Loved places to eat in/around Shinjuku

Yesterday, I made the long journey to Uchida to try the Motsuyaki. I got there 30 minutes before it opened and there was already a long line waiting. It was very good and I was lucky according to the article since I was able to try the cow tongue. Shinobu is much better though. I tried the uterus, intestines, heart, liver, cheeks, soft bones, and guts stew. The only thing I didn't really care for taste-wise was the guts stew. The meat was tender though but I didn't really like the taste of the soup. It would probably better to go early but not too early because when I left there was no line at all. So, I think there is big rush when it opens and then it's normal.

For dinner, I had dinner at Due Italian. This was the first restaurant that did not greet me or bid me farewell when I entered and departed. The ramen was very good though and I thinking of going there again for the cheese ramen since I liked the Shio ramen.

SamuelBrown, one sure bet for Wilkinson ginger ale is Sunshine City in east Ikebukuro. Seijo Ishii in the ground floor has it dry, hot and also in a third variety. Or at least the bottle was different.

Speaking of tea, Sunshine City is also my go-to place for a cup orange tea.

A few times I've seen Wilkinson ginger ale in a plastic bottle in convenience stores. These have always been the hot variety. Seijo Ishii has it in glass bottles. They also carry Wilkinson tonic, which happens to be the best tonic I've ever had.

On this side of the Ikebukuro station there's Mutekiya ramen. Unfortunately, I haven't tried it yet. There's always a line out the door and when I'm hungry, I want food sooner than now. The next time I'm in Tokyo, I must go there.

Another place to look for different brands of ginger ale might be a grocery store carrying an impressive selection of imported drinks and snacks in Hiroo.

The name escapes me, but if you walk towards the Hiroo library from the station, you can't miss it.

This weekend I went to a lot of different places on his list.

Friday:
For lunch, I went to Mochi Mochi . The ramen here wasn't bad and wasn't as hot temperature-wise as the article made it out to be. I had the 2 portion ramen with everything included. I am not sure why but I started to get a stomach ache as I was walking back to the bus station. So, I stopped and grabbed some corn type bread. That helped a lot.

For dinner, I went to Sanda in Roppongi. I ate too much ramen at Mochi Mochi so I was kind of already full when I went to Sanda so I don't think I can properly judge them. But the food was good and the homemade sesame ice cream was really nice. Great service too, the waitress and other guy just kept chatting with me the entire night.

Saturday:
I had breakfast/lunch at Randy. This was surprisingly very good! When I was reading the review and looking at the pictures, I thought it would be similar to Will but I was totally wrong. It is miles away of Will and I just loved it! I was thinking that something like that would do really well where I'm from. I may return there this weekend and get the larger size.

I had dinner at Tokyo Tonteki. This was another surprise as the pictures do not seem that appetizing to me. Even when it arrived in front of me, with all that cabbage, and I started eating it, I thought it was just meh. But then after about a minute or two, I mixed all the sauce with cabbage and then BAM! I was blown away at how good it was! I just gobbled it all right down. I really enjoyed it.

Sunday:
So, I wake up today with plans for a great food excursion. I head back to Due Italian ready for breakfast. I put my money into the machine to buy a ticket for my ramen but I had a question. I ask the lady working at the front and she just had the most horrible attitude. So much so that I thanked her, had the machine refund my money, and left. I just can not separate service from my dining experience. I'll never return there again. But she did say 'thank you' as I left.

After that, I made my way to Maruichi Bagel. There wasn't a line at all when I first arrived. I got the Blueberry and plain cream cheese bagel. It wasn't bad at all but then again, a bagel is a bagel to me. It probably would have been different if the bagel was hot though. Maybe I'll ask them to heat it up first if I ever go there again. I also tried the vegetable soup which was ok. I liked all the different types of veggies in it. But taste-wise, it wasn't anything special. So, I ate the bagel in the park right outside the shop and then went back to buy the cornbread I had been earlier debating on. Now, there was a line. I had to wait about 15 minutes. Bummer, but they were happy to see me back so quickly.

After there, I headed to Au Bon Vieux Temps to try the best sweets in Japan supposedly. This place was a madhouse! There were people waiting in this long line but the workers just helped whomever was the most aggressive in getting their attention. This was very strange to me and I just waited in line for about 15 minutes while they helped the people in front of me AND behind me. Finally, someone took pity on me and decided to help me. I ordered four chocolates, a caramel nut thingie, and a mini-ice cream cake. But then I had to wait 20 minutes for a seat at the cafe. They ran out of hot chocolate so I got hot milk instead. The chocolates were not good with the exception of the one with alcohol in it. That one surprised me. The caramel sweet was very good and the ice cream cake was wonderful. After finding this place, my plan is to go there very early (30 min. before they open) and indulge in my daily sweets allowance there. I will try not to eat any other sweets throughout the week so that will be my treat. ^^ I am excited to go there early so I can actually see the entire store fully stocked and have first dibs on the goods. ^^

Next up after eating all those sweets and no actual real meal, I decided to head to Densetsu No Sutadonya. I had the curry pork meal. This was really nice for the price. I don't really have anything to say about the taste in particular but it wasn't bad. If I was in the area, I would definitely try them again.

Dinner was at Tamoiyanse. I had the three dishes that the article recommended. I did not like the Momoyaki but I can see the appeal if at an izakaya. It was much too chewy for me. But, as always, the chicken nanban was very good! I am going to find a recipe for that so I can continue to make when I return home next month. I did and still do not understand the cold miso soup at the end of the meal. It was strange to me and had ice cubes in it but I ate it all anyway.

@Zappy - I'm not sure what place you are referring to either. I was going to try to go there this past weekend but I couldn't figure out which area or station you were referring to. If you later are able to add more specifics please do so. I would love to try many different types of great ginger ale.

Yesterday, I went to Buchiumaya for dinner. I had to okonomiyaki with sticky rice and cheese. It wasn't bad. I probably won't try it again but I WOULD like to learn how to make it at home as it would be a very good breakfast dish to go with freshly squeezed orange juice.

I'm enjoying the reports, but now that you're out of my immediate neighborhood I'm having trouble orienting myself. Given that there are more than 100,000 restaurants in Tokyo, and many places with the same or similar names (e.g. there must be dozens of restaurants called "Uchida"), I find that it's helpful to mention a location along with a restaurant name.

BTW, regarding the international supermarket in Hiroo, it's called National Azabu.

#1. locations
Mochi Mochi - Shinjuku
Randy - Jimbocho
Tokyo Tonteki - Shibuya
Due Italian - Ichigaya (horrible service!)
Maruichi Bagel - Shirokane Takanawa
Au Bon Vieux Temps - Oyamadai
Densetsu No Sutadonya - Shibuya
Tamoiyanse - Shibuya
Buchiumaya - Shinjuku

2.
On Tuesday, I went to Sapporo Junren in Takadanobaba. I got the Shio ramen with butter and corn. I thought this was very good but still not as good as Muteppou brothwise.

Yesterday, I ate at Nantsuttei in Shinagawa. I had the Nantsuttei special. It was good but nothing particularly special about it. I also bought two sweets from Hattendo while I was there in Shinagawa. I had the plain cream and fresh cream. Those weren't bad actually but I couldn't fully enjoy them since I accidentally bought soymilk instead of regular milk to wash them down with. Yuck!! I am probably going to try them one last time since the butter version was sold out when I went yesterday.

I am thinking of trying out Ippou today and then stopping by National Azabu to pickup different brands of ginger ale on the way back.

Oops, I forgot to add that I also ate at Kimukatsu in Ebisu as well after I had the ramen since I was still hungry. I had the "Special Kimukatsu pork" and rice set. It was very good although since that was my first time eating that type of food, I have nothing to judge it against. Service was good too.

Yesterday, both of the places I ate at were in Ebisu. First, I went to Ippudo. The ramen here was ok. I had the spicy ramen special but of course it wasn't spicy at all. I would love to find out if there is an actual restaurant or eatery of some kind that actually has extremely spicy food that tastes great. (Bhut Jolokia level spiciness!) For some reason once again, my stomach started to ache on the way to my next place to eat. I am going to have to analyse the two ramen that gave me a stomachache to see if they have anything in common.

Next, was Kitchen Bon. This was good but I'm not sure it was worth the high price tag. I had the Russian stew and Beef Stroganoff. The sauce for the Stroganoff seemed similar to the stew so I really wasn't that impressed. The carrots were very good though!

There are a number of places on that site which are closed. I spent almost 15 minutes looking for Quil Fait Bon before a random lady told me that they closed down almost a year ago. I have a rule to call before I go to any place before I forgot in this case. Although, it doesn't always work out anyway since places often turn on and off their phone lines as they please.

Finaly, I went to Patisserie Satsuki in the New Otani Hotel to taste the super series cakes but alas they were all sold out. They did let me purchase a cake in advance to pick up later to ensure that I would get a taste this afternoon. Very convenient!

Friday:

Today, I had dinner at Ushigoro in Nishi Azabu. I finally found a restaurant that gets the highest ratings from me. Everything about Ushigoro was just superb. When I arrived, I got there early and had to wait a bit for my reservation time. So, I sat down and then I noticed the music they were playing. It was really jamming! I thought that was maybe just a coincidence but throughout the entire night, they were just playing jam after jam after jam! And a number of the songs were from artists that I had never heard of before, it was just mind-blowing. I was taking so many notes that night so I could try and search for the artist later. But those must have been really rare songs because I have not been able to find a single song from typing in the lyrics to Google from ANY of the songs I notated.

As usual, I took the article's advice and had the Kiwami course. This was just so so good. I was highly skeptical of the kimchi because I have never ever tasted really good authentic kimchi outside of actual Korean-run restaurants but this kimchi was very good. I just couldn't believe that every single dish they were bringing out was a knock outta the park. The Chateaubriand was the best though, it just melts in your mouth. The tongue still wasn't better than Shinobu but was very good nonetheless. Even the dessert was good. I had the sweet potato and ice cream. I could have swore that it was homemade ice cream but they said they make the sweet potato in house but not the ice cream. Could have fooled me.

I also picked up my cake from Patisserie Satsuki directly before going there so they served that on a plate along with the dessert that came with my course selection. The Extra Super Melon cake was marvelous. It was almost like I was eating air, it was just so light and fluffy. And the cream, you could tell it was super fresh. This cake is so intelligently done. I was prepared and brought my milk again to wash the cake down with but you don't need to wash that cake down with anything. The melon that is used in the cake is so darn fresh that it is just bursting with sweet melon juice. You eat the super light cake and the little pieces of melon just explode melon juice in your mouth. It is just wonderful!! I was going to try the Extra Super Short cake which is the most expensive at \5000 for a single slice but after taking a look at it, I can that it is basically just a mix of the melon and strawberry cakes. I'm not sure I can afford to spend that much money on a slice of cake again but it definitely was worth it at least once in my opinion.

The restaurant itself is also very nicely done on the inside and out. When I finished my meal, I made my way to bathroom which was small but nice, clean, and smelled nice. They had premium soap, mouthwash, and hand balm available as well for free. Very high class!
Lastly, the service was great! Initially, they told that the Kiwami course would take 2 hours but then after I still ordered it, they just started bringing everything out super fast. I was eating it as fast as they were bringing it. I loved it! What a great great restaurant that is my current absolute favorite in Tokyo!

The ONLY thing that I did not understand was my bill. It showed the price of the course which was \10,000 and then the %5 tax was \500 but then the total of my bill was \11,340. Where did the extra amount come from? I did not make a fuss because it was such a great night out but I still don't know how that happened...? (I don't think they would intentionally rip me off so I'm guessing there is something that I'm not aware...)

Saturday:

After such a great night last night, I decide that today is totally an all-day food excursion! First up, was Lu-Gang in Kamimachi.
This place wasn't bad. If you like mantou then you will really love them. I thought they were really delicious.

Next, I tried to hurry up and go to Hidemi Sugino in Kyobashi as quickly as I could before they opened. I got there right before they opened and there was a HUGE line waiting! I had to wait for about an hour and a half before I could just place my order. Now, I wanted to try the two hardest to eat dishes that they serve which is the Marie and the Ambrosie. I was so nervous because both of these run out extremely fast usually with the first 20 minutes of them opening. If that happens then you just have to come back another day to try those two because they only make 10 or so a day and that's it. The Marie sold out almost immediately but I was so lucky that when it was my turn I was able to buy the last Ambrosie for the day. I was so happy and relieved, because I was continually stressing out that cake for the entire 90 minutes I was waiting in line. I saw it through the window about 45 minutes into my wait and I just kepting please nobody buy that one, it's mine! :D

The hot chocolate here was the first time I have ever had pepper in my hot chocolate. It was actually pretty good.

Next, I went to Do Mi So also in Kyobashi. This ramen wasn't bad either. I don't have anything particular to say about them but they weren't bad.
Finally, I went to the restaurant side of Satsuki to try the pancakes. They changed the menu on me and they no longer served the Ricotta Cheese pancakes but instead had strawberry caramel pancakes. I ordered it with another hot chocolate. I thought it would be melted caramel but actually it was caramel that looked to be attached to the top of the pancake. It was ok but I could tell that if it wasn't for the caramel the pancake itself would have been terrific. The sole macaroon that they included was the best I have ever had in my life. (actually it was my first time trying one) I see macaroons all the time back home but I just assumed that they did not taste good by the way they look. Well, this one was great, very chewy and delicious.

I must say that after Satsuki, I had a bad stomachache and a bit of a headache as well because I ate so many sweets and and a little bit of real food with meat in it. I was truly a pig today. I rested on the couches in the lobby for quite a while then I made my way to National Azabu to try the ginger selection there. They have a nice selection of ginger ale there. I bought six bottles. The biggest surprise though is they didn't have ginger ale from the brand Q (or Premium). The brand Premium ginger ale not being there isn't a big deal but not stocking Q is. And the crazy thing is they had the kola and tonic in the Q brand but not the ginger ale. I was scratching my head on that one because Q is probably the best ginger ale I have tasted so far. Even better than Wilkinson.

Sunday:

Today, I, first, went to Kitchen Carrot in Nishi Ogikubo. Had a bit of a line again and had to wait for about 15 minutes. This is an amazing deal! Chicken, beef, and steak all for about \1600. And it was delicious too! I am definitely going to have to return there. The music wasn't bad either.

Next, I stopped by Mister Donut in Shinjuku. There was a bit of a line and I had to wait for about 20 minutes. I got the Pon de Ring and took it home. I heated it up in the toaster oven and had it with milk. Boy, was that good! It went perfect with ice cold milk.
For dinner, I went to Piccolo Grande in Azabu Juban. I had the Bagna Cauda and the Spaghetti Arrabbiata. Both of these were ok but nothing special. I would not return.

I am starting to catch a cold from drinking so many cold things (ginger ale) and eating so many sweets so I trying to find a place that the Japanese frequent to quickly get rid of the common cold. Currently, only my throat is sore, phlegm production is increasing, and my nose is starting to run but I just know that the situation is going to get a lot worse if I don't take care of this quickly. My knee is also a bit injured and swollen from soccer on Sunday morning.

Umami Dearest: The supermarket with many imported drinks was indeed National Azabu. Thank you! The name is so easy to remember that I forgot it. :)

SamuelBrown: I'm pleased to read about the sweets you've tried and I'm glad you found National Azabu. I don't know if they have stores in other parts of Tokyo, but the one in Hiroo is the only one I've seen.

Sorry for the vague description, I know that can often be more of a nuisance than assistance, but it has been a year or two since I was there. The library was the reason I was there in the first place. A supermarket with a well-stocked section of soft drinks was just a nice bonus.

When I was there, I didn't get any ginger ale, actually. I was in the mood for something tangy, so I got as many brands of lemon soda as I could carry with just these two hands. Fentimans from Vritain was one. Then there was a New York brand, but I've forgotten the name.

I have to stay on lookout for the brands of ginger ale that you mentioned. I'd love to hear which ginger ales did you get as they didn't have Q or Premium.

Btw, have you had ginger ale after the ramen that gave you stomach aches? Unfortunaly, I get a stomach ache from...ginger, whether it's food or drink, so there is a price to pay after treating myself to a ginger ale.

For the cold, in Japan I head for the convenience stores or vending machines that I know to carry hot lemon juice. It's got vitamin C and it feels pleasant and smooth to my sick throat. That's my first aid plan. Besides that, I've found the hard lotus sweets from natural food stores ease my sore throat.

I didn't know Japan had any really high quality serious natural food stores like we in the States (Whole Foods, etc.). They don't list all the detailed nutritional data like we do so I just assumed they don't care.

Is there one that all Japanese consider the best? I'd love to try it as since my last post I have been horribly sick and pretty much have not left the house except to eat. And since I don't of any restaurants that serve whatever it is the Japanese eat for fighting colds, I have sought another type of cuisine of which I am very familiar with the types of food they eat for combating sickness, Korean food!

I have been to three different Korean restaurants and have only had one dish, Samgyetang. This is very good for fighting colds. I will try to write about the restaurants later when I get well.

I didn't know Japan had any really high quality serious natural food stores like we in the States (Whole Foods, etc.).

Yup, they exist if you know where to find them. Typical grocery stores also carry quite a bit of "natural food" if you know what you are looking for, but it probably isn't marketed as such since it is pretty mainstream stuff that doesn't require a specialty shop like whole foods. Natural foods are pretty popular in Japan, and have been for centuries after all.

They don't list all the detailed nutritional data like we do so I just assumed they don't care.

Not sure where you are from, but all products carry nutritional data that is basically identical to the US. It is listed in Japanese.

Here are the Korean restaurants that I went to:

Teji Tokyo
This is in located in Kabukicho and I had the Samgyetang. This was the first Samgyetang that I have ever had where the chicken was boiled to the point to where the bones were easily edible. I am not sure how healthy that is given that I'm not sure where the chickens come from. When I ate the soft bone from chicken in China, my friend sternly admonished me not to do so since what they eat is almost certainly junk so that will, in turn, make my bones very weak. That advice is always in my mind since before that point in my life I've always eaten any chewy bones that I come across. With that said, I still finished the soup anyway, bones and all. I had already ordered it and needed the soup to get better so I didn't have much of a choice.

I also went to Hyungboo Korean Restaurant in Asakusa. I had the same dish like at Teiji. This wasn't very good compared to the other places I tried. The chicken was not very soft.

Next, I went to a place that only serves Samgyetang in Ogikubo. This was the real deal and they served the best Samgyetang out of all the places I tried. Very authentic Samgyetang, the broth was milky white like it is supposed to be and the inside was filled with rice and garlic. I enjoyed it.

Finally, I tried a place called CupaCupa. I'm actually not sure what the English name is but in Korean it is called 큐파큐파. This was ok. I have the fish jjigae and the kimchi jjigae. Nothing special.

Yesterday, I went to Tonchang in Yotsuya. This wasn't bad at all. I had the Samgyupsal set, kimchi jon, sun do bu jjigae, and the kimchi fried rice. I didn't like the jon or the kimchi fried rice but the sun du bu jjigae was ok and the samgyupsal set was very nice. I really thought samgyupsal set was very delicious.

@ yllwsmrf - From what I have seen, nutritional data labels are not the same as in the states. I did a bit of research and found this:
http://savvytokyo.com/deciphering-japanese-nutrition-labels/

Japanese law does not require this information hence why sometimes it is present sometimes (most of the time, imo) it is not. And when it is present, they list different things than us and/or only list very little. It's not a big deal though, I can wait until I return home.

@Zappy - I don't remember all the names unfortunately since I drank them pretty quickly and tossed the bottles but I will check my receipt to see if it is listed there when I get home later (I always keep my receipts).

And I actually found some places when I searched for health stores in Japan. Some are pretty close to me as well which is great! I will be checking them out soon hopefully.

I have to figure out how to drink 'tonic'. After you posted that Wilkinsons was the best tonic you've had, I bought three types of Wilkinsons that I think are different types of tonic. One is "Lemon" which I bought yesterday. At first, I thought it was like ginger ale and you just drink it but it was horrible like that, so I bought some apple juice and mixed it with that. It was better but I still wanted to toss it.

The other two I still have are "sparkling carbonated" and "tonic". Any good and simple suggestions on how to drink these? (alcohol isn't an option since I don't drink)

Aside from the above, I went to Kaioozumi on a food/onsen trip on Friday. The eatery was Sennin goya. It was an almost 2 hour train ride from Tokyo on the Super Azumi or something like that. It was the fastest train I could take to get there. After I got there, I had to take another ~20 minute local train to finally arrive at the Kaioozumi. When I got there, I took a ~15 min. taxi to the eatery. The place was nice and I got to eat a lot of mountain vegetables , bear claw soup and tea made from Japanese mountain herbs.

After that, I took a ~15 min. taxi to the onsen went to the onsen for about 90 minutes. That was nice and relaxing but nowhere near as hot as I expected unfortunately. It still helped with my cold though. On the other hand, the sauna was burning up. I got scared when I first went in because it just so hot! I kept getting nervous that someone might accidentally lock me in there and I would be burned alive.

The soap/shampoo that they provided smelled amazing! The article I read about onsen etiquette said to shower well before getting in and use a ton of soap so it's clear that you are getting soapy and clean. I had absolutely no problem with that since it smelled so good!

After the onsen, I went back to Senningoya to eat one last time before they closed for the day since they close really early. This time I had the Japanese deer meat rice dish and bear meat sukiyaki. Both of these were nice especially the deer. As I was waiting for the taxi to leave, the wife of the owner gave me samples of the animal vodka. I don't drink but she said according to the main chef (her husband) it was like medicine so I went ahead and tried it. First was this type of mountain grape vodka. It was ok. Second, was this vodka which had a very dangerous and venomous snake in it. This tasted like medicine. Last, was some type of mountain flower vodka which was also ok.

I took a taxi back to the onsen and spent another ~40 minutes there and then headed back home to Shinjuku. It was a nice trip and I recommend the eatery if anyone wants to take a food trip.

SamuelBrown, glad to hear you're getting the better of your cold. At least I assume you are, based on your activities. When I got the cold, I usually don't have the energy to get around. I mostly stay in bed and drink something hot.

Of natural food stores, I've mostly been to Natural House. They have yummy banana bars (imported. Whole Foods brand, IIRC). Other than that, I just go to Natural Lawson for organic snacks, because Natural Lawson stores are some much easier to find.

Here's a link with some reviews. I just found the site today, but I assume they have info on other stores as well.

http://www.happycow.net/reviews/natural-house-tokyo-8271

I'm sorry to hear the tonic wasn't too good. For me, the Wilkinson was a pleasant surprise because I usually don't drink tonic. I liked Wilkinson ginger ale so much that I decided to give their tonic a try. I bought whatever they had in glass bottles at Seijo Ishii in Sunshine City. It might have been the lemon flavored type.

I just drank it straight up from the bottle. I had a plane to catch and a fridge to clear, so again, I cannot remember for sure (I see a pattern emerging here) if it was the regular kind or the lemon kind.

I found it to be different from all the other tonics I've tried before. For me, Wilkinson was easier to drink. Schweppes is ok, but definitely not my favorite. Some store brands (not sure about the correct term here) in my experience would fall in the "I bet you ten bucks you can't drink this" category.

I've had the same experience with ginger beer and root beer. Fentimans brand lemon soda is one of my favorites. But I couldn't finish a bottle of their ginger beer. I just couldn't. Maybe there is a brand of ginger beer or root beer I'd like, but I've yet to taste one.

If you happen to find the receipts, I'd be very glad to know which ginger ales did you buy. If not, no biggie. I'm enjoying the thread with the restaurant and dish tips just the same.

The problem with the unpleasant saunas I've been to, was that they were too dry or too small. Even a hot sauna can be relaxing if there is enough steam in the air to take off the edge of the heat. IMHO, a sauna without steam or one where you're not allowed to pour water on the stones is not a proper sauna, it's just a hot room.

I pretty much fully recovered from the cold about 2-3 days ago. Thank goodness!

As for the places I've been going to lately, I honestly don't remember unfortunately. I assumed no-one was reading my long posts. I'll just write down what I can think of:

I went to Kamiya in Negishi. This was ok although I did have a slight stomachache after eating there. Nothing notable, the bread was not good.

Next, I remember going to Le Petit Bedon in Daikanyama. This was good French food all-around but the atmosphere was really stiff. Even though it was only just me and two other couples in the entire restaurant. I choose the 5-course meal that came with dessert wagon and cheese wagon. All of the dishes were good and cheese ice cream was novel to me. The pear cake was better than I expected but Ushigoro's ice cream was better.

After that, I finally got a chance to go to Kohaku. Very expensive with a stiff environment like Le Petit Bedon. BUT the customers that were dining with me at the counter made it a bit better. All of the dishes were not bad, they didn't blow me away though. I actually thought Daidaiya was better except for the fact that they have issues with bringing out hot food. The strawberry dessert at Kohaku was very very good though.

Then, I went to Chez Tomo in Ginza. This was a good meal. I got the Chef's Course although I'm not sure if it is much different from the next cheaper menu since they brought a lot of the same dishes. The vegetable samplers dish was so nice! And creative too! Man, I wish my mom made all my vegetables like this when I was growing up. I would definitely be a vegetable lover. The main dish was pigeon which was ok but I was expecting something more grand. The first pudding dessert was very delicious, the second dessert wasn't bad. It was a cookie with a chocolate cover that had ice cream inside it. Then, they poured warm sauce over it and the chocolate cover melted. I really liked the creativity there, although they should make the cookie more like an authentic chewy chocolate chip cookie. Their cookie was way to crispy.

After that, I went to Brozers in Ningyocho. I had the Lot burger and Hot Chili dog. The Lot burger wasn't bad, but the meat of the hot dog could have been much better. The bread was good though.

After that, I finally found perfect restaurant number two. This restaurant is Sutaminaen in Shikahama. Just like the first perfect restaurant I went to every single thing that I tried here was excellent. And boy did I pig out here. I had a salad, potato salad, kimchi, Jyo Karubi, Jyo Rosu, Gyi Hireniku, Tegutan, and the Tofu dessert. All of them were just amazing, especially the meat! Talk about melt in your mouth!!! I am definitely going to go there again, absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever! I'll buy the ginger ale and crackers beforehand because I know that I'm going to have a stomachache from eating so much.

Lastly, yesterday I went to Tonpachi in Higashi-Jujo. This is a very small place but the food is very good. I had the Karashiyaki, Leba Staminayaki, Oshinko, and a large rice. Everything was very good. I probably won't return because it is far from Shinjuku but if I was ever in the area again I would definitely dine there.

Also, I found a new brand of Ginger Ale at the Waseda health food store. I believe the brand is Hikari and it is Organic Ginger Ale. I am not going to be checking out any other health food stores after I checked the Waseda one. Almost everything is imported. Bummer. That article I read was spot on regarding Japan being behind in this regard. The scene is much better back home so I'll wait.

I just found out that I will have to head straight to Thailand for two months after this trip is done. (w/ possible field trips to nearby Cambodia/Laos etc.) Just my luck! And I don't have any warm weather clothes with me either. I really wasn't planning on doing that type of shopping here but I guess I may not have a choice. I guess that's another thread though. Such a headache to try and study Japanese and Thai.

I also forgot to put I went the Shabu Zen in Roppongi as well. This was my first good Shabu Shabu experience. The one I went to in Beijing was not good at all, this was much better. I struggled but managed to finish four full trays and the other side extras they brought out as well.

Yesterday, I had dinner at Funayado Kappo Shiokaze in Kamimeguro. What a difficult place to find. But when I got there, I liked everything except the main nabe. And it's not that I really didn't like it, it was just ok. But the sushi and all the other dishes were really nice. I had the Kinmedai No Shabu Shabu course.

Actually, I was going through the website where I get my recommendations from and it looks like I am quickly running out of places to visit as I will have visited most of the places on his list pretty soon. lol! I may have to track down another authentic site to get recommendations from.

Ok, normally I never post this late in the day but I just have to write this. I just got back from dinner at Abasque in Shibuya. I also had lunch in Ikebukuro at Jindinrou. The xiaolongbao was good.

So, anyway, the dinner at Abasque was good but much too little. They reluctantly gave me the course meal because of the time of my reservation. Standout dishes were definitely the foie gras flan and the special cheesecake. The flan was something else, the first bite and I was like what is this?! (in a bad way, it was a bit bitter) But then I keep chewing and the others flavors just come altogether very well. That was excellent!

The cheesecake was like this homemade pound cake with four different types of cheese in it served warm. I loved this and will be telling my mother about this dish since she is a very good pastry chef.

Now, the reason why I just had to post this immediately isn't because of the above rather because of what took place at Abasque. There were three women eating next to my table when I came in. Two older ladies and one of their daughters. The daughter was a pretty and very tall girl of about maybe 23-24 yrs old with the biggest hands I've ever seen on a Japanese woman. As I finish my second course, I notice that she keeps raising her butt up to what it looked like try to flatten her dress or something. Then , she raised her butt and held it there for a few seconds. Then, it happened, SHE FARTED!! Now, my first thought was there is no way this pretty little lady (big actually) just ripped one in this restaurant, it had to have been the couch. Well, if there is a smell then I'll know for sure.

Sure enough, a few seconds later I wanted to vomit, it was stinky! I was in disbelief that she actually farted. So, the smell dissipates and I continue dinner. I can't even concentrate because she just keeps lifting up her butt, but... there is no smell. Then, I finish dessert and they are wrapping up their conversation and one at a time each of the ladies excuse themselves to the ladies EXCEPT her! At this point, she starts just letting go but with sound. You know, the silent but deadly ones. One after another after another, I hurry up and finish my last dish, pay, and bolt for the door! That was another first for me at a restaurant, the rat experience was the other one. What a night, I sure won't forget that for some time.

SamuelBrown, I for one am reading these long posts. Especially about the desserts. People always forget about the desserts and that's when things start going downhill.

Very thrilled about the new ginger ale brand. I have walked through Waseda a few times and I try to keep my eyes open, but I haven't seen any natural food stores. I need to look harder next time.

The experience in your last post sounds like a very bad dream. In a restaurant, or anywhere, I try to avoid sitting near people with small children. Anything can happen. Anything. It's like playing an evil slots machine. But the situation you described would have certainly caught me off-guard.

Good luck with Thailand and thanks for all the tips and insights! Before you go, now that you've been to all these restaurants and know what they're like, is there any place you'd recommend above the others, if you had to choose just one?

The reason for asking is because for my next trip to Japan, I've been planning to spend most of my time out of Tokyo. As much as I like it, I think it's time to go see new places and just stay a little while in Tokyo.