Takemura is a traditional dessert cafe in Tokyo, in Kanda-Sudacho, an area full of interesting eateries (two of the best soba restaurants in Tokyo are located nearby). It was founded in 1930. This kind of stores are called kanmi-dokoro (甘味処, “sweets place”) and are rarer and rarer in Tokyo.
The visit
The venue occupies a traditional house and has both normal table seats and a few tatami seats. They do not like pictures inside, so I do not have an image of the interior.
Attention, the place is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
They offer you a bowl of hot water with cherry flowers when you seat down for an order.
They have a menu translated in English. The translation is impeccable, but there are no pictures. They have a lot of traditional desserts. In my first visit I tried their mistumame with boiled apricots (anzu). The main feature of mitsumame is small cubes of agar jelly called kanten, a white translucent jelly made from seaweeds. It came with a green tea and a syrup to pour over. It was an unexpectedly tasty dessert.
On my second visit, I tried their Age–manju that is a deep-fried version of the classic manju, a Japanese pancake filled with red bean paste. This is one of their signature dishes and they sell them also for “take-out”. I found them a bit heavy.
Since it was the end of the year, I also tried their ozoni (or zoni) a Japanese New Year mochi soup. It was a savory soup (probably with dashi stock) with rice cakes (mochi), nori, and some vegetables. I did not like it!
The check
The first dessert cost 750 yen (7 USD). Very honest price considering you also get a cup of tea.
The second visit cost me 1,320 yen (12 USD); the age-manju were 500 yen.
Where in Tokyo: 1 Chome-19 Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda City. In Japanese: 〒101-0041 東京都千代田区神田須田町１丁目１9.
Yōshoku is a type of Western-inspired Japanese cuisine that originated during the Meiji period. Shiseido Parlour restaurant, opened in 1902, is a perfect example of this cuisine still up and running in Ginza. Yes, it is that Shiseido, the cosmetic maker. The company owns a building in Ginza with a cafe and restaurants.
The visit
I went to the restaurant toward the closing time without a reservation on Christmas evening 2019. The reception on the 4th floor kept me waiting for five minutes until a table was available for me.
The dining room had a retro atmosphere, with waiting staff with white gloves finishing dishes table side. The place was still full – with most diners finishing their dinner – so I did not want to bother anyone taking a picture of the room. At a certain point there was a violinist briefly playing for the customers. That kind of atmosphere.
The only reference to Shiseido was some kind of cosmetic on the table (but it was not a gift).
I was offered choice of either bread or rice as a side dish.
I had their dish with roasted lobster, scallop and white fish. It was a substantial dish.
Then I had their famous croquettes. Pronounced a la French. They use bechamel sauce as a thickener and not potatoes. The result is a very smooth and soft texture. Croquettes is a perfect example of Yōshoku dish still popular today in cafe and restaurant menus.
Other classic Western-style dishes on the menu included various curry and rice dishes, fried chicken (tomato flavor) and rice omelet. The most expensive dish was a spiny lobster.
I skipped the dessert given the intense day of eating.
The check
Just two dishes set me back 7,920 yen (73.5 USD). As you might expect is not cheap, clearly you pay for the luxury environment (or I shall say the Japanese idea of how a Westerner refined dining venue should look like). It was a nice dinner and I am glad that I experimented this kind of restaurant but I won’t go back. Sure, the dishes are more refined than the commoner’s versions that you can find in cafes and quick-serving restaurants around Tokyo (or Japan), but these are not the dishes I am after when I am in Japan.
This visit was accidental, I was just waking by early in the morning and the place was open (in fact, one of the few places open… it starts business at 6.15am and I was in the area at around 9am on a weekend). It does not have an English name, in Japanese it is called 福そば 立ち食い.
The visit
I entered and selected a dish from the vending machine (like in ramen restaurants you pay and get a ticket to hand to the cook). Everything was in Japanese, so it was pretty much random.
It turned out it was pretty much the standard soba dish that entitled me to select a tempura piece from the counter. I selected the pinkish one… I think it was some kind of small shrimps, but I need to admit that am not sure…
This was the result. A bowl of thin soba noodles with a soft-boiled egg and a thick broth. It was delicious. I ate it along with the other customers standing in front of the counter. It was 5 minutes, but a very tasty start of the day.
The check
The dish cost me a mere 490 yen (around 4 USD). I am pretty sure the soba was handmade.
Where in Tokyo: 1 Chome-16-3 Nihonbashiningyocho, Chuo City. In Japanese: 〒103-0013 東京都中央区日本橋人形町１丁目１６−3 (Google Map link).
Ningyocho is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo for the array of traditional businesses that dot its streets. I have already described Amazake street in Ningyocho and this post is about a more in depth visit to the cafe operated by Morinoen, a roasted green tea (hoji-cha) shop on Amazake.
The visit
I visited the cafe twice in late December 2019. It is located upstairs from the shop selling roasted green tea.
It is a simple cafe in terms of decor. Of course they have a wet towel for you upon your arrival.
The menu is all in Japanese, but it is profusely illustrated, so ordering is no problem even if you do not read or speak Japanese. At the time of my visit they had some seasonal sweets with purple potatoes.
I did end up ordering their seasonal parfait that was massive. In addition to purple potatoes, there was also their signature hoji-cha ice cream. All the ingredients were creamy and tasted genuine to me.
On another occasion I had a more conservative hoji-cha ice cream with jellies and other ingredients. It was also great.
In both cases the dessert went with hot green tea.
The menu is quite extensive and they also have other sweets based on green tea and of course hoji-cha.
The check
Both sweets cost me around 1,400 yen (13 USD) that actually is not so bad in Tokyo for this kind of dessert.
I massively enjoyed the experience of great desserts coupled with a quaint authentic establishment.
Where in Tokyo: 2-4-9 Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Chuo-ku. In Japanese: 東京都 中央区日本橋人形町２－４－９ 森乃園. Website: https://morinoen.jp/.
There are quite a few players in the bar-to-chocolate business in Tokyo (see my review of Green Bean to Bar Chocolate). Minimal is one of these with a well-established presence and multiple locations across town. In 2019 they opened a bakery cum chocolate cafe called Minimal The Baking that attracted my attention since they were offering pairings between chocolate and tea (and also sake, which is offered also at Green Bean to Bar Chocolate, however the option of tea was particularly attractive since I do not drink alcohol).
The visit
Their store is located just 50 meters from the South Exit 2 of Yoyogi-Uehara Station.
It is a small place.
With very minimal decor and furniture. Just space for a couple of parties. Luckily when I arrived all the seats were available.
They have a very focused range of chocolate cakes.
For my pairing I had tea and two baked chocolate bars with different types of cacao (normally would be one, I doubled down). One bar was from Ghana beans and some others (they call it “High Cacao”) and another was from Colombia bean and was more fruity.
Overall I was a bit disappointed. The chocolate products were too dry in my opinion (I like more creamy creations) and I am not sure the pairing thing added anything to the experience.
The check
Tje pairing cost 1210 yen, plus other 660 yen for the additional piece of chocolate (around 17 USD in total).
I already lauded Akkeshi oysters that I experienced in a feast at their izakaya in Nihombashi in Tokyo. In December 2019 I doubled down and I tried their Oyesterbar at Coredo Muromachi, always in Tokyo. I ended up having both a dinner and a lunch.
The Visit: Dinner
The eatery is located on the ground floor of Coredo Muromachi 2, a shopping mall north of Nihombashi bridge (attention, there is also Coredo 1 and 3 in different buildings nearby, not to mention Coredo Nihombashi South of the bridge). It is a relatively small restaurant and is always busy. I arrived for a late dinner and initially there was no table available. However the waiter asked me to wait and he was able to sort out a table for me eventually. He really went above and beyond.
After ordering a drink I was offered a complementary appetizer, a soup with nori and what I believe was crab paste. Let’s say that it was forgettable.
They had two varieties of Akkeshi oysters (really two brands, Akkeshi is a city in Hokkaido): Kakiemon (large ones) and Maruemon (coming in different sizes). Oysters can be ordered raw, grilled, or steamed. I prefer raw and I went for a double tasting platter featuring the three sizes of the Maruemon variety (they call it M, L, LL). These were just great oysters all around: juicy and flavorful. Now, the one with more flavor was the medium one (L) in my opinion.
Then I compared the Kakiemon (on the left) with a large Maruemon. The Kakiemon was indeed marginally meatier and tastier.
With the oysters I was offered several condiments, but I like them raw.
This location is famous for their deep-fried oysters. And, similarly to the ones I had at their izakaya, the fried oysters were delicious with a strong batter envelope that would leave the interior fresh and juicy.
I also tried their tuna and avocado roll that turned out to be a DIY dish.
Then I needed a miso soup and I had their soup with Hanasaki crab. Good and a very large portion.
For this massive dinner, including 11 oysters, my check was 7,359 yen (68 USD). I think it was reasonable. I was fully satisfied by the food and service even if it was a busy evening for the restaurant.
The visit: Lunch
Lunch is a busy affair at this location. I found myself in the area on a Saturday morning and I joined the queue. I was one of the last people in the queue, but I was among the first customers of the day to be seated at 11.00 (perhaps I should call it a brunch).
They had four set menus all revolving around fried oysters. One menu was just that, fried oysters (4 or 5 pieces), the other menus would include 2 fried oysters plus another dish (a seafood bowl, fried chicken, seafood rice with crab). In addition to the fried oysters in your set menu you are limited to order a maximum of one extra fried oyster (I think Japanese restaurants like to have all sort of rules… but in this case I guess it is an attempt to spread the daily stock over a larger number of customers).
My set lunch had the seafood bowl (minced tuna and ikura mainly), a large miso soup and my three coveted deep-fried oysters (I ordered the additional one I was entitled).
I mixed the egg and I used it to add flavor to the rice, as expected.
The miso soup had large clams.
For lunch you can also order their usual oysters. I had three of their large Kakiemon.
The check was 3,976 yen (half was the three big oysters). Worth every penny.
Hailed by some as one of the most beautiful restaurants in Tokyo, Kamachiku Nezu is a eatery specializing in handmade udon (the thick Japanese noodles) located in a redbrick building that used to be a merchant’s storehouse. The restaurant is originally from Osaka.
The visit
The restaurant is located in a quiet residential street in Nezu, one of the neighborhoods that make up shitamachi, Tokyo’s old downtown. It is an interesting area that is also known as YANESEN (Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi) and used to be a place for writers and artists during the Meiji era.
I reached the restaurant on a weekday for lunch. It was busy but they were able to accommodate me in the large communal table in the main dining room inside a glass-enclosed extension between the redbrick building and the garden. I was handed a wooden stick with a number to be later presented to get my check.
From the table I could see the entrance to the storehouse proper that now hosts another dining room with Japanese low seating.
Behind me, a large glass window let me peek inside the beautifully curated garden. The rest of the structure should be a residence for senior citizens.
I ordered their specialty: handmade kamaage-udon and two side dishes. The menu was in English and they also had zaru udon (cold noodles). First they handed me the condiments: spring onion, spices in the characteristic wooden container, radish, and age-dama (fried tempura batter, looks like popped rice).
Then the udon came in their hot cooking water and they poured dashi tsuyu (the udon dipping sauce) in another bowl.
I took the hint from the other customers, and I would transfer a portion of noodles from the big bowl into the small bowl with the sauce. Then eat. I am not a fan of udon, but be it the right temperature (on an end of December day) or the chewy texture they were fully satisfying.
The list of side dishes was amazing. I ended up choosing their signature handmade satsuma-age, a Japanese deep-fried fishcake served with soy sauce. It was indeed tasty and with a nice texture.
A second side dish was a bit disappointing. It was their Patagonian toothfish marinated in miso and grilled (ginmutsu saikyo misoyaki). It was quite flaky and not really meaty. But there were so many side dishes to choose from… I noticed that around me goma-dōfu (tofu-like cubes of creamed sesame) were particularly popular.
The check
The final check was 2,530 yen (the udon dish was 850 yen plus tax) or 23.5 USD. I fully enjoyed the dining experience in this restaurant and I would go back just to sample more of their side dishes.
International House is a foundation promoting cooperation between Japanese people and other countries. Its headquarter is a hotel, catering to international scholars, a conference center, and houses a lounge and a restaurant. The building, dating back to 1955 with a major expansion taking place in 1976, was built in harmony with the surrounding Japanese garden and is a remarkable place.
The visit
The building hosts both a lounge, called The Garden, and a full-fledged restaurant called Sakura. I went for an afternoon tea.
It was a Sunday afternoon of Christmas Week and the place was pretty busy. The public seemed to be mature (in stark contrast with the coffee shops at the National Art Center that I had visited earlier that seemed to attract a younger audience).
The lounge overlooked the scenic garden (unfortunately I was unable to get a decent photo of the view).
I chose the tea and cake set and I was presented with samples of the available cakes. I went for the pudding.
The tea was offered in a teapot.
The check
The tea and cake set cost me 968 yen (around 9 USD) and I must say that I found it very reasonable, especially considered the nice environment.
Hosokawa (from the name of the chef/owner) is a small soba restaurant nearby the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Its artisan soba are highly appreciated by locals and there is usually a queue.
The visit
Arriving at noon was not a good idea… the queue outside the sliding door was daunting. So I went back to the Edo museum, visited one more exhibit, and went back to the restaurant. Lunch rush time was over but there were still customers waiting outside, but eventually we all made it inside.
Inside I was seated at one of the four communal tables of polished hardwood. The room, without fancy decorations, felt like a refectory in a monastery. From inside the plants in front of the windows gave the impression to look at a garden, but of course it was just a side street.
I was handed the menu with English translation and I went for the oyster soba. Oysters are a customary condiment for soba noodles during the winter (it was December 2019).
Customers line up for the artisan soba, but to me the highlight of the dish were the huge and juicy oysters that perfectly complemented the broth and the noodles.
Soba restaurants usually have on the menu tasty side dishes and this establishment was not an exception. From the list of sides, I had a marinated anago (freshwater eel) that was a delicious side.
The check
I paid 2,800 yen for my dishes. Soba is more expensive than ramen and oysters and anago added up. But definitely wort it.
Chuuka Soba Manchiken (中華そば 満鶏軒) is a ramen shop that opened in April of 2018. The owner also operates a main shop, Madai Ramen Mengyo, just across the street. However this “branch” specializing in noodles with duck, has taken over. I am not a fan of noodles, but I was attracted by this establishment after reading a very good review here.
The visit
I went to the restaurant on an evening during my December 2019 trip to Tokyo.
The shop is located at the corner of an intersection, with a very visible store-front marked by a seabream.
As customary for ramen shop, the process involved buying a ticket of my chosen dish from a vending machine. The signs were only in Japanese, but I knew what to order and I recognized the right ticket through the price.
I sat at the counter and handed my ticket.
My choice was for their abura soba with duck, egg, and a sizable piece of foie gras. Abura soba is a dish in which the noodles are placed on a bed of condensed soup and oil. All the ingredients in the bowl were full of flavor dominated by the duck oils. The seared foie gras was excellent and the duck meat was even better, with big, thick, juicy slices. Spring onions and grated radish completed the dish. I would have just wanted a tiny bit more of soup on the bottom.
At the end of the meal I handed the bowl back and I left. It was not a busy evening, but I have read reports of queues, especially when the chef proposes seasonal items. It opens at 11am (closed on Mondays).
The check
This was their most expensive dish priced 1,200 yen (11 USD). On the machine the price was modified with a pencil… it used to be 1,100. But still worth every penny.
Where in Tokyo: 2 Chome-5-3 Kotobashi, Sumida City. In Japanese: 〒130-0022 東京都墨田区江東橋２丁目５−3.
