Robbie Swinnerton - The Japan Times

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Robbie Swinnerton

Robbie Swinnerton has been living, eating and writing about food in Tokyo for over 30 years. His column, Tokyo Food File, has run in The Japan Times since 1998.

For Robbie Swinnerton's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Oct 13, 2002

Fresh, raw Ebisu, on the half-shell

Oysters are definitely in season these days -- and not just because the summer is over and there's an "R" in the letters of the month. Overlooked and undervalued for too long here (or perhaps just overshadowed by all the other superb seafood that's available), these humble bivalves are only now being...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Oct 6, 2002

Iseya: Tempura with a tale to tell

Iseya is a diamond in the rough-and-ready neighborhood that lies to the north of Asakusa. Set between the sleazy, winking red lights of the Senzoku soaplands and the grim and grimy flophouses of San'ya, this is far from tourist territory. And Iseya is no tourist restaurant. But without doubt it's a shitamachi...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Sep 29, 2002

As bistros go, this one is parfait

It's the post-holiday syndrome, the back-at-work midweek slump. You feel like eating out, but you don't want to get dressed up. You need to avoid straining the credit card. And you're certainly not in the mood for elaborate delicacies or rare vintages by candlelight.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Sep 22, 2002

Shinsekai Saikan: Old school from the New World

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Sep 15, 2002

Simplicity, the mother of perfection

First impressions are everything. You can tell a good restaurant from the moment you walk through the door. It could be a visual cue or the general layout, a subtle feeling that the feng shui is right. It could be the way you are greeted at the door, the movements of the chef or the reassurance of seeing...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Sep 8, 2002

Toutouan: Three hours of pure bliss

Toutouan lies inside Tokyo -- but only just. You will find it far from the throbbing heart of the city, on the western fringes of the greater metropolis, not so far from where the Tama River flows.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Sep 1, 2002

Lime: Sublime fare, out of the blue

Just what Tokyo needs -- another Asian-themed dining bar that features exotic interior flourishes and caters to the youthful Ginza office crowd. But hold the all-knowing, world-weary sarcasm. In the case of Lime, it's unfair and quite uncalled for.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Aug 25, 2002

New kids on the Aoyama block

There's been a host of new openings in the Aoyama area recently, and they're a very mixed bag. Top of everyone's list has to be Kubakan & Republica, the eagerly anticipated restaurant-cum-champagne lounge.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Aug 11, 2002

Vietnam Alice: It's summer, so lighten up

The Vietnamese know all about hot weather. And one of their ways of dealing with the heat has been to make their food light and appetizing. Using plenty of aromatic herbs, colorful garnishes and condiments that are fragrant yet not overwhelming to the palate, theirs is the most subtle cuisine in all...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Aug 4, 2002

Salsita: Just like they do it back in old Mexico

'The best Mexican food in town,' the hand-chalked sign outside Salsita proclaims. That's certainly a cocksure statement for a cantina of such modest dimensions. But, as we all know (in Japan better than anywhere else), when it comes to eating well, what matters is neither the size of the kitchen nor the length of the menu but quality, attention to detail and that plus-alpha personal touch. You'll find Salsita has that in spades.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Jul 21, 2002

Basement beats and eats

So what do hip young French eat when they go out clubbing these days? Actually, that's a trick question. Nobody feels like eating much when there is a first-rate DJ working the turntables. But that doesn't mean there's nothing worth eating on the menu at La Fabrique Paris, the cutting-edge club-cum-diner...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Jul 14, 2002

Keep your cool in the big heat

Every food has its season, and every season its food -- and the arrival of the big heat means that, more than ever, this is the time of year for noodles.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Jul 7, 2002

Hisio: The pleasure zone is your oyster

Now that the monthlong soccer carnival has samba'd off stage, it's safe to venture back into the heartland of Roppongi again. This is highly welcome, as there are several places that we've been looking forward to trying out -- and top of the list is Hisio, with its newly opened oyster bar.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Jun 30, 2002

Even a sultan would approve

No matter their relative prowess on the soccer field, there can be no disputing which of the nations that reached the semifinal of the World Cup would deserve to be champions, were the title decided on culinary merit alone. With all respect to the gastronomy of Germany, Brazil and South Korea, none can...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Jun 16, 2002

Nodaiwa: Why put off eel you can eat today?

Who says you have to wait till the dog days of midsummer to enjoy unagi? Ignore the media hype: There are no rules that say when you should (or should not) eat your eel. But if you are only going to dine on unagi once a year, then make it somewhere special. And you will not find anywhere in Tokyo that...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Jun 9, 2002

Welcome to the great out-of-doors

Every year around this time we get the same plaintive inquiries: "Isn't there anywhere half decent in this city where you can eat outdoors?" And, as always, the answer is "yes -- and no."

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

Jun 2, 2002

The slow train to France

To reach AOC Yoyogi entails an undemanding stroll down a narrow shotengai shopping street in one of those quiet, unexceptional parts of Tokyo you would never have recourse to visit in the normal run of affairs. It's only minutes away from the JR station, but far enough that you feel well removed from...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

May 26, 2002

Enough to make Spanish eyes smile

In case you hadn't noticed, Spanish food is big right now -- or at least that's what the vernacular magazines would have us believe. This, of course, is not the first time it's been touted as the next big thing. But somehow a critical mass of popularity was never achieved, and Spain's culinary profile...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

May 19, 2002

A marriage guaranteed to last

Designer dining: It's a minefield in this city. In the past few months, we've sat ourselves down in too many places where the surroundings are flashy but the food is at best ordinary, too often misguided fusion dabblings, and at worst close to inedible. We haven't seen such a major outbreak of style...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE

May 12, 2002

Natural quality, Acquavino style

You don't get to become a successful restaurateur without knowing exactly what it is that people want. As the man behind the Acquapazza and Mangia Pesce stable of ristoranti, chef Yoshimi Hidaka helped to define the new high-end Italian cucina of the cash-flush 1990s. Now he shows he is equally in tune...

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.

How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan

By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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