Itasoba Kaoriya @ Ebisu

April 22, 2019 Dave Perry

***Dashimaki omelette with scallions and grated daikon***

***Soba with onsen-boiled egg and perilla-wrapped chicken tempura***

Itasoba Kaoriya is a popular (30 minute queues are not uncommon) soba-ya specializing in country-style soba praised for their flavour and fragrance.

Amidst the comfortably rustic interior, eager customers sit at crowded communal tables enjoying a range of side dishes, such as the fluffy dashimaki tamago or juicy yaki-kamo, while awaiting generous portions of flavoursome, al dente ‘itasoba’ buckwheat noodles.

Served in traditional wooden ‘itabako’ storage trays, the noodles come in one of two ways; regular or thick cut (we prefer the thicker cut for its chewier texture), with soba tsuyu (soy) or gomadare (sesame) dipping sauces, accompanied by assorted tempura and takikomi gohan.

Itasoba Kaoriya

03 3449 8498

Sanchan Shokudo @ Shin-Maruko

April 12, 2019 Dave Perry

A Shin-Maruko institution, Sanchan Shokudo has been delighting customers with its quintessential Showa dining experience for over a half-century. Since its inception in 1967, Sanchan's mission statement has been to provide cheap, fast, delicious, large food - something it achieves with aplomb.

Although its origins as a ramen and gyoza canteen (this is no izakaya) catering to local workers and students are still proudly displayed on the noren hanging before the entrance, over the decades the offering has expanded to cater to patrons’ changing tastes. The result as an expansive menu of classic Japanese and ‘Chinese’ comfort foods. The aji fry, chicken cheese roll and fried rice are our favourites, although the shop speciality is undoubtedly the voluminous yakiniku ricebowl.

The retro decor (complete with topless calendar) and happily inebriated, chain smoking clientele combine to create a lively old school atmosphere. Hugely popular, weekends tend to be especially crowded with brief waits for a seat at one of the long rows of trestle tables to be expected.

Sanchan Shokudo

044 722 2863

Saru @ Jiyugaoka

April 7, 2019 Dave Perry

***Sicilian style mackerel ragout pasta***

***Sardine confit with marinated mushrooms***

***Smoked tuna head with wasabi tapenade***

***Veal cutlet with blue cheese sauce***

***Ezo venison steak with wild rocket and balsamic sauce***

***Chocolate terrine with semi dried grapes***

After a soft launch in late 2018 and successful reboot as Saru Apero Bistro early this year, the fifth restaurant in the Saru family is now a thriving Jiyugaoka favourite.

Set amidst a broad wooden dining counter, the small open kitchen delivers on the restaurant's promise of a 'delicious European-style eatery' with a handful of lunch plates and plenty of a la carte options by day as well as an extended menu of northern European, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspired ‘small bistro dishes’ by night.

The menu is complimented by a selection of Japanese and eastern European 'historic world wines.’

Saru Apero Bistro

050 5266 0440

Trunk @ Meguro

March 3, 2019 Dave Perry

***Andive, apple, blue cheese and walnut salad***

***Shizuoka mushroom and ham Caesar salad***

Our favourite Meguro restaurant, ‘osteria, tavern and wine bar’ Trunk is a gem of conviviality secluded amidst an aging warren of bars and restaurants, offering hearty cooking and a carefully selected range of ‘casually approachable’ world wines.

The restaurant itself evokes a worn, rustic European charm. The small kitchen proffers a delicious menu rooted in Italian and French cuisines accented with Japanese sensibilities. Eclectic fish, game meats and risottos punctuate a menu of classic salads, pates and pastas.

Update: Trunk’s sister shop, Iron House, opened in November 2020.

Trunk

050 5594 6662

Juban Ukyo @ Ebisu

February 25, 2019 Dave Perry

***Avocado and tomato salad with mascarpone***

***Tai, maguro, mackerel and kampachi sashimi***

***Aubergine topped with miso mince meat***

The Ebisu iteration of Azabu Juban's popular Franco-Japanese fusion restaurant focuses on regional Japanese cuisine supplemented by an extensive array of quality sake.

With an approach that is more dining-bar chic than traditional izakaya, the juxtaposition of tatami and gilded screens with monogrammed Louis Vuitton upholstery and 1980s ghetto blasters lends an air of sophisticated intimacy to the dining experience.

Not to be outshone be the interior aesthetic the food is also suitably instagenic, if somewhat blingy, with several signature dishes such as the egg rice and potato salad being laced with gold leaf and truffle shavings.

Juban Ukyo

03 3440 7888