Top Ten Tasty Treats in Tokyo
With family and friends over in Japan, I try to go back there at least once a year and one of the big things I miss is the amazing choice and quality of food. Tokyo alone has more than 150,000 restaurants, with the highest number of Michelin Starred outlets in the world. Whilst I’m there, I pretty much always have a list of the food I want to eat. Not all of it is Japanese and not all of it is gourmet, but in my opinion, it is still delicious and not to be missed.
In no particular order, here are my top ten tasty treats in Tokyo
1. Tonkotsu Ramen - There are many different flavours of ramen (corn, salt, miso, etc.) but by far my favourite is tonkotsu. This is a rich meaty broth made from pork stock (it all adds pounds but, I’m on holiday). The main ingredient of the dish is ramen noodles, but you can add extras such as chashu (slow cooked pork), soft boiled eggs, beansprouts, seaweed etc. I normally have mine fully loaded with a side of gyoza (fried pork dumplings). There’s a place in Ookurayama (on the Tokyu Toyoko line) called Nanashi which is one of my favourite places to eat it. Please note that audible slurping is the norm whilst eating this dish.
2. Unagi (BBQ’d eel) - Forget the anaemic looking jellied eels of London and try this. Freshly prepared eel, BBQ’d in a special sweet sauce and served on perfectly steamed rice. I have heard that this dish gives men a boost too! Narita (not strictly Tokyo) is a great place to eat this, which is close to the international airport if you have an afternoon to spare before a flight. There is also an impressive temple with gardens to have a wander around.
3. Sushi - A must try dish when in Japan. There are many types of sushi and not all of them contain raw fish (sashimi). There are sushi restaurants everywhere you go and they are normally all good quality and value. The cheaper places tend to give you bigger portions of rice to fill you up faster! I recently went to a sushi place that delivered your dishes on a shinkansen train which was good fun, but if you want it fresh, you can’t go wrong with the many outlets next to Tsukiji, the world’s largest fish market.
4. Yaki Niku - Basically, this is grilled meat, but you do the grilling. There is a hot plate in the middle of the table, you order the raw meat and vegetables and then you cook it. It’s great fun, very sociable and because of the quality of the meat, it’s hard to undercook anything and make yourself ill! Because this is derived from a Korean concept, you can normally order a nice side of spicy kimchi too.
5. Hiroshima yaki - I like to think of this as a Japanese version of bubble and squeak. The dish is famous in Osaka, but the Hiroshima version has the addition of noodles. A batter is cooked on an open teppan plate in front of you with cabbage, pork, noodles and egg to create an amazing omelette style dish. It is covered with a fruity brown sauce, lashings of mayonnaise and bonito flakes that dance invitingly in the heat. An old haunt of mine that comes highly recommended is Kyo No Sin in Jiyugaoka. If you get the season right, order a side of yaki kaki (grilled oysters).
6. Tempura - Perfectly light and crispy battered prawns, fish, scallops, butternut squash, aubergine, asparagus, sweet potato. Dip simply in salt, lemon, seasoning. What’s not to like? One of the most famous places is Ten-ichi in Ginza which also has restaurants in other locations. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it. Try for the bar seating where everything is cooked in front of you.
7. Supermarket delights - I love going into supermarkets when I’m abroad because it gives me an insight into what people buy and eat at home. Japanese supermarkets are full of ready to eat treats. I love the array of Koroke (potato croquettes) with fillings ranging from cheese to crab in cream sauce (I know, but remember, I’m on holiday). They also have amazing quality sushi and freshly made onigiri (rice balls with various fillings) which are to the Japanese what the sandwich is to the British. If you go in the early evening when they are reducing the prices, you can balance out the cost of the tempura you ate last night.
8. Department store desserts - No one does French patisserie like…well, the French, but Japan has to be a close second. In the basements of high end department stores lies a floor full of amazing outlets selling great food. If you have little shame, you can fill up on the free samples from a lot of them, but one mouthful is never enough. The presentation and taste is exquisite.
9. Izakayas - These are the Japanese version of pubs. They are not free for all seating with a bar however. You are normally seated with your party and service is of the table variety. There is usually a great selection of dishes that you order to share amongst the table rather than just ordering one thing to eat yourself. Edamame, karage (deep fried chicken), tofu, noodles, fried rice, vegetables, yaki tori (chicken skewers), sashimi, sushi, the list is huge. Excellent food to share with friends along with a few cold draught beers (As luck would have it, Japan has an excellent choice of lagers). These establishments are not always at ground level, so keep your eyes peeled upwards.
10. Gyu don - A bowl of thinly sliced seasoned beef/pork and onion on top of steamed rice. Cheap, simple, delicious. Add some picked ginger for some zing. Yoshinoya is probably the most well known ‘fast food’ chain to serve this dish and it will only cost you a few pounds. Who said Tokyo was expensive?
I hope you find joy in trying some or all of the above. If you ever want to visit this amazing country or just want some advice on what to do when you’re there, please give me a call.
