Tag - tokyo-food-file

 
 

TOKYO FOOD FILE

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 1, 2014
Ostü: Great Italian across the way from Yoyogi Park
The only drawback to the sakura season is that no matter how beautiful the blossoms, the celebrations can get very chilly. You need somewhere you can repair to for warmth and sustenance. If you're anywhere near Yoyogi Park, you won't do better than Ostu00fc.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 18, 2014
Saru: Fresh ingredients take center stage at bistro
The little enclave underneath the expressway flyover at the intersection of Shirokane and Ebisu has always attracted an interesting and idiosyncratic selection of restaurants. Saru fits in there perfectly.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 18, 2014
Ajisen: Seasonal seafood and more in Tsukishima
There are many reasons for heading across the Sumida River to Tsukishima. Most of them involve monja, those griddle-splattered, dogs-dinner "pancakes" that are Tokyo's unconvincing answer to the okonomiyaki of western Japan. The one blessed anomaly is Ajisen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 4, 2014
Kagari: Creamy soup and noodles worth lining up for
Tracking down tiny, one-counter restaurants in Tokyo's narrow backstreets can often feel like the proverbial haystack needle-search. No such problem finding Kagari. The giveaway is the perpetual line of people outside.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 4, 2014
Fuku: Your new local yakitori stop
Yakitori is neighborhood food, not destination dining. When you feel like nibbling on skewers of grilled chicken, you don't go across town; you head for your local. If you're lucky, it will be good. But it's unlikely to be as good as Fuku in Yoyogi-Uehara.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 18, 2014
Bettei: Duck shabu-shabu you'd be quackers to miss
Even a lingering winter has its upsides. The longer and harsher the conditions, the more appealing it is to sit down to a bubbling, warming nabe hot-pot — especially if it comes with a dash of contemporary style, as it does at Bettei.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 18, 2014
Bistro Aligot: French pie and mash at its best
Aligot: a traditional dish from central-south France, made from mashed potatoes blended with melted cheese, butter, cream and garlic. Aligot: one of Tokyo's tastiest, most unusual and atmospheric little bistros.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 4, 2014
Butcher Brothers: Quality meat dishes that won't break the bank
Rib steak, bangers and mash, lamb chops, simmered tripe: At Butcher Brothers, meat is much more than just an option; it's the main event, the reason you're there. And with a name like that, what else would you expect?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 4, 2014
Gogyo: Where there's smoke, there's kogashi ramen
All ramen is good ramen when you're craving warmth in your belly. But you won't find a noodle shop in town that fights the cold in more dramatic style than Gogyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 14, 2014
Maishin: Safe haven in Shibuya for sake-loving adults
Shibuya is not a neighborhood where you head for haute cuisine. But all that window-shopping, people-watching, hanging out and having fun can be hungry work. So it's good to have a few places up your sleeve that offer sustenance and respite from the crowds and noise.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 14, 2014
Le Petit Kanda: Oden with a strong Gallic accent
In Japan, it's not winter without oden. Some people find it hard to get excited about the idea — and the redolent reality — of kamaboko fish cake, hard-boiled eggs or chunks of daikon simmered interminably in murky baths of odoriferous dashi stock. But Le Petit Kanda makes this cold-season specialty...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 31, 2013
Cork: Meals start from the wine list at this L'As spinoff
As we gallop into 2014, how better to start this Year of the Horse than with a toast? Sake may be traditional on this auspicious day, but wine is just fine — as long as the setting is as bright and shiny as this brave new year, and if there's great food to match. Cork fits the bill perfectly.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 31, 2013
Shonzui: Aging like a fine wine bar
New is good; but sometimes a favorite old place is even better, especially when it comes to relaxing over a nice bottle. Shonzui is one of Tokyo's oldest specialist wine bar/diners, and it's still one of the best.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 26, 2013
Favorite finds from 2013's Food File
As 2013 draws to a well-replete coda, there's just enough time to stop, pause and ponder the culinary highlights of the past 12 months. Tokyo has never been better for eating out, and this year has brought a further glut of excellent restaurants at every point on the budget spectrum. Here are a few,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 5, 2013
Kagurazaka GiroGiro: Kyoto import brings a youthful buzz to kaiseki
The plate is a deep turquoise blue, hand-thrown and uneven. The sliver of fish on top, its skin grilled to a burnished copper, sits on a jade green sauce. The place mat depicts a neon psychedelic geisha. Welcome to the Technicolor world of dining, GiroGiro style.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 14, 2013
Misotetsu Kagiroi: Meat, miso and veg, from hot plate to platter
Hidden away on a narrow backstreet in Ogawamachi, one of Tokyo's old-school carousing districts, Misotetsu Kagiroi is far from your typical izakaya tavern. Unlike most of its neighbors, it does not sport a large red lantern outside to grab your attention. Nor are you greeted by raucous revelry as you...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 31, 2013
Smokehouse: Harajuku lures foodies to the smoked BBQ pit
Low and slow: The much-loved mantra of American barbecue culture is more than just a slogan. It's an attitude, a badge of pride in a way of cooking and eating that's still little known to people here in Japan. If Smokehouse has anything to do with it, that situation looks set to change in a big way.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 17, 2013
Shokkan Solamachi-ten: Meals with a view in the Skytree complex
Timing is everything at Tokyo Skytree. In daylight the urban sprawl below just looks banal; at night, the city lights gleam with romance, but you can't see to the far horizons. Get there for sunset, though, and if conditions are right, the view can be little short of magical.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 3, 2013
Anis: Chef brings kitchen flair from Lyon to Hatsudai
Hatsudai has a lot going for it. This quiet low-rise residential neighborhood just minutes west of Shinjuku boasts a friendly traditional shōtengai (shopping street) and a lively annual Awa Odori dance festival. Now add to that a really outstanding restaurant.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 19, 2013
Shakunage: Moongazing over kaiseki in the heart of Ginza
The moon is magical in any phase, but it's never more beautiful than the first full moon of autumn. Some people go out to gaze at temples or teahouses; others from hillsides or seashores. But few would think of heading into central Tokyo ...

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