Cooking Class: Tokyo Sumida

When I visit a new country, I like to take a cooking class, so while on vacation in Tokyo, we arranged to do just that. We met the class teacher at a nearby train station, and walked to the nearby studio.  It was generous sized space on the second floor of a low rise industrial building. …

Restaurant review: Zauo Shibuya

During my research of places-to-eat in Tokyo, a friend reposted a YouTube video about a concept restaurant in Tokyo, where you go fishing to catch your own dinner.  It was called Zauo the Fishing Restaurant (ざうお新宿店). This was actually a small chain of izakayas with several locations.  We booked two tables at the Shibuya location….

Restaurant review: Udon Kanōya

During my spring vacation in Japan, we visited the Sensō-ji buddhist temple in Asakusa Tokyo. After spending an hour in the temple and the adjacent Asakusa Namamise Market, we stopped for lunch at a small noodle place called Kanōya (手打ちうどん叶屋) Many of the restaurants in the area were small, and had difficulty seating our group (there…

Restaurant review: Konjiki Hototogisu Shibuya

During a vacation in Tokyo, we were sitting around the AirBnB house in Shibuya, looking for nearby places to eat when we came across a small ramen/soba shop called Konjiki Hototogisu (金色不如帰). Although it didn’t earn a Michelin star, it’s mentioned in the Michelin restaurant guide, earning a “Bib Gourmand” (meaning it’s exceptionally good, and…

Restaurant review: Tonkatsu Wako Shinjuku I-land

During a spring vacation in Japan, while wandering around the Shinjuku ward (and after checking out the panoramic view from the Metropolitan Government Building) we decided to grab a bite to eat, and picked Tonkatsu Wako Shinjuku (とんかつ和幸 新宿アイランドタワー店). The Wako group is a national chain of tonkatsu restaurants with almost 200 locations in just…

Takeout review: Dominique Ansel Bakery Ginza

Prior to a spring holiday in Tokyo Japan, while researching things to do and places to go, I noticed that Dominique Ansel (of New York City “Cronut” fame) had not one, but TWO bakeries in Tokyo. So when we stopped to do some shopping in the Ginza District, I had to seek out his bakery…