GAIENMAE: American Dining EAT... Salad bar in a bun... Shoulda had a BK Whopper... Kobe-beef Fail.

Passed by EAT on the way to Goro's Diner in Gaienmae and noticed an unusual offering at a very reasonable 1,050yen price point. Kobe Beef and Kuroge-Wagyu (Black Haired Japanese Beef)... really Kobe Beef!  Remember Kobe Beef is only available in Japan and Macao... so you normally find this only in high end spots like Oakdoor at the Grand Hyatt. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/

Anyways I couldn't find Goro's so had to give EAT a try!

The "Kobe Burger" starts at only 1,050yen... wow.  There are no wonderful lunch side dishes here... Just water and fries unless you are willing to pay 300yen for soft drinks and 500yen Wine/Beer.  

A little Miley Cyrus on the BGM.

And thus it arrived... visually it was nothing impressive.  Just a very plain burger with a rather big bun covered in a bit of flour.

French fries were very greasy... get those wet napkins ready.

And here it was.  The Kobe Beef patty was as thin as can be... The lettuce overwhelmed the burger and the tomato was almost as thick as the patty.

My first bite and impression was that the bread had a very solid texture and it never lost its shape thru the meal.  As for the beef it was dry as can be, the thinnest patty I've ever had in Tokyo (in the ranks of Burger King and McDonalds)... absolutely NO juiciness and I was thoroughly disappointed.  I suddenly began to crave the massive 200gram burgers at Martini Burger...  This was basically a Salad Burger with hint of a very dry beef that should be ashamed to be labeled "Kobe-Beef."

Lunch Drink Menu

Saw a little poodle so looks like the shop is pet friendly.  Interior is mostly counter seating with 2 tables in the front that can accommodate 6 people.

Don't let the word "Kobe Beef" Burger fool you into trying this spot... I would suggest just hitting up Burger King for a Whopper that will be lighter on the wallet and just as satisfying.  I was a bit harsh with this review but expectations ran high on their use of "Kobe Beef."

Ship: American Dining EAT

Shop Website: http://www.eat-burger.com/main/

CNN: http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/eat/best-new-restaurant-520119

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130603/13094589/

Address J:  東京都港区北青山2-12-27 ハレクラニ北青山1F

Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Kita Aoyama 2-12-27

MAP:

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GAIENMAE: Shinetsu Soba... friendly soba chef

A tiny soba and udon spot that I've been meaning to try for a very long time... 

Ordered the "Ten-Zaru" soba. Just place the chip on the counter.

All standing counter

And there it is... tempura and some seaweed with soba below.  It definitely hit the spot and beats McD's or Ramen when its way past dinner time.  

Chef was very friendly... smiling in the wee hours of the night.

Its almost across the street from the Tesla dealership.

Shop: Shinetsu Soba

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130603/13034142/

Address J: 東京都港区北青山2-13-4

Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Kita-Aoyama 2-13-4

MAP:

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OMOTESANDO: IL Pacioccone for daily Pizza special and home made pudding :)

Seems I've been frequenting IL Pacioccone after my irregular visits to http://ts-raiz.com/ (if you need a haircut ask for owner/stylist Okazaki-san).  They also have a branch in Hawaii http://www.yelp.com/biz/raiz-salon-honolulu

Waiter suggested the daily Pizza special... 

Never realized there was a 2nd branch in Minami Aoyama...

The Cheese pizza with Italian salami and fresh onion (new crop) arrived... as usual its easily so much large and thicker than most lunch pizza spots.  The salami was a nice change...

Fresh warm bread with olive oil.

Was alone so sat on the 1st floor counter seating (seats 4) and the only location in the restaurant that allows smoking.  2nd floor is all no-smoking... nice!

Daily dessert special that comes with the 1,050yen lunch was a very large piece of home made pudding.  Was so difficult to finish after the huge pizza.

Lunch closes with your choice of coffee or tea.

No smoking sign... and never realized they didn't allow photography or phones inside.  I assume tables are quite close together and camera/mobile phone shutter sounds can be distracting over dinner.

Another filling meal :).  Next time I'll have to give Pizza a rest and go for some pasta~.

If you are in the area there is a cool Ferrari dealership... 3 Californias and 1 Ferrari 458 parked outside in the rain.

For address details goto my previous posts:

http://tokyobelly.blogspot.jp/search?q=IL+Pacioccone

OMOTESANDO: IL Pacioccone revisited for 1,050 Daily Pizza Special!

Haircut at T.S. RAIZ in Omotesando then off to one of my favorite Italian lunch spots, IL Pacioccone! 

I was alone so opted for the 1st floor counter seating... seats 4.

The bread here is excellent... topped with salt and herbs... crispy on the outside and warm on the inside.

Went for the day's lunch Pizza special... topped with anchovies, olives... and some other things with a Napoli pizza base.   Tasty and the crust was perfectly chewy.

Spicy olive oil provided a great kick to the pizza

Yogurt topped with pineapple... sweet and light enough to enjoy after a heavy pizza meal.

There are several choices for the closing drink.  I went for some hot tea.

Where dinner pizza only prices begin at 1,680yen you can't go wrong with a 1,050yen pizza meal.  There are 4 other choices to select from on the Pizza menu plus several pastas.

Once again... another great 1,000yen lunch!

FOR ADDRESS DETAILS CLICK HERE:

http://tokyobelly.blogspot.com/search?q=il+pacioccone

AOYAMA/OMOTESANDO: IL Pacioccone Revisted! This time 3,780yen Fisso Del Giorno for two.

For address details follow the link on my previous entries:  http://tokyobelly.blogspot.com/2010/04/omotesando-il-pacioccone-again-1000yen.html

Truffle topping Pasta!? Mari was locked onto the truffle... so we passed on the great 1,000yen fixed lunch menu and went for the 3,780yen Fisso Del Giorno for two.  

Antipasto.  Mozzarella balls were great! Tomatoes seasoned in Basil.

This pasta was amazing...Truffle shavings, mushrooms, bacon and pasta was egg based.

Switched the non-tomato sauce based special pizza for Mari's favorite...

Tiramisu, Chocolate Cake and Milk Ice Cream (sweet condensed milk flavor).

Lunch ended with a selection of tea.

The bill... slightly seasoned with tomato sauce and olive oil. 

Took a few slices of pizza home.  This place is always amazing... and hands down our favorite Italian restaurant in Tokyo.  Just can't beat the friendly service.  If you live in the Ebisu/Nishi Azabu/Omotesando Area its just a 10-15min walk to the spot on Roppongi-Dori.

LOCATION: Omotesando (On Roppongi-Dori near Monsoon Cafe/Gas Station)

Website: http://www.quals.jp/il_pacioccone/index.html

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130602/13004717/

Address:  東京都港区南青山6-15-8  Tokyo, Minato-ku, Minami-Aoyama 6-15-8

Map: