Restaurant suggestions in Shinagawa area

[vitellus]

OK here's the story. My former boss is coming to Tokyo on a business trip. I would like to take him out for dinner however I'm not sure which restaurant to take him to (there will also be another former colleague). Seeing that the only place he has ventured to beyond the meeting rooms is Roppongi and the only japanese food he knows is sushi, this would be a great opportunity to introduce him to Japan and nihon ryoori.

I'm looking for something typical but not too specialized. Someplace that does not generally cater to foreigners but at the same time it shouldn't be too difficult to order food. Tasty but not too expensive. Nice but not too formal. You get the idea.

Any suggestions? Shinagawa area preferred as the company's headquarters are located there.

[Mulboyne]

I've always found Shinagawa to be a bit barren of decent Japanese restaurants. Which side of Shinagawa are you? If you are near Gotanda then you could try a robatayaki called Daizen which will give you a choice of sushi, sashimi, yakitori, tempura etc at decent prices. I've been there a number of times with visitors and it usually goes down well. Although Gotanda is two stops on the Yamanote from Shinagawa station, it is actually closer than it seems because the train loops around to take in Osaki whereas the road goes straight. There are some good yakiniku restaurants along the way too if that it is option.

[GuyJean]

Any suggestions? Shinagawa area preferred as the company's headquarters are located there.

Haven't been to many restaurants in Shinagawa, but here's a Google Map with restaurants:

http://www.bento.com/gmaps/shina.html

Have fun!

GJ

[vitellus]

Thanks for your replies. I'll try and go to Daizen with a friend and check it out (actually I've never been to a Robataki before).

Actually it doesn't have to be in the Shinagawa area - that would just be more convenient but anywhere not too far from the main centers is fine.

Yes I guess a better way to phrase the question would be "if you had friends or family visiting from abroard which restaurant in Tokyo would you take them to".

[Mulboyne]

Yes I guess a better way to phrase the question would be "if you had friends or family visiting from abroard which restaurant in Tokyo would you take them to".

That really depends on the budget and what friends and family are looking for. A lot of people seem to enjoy Gonpachi in Nishi Azabu because of the design, English menus and reasonable food. However, it doesn't seem expecially Japanese since about 80% of the people in it are white. The same applies to Inakaya - more entertainment than dining at around 15,000 a head. Panic Cafe teppanyaki and Kaikaiya are good places but you'll be amongst gaijin there too and if that is a problem then don't go. My parents enjoyed yakiniku but were slightly disappointed to learn that it was Korean. A few years back, some friends declared that their best dining experience had been Tengu which might have had more to do with the beers than the mini pizzas.

I'll put my thinking cap on and come up and post a few ideas later.

[vitellus]

Thanks. I would rather take them to a place where there are mainly japanese customers. As for the budget, hopefully it will count as a business expense : P

[Mulboyne]

Two "fun" restaurants near Akasaka-mistuke station which go down well with foreign guests are Ninja (5157-3936) and Zauo. In Ninja, the schtick is that you are greeted by a ninja and led through a hazardous corridor to your table. He might come by and do some magic tricks at your table regardless of whether you want him to or not. In Zauo, you are invited - but not obliged - to fish for your own dinner from your table. The snag is that you have to eat what you catch but the top-priced fish won't break the bank. You can have it perpared as sashimi, grilled or fried. The menu also has the usual izakaya-like dishes.

The interior of Omatsuya in Ginza looks like an old farmouse which usually strikes an authentic note for visitors. Fashion designer Paul Smith mentioned this place as one of his favourites in a recent article. Aburiya (5770-5039) a sumibiyaki place in Minami Aoyama has a similar feel. A famous robatayaki is Robata Honten (3591-1905) in Yurakucho. Very small so it depends on your numbers.

The food is OK at those places but if you want better dining then you can try these:

Yuan (5322-6427) - in the basement next to the Park Tower in Shinjuku. Stylish tatami mat seating is better than the counter. Good tofu and vegetable dishes.

Higashiyama (5720-1300) - on Nozawa Dori near the Yamate dori in Higashiyama, Nakameguro. A favourite with the designer crowd. Not to be confused with the nearby Higashiyama Daizen which is related to the Gotanda restaurant.

Odajima does a set menu every night with a mix of Japanese and Western dishes, although the chef calls it a "washoku ni wine no mise". Instead of ordering bottles of wine, you can order the "wine course" which is very good value. You'll get different wines to suit the individual courses which range from sushi to foie gras. The menu is only in Japanese but it is a set course anyway so you don't get to choose. About a 5 minute walk across the road from Roppongi hills. Tel: 3401-3345

Ebisu has some good restaurants. Fukuwarai (03 3713-5461) and Fukumirai (080-1131-0775) are in the same building with the same menu but on different floors. Slightly difficult to find since there are no signs so it might be worth casing the joint out before you take your boss on a wild goose chase. Actually, I make it a rule to know where a restaurant is if I'm on business. Restaurant maps are notoriously imprecise so it kicks off the evening well if you know where you are going beforehand. The staff will guide you in if you get lost, though. Nice interior, good food and sake. The only wine is Katsunuma which isn't to everyone's taste. A five minute walk from Ebisu Station. Also in the neigbourhood across the road is Kuon (3973-1319) which is up a flight of stairs. Reservations usually essential, menus in Japanese.

Sushi of Gari (3796-1313) Is new generation sushi on Aoyama Dori. The chef first opened in NY and then brought his style of sushi back to Tokyo. Very popular and easy to use. Some think it is a little bright inside but sushi restaurants are rarely dim.

A newish Teppanyaki restaurant is Takami on the 2nd floor of a building on Komazawa dori near Hiro high school. Not a bad option if you aren't certain how adventurous your guests are. Tel: 5766-8120.

Similarly, Mumeiro (3447-6333) near Hiro is a shabu shabu/sukiya restaurant in an old house. Good interior - mostly tatami mats all the way through but you can sprawl around if the knees start playing up.

[vitellus]

Wow! amazing! thanks a lot. You should consider writing a restaurant guide for Tokyo.

I wish I had a visitor every week so that I could try them all.

[vitellus]

I went by Daizen yesterday. Had some trouble finding it but got there finally thanks to those guys at the Koban - now they have some detailed maps.

It looked perfect except that there is no english menu, no picture menu and the staff only speak "choppiri" english. I don't mind not having an english menu or english speaking staff but if I can't point to something and say "kore o hitotsu kudasai" and be sure I don't get a live octopus on my plate then I'm afraid I'll need to go somewhere else which is a pity. Maybe I could try the old "osusume wa nan desuka" but I've never tried this in an Izakaya/Robatayaki before so results could be unpredictable.

Maybe they have some kind of dinner set? do you what the all you can drink menu is?

[Greji]

A lot of people seem to enjoy Gonpachi in Nishi Azabu because of the design, English menus and reasonable food.

That's where Koizumi took GWB and if the Prez recommends it ya gotta go. However, you might not see GJ!

[GomiGirl]

I went by Daizen yesterday. Had some trouble finding it but got there finally thanks to those guys at the Koban - now they have some detailed maps.

It looked perfect except that there is no english menu, no picture menu and the staff only speak "choppiri" english. I don't mind not having an english menu or english speaking staff but if I can't point to something and say "kore o hitotsu kudasai" and be sure I don't get a live octopus on my plate then I'm afraid I'll need to go somewhere else which is a pity. Maybe I could try the old "osusume wa nan desuka" but I've never tried this in an Izakaya/Robatayaki before so results could be unpredictable.

Maybe they have some kind of dinner set? do you what the all you can drink menu is?

hmmm maybe you could learn some hiragana or katakana and not limit yourself to only places that only have English menus.. sorry that was a bit trollish - you could always use the translation function on your mobile phone... oops that was self promotion.

If I don't understand something - the old "osusume wa nan desuka" works a treat... especially in smaller places that are proud of their menus. But sometimes it is fun to try new things - even live octopus.

[nullpointer]

That's where Koizumi took GWB and if the Prez recommends it ya gotta go. However, you might not see GJ!

OT:There's a Gonpachi in Ginza as well. The food is just as good, but it is way easier to get a place if you don't have a reservation. It's open till 4:00 in the morning, I think.

[maninjapan]

I hear the Matusya is good there.

[Mulboyne]

...It looked perfect except that there is no english menu, no picture menu and the staff only speak "choppiri" english. I don't mind not having an english menu or english speaking staff but if I can't point to something and say "kore o hitotsu kudasai" and be sure I don't get a live octopus on my plate then I'm afraid I'll need to go somewhere else which is a pity. Maybe I could try the old "osusume wa nan desuka" but I've never tried this in an Izakaya/Robatayaki before so results could be unpredictable.

Picture menus aren't that common in izakaya and robatayaki since they often have a number of daily specials which can vary a good deal. They are available in places I mentioned earlier like Kaikaiya, Inakaya, Gonpachi (and one I didn't, Bo Sono Ichi in Nishi Azabu Tel: 5766-1201) etc but you did reply that you preferred to be somewhere where there are mainly Japanese customers so you are going to have to decide what trade-off works for you. Daidaiya in the Ginza 9 building near Shimbashi (branches in Akasaka Mitsuke and Shinjuku) might be a place to consider since it is slightly off the FG beaten track. Of the restaurants I mentioned in the previous post, I can only be certain that Ninja has an English menu. You are more likely to find English/pictures in shabu shabu, sukiyaki, yakiniku and teppanyaki restaurants which will tend to have unchanging menus.

Back to Daizen, I've never tried the all you can drink menu but I think that might just refer to a set price where you can drink as much as you want from a small list (usually beer and shochu mixes). I don't think it would refer to a specific food menu but I could be wrong. Obviously it's ideal when you can read a Japanese menu but, since we've likely all been in the position where we can't and may still be, there are a few workarounds.

The good thing about izakaya and robatayaki is that you can be pretty sure they will have certain types of food. There is bound to be sashimi so you can ask for a selection (sashimi moriawase) for 2 or 3 people. They will usually have minced chicken on a stick (tsukune), fried tofu (agedashidofu), some kind of grilled fish (yaki sakana) and two or three salads or perhaps "raw spring roll" (nama harumaki). I find that if you kick off by ordering a couple of things, you'll get a much better response to the o-susume wa nan desu ka? question because the staff will suggest things to round out the meal rather than wondering where on earth to start. Daizen also has some tempura dishes and sushi so throwing out those words will help the staff. Another tactic is to keep an eye on what everyone else is having at nearby tables and ask for the same thing.

In that way, choosing your food becomes part of the dining experience. Alternatively, if you need to be slick and look like you are in charge then you can talk with the restaurant people beforehand and ask for some kind of set menu (even if they don't do one). This needs a bit of preparation but you can get a Japanese friend to handle the phone call if your speaking and comprehension aren't up to it yet. All you need to do is tell them the budget per head and decide whether you want to include drinks in the deal. Most restaurants are happy to do this because it saves them any hassle on the day.

Another thing to consider is how you pay. If your guests are going to pay then there is a fair chance they will want to use a credit card so it is worth making sure the place you choose will accept them. It is certainly getting more common but there are still a number of places that only take cash.

[vitellus]

wow that was a fascinating read. I really hope one day that I will as comfortable ordering in a japanese restaurant as you seem to be.

Actually I used to live near an Izakaya in my country and I would go there every once and a while with friends. So I know that the izakaya/robatayaki type of place is the most fun place to eat at because of the variety of food but is is also the most challenging (it was OK in that izakaya as the staff knew me quite well). I can dabble a bit in japanese and I can read the kana (the kanji are the stumbling block, no surprise there).

Anyway those tips go right into my little notebook. I'll try and pop by again to arrange that set menu thing / or go and eat there with a friend to pratice.

ありがとう　ございます

[kamome]

Not being able to read the kanji on the menu shouldn't be a problem if you can speak rudimentary Japanese. The waiter/waitress will usually be able to simply describe what it is. I think the Tengu-style chain izakaya will have pictures of everything in the menu.

[vitellus]

What about the Shirokiya izakayas (I'm not sure I got the name right)? they also have picture menus and I see their izakayas a bit everywhere...

[vitellus]

I hope they serve buta kakuni at some of these places. I discovered that dish the other day and I must eat that again soon!

[vitellus]

I completely forgotten I had taken a menu from Daizen
There seems to be 3 different types of set menus, for 5000 yen (top row of first picture), 3000 yen (2nd row) and 4000 yen (2nd picture)...at least that what I think based on the number of items in the menu and in the pictures but I could be wrong. So could anybody tell me what the menu items are (the pictures are too small to really make out the dishes)? any recommendations? I guess one could order a 4000 or 5000 yen menu and share it between 2 persons...

[vitellus]

here is the other side of the menu. I guess it's drinks and side dishes...

[vitellus]

just came back from Daizen (I went there with a friend).

we had the following items :

- sashimi moriawase
- a set of 5 yakitori
- atsuage (they didn't have the other tofu dish so they suggested this instead but I'm not sure I wrote it down correctly)
- Yoganyaki (a fun dish, not sure of the spelling again, but you cook your own meat, I guess that's why they call it japanese BBQ. They even put aprons on us to protect our clothes).
- jaga bata
- a tempura dish with cheese and something else (the waitress said lotus...)

Anyway it was great, the food was delicious and the staff very helpful so I'll definitely take my former boss there when he comes. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Greji]

so I'll definitely take my former boss there when he comes.

Then take him to Horinouchi! When he sees what they use there for an oshibori, he'll definately be impressed!

[vitellus]

ah well in the end we didn't go to the Daizen; my former boss had different ideas...anyway we had a great time and at least i'm prepared for the next important visitor.