Lost In Translation

The Pig & The Lady Ebisu

Honolulu fusion Vietnamese fare arrives in Japan in Ebisu at The Pig & The Lady. the lunch combo is decently priced at ¥1500 for pho and a half banh mi sandwich-not traditional, but tasty fusion for sure. Recommended.

Kinari

There's a new sake tavern, Kinari, in MInami Asagaya in what used to be an old kissaten (coffee shop). I was reluctant to visit since you couldn't see in from the street but finally stopped by and met friendly staff and saw a an impressive selection of nihonshu and a variety of food options. It closes fairly early at 10:30, but it is now on my radar and I will stop by again in the future.

Mahoroba

Mahoroba is a fairly new restaurant near TWCU that I have avoided due to the seafood don buri being their big seller. This fall they've been focusing on noodles, which is more my style. Pictured above are some spicy Keema Curry somen style noodles served hot with salad, ice tea, and rice for only ¥900.

Yebisu Beer x Ebisu Food 2019

I went out with a friend to try some of the beer food pairings for this year's grand Prix Yebisu Beer x Ebisu Food campaign. We started with onion stuffed yakiniku at Yakiniku Motoyama.

Then a spicy soup curry at Kiryuu.

Nibuchi

Saba at Nibuchi, an izakaya in Asagaya. I've been out of Japan for some time, so time to eat Japanese food.

Mixed sashimi.

Assorted tempura.

Dry nihonshu, Japanese sake from Mie prefecture.

Hao Cai

I have noticed that Hao Cai has been in spot that previously housed a Korean restaurant. However, this place seems to be a fusion eatery with Asian style noodle soup as the lunch specialty with a keema curry. I see that at night they have fresh farm sourced Italian style dishes and other different fusion dishes with a wide variety of Italian wines, so I would like to come back at night to sample the dinner menu.

Cuban Food Stories

Director Asori Soto has set out to find and identify Cuban food culture in his documentary, Cuban Food Stories (2018). it is something of a travelogue as well, as Soto visits some remote locations as well as more well-known locations such as Havana and Trinidad. The films is also about the people and their families that perpetuate the traditional food culture of Cuba that was faced with extinction during the "Special period" after the fall of the Soviet Union and the food shortages that followed in the wake of its collapse. There is some exceptional cinematography the captures the beauty of this Caribbean island that is still suffering from the embargo that the United States continues to enforce despite the end of the cold war.

Jean-Georges Tokyo

A friend wanted to eat at the acclaimed New York-based French chef's Tokyo restaurant, Jean-Georges Tokyo for their birthday-who am I to refuse? As usual per French dinning courses the amuse bousche-it was a tasty corn soup with several added ingredients.

Salmon sushi appetizer.

Caviar with vodka whipped cream and scrambled egg.

King crab risotto with peas and lemon.

King crab risotto with peas and lemon.

Spiced squab.

Ruby chocolate with plum filling.

Warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream — at Jean-Georges Tokyo.

Cocktail Works Jimbocho

I finally got around to visiting a new cocktail bar I read about, Cocktail Works Jimbocho, which specializes in craft gin. I was impressed with their collection-it looked like every gin being made in Japan and plenty from abroad that I've never seen. I'll be back sometime to try out more types of gin.

Blu Jam Cafe

Recently I have been hearing that the LA based chain, Blu Jam Cafe, has one of the best brunches in Tokyo. I have been to the restaurant for events and decided to give it a try. I got the Chilaquiles for ¥1550 since it is so rare in Japan. The portion was so large I couldn't finish it. I'd like ot try some of the other options sometime.