Tokyo Eats: Katsuya

After a day's worth of shopping in Akihabara, Hubby and I were tired and hungry.  It was our last night in Tokyo too, and I didn't want to leave Tokyo without getting a taste of their authentic tempura.  My first choice for tempura in Tokyo would be Ten-Ichi, but it was all the way in Ginza.  So we stepped into the next restaurant that had tempura photos on their window display:  Katsuya.  

Mixed Set

This is more of fish and prawns.  Crunchy... but nothing major.

Ebi Tempura

The batter was crisp, and the prawns were succulent.

Katsudon

Sadly, this one failed my katsudon test.  It was not tender enough, and the sauce was practically non-existent, leaving the rice beneath as dry as the desert.

So the verdict?  Katsuya was not disappointing... yet it was not amazing either.  I guess when I said I wanted tempura, I was pertaining to the other kind.  Katsuya's was panko-crusted, but the panko, although crunchy, was too firm to bite into that it left me and Hubby's gums a bit raw.  Their katsudon was also less impressive than the local ones I've had here in Manila.  2 out of 5 stars.

Katsuya is at 1 Chome-4-11 Sotokanda,Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Eats: Coco Ichibanya Curry House

Prior to arriving in Tokyo, my friend KL requested me to buy her some pre-packaged curry from Coco Ichibanya Curry House, should I come across them.  "They're easy to find, practically everywhere in Tokyo" she said.  And as luck would have it, on the day we went to Akihabara to look for Hubby's toys, this was the first store we saw as we exited the subway.  What coincidence too that it was already lunchtime, so we decided to hit two birds with one stone: make our tummies happy AND buy KL's pre-packaged curry.

Coco Curry House

Cream Croquette

Cream Croquette Insides

If I'm not mistaken, I think this is the crab cream croquette.  It was good, but I find it too mashed up.  Would've wanted something that I could actually chew on.

Pork Cutlet Curry

Oh my.  This must be the softest pork cutlet I've ever tasted.  And I've tasted a lot.  Beats every single one of them.  I'm in pork cutlet heaven!

Cheese-filled Hamburger Curry

Insides of the cheese-filled hamburger

They had us at cheese-filled.  Just look at the second photo.  Imagine creamy cheese oozing out of a really soft and flavorful hamburger patty.  Drool-worthy, yes.  Good?  Heck yeah!

So how was it?  The Pork Cutlet and the Cheese-filled Hamburger are both to die for.  The curry?  Not so impressed.  It was okay, but it lacked that oomph.  Ironically, the best curry I've had can be  found in Tokyo's Family Mart.  Yes, the convenience store!  That being said, I still loved my experience in Coco Ichibanya Curry House.  4 out of 5 stars!

Coco Ichibanya Curry House is at 101-0027 Tokyo, Chiyoda, Kanda Hirakawacho, 4

Tokyo Eats: Ikinari Steak

For our first night in Tokyo, Hubby and I were too tired to venture out to eat.  Blame it on the extra early flight that made us look and feel like zombies.  LOL.  I guess you can call us lucky, because right below our hotel is Ikinari Steak.  And we can never say no to steak.  Specially Japanese steak!

Ikinari Steak

Ikinari Steak is a Certified Angus beef restaurant.  So you're sure that it's nothing but one of the best beef.

Standing Room Only

There are no chairs in this restaurant.  Everybody eats their steak standing up!  Guess a little suffering for a good steak can't be that bad, right?  LOL.

Menu

First step:  Choosing your steak.  Ikinari Steak serves four kinds of steaks.  And they charge by the gram.  So it can either be small for light eaters or extra huge for a big appetite!

Cutting Station

Step two:  The cutting station.  After you choose your beef, the server will usher you into this small corner and show you the beef.  Here, it will be cut to your preferred size and measured in a weighing scale in front of you.

Look at that glorious piece of steak!

Oooh la la!  That is one nice looking steak!  Makes my mouth water just looking at it, and it's not even cooked yet!

Grilling Station

Step three:  The grilling station.  Here the chef grills your steak according to the doneness you want.

Japanese Black Beef Rib-Eye Steak

Ta-dah!  Here's our Japanese black beef rib-eye steak!  Look at all that juice!

Cross Section of the Japanese Black Beef Rib-Eye

Doesn't it look divine?

Hubby enjoyed our first Ikinari experience so much that he began craving for it right after the first night.  So I gave in to his request and went for it again on our fourth night in Tokyo.  Here's what we had:

Tenderloin Steak Beef with Less Fat

Having already tried the Japanese black beef rib-eye steak, we got the tenderloin this time.  And a bigger piece too! 

Cross Section of the Tenderloin

It looks so tender, even from the pictures!

So the verdict?  I give myself a pat on the back for choosing Ginza Bellevue Hotel this trip because we love Ikinari Steak!  The Japanese Black Beef Rib-Eye Steak was juicy and smelled so good.  And the tenderloin?  So soft!  Even though our hearts (and tummies!) still belong to Matsusakagyu Yakiniku in Osaka when it comes to steaks, Ikinari Steak is pretty good too.  Not bad at all.  4 out of 5 stars!

Ikinari Steak is at 1/F, Ginza Bellevue Hotel, 6-4-14 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 Japan

Ginza Bellevue Hotel, Tokyo

Based from experience from 2014's Tokyo trip, more or less I could already tell which hotel would be better for our itinerary.  While our stay in Sotetsu Fresa Inn last time was not bad, we felt it could be better.  So Hubby and I opted not to stay at the same hotel and just pick another one.  I guess staying in Ginza last time spoiled us.  It was more familiar too, so we chose another hotel in Ginza for this trip:  The Ginza Bellevue Hotel.  

Fast forward to the day of the trip - we booked the same flight as last year's at 5:25am.  The only difference was that the flight got delayed (BOO!) and by the time we got to the hotel, it was already check-in time.  I guess the delay also worked to our advantage - it gave us a bit of time to rest before venturing out to explore the city. 

Corridor

The entire room

The room from another angle

Cabinet with all the essentials

Working table

Bathroom

Toiletries

Finally, I got my Shiseido bath products!  LOL.  Everything the hotel used - from the shampoo down to the hand soap - was Shiseido.  Yay!  

So the verdict?  Location wise, Ginza Bellevue Hotel is fantastic.  A yummy steak place and a spa is just right downstairs, and there's a 7-Eleven AND a Starbucks a few steps away.  Not too far from the subway too.  The best part?  Ginza shopping district is about two minutes walk away.  From a shopaholic's point of view, it can't get any better than that!  While the hotel's interior might be a little bit older than expected, it was clean.  As for the size.. oh well we know how tiny Japanese hotel rooms always are, so that's expected.  But it fit the both of us, so it's all good.  4 out of 5 stars!

Ginza Bellevue Hotel is at 6-4-14 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 Japan

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo- Kyobashi

I'm back!  Yes I'm a delinquent blogger.  If you've noticed my absence, it's because this lady went to the land of the rising sun - Japan!  Last year, I fell in love with Osaka.  So this year, I figured if Osaka was nice, then Tokyo must be spectacular.  So this time around, Miss M went to Tokyo!  And before I share with you all those yummy food posts, first, let me share with you where we stayed at: Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo - Kyobashi.  

From the moment I booked the tickets to Tokyo, the next thing I do is always find accommodations.  In booking a hotel, I only have three definite musts: first is that the hotel must be of reasonable amount.  Second, the reviews must be pretty good.  And third, the location must be either right smack in the middle of somewhere fun or has public transportation nearby.  A handful of hotels fit my criteria, and in the end, Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo - Kyobashi won me over.  Why?  Because some reviewers claimed that they give out Shiseido bath products.  LOL.

Fast forward to our trip, our flight landed pretty early in the morning.  When we got to the hotel, we were told that our check-in time was still a couple of hours away.  So Hubby and I left our luggage at the front desk and ventured out.  It was already dark when we got back.  By that time the room was ready, so we headed up to the room.  

View from the door

View from the opposite side

Bathroom

Work area

Closet

TV and mini-fridge

So far so good?  Well the room was pretty small.  Something we have yet to get accustomed to.  Had to remind ourselves constantly that rooms in Japan are always this size.  Aside from the room size, everything was looking good.  Well, until we saw this:

And this:

What is it?  I'm not too sure.  Dirt, probably.  Though one thing I am sure of is that it can be cleaned up and it wasn't.  The dirt remained on all 4 nights at the hotel.  Oh well.  I wouldn't have really minded had the dirt been somewhere far, but the one beside the painting was right above our bed.  Couldn't help but think we've inhaled some of it as we sleep.  Eeeew.   

So will I stay at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo - Kyobashi again?  Probably not.  Shame really, as the location is really good.  There's a Family Mart around the corner and it's a few steps away from the subway station too.  Guess we'll have to find another place to stay at the next time we find ourselves in Tokyo.  And just in case you're curious... No, there were no Shiseido bath products.  The only Shiseido they had was the hand soap.  Guess they changed toiletries.  Boo.  2 out of 5 stars.

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo-Kyobashi is at 2-11-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0031, Japan.

Osaka Eats: Matsusakagyu Yakiniku

As mentioned in my previous post, I saved the best for last.  And here it is!  But first, a little back story:  The night after we ate in Dotonbori, when we got back to our hotel, I immediately went online to search for good restaurants in Osaka.  We were quite lost amidst all the restaurants we saw, and didn't want to take the chance of trying the wrong ones since we only had a few days to spare.  I wanted something that came highly recommended by all - be it tourists or locals and one restaurant that I came across was Matsusakagyu Yakiniku.  How highly recommended was it?  #1 out of 5806 restaurants in Osaka (according to Tripadvisor)!!!  Need I say more?  Sadly, we had just had our fill of wagyu beef that night so I passed and went on to search for other restaurants to try.  Besides, the address was far too confusing (someone mentioned it was located in some alleyway) and being unable to read Japanese, we definitely had to pass.  Fast forward a few days later, it was our last day in Osaka.  We were running around like headless chickens because of last minute shopping, and we already had one restaurant on our lunch list:  Ichiran.  We haven't had the chance to have any tonkotsu ramen yet and Ichiran was among one of the highly recommended ramen restaurants in Osaka.  As luck would have it, when we arrived in Ichiran, the place was closed!  We couldn't read why, but it was scheduled to reopen a week after.  Boo.  Seemingly lost, we wandered around, until Hubby went into one of the alleys to look for food.  Most of the restaurants were still closed, so we walked on until a familiar signage caught my eye.  At first, I wasn't really sure what made me stop and look at the signage.  It looked strangely familiar and then suddenly, *DING!!!*  Lightbulb moment!  Lo and behold, we were standing right outside Matsusakagyu Yakiniku!

The excitement died down as soon as it started when we realized that a. no one was outside , b. the door was closed thus c. the restaurant might be closed.  Luckily, I married a very persistent husband who, seeing the closed door, went on to open it and marched inside.  We were greeted by a surprised server who thankfully can speak English and informed us that they only accept cash during lunch.  

The extremely small dining "room"

After our agreement to the "cash only" basis, we were ushered into this small yet cozy dining room.  It was cramped; there were only two of us but we felt like we couldn't fit another person in there anymore.  But who cares?  We were there for the food!  So we browsed for a while, debating what to get since everything sounded so good.  Finally, we agreed on 2 combination sets, then got another order a while after *wink* (will explain this a bit later).

Lean Parts

Marbled Parts

Rare Parts

Sets

Part Chart

Combination of Marbled and Rare Parts Set

An order of Maboroshi No Misuji

Sizzle, Sizzle

The verdict?  Words cannot express how extremely delicious the beef was!  Orgasmic x 1000000.  Crazily good!  The tenderness of the beef, coupled with the heavenly aroma sent us into a glassy-eyed euphoria.  Yes, it was the best piece of meat we have tasted in our whole life.  EVER.  Hubby and I initially just chose 2 combination sets to try, but we got so overwhelmed with how good one particular part was, the maboroshi no misuji (only one comes from each cow, according to the menu), that we decided to get another order of just that part!  Eating wagyu will never be the same again once you've tried the ones served in Matsusakagyu Yakiniku.  I've never given this rating before but I'll happily give it 10 out of 5 stars!  Matsusakagyu Yakiniku, I will be back.  And that's a promise.

Matsusakagyu Yakiniku is at 1-1-19 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0076, Japan

Osaka: Where and What to Eat

From my previous post, I've mentioned that Dotonbori in Osaka has a whole stretch of restaurants.  We were able to try some of them during our trip and one realization I have is that the Japanese really have a passion for food.  95% of what we ate during our short 4-day stay was delicious!  Advanced apologies though, this list is not complete, and only one of them has an English name.  But no worries, I've also taken photos of the store signages in case you guys are in Osaka and would want to try out  some of the restaurants I featured here.   

Chibo

Osaka is famous for two main food items.  This is the first one:  Okonomiyaki, which is a Japanese pancake.  Before our trip to Osaka, Chibo came highly recommended by two people, so it was indeed a must-try.  Good thing too because the signage has English so it was way easier for us to find.

Okonomiyaki

So how was Chibo's okonomiyaki?  Er...  truth be told, we didn't like it.  Disappointed would be the word.  We expected something soft, moist and fluffy that will send you straight to orgasmic fantasies but this one did nothing like that.  What we got was a piece of pancake that was quite dry and a bit overcooked.  Must have been a off day for the chef because my friend D who recommended Chibo couldn't believe it when I told him that it wasn't good.  He actually thought there was something wrong with my tastebuds.  LOL.  I assured him that nothing was wrong with me because two of us tried it and we both didn't like it.  As I said, off day.  Sad though because we weren't able to go back and try it once again.

The second food item which Osaka is known for would be the takoyaki.  Many of us here in the Philippines is familiar with this one because you can practically find this everywhere - from the streets, to the malls and even bazaars!  And in Osaka, there was definitely no shortage of takoyakis because the stretch of Dotonbori has 5 or more stalls selling takoyaki.  We wanted to try each one initially but our tummies wouldn't permit it, so we had to decide on one.  What made us go for this one was that the queue was much longer compared to the others.

Takoyaki

Sadly, once again, this one failed in comparison to the better takoyakis we've had here in Manila.  I regret for not going takoyaki-hopping.  Maybe next time...

After the unsatisfying okonomiyaki and takoyaki (yes, we ate all these on the same night!), Hubby suggested we try a restaurant we passed by earlier.  We were intrigued by the black cow hanging on the side of their signage.  Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a restaurant that serves wagyu beef.  After that realization, we were inside faster than you can say "wagyu"!

Wagyu

Don't ask me how it was because by merely judging the marbling of the pieces served to us, it was a little piece of heaven!  Literally melt in your mouth!  The wagyu was coated with some kind of sauce (tasted like teriyaki sauce) when served, which added to the flavor of the beef.  Oishi! (means delicious in Japanese)

When in Osaka, do go for the okonomiyaki and takoyaki.  Though we did not enjoy the ones we tried, I'm not closing my doors on those two because I know there's definitely other restaurants that serve better versions of it.  And do not ever miss out on the wagyu beef!  Also strongly recommended are the sushis and surprise surprise, packed meals from 7-Eleven.  

Don't worry, my food posts are not done yet.  Among all the restaurants we've tried during our stay in Osaka, one did extremely stand out.  And boy, our palate got so spoiled with this one, things will never be the same again.  Watch out for it!

Dotonbori is at Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan