Kappabashi Coffee

We were in route for one of the highly recommended unaju in Japan. However, they weren't going to open yet so we decided to take a small detour to Kappabashi coffee. Just a few blocks away from the Asakusa station is where this small cute little shop stands. 

３丁目-25-11 Nishiasakusa, Taitō, Tokyo 111-0035, Japan

Their menu is really straight forward and somewhat interesting when it came to the food items. Not in a bad way of course, but I was expecting corned beef toast or croque monsieurs for that matter. 

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The cafe has an organic feel from all the wood designs on the wall.

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A simple pour over to start the day. 

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Ham sandwich. Simple and strangely satisfying since it's cut evenly in 1/3's.

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Delicious croque monsieur I must say. I think the toast really makes this a winner. The ham also has a nice smoke which brings out some umami flavor to this dish. So simple, but the execution was spot on.

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Ok another delicious dish. Corned beef toast might be my next favorite thing. Served with some whole grain mustard, sauerkraut, and corned beef. I really need to remake this at home. It was that good and memorable. 

This coffee shop is definitely out of your way. There really isn't much around this cafe, but that's pretty much like a lot of places in Japan. You will find random spurts of restaurants whether it seats 5 people or 20. It really varies. And it seems like most of these cafes/restaurants cater to the locals which makes this even more charming. I'm sure many of you will run into this place on your way to Obana. I recommend it. 

３丁目-25-11 Nishiasakusa, Taitō, Tokyo 111-0035, Japan

 

Kappabashi Coffee

Tatemichiya

Not a lot of people know this, but I was really sick with Bronchitis on my way to Japan. It actually got worse during my flight and at times, I thought I was going to die. I was desperately buying vitamin juice packs from our local 7 Eleven down the street from our hotel in Ginza. This was during winter so the cold frosty air didn't help my cough much. Luckily, I conquered a few days before visiting the emergency room. But, let's save that conversation for a different day.

Before visiting the hospital we saw one of my dearest friends, Ami Tsuchida, who lives in Tokyo. She recommended a local Izakaya that she's been going with her mom. It's as rock'n'roll and divey as it gets. 

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This was shot from their little upper level seating. Tons of people were also smoking which didn't help my coughing much, but to my surprise, the alcohol helped. They have tons of sake, shochu and beer. If you don't finish your bottle they can tag it for you.

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Marinated hotaru ika - Briny and sweet squid pairs perfectly with Japanese beer. I switch off between Sapporo and Asahi.

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I believe this was shiokara over cream cheese. Shiokara is pretty much squid fermented with their digestive parts. It sounds gross if you're not familiar with these kinds of food, but I really like this.

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A very traditional home dish Japanese people ate as a kid. Ham katsu. It sounds weird, but does it really? This isn't something that's bizarre, but this was one of the most memorable dishes I ate because of it's simplicity yet addictively delicious. 

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Fried Oysters. One of my favorite izakaya items. Served with tonkatsu sauce and an egg tartar. SO GOOD. Where's my beer?

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White fish with shiso deep fried. Served with grated ginger.

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Sashimi moriawase.

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Agedashi tofu with natto. Came out hot and sizzling. I love how a lot of restaurants serve natto!

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Tsukemono. I always order this at every Japanese restaurant. It's nice to have with drinks. It also acts like a palate cleanser. 

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Tonkotsu ramen to end our dinner before heading to a cigar lounge.

I forgot to take photos of yakitori, but we had it as well.

B1F, 30-8 Sarugakucho, Shibuya 150-0033, Tokyo Prefecture (Shibuya / Harajuku / Ebisu) +81 3-5459-3431

Mori

Mori - JR Tokyo Station Yaesu basement Central Exit 1-minute walk

The food scene in Tokyo Station is something I recommend you checking out. Yes it can feel like a tourist trap, but it's one of those places you have to walk through at least once. We stayed in Ginza so walking to Tokyo Station only took about 15 minutes. What's great is how accessible it is to get from one destination to another. We had little hesitancies to go to different areas of the city because of that.

With plenty of food in Tokyo Station, I recommend going for what you really want to try or crave. It's also fun if you want to do a restaurant crawl down here and there's plenty of walking if you feel it's needed to digest. And... a Starbucks is also around for quick pick-me-ups.

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I checked out Mori not because of the lines. Because there was none. But because I was craving beef tongue. And if you've ever had Japanese beef tongue, you will understand why the cravings were legit. The perfectly scored meat with the subtle smoke of the binchotan incasing it as the fat drips down. It's spectacular and there really isn't anything like this flavor.

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Here is their beef tongue curry. Simple, but very delicious. Tender beef in a rich curry sauce to be accompanied by rice and fukujinzuke (best w curry).

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My beef tongue came with rice, the most amazing scallion soup made with beef bones, and an incredibly delicious salad. I like to eat each piece of beef with a little wasabi followed by their pickled greens.

I can't really explain the comfort level of this dish besides it making me happy every freaking time. I assume this is oxtail tongue as it reminds me of Gyutan Tsukasa here in California (can find GT in Mitsuwa, Costa Mesa).

Breakfast - Tokyo

Found a random restaurant to eat at while surfing around Tokyo Station. This place is huge if you've ever been. Not sure the name of this restaurant, but it's close to the North Gate of Tokyo Station. It's on the main level, not downstairs where the restaurant rows are.

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I eat soba here like no other. It's so common to find like any other noodle dish. It's just so comfortable to dip the noodles in tsuyu mixed with wasabi and green onions. This is one of those dishes that disappears. It's common during a meal that people don't really talk. Since everyone is in a hurry, all you hear is slurping. This goes down quick. Before you know it, your plate is empty.

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Chicken Katsu with curry udon. Perfectly fried katsu in a rich luscious curry broth. Udon noodles were perfectly al dente. Slivers of onions are topped to cut the richness.

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Combinations come with sushi. Here you have bonito, aji, and tamago. Flavors are very traditional. If you've had bonito, you can imagine the flavor to be very rich in fishiness with a meatlike aftertaste. The aji itself has a slight brine with the typical grated ginger to mellow it out. I eat the tamago at the end for sweetness.

I ate this kind of stuff a lot. I do wish we had more restaurants like this, within reach, which caters a lot to the "Salaryman". What a treat this was.

Explore your way. As zimmern would say "If it looks good, eat it".

Sarabeth's - Japan

Sarabeth's first opened their doors in 1981 in New York. It makes perfect sense that they are now in Japan if you understand how the restaurant culture is now. There are 5 locations now: Tokyo, Lumine Shinjuku, Nagoya, Shinagawa, and Osaka. People love cafes in Japan. There are so many French and German inspired ones more so now than I remembered 5 years ago when I visited Tokyo. Maybe 10 years ago, we can agree that Japanese food is better in Japan. Even though I'm sure in some cases, that is still true, we can certainly agree to those that have explored Southern California enough to confidently say our Japanese cuisines (sushi, izakaya, yakiniku, etc) is comparable. 

This time around, I wanted to check out more cafes and unique spots. Honestly, it's inspiring to be at these restaurants than to hit up all the sushi joints. That's not what Tokyo is about. You will soon realize that your journey begins once you start exploring without the restriction of places you should be eating at. To me, that defeats the purpose of finding little gems that gets outshined by word of mouth publicity. I'm not about that. 

And even though Sarabeth's is a chain, my experience was by accident. This restaurant was stumbled upon as we were headed to Tokyo Station. This experience however, is still my first.

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We were probably the 3rd group to arrive at around 10. By 11, the cafe was pretty much 75% full. 

Cappuccino 

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Lemon pancakes. Slightly dense, but the lemon flavor was nice. It's one of my favorite flavored pancakes so I wanted to see how this was done.

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Classic eggs benedict. I would say this is one of the best if not the best, eggs benedict I've ever had. Simple, but the execution is always important. The hollandaise sauce was rich and lusciously wrapped over the shall I say, perfectly poached egg. They used British muffins instead of English which changed my whole view on making these. So much better as the egg yolk seeps in. Yeah try and picture that. The ham is slightly charred to bring out a slight smokiness from the ham. 

1-8-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo TEKKO BUILDING. 2,3F