Wonderful hybrid hotel in Kinugawa

The other day, to celebrate my birthday, I went on an overnight trip to Kinugawa (鬼怒川), a hot spring resort in the city of Nikko (日光), Tochigi Prefecture (栃木県) (see the previous post). Kinugawa is one of the popular hot spring resorts nearby Tokyo which locates only two hours away by SPACIA, express train. Since some luxury ryokan (Japanese-style hotel) that I wanted to stay don't accept baby, I selected "Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel (鬼怒川金谷ホテル)", a branch of Nikko Kanaya Hotel (日光金谷ホテル, see the previous post) and it was a ten-strike!!

SPACIA

Sandwich and quiche of "PAUL" and champagne "REMY"

Kinugawa River

Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel

Entrance

Lobby

Lobby and main dining room (in the back)

Welcoming tea and dessert

Japanese room

Connecting Japanese room

Balcony

Entrance to public hot spring

Outside relaxing space

Outside hot spring

Nikko iroha beer

Amuse

Starter

Steamed pine mushroom

Set of local sake

Glass champagne

Steamed pine mushroom with Japanese rime

Sashimi platter on ice plate

Green tea ice cream

Grilled ayu (sweet fish)

Vinegared pear and salmon caviar

Beef stew (Kanaya's specialty)

 Shabu shabu of porgy with green tea soup (specialty)

Grilled Tochigi wagyu beef (specialty)

Rice bowl and clear soup of freshwater clam

Fresh peach sorbet

Birthday plate! (with chocolate cake and fresh fruit)

Night snack and Kanaya's chocolate

Nearby hotels

Breakfast (Japanese-style)

Breakfast (Western-style)

Ropeway

Monkey parent and child

Ryuo-kyo (fall)

Ryuo-kyo

Ryuo-kyo

Ryuo-kyo

Ryuo-kyo

Fresh beer and grilled ayu (sweet fish)

Soy-sauce based ramen

Shaved ice using Nikko mineral water

Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel is an ideel hybrid hotel which has both good aspects of Japanese-style ryokan and Western-style hotel. They offer not only basic service and facilities of hotel, but also ryokan service such as hot spring, Japanese room, in-room dining, free night snack, yukata (Japanese summer kimono), etc. Though we stayed at a Japanese room so that baby does not drop accidentally from the bed, but other rooms have both nice Japanese living room and beautiful bed room (please check the Kanaya's HP!). 

The quality of cuisine was high. They brought the same quality of dinner of the restaurant to our room. Service was also timely and friendly. We could fully enjoy the dinner with baby in a relaxed manner. Everything was delicious, but their specialty, beef stew, shabu shabu of porgy with green tea soup and Tochigi wagyu beef steak were superb! Breakfast was also impressive. Especially, western-style one is recommendable. Their fresh bread (particularly pan de mie) is thin, chewy and tasty! Their chocolate is also can't-miss. 

At hot spring resort, I usually don't want to do anything except taking a bath, eating and drinking, but seeing rich nature around Kinugawa was also fun and relaxing. Ryuo-kyo, canyon located nearby Kinugawa was beautiful. Clear air and calm atmosphere. Shaved ice which we had there using Nikko mineral water was incredible. Don't miss it!

My rating for Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel is 5 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel (鬼怒川金谷ホテル)　http://www.kinugawakanaya.com/

Wagyu beef steak house run by a popular butcher company in Akihabara

Near the Manse Bridge (万世橋) located around the end of Akihabara (秋葉原), there is a restaurant building of "Niku no Manse (肉の万世)", a butcher company. From underground to 10th floor, the building consists of different restaurants which you can choose according to your budget. On the second floor, we have "Manse steak house (万世ステーキハウス)" where you can taste hearty steak of lean wagyu beef.   

Manse steak house 

Corn soup

Salad

Bread

Wagyu beef steak(rump)

Wagyu beef steak (loin)

Coffee

Wagyu beef is famous as its beautiful marbling, but this restaurant offers lean wagyu beef. However, used wagyu beef seemed middle-grade and the taste of beef itself was moderate. Even so, chef's grilling technique and tasty steak sauce made the taste delicious. Combination of rich garlic butter and soy-sauce based sauce was great!   

For loin, you can select from 170g (JPY3,200) to 560g (JPY9,300). For filet, available from 142g (JPY4,200) to 312g (JPY8,300). The above photos are of the smallest ones. Salad, bread and coffee/tea are inclusive. Not bad. My rating is 3.5 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Niku no Manse (肉の万世)　http://www.niku-mansei.com/

A newly opened pizzeria in Yushima

On Sunday when many of small individual restaurants are closed, I found a pizzeria opened all day long in Yushima (湯島). It is "da GIORGIO (ダジョルジョ)" which has been just opened in July 2014. A young Japanese owner who trained in Napoli offers authentic Napoli-style pizzas in a casual atmosphere. They have wide variety of pizza menus.  

daGIORGIO

Potato salad (for table charge) and glass wine (chardonnay)

Pickles (JPY500)

Pizza margherita (JPY1,200)

Linguine with seafood (JPY2,700)

Pizza was tasty, indeed! Chewy texture, burnt aroma, a bit salty craft, combination of tomato sauce and mozzarella...good! On the other hand, other items were still developing and less cost-effective. Linguine with seafood was not bad, but the price was JPY2,700! I understood fresh seafood was used, but it was relatively expensive compared to pizza. I also found it exceptional that table charge (JPY300) is charged even at lunch time in such a casual pizzeria. Pizza is good...a bit regrettable! My rating is 3.2 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

da GIORGIO (ダジョルジョ)　https://www.facebook.com/da.giorgio.tokyo　     

Premium beef bowl using Ise wagyu at KITTE

"Butasute (豚捨)", a famous sukiyaki/shabu shabu restaurant since 1909 in Ise (伊勢), Mie Prefecture (三重県) has opened its branch in KITTE (キッテ) near the Tokyo Station for the first time outside Ise. They offer Ise beef, wagyu beef whose family root is same as Matsusaka beef but which is not certified as branded wagyu so that we can eat at lower price.     

Tokyo Station

Around Tokyo Station

Butaste in KITTE

Inside

Beer (KIRIN heartland)

Beef bowl, miso soup and beef salad

Beef croquettes

Beef steak bowl (higher grade @JPY3,850)

Sorbet and green tea

Dinner is expensive from around JPY5,000, but lunch is reasonable from JPY1,260. If you understand beef bowl only through the ones of big chain shops like yoshinoya, matsuya, sukiya, etc., please try the beef bowl of Butasute! Totally another dish! I love both taste, but the Butasute one is impressive. Ise beef is very tender, juicy, yummy! Sweet soy sauce matches well the good beef. If you pay JPY2,500, beef salad, beef croquette and ice cream are also served.

As the restaurant itself is small and casual, I personally don't choose Butaste for expensive dinner of sukiyaki/shabushabu. But lunch, especially beef bowl is very nice and reasonable. My rating for lunch is 4.0 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!  

Butasute (豚捨) http://r.gnavi.co.jp/gd1n615/ 
KITTE (キッテ)  http://jptower-kitte.jp/

Perfect parfait of Senbikiya!

Senbikiya, the most posh fruit shop since 1834 (see the previous post) has been nowadays divided into three different companies and "Senbikiya-sohonten(千疋屋総本店)" is leading other twos. Their flagship shop and restaurant are located in Nihonbashi, but a cafe has been newly opened in "KITTE (キッテ)" just in front of the JR Tokyo main Station (東京駅). The cafe has become a new sightseeing spot and there is always a queue.      

Senbiliya-sohonten in KITTE

Inside

Mango curry and rice

Mango parfait and peach juice

Cafe menu is so fascinating that I can't easily decide what to take. One of their specialty is mango curry and rice (JPY1,296). Japanese-style beef curry using mango is fruity and mild. Not sweet but very rich and complex. Delicious!

And parfait using seasonal fruit is recommendable. When I visited, mango was seasonal. I had hesitated to order mango parfait seeing the price of JPY2,800, but it was a correct answer to have it!! Only ripe mangos of Miyazaki, the highest quality brand in Japan are used for parfait. Soooo sweet and tasty!! Fresh cream and ice cream are also premium. I think I can't find such a perfect parfait other than there. The price is not inexpensive, but it is worth for trying! My rating is 5 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Senbikiya-sohonten (千疋屋総本店) http://www.sembikiya.co.jp/index.php    

KITTE (キッテ) http://jptower-kitte.jp/

Kaiseki meal at a quaint Japanese house in Ueno Park

I had a farewell party of a friend who would study abroad at "Insho-tei (韻松亭)" in Ueno Park (上野公園). Inshotei is a long-established restaurant since 1875 and its old Japanese house is very quaint. Especially at night, the house was very beautiful with indirect lighting. Yokoyama Taikan (横山大観), a Japanese painting authority also owned this house restaurant in the long history. 

Insho-tei in Ueno Park

Corridor

Dining room

Amuse

Clear soup with shrimp cake with winter melon

Sashimi

Sashimi of dried bean curd

Grilled cod

Corn seamed egg hotchpotch

Japanese risotto 

With pickles

Green tea mousse

Kaiseki meal is available from JPY6,500 to 16,000 per person at night (the above photos are of JPY6,500). True to their reputation, dishes were sophisticated and delicious. Presentation was beautiful and service was good. One thing to point out is there was no dishes using expensive ingredients which strongly attract guests. Even so, having traditional kaiseki meal at the quaint Japanese house is very nice. My rating is 3.9 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Insho-tei (韻松亭) http://www.innsyoutei.jp/main.html

Women's favorite cafe that there are always lines

Cafes of HARBS (ハーブス) (see the previous post) are always crowded everywhere, particularly at lunch time. Mostly, women are waiting patiently in front of the cafe for lunch set meal which consists of a salad, a pasta, a cake (half size) and a drink. Except salad, you can select from variety of menu. The set costs JPY1,500. As cakes of HARBS costs around JPY800, an inclusive half cake might be appealing for women (and women generally like pasta).  

HARBS Cafe

Salad

Spaghetti with tomato sauce and mozzarella

Fresh cheese cake and tea

Contrary to the below Komeda Coffee, the portion is small. The taste of pasta is not bad. Cake is definitely good (though it seems a bit smaller than the half:) and most appealing cakes using much fresh fruits are not on the list). Nonetheless, the elegant interior and comfortable sofa might be the key of popularity for women. After lunch, chatting long in the nice environment with cake and tea must be ideal. My rating for the cafe is 3.0 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

HARBS (ハーブス)  http://www.harbs.co.jp/harbs/concept.html