Lost In Translation

Afuri

Afuri, it seems, is known as one of the better ramen shops in Ebisu. They serve a yuzu flavored broth that comes in two types of chicken-based broth. I ordered the yuzu shio ramen and took the server's recommendation on the broth. It was excellent,however, the portions are known as cafe-style so not a filling as most ramen shops, but a bargain at ¥850.

Robot Restaurant

Last week I went to the Robot Restaurant in Kabukicho since a friend's brother was in town visiting. It was over the top ridiculous. This is the waiting room-¥400 Asahi and chu-his available. There are three shows nightly which need a minimum number of spectators for the show to go on. We were told that the show changes every three weeks. The entrance fee is ¥5000 and includes a less than satisfying bento lunch (of which there are four choices).

It turns out it s a cabaret style show with robots. The women played drums and other musical instruments and performed several choreographed dances. I think there were more than six different routines (I don't remember the exact number) in the 60 minute performance.

Three girls to a robot.

 

Shioramen

Shioramen is a ramen shop down the street from my apartment that has outdoor seating. I decided to go with the spicy shio ramen and it was a good hangover meal, so I am sure I'll be back.

Hummingbird's Hill

I recently became aware of another gourmet burger option in Ebisu at Hummingbird's Hill, which makes a competent burger, however, nothing special. I can recommend the veranda for outdoor dining on fair days.

Tsunami

Tsunami is a Hawaiian-themed restaurant in Ebisu that has a tropical atmosphere and hearty lunches. The filling fried chicken curry above was ¥1200 with a drink.

Grill Mash

I've been meaning to visit Grill Mash in Ebisu just down the street from my apartment for some time. I've been waiting for a time when I needed a hearty meal. The week's special was garlic hamburger steak, I got the 160g portion for ¥1000 and an ontama egg (a half-cooked egg) for an extra ¥100. The lunch meal comes with a drink, rice,and a salad. Next time I need to try the mash potatoes which they recommend getting with melted cheese.

Bepocah: Update

I had a friend visiting from Seattle and decided to take him to my friend's restaurant Bepocah in Harajuku. Earlier this month I went to a soft opening for friends of the owners and really enjoyed it. I was eager to return to see what the regular menu looked like. We started with a three sauce sampling of tiradito (a sashimi-like dish): red chili sauce (rocoto), spicy yellow sauce (aji amarillo), and a cilantro based sauce. I chose this because it is specific to Peru instead of Peruvian ceviche, while distinctive is not uncommon in Latin America. (Not Pictured-sorry, too hungry) It was made with fresh sea bream (tai) and while all sauces were excellent I liked the spicy yellow pepper best.

This was followed by papa rellena: stuffed potato with pork filling (The dish is a baked potato dough into which a filling made of chopped pork and onions, whole olives, hard boiled eggs, cumin and other spices is stuffed. (Also Not Pictured) This was one of my friend's favorite dishes since it reminded him of Dutch croquettes, and I agreed that it was indeed excellent and a much larger portion than the ones that were sampled at the cold opening.

We also tried a sample of three varieties of stews: chicken with spicy yellow pepper sauce (aji amarillo), olluco with pork and aji panca, and carapulcra (pork and dehydrated potatoes with peanuts, aiji panca and mirasol peppers, garlic and other spices). All were excellent, but I believe we both liked the chicken the best.

The last main was lomo saltado: marinated sirloin stir fried with red onions, parsley and tomatoes over home fries. Excellent beef and a much larger portion than sampled at the soft opening. A treat for me since I rarely eat steak-I need to fix that.

The regular menu also includes a variety of pisco cocktails and I tried a long cocktail that had ginger ale with a garnish and my friend had a dry pisco served like a martini. I need to go back and try more.

Martini Burger

Martini Burger is a relatively new addition to the Tokyo burger scene. It is relatively obscurely placed in between Kagarazaka and Waseda for a trendy gourmet burger joint that also specializes in martinis. I decided to go for the Fifth Avenue which has gouda and cheddar cheese and mustard aioli. They don't serve fries, which was a bit of a disappointment, so I got mac and cheese instead-it's just not the same. The burgers are served medium rare unless specified and I should have asked for it to be done medium well, it was a bit too pink in the middle for me, which resulted in some gamey gristle. It is a high quality burger, but I can get better burgers closer by at Blackcows or in Harajuku at the two The Great Burger locations. I might be tempted to go back and check out their Cubano sandwich, which has become a recent favorite.

Bepocah

My friend Bruno and his wife Natsue (with another investing partner) have opened a modern Peruvian restaurant in Harajuku called Bepocah. The name is an original combination of the owner's names and the word "epoch" (The beginning of a distinctive period in the history of someone or something).  It is located at 2-17-6 Jingumae (03-6804-1377) not far from where I used to live in Harajuku. The restaurant will be open for business from March 21st 2013.

My dinning companions Robert and Hiroko.

The soft opening dining menu started with Cebiche de chita: tai (sea bream), uni (sea urchin), Peruvian corn, onions, and sweet potato in lemon marinade. Peruvian ceviche is distinctive from other varieties I've had: Mexican and Panamanian due to the corn and sweet potato. This is the freshest uni I've tasted and I might actually like it.

From left to right: Causa de rocoto: pureed potato and Peruvian spicy red bell pepper topped with crab meat, Tiradito de chit: sea bream sashimi with a mellow spicy yellow bell pepper sauce, Mini papa rellena: stuffed potato with pork filling (The dish is a baked potato dough into which a filling made of chopped beef and onions, whole olives, hard boiled eggs, cumin and other spices is stuffed. Once prepared, the obloid mass is deep fried. Potato flour is often added to give greater consistency to the dough.), Pulpo a la parrilla: grilled baby octopus on potato puree.

A close up of Mini papa rellena and Pulpo a la parrilla.

From left to right: Aji de gallina: yellow pepper chili chicken on a bed of rice, Lomo saltado: marinated sirloin stir fried with red onions, parsley and tomatoes over home fries, Seco con tacu tacu: beans and pan fried steak with cilantro sauce.

Gelato de aguaymanto: gelato made with "Chinese lantern" (aka physalis alkekengi), which apparenlty is native to Japan as well as South America and grows in Nagano.

Chinese lantern.

Communal tables in the lounge on the first floor.

Bruno behind his bar, well-stocked with pisco.

It is a great space stylishly decorated. The food was beautifully presented and made from from fresh, high quality ingredients. I liked the variety of tastes and textures presented in each tasting course. It is a good overview of traditional Peruvian favorites according to my limited experience. Bruno tells me the basic menu is set, but that the chef (brought over from Lima) will create seasonal entrees and will offer more adventurous set menu options. I can't wait to go back once they've opened.

Local Ramen

 

I finally visited the closest ramen shop in my neighborhood and it turns out that it is a really delicious one. Every seat filled at 3 pm on a Sunday, I got the spicy version chock full of garlic, spring onions, wakame, bean sprouts, chyashu pork and steaming noodles.