Tag - tokyo-food-file

 
 

TOKYO FOOD FILE

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 8, 2016
Matsubara-an Keyaki: Handcrafted soba and traditional snacks high above Harajuku
The holidays are over and the year of the monkey is swinging into action. But it's still very much the season for ritual: You can tell from the flow of worshipers heading into the wooded precincts of Meiji Jingu Shrine. In the face of such solemnity, the brash bustle of nearby Harajuku can feel crass...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 8, 2016
Musashino: Inventive handmade soba with a traditional twist
It is not so unusual to find soba specialists that offer a good selection of other dishes. But Musashino does it the other way around. This small but fully fledged ryōriya (traditional restaurant) offers multicourse kaiseki meals, based around premium wagyu beef shabu-shabu hot pot. But at lunchtime,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 18, 2015
Tokyo's best eating experiences in 2015
Another great year for dining out draws to a close. But before the bōnenkai (forget-the-year parties) erase the 2015 hard drives for good, let's take another look at some of the highlights of the past 12 months.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 4, 2015
Hugo Desnoyer: Has Paris's best butcher crafted Tokyo's best tartare?
There's a curious ritual that just about everyone follows before settling into dinner at Hugo Desnoyer. Once you've been shown to your seat upstairs and ordered drinks, you are encouraged to meet your main course.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 4, 2015
Pinsa de Roma: Pizza's rectangular ancestors come to Harajuku
Another fast-food pizza outlet — just what Harajuku needs. Don't jump to conclusions too fast though, Pinsa de Roma is different. First, as you can tell from the name, it serves pinsa, the original oven-baked flat bread made for centuries in Rome long before the name "pizza" was coined and Naples got...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 20, 2015
Salmon & Trout: Delectably eclectic free-form dining
Three things you need to know before seeking out Salmon & Trout: It's a 10-minute walk from the nearest suburban station, both inside and out, it looks as much like a bicycle showroom as it does a restaurant, and rarely — if ever — will the two namesake fish appear on the menu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 20, 2015
Souen: Green tea and traditional sweets in Nishi-Azabu
Remind me again what Japan's national (nonalcoholic) drink is. No, it's not coffee, whether out of vending machines or fastidiously dripped by well-coiffed baristas. It is, of course, green tea — not that you'd realize it in Tokyo. This may be the land where ceremonial tea was perfected, but it's hard...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 6, 2015
Kohaku: Horsehair crab, turtle and caviar at this tradition-bending kaiseki restaurant
Tradition looks quite different in Tokyo than, say, Kyoto. Concealed and evolving under constant layers of reinvention, it must be sought out. Where to start? Just head to Kohaku in Kagurazaka, Tokyo's atmospheric nightlife district.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 6, 2015
Na Camo Guro: Nakameguro's duck-centric grill
To guess the specialty at Na Camo Guro, you need to know a little Japanese. Even if you don't, you might still be amused by the wordplay in the name of this sparkling new Japanese-style grill, just a minute's walk from Nakameguro Station.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 16, 2015
Le Sputnik: Out-of-this-world French dining lands in Roppongi
With so much great French cuisine in Japan, what can a hot new restaurant do if it wants to stand out from the crowd? Having a catchy name certainly helps, and so does a good location. Le Sputnik qualifies on both counts. More importantly, it also boasts a very talented chef.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 16, 2015
Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta: Don't let the name fool you, this is the best ramen in northern Tokyo
Is ramen Japanese or Chinese? That particular question is clearly a non-starter for the good folks at Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta — whose name stakes out their position. But, to clarify things, you won't find buckwheat noodles in their bowls; what you get is arguably the finest ramen in northern Tokyo....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 2, 2015
& ecle: An eclectic take on 'neo-bistro' dining
"Coulicious." It's an unlikely, unwieldy name for a signature dish — but not half as improbable as that of the restaurant itself: & ecle. How can you possibly take it seriously? Two good reasons: the man in charge is Olivier Rodriguez; and his food tastes fantastic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 2, 2015
Camelback: Exceptional sandwiches and flat whites a short walk from Yoyogi Park
A well constructed sandwich is more than just a snack. When it has been put together with prime ingredients, creative flair and artisan skill — the way it's done at Camelback — it is a meal of balance and beauty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 18, 2015
Ubuka: Where seafood chefs eat seafood
Is there anywhere in the world that consumes as much fish as Japan? And is there a city with as many specialist seafood restaurants as Tokyo? In such a crowded field, how can one small eatery hope to make its mark? In the case of Ubuka, by keeping things simple, flying under the radar — and serving...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 18, 2015
Kamiyama: Soba noodles offer respite from the chaos of the city
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Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 4, 2015
Dharmasagara: Vegetarian curries that will transport you to India's sun-baked streets
Uttappam, idli, vada, masala dosa — for me, dinner at Dharmasagara is more than just a roll call of favorite foods. It's an incantation that summons up India's sun-baked streets of Chennai and Tamil Nadu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 4, 2015
Sumibiyakiniku Nakahara: From raw beef with egg yolk to 'legendary' wagyu tongue
Open the menu at Sumibiyakiniku Nakahara and the first thing you will see is a full-page diagram showing the 22 basic parts of a Japanese cow. It's a simplified chart but the point is clear: You don't just eat well here — you get an education in some of the finest wagyu beef in the city.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 14, 2015
Mori no Butchers: Juicy, grilled meats and homemade sausages
The sizzle of steak on the grill, the clink of wine glasses and the buzz of contented conversation — slide open the door of Mori no Butchers and your ears will reassure you that you're in the right place as fast as your nose will.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 14, 2015
Garden House Crafts: Deli meats and sandwiches on the city's best terrace
The final piece of the Log Road Daikanyama jigsaw is now in place. Well over two months after the rest of this handsome, timber-clad development opened, Garden House Crafts is finally up and running. It was quite a saga getting here (San Francisco bakery Tartine was originally slated to be in the space),...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 31, 2015
Motenashi Kuroki: Chilling with summer specials at one of Akihabara's best ramen shops
Any season is ramen season. But when the heat builds and energy levels start to sag, is it really worth trekking across town and waiting in line for noodles that will only make you sweat even more? In the case of Motenashi Kuroki, most definitely yes.

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