Tag Archives: Tokyo restaurant reviews

SEIYUUZAN YAKINIKU

Its been a busy week for me in terms of over-indulging my taste buds. I’ve been out and about, trying some new restaurants and I’m really excited about sharing this yakiniku restaurant I discovered in Shiodome. I loved it !. Seiyuuzan is located on the 41st floor of the Shiodome City Center building with magnificent views and a warm, rich ambiance. It’s a good place to bring guests and the prices are quite reasonable.

Our first course was a beef tartar called ‘yuke’. I don’t eat raw meat that much and have never been a big fan of any kind of beef tartar but this ‘yuke’ tasted absolutely fresh and delicious.

Yuke (Beef tartar)

Yuke (Beef tartar)

Then came a crunchy fresh salad.

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Followed by the best gyu (tongue) I’ve ever tried. So soft and sumptuous.

The beef tongue

The beef tongue

Sizzling Sumptuosness

Sizzling Sumptuousness

A series of beef cuts in all size, thickness and tenderness followed.

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IMG_4326I was really impressed by the ox tail soup that came next.

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And the mango sorbet we had for dessert wasn’t just any regular sorbet. Made fresh on our table using liquid nitrogen, this dessert was a spectacle of its own, as you can witness through the series of pictures below.

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IMG_4349There you go, my wonderful dining experience at Seiyuuzan. We had the most elaborate course available so the price was over 10.000 yen. But they do have more reasonable courses and even lunch for 2000 yen.

Before I finish, a picture the of the restaurant’s ambiance to give you a feel of the place.

IMG_4302Price : $$

SEIYUUZAN. Shiodome city center 41F, 1-5-2, Higashishinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-7141. Phone : 03-3569-2929

KEAT’S HOUSE CAFE

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After the endless stream of guests visiting Tokyo over cherry blossom season and nights of extensive dinners, I was so ready for some healthy food. A friend recommended this place called Keat’s House in Yutenji. I haven’t heard about this area not far from Nakameguro until today and thought it fun to do some exploring.

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Named after the famous British poet John Keats , I was expecting a somewhat European decor with maybe a touch of aristocracy but was pleasantly surprised by the old Japanese timber lodge that greeted me in a corner of busy Komazawa-dori. The place had a cozy, rustic feel to it. The front of the cafe had two tables and a bakery.

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The main dining area was at the patio with four rustic wooden tables. I imagine it to be chilly to dine there in the winter even with the portable heaters, but today it was perfect.

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The lunch menu is simple, uncomplicated and very reasonable. A lunch set is around 1.000 yen. Keat’s house is not a vegan restaurant but most of its food are on the healthy side. They have a set menu of brown rice with assorted condiments on the side like some grilled fish or meat with vegetables. I tried the vegetarian bibimbap and it was flavorful.

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My friend tried the eggs benedict.

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What you definitely should not miss are the whole wheat waffles that come with whipped butter and honey. This was absolutely delicious.

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The lovely lady who served us spoke excellent english and suggested that we tried their ‘misukara’ or wheat drink mixed with soy milk.

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The drink had a very ‘interesting’ taste. I’m not sure it would be everyone’s cup of tea but I liked it.

I’ve never been that much into vegetarian and healthy food. I would pick meat over vegetables any day, yet I liked the bibimbap and I loved the waffles, and I loved Keat’s house atmosphere that I will definitely be back for more.

Price : $

KEAT’S HOUSE. 2-8-12 Yutenji, Meguro-ku. Phone : (03) 6312-2003

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving dinner at THE OAK DOOR

It is not easy finding a restaurant serving Thanksgiving dinner in Tokyo. Not that many do. I love turkey and I love turkey stuffing but I was a little too late at trying to get a reservation. I was first aiming for Thanksgiving dinner at the Ekki Bar and Grill at the Four Seasons Marunouchi but they were fully booked. My other option was the Oak Door at the Grand Hyatt Roppongi, a much bigger restaurant with dark interiors on the 6th floor and a cosy bar that seems like a cool place to hangout. They had availability.

Dinner is a set menu that is quite pricey, about 9500 yen++. The starter was a smoked trout salad with apple, candied pecans, pomegranate seeds and cider vinaigrette.

The smoked trout salad

I found the salad to be particularly fresh and delicious. The mixture of all the ingredients created the perfect concoction.

The next course was a pumpkin and barley soup which was the perfect comfort soup.

Pumpkin and Barley soup

The roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing main course came immediately after.

Roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing

I found the turkey main course to be just so-so. The stuffing though delicious was a little dry and the gravy poured over the turkey was minimal. It definitely wasn’t the comfort food turkey meal that I expected to warm my tummy, but then again, Oak door is a hotel restaurant. Maybe my expectations were too high.

The pecan pie dessert however cheered me up.

 

My verdict, the dinner wasn’t really worth the price but judging from the delicious salad and soup I do believe the Oak Door has some potential and I might come back to try other courses in the future.

Price : $$

The Oak Door. 6th Floor, Grand Hyatt, 6-10-3 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Tel : +81 3 4333 8784

 

 

 

 

 

Cheap and cheerful Italian at La Boheme.

 

La Boheme Shiroganei Branch

If you live in Tokyo, you probably know about this Japanese-Italian restaurant chain spread around Tokyo. Their pasta is cheap (under 1000 yen for lunch) and absolutely delicious. My favorite is their mentaiko (spicy cod roe) pasta which is creamy and absolutely delectable. Second to that would be their steamed chicken pasta with green onion, spinach and sesame oil. Really fresh.

The mentaiko pasta

What you definitely have to order is their Gorgonzola Pizza with honey which is simply the best pizza ever. Whoever thought of the recipe is a genius in my book.

Gorgonzola pizza with honey

Although I’ve tried a few of their restaurants, my favorite is the one in Shiroganei which feels really grand. (First picture above).

They also open late (up until 3.30 am) and can be the perfect place to go to if ever you are in need of a midnight bite.

1F, 2F 4-19-17 Shirokanedai Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0071
Telephone : 03-3442-4060