Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Yasai Kaiseki Nagamine (03) 3547-8083

Vegetables given pride of place in upmarket kaiseki cuisine

The Japan Times, Friday, April 16, 2010

Down in Ginza, we got another glimpse of the future. This version, though, is hushed and sophisticated, with waitresses in kimono. It feels very traditional — in all but one respect. Instead of tuna and eel on your sushi, you get mushrooms and vegetables. Welcome to Nagamine, Tokyo's first vegetable kaiseki restaurant.
The idea is simple but profound. Japan's traditional multicourse cuisine has always been based on the bounty of the vegetable kingdom. Increasingly, though, kaiseki meals have become loaded up with meat and seafood, with vegetables, herbs and mushrooms treated as mere seasonal accents. Nagamine winds the clock back, but in contemporary style.
The credentials are impeccable. The parent company is a long-established produce wholesaler based in Tsukiji, not far from the legendary fish market. The restaurant sits discreetly in a basement close to Higashi-Ginza, doing little to advertise its presence save for the carefully arranged display of vegetables outside thenoren curtain.
Unless you specifically ask for the counter seats by the small open prep kitchen, you will be ushered to a private room fitted withhorikotatsu leg wells (a few have tables and chairs). English is spoken but barely needed since you will have already specified which course you want when you made your booking.
The basic course (¥5,250) focuses on vegetables only — though vegetarians should note it's prepared with fish-based dashi stock. The pricier courses (¥8,400 and ¥12,600) are more elaborate and include extra seafood and meat respectively.
Every dish looked and tasted as exquisite as you would expect from the setting (with one exception, an overly heavy "gratin" prepared with soymilk bechamel sauce). The highlight, though, was the platter of vegetable sushi served toward the end. This is Nagamine's signature dish.
The toppings ranged from a shimeji mushroom and a sliver of new-season bamboo shoot to delicately chopped tomato and sprouts of young negi leek as fine as chives. Visually, at least, we didn't miss our fish at all.
map here...

Yasai Kaiseki Nagamine
Ginsho Bldg. B1, 4-9-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku; (03) 3547-8083
r.gnavi.co.jp/fl/en/b803900/
Nearest stations: Ginza (Ginza & Hibiya Lines); Higashi-Ginza (Asakusa and Hibiya lines)
Open: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; 5:30-11 p.m.
Closed: Sun. and holidays.
Lunch from ¥2,620, dinner from ¥5,250; major cards accepted
Japanese/English menu, English spoken; reservations essential

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Noka no Daidokoro (03) 3719-4831

A fresh future for healthy dining
The Japan Times, Friday, April 16, 2010

We have seen the future. It’s a bright, cheerful place, where farmers are heroes and everyone munches on raw food. There are posters and didactic messages everywhere, and the enthusiasm seems almost otaku. Welcome to Noka no Daidokoro (“Farmhouse Kitchen”), the taste of things to come.

Set up by a brash, media-savvy company called Kunitachi Farm — it does actually have its own land, though mostly it works with a network of independent farmers — there are now three Noka no Daidokoro restaurants. The first opened in 2007 out in one of Tokyo’s western suburbs. But it was the launching of the second branch in Ebisu the following year that really announced the company and its distinctive style to the world.

Two giant glowing plastic daikon radishes flank heavy doors that lead you into a temperature-controlled room filled with fresh vegetables. You may be asked to wait in this chilly antechamber while your table is prepared. It’s a momentary discomfort — think of it as produce purgatory before being admitted into the inner sanctum...

read more here...

map here...

Noka no daidokoro

Ebisu South One 1F, 1-7-8 Ebisu-Minami, Shibuya-ku

(03) 3719-4831

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/p963301

Open: Daily 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (last order); 5:30-11 p.m. (last order for food 9:45 p.m.)

Nearest station: Ebisu (JR & Hibiya lines)

Smoking: Not permitted

Price per head: Lunch from ¥800; dinner from ¥4,800, also a la carte

Cards: Major cards accepted

Language: Japanese menu; little English spoken

Reservations: recommended

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

bills Yokohama Aka-renga Soko (045) 650-1266

Pancakes, scrambled eggs and more, a taste of Sydney in Yokohama

The Japan Times, Friday, April 2, 2010

One of the Food File's all-time favorite settings for breakfast in Japan — lunch and dinner, too — has to be bills , Aussie chef Bill Granger's stylish beachfront cafe/restaurant on the Kamakura coast. The good news is that there's now a second branch, and it's a lot more convenient if you're living or working in Yokohama, or just visiting for the day.

Once again, he has a prime waterfront location, this time in the atmospheric, century-old Red Brick Warehouses. With a view out onto the lapping harbor, the feel is very Sydney casual-chic. The main dining room is rather plusher than at the original Shichirigahama branch, with the added bonus of a spacious terrace. Currently it's still enclosed, but as soon as the weather permits this will be open to allow very pleasant al fresco eating.

If you're familiar with the menu at the original bills there will be few surprises. All of Granger's signature dishes are present and correct, including ricotta pancakes, sweet corn fritters, wagyu burgers and the delectable organic scrambled eggs that first put his name on the map. Add to that list a Yokohama original — Berry Berry Pancakes, served with a selection of red soft fruits and a generous patty of berry-infused butter.

However, just because it's bigger and closer to the city, that doesn't mean it will be any easier to get a table. Even in last weekend's unseasonably chilly weather, there were long waits. Once the word spreads, the lines will likely stretch around the block. So get there early in the morning: You know at least they'll have breakfast waiting for you.

map here...

bills Yokohama Aka-renga Soko

Red Brick Warehouse Building #2, 1-1-2 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken; (045) 650-1266; bills-jp.net

nearest station: Bashamichi (Minato-mirai Line)

Open 9 a.m.-11 p.m. (last food order 10 p.m.)

Mariage Frères (03) 3572-1854; Lipton Tea House (03) 5159-6066

...high tea in the Ginza

The Japan Times, Friday, April 2, 2010

Compared to getting a good breakfast, treating yourself to a leisurely afternoon tea ought to be far less of a problem. After all, when it comes to patisseries, Tokyo is every bit the equal of Paris or Vienna. Just one problem — very few places understand how to serve the tea itself.

Invariably there will be little or no choice — maybe Earl Grey, Darjeeling or perhaps (laughably) some Breakfast Tea. It is more than likely to be brewed from tea bags, rather than from the leaf. And then, when it arrives, it will probably be overstewed and harshly tannic. Worse yet, the milk will no doubt be warm.

The only way to be sure it will be done right is to go to one of the specialist tea houses. None of them takes the job more seriously than Mariage Frères, in the heart of Ginza.

The tea canisters on the shelves of the ground-floor retail store barely hint at the sheer number of teas stocked here. There are hundreds listed in the catalog, many of them exclusive, handpicked, single-estate, first-flush varieties. All are available for you to choose from for your afternoon pot, up in the tea rooms on the second and third floors...

At the Lipton Tea House, over on the other side of Ginza, the atmosphere is far less stuffy. Here the rituals of afternoon tea are performed in the British style. Mercifully there's very little overt cultural baggage. The influences are all on the menu and in the cup. With just 32 varieties on the list, including quite a few flavored teas and herbal tisanes, that is quite enough choice for us. Although the brewing is performed out of sight, beforehand you will be asked how strong you like your tea. You will also be asked what you want to eat with it.

This time last year, Lipton was even serving hot cross buns, aromatic sweet rolls that are a classic Easter tradition in Britain. Perhaps due to lack of interest, they're not offered this spring, but there are plenty of year-round specials.

You can't get more British than a proper cream tea (¥1,700). You get to pick from six flavors of scone, including — in this season —sakura, made with salted cherry blossom and leaf. These are served in true s only tyle with authentic clotted cream and little pots of jam (strawberry, blueberry or rhubarb) or lemon curd, which you can take home with you if you don't finish them...

Lauderdale (03) 3405-5533

Roppongi breakfast...

The Japan Times, Friday, April 2, 2010

Breakfast and afternoon tea: Two meals that rarely get discussed in this column. It's not a question of bias. It's just there are very few places in town that get them right.

In the case of breakfast, Tokyo really doesn't seem to bother. If you're not inside one of the larger hotels, you can forget about getting anything more substantial than coffee and a danish. Unless you're close to Roppongi Hills, that is, and the welcoming early morning glow emanating from Lauderdale.

To find anywhere serving a good cooked breakfast at 7 in the morning is in itself noteworthy. But to sit down in such a relaxed setting — high ceilings, mix-and-match old wooden furniture, a bar at one end and a comfy banquette at the other — is cause for outright celebration. So is Lauderdale's menu.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Le Dessin (03) 3353-2223

Designs for both palate and palette

The Japan Times, Friday, March 19, 2010

It was one of those hot tips that come our way from time to time. This one, though, was delivered with a caveat: "A fantastic little French place, as good as any in town for the price; but the location's so obscure no one knows about it. It's called Le Dessin."

We certainly hadn't heard of it — nor even of Ushigome-Yanagicho, the nearest subway station. But our interest was piqued. Within days we had a table booked and were scanning our maps of the Oedo Line and nether Shinjuku Ward. We were also keeping our fingers crossed that the journey would be worth it.
The recommendation was right on the button. Even if you lived nearby, you'd probably call the neighborhood obscure. And you'd need to have a keen eye to guess that anything of great interest lay behind Le Dessin's unassuming frontage, with its anonymous door opening onto an unlovely stretch of Okubo-dori.

There's no denying it's small, either. The cozy dining room has just space enough for seven petite tables. But this is intentional. It's not just a matter of comfort; this is the maximum number of people that the kitchen can cater to.

That's because Le Dessin's chef, Toshiaki Masuda, works entirely solo. Everything in the kitchen, as compact as a ship's galley, he does himself — from prep work and bread baking to cleaning up the spotless space. And taking care of everything in the front of house is his wife.

Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a typical pop-and-mom diner. It may seem modest in scale, but this is not just another basic bistro. Le Dessin is a full-fledged restaurant, with no corners cut but also a total lack of pretension. And Masuda is a true chef, one who cooks for the love of it.

You can tell by the amount of attention and creativity he lavishes on every dish. One of his signature starters is his vegetable terrine, a densely packed tranche of seasonal vegetables set in aspic, cut in cross-section and wrapped in a thin layer of pink ham. It's arranged exquisitely on the plate, with extra veggies on the side and swooshes of sauce in vivid greens, oranges and earth browns, with flavors as intense as the colors.

This was one of the opening courses we were served at a leisurely lunch a couple of Saturdays ago. Masuda doesn't bother to open for lunch on weekdays, partly because there are so few people around in this area, but mainly he doesn't want to be rushed and have to cut corners. On weekends, though, he has time to pull out the stops. Whether you order the three-course menu (¥1,950) or four (¥2,800), you can expect to spend a couple of hours at the table.

Dinner at Le Dessin is equally impressive and even better value...

Thursday, March 4, 2010

A16 (03) 3212-5215

Pizza and pasta in peace and quiet

The Japan Times, Friday, March 5, 2010

Spring may not be here for real just yet, but it's never too early to celebrate the first al fresco lunch of the year. So when last week's unseasonably warm spell arrived we knew exactly where to go — into the heart of the city, to grab an outside table at A16.

We had two compelling reasons for this choice. The casual Californian-Italian cooking at this San Francisco transplant hits exactly the right note for a light, leisurely meal at any time of day. And the location is about as good as it gets in central Tokyo.

A16 takes its name from the autostrada that cuts across southern Italy from Naples to Puglia. Just as at the parent restaurant in San Francisco, the idea is to showcase the hearty, healthy cooking of that region, especially the province of Campania. That means plenty of good antipasti, pasta and wine, all presented in easygoing U.S. West Coast style.

Since the inspiration is Naples, there has to be pizza. And sure enough, dominating the dining room you see the twin pizza ovens with their flickering flames and handsome brickwork chimneys. Although safety regulations here require them to be gas-fired rather than wood-burning, everything else about them is true to the original spirit, channeling those authentic Neapolitan flavors.

But it wasn't just the pizza we were there for; it was the piazza outside. A16 occupies a prime position inside the remarkable Brick Square, a pedestrian -only space almost entirely closed off from the surrounding streets. With the traffic out of sight and virtually out of earshot, it's hard to believe you're in the center of Marunouchi, just a minute's walk from Tokyo Station.

Since it opened last autumn, this little plaza has given the city something it has sorely lacked — a public area that's not a mall or slotted in as an afterthought between skyscrapers. The small garden boasts trees and shrubs (though not yet in leaf), a sward of lawn, benches where you can read or people-watch, and up above, a proper view of the open sky.
read more here...
map here...

A16
Location: Marunouchi Brick Square 1F, 2-6-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
(03) 3212-5215; www.giraud.co.jp/a16
Open: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (Sunday & holidays 11 a.m.-10 p.m.)
Nearest station: Tokyo (JR & Marunouchi Line)
How to get there: From Tokyo JR Station (Marunouchi South Exit), cross to the Marunouchi Building, turn left and walk in the direction of Yurakucho. Just after the next lights, you will see the entrance to Brick Square. The entrance to A16 is on the inside plaza.
What works: Outside tables with views of greenery and brickwork — and no traffic
What doesn't: There's not a great selection of entrees.
Number of seats: 92 plus 30 outside
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: Pizza from ¥1,300; pasta from ¥1,200; main dishes from ¥2,000
Drinks: Beer from ¥630; wine from ¥600/glass, ¥3,300/bottle
Cards: Major cards accepted
Language: Japanese/English menu; English spoken
Reservations: Recommended

Friday, February 19, 2010

Yoshicho (03) 5793-5050; Takahashi (03) 5436-9677

Stellar yakitori down in Gotanda

The Japan Times, February 19, 2010

The idea of gourmet yakitori is nothing new. There are plenty of restaurants around town where the humble art of skewering and grilling chicken has been elevated to a degree of sophistication. But you don't expect to find it in the back streets of Gotanda, just north of Shinagawa.

More seedy than downright sleazy, the block immediately to the east of the Yamanote Line tracks is lined with cheap drinking dens and massage parlors. But there are also clear signs of gentrification — and none more so than the presence of Yoshicho.

You'd never stumble on it by chance. Hidden from view on the second floor of a newish building just off Sakurada-Dori, there is little inside or out to suggest that this unpretentious restaurant, with its open kitchen, glass-enclosed grill, counter seats and three small tables, is anything out of the ordinary. It's the food and not the setting that makes it worth searching out.

Unlike many yakitori chefs whose skills are solely limited to grilling, owner-chef Kenji Yoshimoto is trained in the spectrum of traditional Japanese cuisine. He has a deftness of touch that is obvious from the outset, even in the otoshi(starter) that arrives with your first drink — perhaps a small serving of nanonhana greens with an aemonodressing lightly spiced with mustard.

Subtlety and finesse are not words usually used in describing yakitori, but this chicken is prepared and presented with the kind of artisan care it deserves. At the same time, Yoshicho has a warm, friendly feel. No doubt this is due to the fact that the young assistant is Yoshimoto's brother and the waitress serving your sake is likely to be his mother.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Is Yoshicho the finest yakitori joint in the neighborhood? That's a very hard call, because over on the other side of Gotanda Station you will find Takahashi, another yakitoriya of rare quality.It, too, is a small place tucked away inconspicuously on the second floor of a modern building. And it also has that personal touch that comes from a hands-on owner-chef dedicated to detail. However, the style and approach are considerably different.

For more than two decades, Yuji Takahashi had his own upscale French restaurant, La Primeur, in Setagaya Ward. But it was always his dream to run a boutique-scale yakitori counter. When he realized that ambition three years ago with the opening of the eponymous Takahashi, he carried over with him both his expertise in French cuisine and his love of wine.

One corner of the small dining room — a stripped-back space, just an L-shaped counter seating 10 around an open kitchen, plus a small table with high bar stools for six more — is occupied by a large wine refrigerator and an impressive array of stemware. The wine list is compact but well selected to match the cuisine...
read more here...
Yoshicho
Il Viare Gotanda 2F, 1-12-9 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5793-5050; www.yoshichou.info/
Open: 5-10:30 p.m. (last order); closed Sunday and holidays
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥600; umeshu from ¥650; sake from ¥700; shochu from ¥650
Cards: Major cards accepted
Language: Japanese/English menu; little English spoken
map here

Takahashi
Pragma G-Tower 2F, 1-7-1 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5436-9677
Open: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 5-8 p.m. & 8:15-10:30; closed Sunday and 1st & 3rd Monday
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥800; wine from ¥1,000/glass, from ¥5,500/bottle; sake ¥700; shochu ¥700; spirits from ¥800
Credit cards: Not accepted (cash only)
Language: Japanese menu; little English spoken
map here

TOKYO FOOD FILE

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Yasai Kaiseki Nagamine (03) 3547-8083

Vegetables given pride of place in upmarket kaiseki cuisine

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Noka no Daidokoro (03) 3719-4831

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

bills Yokohama Aka-renga Soko (045) 650-1266

Pancakes, scrambled eggs and more, a taste of Sydney in Yokohama

Mariage Frères (03) 3572-1854; Lipton Tea House (03) 5159-6066

Lauderdale (03) 3405-5533

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Le Dessin (03) 3353-2223

Thursday, March 4, 2010

A16 (03) 3212-5215

Pizza and pasta in peace and quiet

Friday, February 19, 2010

Yoshicho (03) 5793-5050; Takahashi (03) 5436-9677

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