[Japan-Tokyo] Tendon Tenya 天丼てんや @ Asakusa 浅草

After we were done with the sightseeing at Asakusa, we actually walked back and forth for about, I think at least 2 km before deciding on the place to rest our legs and to appease our growling tummies. Reason being, we wanted to check out the stretch of restaurants and to have our own top pick before putting it to vote. Yeah, just 3 of us in the party and already it was complicated. Oops.

Sensō-ji 浅草寺 at night

Kaminarimon 雷門

Ok, so what did the long walks yielded? Shermaine's friend Johan decided to try Tendon Tenya. Yass to fried tempura rice bowl!

Tendon Tenya looks like a fast food joint and it has upstairs seats as well. Often times, the ground floor would be filled up hence, the staff would try to usher the guests to the upper floor. We got ourselves a table downstairs because too tired to climb up and down the stairs. The wait for a table was about 10 minutes.

shopfront

drinks menu

We ordered more or less the same thing. The basic tendon has prawn, okra, pumpkin, squid and white fish for just ¥540. Additional toppings like scallop cost about ¥130 each. The scallop was pretty small hence, may be more worth it to add white fish meat for just ¥100 per piece.

delicious tendon 天丼 with miso soup

Tendon with maitake mushrooms, okra, prawn, and squid with additional scallop @ ¥720

The food was delicious, the sauce was minimal but I think it was adequate to flavour the rice. The deep fried tempura was not the crispy crispy type but overall it was still delicious. Loved the maitake mushroom!

For drinks, we drank up the complimentary cold roasted tea that's available on the table. Self-service ya.

iced tea

Tasted good, reasonably priced and fuss free.

Tendon Tenya 天丼てんや

Address: 〒111-0032, 1-9-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo

Contact: 03-5828-5918

Website: http://www.tenya.co.jp/english/

Business Hours:

Weekdays: 11:00～23:00

Saturday: 10:00～23:00

PH: 10:00～23:00

[Japan-Tokyo] Had the Best Meal at Shokudo and Teishoku Restaurant 定食 稲 @ NIshikasai Edogawa

This shop was really an unexpected find that is of a hidden gem that we chanced upon at random. Shermaine (@littletinysun) and I were on a vacation in Japan during autumn last year.  I stayed in Kinschicho for the first two nights and Edogawa Ward Natural Zoo was nearby. Visited the small attraction (which by the way is worth visiting) and after which, we went around looking for lunch. Wandered into a nearby mall (AEON) and almost settled for lunch there but it was a tad too crowded during the peak lunch hour.

As we were walking back towards the Nishi-Kasai train station, we saw a few restaurants and decided on this small shokudo. The shop is nearby Sunny Mall, which is right across the street.

Sunny Mall Nishi Kasai

directions from Nishi-Kasai station (credit to Google Map)

The shop serves set meals (teishoku) and the menu looked simple enough with a few rice and noodles items. I had the set meal of the day which happen to be the current shop favourite; the buta shogayaki (豚の生姜焼き) rice set with stir-fried ginger pork while Shermaine ordered oyakodon.

Observed that the other diners are locals. While the menu only consists of Japanese words, the shop itself has pictorial menu at the counter as well as on the glass at the back wall.

interior

There is one lady staff that would take orders from the table where you are seated and will bring the food to the diners. Payment is made after the meal at the cashier counter. Cold water is complimentary and the flask with cold water is already at the table so help yourself. The kitchen seemed to have 3 staff working and hence, we got our food rather quickly. Very efficient.

buta shogayaki set 豚の生姜焼き @ ¥750

tangy pickles

onsen tamago

delicious stir-fried ginger pork

My set meal came with rice, stir-fried pork with shredded cabbages and potato salad, pickles, onsen egg and miso soup. All these for just  ¥750 (~SGD9.50). Wow, that's value for money!

I was also quite impressed when Shermaine's oyakodon arrived. Served piping hot with steam coming out and all, the egg was cooked to a nice smooth golden yellow wobbly but not watery. My goodness, don't get me started on the generous chunky pieces of chicken in that bowl. Super worth it!

oyakodon set 親子丼 @ ¥700

closer view

Here is a video of the food (sorry that it was vertical):



There are condiments placed on the table and one of it was the spicy garlic chili oil. It is very flavourful and good to eat with the rice. Very appetising.

garlic chili oil 

Overall, we were more than satisfied with the experience at 定食 稲 for its value and tasty food with generous portions.

定食 稲

Address: 5 Chome-8-16 Nishikasai, Edogawa-ku, Tōkyō-to 134-0088, Japan
Nearest station: Nishi-Kasai Station (28 mins from Tokyo)
Contact: +81 3-3680-4034
Business Hours:
Daily: 11:30～15:00. Closed on Wednesdays.

Tokyo Chikuyotei 东京竹叶亭 JR Central Towers Nagoya

Our first meal in Nagoya was at this place at the 12th floor of JR Central Towers at Nagoya Station. One of the things that I wanted to try was the Hitsumabushi or grilled eel bowl. Authentic ones, please.

As usual, we were hungry. Hotel was nearby Nagoya Station and we were too tired to go hunt for food. Was walking around and saw the directory for restaurants at the station. Hmm, Din Tai Fung? No thanks. But it was pretty popular amongst the locals there. Steak? Ooh, maybe. Grilled eel? Yes please!

this was how we decided on lunch

So having locked on our target, we went up to recce the restaurant. Thankfully, the queue wasn't too long and so we put our names down and sat quietly awaiting to be called.

Chikuyotei shopfront

Once seated, we were served hot tea and wet towel.

We were quick to decide on the Hitsumabushi lunch course. One could choose amongst two styles; Nagoya or Tokyo style. Friend chose the Nagoya style so I had the Tokyo one. We enquired on what's the difference and was informed that the difference was only in the sauce. Nagoya-styled has sauce glazed onto the eel.

Tokyo-styled Hitsumabushi @ ¥3,640 (incl. tax)

One could read the instructions from the card on the 3-ways of enjoying the Hitsumabushi dish. Or, do it free-style as you like!

can't wait to dig in

I liked the Tokyo style and so did my friend. The Nagoya styled eel had a more crispy exterior and a tad tougher. Mine was all soft and nice. Yummy!  But I think mine had more rice, judging from the size of the bowl.

Nagoya-styled Hitsumabushi

eaten with soup

There's sansho peppers powder on the table to jazz up the taste if you think it was a tad too boring. It has a slight numbing effect much like the peppercorn in mala-hotpot so exercise caution!

sansho pepper 山椒

It was a satisfying meal. Made a mental note to try this in Kyoto to check out the difference or simply, to enjoy grilled eel again.

Tokyo Chikuyotei 东京竹叶亭 

Location: JR Central Towers 12F, 1-1-4 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 450-6012, Japan
Website: http://www.chikuyotei.com/nagoya-en.html
Tel: +81(52)589-0112
Business Hours:
Lunch: 11:00～15:30 (Last order 15:00)
Dinner: 17:00～23:00 (Last order 21:30)

Shodoshima Daigi Ginza Core 小豆島 大儀 銀座店 - 銀座コア

It was by chance that we stumbled upon this shop. Wanted to eat sushi buffet at Tsukiji Tama Sushi but unfortunately we arrived without reservation and by the time we queued, the buffet wasn't available. Wandered around Ginza Core and chanced upon this udon shop.

The shop has various condiments and somen packs displayed at its store front and we were greeted by the proprietress, an elderly lady. Decided to dine there and sat ourselves down. The place was rather quiet and we were the only customer at that time.

Japanese menu

quiet shop

Wet towels and hot tea were served immediately while we pored over the menu. Request for an English menu and it was rather easy to order. Just point at the picture!

English menu

Was feeling famished so ordered a Tenzaru set. The shop only has udon or somen, so make your choice. Friend was having the Gyuniku Udon so I got myself a somen.

Gyuniku Udon ¥1274.40 (incl. tax)

Was very happy with my choice of the somen. It was very good. The noodles were cooked just right and retained its bouncy-ness. Cold somen dipped into the soy sauce and sometimes eaten with minced daikon, ginger paste or spring onions. So yums!

Tenzaru Somen ¥1566 (incl. tax)

The tempura portion was rather generous too. It had prawn, brinjal, white fish, sweet potato, ladies finger, and asparagus.

天麩羅

素麺

It was a happy meal! ごちそうさまでした！

Shodoshima Daigi 小豆島 大儀 銀座店 - 銀座コア

Address: B1F Ginza CORE, 8-20, 5-Chome, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Business Hours: [Mon-Sun]11:00～20:00 (Last Order 19:30)
Website: http://www.ginza-core.co.jp/shops/gourmet/gourmet_09.html

Travel | Hokkaido mid-May 2015 | Hakodate - Lucky Pierrot ラッキーピエロ

Lucky Pierrot, or locals may affectionately call it as "LaPi", is a fast food burger joint that is overflowing with kitsch. Exclusive to Hakodate area, this surely warrants a visit!

However, Hakodate was raining from the moment I arrived. Locating the hotel was an  in adventure in itself, and 'Grand' is surely a misnomer! But, that story can wait.

Sky was gloomy, weather was cold and the pavements wet. Thankfully, rain had reduced to a slight drizzle so it was time to hunt for food.

@6.49pm

Most buildings and the streets were dark, so I headed towards that one nearest location where bright lights shone. Hey, turned out there's a Lucky Pierrot just minutes away from my block. Nice.

Lucky Pierrot - where everyday is Christmas

more Santa figurines at the upper floors balcony

Walking into the shop felt a tad like entering into those creepy amusement park that you'd likely see in a B-grade American movie.

ordering counter

Its menu is pretty extensive with over many types of burgers, and curry rice. Liked how they'll tag the bestsellers so I had an easy time choosing one. Naturally, went for their #1 item. After ordering, you'll be issued with a ticket. Then, wait.

collect with this ticket

Was quite a long wait for a fast food joint but that's because food was made upon order. Service was polite, as usual.

Lucky Pierrot 人气No.1  - Chinese Chicken Burger @¥385

Got a can of Sapporo Classic from the vending machine outside the hotel room. How convenient! About SGD3 for one can.

huge chunks of juicy chicken thigh meat, deep fried and coated with sweet sauce

so good

That was one good burger. Value for money. All chicken burgers should look like this.

wash it down with good old beer

Lucky Pierrot

Website: http://www.luckypierrot.jp

Travel | Hokkaido mid-May 2015 | Hakodate - 函館朝市食堂 馬子とやすべ Mako to Yusube and Kikuyo Shokudo Honten きくよ食堂

Everyone knows that when one is in Hakodate, head on to Donburi Yokocho どんぶり横丁市場 for delicious kaisen don 海鮮丼. There's about 19 shops to choose from, so where do I begin? Since my time in Hakodate is limited, with probably just enough time for two meals at the market or this donburi alley, I need to choose wisely. I'd probably walked back and forth a couple of times outside the shops, scrutinizing its display and probably earned some glances from the people whom may be watching.


Finally, decided on this shop called Mako to Yusube 馬子とやすべ. Simply because they have five toppings that I liked for the Asaichi Rice Bowl.

shop front

The shop is smaller than I expected but the people inside are very friendly. I was the lone customer then, because it was rather late for lunch, at around 1.40pm.

small and cosy

inner section

closed on Wednesday

Green tea is complimentary and the food arrived after seven minutes of waiting time. The bowl looked impressive for its price.

Asaichi goshoku-don 朝市五色丼

For just ¥1500 (~SGD16) nett, one gets a regular bowl of rice topped with five kinds of fresh seafood - ikura, hotate, salmon, uni and 3 pieces of botan ebi, served with a bowl of seaweed soup and some pickles. Yummilicious and definitely value for money. Totally loved the sweet scallop, the generous amount of ikura that added umaminess to the bowl and creamy uni. Not one, not two but three pieces of mid-sized botan ebi? Nice.

Good choice indeed and totally recommended. Wanted to eat it for the next day lunch too but it was closed.

list of shops at Donburi Yokocho

So, found another shop to lunch at on Wednesday before the train back to Sapporo. It is not within the Donburi Yokocho but somewhere near the market. It's called Kikuyo Shokudo Honten きくよ食堂. Was just walking past it when a man called out and asked if I wanted to lunch there. I told him that I wasn't that hungry, so he said they do mini-dons as well. Not knowing what to eat, made it easier to decide. Ok, I said.

image credit: http://hakodate-kikuyo.com

It feels rather retro inside the shop and yes, it was like eating in a canteen. Apparently, this shop was founded in 1957 and there were a few locals having their lunch while I was there. The menu is in Japanese so am not able to read it. Fortunately for set meals, there are pictures. Chose the mini don with 3 toppings, served with a side of hokke fish (Okhotsk atka mackerel) and seaweed soup.

self serve tea

sanshoku-don 三色丼 set with hokke fish @¥1966 (~SGD21)

The bowl was only slightly bigger than the seaweed soup. Diners are free to choose their choice toppings. I chose crab meat, scallop and sea urchin. Should have chosen ikura instead. The crab meat didn't have much taste in them. Was advised to drizzle a bit of soy sauce onto the scallops prior to eating.

The side dishes were boiled squid with some kind of savoury sauce and the red one beside it, I have no idea what it was. Tasted a bit spicy and definitely gooey. Think it was some kind of root vegetable with ika? Not too sure but it was delicious.

closer view

The seafood bowl was not much of a looker, but the sea urchin has a very nice fragrance to it. Almost flowery, and a tad surreal. Hard to imagine, I know. But truly, it has a very nice fragrance to the uni. As usual, scallops were sweet. My favourite in Hokkaido, ほたてだいすきです！