KICHIJOJI: Ramen ZERO... Jiro'esque or Tetsu'esque your choice :)

I've always randomly spotted franchise Menya ZERO1 here and there in Tokyo but never ventured inside... not much of a franchise ramen guy I guess.  

But at 2:30am all the highly ranked ramen spots in Kichijoji were closed... so the cold forced us to stop trekking around in the dark and check out Zero1.  Staring at the Japanese menu for a while when the Ramen Chef hit us up with a....

English Menu!  Nice nice.  Started with a 300yen beeru.

My View of the kitchen... L shaped counter seating.

I went for the basic "Hearty Ramen Dish" that looked so similar to Ramen Jiro and Ramen Dai... A ramen guru friend mentioned that this style of ramen was booming.  Flavor was light compared to Jiro/Dai but it hit the spot.  Side order of Garlic is free...    And my friend ordered the "New Improved Bonito Flake Tsukemen Noodles with Tonkatsu (pork)" and the soup tasted just like my favorite Roppongi Hills location Ramen TETSU.   Think I like his better.

Overall it hands down beat most of the franchise shops that are open late into the night... most of which I regret eating the next morning due to poor foodie rankings.  But if like thick chunky noodles with a heavy broth then this ZERO1 Franchise is a great place to try!

Shop: Men-ya ZERO 1 (Kichijoji Branchi).

Shop website: http://www.zeroichi.jp/menu/index.html

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1320/A132001/13095470/

Address J: 東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺南町1-5-3

Address E: 

MAP:

View Larger Map

KICHIJOJI: Jingle Jangle Hawaiian Dining... Hawaii meets Classic Movie Posters

After hitting up 2 different locations in Kichijoji it was time to find a relaxing spot... Childhood friend Kawika lead us to Hawaiian Dining "Jingle Jangle."

Left side of the entrance there is a tiny table for 2 and further back booth seating for a group of 4-5 people.  Nice and cozy.

Free nuts.

Interior is plastered with magazine cutouts, old movie posters and some hand made decorations. At first it was such an interesting theme but after an hour the interest turned into thinking this place was sooo busy on the eyes.

Had to take a video of the restroom and all the artwork inside.  

Garlic Octopus... suuuupe garlicy.

Taco Rice that tasted less like taco seasoning and more like umeboshi seasoning.  It was a nice change... but I got my shops mixed up.  Upstairs is an Okinawan restaurant... shoulda tried something more Hawaiian.

Overall an interesting place with jolly service.  BGM was a mix of Hawaiian and 70-80's Japanese hit songs.

Shop: Jingle Jangle 

Shop Website: http://www.jinjan.jp/

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1320/A132001/13052243/

Gnavi: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/b883100/

Address J: 東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺本町1-23-7 B1

Address E: Tokyo, Musashino-shi, Kichijoji, Honcho 1-23-7, B1
MAP:

View Larger Map

KICHIJOJI: Moskow Standing Bar... great atmosphere and tasty lasagna.

Wine bottles started at 2,300yen up... huge list of reds and whites but items in stock are very limited.

Nama-ham plate (prosciutto).

Cheese plate... a bit tiny or perhaps the dish was a bit too big.

This older lady (possibly the owner?) was all smiles and chatting up the customers as she was tending the cooking area.  

Steel roof interior.

The perfect corner spot for people watching... all sides are glass windows.

Huge Beer Glasses.

First time ever... Apple pizza with maple syrup!  Interesting...

And the Lasagna! Rarely do I get to have this in Japan... nice nice!

A nice balance of customers (see the 3 full on Rasta guys in the back), main Russian waitress was super friendly and overall a nice place to enjoy a few glasses of wine.  

Shop: Moskow Standing Bar

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1320/A132001/13035686/

Address J: 東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺本町1-1-9

Address E: Tokyo, Musashino-shi, Kichijoji, Honcho 1-1-9
MAP:

View Larger Map

KICHIJOJI: Te-chan Yakitori in the alleys of Kichijoji... poor service average food.

Te-chan seems to be one of the more popular Yakitori spots in the side alleys along the main shopping mall "shotengai."  Lots of couples on this chilly Sunday evening.

Sticks started at 100yen and went up a bit from there...

Tebasaki (chicken wings).

Always a favorite Motsu-Nikomi (stewed intestines with tofu)... very very tender and a hit.  We had to order another tiny bowl.

If you sit near the Yakitori Chef its a really smokey mess with the occasional white charcoal flakes floating around and landing on ya... kinda like a light charcoal snow storm.

After an hour my butt hurt... rotation rotation.

Lots of fresh ingredients in the glass fridge.

With each order they will add a chip to your tiny silver bowl.  At the end of the meal the waiter will count and let you know the total price but you won't get any receipt... and had a strange feeling that they over charged us for the very little we had to eat.  Our main waiter behind the counter was a Chinese guy that spoke in broken Japanese and a very unfriendly aura with unusually rude customer service... perhaps its a cultural thing.  I probably won't return as there are a great selection of Yakitori spots in this town. 

The owner of this shop and over 10 others that employ many foreigners... perhaps he doesn't train them well thus the poor service this night.  Its all about the training managers and owners... realize I can't really fault the foreign employees.

Shop: Te-chan

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1320/A132001/13024975/

Address J: 東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺本町1-1-2 ハモニカ横町

Address E: Tokyo, Musashino-shi, Kichijoji, Honcho 1-1-2, Harmonica Yokocho
MAP:

View Larger Map