KOJIMACHI/HANZONMON: Sorano-Iro Ramen... colorful orange Vegi-Soba peaked my interest!

During my random scans of restaurants in Kojimachi this ramen shop always pops up with a very high foodie ranking of 3.86pts placing it in the TOP 5000 Tokyo restaurants.

The ramen selections are nicely pictured~.

After scanning thru the ramen pics on my iPhone I couldn't resist the bright orange 800yen Vegi-Soba ramen... Just had to give it a go~.  

Think what most attracted me was this beautiful orange color that's created by adding carrot puree to the ramen soup stock used for their standard Chuka-Soba.  The volume was much less than other ramen shops... seems he found just the right portions so people wouldn't leave any leftovers. 

L shaped counter seating and 5 tables along the wall for small groups and couples.

Few slices of char-sui. Nothing impressive but I assume the quality was better than most.

Flat noodles were very al'dente... color created by hints of Paprika.  Honestly it just felt like I was eating soupy pasta... 

Overall this place failed to impress me as the cost performance couldn't justify the 800yen price point terms of volume... So I can only assume the cost of ingredients were reflected in the price.  The atmosphere was extremely woman friendly as half of the clients were ladies... a very rare sighting at any ramen shop.   If your girl is craving ramen but fears of sitting shoulder to shoulder with salarymen or random slurping guys then this is the place to go.  Spacious and clean...

Shop: Shorano-Iro (Color of the Sky) 

Foodie website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130803/13126816/

Shop blog: http://ameblo.jp/chihirockkun/

Fellow Foodie Entry: http://www.ramenadventures.com/2012/03/return-to-soranoiro.html

Address J: 東京都千代田区平河町1-3-10 ブルービル本館１B

Address E: Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Hirakawacho 1-3-10
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KOJIMACHI: Pizzeria Angelino... friendly staff but pizza was hmm...

Wanted to explore the neighborhood a little to see if we had any great Pizzeria's new by.  So came across Pizzeria Angelino on my favorite foodie ranking site.

Lunch menu includes a salad, pizza and a drink for 1,000yen.  Nice simple mix of green salad (only hours from falling very limp... barely presentable), slice of pumpkin and garlic flavored green beans (very tasty).

Asked the Pizza chef if it was OK to photograph him.  Seems with the onslaught of Smart phones many restaurants are having to deal with so man people snapping away at everything in restaurants so its always safest to ask before you click away in full sight of the chef.

There it was my Margherita pizza!  At first sight it was no beauty like that of FREY's or EATALY but what could I expect in the back streets of Kojimachi. 

The sauce used was canned Spigadoro that could be easily purchased at any supermarket... it was very bland, had no kick to it, no thoughts of "oishii" as I bit into it.  Crust could easily be compared to Dominos' thin crust pizza.  Half way through I lost interest... 

Meal closed with some herbal Ice Tea.

Counter seating for about 9 people facing the Pizza Chef at work!  Perfect spot to enjoy the cooking.

Dinner menu outside.

Great jazz music playing on the BGM.

When having Pizza in Tokyo its always best to go a little out of your way for some amazing Pizza's.  You may get lucky at small  neighborhood shops but if the rankings are low then there must be a reason for it.   Please check out Tokyo's Best http://r.tabelog.com/pizza/ before heading out!  I won't be back to Angelino's but staff and chef were very friendly. Oh, its only 2 blocks from the Embassy of Belgium.

Shop: Pizzeria Angelino

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130803/13035204/

Gnavi Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/b121100/

Address J: 東京都千代田区麹町3-12-9 キャナル麹町 １Ｆ

Address E: Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Kojimachi 3-12-9

MAP: 

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KOJIMACHI 31MT Space: Munch's Burger Lunch Wagon... keep on munchin cause the meat is tough~.

Burger!  I'm a huge fan of Japan's burgers made with pride and to perfection but this was a definite fumble.

Asked for a Cheese Burger but they sold out of cheese... This shop was pushing the 100% beef factor so went for the standard burger to see how tasty the beef was.

... it takes about 5 minutes for the patty to be grilled.

Burger was not very big.

And there it was my burger that lacked volume... after my initial bite it was kind of like eating a tough steak.  The burger was a bit too chewy and not juicy.  Covered in Teriyaki sauce with mustard and chopped onions. Hmm... was rather disappointed.

Think I would have preferred McDonald's Big mac for 200yen vs this burger for 550yen.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/menu/limited/1971_campaign/index.html

If you are in the mood for a little jaw exercise then give Munch's Burger wagon a try... otherwise I'd give the other lunch wagons a go... Oh well.

Lunch Wagon: Munch's Burger

Shop Website: http://www.munchs.jp/

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130803/13040559/

Address J: 東京都千代田区麹町5-7-2 麹町３１ＭＴビル前 麹町村 ネオ屋台村

Address E: Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Kojimachi 5-7-2
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KOJIMACHI: Salon De Kappa... great atmosphere but volume lacking.

Curry on my mind... so how to satisfy this craving.  Of course I could hit up a very easy choice CoCo Curry or even wallet friendly Kojimachi Curry but this day decided to pass on the franchise shops and check out Salon De Kappa.

Beef curry starts at 750yen (with water) all the way up to 1,500yen for their Mix Curry (includes salad and drink).

Daily specials posted outside...Hamburger, Scallop, Veggie etc.

Interior was exceptionally clean.

Original paintings on the walls.

The waiter and possibly owner of this shop provided great service (older gentleman pictured on left).  He suggested I either try the Beef Curry, Beef Curry with Gouda Cheese and egg topping (+100yen) or the Rosu-Katsu Curry.  Very attentive and asked how I enjoyed the meal afterwards.

And so it arrives... first impression... volume was lacking even in Japanese standards and it surely will leave me hungry.

The one cube of beef in the curry was inconsistent... normally beef in curry has been cooked long enough to have some tenderness but this was rather tough and dry.  Curry hits you with a sweetness and part way through the spice will kick in... but after finishing my order I still felt hungry. 

Nice selection of BGM.

I doubt I'll be back to Salon De Kappa anytime soon but the foodie score of 3.63pts was my attraction.  In Japan when lunch always comes with salad, drink and possibly a small dessert this spot simply lacks the attraction for lunch goers.

Shop: Salon De Kappa

Nearest Station: Kojimachi 

Shop Website: http://www.salondekappa.com/

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130803/13119465/

Address J: 東京都千代田区麹町3-5-5

Address E: Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Kojimachi 3-5-5
MAP:

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