If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you'll know that Saturday we had snow!
Actually more like sleet.
Everything melted quickly, but it was still fun to see!
Sunday, the sun was out and so we ran some errands.
Afterwards we tried a (new to us) place for lunch...Kobuta.
Kobuta literally means piglet.
The interior of this shop is dark but cozy with its wooden tables and leather chairs.
Lots of horse photos too.
Kind of like you were having lunch at a ranch or lodge.
Satoshi had their mixed fry set...this came with all sorts of fried items, a bowl of tonjiru, rice and pickles.
Not sure of all the different fried items he had (he ate too fast), but he said everything was cooked perfectly.
I had their napolitan.
This had a little meat, lots of onions and a non-cloying tomato sauce.
My dish also came with a small salad.
This shop has been around for 50 years! The original owner passed away but the lady who also was cooking the food, said that she's been running the place for a "long long time".
We'll be back to try other items on their menu.
As we were walking home, we stumbled upon a shop that was "giving" things away.
We picked up this ceramic tokkuri (bottle) for warm sake as well as a small ochoko (cup).
There are tons of bookstores in this area for all sorts of consumers and collectors, as well as publishing companies.
While I was waiting for Satoshi, I walked around this area and noticed this objet.
Apparently it is the site where Japanese baseball got its start.
I thought it was cool that the ball was a globe.
Lunch was at a place called Kitchen Calorie (cool name yeah?!)
I had their omurice (fluffy omelette topped chicken "fried" rice). This also came with a salad.
I thought their ketchup would be sweet and overpowering but I think it was mixed with some of their demiglace sauce so the sauce was just right.
Satoshi had their jumbo fried shrimp plate.
This also came with a hamburger, fried onions, pasta, corn AND rice.
Their portions are quite large, but everything is reasonably priced and the food comes out quite quickly.
Satoshi is already planning a re-visit...ahem!
Coffee with cheesecake at Dix Ans.
Camembert and marscapone cheeses were used to make this...delicious.
Satoshi had their roll cake which was really sweet.
This place is pricey but super quiet and laid back.
I'd come back for the coffee and just hang out reading or something.
The wind was fahreezing but at least the sun was out.
Kitchen Calorie
3-10 Kandaogawa
Chiyoda, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3291.3266
Hours: 11:00-21:00
Dix Ans (Jimbocho) : 2022 out of business
1-24 KandaJimbocho
Chiyoda, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5244.5618
Hours: 8:00-19:00 (Mondays-Fridays), 11:00-17:00 (Saturdays & Sundays)
Instead of traveling outside of Tokyo for the 3-day weekend, we decided to stay in Asakusa.
Walking from Ueno to Asakusa, we passed Kappabashi, where they have all sorts of gadgets and equipment for the kitchen.
I noticed this building that had cups for balconies...so cute!
Kappabashi was also having their big sale, so it was krazy crowded!
We've been trying to eat at Yoshikami, a well known yoshoku (western) shop, but there was always a long wait.
This time we got there just before they opened, the line in front of us got the first seating and we ended up waiting about 30 minutes for a table.
Satoshi had their fried shrimp, which he felt were "just okay"...he already wants to come back to try their katsu next time.
I tried their recommended beef stew...so melt in your mouth tender pieces of beef, rich demi-glace sauce and super soft veggies.
If you want rice or rolls, they are a la carte...also, if you want to pay by credit card, tell the staff before your order, so they can note it on your bill.
Lunch time can get a bit krazy here, but it is neat to watch everyone doing their part in the kitchen to get the food out fast.
After lunch, we bought Matsukaze (black sugar "cake" rolled with sweet bean paste in the middle) and Dorayaki from Kameju.
It was our first time trying these...both were so light and fluffy!
This place always has a line too, but so worth the wait.
After checking in, we took a cruise on the Sumida river.
I never realized how wide, long and deep the Sumida river was.
Also, there are many many bridges for everyone to get from one side to the other.
Saturday was the last day for Tsukiji.
They moved the fish market over to Toyosu on Sunday.
Many of the shops that are located outside of Tsukiji (Jo-gai) will remain where they are, but everything within the boundaries of the fish market itself have moved.
Since moving to Tokyo, we haven't had a chance to get back to Tsukiji and ended up taking a last glimpse of Tsukiji from the boat...If you'd like to see our last glimpse of Tsukiji, click the link here
Dinner was at Hatsuogawa.
They have been grilling unagi (eel) since 1907!
You start off with some unagi "crackers"...the back bone of the eel fried up...super crunchy and great with beer.
The menu is simple, unagi with or without rice...I went with the smaller portion without rice while Satoshi got the bigger portion.
Super rich!
I prefer the Kansai way of grilling unagi, which makes the skins get crispy.
If I am not mistaken, the Kanto way is to grill then steam the unagi, which "fluffs" it up.
Cash only here.
Not many tourists, mostly locals.
Even though I don't really like unagi, it is Satoshi's favorite and I'm glad we got to try this place and experience their history.
We explored Sensoji after dinner.
Have you ever looked underneath the huge chochin (lanterns)?
If you do, you'll see a dragon.
The weather was summery, a bit uncomfortable, but it was nice to be out and about.
Sunday before the sun rose, we were on our way to the airport...
By 8:00-ish we were in Tokyo.
At 9:30-ish we were at the base of the Tokyo Sky Tree.
Too bad the air had a haze to it, I think the views from the top would've been something to see.
Satoshi wanted to check out the Tokyo Sumo area.
He had seen something that said there was a gift shop we could visit too...bummer both the area and shop were closed.
We then headed to Asakusa to check out a yoshoku-ya (western style shop), but the wait was krazy with the 3-day weekend, so we headed across the street to Kappabashi and found a reasonably priced sushi shop called Tasukezushi.
My nigiri set had 10 pieces and Satoshi had their chirashizushi...each were 1300 yen (tax included).
It was a nice fast (delicious) lunch.
Satoshi then headed to Jingu Stadium to watch his University baseball team.
I went on my own adventure.
Kappabashi, the largest area for kitchen/restaurant tools, tableware, like Osaka's Doguyasuji but 10x bigger, was having some kind of festival.
Had it not been so crowded I would've stayed longer but it was tough just moving between stores...
The Sky Tree as seen from Kappabashi.
I went to Kuramae, to check out the Dandelion Chocolate cafe & shop.
Since we've been having summery temps, I tried their cacao nib cold brew, which came with a tiny chocolate cookie & housemade marshmallow.
and their oatmeal cookie.
The cacao nib cold brew wasn't anything special, but the cookie...loved that it had chocolate, cacao nibs, cranberries, oatmeal & shredded coconut in it.
I got back on the train and headed to the Omotesando area.
And stopped into Sarutahiko Coffee.
It was too krazy hot to actually drink some hot coffee, but I really wanted (a photo of) their paper cup...and I was also thankful they had somewhere to sit while I waited for my cup to cool down a bit.
Down the street I checked out Hugo & Victor and picked up some of their dark chocolate mediants.
Candied almonds, pistachios & raisins top their dark chocolate...delicious!
Satoshi messaged and said that they had lost...boo!
We met up along the way and went to check out Niihao, which apparently created the hanetsuki gyoza (potstickers with wings).
We tried their shrimp.
Original.
Sizzling hot plate...(click the photo to hear it sizzle)
Fried.
Mabo Tofu.
This place is fast! delicious and reasonable. I can see why people will wait for a table.
Plus 2 beers and an apricot wine drink for me our total was about 3500 yen (tax included).
It was a krazy long day. Lots of walking, lots of eating.
p.s. we used miles to fly to Tokyo and we bought the Keikyu Pass (1310 yen) which gets you from Haneda to Sengakuji then usage of all the subway lines for the day.
Tasukezushi
2-26-6 Matsugaya
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3841.4811
Closed Wednesdays
Dandelion Chocolate
4-14-6 Kuramae
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5833.7270
Hours: 10:00-20:00
*call before going, days off not set
Sarutahiko Coffee
4-3-3 Jingumae, inside of H.I.S. tour agency
Shibuya, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5775.2471
Hours: 11:00-19:00
Hugo & Victor (2022: no longer at this location)
4-12-10 Jingumae, inside Omotesando Hills
Shibuya, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6434.0912
Hours: 11:00-21:00, open when Omotesando Hills is
Friday, started out with me picking up some bagels from Happy Camper.
After picking up the bagels, I walked to Awahini Coffee.
It was so warm out, that I ordered a cold brew...530 yen (tax included)
Boy! did it hit the spot. I like that they also have free wifi for customers.
Since it was nearly 11 and I was nearby, I decided to check out Grill Stereo for lunch.
It had been some time since my first visit and I was lucky to be the first in line.
I decided to try their hayashi rice (hashed beef)...800 yen (tax included).
This came with a large salad.
I loved how the guy flambéed the beef before topping it with the demi-glace sauce. The flambé gave the meat a nice flavor. I also loved that there was lots of meat and onions and not too much gristle as sometimes hashed beef can have.
Since I was really stuffed after eating, I decided to walk around a bit and went to check out the ume (apricot) blossoms at Osaka castle.
There were tons of people and the blossoms did not disappoint.
Since Satoshi didn't need dinner that night, I stopped into Boulangerie Goût to pick up something for dinner.
I picked up a bacon broccoli tartine (super thick bacon cubes, broccoli, béchamel sauce and cheese), chicken mushroom potato tartine (thinly sliced potato, topped with some mushrooms and roast chicken, creamy mushroom sauce and cheese), pastrami gorgonzola walnut berry baguette (I've had this before and this time it was so good with wine)
I also picked up a cinnamon roll which I had for breakfast the next day.
My walking route was krazy long (I clocked about 23,000 footsteps) but it was nice to be out and about.
Awhile back, I was walking to my appointment after eating at Boulangerie Goût and saw this long line out in front of a shop.
When I got home, I searched for the place with the line on Tabelog (Japan's Yelp) and found Grill Stereo.
A tiny shop, they are only open for lunch during the weekdays.
No wonder all the salarymen (businessmen) and OL (office ladies (business women)) in the area were lined up to eat there.
They have 4 items for their lunch menu...a daily special, hamburger plate, menchi katsu(deep fried hamburger) and hayashi rice (hashed beef) plate.
After 13:00, you can order other things from their menu.
The thing about these small yoshoku-ya (restaurants that serve Japanese style western foods), or any eatery in a business district, is that they are driven to serve as many people as they can in a small amount of time..."time is money".
After walking in, the chef rattled off something which I didn't quite catch, unconsciously I replied with a "yes", and wham!...I had ordered myself the daily special...
The food came out rather quickly and I started to eat.
The daily special was ebi fry (fried shrimp) with a homemade tartar sauce (more mayo than pickles) and unlike the standard tartar sauce you find in Japan with egg (like egg salad). There was also a hamburger patty..750 yen (tax included).
With the meal came shredded cabbage, and a little dollop of potato salad. The potato salad was more like mashed potatoes with lots of onions in it.
You should know that potato salad in Japan often tends to be like whipped mashed potatoes.
Anyway, the shrimp were cooked perfectly and the hamburger was moist too. The demi-glace sauce was a bit thin, but had lots of flavor.
I appreciated how they gave me just enough rice, sometimes shops give way too much rice.
I'm glad I was able to try this place without having to stand in line....I'll be back.
The weather dude said it was gonna rain off and on, so we planned on staying indoors all day.
But when we woke up, it was sunny.
So we went walking...bad part was that it was so windy. Icy windy...brr.
Before starting the errands that we needed to run, we stopped in for lunch at Nagatomo. Apparently the cook formerly worked at a hotel restaurant, as a chef.
Satoshi went with ebi fry (fried shrimp)...I thought the mashed potato "swoosh" was fancy but overall plating was lacking some green like the shredded cabbage that usually comes with a dish like this.
Satoshi's lunch also came with a salad, miso soup and rice.
I went with the beef omu-rice (omelette with rice tucked underneath).
The rice was seasoned with beef, mushrooms and their demi-glace sauce.
The omelette was on the softer side making it easier to cover the rice.
It was topped with lots of ketchup and gravy and a nicely charred piece of beef.
My lunch also came with a salad and miso soup.
I think this restaurant mixes French and Japanese cuisines.
They have many choices for lunch, I think we'll be back.
Nagatomo (UPDATE:3/2015 this place is no longer in business)
Bell Flora Kawanishi East E-119
Kawanishi, Hyogo
Phone: 072.759.3715
Days off not set, so call before going
Lunch: 11:30-15:00 Dinner 17:00-23:00
