Tokyo - Kyotei Daikokuya

When my dad told a good friend of his in Tokyo that Brad and I were going to be visiting in November last year, his friend asked if he could take us out to dinner to a soba restaurant that he also took my dad and brother to, which they had enjoyed immensely.

When we were trying to find a date that worked for us to meet, we could only agree on one night, the Monday night before we left, since he was travelling extensively prior to that.

We then found out that the soba restaurant is usually closed on a Monday, but because I was the daughter of my dad (who they had previously hosted) they insisted on opening…just for us.

Holy crap.

If I had to choose a better way to end my Tokyo trip last year…I couldn’t have asked for anything better. This dinner was one of the most amazing experiences Brad and I had, for a whole multitude of reasons, and will stay as one of my most memorable meals for a long time to come.

So. What exactly is this place? 

Dinner was at Kyotei Daikokuya, hidden down the backstreets of Asakusa, the same neighbourhood as the immensely popular Sensoji temple. 

Kyotei Daikokuya, is all about the soba. The owners are a gorgeous old couple, who I could call my grandparents, and long time friends of my dad’s friend. They make everything, absolutely everything themselves; the owner grinds his own soba; some of which comes from soba fields he owns, and transforms it into noodles. 

This soba is so good; it used to be one of the young prince’s (forgot his name, but he was well loved and left the world too early) favourite soba restaurants, and the royal family would visit at least once a year. 

But it’s not just about the noodles, there’s a whole meal to be enjoyed, and it’s not quite what you expect. Prior to arriving my dad’s friend warned us not to be too hungry, as they do serve quite slowly, since it is just the two of them with the husband in the kitchen and the wife, in her adorable white apron, clattering in and out on her wooden geta (slippers) to serve us. More often than not the group that we were with would all get up to help her serve. 

Our night started (with a whole lot of sake, three glasses worth actually) and this wooden spoon of amazingness. It’s grilled miso paste, with toasted buckwheat kernels and walnuts throughout as well. Oh my goodness. I cannot begin to explain how delicious this was. Although our host said to eat this slowly, since it would be a while until we got our next dish, how can you stop yourself from picking at this umami deliciousness? Umami, with a salty punch, lightly grilled with a gorgeous char to the flavour, with crunchy kernels adding an earthiness and texture. 

Dish two, well, was kind of insane. When I was told I was going to a soba restaurant, I was not expecting hotpot. Apparently the dishes that we were served, are served in a specific order, as the owner believes that this is the best way, to eventually, savour your buckwheat soba noodles the most. 

Our hot included a bevy of gorgeous greens and root vegetables, yam, pumpkin, enoki mushrooms and the piece de resistance, wild duck meat (or that’s the closest translation we could get). Just look at the beautiful fattiness of that! I had not really had duck sliced like this before either, and in a gentle warm bath, it was all so very good. 

Sushi? Not just any sushi, this was soba sushi. With the finest of fine soba noodles replacing the rice. This is apparently very difficult to make, and intensely time consuming, since you need to make the noodles first, then cut, then cook in vinegar (just like sushi rice) before carefully rolling it up, since it’s a different shape and doesn’t act like sushi rice. I mean, can you imagine, making every single piece of soba noodle line up neatly like our friend has done in this picture? Gorgeous. And delicious. Cool, refreshing, but so sweet as well. And so tender, the noodles, although they still had body, just gently melted into the mouth. Would easily eat this all the time.

And on to noodles…udon noodles that is! Wait. What? Apparently this is what comes next in line, which we dip into a sauce and slurp up with vigour. The noodles are lovely and springy, but I’m really just excited about the next dish that comes out…

Finally. Finally, we’re greeted with a plate of cold soba, served with all the usual condiments, dipping sauce, radish and a dash of wasabi. The noodles are in two neat piles, so fine, yet rustic, I love you can see the grain throughout, and boy, the are tasty as well. Aromatic, nutty, earthy, yet also refreshing when dipped in the sauce. I can safely say no soba has tasted the same after that (although I still enjoy it!). 

Apparently the little guy hanging off our sauce cups is a child. Not totally convinced.

Think we were done with the soba? Not in the slightest. To finish, our ‘dessert’, for lack of a better word, was a sticky buckwheat paste, not dissimilar to some kind of mochi, but with a much nuttier flavour. With spoonfuls of this, we would either pour soy sauce over it, to make it a little salty, or dip it in a bean curd powder (or I think that’s what it was), which made the whole thing taste like a peanut mochi for some reason, which I was totally in to. 

At the end of the meal, with too much sake and very full bellies, we found ourselves popping our heads in and out of the tiny little kitchen (where on earth does he make all the food?!), where the owner kept his many treasured photos of the crown prince visiting the restaurant, and their pictures with him. There was also a volume of books produced that he showed us, after the passing of the crown prince, where their restaurant name is mentioned. 

The hospitality of the Japanese is just incredible, although language barriers were abound aplenty, whilst for the most part our host helped translate, I could still get by with a little broken Japanese and a lot of laughter. The wife was the cutest person I had ever come across, smiling the whole night, and even giving me a little candy container with a squeaky toy at the top after I gave her some manuka honey. 

And despite us just meeting, they brought out the green tea mill to show us how it worked, and insisted when we next visited that they do a tea ceremony for us. I for one, am definitely looking forward to it!

Kyotei Daikokuya

4-39-2 Asakua, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Tokyo - A few of my favourite things - Part 2

Katsukura

You really find great food everywhere in Tokyo. Katsukura specialise in, you guessed it, katsu, and were surprisingly located on level 12 of the Takashimaya department store next to Shinjuku station. And they were full! How do the locals even know it’s here?

Katsukura feels very upmarket, with beautiful use of wood through the interiors, and very proper service (although I guess that’s kind of everywhere in Japan), but it’s surprisingly affordable for the experience you’re getting.

You simply choose which katsu set you’re getting (there are a couple of other options too), Brad and I both opted for the pork katsu, which comes with unlimited salad, miso soup and rice. Score! 

Before you get your main course though, you’re given a bowl with ridges through it, filled with sesame seeds. Here you’re expected to grind the sesame seeds fresh, then top it off with either the standard katsu sauce, or a spicy one; which creates the dipping sauce for your katsu! So aromatic with the freshly ground sesame.

The katsu itself is also simply incredible; I’ve never had such a good piece of katsu in my life. So crisp and light, yet crunchy, and the meat stayed so tender and juicy. Not oily either; wished we had unlimited katsu over unlimited salad! 

SO MANY VIDEO GAME ARCADES

Why aren’t video game arcades as big back here in Australia? I loved rocking up to the five floor arcade, 5 minutes from our AirBnB apartment, to find all of the guys on the new Pokemon fighting game. And watch madly talented DDR players rip into the machines.

Also there is a kids pokemon game where I have to throw balls at the screen to ‘catch’ the pokemon. So amazing. 

POKEMON CENTRE

And speaking of pokemon, the new mega centre in Sunshine City is EPIC.

Tamai Anago

I’ve always said that one of my favourite foods is anago. And I mean anago specifically, not it’s very similar sibling unagi. So of course, I had to hunt down somewhere good to have it, and came across the great reviews of Tamai Anago near Ginza. 

I had heard it was very popular, but figured on a Saturday morning, we’d probably be pretty decent if we got there at opening time. We got there 10 minutes after opening (which is at 11:30am) and found out the restaurant was already full. Those Tokyonites are eager huh? 

What’s great though, is to expedite the process, they take your order while you’re outside waiting for your seat, so once you get in, it’s just a couple of minutes before your deliciously shiny anago set (small, medium, big etc.) is presented in front of you. 

Juicy, savoury, yet sweet. I adored the yuzu that comes on a mini grater, which you use a little stiff bamboo brush to flick it over the anago; just a lovely punch of citrus and acidity. 

You can also opt for 200 yen to add an anago broth made out of the bones at the end of the meal. They’ll ask you to leave a bit of rice behind, pour you the broth, then you throw your rice in and make a comforting little meal. It’s not as tasty as I would hope it would be, considering how flavoursome the anago itself is, but worth trying for just a couple of dollars!

Ueno Zoo/Park

It’s amazing how Tokyo has truly created oasis’s in the middle of a densely packed out city. I’m in awe of Ueno Park’s wide boulevards (can I call them that?) and gorgeous greenery (although it was looking a little more sparse in the cooler autumn weather).

The zoo is also great value for a change of pace, at only 600 yen a person; even on a Sunday when it was packed out with kids it was surprisingly pleasant. The zoo is also absolutely ginormous! 

Andy’s Izakaya

Ah, Andy’s. I have great memories of coming here with my family previously, so couldn’t wait to return with Brad. It’s definitely an institution, and a very comfortable and easy place for expats and foreigners to visit. Andy himself is from the UK originally, and married the daughter of the family who owned the Izakaya, hence him now being the owner!

We had some beautiful sashimi and lip smacking good fried chicken. I wasn’t crazy about the pumpkin tempura (let the tempura restaurants do their thing), and the scallops we ha this particular night were terribly overcooked; but the vibe is relaxed, the food is cheap and the rumbling of trains passing overhead is oddly soothing. 

Tempura Tsunahachi

So I thought I had had good tempura before in Japan, but nothing prepared me for the sheer epicene of Tempura Tsunahachi in Shinjuku. As like everywhere else, get there early, even at 6pm we were in line for 20 minutes or so before getting a seat! 

We were seated right at the counter, where we watched (and took no photos; restaurant policy) as the chef quietly prepared all our tempura. Using long chopsticks to first lightly coat our seafood, or veggies, then fry and serve. 

Oh my goodness. I wish I had words (as always). The batter was so light, so crunchy, the freshness of the seafood not lost in the process of frying. Just go with one of the sets, or if you’re feeling a little more daring (and are very hungry) perhaps the 12 course tempura degustation; and know that you’re safe in the hands of the chef. 

Numazukou Sushi Train

Man. There’s sushi trains that we get in Melbourne; but then there are sushi trains in Japan. Like seriously good ones. Numazukou is possibly one of the best sushi trains I have ever been to. It was a little more expensive than your average sushi train restaurant; but with excellent reason. The quality of the fish was exemplary, and the selection surprisingly vast. 

I tried red snapper sashimi for the first time, which was far fattier, sweeter and silkier than I could have ever imagined. I melted in my chair was I smelt my anago getting the blow torch treatment, the skin just getting a lovely light char to it. Uni was so fresh and so sweet. 

I loved that the cuts of fish were always generous, quite thick and always generously covering the rice bed it sat on. We ate like kings, and only ended up paying $25 a person. Absolutely amazing value. Would go back. Multiple times next trip!

Blue Bottle Coffee

Japan does a lot of things well; but one thing that isn’t done so well is breakfast. I never know what to do, or where to go, other than to pop into 7/11 and grab some ongiri (which is still pretty much the best). Fortunately, now that I have visited Blue Bottle Coffee, I know I can go here too!

Shiny and pretty, with pops of blue, coffee nerds will love this place. Non-coffee drinkers will love the smooth and velvety hot chocolate, that’s more cocoa than sugar (amen). 

Pop in for a coffee, or stay a bit longer and have a museli and/or breakfast bun.

Or stay even longer and have some the best damn beignets you’ll ever come across. So fluffy, and so light, they’re like donut marshmallows made of air. Lightly dusted in sugar, dunk that goodness in caramel sauce and send yourself to heaven. 

The best soba of my life (which I’ll elaborate on in another post)

As it says. This experience is too good not to go through in detail. Trust. 

Tokyo - A few of my favourite things - Part 1

Some of my favourite things in Tokyo

So my trip to Tokyo with Brad was well over a month ago, but I only just got around to editing all the pictures. Life, that annoying thing! Rather than do an overly in-depth post, I thought I would just share some of my favourite places to eat, and some of my favourite things about Tokyo…

Hot green tea (with no sugar) from vending machines and onigiri from convenience stores for breakfast, or afternoon tea.

Seriously, there’s really nothing better. And it’s so cheap! Also can tea in a bottle without sugar be more of a thing over here? It’s seriously refreshing/comforting. Substitute hot tea with a can of beer for dinner options as well. 

Kids wearing traditional garb on  the ‘Cultural Day’ holiday at the Meiji Shrine.

Think my ovaries were seriously about to burst. Was almost stalking kids down and cooing over how cute they were. I mean, look at that little tux, seriously!

Dominique Ansel Bakery

Although I’m not in love with the branding, I love the bakery itself. Freshly torched frozen smores, with chocolatey nutty fillings, beautiful cakes, chocolate chip cookie shot glasses with vanilla milk (the best at about 9pm in the evening) and flaky Kouign Amann’s that are still amazing the next morning when you have it for breakfast. Don’t bother hitting it up on the weekend; lines are insane, plan to be in Harajuku/Omotesando mid week and you’ll be just fine. 

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Viewing Deck

This is free. It’s great. Best on a clear day and/or night!

Kagari’s chicken stock ramen

So it’s totally confusing when you first rock up at this little joint, as downstairs says they’re serving soba, and upstairs says they’re serving ramen. Downstairs is lying to you. Kagari in Ginza actually serves up ramen and even at 2pm there’s a good 7 people long queue to get into the tiny little eatery that seats about 10. The ramen here, is unlike many you’ll find though, the ‘tori-paitan ‘soba’’, has a very creamy and rich chicken broth which is intensely comforting, sweet and savoury. The spongy and slightly thicker than usual ramen noodles just adds to this comforting feeling. One of the best things I probably ate this trip honestly. There’s also a ‘niboshi-shoyu ‘soba’’ which in contrast is dark and much more savoury, less rich, made with dried sardines. Definitely a spot I would highly recommend. (Thanks Richie for convincing the usually impatient me to wait). 

Toraya’s traditional sweets

My friend who happened to be in Tokyo at the same time as us, introduced us to Toraya’s cafe in Midtown, where you can get very traditional desserts and sweets. I particularly liked this dish with chestnut puree (Yes yes yes), jellies, red beans and syrup; with a cup of green tea on the side. It’s a refreshing break from the western styled cakes that I kept getting seduced by. 

Soaking in Senso-ji

I think I talked about Senso-ji in my last visit to Tokyo, but I always love returning every time I’m in Tokyo. It’s probably one of my favourite temples anywhere, with the lively strip of shops out front where you can delicious traditional sweets; including one of my favourites, ningyo-yaki, cooked in an iron mould and filled with red bean paste. Nothing better getting them freshly made when they sit warm in your hand.

I also just adore watching the locals go about their business, making offerings and praying; the incense always smells so good. 

Getting my fortune always reminds me of the manga and anime I read, and I love shaking the box to see what number stick I get. This year my fortune was okay; Brad got a better one fortunately!

Asakusa Kagetsudo’s giant melon bread

I never really god the hype with melon bread; it’s a popular snack item at many bakeries in Japan, and in anime and manga it always pops up. But then I had Kagetsudo’s melon bread on my last visit to Senso-ji, and I’ve been hooked since. It’s the size of your face, less than $3, fluffy and light and with a sweet and crispy outer layer (which is actually made of cookie dough). Seriously addictive. It looks huge, but it doesn’t take long to chomp your whole way through it!

Mont Blanc’s

Oh my god. Can I just lose my shit over how much I love Mont Blanc’s? Chestnut puree goodness? I love the earthiness, the nuttiness, but the gentle sweetness as well; and I’ve been lucky enough to be in Tokyo recently the past two years in fall, which is chestnut season.

Best!

I always get a Pierre Herme mont blanc, which I always, always enjoy. I also loved Henri Carpentier’s mont blanc as well!

Akiba Fukurou Owl Cafe

Yes. An owl cafe. More of an owl ‘house’ than an owl ‘cafe’, as they don’t serve you any drinks or food, but who really cares because you’re here to see owls after all!

It’s really just a cuteness explosion. You can make a booking online a few days in advance, or rock up on the day and see what your chances are like. Bookings run on the hour from around 12pm, and each session lasts one hour in total. 

Oh my god. So much freaking cuteness. After a thorough briefing, you’re greeted by over 20 different owls, of all sizes, just chilling out on their perches. Some are sleeping, some are hopping around; all are incredibly well looked after and content little creatures. You can only touch them very, very gently on their forehead, but can ask staff to carry up to two of the cuties on your hands. Simply smitten. For around $15, it’s a total bargain and such a unique (and utterly adorable) experience!

Robot Restaurant

It’s super touristy, but you’ve got to do it once in your life. Similarly to the owl cafe, the Robot Restaurant is less of a ‘restaurant’ and more of a show. THere’s food, but it ain’t worth your while to order it from what I’ve heard.

Even before you get to the show, I love the bar that they send you in to wait at, in all it’s gaudy glory. Think chandeliers with rainbow neon, floor to wall screens with ladies riding through fields of explosions on unicorns, pimped out gold seats, and what seems to be Daft Punk in an alternate universe playing lounge music. It’s just so bizarre, but so damn fabulous.

The show itself is also quite a spectacle to behold. I probably wouldn’t rate it as the most amazing thing I’ve seen in Japan, but just due to the scale of the show and the things that show up, it’s damn impressive. I won’t spoil it too much for those who plan to see it!

Tori No Ichi Festival

You thought the Night Noodle Market was busy? Try heading to one of the smaller local shrines around Tokyo on the night of Tori no Ichi - essentially day of the rooster, which is a festival held every 12 days through November, which are the days of the rooster. 

We made our way to the Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku, and holy hell; it’s amazing. Easily 60 food stalls, lining the pathways of the shrine, all the way out and spilling well onto the streets. You’re sardined as you move around, but the energy and the relaxed nature of the event is just catching. I couldn’t help but feel like I was in the middle of one of my favourite anime, eating takoyaki and delicious fried chicken (at only around $5 a pop), watching children try to catch goldfish, and seeing all the other favourite festival foods be made. It’s a real experience, and a delicious one too. 

Hagen Daz Crispy Sandwiches 

Sweet potato is the best. But chestnut and green tea flavours will do too!

Alternative Absinthe Bar

Surely there can’t be anything more amazing than stumbling into a random basement bar after feasting at a temple festival, that sits just 5 people, where no one really speaks English, but they give you free shots of gin and juice and a ‘secret’ shot of absinthe. 

Our bartender Jun was all smiles, song, and laughter, curating the music with heavy pumping bass through youtube on his iPad; and before long we had our hands all over it, me surprising them with Japanese songs I knew and could sing along to, and them showing just how great Japanese hospitality is and making requests for English songs.

Throw in a gay couple from England who also stumbled down the rabbit hole like us, and 5 hours of our night disappears in a heartbeat (along with some Tina Turner, and Whitney Houston). I have not had so much fun in ages! 

Floresta Donuts

Japan is undisputedly the land of the cute; so of course I make a specific trip out to Koenji, about 20 minutes from Shinjuku by train to visit Floresta donuts. Floresta make the cutest animal shaped donuts; there’s heaps of animals to choose from, which can make it a bit tricky! 

Other than being cute, these donuts are actually super tasty; I love that despite Japan’s great love of sweets, none of their desserts are ever too sweet or sugary. They use a gentle hand when it comes to the application of sugar. These donuts are no exception, there’s a lovely density, they’re not just full of air. It’s also great to know that Floresta uses organic and local ingredients, hence why they don’t have so many locations around I suppose (unfortunately).

If you do decide to make a trip out to Koenji, there is also awesome vintage shopping, and the neighbourhood is just pretty adorable; there’s more than just donuts!

Brad buying canned hot coffee from vending machines

How good is Japan? Brad’s consensus is that the coffee is not amazing, but it’s perfectly drinkable; better than some of the bottled coffees we’ve got back in Australia. He always bought Boss and although he tried different flavours, struggled to figure out the subtle variations in flavour.