IKEBUKURO: Cona Pizzeria 1F Standing Counter (REVISITED)

I think we've been monthly regulars at Ikebukuro Cona... my previous entry was table seating on the 2nd floor: http://tokyobelly.blogspot.jp/2012/10/ikebukuro-500yen-pizzeria-cona-has.html

Otoshi (comes out automatically)...

Kenta and Scotts favorite pizza... Gorgonzola with Maple Syrup topping. 500yen

Can't resist this: Hanjuku tamago (half boiled egg?) with proscuitto ham.

And of course! Mexican Pizza with Jalapeno's and Pepperoni! 500yen

The Pizza Chef.  I think everyone working here are a mix of university students and staff in their 20's.

Guy in the black is probably the Manager...

Overall its just 5-Stars all-around with so many 500yen pizza's to choose from.  The staff is cool, the pizza's are larger than any other Cona each perfectly made, interior is new/clean... Great place for a date or just to hang out with friends.  

Shop: Cona Pizzeria - South Ikebukuro Branch

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130101/13147825/

Gnavi: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/gcgf000/

Hotpepper Coupons: http://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ001017063/map/

Address J: 東京都豊島区南池袋3-14-12

Address E: Tokyo, Toshima-ku, Minami Ikebukuro 3-14-12
MAP:

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IKEBUKURO: 500yen Pizzeria CONA has arrived!! 10/1/2012 OPEN!

I spent this summer away from Japan (there is a big gap in my foodie blog entries this year) and of course CONA was on my list of places to re-visit but little did I know they just opened up a brand new spot in IKEBUKURO~.  :)

Think we may have been charged for this as it is standard if you order alcohol... Otsumami?

Reserved a table for 3 on the second floor (all seating vs 1st floor all standing).

Great prosciutto.

Pickled veggies... keeps the mouth thirsty.

And of course.. the half boiled egg and prosciutto pizza... 

This was a great selection and the first time I tried shrimp avocado combo... guess its kinda like guacamole.

All three of us are novices when selecting wines but the 3 bottles we picked out were all smooth and very easy to enjoy.

Mexican Pizza with some tasty jalapenos.

To close we went for the Gorgonzola Pizza with Honey syrup topping.

Nice balance of young women and a few couples on dates... 

Final bottle of wine was a had a nice full bodied flavor.

Ladies... bathroom is shared but immaculately clean and fairly big.

The first floor is where you can get a great view of the chef at work... everyone here was friendly.

The pizza's compared to my favorite URA-Cona in Shibuya was a bit lacking in ingredients but the atmosphere was dead on comfortable.  Friendly and alert staff... I'm sure I'll be back again very soon.

Shop: IKEBUKURO South Side CONA

Gnavi: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/gcgf000/

Address J: 東京都豊島区南池袋3-14-12

Address E: Tokyo, Toshima-ku, Minami Ikebukuro 3-14-12
MAP:

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TSUKIJI: Kitsune-Ya... for some extremely tasty Motsu (Beef or Pork Offal?)

Whenever I visit Tsukiji you can guarantee this place always always has a line...  the boiling meat in a thick creamy stewy soup got me hungry.

Very limited counters seating but I found the chef a bit intimidating so opted to not squeeze in among the few lunch goers here.

2 most popular dishes were the Motsu bowl (meat and soup/stew poured directly on the rice) and I noticed someone ordered the Motsu and Rice separately so went for that... Nice to be able to control how much to control the wetness of the meal when separate

Think this was 800yen... Oh it has a fairly good ranking of 3.55pts on Japan's top foodie website.

http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1313/A131301/13007656/

As you know Motsu can be a bit rubbery but every part of this dish was easily chewable and the flavor thick and excellent... there are small metal standing tables where you can eat lunch with fellow salarymen.

Free cold tea and red pepper to add a little kick to the meal.   If you aren't a fan of Motsu then there was also a beef bowl selection but the stew/soup base seemed a bit lighter.

This shot was taken later in the day after lunch as they 2 operators were cleaning up.  A great little spot and a nice alternative to sushi in Tsukuji... here you'll find more locals than tourists... but I did notice many Chinese tourists peeking over everyone's shoulders to see what we were all eating but very few took on the challenge of Motsu.

Shop: Kitsune-Ya

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1313/A131301/13007656/

Address J: 東京都中央区築地4-9-12

Address E: Tokyo, Chuo-Ku, Tsukiji 4-9-12

MAP:

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