tokyo food file

spelling out summer noodles — some of the best

Give me an N (noodles)...

Give me a T (tontoro pork)...

Give me an M (menma bamboo shoots)...

Give me a K (kinoko; here Chinese mushrooms)...

Give me a G (mizuna greens)...

Give me an S (sudachi)

And give me a T — or should that be"Give me a 'tsu"? (the all important tsuyu dipping sauce, complete with soft-boiled egg)...

What's that spell? What's that spell? What's that spell?

My current favourite tsukemen...

Full details to follow (I need a few more photos of the place first)

[and a tip of the hat to Country Joe and the Fish – I was exposed to the Woodstock movie at an impressionable age]

Hopman — craft beers on tap; good food on the menu

We dropped back into Beer Cafe Hopman last night for a quick couple of very fine pints. That's Yonayona Real Ale on the right; and Toshi's IPA on the left...

 

As mentioned in my JT column on Friday, Hopman opened at the very end of July in Chigasaki (about an hour south of Tokyo by train) and it's the first place in the Shonan area to offer a full range of craft beers — a whopping 21 of them at last count.

It's a smart, modern-looking place — open all day from lunchtime — and it's already attracting a good crowd, ranging from local folks and dating couples to beer geeks and surfer dudes.

 

The master of the house, Kousei Tashiro, used to work at Ushitora in Shimokita, so he has a very good grounding in both the beer and the kind of food that goes with it.

 

And it's an intriguing menu that he's put together, mixing café/dining standards (curry-rice etc) with mainstream pub grub (fish and chips etc) and more. The fries (potato wedges) are served with malt vinegar (along with mayo and ketchup)...

 

He's put together some intriguing takes on classic izakaya chinmi (珍味). Such as iburigakko (smoked takuan pickles, a speciality of Akita Pref.), sliced fine and sandwiched around cream cheese...

 

…and the original 和風 (wafu) pizza. The pizza base is homemade, and you get a choice of 2 different toppings: 1) Dried Fruit and Nuts (which we didn't try); or 2) ネギとカリカリじゃっこ (kujo-negi spring onions and crispy little whitebait), with red miso smeared on the crisp crust for extra savory seasoning. This one we did try and it was surprisingly good!

 

And then there's the shepherd's pie. It's an excellent variant on the traditional British classic. OK, not quite authentic in that the mashed potato on top is too creamy. But the savoury minced lamb underneath is something else!

 

Tashiro-san hasn't translated the food menu yet; but he already has the beer list available in English.

 

Yesterday, he had some back-up behind the counter (besides the usual kitchen henchman). Kawano-san of the excellent Beer Buddy was pulling pints and helping out...

 

So we had to try a couple of his brews too: the Beer Buddy Red Ale; and his Golden Summer Ale. Both are really good, though the Red Ale is served too cold and needs to stand for a bit to let its full flavour emerge.

 

As mentioned, Hopman stays open all day every day, from lunchtime right through to the last train — perfect if you're planning a day down on the coast (it's about a 20-minute walk from the beach).

Here's a map link...

Beers that taste great in August

Finding good beer in Roppongi... It's as easy as ABC — August Beer Club, that is. Here are a few more photos to go with my column in yesterday's Japan Times.

 

The name makes it sound a bit exclusive, but it's very casual, both outside and in.

 

There are no membership fees — all you have to do is sit down and order a beer. They're all good, but this is the stand-out: Toshi's IPA.

 

It's a classic IPA, but not the kind that's so hopped up it's too bitter to sink a few.  Toshi has given it a cool logo too — especially the inscription running around the outside...

 

So you don't have to strain your eyes and twist your neck too much (or turn your laptop upside down), here's what it says: "This IPA is dedicated, with all my appreciation, to the billions of Beer Geeks who have supported the craft beer scene in Japan."

The words on the logo for August Beer Club are rather less memorable:

 

You won't find any kind of toast on the food menu, but everything else we've tried has been pretty fine. Especially the carbonnade — beef cheek, simmered down in the dark August Maduro beer until it is rich and impossibly tender...

 

The pizzas are pretty good too, even if they're a bit small (and not wood-fired).

 

The oven's right in the middle of the dining room. Be warned: the seats at the back of the house are pretty warm!

Here's a map link...

Cheers!

Pivoya – a pint-sized beerhall well worth czeching out

The sign over the door says everything you need to know, in capital letters.

PIVO is the word for beer in Czech (and also several other central European languages). And that's exactly what you get at Pivoya — premium Czech brews.

 

There are kegs piled up inside and out — and they're all the good stuff. Pilsner Urquell is premium beer, one of the finest in the world. And there are usually some other lagers available, both dark and blond (such as Bernard, below).

 

There's some excellent bar food as well, although it can take time to arrive if the place is busy (as it often is on Saturday evenings). The German-style sausages, served with sauerkraut and sliced gherkin, are superior...

 

…and so is the kuro-pan (black bread) plate – a couple of slices of dark, wholesome rye bread with cream cheese and a colourful selection of vegetables, including a tasty potato salad.

 

There are also excellent Japanese-style snacks. The eda-mame are fresh cooked; there's kamaboko (for thems that like the stuff); the pasta is light and appetizing; and the foil-baked chicken is outstanding.

 

It comes in two versions: regular (above) is cooked with negi and enoki mushrooms, in a savoury miso sauce; the deluxe (below) has added broccoli and tomatoes for extra colour and flavour...

 

Pivoya is small — just three tables besides the short counter space. It's cluttered, with kegs and crates everywhere, and filling one whole wall. And it has a warm, homespun feel, with souvenirs from the Czech Republic everywhere.

In this it reflects the master of the house, Ryosuke Yonehara, a serious (and shy) man, a former salariman who has parlayed his enthusiasm into a classic little off-the-beaten-track drinking hole. It's a labour of love, a modest little classic.

More in The Japan Times, up today here...

NB:  Be aware Pivoya has some unscheduled holidays coming up. It will be closed 21-26 August. It will be open 27-29 August (including an unscheduled Sunday). And then it will also be closed 30-31 August. Check the latest on the Pivoya web site.

This is Pivoya's home page...

And here's a map link...

more August beers — tomorrow in the Japan Times