Maple syrup goes with anything — even fried chicken
The staff at Soul Snacks in Ginza will politely recommend that you move the tiny chicken drumsticks out of the way before you cover your waffle with syrup and butter, but disregard that. As awful as it sounds, the chicken tastes best doused with ...
Tokyoites needn't be sheepish about New Zealand cuisine
New Zealand is famous for its lamb, pasture-fed on the country's rolling green hills. Lamb being hard to come by in Japan, a New Zealand restaurant is a good bet if you're craving lamb chops. There are two big ones in Tokyo: Wakanui (B1F, ...
In search of the fruits of Okinawa's oceans
Seven years ago, I bit into a delicate variety of seaweed called umi-budō, or "sea grapes." I remember sampling a few dishes at Unjami, an Okinawan-style izakaya off Nakano Broadway in Tokyo (5-55-1 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo; 03-5345-5836), but the umi-budō stood out as something ...
Pastry goods the color of White Day
If you're looking to impress a special girl in your life but want to keep things simple and easy on the wallet, Shiseido Parlour launched a line of white sweets this month that will be available until White Day (March 14). The custard pudding ...
Kagari: Creamy soup and noodles worth lining up for
Tracking down tiny, one-counter restaurants in Tokyo's narrow backstreets can often feel like the proverbial haystack needle-search. No such problem finding Kagari. The giveaway is the perpetual line of people outside.
Favorite finds from 2013's Food File
As 2013 draws to a well-replete coda, there's just enough time to stop, pause and ponder the culinary highlights of the past 12 months. Tokyo has never been better for eating out, and this year has brought a further glut of excellent restaurants at ...
Ice-cream businesses fight the winter chill
With temperatures this year that peaked in the mid-30s, made only worse by Tokyo's hair plastering humidity, there were two major topics that were featured prominently on television: how hot it was and what could be done to beat the heat. Cameras showed long ...
Satisfy that sweet tooth with a limitless pick of the trolley
Nothing beats a great dessert at the end of a memorable meal — and never more so than when you're out for a yearend splurge. Many high-end restaurants offer double the pleasure, laying on two sweet courses, or even three if you count the ...
A modern twist to traditional snacks
Nowhere is the intersection of Japanese food culture and style more obvious than in the genteel, refined world of wagashi. For centuries, Japanese confectioners, especially those associated with Kyoto and the rituals of the tea ceremony, have produced sweets of astounding intricacy and beauty. But, ...
Chocolate gelato at its most intense
Who eats chocolate in summer? Very few people who I know. It's not just that chocolate bars melt in seconds: The taste can seem too heavy and the texture too cloying. It simply doesn't seem to suit Japan's muggy heat. But there's one exception ...
Katsuzen: Ginza offers tonkatsu that's a cutlet above
Tonkatsu is comfort food, gourmand grub — not a gourmet delicacy. So what are those hearty, unpretentious deep-fried breaded pork cutlets doing in an elegant little bar-style restaurant above one of Ginza's temples to high-end consumption? Katsuzen has come a long way from its humble ...
