Comments on melbourne gastronome: Fortnightly round-up (5 December)

hey claire, I defintely recommend checking out Om...

2011-12-30T10:25:57.736+11:00

hey claire,
I defintely recommend checking out Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku (AKA Piss Alley) for the most authentic Tokyo Yakitori experience. If you're interested, I'll send you a photo of the place there that I'd recommend. There's no names on most of the places, so you'll have to go by a photo to work out which it is!
In Osaka, there is an amazing Tsukemen restaurant, which puts a 300c red hot rock into your broth when you finish your meal. One of the best things I've eaten in Japan! I'll see if I can get their name for you if you're keen on that too - I kept their card somewhere.
Accomodation-wise, Citadines in Kyoto and Tokyo and SO damn good and cheap. It was recommended to me by michael from Provenance. We've stayed at both on both visits to Jpn. The one in Kyoto is literally next door to a famous SOBA noodle place, which is a great lunchtime visit.
Hire bikes to get around Kyoto. You can ride on the roads, footpaths, etc, and it's by far the best place to get around. It's relatively flat, so you dont need to be too fit.
A good day trip from Osaka/Kyoto is Nara, where you will see deer wandering the streets and the Giant Buddha.
Get to Gion whilst in Kyoto for some geisha spotting in the early evening. You'll also spot them wandering around the laneways of Pontocho. A must visit! I even got the Pontocho logo tattooed when I was in Kyoto - a Chidori bird.
Dont forget to check out the weirdos down at Harajuku on the weekends, on the bridge next to the station. There's also a cool temple to visit just behind the station, which is a nice shady walk, if it's warm.
If you have a spare day and want to visit an amazing spa town, check out Kinosaki. A long winding beautiful train trip up mountains, along rivers and waterfalls and rapids until you get to this magical little onsen town, where you can walk around in your traditional wooden thongs and japanese dressing gown wandering to and from the 7 onsen. The food here is primarily seafood and is famous for Crab.
If you need any other ideas, let me know!!
Redvespa

Obviously our Japan advice will be of only limited...

2011-12-14T13:50:26.446+11:00

Obviously our Japan advice will be of only limited use for you, but I can't recommend Bon in Tokyo enough. Just an amazing experience - if you have only one veg meal on your trip, find a way to make it at Bon.

Pictures etc are here: http://herestheveg.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-2-2010-hiroshima-to-tokyo.html#bon

If you are after a good melbourne style coffee , D...

2011-12-14T10:14:39.718+11:00

If you are after a good melbourne style coffee , Dean and Delucca ( a number of sites in Tokyo and maybe elsewhere these days) are quite good.
Try to take in a ryokan in the hills outside Kyoto , and do the Kaseki thing..quite remarkable.
I can recommend a specific place if you wish

I recently lived in Tokyo for 3 years and you can&...

2011-12-13T14:46:52.897+11:00

I recently lived in Tokyo for 3 years and you can't go past this AMAZING gyoza restaurant. That's all they do.... gyoza. Steamed or Fried are the only options. Check it out here --> http://www.japan-i.jp/news/gyoza_lou_harajuku_part_3.html
This is in the main shopping / freak watching area Harajuku which is a must visit anyway! Enjoy!

I was in Japan this year shortly after the earthqu...

2011-12-13T13:43:41.039+11:00

I was in Japan this year shortly after the earthquake. The earthquake happened 2 days before our wedding and we were booked in to go 2 days later so we braved it out - in the end all this meant we had to forgo Tokyo and stay in the south but that was ok.
I had an amazing time and would definitely go back :)

Visit Daimaru food section in Kyoto just for the experience!

You will love Le Bouchon in Kyoto if you'd like a change from Japanese fair - simple French food done well at a really decent price, we went during the week and the place was full with locals.

And also make sure you have a Kaiseki style meal in Kyoto - many restaurants do them, the one we went to was Manzara Honten, a little bit touristy but really good value for money and the quality was brilliant.

There are many great french style patisseries and bakeries dotted all over Kyoto, the only thing I did miss was decent coffee - that was touch and go.

Enjoy, I'm sure you'll have a brilliant time :)

Skip Tokyo, it's busy and loud. Stay in Osaka...

2011-12-12T23:08:03.270+11:00

Skip Tokyo, it's busy and loud. Stay in Osaka which is brilliant and Kyoto which is sublime. There's a gorgeous Persian restaurant in the Geisha area.

As a native Japanese, I have a lot of places to re...

2011-12-07T21:58:59.757+11:00

As a native Japanese, I have a lot of places to recommend!

In Tokyo, Tsukiji Fish market is a 'must visit' place as a food lover - not only seeing famous Tuna auction in the main wholesale market area (you may have to register), you can enjoy shopping and dining in the JYOGAI market area. There are lots of eateries and specialty shops. Tsukiji is surrounded by old and new tourist places, so it will be a good fun to walk around on a nice day.

Also, visiting gourmet sections in Department stores will be fabulous experience -you can buy and sample all sorts of Japanese delicacies, lunch boxes, and gougeous sweets etc., like shopping at Gallary Lafayett in Paris.

Try variety of restaurants - from top end Japanese restaurants to little eateries. Especially small eateries, majority of them are cheap and good quality, just believe your gut feeling!

Can't believe that no-one has mentioned it yet...

2011-12-07T15:48:52.334+11:00

Can't believe that no-one has mentioned it yet but the world famous Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo is a must for breakfast and a wander. It is stupendously wonderful.

Make sure you go to one of the little cafes a bit further down the strip away from the Metro station entrance though (towards the shrine)- will be much better value.

Japanese-style (wafuu) pasta is delicious and unde...

2011-12-07T12:04:25.984+11:00

Japanese-style (wafuu) pasta is delicious and underrated - try a chain called Pontoiru, which uses duck meatballs, fresh-grated yams and these zingy Kyoto herbs I've never had before.

One of the best galleries in Tokyo is the Metropolitan Museum of Photography, also known as Syabi. The whole Ebisu/Daikanyama area is also great for wandering and picking up unusual food. www.syabi.com/e/contents/index.html

Tokyo Art Beat is the index for visual art. Tokyo is an arts-obsessed city - in my experience, even more so than Paris or NYC. So many innocuous-looking streets are studded with secret galleries upstairs. You can find amazing galleries in, say, a plumbing shop or a furniture showroom: www.tokyoartbeat.com

There is a magnificent, tiny specialty tempura res...

2011-12-06T21:07:19.141+11:00

There is a magnificent, tiny specialty tempura restaurant in Tokyo. It's in an unassuming quite little neighbourhood but worth the search. The chefs cook the tempura directly in front of you and it's about 10 courses of individually prepared tempura. Amazing. Like the tempura version of 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi' (if you have seen that film).
Tempura Mikawa
3-4-7 Kayabacho, Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo Prefecture
+81 3-3664-9843

Loving these fortnightly round ups!

I just Noticed 'Naila' recommended Tonkats...

2011-12-06T17:11:16.958+11:00

I just Noticed 'Naila' recommended Tonkatsu Maisen; I absolutely second that recommendation, been to Tokyo three times and always go there.

In Kyoto make sure you go to Nishiki Market. Worth...

2011-12-06T17:08:27.099+11:00

In Kyoto make sure you go to Nishiki Market. Worth it just for the sites & smells alone.

In Tokyo try Birdland in Ginza, hard to find but really good Yakitori.
Another good one is Ramen Jiro, its a chain, but still yum.
Also you have to go to a Depachika, the food halls of the big dept stores, they are AMAZING.

One of my favourite Tokyo cafes is A to Z in Omote...

2011-12-06T15:23:50.626+11:00

One of my favourite Tokyo cafes is A to Z in Omotesando. It was partially designed by Yoshitomo Nara, and has a great rooftop garden and oh so delicious cocktails.

This will sound really dodgy but... There is a gr...

2011-12-06T13:47:30.613+11:00

This will sound really dodgy but... There is a great sushi train in the Kyoto station precinct. A few shops up from the MacDonalds and across from the shop with stuffed plastic loaves of bread in the window.

We went there a few years back and it was tasty and fresh. A cople of hefty Japanese guys ate their way through 30 plates whilst we were there.

Also, any of the sushi places around the Tokyo fish market close to opening time. The freshest and tastiest sushi lunch you will ever have!

I would suggest staying in Osaka for a few more da...

2011-12-06T13:07:00.555+11:00

I would suggest staying in Osaka for a few more days if you can... it is the home of Okonomiyaki which are quite wonderful. And there are excellent places where they are cooked in front of you on hot plates. Also the 'American Village' is quite a interesting place to go out in terms of bars/clubs and check out the japanese party culture. Just having a beer on the street there is pretty fun!

I've had the privilege of living for 10 years ...

2011-12-06T11:12:05.334+11:00

I've had the privilege of living for 10 years in Tokyo and another 10 in Italy and can say that some of the best foodie experiences are there! Firstly, street names aren't really used in Japan so use this GMap service in Tokyo to help you find your way to places. Search by address or by restaurant name: http://gmap.jp/gmap/service.html

Restaurants:

Tonkatsu Maisen
Tokyo's famous tonkatsu (fried pork cutlets) restaurant, located in an unusually decorated former bathhouse.
Jingumae 4-8-5. Open 11am-10pm

Za Watami
Delicious Izakaya (Japanese drinking establishment) with a huge menu of drinks and food. Really fun and affordable!
Close to Shibuya station

Kinkantei
A 200-year-old soba shop in the middle of Tokyo's gay bar district, serving a full selection of soba dishes. Their hoto (hoh-toh), a Yamanashi-style udon dish with lots of vegetables, makes a very filling wintertime meal. Another specialty is deep-fried natto (fermented soybeans) wrapped in nori.
Shinjuku 2-17-1

Locanda Elio
Italian celebrities, politicians and sportsmen have all admitted that the Italian food at Elio's Calabrian restaurant is better than at home. And that's a big statement. Fantastic seafood dishes, most you would never find in Australia. Dinner is worth it and not too expensive.
2-5-2 Kojimachi
Hanzomon station

Hope this helps! :)

Unless going to a really cheap chain restaurant wh...

2011-12-06T09:54:28.500+11:00

Unless going to a really cheap chain restaurant where you don't expect much, we found it hard to go wrong anywhere in Japan.

We ate at places where vividly remember our experience, but would have very little clue of location or name. I've just dug out my trip diary, where I wrote down a lot of the restaurant names (using my very vague residual knowledge of hiragana) and listed everything we ate, but even this isn't helping now!

Tips & suggestions:
- if you pick a place based on the excellence of the smell, it will mostly turn out to be eel. The first place we ate exclusively served eel and it was mind-blowing.
- eat train station bento (when travelling between cities), for fun as much as taste.
- find a place that does handmade fresh udon noodle and order with a simple broth.
- in Tokyo, go to Ueno one day for lunch. The markets are fun, and we found a downstairs place where we got an amazing whole grilled fish (and trimmings) for $11. The whole place was filled with the smell of smoke and fish. The sign outside said "Kimono-ya" but I know not more than that...
- if going to a Japanese burger chain, Mosburger is far better than Freshness Burger.

My metabolism is going crazy just writing this. Have fun!

I spent a year in Japan and the best place I visit...

2011-12-06T09:25:10.482+11:00

I spent a year in Japan and the best place I visited was Hakone, just getting there was an adventure, you get a train that zig zags up the mountain, then a tram kind of thing that has stepped floor as it's so steep, then a cable car and then an amazing boat across the lake. It's spectacular this time of year with the leaves changing colour. It's stuck in my head as one of my all time favourite holidays, I'll definitely go back one day. Have a great time!

I spent a year in Japan and the best place I visit...

2011-12-06T09:24:30.199+11:00

If you go to Nara, a tiny little restaurant called...

2011-12-05T22:32:48.764+11:00

If you go to Nara, a tiny little restaurant called Okaru - traditional okonomiyaki cooked to order on a hotplate in front of you.

omgosh!!! Are they still serving pumpkin pie there...

2011-12-05T22:29:43.365+11:00

omgosh!!! Are they still serving pumpkin pie there?? I've been trying to a place that serves them for ages!!!

In Tokyo, Check out Dons de la Nature for the per...

2011-12-05T21:30:25.997+11:00

In Tokyo,

Check out Dons de la Nature for the perfect slab of Japanese steak.
http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130101/13018798/

Also try this hidden secret - Aronia De Takazawa - for a life changing experience
http://www.timelessfacade.com/2010/07/aronia-de-takazawa-life-changing.html

I just came back from Osaka, Kyoto,and Nara. Food...

2011-12-05T19:29:37.088+11:00

I just came back from Osaka, Kyoto,and Nara. Foods there are fantastic.
Personally, I like kyoto style sushi at Izuju. http://kyotofoodie.com/izuju-best-kyoto-style-sushi/ Dango stall (petit brown wooden stall) down Shijo dori road from Izuju toward Gion Shijo also memorable. It's roasted dango soaked with shoyu sauce and topped with kinako (soy bean flour).

I've been twice & as far as food goes, Tok...

2011-12-05T19:07:05.810+11:00

I've been twice & as far as food goes, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Takayama & Hiroshima are must do's.

I love the place to bits and want to go back again. Hard to find a bad meal in Japan & the scenery is stunning!

Have a ball, you'll love it no matter where you go, it's an amazing country. :)

Remember to ask Philippe Mouchel & Michael Rya...

2011-12-05T18:16:16.060+11:00

Remember to ask Philippe Mouchel & Michael Ryan for tips.