Meat Man – Lively and good

Posted on October 28, 2018 by sybillesbeenthere

Tokyo – A Japanese friend recommended this great small place in Roppongi to us. Although it was a Sunday evening it was full of people, so don’t forget to reserve your table or place at the bar.

You can order your food in tapas sized portions and just eat as much as you can. The food is not too complicated but very good. It can be very loud inside, so maybe not the best choice for a first date or romantic night 😉

https://teyandei.com/?page_id=11

Champagne overfloat
The menu for tourists
Grilled eggs wrapped with bacon
Inconspicuous from the outside
Menu for the locals
Food storage
Sitting at the bar
Skewers with dip sauce

Okinawa food at Teyandei

Posted on October 28, 2018 by sybillesbeenthere

Tokyo – The Shibuya branch of the Teyandei restaurant is a hidden gem for me. We reserved a table on a Friday night and did a nice walk before dinner around vibrant Shibuya. This branch is a “take off shoes” restaurant, so do not wear your oldest socks 😉

The food is inspired from Okinawa (south islands of Japan) and I tasted sea grapes for the first time.

Sea grapes
The bill
Walking around Shibuya
The menu for tourists
The menu for the locals
Open kitchen
Bar around the kitchen
Waldorf and Statler?
Main dish
Sea grapes
Main dish

The washroom offers here as often their own slippers.

http://teyandei.com/?page_id=30

Yauatcha – Dim Sum heaven

Posted on October 28, 2018 by sybillesbeenthere

London – Are you looking for contemporary Cantonese dim sum in London? You will find them in two London branches of the Yauatcha restaurant in Soho and City. We reserved a table at the Soho branch.

The dim sum and all other dishes were just delicious. The price is justified if one thinks of the elaborate preparation of the food and the location in the middle of London. See some of the food in the picture gallery an on their website. I will definitely go again.

https://www.yauatcha.com/soho/

Menu
Bath room
Restaurant
First course crispy spring rolls
Various Dim sum
The bill
Front door

Address: 15-17 Broadwick Street, London W1

BBQ at Yoroniku

Posted on October 23, 2016 by sybillesbeenthere

Tokyo – For our last evening we wanted to get a real treat. A friend recommended this popular place in Roppongi for great quality meat.

Inside, you are sitting around an in built BBQ and the staff will grill your meat just as it has to be – namely perfect.

We chose the set menu containing almost every part of the cow starting with tongue, heart, 3rd stomach and finally ending with the Chateaubriand and Kobe slices.

I was really delicious. You have to book early, let’s say at least 1.5 months in advance.

Set menu

Grill built in the table

What part is it?

Marbled meat

Sunrise in Tokyo

savorjapan.com

Teyandei THE cool place for Japanese food in tapas style portions

Posted on October 23, 2016 by sybillesbeenthere

Tokyo – If you want to try as much Japanese dishes and styles as you can get with a modern twist then go to Teyandei. A Japanese friend recommended it to me and I am really sad such a great place does not exist in Zurich.

The staff does not really speak a lot of English but somehow you manage. It helps if you are seated around the kitchen and grill so you may order a dish you have seen prepared already and just show the staff. The words you DO need to survive are simple: Aligato (Thank you), biru (beer) and oishiiii (delicious). By the way for Swiss people, I strongly recommend the webinar crash course to learn some Japanese by Ronja Sakata.

To summarize, a place with really tasty food, cool and trendy young people (a bit loud maybe;-)) and not at all expensive. I highly recommend! Book early and bear in mind, this is a “take off shoes” restaurant…

View over Tokyo Yoyogi park

Menu card

Inside Teyandei

very, very small dried fish

Spicy prawns with mayonaise

Appetizer platter

Meat with avocado and Parmesan

Welcome

Otora Sake, my favourite

Dessert made of pumkin

the bill

teyandei.com

Once in a lifetime ryokan ASABA

Posted on October 16, 2016 by sybillesbeenthere

Shuzenji (between Kyoto and Tokyo) – When in Japan, a visit of a ryokan (Japanese inn) is a must do!

We selected this beautiful place and enjoyed every minute of it. The rooms are in traditional Japanese style with tatami mats in the whole hotel, so you are only allowed to walk in socks or bare feet. As soon as you arrive at the hotel you get rid of your shoes anyway and you receive a beautiful kimono (yukata) to wear throughout your stay…so you can dive into this other world and let yourself get indulged.

During all your stay you can take a bath in the natural hot springs inside and outside (open air). If you feel too hot you can also feed the koi fish (yes, they are always hungry!) in the pond or just relax and enjoy the calming atmosphere.

Dinner is served at any time you want in your room. This time we were also sitting on the floor at a low table, but luckily for us and our bones with a big cushion :-). This food was again beautifully prepared and decorated in the theme of autumn. For the second time we tasted fugu fish…and luckily are still alive.

After dinner the staff prepares your futon beds at the very same place in your room. In the morning you can choose between continental breakfast and Japanese breakfast…after a little discussion I agreed to the Japanese breakfast. I am really NOT fussy at all with food and I bravely ate the grilled barracuda, eggplant, miso soup and rice but when I opened the mussels soup bowl I had to give in 😉

Definitively a place I will never forget!

View of the hotel

Dinner menu

Dinner is served

Some soup?

Sashimi

Don’t remember…but am sure it was good

Some more fish

Eggplant

Ginger and green team ice cream

Futons are ready

www.asaba-ryokan.com

Lunch at Zen Vegetarian Restaurant Shigetsu @ Tenryu-ji Temple

Posted on October 16, 2016 by sybillesbeenthere

Kyoto – On our first day in Japan we were brave enough to eat a 100% Japanese lunch, cross-legged on the floor.

The food was very good and I’m sure with the best ingredients but to be honest, sometimes I really had no idea what I was eating and it does not make it easier if the colour of your food is a mix of green and grey…

The staff was very friendly but English language not one of their assets. So we managed in the end to almost eat the 8 or 10 courses, but after a while sitting on the floor this is really hurting everywhere below the hips and you automatically speed up to finish.

Luckily, the weather was great and we made a nice little walk through the gardens of the temple.

Worth the go but book early in advance.

PS: This is also a place where no shoes are allowed inside…but for the bathroom you get extra slippers.

www.tenryuji.com/en/shigetsu

Fugu at Ishibe-Kouji Kamikura

Posted on October 16, 2016 by sybillesbeenthere

Kyoto – If you ever happen to visit Kyoto, you should definitively eat at this wonderfully, beautifully and modern interpreted upscale Japanese restaurant.

After we finally found the entrance to this very small place (in a little alley with only Japanese signs outside….) we were in Japanese gourmet heaven.

We had a 10 course menu with the best of Japanese kitchen you can imagine. As it was autumn season, the food and decoration was all dedicated to it in perfection.

See the pictures and be inspired. If you go: Take time and bring the big briefcase…..