izugiku

We tried Izugiku recently

This shokudo has been around for 100 years!

Bummer is that they allow smoking, so you have to take your chances when eating here.

Satoshi had their daily special, which was katsuo sashimi and fried shrimp...1000 yen (tax included)

He said he enjoyed this

Kat tried their taco rice...900 yen (tax included) and didn't know they served it with miso soup...

Anyway, I enjoyed this taco rice, it was spicy and also a little sweet

The egg had crispy edges! love!

Cash only and the service is fast but not too friendly

Dunno if we'll be back (because of the smoking) but we are glad we tried this place

Izugiku

1-6-17 Hatanodai

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Closed: Sundays

Hours: 11:30-14:30 (lunch), 17:30-20:00 (dinner), lunch only on Fridays & Saturdays

*cash only

sakanaya iki

Friday, we found ourselves in Hatanodai at dinner time, so we looked for somewhere to eat...it was our first time at Sakanaya Iki

Since we didn't have reservations, we were seated at the counter

ootoshi (amuse bouche)...daikon oroshi and shirasu (whitebait)...500 yen (plus tax) per person

bell pepper and eggplant agebitashi...380 yen (plus tax)

so soft! and flavorful

tako karaage...780 yen (plus tax)

fried perfectly but not as tender as the tako we had here

interior

3 types of sashimi but more than 3 types...980 yen (plus tax) for two people

The owner said that he adds another 3 types because it looks more "impressive"

if you order the 4 type, he'll add 4 more types, 5 types = 5 more types

the fish was super fresh and delicious! don't remember what every type was...

Jyozan sake from Fukui...700 yen (plus tax) 

Satoshi said this was delicious

toro taku hand roll...480 yen (plus tax)

huge! and so ono!

hojicha to end

we enjoyed this place, the prices are fair and the owner is friendly

they have a curry rice chawanmushi that sounded interesting, we'll be back

Sakanaya Iki

3-13-5 Hatanodai

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Hours: 17:00-26:00 

*check social media for days closed

oimachi tracks

After breakfast at Mr Hippo Coffee, we wanted to go to the DIY store but they didn't open for another hour or so, so instead of going home to wait, we walked around the neighborhood

And stopped to check on the sumotori (Japanese wrestlers) of Onoue Stable (photo by hubs)

They seemed to have more people training than in the past

After returning from the DIY store, the work on the road in front of our apartment had begun, so it was quite noisy

I checked the memo that they had given us and their work was supposed to continue until 18:00!

So we decided to get out of the house

And checked out Oimachi Tracks, which I think opened earlier this year. 

After walking the many floors to see what types of restaurants there were, we decided on Togoshiya

Their main shop is in Togoshi-Ginza and their onigiri is similar to Bongo's

I ordered the tuna mayo takuan and a tenmusu (tempura musubi)...840 yen (tax included)

They made a mistake and gave me a tuna mayo shio kombu takuan onigiri, still, this was delicious

Loved how crisp the tempura shrimp was in the tenmusu 

Satoshi ordered the 2 onigiri set 1580 yen (tax included) he tried their monthly special which was a shirasu wakame mentaiko oroshi and the other onigiri he tried was the nozawana wasabi konbu

His set also came with karaage, tamagoyaki, kinpira and miso soup

He enjoyed these, though he said he probably could've ordered the komusubi (smaller) versions

Satoshi also gave me a piece of his karaage (since it was cut into 4 pieces) and the outside was so crunchy and the chicken so moist!

Afterwards we walked around to check out the various areas of the complex

There is a park

a huge Starbucks at one end of the park

Before catching the bus back home, we decided to have some coffee at Woodberry Coffee

Loved all the interesting plants they had

Satoshi ordered the raspberry, coconut water with espresso cold foam...850 yen (tax included)

After his first sip, he said it tasted like mayo...eew!

But after mixing it better, he said he enjoyed it...I tried a sip but it was kinda weird tasting

I am kinda thinking that I really don't care for coconut water because when I tried something with coconut water in it before, I didn't really like it

I ordered their kokuto (black sugar) coffee jelly (gelatin) latte with soy milk...900 yen (tax included)

This was delicious

I let Satoshi taste this and he said my drink was better

can I just say that QR code ordering is the pits! especially when you don't have wifi...at least this shop had wifi...Togoshiya did not

 

Oimachi Tracks is named after the JR railways (I think) when I first heard the name, I thought it might be named after the horse racing tracks that are also nearby

We are glad we checked out this place and have more places we'd like to have meals at

we'll be back

These guys did not finish until 19:00!

I was amazed that the grandpa across the street stayed at home, I would've taken my car and gone somewhere...

Togoshiya

Oimachi Tracks 2F

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Hours: 8:00-22:30 (weekdays), 9:00-22:30 (weekends & holidays)

Woodberry Coffee

Oimachi Tracks 3F

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Hours: 8:00-21:00

chilling coffee and bake

Been wanting to check out Chilling Coffee and Bake for some time now, and finally got to the other day
 

This cafe is super teeny with only 7 seats.

Order and pay at the counter then have a seat

Glad I was able to get a seat, other customers had to wait outside (in the heat!) until a table opened up!

I tried their blueberry crumble bar and cold brew

Love that this had lots of blueberry in it!

And their cold brew was smooth

I want to try their carrot cake...I'll be back

Chilling Coffee and Bake

5-6-10 Hatanodai

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Hours: 11:00-17:00

*check their instagram for days off

manpuku tomitaya

Saturday, Satoshi had to get some lab work done, so we ended up having a really late lunch

Since we were starving afterwards, we went to the first restaurant we saw outside of the hospital, Manpuku Tomitaya

Satoshi ordered the Manpuku Ramen...750 yen (tax included)

This was a big bowl of ramen that was shoyu based

He also ordered their gyoza...500 yen (tax included)

He said these were good

(I tried a gyoza but I didn't think they were too great)

Anyway....

I ordered the hiyashi chuuka with kim chee 1100 yen (tax included)

I should've ordered the original version because the amount of kim chee was too generous and overpowered everything

Plus, their servings were way too generous, had to have Satoshi help me finish 

I want to try other items on their menu but will have to remember to ask for smaller amounts of rice/noodles

Hoping the tests Satoshi took will be okay...We'll be back whenever we are nearby

Manpuku Tomitaya

2-7-10 Hatanodai

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Open daily: 10:00-23:00

*cash only

friday

Spent some time with V

We went to Kuramae Shrine to see the mimosa tree and kawazu sakura tree

When we arrived there was a line snaking around, luckily it wasn't to view these trees.

But, there were already tons of people trying to take photos of the trees on the shrine's property

Apparently the Mimosa tree is a symbol of the Women's movement in Italy in the 1940s

The flower represents solidarity and resistance and the bright yellow served as a beacon of hope in the fight for equality

The colors were a nice way to brighten up the gloomy clouds

there were also a rose plant

and a beautiful camellia

After checking out the shrine, we checked out some things at Akihabara and then had lunch inside of JR Shinagawa at Spice Factory

Satoshi and I have had lunch here before

This time, V and I tried their soup curry...

Loved the sausage that was served on a bone, even though the sausage was sliced, it was still very snappy!

The soup was quite spicy and I enjoyed all the veggies, especially the roasted pumpkin

It was nice spending time with V, I hope she enjoyed seeing the flowers.

meat yazawa

Jenny & Chan are in Japan and they were nice to make some time to meet up

We checked out Meat Yazawa which has been on my “to try” list for some time

They are known for their hamburg and steaks

They are popular so there is almost always a line

At first we thought we should reserve a table, but they have an unusual system and we would have to order a certain set menu

So instead we decided to go early, so that we could order what we wanted to.

Since their dinner service starts at 17:00, we met up at 17:30.

I had Satoshi work at home, so that we could make it on time...

We were lucky that there was no line

Jenny ordered the single demi glace with fried egg

I ordered the single demi glace with cheese. 

Chan ordered the double with fried egg

He got to choose a different sauce for his second hamburg, he chose demi glace

And Satoshi had the single with fried egg

I think the hamburg with fried egg came with the house sauce which looked shoyu based

Jenny, Chan & Satoshi added the garlic rice, wagyu soup and mini salad

Kat added the rice, wagyu soup and mini salad

You should’ve seen the juices jump out when we cut into the hamburg!

All are cooked medium rare because it sits on the hot plate as you eat

The guys had beer while the girls had iced tea (jasmine & oolong)

Afterwards, I thought that the rice, soup & salad might not be necessary for some because the hamburg does come with mashed potato and some veggies.

We hope they had enough to eat and enjoy the rest of their trip.

It was nice spending some time with them and we are also thankful for all the omiyage they gave us

Thanks for today Jenny & Chan! 

Meat Yazawa

2-15-13 Nishi Gotanda

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Hours: 11:00-15:30 (lunch), 17:00-22:30 (dinner)

gotanda

Friday, we wanted to make an appointment with Satoshi’s bank for the morning but they couldn't see us until 14:00-ish, so we decided to have lunch first then go to the appointment.

Unfortunately it was O-bon, so many businesses and eateries were closed.

Our first choice for lunch was closed so we went to check out Hot Spoon

Super tiny curry shop, they also have a shop in Shinjuku

I chose the simmered beef tendon curry with veggies

This was delicious! the beef and the veggies were super tender

I chose a less amount of their 10 grain rice and mild spiciness….1234 yen (tax included)

Satoshi chose the simmered katsu curry...he chose medium spicy and white rice...he said he enjoyed this…1254 yen (tax included)

Everything comes out bubbling hot hot hot!

I want to try their chicken curry next time

After lunch we walked over to Les Cacaos to have some ice cream.

I have tried their chocolates before but have been wanting to try their ice cream for some time now and finally got to 

I chose the double...with pistachio and 70% Tanzania chocolate…990 yen (tax included)

Both were so ono! lots of pistachios and the Tanzania had lots of cacao nibs! and was super chocolatey too

Satoshi chose the Cacao Pulpe...raspberries and cacao pulp in a vanilla based ice cream…600 yen (tax included)

This had a super refreshing taste

I’m glad I got to try their ice cream and would definitely go back to try their other flavors 

We also checked out Zoo, a pet shop as well as pet acting school.

They have several locations around Tokyo

Their animals are often seen in commercials, J-drama and movies.

Huge poodle, he was so chill!

It was a blazing day, we got our errand done...and had a great lunch at a new to us place...we'll be back!

Hot Spoon

1-14-8 Higashigotanda

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Open daily: 11:00-23:00

*cash or pay pay (electronic payment) only

the food

Yesterday, it rained all day, still I wanted to get some special foods for Satoshi's birthday...

So I went to Shinagawa station and bought some chirashizushi from Sakana Bacca, this was the mini, Satoshi's was larger

(We also had wilted kale and tomato salad that I threw together.)

And I also bought mont blanc, since that is the type of cake he wanted.

It was our first time trying these from Quatre, they used lots of waguri (Japanese chestnuts), inside was a meringue bottom, a little cake and lots of custard cream...delicious.

I also got Satoshi a "one cup" of sake.

Despite the rain, I'm glad we got to celebrate his birthday.