ROPPONGI: Gatten Sushi Revisited... they got Rock and Rolls! I never knew~

Friend posted a pic of sushi from Hong Kong on Facebook and I couldn't resist... had to visit my favorite sushi spop.

Greeted with a chorus of "irasyaimasee" and Sushi Chef Miyamoto-san immediately asked me if I wanted 4 pieces of Chu-Toro.  Of course!

At 130yen each the BEST deal in Tokyo for melty soft Chu-Toro.

Miyamoto-san introduced me to their youngest sushi chef Shoji.  Its just a friendly atmosphere here.

At 8pm on a Saturday night I shared the shop with a few other foreigners.  So peaceful...

This might be a first... the Chef asked if I'd like a picture of myself at the counter.  Sure :)

Master at work.

Wasabi.

Recommended dishes of the day

Gave the regular 130yen  Maguro (Aka-mi) a try but the Chu-Toro was sooo good this night... I switched back.

Little did I know that on the flip side of the menu I've stared at for years was another filled with Rolls!  I think they have targeted the foreign clientele with this.

Fujiyama Roll....

Very interesting... Prosciutto Roll... not mine but for two foreign ladies sitting behind me.

And I close out the night with more Chu-Toro.

Theres a "bottle keep" system here too.

The Damage!  A very kind 1,370 yen or so.

I learned a few things today... Nearly all of the "gari" or ginger is imported from Taiwan.  The most year round balanced Tuna is from India.  Winter Tuna is the best fat builds up between the skin and their body to keep warm.

Another great evening at Gatten Sushi.

SHOP: Gatten Sushi 江戸前がってん寿司

Franchise Website: http://www.gatten.co.jp/gatten/
Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130701/13101346/

Address J: 東京都港区六本木6-1-3
Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Roppongi 6-1-3 (Just look for Outback Steakhouse 2F).
MAP:

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LABELS: BLOG, FOODIE, GATTEN, GATTEN SUSHI, JAPAN, MAGURO, ROPPONGI, SUSHI, TOKYO, 六本木, 六本木店, 江戸前がってん寿司

IKEBUKURO: Menya Musashi... Late evening Tsukemen! FREE Noodle Upgrades!!

Once again I follow my ramen connoisseur friend into the Ramen battle grounds of Ikebukuro... this night we hit up Menya Musashi.

All three of us went for Tsukemen... and the greatest thing about tsukemen is that upgrades in noodles are normally always free vs ramen.  Regular, Medium, Large and Extra Large portion of tsukemen noodles were all the same price.  I went for the Medium "Chu-Mori"

All counter seating

The noodles had a nice shine to it... Unless you ask for it the noodles will come out cold to hold its texture but if you prefer hot just ask for atsu-mori.

Only if I could remember what the soup tasted like... from vague memory (had a few too many beers prior to this at Koike Izakaya) it was a medium slightly light broth.

There were very small chunks of tender pork in the soup.

And of course always great to have a little red pepper to spice up the flavor... less boring.

After you are done with your noodles don't drink all your soup!  Ask for soba-yu (hope its the correct word)... they'll add hot soba ramen water to the soup so the flavor isn't as intense.  Great stuff.

Overall how can you go wrong with paying the same price for huge upgrades in noodles~.  Great atmosphere and nice and clean... I'm sure I'll be back.  There are locations all over Tokyo http://www.menya634.co.jp/

Shop: Menya Musashi Ikebukuro Branch

Ikebukuro Branch: http://www.menya634.co.jp/niten.html

Musashi Website: http://www.menya634.co.jp/

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1305/A130501/13005593/

Address J: 東京都豊島区東池袋1-2-4

Address E: Tokyo, Toshima-ku, Higashi Ikebukuro 1-2-4

MAP:

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ROPPONGI: Komoro Soba for some huge Shrimp Tendon on Sale!

Its very rare that I hit up a soba noodle place instead of ramen before heading home but occasionally I should stick to some seafood vs carbs.  3 Pieces for 490yen... thats all me!

But wait! 680yen super high ranked jumbo shrimp for 490yen!  And 4 giant pieces instead of 3! 

It didn't come with any sides like Miso soup but oh well... there is a ceramic bowl with free umeboshi's that were rather hard.

Overall it hit the spot and easy in easy out.  If you are craving Tempura on a budget then check it out... but you will have to walk past a few ramen shops to get there... good luck!

Shop: Komoro Soba Roppongi Branch

Franchise Website: http://www.k-mitsuwa.co.jp/komorodiv/index.html

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130701/13140828/

Branches in Tokyo: http://tabelog.com/grouplst/G00204/

Address J: 東京都港区六本木4-10-8

Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Roppongi 4-10-8
MAP:

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AZABU JUBAN: Savoy "Tomato and Cheese" Pizzeria... friendly chef and free Peaches! (New Open 4.21.2013)

Thanks to Social Networking FB I found about Savoy's new Azabu-Juban location va a friends post... So after my disastrous haircut I headed straight to check it out!

1,000yen LUNCH:  Peach Tea, Salad and your choice of Marinara or Margherita pizza.  

My glass of peach tea arrived immediately... and after I finished they refilled it... twice!  Free Peaches you all!!  

Fresh and crispy salad with I'm guessing a onion carrot dressing? 

I was very surprised how much mozzarella cheese the Chef used on my pizza... very generous.  Great balance of tomato sauce, olive oil and cheese.  Yum!

Crust was perfectly baked and held its chewiness thru the meal.  I've tried all the Savoy locations and this is probably my favorite due to the chef's skill.

Interior is solely counter seating with very little space so if you are a big person it will be quite a squeeze to get in... I had to stand up and scoot forward when the waiter tried to pass behind me with a big garbage bag.

Chef's station.

Meet the Pizza Chef.  Super friendly guy who will actively chat with you.  

The president of Savoy built a Japanese/Sushi restaurant in the semi-basement of this structure and a cool tidbit from the Chef!  You can special order items from either restaurant and eat it upstairs or downstairs.  An unusual combination but a little bit of sushi and pizza might be fun.

Shop: Savoy Tomato and Cheese (New Open 4.21.2013)

Savoy Website: http://savoy.vc/

Foodie Blog: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130702/13155593/

Address J: 東京都港区麻布十番3-3-13 M2Kステージ 1F

Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Azabu-Juban 3-3-13

MAP:

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TAGS: azabu juban, italian, japan, japanese, margherita, marinara, napoli, pizza, pizzeria, savoy, tokyo, tomato and cheese, wine, とまととちーず店, イタリアン, サヴォイ, ピザ, 麻布十番,