Tag - tokyo-restaurants

 
 

TOKYO RESTAURANTS

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 6, 2016
The Apollo: Modern Greek cuisine descends on Ginza
Taramosalata, dolma, souvlaki, moussaka: Even the briefest roll call of these classic dishes will trigger intense Pavlovian salivation in anyone who has ever visited Greece. For most people in Tokyo, though, these foods have been off the radar. The arrival of The Apollo looks set to change that in a...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 22, 2016
Buddhist cafe gives Tokyo caffeinated enlightenment
The hum of conversation and the clinking of spoons and coffee cups fills the wood-panelled cafe in a fashionable Tokyo neighborhood as more than a dozen customers sip drinks and nibble desserts.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 15, 2016
Bullicio: Valencia wine bar puts a Spanish fire in the city’s heart
Anyone who has visited Spain knows it offers some of the best eating in Europe. But its food has never been embraced in Japan in the same way as French and Italian cuisine. So it's always good to see a new Spanish restaurant arriving in Tokyo — especially when it's as capable as Bullicio.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 15, 2016
Gyoza Bar Comme a Paris: Pan-fried dumplings with a touch of je ne sais quoi
Recently Tokyo has developed a big appetite for gyōza dumplings. These little pan-fried packages of meaty, garlicky goodness are no longer just a lowly dim-sum starter or a ramen shop side-order to help the beer down while you wait for your noodles. They now have a pulling power all their own. They're...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 18, 2016
Craftale: A young, talented chef takes flight among Nakameguro's cherry trees
There's a new generation of chefs emerging in Tokyo. They're young, innovative, up-to-the-minute and self-assured, and they're starting to make waves. Most are still flying under the radar. In the case of Shinya Otsuchihashi and his brilliant new restaurant, Craftale, things are not going to stay that...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 18, 2016
Henry's Burger: 100 percent wagyu, no filler
The gourmet burger market in Tokyo is an increasingly crowded field. With so many new arrivals, from small, passionate independents to slick, well-funded international operations, it's hard for new places to stand out. One that has carved out a tiny but distinct niche is Henry's Burger, which opened...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Mar 11, 2016
The search for Tokyo's best gimlet leads to Daisuke Ito
I have a particular fondness for the gimlet, that simple but elegant concoction of gin, fresh lime juice and sweetened lime cordial. For many, the drink conjures images of dames and detectives from noir films, but mine is a more nostalgic affection. The gimlet was my cocktail of choice during my early...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 4, 2016
Sushi Tokami: Rare fish and red rice in a legendary basement
The road to becoming a top sushi chef is notoriously long and winding. Just ask Hiroyuki Sato. His discreet little 10-seater restaurant, Sushi Tokami, is only three years old and Sato already ranks among the best sushi chefs in the city. But he had to take a circuitous route to get there.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 4, 2016
Rokurinsha Haneda Airport: Exit Japan with some superlative noodles inside you
Check in, pass straight through immigration, take a left turn and look for people with their heads bent over noodle bowls. You have arrived at Rokurinsha.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 19, 2016
Ranjatai: Inventive yakitori in the backstreets of Jinbocho
Chicken and charcoal are a classic combination: Morsels of meat carefully skewered and cooked over glowing coals until they're tender, juicy and golden brown. Good yakitori is always a pleasure. At its very best it's worth crossing the city for. And Ranjatai's certainly belongs in that category.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 19, 2016
Pappon Kitchen: Shibuya's tiniest Thai diner wields huge flavors
It's remarkable what a good chef can do with a single burner, a rice cooker and plenty of prep. Take a look at the countless street-food artisans across Asia. Or, much closer to home, just drop into Pappon Kitchen and observe a masterclass in compact cooking.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 5, 2016
Craft Beer Market Koenji: A refuge for beer lovers with 30 local brews on tap
Sometimes you just want to hunker down somewhere simple. You're not looking for anything cutting-edge or fancy, just a place where the welcome is warm and the food is good, plentiful and satisfying — and ditto the beer. If you're anywhere near the Koenji neighborhood just west of Shinjuku, there is...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 5, 2016
Honke Ponga: Korea's healthy answer to 'yakiniku'
Can anything be more enjoyable than sitting around a shichirin (traditional charcoal burner) and cooking your own dinner — especially in the coldest season? Honke Ponga, a friendly South Korean grill just steps away from Meguro Station, does its best to answer that in the affirmative by adding a light,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 22, 2016
Otako: A 93-year-old 'oden' joint that still keeps its hot pot simmering
On a bitterly cold winter evening few sights are more welcoming than the cheerful glow of the large red lanterns that hang outside traditional restaurants. They promise noodles, eel or yakitori chicken, or advertize an all-purpose izakaya tavern. But the underlying message is the same: Here you will...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 22, 2016
Bao: Mongolian comfort food at a cheerful little hole-in-the-wall
Comfort food comes in many forms — as many as there are countries and cultures. In the case of Mongolia, it is likely to look a lot like mutton cooked in a steaming hot pot together with boiled potatoes, cabbage, tofu, shiitake mushrooms and black cloud-ear fungus. That is the kind of hearty sustenance...
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 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
Nov 27, 2015
The future of conveyor-belt sushi
In October, U.K. sushi chain Yo! Sushi opened a new kaiten (conveyor belt) restaurant in a Florida mall. It is the third branch the chain has established in the United States this year, and more branches are slated to open in 2016. It is a reminder that this automated approach to dining continues to...

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’