From outside, Beverino looks classier than you might expect on the drab stretch of Meiji-dori between Ebisu and Shibuya. But the wine list immediately reassures, offering a score of bottles at ¥2,800, a dozen at ¥600 per glass, and plenty more in higher price ...
In our book, anything that's been slowly grilled over charcoal -- and as long as it's not slathered in a thick, savory, soy-based tare sauce -- goes beautifully with wine. And if the kitchen is using fine ingredients and premium charcoal, especially the variety ...
As at all the best Japanese restaurants, provenance and quality are just as important as preparation. The seafood is shipped direct from ports along the Inland Sea; the vegetables come from the market gardens of Tamba, outside Kyoto; and the wonderful Senba tofu that ...
All the standard Okinawan dishes are present and reasonably correct. The various kinds of champuru (stir fries with tofu and egg) include hechima (gourd); goya, naturally; and nakami, a spicy mix of organ meats. And if you don't fancy the ashitebichi (simmered pig trotters, ...
There's no mystery as to what's on the menu at Kamo-shabu Chikutei. Even if you didn't know that "kamo" means "duck," the lamps at the entrance with their stylized image of a mallard in flight give the game away.
Even more innovative is the menu. There is a fixed, four-course menu of the day, but you are under no obligation to order it. The long a la carte menu features two dozen "petites assiettes degustation" — tapas, essentially — and it is entirely ...
The main influences are Cantonese, but allegiance is also paid to Shanghai. The shark's fin soup is bulked out with plenty of king crab meat and egg white in a thick chicken broth. The sliced fillet of beef is sauteed soft in black bean ...
The delicate hot broth is made with chicken, fish and konbu seaweed, the noodles are light and they are served with half an ajitama egg, slices of freshly grilled chashu pork and a garnish of fragrant yuzu peel. It's just as much a classic ...
All the patties are prepared in-house from 100 percent wagyu (Japanese black Angus cows -- hence the name, an abbreviation of "black cow"). The buns are from the celebrated Maison Keyser bakery. And there's a tasty range of fillings, from spicy jalapeno to Italian-style ...
A simple lunch counter serves fresh pasta, soup and salads, and two young pizzaiolos tend to a squat wood-fired oven that wafts wonderful aromas through the store and into the mini-piazza.
