Inakaya West

Address: 4-10-11 Roppongi Minato-ku, Tokyo

http://www.roppongiinakaya.jp/en/index.html

Phone: 03-5775-1012

Inakaya West is a Robatayaki restaurant (Japanese country style restaurant), and it is one of the more interesting restaurants we've been to in Tokyo. Fresh ingredients are displayed in front of you and you just need to tell the cook what you want and they will cook it right in front for you. Seems like this is a popular place among celebrities-the Onisan told us that Jackie Chan is one of the regulars there. I have to say though, the food here is not cheap. Expect to pay quite a bit for the unique dining experience and fresh ingredients.

Update: We went to the Inakaya when we were in Tokyo a few years ago and I just read that Inakaya will be opening its first restaurant in the United States at the New York Times building, with the same U Shape counter set up as the restaurants in Tokyo. This is not the first robatayaki restaurant in the city, as Aburiya Kinnosuke has been serving some of the robata style dishes. But the tradition of yelling orders across the dining room would definitely be an interesting experience for the New York diners.

That's our Red Snapper and Mackerel! Gan: Sarah has a thing with sending sea creatures to their horrible death

This Onisan told Gan that he would need a bigger lens to capture all of him in the picture! lol
Gan: No, he said "Onisan, does that come in panaromic shot? You need a widescreen to see all of me". Funny.

Taishoken Ramen

Address: 4-28-3 Higashi Ikebukuro, Roshima-ku, Tokyo

Phone: 03-3981-9360
Taishoken is famous for its Tsukemen, dipping style noodles, so we decided to make a trip from Roppongi to Ikebukuro to try it out. It took us a while before we found this place. Actually, after looking at other people's pictures of Taishoken's exterior, I have a feeling that we might have gone to a newer branch instead of the original. But oh well, as long as it's still Taishoken. Upon entering the restaurant, you'll find a vending machine where you can choose what you want ie ramen (soup or dipping style) + shio or shoyu soup base + Menma (bamboo shoots) + Char Sui (roast pork), pay up, hand in coupon to the cook and then wait patiently for the ramen. I ordered the regular Ramen while Gan decided to try their Tsukemen. The ramen here was quite delicious, although they could really use some air conditioners in the restaurant, given that everyone was sweating like crazy! I have no idea how the other customers who were wearing shirts and pants (and some even in suits) were able to eat under such condition!

Taishoken Ramen with Extra Menma

Men in suits eating hot steamy Ramen in a hot steamy store

Kitchen Shunju

Address: 8F My City, 3-38-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku

http://www.shunju.com/ja/restaurants/shinjuku

Phone: 03-5369-0377

Kitchen Shunju is located on the top floor of My City department store in Shinjuku. The 7th and 8th Floor of My City has wide selections of good restaurants. Kitchen Shunju is particularly interesting because they use the freshest ingredients to cook simple Japanese dishes. The deep fried homemade tofu here is especially good. The interior design of the restaurant is bright and classy, and they have a glass-in kitchen, so you'll be able to see all the actions that are going on in the kitchen. Gan: Thought it was something like a japanese-dutch fusion restaurant.

Gan and Sarah posing at Kitchen Shunju

Yummy grilled pork! Gan: Grilled kobe beef lah dungui!

Beef chunks stewed in Dutch Oven. Gan: Really soft..

Shunju style pizza/pancake

Tokyo, 2005/2006

This is one of the hardest blogs to write about since there are so many good restaurants in Tokyo and so many varieties of food in the city. We were very fortunate to have visited the city a couple of times for the past few years and were introduced to some really good food by our Malaysian friend Eric, who works and lives in Tokyo. From the freshest sushi at a sushi bar near the Tsukiji market to the best Tonkotsu ramen at Jangaara Ramen near Akasaka, Tokyo never fails to deliver the best food. Just like in New York, you can find all sorts of international cuisines in Tokyo. Gan: <--- Is he an otaku? Help decide: When Gan was in college, he had regularly attended University of Michigan's Animania (Japanese animation or "anime" club) weekly screening. During the once a year anime screening marathon, he will wake up before the sun is out and show up for the _all day_ anime marathon screening! He's still embarrassed about that.

Eric's Home Cooking

Eric shares the same passion for food as us. He's also a very talented cook. The dishes you see in the picture were all prepared by him. Gan was very fortunate to have tasted Eric's cooking several times, but I always missed out on that. *Hint to Eric! :) Gan: Eric likes to question his manhood but when it comes to producing top notch food, he's the Malaysian Iron Chef!

Eric's masterpiece -- Malaysian Curry Chicken Gan: Curry chicken in pressure cooker = meat falls off the bone and intense flavor!

Eric, Da Man!

Food Fair @ Azabu Juban

We were so lucky to stumble upon this Food Fair near Azabu Juban!! Everything looked so tasty! The takoyaki stand was the most popular, but the line was too long, so we decided to move on.

Awesome looking Baby Octopus

Yakitori ---reminds me of Malaysian Satay. Gan: Wagyu beef on a stick! Bring it on!

BBQ Rice Cakes

The crowd at Azabu Juban Food Fair

Okonomiyaki - Japanese style pancakes/pizza

Marui Sushi

This is by far one of the best sushi we've ever eaten, courtesy of our friend, Eric (thank you Eric!)

We had Omakase (chef's choice) and the sushi kept coming....yummy! Gan: The sushi just kept coming!

The Sushi Chefs who prepared our wonderful dinner!

Gogyou, Nishi Azabu

This restaurant is located at Nishi Azabu and it serves a very unique style of burnt miso/shoyu ramen. I've never tried it but Gan says it's not bad....

Kogashi (Burnt) Shoyu Ramen. Gan: I was basically eating black soot



Gogyou's Chashiu Donburi

Roppongi Hills Restaurants

Roppongi Hills is technically a mini city. They have Grand Hyatt Hotel, Corporate offices, Shops, Restaurants, Cafes, Apartments all in the same area. We ate some of the best food in Tokyo here in Roppongi Hills.


Pintokona

Address: 6-4-1, Roppongi, Metrohat B2F, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Phone: 03-5771-113

Roppongi Hills have so many wonderful restaurants and Pintokona, which is located in the basement of Roppongi Hills is the best Kaiten sushi place ever! Gan: They have these torched salmon and toro sushi. Loved it. Wish more sushi proprietor in NYC do that.

The sushi here is quite expensive, considering that it is, after all just a kaiten sushi place. But unlike other kaiten sushi places, Pintokona serves only the highest quality sushi.

Hige-Cho Tokyo

Address: Roppongi Hills, Metrohat/Hollywood B2F

Phone: 03-5770-6577

Gan and I are such suckers for Rice boxes. We waited a long time for this take out stall in the basement of Roppongi Hills to open in the morning. Not too bad for a fast food place. Gan: One thing we noticed from our travels is that South East Asian still have the best breakfast options of anywhere. Most of the other places we go to, you need to wait until 10am before most restaurants are opened for business.

Braised Pork Belly with an Egg, Minced Pork over rice & Pickled vegetables.

Starbucks

Starbucks ala Green Tea :) I also love everything Green Tea and Japan is just a Green tea heaven. Green Tea ice cream, Green Tea dessert, Green Tea Mochi, Green Tea Cake, you name it, they have it.....I just wished I could eat/drink everything Green Tea everyday.

Yamato

Address: Yoyogi 2-1-1, Shinjuku Maynd Tower B1F, Tokyo

Phone: 03-3377-1233


We met up with my high school classmate Afiza and her husband Iqbal at Yamato Shinjuku for dinner. It was a nice Izakaya restaurants that serves light and tasty food. We thoroughly enjoyed the dinner there...until we saw a cockroach running across the dining floor! Thank goodness we were done with our meal when that happened.

Nice plate presentation

Happy couples posing after the dinner

Gonpachi

Address: 1F, 2F 1-13-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo

http://www.sushi.gonpachi.jp/en/nishi_azabu/home/location

Phone: 03-5771-0170

Gonpachi near Nishi Azabu - Can't really remember what we ate there, just remembered that the interior was very unique.

With Keiko, Gan's friend from Michigan at Gonpachi

Erawan

Address: Roppongi 5-5-1, Roi Bldg, 13F

http://www.erawan-jp.com/roppongi/index.html

Phone: 03-3404-5741

Erawan is a popular Thai chain restaurant in Japan. We usually go there for its steamboat. The dipping sauce there is kick ass spicy, and really good. Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cake) was not bad also. I wasn't there when Gan tried this "Chicken on Fire" dish. Looked kinda cruel to me though....poor chicken. Gan: Looks like one of those horror witch burning scene in the movies

Thai Fish Cakes at Erawan

Thai Steam boat/Hot Pot at Erawan -- whatever you want to call it. Gan: We're suckers for hot pot. Thai hot pot is one of the better ones outside of those Szechuan spicy hot pot.

$100 Musk Melon

$100 musk melon anyone??

Other Tokyo Restaurants:

Inakaya West

Kitchen Shunju

To-fu Cafe Fujino

To-fu Cafe Fujino

Address: Roppongi Hills, Metrohat/Hollywood Plaza 101

http://www.kyotofu.co.jp/shop/cafe_6/index.html

Phone: 03-5771-0102

I love everything tofu and this place is pretty much my favorite eating place in Tokyo because everything here are made of Tofu. They have tofu noodles, tofu smoothies, tofu soup, tofu dessert and even tofu doughnuts (my favorite)!!! They gave me free doughnuts when I went there really late (they were about to close). So happy!!! Gan: The tofu doughnut was good. It's fried but it's also tofu! Less guilt.

Tofu and Green Tea Ice Green with red beans and mochi.

Me at my favorite cafe!!

Nabii to Kamado

Address: 7F My City, 3-38-1, Shinjuku, Shinjuk-ku

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g802101

Phone: 03-3352-8421

We love okinawan dishes. We tried this style of Japanese cooking for the first time in Hawaii and loved it every since. We heard about this restaurant at My City and decided to eat there. The food was not bad. We were surprised that the cook is so young! Gan: Women chefs are a rarity and even more so in Asia but she's one hell of an amazing cook!

Dining Room decor at Nabii to Kamado

Gan and his bottle of "Hi-C"

Pig Intestines and Bamboo Shoots Okinawan style

Buta Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce) was so tender that it melts in your mouth. Gan: What's better than pork fat?

Goya Campuru -- Bitter Gourd with spam. Gan: I find it amusing that we Asians loves spam but Americans hate it. It's actually quite pricey to buy spam in Tokyo.