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 

Popular big-portion coffee chain from Nagoya

Recently, "Komeda Coffee (コメダ珈琲)", a chain coffee shop originally from Nagoya (名古屋) has been popular in Kanto area. The strategy of Komeda Coffee is unique. In principle, their shops are located in the suburbs. Their shop is big and the ceiling is high. Every seat is separated for privacy. Cozy sofa seat is for staying long. In a token of this, various newspapers, magazines, books and blankets are prepared. Their marketing doesn't seem cost-effective, but this business model is succeeded somehow.    

Komeda Coffee

Inside (mountain cottage style)

Coffee

Sandwich of deep-fried pork with sweet miso sauce 

Shrimp gratin topped with sliced laver

Deep-fried fish burger with tartar saice

Their specialty, hot Danish with soft cream and maple syrup

Orthodox coffee and burgers cost JPY420 while sandwiches are JPY780. Not expensive at all, but a bit higher than usual coffee chains. But people would agree to the price for this big portion. Usually, customers enjoy coffee only, but here, most people ordered several sandwiches. Komeda also offer various dessert menu like sweet Danish, cake, ice cream, shaved ice cream, etc. As people stay long, many of them enjoyed dessert, too. Accordingly, average spending per customer might be higher than other coffee chains.

The taste is good. Food appeals to all tastes and coffee appeals even to mavins. However, because of the big portion, I got tired a little bit. (We shouldn't have ordered many high-carbs...) Service is nice. My rating is 2.7 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Komeda Coffee (コメダ珈琲)  http://www.komeda.co.jp/index.php  

Nice view buffet at Ritz-Carlton Tokyo in Roppongi

On a beautiful sunny day, I had a lunch with a colleague at Ritz-Carlton Tokyo (リッツカールトン東京) which is located in the Tokyo Midtown （東京ミッドタウン） in Roppongi (六本木).　The lobby and a restaurant named "TOWERS GRILL (タワーズグリル)" are located on the 45th floor. On such a nice day, we can enjoy the nice view of Tokyo. As we sit on a window seat, Tokyo Tower was just in front.  

Lobby (45th floor) of Ritz-Carlton Tokyo

TOWERS GRILL (45th floor) 

Inside

Window seat

Tokyo Tower!

Buffet (starter)

Buffet (dessert)

Starter (I shouldn't have put such a big portion at once...)

Saute of cod fish with peppers

Roasted chicken with various mushrooms

Dessert

Tower's Grill offers buffet for starter and dessert. We can select a main dish from various menu of meat or fish. The taste is not so impressive, but definitely at more than average level as a luxurious hotel. One person costs JPY4,500 for this set meal. Not so cost-effective. Even so, it is very nice to spend relaxing slow time over seeing the nice view. My rating is 3.6 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

http://www.ritz-carlton.jp/restaurant/towers_grill/

Delicious sukiyaki with excellent service at Ningyo-cho Imahan

Imahan (今半) is a representative sukiyaki/shabu shabu restaurant in Japan. It was established in Asakusa in 1895, and nowadays split up into four different companies; Imahan Bekkan (今半別館), Asakusa Imahan (浅草今半), Ningyo-cho Imahan (人形町今半) and Yoyogi Imahan (代々木今半).　When I had a lunch with a friend and her family from Norway, we went to Ningyo-cho Imahan in Ueno-hirokoji (上野広小路), and it was excellent!

Corridor to private rooms in Ningyo-cho Imahan

Japanese-style private room

Starter

Sashimi

Wagyu beef for sukiyaki

Vegetables for sukiyaki

Rice, miso soup, pickles and sauce

Experienced staff cooks sukiyaki just in front.  

Good smell and sound!

Green tea ice cream and bean cake

As you see the above photos, explanation is not necessary. Wagyu beef was very sweet, tender and melt in the mouth. (Sukiyaki sauce is a bit strong as "eddoko taste".) Moreover, their service was excellent. For instance, they kindly prepared big cushions and blankets for babies in advance. When a staff noticed Friend's husband didn't eat sashimi (he was not used to raw fish), they suddenly changed the dish and served crispy tempura without charge.

Thanks to them, we had a good time. The above sukiyaki set meal at lunch costs JPY5,000 per person. Not inexpensive, but appropriate to taste sukiyaki at this kind of good restaurant. My rating is 4.1 out of 5. Gochiso-samadehsita!

Ningyo-cho Imahan (人形町今半) http://www.imahan.com/

Belgian chocolate cakes available at department stores

WITTAMER (ヴィタメール), a royal warrant chocolate shop in Belgium has its branches at department stores in Japan. Their products are made by a Japanese confectionery company and accordingly, we could enjoy the Belgian taste at reasonable price (this kind of licence business is quite popular here as business cooperation).    

Rouge chocolat 

WITTAMER

As someone thought, chocolate cakes are good. Taste of chocolate is varied. A chocolate cake named "WITAMMER" has several different chocolate layer and the harmony creates nice taste and texture. As most of the parts are mousse, it is not so heavy as appearance. One piece of cake costs around JPY500. My rating is 3.7 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

WITTAMER (ヴィタメール)　http://www.wittamer.jp/