Category Archives: Travel

We all love tempura and I am sure many of us grew up ordering tempura and it comes to you in a bamboo plate and we would just gulp it down 🙂  But in Japan, tempura is a serious thing 🙂  We tried 2 last trip

Previous entry:  Tsunahatchi January 14, 2014

Ten-Ichi January 18, 2014

and one new one this trip

In Japan, they serve your tempura one by one – so you get to eat it straight and fresh from the pan.  If you get the bar seat – you see them preparing and cooking it right in front of you

Chef Fumio Kondo a Two Star Michelin Chef

His wife who is also in the restaurant 

Shrimp head

Shrimp tempura – squeeze the orange 🙂

Scallops – this was my order 2 pcs. of this.  So big, so fresh and so yummy

Squid

Preparing the ingredients

Kisu and Aubergine

Asparagus

Uni

 Megochi ( Flathead fish )

 Anago

One of their specialties – Sweet Potato – it took them 45 minutes to cook this.  I was watching the whole time 🙂

Kakiage- also one of their specialties.   It can served two ways –  pouring of tea and pickles or served as tendon – soaked in sauce, on a bowl of rice

Even Obama had a hard time getting a reservation here 🙂

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James has been talking about this place for many years and finally we were able to get a reservation!  JC Bernardo told us about this and about the pigs that look like sheep 🙂 They are called Mangalitsa, Mangalitza or Mangalica  ( photo from www.becuo.com ).  It’s a natural breed of pigs from Europe that are descended directly from….wild boar populations.  The Mangalitsa pig is unusual as it grows a hairy fleece akin to that of sheep.  It was a pity they did not have it that day we ate there.  A good reason to come back because we love Butagumi

It’s in a residential area which felt secluded but later on I found out it is by Omotesando area- just keep going straight up to the road of Omotesando.  So you can say it is nearby a favourite Tonkatsu place, Maisen 

There are plenty choices of Tonkatsu, around 50 kinds, but not all are available everyday. They have Tenderloin-taste light, flavourful, taste rich or taste super rich.  Or Sirloin- taste light, flavourful, taste rich or juicy and taste super rich  

Love the collections of little pigs by the entrance of the restaurant

More pigs around the place

cute ones on top of the cash register 🙂

Piggy nose logo all over 🙂

Tomatoes which were very good with al the condiments for tonkatsu – Himalayan pink salt, mustard, and two sauces

Love the appetisers!

 The sausage which was so tasty!!
Roasted Chicken and potato salad

Caesar salad

 Croquettes

Getting ready for the tonkatsu

Only those with green marks are available for the dayThey all came together, they explained each one and then after we ate it, we  could not identify anymore because we just ate it as soon as it arrived haha!!  They were all good and of course the one with more fat you can really tell tastes really good compared to the lean cuts

Brown Sugar Jelly syrup

Click below to go to their website

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Heart2Heart loves this place 🙂  It’s like Europe in Japan 🙂  the interiors atleast.  We were happy to get a table since last year we were not able to get a booking

They have a shared teppanyaki table

Or private rooms for different groups depending on the number

Starter – Tofu with Back Truffles

Seasonal sashimi appetizer

Ox tail consomme soup

Lobster

Kagoshima Wagyu Beef 

WOW!

Delicious! 🙂 Oishi!

This was not part of the set – Crab cooked on salt

They moved us to this area for dessert

There are several choices

Creme Caramel

Marron Glace dessert which is one of their signature desserts – seasonal

Petit fours

Click below to go to their website

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Last trip to Tokyo, we tried an unary restaurant and we really enjoyed it

Previous entry:  Nodaiwa January 14, 2014

There are two One Michelin Starred unagi restaurants in Tokyo – Nodaiwa and this one, Yamanochaya. We love unagi because it is healthy and not fried yet it tastes good

A nice and peaceful location

With two floors

Love these miniatures on the wall

This was a set meal or degustation 🙂

Tofu

Putting sancho on the Unagi liver 

Half an eel grilled on charcoal with salt

 Miso

Main dish – Unagi

dessert 😉

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Tokyo is very affordable now!  Last year same time, the yen was 80 yen to US$ 1.00.  Now it is 120 yen! So, maybe that’s why Tokyo is the new Hong Kong 🙂

As soon as we arrived in Tokyo, the Ramen boys wanted of course RAMEN!  So we went very near the hotel to this place called Menya Nishiki.  I didn’t read it anywhere in the place :-O  But this is in Shimbashi by the railroad tracks

The ramen boys ordered before I got in and I figured they had to ask the guy for help to push the right buttons 

 This is the place 🙂 Maybe 15 seats 

Tsukemen for all three of them!

Menya Nishiki Shimbashi
1-13-5 Shinbashi, Minato, Tokyo Prefecture

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