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

MATSUMOTORO’s Golden View

Dec6 by Bianca

The building that houses this cafe in Hibiya Park is so bland and unassuming, I would have walked straight by if I did not notice its lovely terrace. It was during the turning of the autumn leaves a few days ago and Matsumatoro’s terrace had amazing unobstructed views of the magnificent old ginkgo trees that adorn Hibiya Park. The glittering afternoon sun that illuminated the golden leaves when I visited created such a magical view, I decided to brave the cold and sit outside.

I wasn’t expecting too much in terms of food quality but I was pleasantly surprised. Later on I heard that Matsumotoro is very well-known for their curry buffet lunches but in the afternoon, the serve a mouth-watering cake set.

You are presented with a tray of dazzling pastries to choose from. It comes with regular coffee or tea but you need to pay extra if you want a latte or cafe au lait.

Picking out my pastry of choice from all the wonderful options presented wasn’t an easy task. I finally decided on the irresistible strawberry short-cake while my friend opted for the coffee jelly.

Heavenly delight

The strawberry short-cake was heavenly as the picture above clearly illustrates. Soft and moist with just the right amount of sugar, it simply melts away in your mouth.

If coffee jellies are your thing then this one is absolutely gratifying. Bittersweet in all the right ways.

Finally, I leave you with a lovely picture of the Hibiya pond just around the corner. Matsumotoro is definitely an oasis amidst Tokyo’s chaos. I’m so glad I stumbled upon it.

MATSUMATORO Hibiya

Hibiya Park 1-2 Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

03-3503-1451

Price : $

Noukanodaidokoro

Nov20 by Bianca

The name of this organic restaurant in Ebisu might be a little hard to remember, but in English it simply means “Farmer’s Kitchen”. I ended up in this cute, rustic little restaurant with a very interesting decor while looking for a vegan-friendly restaurant for my friend. It turns out, this restaurant is not necessarily vegetarian but more of an organic restaurant with Japanese organic farmers supplying food directly to them.

We arrived for lunch and were directed to a lovely table at what looks like an enclosed terrace area. A chandelier hung from the “ceiling” and we were surrounded by pots of tropical plants. The menu came in Japanese and the waiter did his best to explain our 3 choices of lunch dishes. I was surprised that there was not a vegetarian menu on the list. The choices were an omelette over rice with meat sauce, some meat loaf and a potato gratin with meat. I had to ask the waiter if the chef could make a vegetarian dish for my friend, which luckily he agreed to or else we would have had to move to another restaurant.

The salad that came as a starter was amazingly fresh with a simple and delicious sesame dressing.

I chose the omelette over rice with a touch of meat sauce. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t one of my best lunches either.

However, the sautéed potato and mushroom dish the chef cooked up for my friend was actually really good.

Dessert was a tiny bowl of chocolate mousse which wasn’t that bad either.

Well, turns out this restaurant wasn’t the vegetarian restaurant I expected it to be but my lunch wasn’t bad and at least everything I had was organically healthy !!!

Price : $

1-7-8 Ebisu South Building, Tokyo,

1st Floor

+81 3 3719 4831

Azzure 45

Nov13 by Bianca

This is not the first time I’ve dined at Azzure 45, the cosy French fine-dining restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Midtown, but it is my first lunch there. Lets just call it a post birthday lunch with my husband. I’ve always loved the food there and yesterday it was bright enough for me to take nice pictures. The view is always spectacular from the 45th floor and this restaurants has a perfect view of the Tokyo tower.

Mid-day bubblies

Azzure 45 has a 10.000 yen 7 course tasting menu lunch or you have choices of 3,4 and 5 course menus starting at 4.ooo yen. My husband chose the 5 course menu, I chose the 3 course menu and here is what we had :

Burdock soup. Crispy Burdock, autumn truffles and chestnuts

Zuwai crab. Crustacean essence, turnip mile-feuille

Fresh foie gras. Pan fried, autumn fruits, citrus marmalade

Japanese beef fillet. sautéed, mushroom puree, root vegetables with three wine sauce.

Lamb. Roasted, Butter squash puree, hazelnut butter, coffee flavored Lamb Jus

And for dessert :

A lovely chocolate mousse

A petite strawberry miele-feuille

With a lovely cup of coffee to end things.

It was a wonderful lunch. Being a truffle fan, I particularly loved the burdock soup. Everything else was delicious as well but the portions were kind of small, so if you’re hungry, opt for the larger courses.

Price : $$$

Azzure 45

Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku
03-3423-8000

Kaiseki KADAN

Nov8 by Bianca

If you ever find yourself in the quaint little town of Hakone (about 2 hours drive from Tokyo), having lunch or dinner at the famous boutique hotel Gora Kadan is a must. Upon entering the charming old building that used to be the house of a member of the Japanese Imperial family, you immediately travel back in time. Everything from the furniture, the carpets, the paintings, up to the lovely little vintage place mats under the vases seem to have been frozen in time and left exactly as it was 8o years ago.

We were taken to a lovely little private room on the second floor with soothing views of the neighbourhood hills and trees. Gora Kadan is well-known for their elaborate and expensive kaiseki dinners and it is advised to book way in advance. For lunch it is much more relaxed and a lunch set ranges from 3850 to 11000 yen. We chose the beef set lunch which was about 6600 yen. Even for lunch, our kaiseki set came which such intricate and adoring details presenting the fall season theme.

Our assortment of fresh and seasonal appetizers came on a raft-like base of little branches. Not only did it taste delicious but it was presented in such an adorable way, I almost felt sorry when I had to move them into my mouth. Next, came a variety of fresh sashimi which was exactly that, fresh.

Followed by a steamed dish.

And last but not least, the beef.

Dessert was a plate of fresh fruit which I must have gobbled down in such haste I actually forgot to take a picture.

It truly was a wonderful lunch. Everything was exquisitely presented and tasted delicious. It wasn’t only a feast for the stomach but definitely also a feast for the eyes and the soul.

Price : $$$

KAISEKI KADAN. 1300 Gora. Hakone. Tel : 81 (0) 46082331

TATERU YOSHINO GINZA

Sep7 by Bianca

This is another French restaurant with a Japanese touch worth trying. There are a few Tateru Yoshino restaurants in Tokyo but the Ginza branch has the grandest decor. Three of Tateru Yoshino’s restaurants in Tokyo received Michelin stars last year, the Ginza branch received one star. It is located on the 12th floor of the Pias Ginza building, just behind the Mitsukoshi Department store in Ginza. The restaurant manager speaks good english which is very helpful since you will be guessing the menu unless you speak French.

I will let the aesthetically pleasing and carefully prepared dishes speak for themselves through these pictures …

Langoustine with caviar

Tomato stuffed with green pepper jelly and caviar

Slightly smoked beef with grilled mushrooms in morel cream

Roasted turbot and crayfish

Grilled steak with mustard cream

Compote a la rose dessert

To summon things up, I thought the food was deliciously light and fresh. The beef was the most memorable part of the meal for me, perfectly done with just the right amount of crispness on the outer parts and delicate softness inside. It was also the perfect size. Tateru Yoshino Ginza is definitely worth a try.

Price : $$$

Pias Ginza 12F. 4-8-10 Ginza. Tel : 03-3563-1511.

Some sake, some beef, some hot broth and the best sesame sauce ever…

Jan29 by Bianca

What better way to spend a chilly winter evening than to dine on some tasty shabu-shabu or Japanese hot-pot. Our restaurant of choice this time was IMAFUKU in Shirokane who had just opened it’s doors to the public on January 23, 2012.

Imafuku's facade

We found out about this restaurant from its sister restaurant Jumbo which we frequently visit for their excellent yakiniku. I was excited about our dinner, Jumbo has some excellent beef and I was expecting the same from Imafuku.

The design of the restaurant was clean and simple in a very Japanese way.

The interior

The meat for our shabu-shabu was put on display for all to see.

We were whisked into one of their private rooms on the second floor where we chose some sake to accompany our dinner. The waitress then came back with a tray filled with an assortment of sake glasses for us to pick from.

The assortment of sake glasses

Our choices

The menu was in Japanese and we were lucky to have someone who could read Japanese with us. We chose the most extensive set menu which set us back around 10,500 yen per person.

The first appetizer to arrive was a small glass of sea urchin over a potato puree with some vegetables on the side. Both were delicious.

The sea urchin and veggies

Then came the raw food platter which did include some raw heart and some intestines. I ate everything but the intestines and thought that it tasted pretty good.

The raw food platter

And then came time for what we were waiting for….the shabu-shabu

The hot shabu-shabu broth

What I noticed to be different from other shabu-shabu restaurants was the clear yellowish ponzu sauce instead of the usual dark one. It tasted a little different but had the same acidic taste of ponzu.

The clear ponzu sauce and the sesame sauce

The first plate to arrive was the tongue which we were to dip into the broth only for a few seconds and retrieve while it was still pink in color. It tasted really good.

The plate of tongue

Then came the meat platter with 5 different kinds of meat from different parts of the cow, along with some vegetables.

The meat platter and the vegetables

I found what made this shabu-shabu dinner to be excellent instead of just simply good was the sesame sauce. It was the best I’ve ever tried. A little bit sweeter than what I’m used to but absolutely delicious. I used it for all my dips including the vegetables which I usually dip into the ponzu sauce.

To end things, you had the choice of some noodles or rice. We chose the noodles and were told to eat half in the broth and the other half dipped into the sesame sauce. Simply heavenly.

the noodles

There was a choice of panacotta, ice cream or sorbet for desert. All were delicious.

This is a restaurant I would definitely recommend you to try. And before I end things I just have to share this cute little picture with you….

A little carrot cow

IMAFUKU address : 1-12-19 Shirokane,minato-ku, Tokyo. Tel : 0354202914

Tokyo Food Diary

A journal of my journey through Tokyo's various eateries

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