takadanobaba (バインミーサンドイッチ　高田馬場）
新宿区高田馬場 4-9-18
畔上セブンビル101


* Take the Waseda exit at JR Takadanobaba Station, go left down the main street, take your frist left after the Becker's Cafe then a right down a small street/parking lot. Keep an eye out for the red awning.


* Be warned that they sell out fast and once they sell out, they're done for the day. Go early if you can. 

It's My Birthday and I'll Eat What I Want To

It was recently my birthday and as a treat, my lovely Squidward treated me to some very very delicious meals. First, an oldie but a goodie, Il Mulino. Il Mulino in Tokyo (there's one in NY too) is a great place to go if you're hungry and like Italian food. Like, real Italian food, not Spaghetti made with ketchup. Before you sit down at your table, there's already 4 plates of antipasti waiting for you. That's my kind of restaurant. A word to the wise, the specials never change. Another word to the wise, get the specials. 

Now on to the main event. On Sunday night, Squids and I headed to Joel Robuchon, which is housed in this random chateau in the middle of Ebisu Garden Place next to the Yebisu Beer Museum. Classy! A quick run down: Joel Robuchon has the most Michelin stars in the world, this one has 3 and he was named "Chef of the Century" by some people. Oh, and he's cool enough to appear on Top Chef! Last year, I had my birthday lunch at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi. It was a takeout chicken sandwich with brie and a side of Perrier. Oh how I'm moving up in the world!

 We ordered the tasting menu. It started off with a bang with some caviar mixed with crab and some sort of gelee. Delicious!

 So, I didn't have the balls to whip out my camera for every dish but this pearl pasta was too cute to not grab a quick snap with my iPhone. This was our 4th "main course" and I couldn't even finish this tiny plate of pasta because I was so stuffed. Everything was mindblowingly delicious though. My favorite was the egg dish which was wrapped in pasta like a little ravioli.

I really liked the waitstaff. Fine dining can be really annoying and people take themselves way too seriously. But the staff at Joel Robuchon were fun, funny and kept a close but not too close eye on us. We started making Sweet and Low castles and counting all the dessert spoons on the table and our waiters thought it was very funny and joked around with us. It really put me at ease. 

Did you know that petit fours does not mean that you get to choose 4 small little dessert treats from the petit fours cart? Yeah, me neither. (It means "small oven" and you can have as many as you want! Even better!)

No Joel Robuchon, thank YOU! Get ready for a bold, but factual statement: This is the best meal and best restaurant I've ever had. Yes, even better than Ko. First of all, this meal had about 17 dishes and every single one was interesting and delicious. If you ever have the chance to check it out, please do it! It is fantastic. 

By the way, what kind of people eat at Joel Robuchon? Former heads of state, that's who! On this particular night, we were surprised to see that our neighbor was none other than former Prime Minister Taro Aso! Well, we didn't notice until he got up to leave and only because Squids was mocking his amazing leather briefcase/clutch type thing. Taro Aso, by the way, is pretty cool. He's only my 2nd favorite Japanese politician (first place goes to Junichiro Koizumi because he looks like my dad and has AWESOME hair) but he's a pretty cool guy to see at a fancy dinner. According to his wikipedia entry, he loves fine dining! And now I can vouch for that. 

Why hello there birthday present! Happy birthday to me! 

Les Creations de Narisawa :: The Review

I've been meaning to write about our experience at Les Creations de Narisawa for awhile. This is, if you remember, the best restaurant in Asia according to San Pellegrino and a handful of notable chefs from around the world. My honest opinion is that...well...it's good, but it just didn't live up to the hype. I think Squidward put it best when he said that the meal just wasn't visceral. There was a lot of technique shown in the cooking -- stuff I didn't quite understand, but sounded very complex. This and the fact that all his ingredients either come from his own garden or from local sources are probably the reasons why professionals and fellow chefs rank Narisawa in the highest regard.  I still really enjoyed the experience and it is certainly one of the better (albeit, most expensive) restaurants I've eaten at in my so far, short life. I still rank Momofuku Ko as hands down, the best meal I've ever had. Twice.

The August 2010 theme was Gifts from Nature. Here are some of the highlights of my experience:

Our road map for the evening. 

Everything on this plate is edible and I liked eating it with my hands. Now THAT's getting down with nature. 

Can you guess what this is? 

Now it's in a clay pot sitting on our table for a few courses. 

Tada! It's bread! Fermented and baked right at your table! This was by far my favorite part of the meal. Neat trick. 

Not too many Michelin starred restaurants would have the balls to serve you a pot of dirt. Well this one didn't either. This is actually butter for the bread with a dehydrated olive tapenade on top. SO cute. 

Bad picture but this is one of Narisawa's signature dishes. A strawberry and fois gras salad. Very very delicious. 

The main course. Super duper tender and slow cooked steak in leek ashes. 

After 2 desserts, we were treated to anything we wanted from their petits fours cart. I definitely took advantage. Here are some mini macarons in a variety of flavors.  

I actually would be really open to returning for another meal. As the menu changes month to month and dishes dictated by seasonality, perhaps a fall or winter meal would be more up my ally. 

Les Créations de NARISAWA :: Reservations Booked

I'm sure you've read this about a million times, but Tokyo has the most Michelin stars of all the cities in the world. I've been here almost a year and have yet to eat at any of them. Shame! Especially considering that there is a Michelin starred tempura shop right on my street. There are lots of reasons but it's mostly because aside from Michelin starred establishments, Tokyo has amazing food EVERYWHERE. Go! Go! Curry, basically any ramen shop in town...the list is pretty long but for the most part, these kinds of places are more accessible and sometimes more delicious in a low brow kind of way.

But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dying to try out a few of the highly rated and celebrated restaurants in Tokyo. So, why not start off with a bang?! Les Créations de NARISAWA has won the Best Restaurant in Asia award from The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants annual ranking. It's billed as modern French and as the name of the restaurant suggests, it serves the creations of chef Yoshihiro Narisawa. Our reservations are for this Saturday August 6th and from the looks of it, we're in for a long, delicious and playful treat!

to be continued...

My Lunch :: March 13th :: Zenya Ramen Akasaka

There are a few new shops opening up just in time for the nice weather. Zenya Ramen specializes in Hakata ramen but also makes other varieties such as miso and tsukemen. Hakata style ramen uses a thinner noodle and the broth is cloudy since it is a variation of tonkotsu (pork bone) broth.  I got the basic Hakata ramen which comes with green onions, half of a soft boiled egg, a slice of charshu (roast pork) and a nice fatty piece of pork belly. I love pork belly, so this was a welcome change to my ramen routine.

Zenya reminds me of a popular Hakata ramen branch, Jangara, but I think Zenya is better because they have better eggs. Over boiled eggs - ladies, that's a deal breaker! There are 4 other locations in Japan, with the Akasaka station the newest of the bunch and only 1 of 2 in Tokyo.

Zenya Ramen
5-1-1 Akasaka
Akasaka Station (Chiyoda)

SunDu Booyah! :: Tokyo Sundub

I really love Korean food. When I lived in New York, I worked on 34th and Madison which is like a black hole for good food. Subway? Guy and Guillard? Starbucks? How about some Sabarro's Pizza? One can only eat $10 salads and pre-packaged sandwiches so many days in a row before going crazy. The only saving grace is it's proximity to 32nd Street, aka K-Town. It is quite possibly the smallest K-Town you'll ever find, but quality trumps quantity. Korean fried chicken, BBQ and my favorite, sundubu. My sister first introduced me to sundubu in Oakland, CA and I later became obsessed with it after my Korean friend took me to Seoul Garden in K-Town. Breaking it down, sundubu is a hot tofu soup eaten with a raw egg cracked in it and you eat it with rice. Nothing is better on a cold, gloomy day or when you're feeling sick and cranky. It will literally kick all the bad out of your system and it's pretty healthy too! It is so good, that every time my sister came to town, our first meal was at Seoul Garden for sundubu. Ahhh, memories.

There are quite a few Korean restaurants in Tokyo and there is even a soon doo boo chain called Tokyo SunDub. I was hesitant to try it because it's a chain and I have only ever eaten sundubu in mom and pop type shops. Tokyo SunDub gives you lots of options - miso or salt base - meat, seafood of veggie - 5 levels of spiciness. I ordered mine "very hot" but it wasn't so spicy at all - I guess we're measuring spiciness on the Japanese scale here...also, just so you know, just because you order a meat soup doesn't mean there won't be seafood in it too. My pork sundubu also had scallops, shrimp and clams, but I didn't mind. The more the merrier. Speaking of more, check out all the yummy goodies that came with my soup!

 

I love banchan! Banchan are Korean side dishes like kimchi, pancakes and marinated veggies and you always get a ton for free at sundubu restaurants. The milky drink in the picture is Makgeolli, a fermented rice wine popular with girls because it is sweet.

Tokyo Sundub
Multiple Locations in Tokyo
Roppongi Hills, Hollywood Hills B2F

Ichiran Ramen :: Have It Your Way

Hungry, wandering around Shinjuku on a cold and rainy day, I fortuitously stumbled upon Ichiran, a famous ramen chain in Tokyo. Ichiran is famous for it's single eating stalls and their "have it the
way you like" ordering system. There's a ticket machine out front where you order the basics but once you get inside, a waitress hands you an order form to fill out. Like garlic? Order extra. Not a fan of
green onions? Have them hold it. There are about 6 categories which you can adjust according to your preferences. This is tonkotsu style ramen, so I prefer lots of greens to offset the richness of the broth.
They also have a special red sauce unique to their shop - I suggest getting 2 scoops of the stuff.

Their slow boiled egg comes in the shell, so you have to do a little work to get to it but it's worth it. I judge any good ramen shop by their eggs - they must be slow cooked, the old fashion style - no hard
boiled eggs please! (eggs at ramen shops are like fries at burger joints - it won't make your meal but it can certainly break it) According to the Momofuku Cookbook, Japanese women used to take
baskets of eggs to the hot springs back in the day and that's how they slow cooked their eggs.
If you've never had a slow boiled egg, do yourself a favor and have one. I'm not a yolk lover at all, but I cannot resist the creamy custard yolks of slow boiled ramen eggs.

Ichiran Ramen
Multiple locations in Tokyo
Shinjuku 3-Chome
Shibuya 1-Chome
Roppongi 4-Chome
Tokyo Dome

There is also an Ichiran in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

The Perfect Naka-Meguro Date :: Seirinkan Pizza and CremAmore Ice Cream

 

Pizza is one of those rare dishes in Japan that does not taste good after being adapted to Japanese tastes. I like hambaagus, love Japanese curry and they're the experts on ramen...but pizza? Please put down the mayonnaise and cod roe and step away from the kitchen. There are of course exceptions and Seirinkan in Naka-Meguro is one of them.  There are only two kinds of pizzas, so if you're looking for variety and toppings, this is not your place, but the two are authentic and more importantly, delicious. I prefer the Margherita to the Marinara, but they are simple and done to perfection. 

 

It would be wrong of me to not mention the decor. For whatever reason, the restaurant is made up like a Soviet bunker down to the giant camouflage net covering the entrance. Pizza? Communist propaganda? What could be missing?   

 

Dessert! I don't even know if Seirinkan has dessert but I would suggest skipping it if they do because there is a gem of a gelato shop right down the street that I always end my pizza meal with. CremAmore is a tiny shop/bar. You can buy a scoop from the window and take it to go, or join the locals inside for a drink and gelato. (Last time I was here, a woman went to sleep on the floor and the owner went upstairs and got her a blanket.) The shop owner is charming and sweet and will give samples of every flavor he has that day before he even asks for you order. The gelatos and sorbets and house made. My favorite is the strawberry gelato, which actually tastes like strawberries. 

Perfectly executed pizza and gelato -- it is one of the most perfect meals in Tokyo. 

Seirinkan

Kami-Meguro 2-6-4. Open 11:30am-2, 6-9:30pm (LO) daily. 

CremAmore

Not sure the exact address, but if you come out of Seirinkan, go right and the shop will be right in front of you. 

Nakameguro Station (Hibiya and Tokyo Toyoku) 

Ogo's in Akasaka:: Award Winning Poké

This is the award winning Teriyaki Ahi Poké from Ogo's in Akasaka. It is definitely worth a visit. You should really go there and try it. They also have a super yum macaroni salad and their kahlua pig plate is addicting. I haven't had a ton of Hawaiian in my life, but being in Japan gives me an opportunity to try some great American food.

As with most Hawaiians, they're HUGE U of H football fans, so don't go in talkin' trash.

Ogo Ona Loa
5-1-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, 5F
Near Chiyoda Line Akasaka Station and Ginza/Marunouchi Akasaka-Mitsuke Station
Behind Akasaka Sacas - look for the confederate flag from an inappropriate western bar nearby.


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Kobe Cuisine :: Sobameishi, Kobe and Coffee

Kobe is awesome. Most people know Kobe because of their famous beef. If I were going to be reincarnated in my next life, I wouldn't mind coming back as a cow in Kobe. Of course, while we were in town, we had some steak - at a place called STEAK LAND. I mean, if you're going to name your restaurant Steak Land, I'm obviously going to eat there. It was good and we had the obligatory Kobe beef set but the true highlight of our trip to Kobe was trying Sobameishi, a mix of fried rice and yakisoba that is a specialty of Kobe.

Sobameishi is really filling and cheap so it is really popular with young people in Kobe. We got a recommendation from the hotel to try a small shop called KAZAMATSURI. The shop is run by a very nice family and they serve yakisoba, sobameishi and okonomiyaki. Sobameishi tastes a lot like yakisoba because of the sauce, but the texture is stick to your ribs good, especially since Kobe is pretty cold in January. We woke up the next morning jonesing for more, so we went back for another meal at lunch.

Kobe has a lot of cute cafes with a very European feel. It was one of the first cities in Japan to open up to westerners. I think another reason for the strong cafe culture is because one of Japan's largest coffee manufacturers is based in Kobe, Ueshima Coffee Company, or UCC. UCC introduced the now ubiquitous canned coffee to Japan. There is not better 3pm pick me up than a piping hot canned coffee out of a vending machine.

Our final great find in Kobe is actually a shop that is based in Nara but since we discovered it in Kobe, I'm giving them full credit. Floresta Donuts (awful name -- doesn't it sound like a sleep medication?!) are made with all natural and local ingredients. The wife and husband owners wanted to make donuts that they could give their kids and feel good about it. I'm not actually so worried about the nutritional value of my donuts, but these suckers are REALLY GOOD. They sold me on the free sample of the plain donut -- they have a great texture and inventive flavors. Thankfully, there is a Floresta shop in Setagaya in Tokyo. (And yes, those are my feet holding up my can of UCC Coffee in the background)

Oh yeah, and then there was this thing which I don't have much to say about other than that it was really yummy and we found it at a nondescript bakery under the train station. 

My Lunch :: January 22nd :: Sakura Shokudou

One of my goals for 2010 is to eat a little healthier. It's not really about vanity as so much health - I suspect my current diet is to blame for my low energy and overall feeling of blarg. It's silly that I live in Japan and don't eat more fish. It's more of a mental thing than anything else - I didn't like it at all as a kid but as and adult, I find that I'm more tolerant and even sometimes enthusiastic for fish and seafood. It still doesn't hold a candle up to pork in my book (NOTHING EVER WILL) but it's a whole lot healthier for me.
Today I had a classic Japanese dish, Saba Miso - mackeral in a miso sauce at Sakura Shokudou in Roppongi Hills. It was nummy especially with the many sides it came with - tsukemono (pickles), miso soup, green salad with corn and potato salad.


Sakura Shokudou

Publish Post

Roppongi Hills North Tower, B1F
Roppongi Station (Hibiya, Oedo)

Kamukura Ramen :: New Year's Dinner

Most Asian cultures believe that eating noodles on New Year's brings you longevity and Japan is no different. Traditionally, soba noodles are eaten on the New Year's Eve but we opted for ramen noodles instead. We stumbledupon a poster of Wentworth Miller of Prison Break (huge in Japan) outside Kamukura ramen shop in Shibuya and had our last meal and beers of 2009.
あけまして おめでとう ございます‼

The giant menu and ticket machine is outside of the shop. They have lots of different iterations of their veggie broth ramen, but I would stick to their recommendations such as the negi/cha siu ramen pictured above. I like this place because their ramen doesn't weigh you down and knock you out like tonkotsu and hakata varieties. Lots of seats and hardly ever a wait, it's a great fall back if you can't find anything easy in super busy Shibuya. Other locations in Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.

Kamukura Ramen
29-4 Udagawacho
Shibuya Station (JR, Marunouchi, Ginza, Hanzomon)


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My Dinner :: Dec 3rd :: Ecclesia Cafe

Roomie and I finally ate at the cafe across the street from our "manshon" (all tall apartment buildings are called that in Japan, but it makes me feel so hoighty toighty). This meal was actually not that memorable except for the very cute heart shaped rice.

Ecclesia Cafe
Akasaka 2-chome

My Lunch :: Dec 5th :: A16

Pizza Margarita at A16. Also had some chestnut pasta that looked nasty but actually tasted quite good. Great pizza and good wine selection. 


A16
Marunouchi Brick Square

Potluck @ Opening Ceremony :: Banh Mi in Tokyo

I have been pretty lucky so far in terms of quality Vietnamese food in Tokyo. What a relief! While my Pho and Spring Roll needs are perfectly here, I have yet to find a single Banh Mi sandwich! The horror! I guess Tokyo didn't get the memo that Banh Mi is so hot right now.

Of course, leave it to the ahead of the trends-so cool it hurts boutique, Opening Ceremony, to bring the my favorite sandwich to town. For those of you that don't know, Opening Ceremony is an LA/NY clothing boutique that carries very cool designers at prices you obviously cannot afford. Opening Ceremony Tokyo opened in Shibuya in September and their cafe, Potluck, opened this week. They serve a variety of cuisines and being super in the know, they of course brew SF's Blue Bottle coffee. I'm in love!

I have to admit, these are not completely authentic. The bread was mushy, no pate and there were pickled jalapenos a la Mexico on them. That being said, it was a damn tasty sando and I will be going back. The staff is really friendly and it looks as though they experiment with their menu a lot.

They also get bonus points for having Sriracha and Fish Sauce bottles on every table and for having a Japanese waiter that speaks perfect English and has an Afro. If that's not cool, then I don't know what is.

Potluck at Opening Ceremony

Udagawacho 21-1, Shibuya Seibu Movida B1F

(Basement of Seibu Movida...attached to Loft and Muji)