Food tripping in Tokyo

I just came back from Tokyo and it was much colder this time around than in November when I ran the Lake Kawaguchi Marathon. The temperature hovered around the low single digits, but since the sun was out on most days, the cold was almost inconsequential; I had a beautiful winter sojourn.

I’ve got my usual haunts in Tokyo and since my husband Giorgio and I are creatures of habit, we enjoy eating at the same restaurants for our favorite food. But our hectic work schedule this time kept us pretty much within the confines of Azabu-Juban, the area where Giorgio is formally opening a reservations-only fine-dining restaurant called Gliese this February. Between our meetings and before heading home, we found ourselves eating and having coffee around Gliese and, much to my surprise, I was quite happy with all our new food finds.

While I have been to Azabu-Juban countless times before, I never paid much attention to its quaint character and eclectic mix of traditional and modern food, Japanese and international restaurants. I stumbled upon a 145-year-old Japanese confectionery, a casual restaurant that arguably serves the best cappuccino I have ever tasted, even better than those I’ve tried on Via Montenapoleone in Milan and Via Condotti in Rome — a 25-square-meter “fried dough” corner store, a café that serves only soy food and baked goodies and a yakiniku-ya san (yakiniku grill) using Grade A5 Wagyu beef.

Eenie meenie miny mo: Take your pick from a variety of steaming Oden.

While I spied a hole-in-the wall Indian restaurant, a taco-and-burrito cantina and a family-style Chinese restaurant, I honed my taste radar on the Japanese restaurants and a pizzeria. All these shops are located along the winding Azabu shotengai (shop-filled street), all of about 400 meters long; the shop signs are prominent so even if you don’t speak Japanese or ask for directions, they are easy to find.

Here are my great discoveries:

Ju-Be (03-3479-1129): A reasonably priced cozy grill that uses only Otawara and Yonezawa Grade A5 Wagyu for its Yakiniku. Wagyu is rated from Grade A5 to A1 with A5 as the highest-quality standard and the A1 as the lowest, used mainly for soup stock. Most people associate Wagyu with Kobe beef but the best Wagyu does not always and only come from Kobe; Otawara, Yonezawa and Kagoshima Wagyu rival those of Kobe in quality and price. At Ju-Be, the meat is so tender and delicate that it melts in your mouth; we tried the Bibimba and Hiyayako (cold tofu) appetizers and they were just as good. The prices are very reasonable; Giorgio and I had two orders of Wagyu, one order of buta niku (pork meat) from Iwate, one Bibimba, cold tofu, a bowl of rice, two glasses of Italian red wine and a beer and our bill was Y7,500 (P3,750). The exhaust is great so you don’t leave smelling like grilled meat.

Sushi to-go: If you haven’t got time, the generously portioned sushi mix obento at Sushi Coast is a delicious alternative to dining in at a resto.

A bit of trivia: Yakiniku is originally from Korea and not Japan, as is popularly presumed.

Savoy (03-5770-7899): I thought I had already tasted the best pizza in Tokyo but I was wrong; Savoy beats out all the pizzas I have tried in Tokyo and some of the ones I’ve tried in Italy. The Japanese pizzaiolo (pizza maker) regularly checks the temperature inside the massive wood-fired oven, which is able to turn out a freshly made pizza in less than five minutes. Savoy is a 12-seater pizzeria with a very small menu that includes some salads, a few appetizers and three types of pizza, namely Margherita, Bianca and Marinara. We ate the Margherita and Bianca and they were heavenly; pizzas cost Y1,500 (P750) each.

Soys Café (03-6459-3018): If you are a soy fanatic, this is the place for you. Everything, from the sandwiches to the main dishes to the desserts, is soy-based. I tried the soy ice cream and it was surprisingly good, very creamy and not overly sweet. The décor is warm and inviting and the staff is very friendly. The ice cream cone was Y350 (P175).

Take your pick: Just some of the multitudes of flavored bean snacks at Mamegen

Mamegen (0120-410-413): This 150-year-old traditional Japanese confectionery stands in one of the oldest original buildings in the Azabu neighborhood. The store is staffed with mostly old Japanese who have worked at Mamegen all their lives. All the rice crackers and snacks are homemade, with as many as 65 flavors to choose from. I saw cocoa, black coffee and green tea-flavored bean snacks, macadamia nuts in yogurt, chili-basil and caramel, curry and wasabi-flavored rice crackers. I tried the traditional shoyu (salty) beans and they were totemo oishii (very good). An 85-gram pack costs Y210 (P105) while a big gift pack of assorted goodies can cost as much as Y5,250 (P2,625). There’s a Japanese man who makes the rice crackers behind the counter and you can buy them hot off the stove; all the products are nicely wrapped and make for great pasalubong.

Azabu Karinto (0120-65-8008): There was a long line of eager clients waiting to get into Azabu Karinto when I first spotted it; I joined in to see what the commotion was all about and the sight of dark chocolate fried donuts with sweet bean paste greeted me at the entrance. Karinto (fried dough) is a traditional bite-size children’s amai oyatsu (sweet snack) but has since became a popular snack among adults as well. There are 50 flavors of karinto at Azabu including unusual ones like curry, hot pepper and orange. I wanted to buy the dark chocolate donut but they were sold out for the day so I settled for the traditional sweet-flavored ones; they were light and not intensely sweet. A pack of about 100 grams goes for Y280 (P140) to Y450 (P225) depending on the flavor.

Snacking on Karinto from Azabu Karinto probably brings back childhood memories to most adult Japanese.

Bruno (03-3497-1510): This nondescript restaurant serves set lunches and continental a la carte food at night; while the food was good, it was the cappuccino that kept us going back to Bruno every day. The Japanese barista clearly knew his coffee and was fully committed to each cup he was making. He uses Brazilian Arabica coffee beans and puts the equivalent of three shots of coffee in each cup of espresso or cappuccino. While it may seem strong, the taste is not overwhelming but instead firm and distinct; the froth is both lusciously creamy and naturally sweet, courtesy of the Hokkaido full-cream milk. Cappuccino is at Y420 (P 210).

Fukushima-Ya is a 100-year-old oden shop run by very cute and friendly obachans (old Japanese ladies). Oden are lightly fried fish balls or fish cakes boiled continuously in salt or seaweed-flavored soup over low fire alongside vegetables like daikon (radish), take no ko (bamboo shoots) and konyaku (a jelly-like type of potato). Although oden is now widely eaten all year round, it was originally a healthy and hearty winter dish. A lunch for two costs about Y1,500 (P750).

For other sumptuous treats try Abe-chan’s yakitori; they have a full dining area inside and a take-out counter at the front where you can order, stand and eat by the stick. The interior is reminiscent of an old village restaurant with lots of wood and bench seating. Each stick of yakitori costs about Y150 (P75).

There’s Era Kokyu if fish and seafood from Tsukiji is what you’re craving for and Manrikiya for big bowls of authentic, flavorful Japanese ramen. The interior resembles a Japanese fish market and when full can get very noisy since orders are shouted out.

Tea and dessert, anyone? The tea and dessert display at The Darjeeling are both colorful and inviting.

For real, handmade soba, go to either the 400-year-old Nagasaka Sarashina or Horii Sharashina Soba-ya San; both are venerable fixtures in Azabu. The interiors are sparse but the food speaks for itself; the tempura soba and cha (tea) soba are excellent in both places.

Waina Izakaya (pub with pica-pica) is a kind of speakeasy, where people hang out after work to relax, drink and eat light meals. The atmosphere at Waina is great but smoking is allowed, so it can get stuffy after a while.

The Darjeeling is a patisserie and tea salon that serves different types of tea and an assortment of cakes and light meals. The cake display at the entrance is mouthwatering and you can purchase cakes over the counter.

For a quick fruit-drink fix, try Himel fresh juices. The standing-only juice bar is modern minimalist and the fresh fruits are displayed in clear acrylic tubes as part of the interior design.

Sushi Coast sells sushi and sashimi obento, perfect for bringing back to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing and shopping. Bento boxes are priced as low as Y600 (P300).

Azabu-Juban is located in the heart of Tokyo and is within walking distance from Roppongi. It is easily accessible via Toei-Oedo or Namboku subway lines.