Four Tokyo Vegetarian restaurants recommended by the Japan Vegetarian Society

みなさん、こんにちは！
Hi everyone. How have you been?

I'm not a vegetarian, but some of my foreign friends are vegetarian or are trying to reduce meat and fish intake. They sometimes ask me if I know some good vegetarian restaurants in Tokyo and my answer is always the same: "Sorry, I don't. Japan is not a vegetarian-friendly country."

That's true. I don't know why, but even though Japan is basically a Buddhist country (strict speaking, more than 70 percent of Japanese don't believe in any religion), vegetarianism has never become a big movement.

The other day I checked the website of the Japan Vegetarian Society to see if there are any places vegetarians can in, and I was surprised to find much more vegetarian restaurants than I had expected.

If you can read Japanese, look at the list of  vegetarian restaurants or places serving some vegetarian dishes throughout the nation.  Click here. (All written in Japanese.)

From their list I picked up  several places that even I feel like visiting.

Chaya Mactobiotics

It is more like a cafe rather than a restaurant. Very fashionable, cozy atmosphere. All the dishes they offer contain no meat, no eggs, no dairy products, no refined white sugar and no MSG.

They have three branches in the center of Tokyo.

* in Shinjuku
On the 7th floor of Isetan department store, 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; tel. 03-3357-0041 (reservation available only for dinner ) , Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m., closed when the department store is closed.

* in Yurakucho
On the 2nd basement floor of Hibiya Chante, 1-2-2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; tel. 03-3500-5514 (reservation dinner only) , Open 11a.m.-11 p.m. (Tue.-Sat.), 11-a.m.-10 p.m. (Mon. & Sun.)

* in Shiodome
On the ground floor of Royal Park Hotel the Shiodome, 1-6-3 Higashi Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo; tel. 03-3573-3616 (reservation dinner only) , open daily, 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.

Loving Hut

Vegan Chinese. No alcohol available. They have Chinese/Eglish speaking staff and also Wi-Fi for international devices (it is important, isn't it?). Be careful of their open hours. Mondays through Fridays, they are open for lunch and tea only.

Dim Sum Set (lunch only), 1,000 yen including Taiwanese tea

On Fridays, they have dinner buffet only, 5:30-9 p.m., 2,000 yen per person; on Saturdays, lunch buffet only, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 1,500 yen per person. 

They are holding a Vegan Dim Sum cooking class as well. The fee is 10,000 yen for one group (max 5 persons) , which means you'd better find friends to go with.  Reservation is required 3 days to 1 week in advance. For details, ask the staff. 

It seems like they sometimes close the restaurant on an irregular basis for various events. Check their bilingual website. Click here.

Address: 2nd fl. of Okada Bldg., 1-54 Kandajimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; tel. 5577-6880

Ｅａｔ　ｍｏｒｅ　ｇｒｅｅｎｓ vegetable cafe and bakery

New York style vegan cafe situated in my favorite Azabu-juban area. I have passed in front of this cafe many times but never eaten there. Next time I'll definitely have their vegan pumpkin pie, which looks so yummy. 

Vegan pumpkin pie, 730 yen

 I checked all the menu items on the internet ( Click here). They have a wide variety of salads and pastas perfect for lunch, but I find their cakes and donuts more appealing! 

Vegetarian Taco-rice of black rice and black soybean, 1,280 yen

One negative information about this place. I read in a restaurant review that this place does not prohibit smoking and there are a few smokers.  

Address: 2-2-5 Azabu Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo; tel. 03-3798-3191, open 11a.m.-11 p.m.

Itosho （いと正）

This Michelin's one star restaurant offers traditional Japanese shojin ryori (精進料理) originally developed for Zen Buddhists priests. Located on the calm backstreet of the fashionable Azabu Juban area, and having three private rooms only, Itosho has been secretly loved by politicians and celebrities.

Itosho is not a cheap place but it is worth trying if you can afford. They have only one lunch course consisting of 11 small dishes (6,000 yen), and three dinner courses -- 8,000 yen (11 dishes), 9,000 yen (13 dishes) and 10,000 yen (13 dishes including homemade aperitifs).

The entrance of the restaurant. A little difficult to find. 

vegetable tempura using fresh ingredients from Takayama

This conger eel sushi is actually made of tofu and gobo

Sitting on tatami mats.
Dishes are put on the small table called for a single person.
You can ask for low chairs (not shown in the photo).

Address: 3-4-7 Azabu Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo; tel. 03-3454-6538. Open 12-3 p.m. for lunch, 5:30-9:30 p.m. for dinner, closed occasionally. Private rooms only. Reservation is necessary. 

Best restaurants you can eat dry-aged meat in Tokyo

Look! This is the best steak I've ever had! Yes, it was dry-aged meat! I had never had a chance to eat the dry-aged beef, but finally I had it at  Wakanui Grill Dining Tokyo.

The photo above is the 500 grams of rib eye steak (5,600 yen) my husband and I shared. Actually, the waitress who came to our table recommended having 1kg of rib steak to us, saying, "If you want to have aged meat, trust me, the bigger the tastier. I always recommend 1 kg to a group of two or three people. Don't worry, it may look pretty big, but many people eat it up with no problem." 

Are you serious? After great consideration, we ordered 500 grams of rib and 250 grams of grass-fed Heifer fillet (3,200 yen, photo below). At this restaurant, the meats are all from New Zealand. 

A waiter cut the thick steak in two for us. Look at the beautiful rosy color! It is over 5 centimeters thick.

Both the rib and the fillet were delicious, but 750 grams of meat was too much for two midagers. I asked for a doggy bag (they nicely wrapped my leftover meat), and next day I made sandwiches with the thin-sliced aged meat, which was unbelievably tasty!!

Dry-aged meat is not cheap, but worth the price.  If you feel like eating a thick tender steak full of flavor on special occasions,  don't hesitate, choose dry-aged meat!  

Unfortunately, unlike in the U.S. and Australia, dry-aged beef is not yet too common in Japan, as this meat-aging technique is relatively new here. So don't expect to be able to eat dry-aged meat anywhere in Tokyo.

Restaurants you can eat dry-aged meat

 

Wanukai Grill Dining Tokyo

Address:  2-23-14 Hibashi Azabu, Minato-ku Tokyo (it is in the basement. Don't miss the entrance)
telephone: 03-3568-3466
Open daily, 11:30a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch, 6-11p.m. for dinner.
Nearest station: subway Azabu-Juban station (close to Roppongi)
For more information, check their website here (English).

La Boucherie du Buppa 

 

 
They offer not only beef but a great variety of wild meats, such as ducks, turtledove, dear, wild boars and even bears!!!!  

Address: 1-1-1 Yutenji, Meguro-ku, Tokyo  
telephone: 03-3793-9090
Open 6 p.m.-2 a.m. (Tue.-Sat.), 6 p.m.-12 a.m. (Sun), Closed Mon.
Nearest station: Nakameguro on Tokyu Toyoko Line and subway Hibiya Line
website: http://dubuppa.com/ (Japanese only)

 

LB6 Wine Bar ad Grill

Located in Roppongi, Tokyo's famous night life district, and open till 3 a.m.!  
Address:  4-11-13 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
telephone: 03-3478-0222
Open daily, 5 p.m.-3 a.m.
Nearest station: Roppongi
website: http://www.lb6.jp/ (all in Japanese but you can see the atmosphere) 

LB7

Address: 7-11-4 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Telephone: 050-5869-8768
Open daily, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., 5 p.m.-1 a.m.
Nearest station: Hiroo

LB8

Address: 16-2 Daikanyama-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Telephone: 050-5872-2567
Open daily, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 a.m.
Nearest station: Daikanyama

Bistro 熟肉　Nareniku

 

If you are looking for a dry-aged beef restaurant in Shinjuku area...
Address: 7th floor of Shinjuku Youth Bldg., 4-1-9 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Telephone: 03-5363-5201
Open daily, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-11:30 p.m. (Mon.-Sat.), 5-10:30 p.m. (Sun. & holidays)
Nearest station: Shinjuku

Specialita di Carne Chicciano

 

Fancy Italian.  The price is also fancy.
Address: B1 fl. Akasaka Nakamura Bldg. 3-13-13 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo
Telephone: 03-3568-1129
Open 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. (Mon.-Fri),  6-11 p.m. (Mon. -Sat. & holidays), closed Sun.
Nearest Station: Akasaka on the subway Chiyoda Line
website: http://www.m-onecafe.jp/chicciano/index.html (Japanese only)

ここからは日本語で。
From here I'll write in Japanese.

初めて熟成肉を食べました。場所は麻布十番のワヌカイ。
見て！この厚み。そして、この色。

初めて　　はじめて　　for the first time
熟成肉　　じゅくせいにく　(dry) aged meat
場所　　ばしょ　　place
麻布十番　　あざぶじゅうばん　　name of the area in Tokyo

店の女の子は「2人だったら、1キロをお勧めします」と言ったけど、フィレも食べたかったから、リブ５００グラム、フィレ２５０グラムを注文しました。

勧める　　すすめる　　to recommend
注文する　　ちゅうもんする　　to order

でも、もう若くないから、すぐにお腹がいっぱいになって、残りは持ち帰りました。翌日サンドイッチにしたけど、本当においしかったですよ！

お腹　　おなか　stomach
残り　　のこり　 leftovers
持ち帰る　　もちかえる　　to take something home
翌日　　よくじつ　　next day
本当に　　ほんとうに　　really
　
熟成肉は日本に紹介されてまだ数年なので、食べられる店は限られていますし、値段も高いです。でも試す価値はあるので、機会があればぜひ。

紹介する　　しょうかいする　　to introduce
数年　　すうねん　　several years
限られる　　かぎられる　　to be limited
値段　　ねだん　　price
試す　　ためす　　to try
価値　　かち　　worth
機会　　きかい　　chance

Go to kissaten, Japanese coffee shops!

I'm always wondering why my foreign students (I'm a Japanese teacher) loves Starbucks Coffee so much. They hang out there very often, which is not bad at all, but Starbucks is everywhere in the world. As many of them will leave Japan in a couple of years, I'd like to say to them: "You are living abroad. Take advantage of this precious opportunity. Do something new or different!" 

I'm not saying they should learn karate or climb Mt. Fuji, which may be too tough, but they can have coffee at some Japanese kissaten (coffee shops) instead of the Seattle-style cafe once in a while, right?

My recommendation is Komeda's Coffee  (コメダ珈琲店, pronounced Komeda Kohi-ten), a Nagoya-based coffee chain with nearly 500 franchise stores around the country, mainly in the suburbs where they can secure a big parking space. All the stores feature comfortable high-back sofa seats and "interesting" Nagoya-style menu items.

Look at the photo below, for example. This is "misokatsu sand (=sandwich)" that I had the other day at Komeda's. Misokatsu, or a tonkatsu (deap-fried breaded pork) with miso-based sweet sauce, is one of the typical Nagoyan local dishes. The misokatsu, shredded cabbage and fluffy bread surprisingly go well.

But the most popular food at Komeda's is not misokatsu but  "shiro-noir," a warm brioche bread with cold soft serve ice cream on the top. I don't know why it is called Shiro-noir. Shiro means white in Japanese and noir is black in French. It does not mean anything. Strange name, but definitely  worth tasting. The warm bread melts the cream very quickly like the photo below, but this hot-cold combination is interesting and addictive.  

 

Oh, I have to say this: Komeda's Coffee is one of the best places to have breakfast. If you happen to find one of the chain shops before 11 a.m. and you are hungry, don't hesitate to go in and ask for "Morning sevice." Why? Because, like many other kissaten (Japanese-style coffee shops) in Nagoya, Komeda would offer you a slice of toast and a boiled egg for free if you order a drink. If you want, you can have a mini salad if you pay 200 yen extra.

To check the menu, please click here. It is all written in Japanese, but photos would help you to understand what it is like.

****************
From here I'm writing in Japanese for someone learning Japanese!

わたしの生徒さんたちは、みんなスターバックスが大好き。どうしてかな。スターバックスも悪くないけど、世界中どこでもあるよね。

生徒： せいと　students
悪い：　わるい　bad
世界中：　せかいじゅう　all over the world
どこでも：　anywhere

せっかく日本にいるのだから、何か新しいことをしてほしいな。シアトルスタイルのカフェに行くんじゃなくて、日本の喫茶店に行くとか。

新しい：　あたらしい　new
喫茶店：　きっさてん　coffee shops

私のおすすめは、コメダ珈琲店。名古屋に本店があって全国に約５００もフランチャイズ店があります。背の高い座り心地がいいソファと名古屋独特のメニューが特徴です。

おすすめ：　recommendation
珈琲：　コーヒー　
名古屋：　なごや　name of the city
全国：　ぜんこく　the whole country
約：　やく　about
背が高い：　せがたかい　tall
座り心地がいい：　すわりごこち　be comfortable to sit on
独特：　どくとく　peculiar
特徴： とくちょう　features, characteristics

下の写真は私がこの前食べた「みそカツサンド」です。みそカツというのは、甘い味噌のたれをつけて食べる名古屋のとんかつです。みそカツと、千切りのキャベツと柔らかいパンがよく合うんですよ。

写真：しゃしん　photo
この前：　このまえ　the other day
甘い：　あまい　sweet
味噌：　みそ　soy bean paste
たれ：　sauce
千切りの：　せんぎりの　shredded
柔らかい：　やわらかい　soft

でも一番人気のメニューは「みそカツサンド」じゃなくて、「シロノアール」なんです。シロノアールというのは温かいブリオッシュに冷たいソフトクリームを乗せたものです。温かいものと冷たいものの組み合わせがおもしろくて、くせになります。

人気：にんき　popular
温かい：　あたたかい　warm
冷たい：つめたい　cold
乗せる：　のせる　to put
組み合わせ：　くみあわせ　combination
くせになる：　addictive

そうそう、コメダはモーニング・サービスがとてもお得なんですよ。１１時前なら、飲み物を注文すると無料でトーストとゆで卵がついてきます。２００円でミニサラダも頼めます。

そうそう：　by the way
お得：　おとく　bargain
注文する：　ちゅうもんする　　to order
無料：　むりょう　free of charge
ゆで卵：　ゆでたまご　a boiled egg
頼む：　たのむ　to ask

Try "Japanese" hamburger steak at restaurnats or at home!

One of the favorite foods for Japanese children is definitely ハンバーグ (pronounced hambagu), usually translated as hamburger steak, but "our" hamburger steak is a bit different from "Western" counterparts. Ours is normally thicker and softer than an ordinary hamburger patty or a steak haché.

Some people say Japanese hambagu is similar to Salisbury steak, which I've never had. The ingredients are pretty much the same -- ground meat (often the blend of beef and pork), extender such as bread crumbs and flour, vegetables (most typically onions), eggs as binder, seasonings, and sometimes some liquid such as water, milk and cream -- but according to the Wikipedia, the taste is quite different because we have "Japanized" this dish of western origin,  like many other 洋食　(Yoshoku, or Japanese-style Western food).

The photo below is the hambagu I recently had for lunch at a restaurant called Bonbori in Shibuya, Tokyo. Doesn't it look delicious?? Yes, it was super yummy! This is probably one of the best hamburger steaks I have ever had. Their hambagu lunch set, including a small bowl of salad, steamed white rice (you can ask as much as you want) and a mini dessert, is 1,000 yen, and  I asked for a slice of cheddar cheese on top of my hambagu for extra 100 yen.

The sizzling hamburger steak using 100% beef (whether they use only beef or the blend with pork for their hambgabu depends on the place) is served on the lava stone grill plate, which is believed to make the meat soft due to the effects of extreme infrared radiation. Personally I don't trust this infrared radiation logic, but I have to admit that the meat was very tender and juicy but not greasy at all. My stomach often feels heavy after eating meat dishes, but I had no problem this time.

This is how it looks inside. Sorry it is not a very nice photo. I had almost finished when I took this photo.

My husband ordered a hamburger steak with a grilled chicken (plus 200 yen). He says the chicken was nothing special. I don't blame them because they clearly said their recommendation for lunch was hambagu, not chicken. 

The restaurant is a little hard to find. Located in the basement of a building, it is dark inside and looks like a bar rather than a grill restaurant. Don't miss the small entrance (see the photo below)!  

Restaurant info:
Bonbori 

Address:  Hiroi Bldg. B1, 1-21-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo
Near the Nanpeidai Crossing, about 6 minutes from Shibuya station 

Tel: 03-5784-1417

Open daily, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch, 5-11:30 p.m. for dinner.

They have English menu as well. 

By the way, according to the survey conducted last year by a web magazine, 5 family restaurants (famiresu for short) chains popular for their hambagu are: 

No.1 Bikkuri Donky （びっくりドンキー）

No. 2 Gusto　（ガスト）

No. 3. Big Boy　（ビッグボーイ）

No. 4  Coco's　（ココス）

No. 5 Royal Host （ロイヤルホスト）

I don't know if these diners have English menus. I doubt it, but you can ask them 英語のメニューはありますか（Eigo no menu wa arimasuka? = Do you have an English menu?), and even if they have no English menus, don't worry, their menus are full of photos. 

Ah, one more thing. You can easily make Japanese hamburger steak at home. It is very simple and tasty. If interested, check a Youtube video here. A Japanese lady (it is not me!) is showing how to make it. I don't understand the presence of a dog, but her recipe is very basic and looks delicious. Instead of the gravy sauce shown in this video, you can pour the mixture of Worcester sauce and ketchup over the hamburger, like many Japanese do at home. (I don't know why but this sauce is rarely seen at restaurants. Maybe is it too homely??)

Parent-and-child bowl?! What is it??

The other day I wrote about "anago-don" or conger eel bowl, but I forgot to explain to you what "don" means.

Well, "don" or "donburi"is a large bowl of steamed white rice. If tempura is put on top of rice, for example, the dish is normally called tempura-don, or ten-don for short.  If it is topped with cooked beef (=gyu), it will become gyu-don.

Then what is 親子丼 （おやこどん、oyako-don）, or "parent-and-child bowl"? Can you guess?

To know the answer, look at the photo below. Yes, it is a chicken-and-egg bowl. Needless to say, おや（oya, parent) is chicken and こ（ko, child) is an egg.

When I was a child, I didn't like this name very much, because it always made me imagine a mother and her children being cooked in the same pan and served in the same bowl.  How cruel! When chicken is replaced with other meat such as beef and pork, it is called 他人丼　(たにんどん　tanin-don, strangers bowl), which sounds even sadder than oyako-don.

Oyako-don is one of the typical dishes at home. It is easy to make: you cut chicken into dice and slice onion, cook them in  soy-flavored dashi (fish stock) , add a beaten egg just before turning off the heat to prevent overcooking the egg.  Then you put it on top of steamed white rice and garnish it with mitsuba, a herb similar to parsley, if you want.

At restaurants, serving it with an egg yolk is becoming a trend, because we love the creamy texture of a raw egg, believe it or not.

As I mentioned before in the story about sukiyaki, you don't have to worry about food poisoning caused by raw eggs in Japan. The simplest way of enjoying raw eggs is "tamago-kake-gohan," or hot steamed white rice with a beaten egg and soy sauce poured over it. If you stay at a Japanese traditional inn, you will probably be served for breakfast. I know it is not appreciated very much by foreigners, but try it even once! Whether you like it or not... only God knows.

I had the oyako-don in the photo above for lunch at  鶏味座（とりみくら、Torimikura), a yakitori (skewered chicken) place located in trendy Aoyama area in Tokyo. They don't serve ordinary skewered chicken during the lunch time, but they have yakitori-don (photo below).

Four type of yakitori and an onsen tamago (lit. hot spring egg), or a special boiled egg with custard-like unique texture, are put on the rice. Skewers used to grill the meat have been removed. The green stuff on the chicken is wasabi.

This is how the restaurant looks from outside. It looks like an old Japanese house in the countryside, but actually located at the very center of Tokyo. Isn't it nice?

Unfortunately, the service is not super friendly. When my husband asked them to change the order, the guy who took the order looked very reluctant and even a bit angry with us, although he agreed to change finally.  If they had already started the preparation, he could have told us so nicely. We don't get mad about such a trifle thing.

But except this small incident, I was pretty much happy with the lunch at Torimikura. My delicious oyako-don was only  \1,000 including miso soup and some pickles, and the yakitori-don that my husband had was \1,300 because he added grilled liver. Pretty reasonable for the quality.

Restaurant information:

鶏味座　（torimikura)
3-12-4 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

4-minute walk from Omotesando Station

tel: 5770-5039

Mon. thru. Fri.: Open 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., 6 p.m.-11:30 p.m.; Sat., Sun. & holidays, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., 5-10:30 p.m.

Budget: for lunch \1,000-2,000; for dinner \5,000  per person.

Eat sukiyaki at a classy traditional restaurant: Ningyocho Imahan

Do you like seafood? Can you eat raw fish? If the answer is yes, you will be able to fully enjoy the stay in Japan. But what if you don't like seafood so much? Are there anything else to eat here?

Don't worry. Japanese meat is not bad at all either. Try gyudon (beef bowl) for quick lunch at chain restaurants such as Yoshinoya, Matsuya, Sukiya, and I'm sure you'll be satisfied with the quality for the price. At Yoshinoya, for example, one regular-sized beef bowl is only 280 yen! 

Those chain stores are, however, not the best place for taking your friends or family on special occasions. If you'd like to eat quality meat in better atmosphere,  I'd like to recommend you sukiyaki restaurants. 

Sukiyaki -- it is not the title of Japanese old song. (Actually, I have no idea why this song is called Sukiyaki in the U.S.) It is a Japanese dish consisting of thin sliced beef, vegetables, tofu and other ingredients, cooked in a shallow iron pan with soy-based sauce. 

Normally we eat the simmered food, dipping in raw beaten eggs. You don't have to worry about the food poisoning caused by raw eggs, because in Japan hens are being fed antibiotics against salmonella. If you feel grossed out at the idea of eating raw eggs or the eggs from antibiotic-fed hens, you don't have to eat them, but I believe it is much better WITH raw eggs.

Sukiyaki was invented at the end of the Edo Period, or in the mid-19th century, when Japan was forced to open its doors to the outside world. Before foreign culture was introduced, eating four-legged animals had been very rare due to the Buddhist precept, but sukiyaki soon became popular among Japanese and many restaurants were opened one after another. 

Last weekend my husband and I had lunch at Ningyocho Imahan, one of the most well-known and oldest sukiyaki restaurant in Tokyo. (It was established in 1895.) 

 When we arrived there around 1 p.m., there were only a few groups waiting before us, but they told us that we might have to wait for over an hour. We decided to wait because it was pouring rain outside and we didn't feel like looking for a different restaurant. Frankly, the receptionists were not very friendly, but don't give up here. The time we actually waited was about 30 minutes,　and other staff are very nice and friendly. 

If you don't want to wait, it is possible to make a reservation for lunch with the condition that you order a menu item of more than 4,725 yen per person. 

What we ate was Sukiyaki Gozen of 2,625 yen, which include sukiyaki, white rice, soup and some pickles. (You can ask for as much rice as you want.) The photos shown below are uncooked ingredients for two persons.  Looｋ at this beautiful marbled beef! They say they buy the best meat on the market everyday, and this came from Shizuoka Prefecture. 

A friendly kimono-clad lady prepared sukiyaki for us at the table. She was very friendly. She says she is happy about having many foreign clients.

There are many other sukiyaki places in town and I'm not saying Imahan is the best. If you have no idea where to eat, however, it is not a bad choice. It is famous, and you'll be satisfied with the classy traditional atmosphere as well as its food.

Ningyocho Imahan: 2-9-12 Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; tel: 03-3666-7006
Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m., closed New Year's Day only.

It has about 10 brunches in major departments and shopping malls in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya and Fukuoka. For more details about the locations and prices, check their English website.

Today's useful expression:　おちゃ　ください。　Ocha kudasai. (Tea please!)
At Japanese restaurants, tea is free of charge. Don't hesitate to ask for it.

4 major tonkatsu restaurant chains in the Tokyo area

Hi everyone!

My last post was about tonkatsu, or deep-fried pork cutlet. Today I'll add some more information about where you can eat it in Tokyo.

In fact, you can eat this simple dish everywhere, even at a small countryside diner or  "family restaurant" chains. Still, I strongly recommend you to eat at a restaurant specializing in tonkatsu, because making a perfect tonkatsu (juicy inside, crispy outside, not too oily) requires professional skills.

You don't need to travel far searching for a good tonkatsu, though. I am always satisfied with the quality of tonkatsu restaurant chains, which can be easily found in the shopping malls, department stores and near the big stations.

The tonkatsu restaurant I frequented when I was OL (=Japanese English standing for office lady, meaning a young girl working at a office) was 和幸 Wako, with 200 franchised shops in Tokyo area.



Don't worry about ordering as they have English menus. You can find the nearest Wako restaurant at their English website .

さぼてん Saboten is another tonkatsu restaurant chain with many brunches in Tokyo, especially in Shinjuku -- in the basement of Shinjuku Park Tower, on the 8th floor of Keio Department Store, in the South Wing of Odakyu Ace and in the basement of Tokyo Opera City. English menus available. A very nice thing about this restaurant is you can ask for rice, miso soup and shredded cabbages as many times as you want. Isn't it wonderful, boys? 

まい泉　Maisen is fancier than other Tonkatsu chains, thus more expensive.The Black Pork sirloin cutlet set (in Japanese Kurobuta rosu-katsu zen) served with rice, miso soup, pickles and dessert is 2,990 yen, almost double the price of Wako and Saboten, but I think it is worth the price.



I don't even know if we can call this place  "chain" or "franchised," because there are only 7 restaurants, of which 5 are in central Tokyo: a main restaurant in Omotesando, on the 6th floor of Shibuya Hikarie department store, 12th floor of Tokyo Diamaru Department Store (Tokyo Station), 9th floor of of East Wing of Tokyu Toyoko Department Store (Shibuya Station) and 5th floor of Lumine Ogikubo (Ogikubo Station).

If you decided to eat at Maisen, go to the main restaurant, which has nicer atmosphere and wider variety of menu items. It is only three-minute walk from A2 exit of Omotesando Station. Address: 4-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku; phone: 0120-428-485 (toll free number). They have English menus and English speaking staff. For details, see their website.

I personally love their fillet cutlet sandwich called "hirekatsu sando," but unfortunately it is not served at restaurants. Try it when you find it at the food sections of major department stores!

Those who don't want to spend so much on food, go into one of the かつや Katsuya franchised shops, where a sirloin cutlet set (Rosu-katsu teishoku) is served for 690 yen. Frankly, this is not the type of place you might feel like taking your girl out, but it is perfect to have quick lunch with your male friends. Many shops open at 7 in the morning, so you can have breakfast too!

Sorry there are too many shops to list all. I'll pick up some of them.
Akihabara: 1-4-11 Kanda, Chiyoda-ku  tel: 03-5297-7115
Okachimachi: 4-1-2 Ueno, Taito-ku  tel: 03-5812-4665
Asakusa: 2-9-14 Asakusa, Taito-ku  tel: 03-5827-1441 (opens at 10:30 a.m.)
Shibuya (Miyamasu-zaka) : 1-14-9　Shibuya, Shibuya-ku,  tel: 03-5468-6681

No English menu, but the menu is full of pictures. You'll have no problem ordering.
  
Today's useful expressions: キャベツの　おかわり　ください。　 Kyabetsu no okawari kudasai.
Please give me some more cabbage.

You can replace kyabetsu (cabbage) with gohan (rice) or misoshiru (miso soup). 

What you should not miss in Japan: Tonkatsu!!

Hi everyone.

Sushi is probably the most famous Japanese cuisine. Of course you should definitely eat it while staying in Japan, but there are many other foods I'd like to recommend you. One of such things is とんかつ（tonkatsu）, or deep-fried breaded pork cutlet. If you have no problem with meat (or pork), I'm sure you will love it. Seriously, I haven't met foreigners who don't like it.

This is the tonkatsu I ate the other day! Ah, it was so delicious. The meat was very tender and juicy, and the breading was super crispy.

There are two main types of meat you can choose : ひれ（hire, fillet) or ロース（rosu、or loin, sirloin). This time I chose "hire, " which is less fatty than rosu.  Rosu meat is normally cut into several pieces with knife after being fried, while "hire" is first cut and then fried as you can see in the photo above.

Tonkatsu is served with a lot of shredded cabbage to refresh your mouth. At many tonkatsu restaurants, you can ask for as much cabbage as you want.

The place I had this tonkatsu is pretty popular but very small with only eight seats on the counter (no tables). My husband and I arrived there around 11:45 a.m. but the restaurant had been already full. We waited for 15 minutes to get seated and another 20 minutes to be served. But it is worth visiting.

What I had was ひれかつ定食（hire-katsu teishoku, Fillet cutlet set). It was 1,600 yen including a big bowl of rice, トン汁（tonjiru, pork and vegi soup) and some pickles.

The name the restaurant is たいよう　（Taiyo) written in all hiragana.
address: 3-22-7 Koyama, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
tel: (03)3786-1464
Open 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; 5:30-8:30 p.m., closed Mondays & Fridays

That's how it looks outside. As there's no place to wait inside, people line up outside. If you eat there, why don't you walk to the well-known Musashi Koyama Shopping Arcade, the second longest shopping street with a roof in Japan? It takes only 5 minutes. It is neither fancy nor touristy. It is just the place local people shop and eat. Whether you find it interesting or not, that is completely up to you!!

I was thinking of listing up the nice tonkatsu chains in Tokyo, but I have to stop here, because I'm getting really sleepy. I'll give you further information in the next post...sorry.

Today's useful expression: どのぐらい　待ちますか？ Donogura machimasuka?

meaning: how long do we have to wait? 

You can use this expression when you see people lining up in front of the restaurant. 

Eat a conger eel bowl. It is tasty!

Hi everyone!

The other day I had an あなご丼（anago-don) or literally meaning "conger eel bowl" for the first time in my life. I'm middle-aged, but luckily, I still have many things that remain undone!

Have you ever eaten anago (conger eel, or marine eel) anyway? If you have lived in Japan, I guess you have had a dish using the snake-like fish at least once or twice, because it is nothing unusual, nothing strange in East Asia.  In Japan, we commonly eat it as sushi or tempura, but seldom cook it at home, because professional skills are needed to cut it open remove the bones.

For someone who has never seen an anago, I found a nice photo in the website of the Tottori Fishermen's Association. Well, I personally don't find them particularly grotesque, but they don't look very appetizing either. 

 

Once cooked, the anago meat becomes very tender, not chewy at all. Its texture is similar to うなぎ　（unagi, freshwater eels) but it tastes less fatty and more delicate. By the way, unagi and anago look so much alike that many Japanese cannot tell which is which. I'll explain how to distinguish them. The ones with a dotted line on the side of the body is anago. Well, I'm not sure if this info is important for you, though...

Anyway, here is the anago-don that I ate at an old traditional Japanese restaurant Enomoto（恵の本）, near the famous Kawasaki Dashi （川崎大師）　temple in Kawasaki City. The dish consists of a big bowl of steamed white rice and fillets of anago cooked in a soy-based sauce. It is served with a bowl of miso soup and some pickles. Tasty, but not cheap (2,000 yen).

If you don't feel like eating the conger eel bowl, you can eat something else at this restaurant. During the weekdays they offer more reasonably priced lunch menu (around 1,000 yen).

I'm not sure if this restaurant is worth going only for eating the anago bowl, but it would be one of the best places to have lunch before/after visiting Kawasaki Daishi temple. Enomoto is a very old restaurant with an over 300 years of history. The atmosphere is nice and the service is friendly.

Info about 恵の本　Enomoto:　
9-12 Taishi honcho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi
tel:044-288-2294, open 11 a.m.-10 p.m., closed Thursdays. 

Today's useful expressions:
(At the restaurant entrance) ふたり　です。　Futari desu.  We are two people.
You can replace futari with san-nin (three people), yonin (four people) or gonin (five people).

穴子丼、ください。　Anago-don kudasai. I'll have a anago-don please.
お茶、ください。　Ocha kudasai. Can I have tea please? *Green tea is free at most Japanese restaurants.