Tajimaya

Feb3 by Afra

Tajimaya is a famous restaurant from Osaka well known for serving dried aged beef. Finally it opened a branch in tokyo at the Toranomon Hills some time ago.

The queue to get into the restaurant has been amazingly long when it first opened and there was a 2 week waiting list to get in to the restaurant the first couple of months after it opened.

The picture above shows the restaurant sign from the outside. Upon entering, you will be greeted by a mouth watering display of marbled beef guaranteed to spice up your appetite.

Below, a picture of the perfect marbled beef dry aged beef on display.

I found the dark stone era concept of the plates and cutleries very unique. On the plates, two Chinese characters are written,「牛」that means Bovine and 「心」that means Heart.

Now lets start with the meal. For my appetizer I had a very green salad. There was no other color on my plate and it was a fresh starter before the heavy meal ahead.

The 2nd dish was an irresistible Japanese Beef sushi that we kept on reordering until they had nothing left. It was absolutely delicious.

The main course is of course the prime beef. I found the meat to be very juicy and had a very delicate smokey taste to it.

For those of you who are on a diet or simply do not enjoy rich, fatty beef, the lean meat is definitely an option.

If you find the meat too raw, you have the option of grilling the meat on a hot stone plate. I added butter mixed with sho-yu on top. This is what I did so I could try the meat in rare, medium and well done. they were all good.

Breads are not normally served in Japanese grilled beef restaurants but they do serve bread with the main course in Tajiyama. I liked this. It made them different.

It may sound crazy, but even after all the delicious dishes above we were still hungry and added a T-bone steak to fill the corners of our tummies. Just take a look at this beauty.

I loved the whole Tajiyama experience. The new restaurant in Tokyo is very different from the ones in Osaka where you grill the meat yourself like a normal yakiniku restaurant. Here , the beef is served steak style, the dry aged beef being the prima donna of our dinner journey.Price is 10.000 yen per person.

Price: $$

Tajimaya

Toranomon Hills Mori Tower 4F
Toranomon 1-23-3 Minato Ward
Tokyo, 105-0002
Tel. 03- 3593-1129

MAKOTO Steak house

Sep24 by Bianca

If I was asked to name my pick for best restaurant in Tokyo to this date then it would be this little place. Makoto. Hidden in a small dark alley in Nihonbashi, you would never guess the quality of food that comes from this little steakhouse that sits about 10 people. I am always amused at the bewildered look on my guest’s faces as I guide them through this alley adorned with entangled clothes lines and storage boxes filled with liquor for the first time. The road leading to this restaurant may not be scenic, but politicians, actors and ex prime ministers have definitely sat at Makoto’s table. There is no sign at the door and I remember ringing the wrong door on my first visit. When you get the right door, you enter a cozy little restaurant with bar seats furnished in light wood. The elderly chef will always greet you with a smile and try to converse in his limited English, making you feel right at home.

Makoto doesn’t have a set menu but the chef will ask if you would like appetizers or just the steak. This is what I usually have.

Makoto’s famous coleslaw starter

Followed by the most delicious raw beef sashimi ever. If you look like a foreigner, the chef will always ask… “Raw beef ok?”. Trust me it is more than ok. The beef melts in your mouth in such a wondrously delicate way, you start wondering if this really is raw beef that you are swallowing.

Raw beef sashimi

A simple dish of the most deliciously sweet shrimps fried in bread crumbs are next.

Fried shrimp in bread batter

One of my favorite dishes follows, a mini bowl of clam gratin, Japanese style. So perfectly smooth and silky you wish you could lick the bowl clean.

Japanese clam gratin

For the next dish, the chef usually asks another question if you look like a foreigner. “Ox tongue ok?”. I suggest you nod because this next dish is absolutely divine. The ox tongue that comes with some grated wasabi on top of it is so soft you won’t even have to bite through it.

Ox tongue with grated wasabi

Last but not least, the wonderfully savory steak. At this point, I’m usually so full I hand half my steak over to be made into a sandwich that I’ll have for breakfast the next day. The chef will also ask you if you’d like some garlic rice after the steak and I suggest you try it. Ask for a small portion if you are too full.

The steak

As the saying goes, dessert goes into another stomach, so I always have room for this simple dessert which I find totally brilliant. Seared white toast drizzled in honey and sprinkled with a little salt. It looks so simple I tried doing it at home a few times but it failed to come out even close to Makoto’s.

Seared white toast drizzled with honey

If you can stomach a jolt of caffeine then I suggest you end your meal with this exquisite irish coffee. It might keep you up all night but you should try it at least once. Finish every drop, the last part is the best. If not, opt for the refreshing iced tea that comes spiced with a little brandy.

Iced tea and coffee

This wonderful feast will set you back about 30.000 yen per person, but if you ask me, its absolutely worth it!.

Price : $$$

MAKOTO
Address: 1-4-5 Nihonbashi Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Tel: 03-3241-7502

Delicious steak at AZUMAN

Feb14 by Bianca

I’m so glad I found this Japanese steak house in Azabujuban. I loved everything about it from the minute I walked in for lunch a few days ago. The opulent interior, the relaxed atmosphere, the wonderful service all contributed to an excellent lunch.

The lunch set menu is quite reasonably prized, starting at a little over 5000 yen per person but prices go up at dinner to over 10.000 yen because they serve higher grade wagyu for dinner.

The first course was a delicious cawan mushi (egg custard) with some beef sashimi.

First course

The second course was a lovely creamy potato soup with just the right amount of texture.

The second course

Followed by the meat which is cooked at your table. There is also an option for counter seats which might be interesting for smaller groups.

The meat course

The kind-looking chef that serves at the bar comes to your table to cook your meat to perfection for you. You have a choice of three sauces to pick from.

The chef

What I also loved about this restaurant was the fact that the chef was actually excited to see me take pictures of his food, unlike many upscale restaurants in Tokyo who I feel are unnecessarily strict about taking pictures. This chef actually offered to garnish my meat to make my picture more interesting.

The beef with a touch of red garnish courtesy of the chef

One course gets about six lovely chunks of meat followed by some very interesting garlic rice that is served in a soup.

The garlic rice

Last is a wonderful chocolate cake for dessert which was irresistible . I finished the whole piece.

The chocolate dessert

AZUMAN. 2F 2-3-9 Azabu-juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Phone : 03-3454-5871

Price : $$$

ARAGAWA, one of the most expensive restaurants in the world

Apr12 by Bianca

In 2006, Forbes.com listed Aragawa as one of the most expensive restaurants in the world. It probably still is. So naturally I was excited to try this restaurant and see what all the hype was about.

The high cost of the meal definitely doesn’t show in the decor. I found the interior of the small restaurant with about 5 tables to be rather outdated, but some might call it vintage. Wooden walls and ceilings, classic wallpaper and red velvet chairs dominate the scene.

Our enquiry to bring our own bottle of wine was declined by the restaurant, yet when we asked for some wine that we wanted, they were out of stock. Twice. They had our third choice.

Our first course was some beluga caviar with some crispy toast and celery on the side.

Then came the home-made smoked salmon which was exquisite, unlike any smoked salmon I’ve tasted before.

Then came some fresh asparagus. Good, but nothing too special.

And of course the star of the show, the reason for our visit and for the steep prizes was the beef. Aragawa has an affiliation with its own special farm that provides what they call Sanda-gyu (meat from Sanda).

The beef was juicy and delicious, and it came with some baked potatoes, a few carrots and some peas. You could dip the meat in some mustard if you wanted to but it tasted perfect just plain.

To tell you the truth, it is not uncommon for a good meal to cost an arm and a leg in Japan. However in my opinion, Aragawa wasn’t worth the price tag. The food was good, service was just alright, the beef delicious but I could not find a reason for the high price tag. I’ve tasted better for much less. Well, at least I can say I’ve been.

Price : $$$$$

ARAGAWA

3-23-11 Onarimon Odakyu Building 1st floor

Nishi-shimbashi, Minato-ku Tokyo

Tel 03-3438-1867

Tokyo Food Diary

A journal of my journey through Tokyo's various eateries

Category Archives: Steak house

Tajimaya

MAKOTO Steak house

Delicious steak at AZUMAN

ARAGAWA, one of the most expensive restaurants in the world

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