Japan in July

Bistro 35 Steps

For Jess' last night in Tokyo we went to a fantastic izakaya in Shubya called Bistro 35 Steps.

It's a big open plan place and even on a Sunday night, was crowded and happening. The staff were incredibly friendly and spoke a little English.

The food was fantastic and very reasonably priced. Particular standouts included tuna tartare with avocado, mackerel seared at the table and a homemade tofu cheese which sounds odd but was like a beautiful light ricotta and served with toasted slices of baguette. The schochu (Japanese vodka) with various juices) was also great. For dessert, we all had creme brulee which was scorched at the table with a blowtorch.

This place is definitely worth a visit if you're looking for a reasonably priced, friendly, tasty izakaya.

Finding it
Bistro 35 is not far from the Shibuya Station (I think we used the central exit) - just walk up beyond the five way intersection with Shibuya 109 (crazy young women's fashions) on your left. When you get to the street where Bunkamura is, turn left. When you see the Shibya City Hotel sign on your left, turn left again - the bistro will be down some stairs on your right - look for some dark wooden slats and a downward staircase. Reservations are recommended although we did not have one and managed to snare a table - tel: 3770-9835.

Gonpachi!

 

Do you remember in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman killed a whole lot of people (ok, Cress, narrow it down a bit) - it was in a restaurant which looked remarkably like the restaurant called Gonpachi which is in Tokyo.

My research on the web suggests there is conflicting advice about whether it was the actual restaurant or a set modelled on the restaurant. It's also complicated by the fact that Gonpachi has several different sites including in the US.

But the most impressive one is said to be the one in Nishi-Azabu in Tokyo which is where we went on Friday night. The prices are quite reasonable and it was absolutely BRILLIANT. Amazing atmosphere and there were people being turned away and asked to wait an hour and a half (which they were happy to do). The lovely Leonie had made a reservation for us so we had no trouble getting our table. We were seated on the upper area so we had a view of the whole restaurant.

All in all, great food, fantastic service (including a very large South African man called, "Sonny" who introduced himself as our host) and a crazy experience.

I highly recommend it if you're coming to Tokyo but be sure to book well in advance.

Yui-an Izakaya

This is the izakaya we went to last night which is on the 52nd floor of the Sumitomo building which made me think of Die Hard for some reason...

Anyway, the food was excellent although the service seemed to be trading a little on the view.

We had Japanese omelette, slow cooked pork belly, rare beef with ponzu dipping sauce, salad of vegetable sticks, and fried sesame chicken followed by sesame pudding with caramel sauce (aka sesame rice mould with evaporated milk) which was all delicious. We even had a Chilean white wine which was a nice change after the ubiquitous beer.

Reservations are necessary to get a seat with a view. Alas we were up at the bar and could only see it in the reflection.

It's worth a visit, provided you phone ahead: Nishi-Shinjuku 2-6-1, Shinjuku Sumitomo Bldg. 52F, tel: 3342 5671.

Shinjuku arrival

Trent led us safely through the Shinjuku station from the Yamanote line which was sensational. We are staying at the Keio Plaza and Jess is nearby in the Sunroute, both of which are great.

We immediately hit Shinjuku and did a bit of shopping, including popping down to one of the department store foodhalls where there is beautiful and incredibly expensive fresh fruit and veg (can I interest you in a $40 bunch of grapes? No? Perhaps a $7 apple?).

With lighter wallets, we decided to reward ourselves by hitting the Keio Department store beer garden which was most pleasant. The beer garden was enormous and must have seated well over 200 people. It became totally packed afer 6pm and we eventually retired to ready ourselves for more Tokyo ack-shon the next day.

Tampopo, ramen and Menya Kissou

One of my all time favourite movies is actually Japanese. It's called Tampopo.

Well before Tarantino got all see-how-my-crazy-unrelated-pastiche-of-stories-all-have-meaning-bunched-together, Juzo Itami created this movie, dubbed a "noodle western" about Japan and its food and culture. The basic plot is about a widow who runs a truck stop serving ramen. The ramen is terrible and one of the truck drivers who stops decides to help her make the perfect ramen. Ramen is a noodle dish with a clear broth and there are lots of variations.

Interspersed with the ramen story are a bunch of other tales focusing on food and it meaning. I've put a clip below.

This blog, posted in January this year, suggests the movie is being remade with Brittany Murphy in it which is hard to imagine.

Serving the best ramen is a really big deal in Japan and there are even whole websites devoted to rankings. Menya Kissou appears to be one to try although the rankings change regularly. Kissou is a few blocks from Kiba Station on the Tozai Line (Tokyo Koto, 1-11-3).