tokyo food file

you know times have changed…

…when you see images like this…

…on trucks making deliveries…

…outside fast food stores in the heart of Centergai.

chain gang dining: eating on the cheap in Tokyo

Following up on my piece that went up today on CNNGo, here are a few more images of the four restaurant chains I highlighted.

Uogashi Nihon-Ichi is totally worth knowing. I chose the branch on Shibuya's Center-gai, which needless to say attracts an eclectic clientele.

It looks just like any other low-end sushiya, apart from the fact there are no chairs. As I point out in the piece, no frills, no lingering: no problem.

 

Hidakaya, on the other hand, is really only recommendable for its prices. You can't argue with ¥390 for a bowl of ramen — and less than a ¥1,000 for the same with gyoza and a flagon of Ichiban-shibori nama beer. 

For those prices, just don't expect any kind of ambience. 

 

As for Tenya, the look is so bland and dull, there seemed to be no better way to illustrate the experience than a photo of the plastic display models. In the end a generic photo of tempura was used: I hope it doesn't raise too many people's expectations...

 

No reservations whatsoever about Otooya, though. This is one classy chain, and they serve nothing but good solid fare. The decor is cheerful and so are the wait staff. The menu is extensive and well laid out. And it's always great value.

You'll have a very hard time finding a better teishoku anyway in town. To quote: "Unless you have a Japanese mom, this is as close as you're likely to get to the taste of home cooking while you're in the country."

A Shibuya landmark gets a make-over: Center-Gai McD, before and after

The arches are no longer golden (at least, not over the entrance), and the tacky French fries have been pulled down. After its recent face-lift, the 24-hour McDonald's in the heart of Center-Gai almost seems sophisticated now.

This was last year (during a pink T-shirt promotion): 

And this is now:

Is this change significant? Is it an attempt to rebrand the Big Mac? Is it a response to the 'gourmet' burger boom?  Possibly, since at least two other outlets in Shibuya now sport the same new clean-cut look. 

One more question: can we dare to hope the rest of Center-Gai will follow suit and clean up its act? Don't hold your breath on that one...

And here are some interior shots...  can this really be Mickey D's? Next thing you know they'll be serving wine!

 

hey, fishface!

And while we're on the subject of exotic headgear...

 

Here we are in Shibuya's Centergai, where nobody blinks an eyelid at anything anyone wears on any part of their anatomy — even a foam tai-yaki hat.

This is not just a gimmick — well, of course it's a gimmick — but it could well be a NEW BIG THING, or at least a boom in the making. Tai-yaki is a traditional sweet made from a batter casing baked in moulds the shape of a sea bream (tai in Japanese) with a filling of sweet azuki bean jam.  Usually made in small batches at quaint little corner shops, this simple treat has seen a major revival in the last few years fueled by retro nostalgia.

 

But this shop in Shibuya, which modestly calls itself The Taiyaki, offers a radical range of flavours way beyond the long-established Japanese spectrum. There are six varieties in all, each given a national 'identity', none of them Japanese. Out goes azuki bean jam: in comes Chocolate & Custard and Caramel Almond (both 'French'), along with Sweet Potato, which is deemed 'American' (Japanese sweet potatoes obviously aren't sexy enough).

Even more radical than this, The Taiyaki is also making savoury versions, an idea that would have been totally beyond the pale in the past. The 'Italian' has a filling of tomato sauce flavoured with basil and cheese. Cheese Currydog is apparently 'Indian', though what visitors from the Subcontinent will make of it is anyone's guess.

The only one we have tried to date was the German Potato. And actually we have to report it was pretty good — if you like the idea of fried potatoes with ham inside a batter casing that looks like a fat fish, that is.