Kudanshita Warayakiya • 5 comments • There weren't many restaurants near the park we were wandering around. We stumbled onto a beautiful narrow building wedged between two fast food restaurants, a dentist, and a bunch of commercial real estate. Hungry, and kind of tired, we figured we'd take our chances without checking reviews. Sometimes, it's a challenge to navigate Tabelog (Japan's version of yelp) on the phone and we weren't in the mood to decipher translations. If you're going to luck out anywhere for good food with minimal research, it's going to be in Tokyo. Kudanshita Warayakiya is a beautiful restaurant. They had an English menu for us, and the staff was incredibly friendly. We ordered bonito with wasabi and salt, which had a really unique flavor because of the way it was "cooked" (it's mostly raw, just seared). They had an entire section on their menu that was fresh food from "the market of Tosa" - mostly fried vegetables and meats. "Otooshi" was served to us, which was described on the menu as "a simple dish served at restaurants and pubs to accompany alcohol before the ordered dishes come out. They are served whether an order is placed or not, and can be chargeable." It was ¥380. They had Japanese Nabe Hot Pot dishes that we didn't try. Instead, we opted to share the garlic and salt yakisoba that was found under the "Rice of Tosa" section. When they served us our otooshi, we had no idea what it was and since no one spoke English it was fun trying to figure out what we were about to put in our mouths. We ultimately determined it was some sort of corn dish with the help of the translate app and Google images. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the ambiance was amazing, but we did discover that they serve horse and whale at this restaurant, so, if that's something that offends you, don't add it to your list.
Okonomiyaki in Tokyo • 2 comments • Okonomiyaki is a savory "pancake" that's typically made of cabbage, eggs, and a batter plus whatever else you'd like to throw into the mix. Okonomi means "how/what you like" and yaki translates to "grilled". After hearing good things about the dish, we were curious to try it and found Furyu Okonomiyaki Sometaro. The day we visited was quite hot outside (and inside) so, it wasn't the best idea to be sitting next to a grill in a non air conditioned restaurant. While we loved it, I'd recommend going on a chillier day - it would be a great meal to warm you up. In true Japanese fashion, the ladies working there were very concerned about our comfort and turned on the air and gave us hand fans. I'm afraid that these photos and our poor preparation skills really do a disservice in selling this dish, so click here to see what it could have looked like if we knew what we were doing. The ladies working there were so amused by us and thought that Alex's stirring lacked the vigor necessary, so they stepped in. It was pretty funny to see people who were typically reserved suddenly become pretty pushy. They take their Okonomiyaki seriously! Since this trip, a friend of ours from Japan has made us Okonomiyaki for dinner. I'd definitely suggest giving it a try if you're curious. She gets her ingredients at Japantown in San Francisco but you can buy Japanese mayo at a lot of grocery stores or order it on Amazon... and our friend recommends Otafuku sauce (so good)! Other toppings include bonito flakes, which I hate and think ruin everything but you do you. I'll stick with kewpie, otafuku, and some green onions. There's a potato version that I think I'd like. Let me know if you try it! - Mina
Harajuku & Deus Ex Machina Cafe • 3 comments • Takeshita street is 4 blocks lined with crepe stands, jewelry and trinket shops, and costume stores profiting off the “Harajuku Girl” trends of the 90s. Continuing a block East lead us into the rest of Harajuku, an area saved from the tour group visits and accessory stores. During our walk around the neighborhood, we discovered vintage clothing stores, underground galleries, and laid back cafes - and we popped into one for a break. Deus Ex Machina's website describes the cafe as "small and concentrated, like an espresso". Apparently the head Barista, Yoshi, is known for for his "skills to the coffee machine" and is "famous throughout Japan for his bean whispering". We wouldn't know because we don't really drink coffee, but Alex's pulled pork sandwich and my PB & J were delicious. Personally, I didn't want to waste my time eating American food while there are so many amazing Japanese dishes to try, but was curious to check out the space. The meal was great, so if you're one of those people who look for creature comforts while abroad, this is a good option. - Mina
