What We’re Drinking: Daimaou Imo (sweet potato) Shochu
This was another bottle that I received in the mail. It’s one that I’ve been meaning to pick up for a while as I’ve seen it a few times before at Seiyu, so I was very happy to see the shiny gold label and foil when I popped the box open.
This is another decent imo-jochu from Kagoshima prefecture, but it surprised me a little because it doesn’t smell like an imo-jochu. It’s more refined than the imo-jochus I’m accustomed to drinking while carrying some light fruit on the nose. Before ever putting it in my mouth this shochu was living up to its deceitful name, “Great Devil King.”
Enjoying Daimaou neat, it has a round, medium-bodied mouthfeel. There’s a sweetness to it that is understated to the point of being dry. The yellow mold (essential to the process of breaking the potato starches down into fermentable sugars) used prior to distilling obviously has something to do with this sweetness. The effect is very pleasant. Yellow mold is what is used in the nihonshu brewing process and is somewhat less common in the shochu industry where white mold prevails.
There’s something about this shochu that reminds me of drinking brandy. Try it neat and see for yourself.
I also highly recommend this shochu on the rocks. It’s light, refreshing and easy to drink–definitely one of the better imo-jochus I’ve had that retails in the 1,600-1,800 yen range. And as I alluded above, Daimaou is distributed widely enough by Hamada Shuzo that you can find it in major supermarket chains such as Seiyu.
What We’re Drinking: Waseda Beer
Waseda, the lauded private university in downtown Tokyo that fields roughly 130,000 applications for admission each year, has a lot going for it–tradition, influence, and most importantly a very good baseball team.
One thing that it still needs to work on, however, is its beer.
Unfortunately, Waseda Beer (5% ABV) is strongly yeasty from the moment you pry the cap off it. Then the yeastiness on the nose is backed up by an immediate and somewhat sour yeast dominance on the palate.
The result is a low-wattage sour middle that is not really all that welcome. This means that the hops are nearly undetectable. It would probably go down better, and feel more balanced, if the yeasty nose translated into a medium-bodied, bready mouthfeel.
I cracked two separate bottles to make sure that this was not an errant representative of the Waseda beer brand, but alas I cannot guarantee that they weren’t from the same batch since the same ‘drink by’ date (October 29, 2010) was stamped on the back of both of them.
Given the possibility that I drank two bottles of the real deal, I’m willing to acknowledge that it’s possible to get used to this beer, but it’s really not for me. The one thing that it has going for it is the somewhat dry finish that makes you nearly think the word “refreshing”. The only other plus I could come up with is the cool beer-pouring sound it makes on its way into a glass due to the stovepipe neck on the bottle.
In short, this beer does not do the proud history of Waseda University justice, and I will not be purchasing another one of them until someone assures me that a different experience is in store.
Waseda’s star pitcher, Yuki Saito, would surely be pissed off if he knew that this stuff was being served on campus.
More info about this beer can be found (in Japanese) here: http://waseda-beer.com/
What We’re Drinking: “Tokyo Beer” by Tama no Megumi
This bottle conditioned beer by Ishikawa Brewery out near Haijima station in Western Tokyo is an easy step up from what one normally consumes by way of Japan’s macro-breweries.
I’m not sure how much my bottle was shaken, but the pour was pretty hazy and could be best described as having a murky straw hue to it. The off-white head was thin and disappeared quickly on my pour from a 500 ml bottle into a pint glass.
The bottle was dated October, 2009. Not ideal, but within the realm of acceptability. Also of importance, it’s labeled as being 5.5% ABV.
Fresh out of the fridge, the mouthfeel on this beer was neither harsh nor special. It’s a medium-bodied brew that is perhaps a bit too shy on hoppiness, but at the same time balanced in terms of the light barley sweetness that highlights the start of the short trek from the front to the back of the palate. A few gulps later, once room temperature has started to assert its influence, a bit of breadiness starts to creep in and a bit of astringency (not unpleasant) colors the aftertaste.
This beer would benefit from a stronger hop backbone in my opinion, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. I suspect that, if you can get past the price tag, this beer will be popular with the Tokyo masses that wouldn’t mind something a little more complex than what is commonly found in the supermarket or convenience store cooler. Expect to pay around 400 yen for a half-liter bottle.
What We’re Drinking: Nakanaka Mugi (barley) Shochu
This bottle was a birthday present from my friend Karen who knows that I’m studiously perusing the range of barley shochu offerings available in Tokyo. It was a very welcome addition to my home bar!
This bottle, Nakanaka, is a good place to start one’s exploration of honkaku mugi shochu. When drinking it straight, Nakanaka starts with a slight, honey sweetness on the tip of the tongue before giving way to an assertive barley-alcohol twinge at the back.
With an ice cube or two thrown in this shochu loses a bit of the sweetness up front and experiences a slight drop in alcoholic bite as well. Taking a good drag of air to mix with a mouthful of Nakanaka will help revive the sweetness that is easier to find when enjoying this drink neat.
Most industry folks recommend that this drink be enjoyed either on the rocks or with a bit of warm water (oyuwari in Japanese). The latter is advised especially if you want to get more out of the nose. Cold water (mizuwari) is also an option.
Drinking Nakanaka straight is not to be discouraged, even though I seem to be the only only openly recommending that it be consumed that way.
At around 1,050 yen for a 720 ml bottle the regular stuff (it’s usually found in a brown glass bottle), you can’t go wrong with a bottle of Nakanaka.
What we’re drinking: Tokyo Swallows Baseball Beer
Beer endorsed by a bird with a bat.
This Tokyo Swallows Baseball Beer surprised me with its aroma. It reminded me, ever so slightly, of “Duchesse”, that beautiful Belgian ale that is becoming increasingly easy to find in Tokyo.
Poured straight from the bottle into a pint glass, this beer has a hazy straw color to it and a thin head that disappears quickly.
This is a light-bodied beer that has a bit of tanginess as it travels towards the back of your mouth. And the tanginess hangs around for a little bit at the finish. This would definitely be an acceptable brew for a hot summer day. It gives you a lot more to think about on the palate than the typical Japanese light beer while preserving the expected refreshingness and ease of drinking.
Weighing in at a rather modest 4% alcohol, this signature brew was a present from my friend Kyoko, who also entrusted me with this bubbly nihonshu not too long ago (click here for the full article.) According to the label, this beer is contract brewed by monster liquid libations producer, Kizakura, through an arrangement with classy Tokyo sake merchants (and Tokyo Swallows fans), Hasegawa Saketen.
Restaurant Review: Bunryu (Takadanobaba)
Bunryu’s original shop in Takadanobaba has a long and proud history of making good Italian food. Less than
There are always a couple of tagliatelle dishes on the menu.
a one minute from JR Takadanobaba station, this small restaurant has been keeping restaurants happy and coming back for more since the 1973.
While the restaurant itself is not large, there is enough seating for parties as large as 10, and customers dining alone can easily be accommodated at the central island table.
The bookshelves, ceramic lamps, and other assorted classic touches are nice, but the real attraction is the food. Lunch is a great time to try this restaurant out, as it becomes considerably more affordable for the average non-executive or university professor, but be prepared to wait if you arrive right at noon. While in the queue, you can busy yourself deciding which of the four lunch courses you’d like to try. At 950 yen, the A course gets you a salad, pasta dish of your choice, and post-meal cup of coffee or tea. If one happens to be sporting a decent appetite, then opting for a course that comes later in the alphabet is advised.
The other three courses, B through D, build in varying degrees and amounts of Italian-inspired delights with the most involved being the D course at 2,800 yen. For that price you’ll enjoy an appetizer, salad, pasta and meat or fish dishes of your choice, homemade bread, and the aforementioned hot drink.
From the pasta menu, anything featuring Tagliatelle (a pasta noodle made with egg) is a safe bet.
There is also, of course, a small variety of pasta, meat, fish, and pizza a la carte selections available. Pasta dishes are 750 at lunchtime, while everything else is priced between one and two thousand yen.
Beer and house wine are 300 yen during the afternoon.
Bunryu happens to be very popular with the local university professor crowd, so it is not uncommon to find them there reading a book in the afternoon or having dinner with small groups of graduate-level advisees in the evening.
Bunryu also has a restaurant in Kunitachi.
Directions: JR Takadanobaba Waseda exit (accessible from Tozai and Seibu-Shinjuku lines as well). Find “Big Box” (there’s a police box at the foot of it), and from there locate Mizuho Bank across the street. Bunryu is in the basement beneath Mizuho in the FI building.
Address: 169-0075 Tokyo-to Shinjuku-ku Takadanobaba 1-26-5 FI Biru B1
Telephone: 03-3208-5447
Hours: Lunch 11:30-14:00; Dinner 17:00-22:00 (until 21:00 on Sundays)
Guru Navi: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/a530000/
Bunryu Website: http://www.bunryu.co.jp/restaurant/index.htm
Restaurant Review: Nouka no Daidokoro (Ebisu)
Nouka no Daidokoro grows its own vegetables in the shop and is an excellent, if a bit pricey, place to have a meal for vegetarians.
Featuring a comfy, farmer’s market interior, Nouka no Daidokoro (translation: farmer’s kitchen) is highly advised for those in search of some creative and healthy food in Tokyo.
The first choice one needs to make after sitting down is which course to choose. The three dinner courses are listed as 4:3:3, 6:2:2, and 10:0:0. These number describe the ratio of vegetables, meat, and fish in each. By that logic, the third option is a one hundred percent vegetarian option while the first and second mix in varying degrees of carnivorous fare.
From there customers are asked to further refine their selection. The two courses involving meat and fish have three variations–courses priced at 3,800 yen, 4,800 yen, and 5,800 yen. The vegetarian course has two options (no 5,800 yen version).
One thing that is common to all three of the courses is access to the salad bar which is perhaps the most uplifting part of the experience. It is so easy to enjoy food that is both organic and grown by the passionate people serving it.
Many of the vegetables on display are literally grown in-house, and a quick glance at the greenhouse to the right of the salad bar will show you what will be served in the near future. Because the salad bar tends to go light on leafy greens, the result is a delightful glass of vegetable sticks, halved cherry tomatoes, and delicious mushrooms.
The main course involves a flurry of vegetable dishes with the occasional slice of fish or meat. The creativity
in the kitchen involves everything from a vegetarian and riceless risotto (above left) to a clam ravioli dish covered in a froth of cappuccino cream.
Naturally, fresh fruit and vegetable juices are available, and don’t forget to check out the kitchen’s selection of flora-inspired cocktails. Juices and cocktails start in the 400-500 yen range. Premium Malt’s is the beer on tap (680 yen), and a decent selection of umeshu, wine, and traditional cocktails are also available (generally 600-1,000 yen). A few bottles of shochu and nihonshu are stocked as well.
On your way out you can pick up some fresh vegetables to take home with you as the entrance doubles as a produce section.
After 9:00 pm it is possible to order dishes a la carte. If you’re dining before that time, it might be wise to make a reservation because the restaurant fills up quickly at dinnertime.
At dinnertime, expect to pay at least five thousand yen per person for a meal and two drinks. The lunch menu has a la carte dishes for less than 1,000 yen.
Directions: Take the west exit of JR Ebisu station or exit 1 if you arrived on the Hibiya subway line. Look for the Doutour (coffee shop) and Kinokuniya (liquor shop) diagonally across the rotary. Keeping those shops on your right, walk up the street that passes in front of them. You will soon see a Lawson convenience store on your left. On the first floor of the next building on the left, you will find Nouka no Daidokoro. If you reach Family Mart convenience store, then you have walked too far.
Address: 150-0022 Tokyo-to Shibuya-ku Ebisu Minami 1-7-8 Ebisu South One 1F
Telephone: 03-3719-4831
Hours: Lunch 11-15:30 (last order 14:30); Dinner 17:30-23:00 (doors close 21:45; food last order 22:00; drinks last order 22:30)
Guru Navi (Japanese): http://r.gnavi.co.jp/p963301/
Bar review: La Cave Idéale (Kagurazaka)
This wine shop doubles as a standing wine bar and is open from 11:00 to 24:00 every day. Three round tables in the center of the shop allow customers to gaze at the bottles in the glass cases while drinking a glass from the ever-changing lineup displayed on the ‘tachinomi counter’. Wine is typically 500-2,000 yen per glass.
Finger food are also available for purchase with a small variety of cheeses, olives, and other snacks (mostly 300 yen) being peddled from the glass cooler perched on the counter. A small two-piece pack of bread is 50 yen, and don’t be afraid to use the toaster located on the wall opposite the register.
As mentioned before, the wine selection changes periodically as this shop imports directly from vineyards
'Tachinomi' is Japanese for 'drink while standing'.
and dealers in France. That means that they often have wine that you can’t get in most other places.
The “Domaine des Chênes — Le Mascarou 2005″ was dry enough for my liking and was priced at 900 yen per
glass. Another wine that I tried was the “Domaine du Pas de L’Escalette — Ze rozé 2008″ (700 yen/glass) which is apparently one of their monthly featured wine selections and will be replaced soon.
This shop is very well-lit, so it’s often a quick stop on the way somewhere else for business people and small groups of friends. The staff is very cheerful and helpful, and the paintings on the wall would be in my living room if they were up for sale.
Directions: From exit two of Kagurazaka station (Tozai subway line) go left and walk for about 30 seconds. La Cave Idéale is on the left just after “M’s”. You can also take exit one of the station and turn right. The wine shop will be on your right before “M’s”.
Bar/Café Review: Pagliaccio Trattoria (Tokyo/Marunouchi)
This trattoria is a wonderfully decorated café/bar in the middle of the decidedly swank shopping streets behind the two Marunouchi towers keeping watch over Tokyo train station.
If you’re looking for a nice place for lunch, Pagliaccio is an excellent choice. The café menu consists of nine pasta dishes and one salad. The green salad is very generous at 780 yen and will easily accommodate two light eaters if teamed with one of the pasta dishes or a dessert. As for pasta, try the green tagliolini with sausage and broccoli (980 yen) or the linguine with clams and mussels (1,500). You won’t be disappointed.
And the desserts are quite nice as well. All priced at 700 yen, selections such as the tiramisu and the strawberry raspberry blueberry tart are worth repeat visits. An assorted dessert plate is also available for those that have walked enough to deserve the extra calories (1,500 yen).
This trattoria sports a full bar as well. Draft beers such as Hoegaarden cost 900 yen while their 14 bottled beers range in price from 600-950 yen. Cocktails start at 750, and wine by the glass will set you back at least 700 yen. Whiskey is priced on the steep side with a single pour of Jack Daniel’s tagged at 800 yen. The top of the price range is Hibiki 17 yrs. at 1,800 for a single and 3,400 for a double.
Coffee and tea average 600 per cup, and soft drinks are priced in the 500-800 yen range.
This is a great place to meet friends, clients, or colleagues, but there’s very little privacy, so look elsewhere if that’s what you’re after. Including the seats out front and the stools at the bar, Pagliaccio Trattoria can seat around 100, and you’ll feel right at home if you’re wearing a suit. You’d do well to hope for a bit of a crowd as the staff has been known to play poppy American country music at a level that people can actually hear.
Regardless, this is a wonderful café in which to spend a slow lunch or down a few before moving on to the Cotton Club for a jazz show. Expect to pay around 2,500 yen per person for lunch or 1,500 for coffee and dessert.
The café is completely non-smoking during lunch, but it switches to pro-smoking at around three. That said, if you arrive before the lads get out of work, then the English-speaking staff might be able to find an area where you’ll be relatively untouched (the place is big enough).
Directions: From Nijubashimae station (Chiyoda subway line) take exit four and walk straight when you hit street level. Take your second right and walk straight. From the South Marunouchi exit of Tokyo station (JR, Marunouchi subway line, etc.) find the Marunouchi building and walk down the street on the left side of it (heading perpendicular to the train tracks). Turn left on the street that runs behind the Marunouchi building. Pagliaccio Trattoria is at the end of the block on your right. It’s on the corner next to “Tumi”, right across from “Kate Spade”.
Website: http://www.kiwa-group.co.jp/restaurant/a100446.html
Guru Navi: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/a634284/
Directions: 100-0005 Tokyo-to Chiyoda-ku Marunouchi 2-2-3 Nakadori Bldg. 1F
Telephone: TEL 03-6273-4486
Restaurant Review: Ryukotei (Kagurazaka)
Finding a place to eat in Kagurazaka between the hours of three and five pm can be a real challenge when you’re determined not to settle for Royal Host or McDonald’s. Enter “Ryukotei”, a two-floor Chinese restaurant right in the thick of the main road going up the hill from Iidabashi station. This place isn’t out to impress, but they will give you enough food to keep you going until it’s time to eat again. 1,000 yen per person should do the trick.
Lunch is served from 11 am until 5 pm which means that this restaurant doesn’t close between meals like the majority of its neighbors. Lunch sets are 1,000 yen, and while the ‘white fish meat and tomato stir-fry‘ is a little too salty, their ‘chicken and cashews stir-fry‘ is definitely worth a try. All sets come with a bottomless bowl of rice, pickled veggies, a small bowl of rather bland egg soup, and a drink.
A la carte dishes are available for between 1000 and 1400, and the ‘dessert of the day’ can be added for 300 yen. Speaking of which, a dessert set (dessert plus a drink) costs 800-900 yen.
Coffee is 400 yen when ordered on its own, and a double espresso is 500. Ryukotei has Chinese tea starting at 550 yen while more common options such as Earl Grey start at 500. Soft drinks start at 500 yen.
The restaurant also has a small selection of alcohol. They get points for serving Premium Malt’s in both a bottle (650 yen) and on tap (550), and for stocking six different types of umeshu (starting from 500). Nihonshu, shochu, and spirits are also available for between 500 and 1,000 yen.
The interior of Ryukotei is clean and comfy while the music isn’t at all distracting on the first floor. The service is fast and courteous, but unfortunately they have chosen to follow their neighbors in offering a very pro-smoking environment.
To be fair, however, they prohibit smoking on the ground floor during the first half of lunch (until three pm) and most of dinner. But for whatever reason they have a two hour gap in the middle where the whole restaurant becomes a smoking area. Nowhere on the menu, front door, or advertisements is this indicated in any way, shape, or form. Ask upon entry if that is something that can ruin a dining experience for you.
The interior is clean and comfortable, and the music on the first floor was quiet enough that it wasn’t distracting.
Directions: Take exit B3 of Iidabashi station and walk up the hill. Ryukotei is on the left across from Royal Host.
