Well, obviously Tokyo — or at least Shibuya — didn't go big on the Spanish national sweet-tooth snack. The San Ginés churros shop at the top of Spain-zaka is already dead and boarded up. It didn't even last a year.
All that's left is the menu outside...
...and a small corner of the original outside decor:
Now the only place in Tokyo (that we are aware of) where we can pick up churros is here – in Hiroo...
Or we could just save up for a repeat of our recent trip to Valencia...
I can't think of many more stylish places in Tokyo – let alone in Roppongi – to settle in with a nice pot of quality Uva...
Or maybe a tasty frothy choco-strawberry latte...
If the latticework of the window reflections looks familiar, then you'll recognize the setting: the Vogue Cafe, inside the sleek sinuous facade of the still awe-insiring atrium of the National Art Center.
On the museum web site it's still called the Salon de Thé Rond – aptly enough given its shape – but the Vogue name (and sponsorship) fits most aptly with the fluid contours of this outstanding architecture.
The Vogue Cafe is a lot airier and more pleasant than the neighboring brasserie, Paul Bocuse Le Musée, up on its acro/claustro-phobic perch under the ceiling.
"One part luxury liner to two parts Star Wars launch pad" I called it in my JT review. I'm happy to stand by that description.
Here's a map link...
On an excursion to Zushi last week, I chanced once again upon the peripatetic heidi pizzeria. This time the van was parked in the forecourt of a supermarket, close to the station. So, no ocean view or bracing sea air.
But it's still no less impressive to see the glowing pizza oven built into the back of that VW bus...
And the pizzas are the same as ever. By which I mean not only scaled down, but eclectic. And most definitely local.
This one — called "Nero" — featured not squid ink but hijiki seaweed, harvested just down the road, off Hayama. Topped with shirasu whitebait (from the same locale). And cross-hatched with mayonnaise. Very Japonaise...
For more on Heidi Pizzeria — the latest additions to the menu and the schedule of locations — check out the blog here...
Finding ourselves at the Shimbashi end of Ginza the other evening and in need of some light sustenance, we decided to try our luck at Mardi Gras. Usually that would be a very long shot without a reservation — on a weekday we wouldn't even bother — but this was a Saturday (and still in the post-quake self-restraint gloom), so we were able to walk straight in.
This excellent little basement grill/wine specialist is one of our longtime favourites, and has changed little since I wrote it up in the Japan Times back in 2001. Best of all, chef Touru Wachi's Spanish/Mediterranean-inflected food remains as reliably tasty as ever.
We settled in (as we usually do) with sherry, which came with complementary wedges of tortilla español (good) and bread rolls (forgettable).
Our first appetizer was the plate of mixed pintxos. It's a great selection of nibbles on sticks: quails' eggs, breaded balls of sausage meat, deep-fried Brussels sprouts, tiny one-bite squid, eringi mushrooms cooked with fennel, and even smoked salmon with small cubes of cream cheese.
Our other starter was the creamy cod brandade...
By this time we had a bottle open. Mardi Gras' wine list seems to have shrunk a bit over the years, and still is too focused on French rather than Spanish or the New World bottles that would better fit Wachi's cooking — this is Ginza, though, so name brands count for everything. But the Saladin (Haut Brissan/Côtes de Rhône Villages; 100% Grenache; organic) delivered the kind of quick-to-drink spicy-smooth flavours we were looking for...
Especially since this was our main course: a terrific lamb tajine, with pine nuts and prunes in a lovely rich meaty gravy.
This was so good it deserves a close-up shot...
In fact it was so good it should be on video...
We lingered long enough to share a dessert, a very fine creme caramel drenched with bitter-sweet sauce.
Satisfying food; a good bottle of wine; a quiet, unpretentious setting you can settle into (the New Orleans music on the sound system). For Ginza, this is pretty great value.
Full details in the JT archives...
And here's a map link...
Just in case you got the wrong idea, the Deli at the Park Hyatt is a big favourite of mine. Pricy it may be, but the quality is unimpeachable. I always like to drop by when I'm in the neighbourhood — not that I find myself in Nishi-Shinjuku too often — for a bite or just to pick up some of their exceptional take-out goodies.
The quiches are superb, no doubt because they use premium eggs. This one was perfectly cooked, and had a nice tangy hit of semi-dried tomato...
A slice of very colourful frittata...
And a couple of very tasty norimaki — crab and kazunoko; and (on the right) lightly pickled vegetables, including beautiful red aka-kabu.
And it won't be long now until the Deli's outdoor seats come into their own. On sunny summer days, these are some of the most hotly contested lunchtime seats in all of Nishi-Shinjuku.
Here's the map link...
Food writer and restaurant reviewer for the Japan Times contact: foodfile (at) me (dot) com
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