Histrical soba restaurant in Toranomon

In orthodox restaurants of soba, Japanese buckwheat noodle, there are three major lineages such as "yabu (藪)", "sunaba (砂場)" and "sarashina (更科)." And among three, it is said "sunaba" is the oldest, whose origin is latter part of 16th century when Toyotomi Hideyoshi built the Osaka castle. When the Tokugawa Shogun moved its government to Edo (Tokyo), they also moved here. One of the branches in Tokyo is Toranomon Sunaba (虎ノ門砂場) which has been continually doing business since 1872.

Toranomon Sunaba 

2nd floor of Toranomon Sunaba

Vegetable tempura 

Soba with Japanese yam sauce 

Same as its long history, Toranomon Sunaba is a traditional Japanese-style building where we can taste soba as feeling like edokko. We have to sit together with other people during rush hour like lunch time, but as we don't stay long, it is not a problem. As you may know, as a smart manner at soba restaurants, it is advisable to leave the restaurant soon after having short break of eating.

The taste of Toranomon Sunaba is definitely good. It is the one everyone likes. Moreover, the texture is very nice. Japanese yam sauce was a good harmony with the sophisticated soba. Tempura was also crispy and tasty enough. But the price is a bit high because of their fame. Tempura was JPY1,200 and soba with yam sauce was JPY900. If you'd like to enjoy the historical atmosphere of Sunaba, it might be affordable and if not, it might be a less cost effective. My rating is 3.2 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Nice izakaya chain in Akasaka

Izakaya is a kind of gastropub in Japan where young and old enjoy drinking and eating reasonably. The number of izakaya is more than stars in Japan, and it is difficult even for Japanese which one we should choose for drinking party. Generally, most of izakayas are averagely good, but we can't make big mistake. If we select bad one, we are seen as "incapable" in socializing:) The other day, I chose an Akasaka (赤坂) branch of "Banya (番屋)", an izakaya chain and it was unexpectedly good.  

Entrance of "Banya"

Corridor 

Private room 

Sesame tofu with sea urchin 

Sashimi platter 

Shabu shabu

Salad 

Fish cake 

Tempura 

Udon

Strawberry sorbet 

Banya comprises only private rooms so that we can concentrate on talking within own group. This is a very good point. The interior is modern and the atmosphere is stable because of dark lighting. Sometimes, there are less clean izakayas, but cleanness of Banya was high. Food quality was above than this kind of big chain izakayas. Sesame tofu and sashimi platter were delicate enough. Shabu shabu using pork was also tasty. Acceptance!  

The variety of drinking menu might be average as an izakaya. But within JPY5,000, you can enjoy the set meal (see the above pictures) and all-you-can-drink for 2 hours at night.  Access of Akasaka branch is good. Only 1 minute from Tokyo Metro Akasaka Station. If you face difficulty to choose an izakaya chain, Banya might be one option. My rating is 2.9 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Banya Akasaka (番屋赤坂)　http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g036902/ 

Flavorful and nutritious Chinese dishes of Hotel Okura

Hotel Okura (ホテルオークラ) is one of the best hotel brands in Japan, whose head hotel is located in Toranomon (虎ノ門). As Okura is a bit far from any metro/subway stations, as a hidden spot in the center of Tokyo, political/business meetings are often held. The possibility of seeing celebrities is high. I like Okura’s stable and sophisticated service, but to be honest, their facilities are quite old. This point is a bit regrettable. 

Lobby of Hotel Okura Tokyo 

Entrance of "Tokarin" 

Inside 

Table setting 

Cold starter 

Shark's fin soup

Deep fried spring rolls

Fried squid with seasonal vegetables 

Fried pork with sweet vinegar 

Fried rice with shrimp, meat and vegetables 

Sesame dumplings 

Almond jelly 

The other day, I had a chance to visit their Chinese restaurant called “Tokarin (桃花林)” at lunch time. The interior is gorgeous with Chinese furniture. In contrast to the silent outside, most of the tables were occupied by customers. The service was definitely nice. Staff smoothly served dishes as we requested. Lunch set meal we ordered was JPY4,400 including 10% service charge per person, which might be a bit expensive for lunch. 

But we could be fully satisfied with the nice meal. Every dish was delicious. Of course, any chemical seasoning is not used. Rich bouillon made by variety of ingredients was the basis of the good taste. The taste was very gentle but rich as a whole. I liked soup of shark’s fin, deep-fried spring rolls, and sesame dumplings, particularly. The balance of the course was favorable. My rating is 4 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Hotel Okura (ホテルオークラ) http://www.hotelokura.co.jp/tokyo/ 

Tokarin (桃花林) http://www.hotelokura.co.jp/tokyo/restaurant/list/tohkalin/

Kushiage tasting in a traditional building in Nezu

Han-tei (はん亭) is a kind of landmark of Nezu (根津). Most of traditional wooden buildings in Tokyo were burnt during the Great Kanto earthquake and the World War II, but Han-tei's building constructed in Meiji era has been fortunately survived. It is nowadays designated as a tangible cultural asset. In the traditional Japanese-style building, we can enjoy "kushiage", fried vegetables, seafood and meat on skewer. 

Han-tei (tangible cultural asset)

Inside (wall) 

Ground floor of "Han-Tei"

Amuse 

Fried shrimp and fried ginger with meat 

Fried sweetfish and fried broad bean 

Marinated horse mackerel

Fried tofu and fried beef 

Fried scallop and fried mushroom

Soupy rice with laver, pickles and miso soup 

Almond pudding with mango sauce 

Han-tei always prepares 36 seasonal ingredients for kushiage. The first set is six skewers of six different ingredients. If you want to taste more, you can order additionally by one skewer. Actually, their kushiage is  very sophisticated and delicious. Each fresh ingredient is carefully cooked before making it fry. Everything is fried, but we can continually eat without getting tired and feeling heavy stomach. Fresh cabbage, carrot and cucumber are also served with kushiage for refreshing the mouth. 

If you never experience kushiage, I recommend you to go Han-tei. The price is a bit above than ordinary kushiage restaurants/shops. The lunch set meal we ordered was JPY3,700 on weekend. But beside kusgiage, even small amuse and soupy rice were tasty. My rating is 3.5 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Han-tei (はん亭) http://www.hantei.co.jp/nedu.html  

Ordinary cakes of a cake chain

BOUL' MICH (ブールミッシュ) is a Japanese confectionery company which has started since 1973. Nowadays there are their cake shops all over Japan, mostly in department stores. But the price setting is not so high. Each fresh cake costs around JPY400. BOUL'MICH is a homey and friendly cake chain. 

Mousse of  mascarpone with  orange and passion fruits 

Milk pudding with earl gray flavor 

Same as the image, the taste is also average. There is no specific feature of their cakes, but simply good. Not for special occasion, but for moments you want to treat yourself, buying cakes of BOUL'MICH might be suitable. My rating is 2.4 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

BOUL' MICH (ブールミッシュ)  http://www.boulmich.co.jp/top.html 

A French restaurant newly opened in Nezu

Just close to the exit No. 2 of the Nezu metro station (根津駅), a French restaurant named "un petit tour (アンプティトゥール)" has been newly opened since one or two month ago. Previously, there was a casual (and a bit shabby) izakaya at the same place, but now the interior has been renovated very much. The restaurant is small, but its atmosphere is moderately formal. Not a casual bistro. 

Entrance of "un petit tour" 

Inside 

Amuse (meat patty) 

Rye bread 

Salmon carupaccio 

Soup 

Cod Saute

Grilled chicken

Assorted dessert

Coffee

Lunch set meal is available from JPY2,650 per person. Not large variety of selection in the menus. There were only two options in each category. For this kind of small restaurant, preparing many selections might be risky in terms of business. 

The taste was above than that of bistros but below than good restaurants. Delicate but not so impressive like a superb restaurant. But I could imagine the chef of the restaurant would be a gentle person as I noticed some kind of sensitivity in each dish. If the price is a little bit less expensive, we could be more satisfied. My rating is 2.9 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

un petit tour (アンプティトゥール) http://un-petit-tour.net/index