NERIMA: Matsuya for an incredibly reasonable 490yen Rosu-Tonkatsu Set

One Coin 500yen!  A banner that makes me stop and take a peek.

Many of the meals were in the 500yen range and if you added the extra Tonjiru (Pork veggie soup) in place of the free Miso Soup then its an additional 180yen.  But...

I'm a top left corner button guy and went for the 490yen Rosu Tonkatsu Teishoku set!  Includes rice and Miso soup!

Interior was nice with counter seating on one side and small tables on the other.  

I parked myself in a nice cushiony table for 2.

Hello hello...

And there it is.. Not too shabby for only 490yen.  For a late night meat it totally hit the spot... cost performance was great but a tad on the oily side but eh... I enjoyed the meal.

Miso soup with seaweed

Lots of sauces.  Tonkatsu sauce and a Super special Tonkatsu sauce... 

Garlic and carrot dressing... tasty!

No Smoking :)

One coin Fair goin on.

I'm sure I'll be back after a night out on the town.

Just across from Nerima station.

Shop: Matsuya Nerima Station Branch

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132102/13086305/

Shop Website: http://www.matsuyafoods.co.jp/shop/tonkatsu.html

Address J: 東京都練馬区豊玉北5-19-12

Address E:  Tokyo, Nerima-ku, Toyotama-Kita 5-19-12
MAP:

View Larger Map

SAKURADAI: Ramen Jiro... bottomless pit I struggle to finish!

Watch before you go! There is a very special way to ordering whats best for you.

Recently moved to this area and randomly spotted Jiro!  Checked the foodie ranking and it was very high... in the top 4 with very little difference among higher ranking Jiro's. 

Click here for JIRO Ranking

At 11:30am the counters were full and a line of about 6 people.

There it is... my 650yen  monster of a ramen with small portion of bean sprouts and a scoop of garlic.

Two and a half solid chunks of pork... still amazed how they can only charge 650yen for this.

Noodles were nice and chunky... People in the know either order black tea (in a small bottle) or bring one along because of the heavy oily thick Soup.

By the time I left the line started to wrap around.

Definitely worth a try if you are in the area (one stop from Nerima Station).  The 2 younger guys behind there counter were chatting away and seemed in a pleasant mood vs the usual quietness or ramen shops.  

SHOP: Ramen Jiro - Sakura-dai Station Front Branch

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132101/13038383/

Address J: 東京都練馬区桜台1-5-1

Address E: Tokyo, Nerima-ku, Sakuradai 1-5-1
MAP:

View Larger Map

OIZUMI GAKUEN: Ra-Menya... Newly opened disaster

My friends in Oizumi had tried this spot and our random search for a ramen place with parking near by led us to Ra-Menya.

Normally priced items were about 200yen+ yen off to celebrate their opening.  Not too shabby!

I went for the pork and green garlic chives with a miso base.  Thought the most interesting and rarely seen item was the Asari clams with mushrooms topping ramen. 

You rarely see so many selections and options at a Ramen shop... This spot was formerly a Izakaya so perhaps they carried the tradition.

My friends Asari-clam and mushroom topping ramen looked great.

Another friend ordered the Tsukemen with extra Char-siu.  The noodles were cold and he soon started to regret getting this... most prefer hot noodles for tsuke-men.

And this was mine!  I noticed the chef stir frying something in a pan and immediately after a nice greasy smelling smoke engulfed us at the counter seating facing the action... it was like we were in a Izakaya... when we left we simply smelled of grease.  Anyways the pork used in this was tough but worst of all the Miso broth was extremely salty.  This went for all our dishes... 

Best part may have been the semi-thick noodles.

Never ever will you see people smoking in a Ramen shop but as you can see the Chef also smokes... and thus...

... this place was stacked with ashtrays and smokers sitting shoulder to shoulder with us.  How can you enjoy the flavor of anything when inhaling that stuff.

Some table seating near the entrance.

Overall I wouldn't return here even if it was free.  Too many smokers and the poor ventilation in the kitchen made everyone smell of grease... god awful when its only the afternoon and you have no choice but to reek of it thru the day. 

Shop: Ra-Menya

Shop Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ramenya_ooizumi

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132103/13136556/

Address J: 東京都練馬区東大泉6-50-5

Address E: Tokyo, Nerima-ku, Higashi Oizumi 6-50-5
MAP:

View Larger Map

KACHIDOKI: Nakau... for real? 200yen mini breakfast with Miso Soup!? Nice

Low prices normally always catch my eye but rarely do I come to a full stop... 200 yen for breakfast (servied til 10am)!  I just had to check it out.

And there it was on the lower section of the machine... 200yen "Medama Yaki Asa Teishoku" (Sunny side up morning meal).

You can get small upgrades to the 200yen basic breakfast... but even though they were only an additional 80-100yen I was just there for one purpose.

Lets see... Seaweed, shoyu, miso soup, rice and one egg.

Just seat wherever you like and a lady will stop by the table.  There are more and more Chinese workers at the lower end franchised fast food shops so don't expect any smiles, Japanese politeness or welcomes... its just not their way in my experience. 

Free green tea.

And there it was... my 200yen breakfast.

Overall don't get your expectations up but if you are use to paying $3-4 for a bowl of Miso Soup at a Japanese restaurant in the US this will definitely be a nice meal.  Price can't be beat, service was crappy and interior very bland but eh... you won't be in there more than 10 minutes.

Shop: Nakau Kachidoki-1-Chome Shop

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1313/A131302/13137107/

Franchise Website: http://www.nakau.co.jp/

Address J: 東京都中央区勝どき1-8-1 勝どきビュータワー103

Address E: Tokyo, Chuo-ku, Kachidoki 1-8-1, Kachidoki View Tower 103

MAP:

View Larger Map

OIZUMI GAKUEN: Pizza and Bar LIONE... You won't believe you are in Nerima-ku

And thus we come upon a low priced high cost performance Pizzeria in the burbs of bedtown Oizumi Gakuen... bingo!

What initially hit me was the immaculate clean interior, great decor and smiles all around from the staff.

Pizzas start at a very reasonable 500yen and there was a very nice variety when most Pizzerias offer very few standard selections.

Choice of Nama-beer or Moretti.

Daily specials

I was dining with a family of 4 and this is my portion of the salad... extremely fresh salad :)

Ordered pizza bread with a side of Olive oil dip.

600yen Margherita... A huge hit for my friends 3 year old son.

Pasta carbonara... perfectly creamy and the texture of the noodles tasted as if they were fresh vs dry the supermarket version I almost always buy.

The 700yen Siciliana Pizza with anchovies, olives, flat garlic, keppers, cheese and basil.

Overall this place was a hit.  We all felt that once you enter the spot it felt like we were out of the suburbs and transported to a great little spot in central Tokyo.  Service was so spot on and never did we have to raise our hands get the waiter/waitress's attention.  The pizza's weren't the greatest but how can you go wrong in a city that easily charges 1,500-2,000yen for a dinner pizza.  Kids love it and an atmosphere suited for a date at a reasonable price.  I'll be back!

Shop: Pizza and Bar LIONE

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132103/13140980/

Address J: 東京都練馬区東大泉5-40-27 そろの木ビル 1F

Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Higashi Oizumi 5-40-27
MAP:

View Larger Map