Japanese -> Hidemi Sugino -> Tokyo, Japan

Had to try out one of the most celebrated pastry chefs in Tokyo.

	Mariee – Berry with a green tea filling. A bitter liqueur cake on bottom. The bitter and sweet melded very well together.
	Exotique – A banana apricot filling with a chocolate bottom
	Merveille – We loved the soft spongy cake on the bottom yet didn’t detract from the rich strawberry taste. Agreable – Tasted like a grape, raspberry spread on the cake on the bottom.
	Arabique – A light chocolate with milky coffee taste. Loved the light nuts on top. Ambrosie – Had to get the cake he is famous for. A very mature taste with the light raspberry filling and a light chocolate cake with sweet pistachio

Decor: Ok so he is suppose to open up at ten. However I read that being a diva, he opens it later if he wants. Sure enough he decided to open at eleven the day we got there. We arrived at nine to start lining up so we ended up being 5th in line. At around eleven, the line was down the block. It was crazy. The cakes are in display up front and they look gorgeous. You order and they take the cakes to the back to be plated. They have to be eaten in the store and photographs are not allowed. It’s like the soup Nazi of cakes. The staff was friendly as it can be under that environment.

Overall Assessment: ($$$, 8/10) – The cakes are gorgeous. Also the cakes are all light and fluffy. They also are constructed well in terms of the proportion of cake, sauces, jellies, condiments, etc. However we have to take points off the whole attitude. That was a little off-putting. The whole opening whenever you want, bad form. I guess though if you’re that good, then you can do whatever you want.

Website: N/A
Location: 3-6-17, Chuo-ku
Reservation: N/A
Takeout: N/A
Hours: Tues – Sun; 1000 – 1900

 

Japanese -> Sushi Dai -> Tokyo, Japan

Only one way to experience sushi in Tokyo, at the Tsukiji fish markets.

	Tea – A good strong tea. I think the strongest that we had.
	Ginger – Loved how the pickling wasn’t too over the top. So it didn’t have that heavy sweet aftertaste to it.
	Fatty Tuna – So tender and so smooth, the tuna was just so perfect.
	Spanish Mackerel – Again cut well, mild mackerel aftertaste to it.
	Sea Bass – Very smooth, almost silky.
	Baby Snapper – Nice how they textured it by braiding it.
	Red Snapper – Loved how the mild onion add a crisp taste to the snapper.
	Sea Urchin – Sweet and very creamy.
	Sea Bream – Rather nondescript.
	Yellowtail – Again so smooth and the crunch of the vegetables added to the experience.
	Shellfish – So the chef serves it go and goes “Fresh shellfish, still alive.”  Sure it enough as soon as he set it down, the thing started to wiggle its way off the rice.  Very chewy yet retained a smooth texture.
	Tamago – Piping hot cube of egg, not too sweet, just a mild sweetening taste to it.
	Mackerel – So pretty, braiding the fish to achieve a sheen to it.   Stronger mackerel taste.
	Rolls – Crab and tuna rolls.  A disappointment in terms of the nigri is so much better; however, it still blows rolls here in the US out of the water. Nice crunch to the cucumber crab and a soft meld for the tuna.
	Horse Mackerel – My favorite nigri of the meal.  Very good flavoring fish cut very well.
	Baby Shrimp -A bit disappointing.  I was hopping it would be like a sweet shrimp but alas no such luck.  No sweet taste to it.
	Salmon Roe – The roe is so fresh and each egg packs such a wonderfully intense flavor.
	Eel – Mildly cooked and sauteed with just a very mild sauce.  The thing basically dissipates in your mouth it is so soft.
	Soup – A hearty miso soup but nothing great or terrible about it.

Decor: A simple sushi bar that seats 13 people. The line to this place was pretty long. I think we waited about 45 minutes as we were not too late. The line is a bit cramp as they try to squeeze as many people in the line as possible. The inside is a bit cramp as well so best if you leave any big items at home. The staff was great. The sushi chefs keep plopping food down and they even hammed it up for us when we took a picture at the end.

Overall Assessment: ($$, 9/10) – Some of the best sushi that we had. Well worth the wait. You really can’t get fish any fresher as the fish market is right there. We ended up getting a large meal and a small meal. Good variety and we both left full. Great service as well.

Website: N/A
Location: Chuo-ku, Tsukiji 5-2-1, Area 6
Reservation: N/A
Takeout: N/A
Hours: Mon – Thurs; 0500 – 1400

 

Japanese -> Toki no Ma -> Tokyo, Japan

Wanted to go and try out some horse sashimi.

	Sake – Lighter sake sweet. One thing I did appreciate was that it was served on ice so the whole time, the sake was at a good temp.
	Starter (L-> R, Bonito mustard greens, Fish Cake and Root Vegetables) – The bonito and the mustard greens didn’t go together very well. The mild fish cake went well with a nice miso paste. The Root vegetable was very bitter and almost inedible in our opinion.
	Assorted Fish Cakes – The first one was a pasty cake shrimp and yuba very soft and flavorful. The second was a lotus root sandwich with a soft fish cake in between two very crunchy lotus roots. The last one was a vegetable fish cake that had nice chunks of garlic and herbs. Served with a daikon radish puree and ginger.
	Foie Gras Egg Soup – Such a complex soup. Very rich and hearty. Mushroom and egg with a mild rich fattening foie gras taste. Wife really enjoyed this one.
	Horse Sashimi – Horse sashimi is very fatty and had a smooth taste. The white one in teh center I think is cartilage. Two chewy and stringy to my liking. Assorted dipping sauces. First one is a spicy ginger that leaves a lingering aftertaste. The second is a yuzu blend that packs a punch on spice, and nice yuzu flavor throughout. The third is a garlic that was a bit underwhelming with the horse. The last is pepper that was straight up spicy. I think my favorite was the yuzu blend.

Decor: White and glass pretty much accentuate the place here. Service was rather lackluster, reminded us of the terrible American service. I think the language barrier really scared away our waiter. They had a menu in English yet I think it was a bit on the confusing side, so we tried to get some explanation from the waiter and that turned up goose egg.

Overall Assessment: ($$, 6/10) – Hmm, the food was good. We really enjoyed the fish cake and the foie gras soup. It was nice to try out things that one wouldn’t be able to experience here in the States. However the lack of service really put a crimp on the dining experience. Everything is price reasonably well too.

Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/tokinoma/
Location: 2-3-14, 2F Ebisu, Shibuya-ku
Reservation: N/A
Takeout: N/A
Hours: Mon – Sat; 1630 – 0500, Sun; 1630 – 2330

 

Japanese -> Seigetsu -> Tokyo, Japan

We were told this place had some good chicken worth exploring.

	Pickled Vegetables – Pickled vegetables some of the best pickled vegetables we’ve had so far, not too sour or sweet. Though it does have a slightly bitter taste.
	Fish Cake – Nice chew to the mochi, good to add a different texture. The sweet mochi goes well with very mild fish taste.
	Grilled Mushrooms – Such a nice aroma to them. We loved how it was served stewing in its own sauces. Nice hearty and earthy taste to it. Cooked tender and perfectly.
	Sake – Sweet sake. Smells like plum and has a nice mild sweet taste slight with a very smooth taste.
	Chicken with Basil – Chicken was so succulent. There was a nice hint of basil in the aftertaste. We really liked how the skin really soaked in the flavor.
	Soy Sauce Chicken – Light soy sauce taste. We liked how the soy didn’t overpower the chicken, could still taste the chicken. Though we didn’t think it was possible, this chicken was more juicy than previous batch.
	Eel Claypot – A nice hearty feel to the bowl. the eel was cooked very softly and the eel juices really were able to seep into the rice, which made for a hearty dish. Pickled Vegetables – Vegetables were kinda spicy, mild sour taste and citrus as well.
	Miso Soup – Soup was very mild and subtle, nice thin smooth seaweed.

Decor: As soon as one walked in, there is a nice smokey aroma to the place. We liked how the place was divided up so that one could see the cooking action while retaining a private feel. Nice wooden tables and booths with bamboo reeds as curtains. The staff was friendly. There is a smaller version of the complete menu in English. Our waiter had limited English skills yet he explained things to best of his abilities of things not on that menu which was enough for us to get by.

Overall Assessment: ($$, 5/10) – Very casual atmosphere. Very good chicken. Had a homey and warm feel to the restaurant. Did love the aroma of the restaurant and the great staff.  They did have a variety of other things  on the menu other than chickenwhich were executed fairly well.Well worth exploring.

Website: http://www.teshigotoya.net/
Location: 6-77, 2F Kagurazaka,Shinjuku-ku, 162-0825 Kamiya Bldg 2F
Reservation: N/A
Takeout: N/A
Hours: Mon – Thurs; 1700 – 2300, Fri; 1700 – 2300, Sat; 1700 – 2300, Sun; 1700 – 2300

 

Japanese -> Mister Donut -> Tokyo, Japan

Stopped by for a donut. It was so good, we decided to go back for breakfast another day.

	Sugar Bun – Light dusting of cinnamon and sugar, really interesting springy and chewy dough. If you press down on it, it would spring back.
	Chocolate Caramel Furenchi – The best donut ever, a light airy chocolate cake taste. Drizzled with a mildly sweet caramel glaze. Inside a small pocket of chocolate ganache.
	Cafe au Lait – Not as bitter as other coffee though it was still very Japanese with an intense coffee taste.
	Sutotoberimirukuringu – The berry glaze was so so, a rather mild berry taste. Did find the rice ball topping interesting. Wished there was more so that there was more of a texture contrast. Angel Cream – Very light dough with an equally light whip cream filling inside.

Decor: Very simple orange and brown color scheme with chairs and bus your own tray if you decide to sit down. Very bright lighting. Staff was friendly. Donuts are all on display so it is pretty much a point and order system

Overall Assessment: ($, 8/10) – My favorite quote from the wife is “These donuts are like a punch in the face. If we Americans can’t even do donuts right what do we have really?” What we liked about the doughnuts was that each one felt very light yet retained that dessert feel. After having a donut here in the US, one would feel really bloated and disgusting. Not the donuts in Japan. We thought the dough was amazing in terms of the airiness and bounce.

Website: http://www.misterdonut.jp/
Location: 13-9 Soto-Kanda 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, 101-0021
Reservation: N/A
Takeout: N/A
Hours: Unknown