GAIENMAE: Yup, my Japanese company has an employee Izakaya in the building... Free IICHIKO Sake Tasting!

I rarely goto our company Izakaya but this day they had free Iichiko sake tasting event and I'm there!

Invited a friend to join...  lots of company guests and retirees here.

My favorite item? 380 yen fish and chips!

These were all the selections we could try... the shape of the bottles seem rather pricey.

Had to sit thru a 3 minute explanation of the different types of sake... not quite all you can drink.  But each did have a very unique flavor.

Eihire... Japanese love this grilled Mana Ray with mayo dip. 

Super tender steak...

To close they gave everyone in the restaurant a free bag of sake!  

On sale at Seiyu Supermarket!

EBISU: Falafel Brothers has arrived in Ebisu! Neighbors Tsukumo Ramen... great BGM with a artistic cozy interior.

A little while ago I noticed Falafel Brothers under construction... and then just happened to have a client meeting nearby.  Dragged out my Japanese colleague who had no idea what falafel or hummus was.

Menu consists of a slight maze to complete your order.  Went for the Large 1,300 yen Falafel lunch set with freshly made potato wedges and a drink.

Drinks come in a little jar.

They will call your name to select among the many toppings..

Gotta get Hummus for sure!  Had a choice of 3 due to my large falafel order.

Then select your special sauce... Spicy-hini is all me.

There we go... looked alot like the Roppongi version but not as much hummus.  There are a whole bunch of falafel balls in this thing so it will get you stuffed.

http://tokyobelly.blogspot.com/2018/02/roppongi-falafel-brothers-i-finally.html

So tempted to order brownies but I get a whole brownie mix in the US for only 1-2 dollars... wish I had an oven at home.

Huge windows for a little people watching.

Free wireless chargers on the table.

Hats as lamp shades.

Overall if you are a fan of Falafel this is your spot. Will have to try out their more hummus focused dishes... Not too bad.  Oh the Roppongi Chef is now working here.

Don't forget to try Tsukumo Ramen next door too!  https://tokyobelly.blogspot.com/search?q=tsukumo

Restaurant: Falafel Brothers Ebisu Branch

Tabelog FOodie: https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13225683/

Homepage: https://www.falafelbrothers.jp/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FALAFELBROTHERSTOKYO/

Address J: 東京都渋谷区広尾1-1-36

Address E: Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Hiroo 1-1-36
MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/Mdj9EfTfpYr

ファラフェルブラザーズ, Japan, Japanese, tokyo, sony rx100, foodie, yelp, tokyobelly, lunch, dinner, middle eastern, 恵比寿

GAIENMAE: Sento Bene Italian... course menu with extra charges, cheap dishes and no last call. Quite the sad experience.

About 20 of us gathered for a farewell and maternity leave dinner at Italian Restaurant Sento Bene.

There is a U shaped counter eating and tables in an L shape along the window and back wall.

Our course menu... but not all drinks were available for our 5,400 yen course menu.  We mostly ordered whisky hi-balls and lowly glasses of red/white wine the entire evening...  

Started with a sparkling wine for all then 2 pieces of bread came out.

This might have been the highlight of the entire evening... a mixed tapas kinda plate that had 1 slice of marinated sashimi, tiny boiled shrimp on a bed of guacamole, and well the rest too unmemorable.

2nd dish was a tiny plate of mushroom risotto... honestly the cost of this has got to be less than 100 yen. The risotto was hard, sauce wet and flavor will never leave you craving for more.

Then the tiny pasta plate with slices of mushroom.... of which you can buy an entire bag at your local supermarket for 80 yen.  Noodles were not fresh and supermarket grade cheap noodles at best.  Flavor was so boring. 

Our meat plate!  Yeah, no beef here just tough pork.  Every dish they served was so cheap... I have never been to a restaurant that served such unmemorable food.  So bad.

To close with dessert that was boring at best.

What saved the day was celebrating with colleagues.  This place is just has a terrible dinner course that gouges you if you ask for a little parmesan cheese or an extra slice of bread. In my 20 years living in Tokyo this is among the worst restaurants I've ever been to... not about the customers but totally just to cut corners on ingredients to high high prices.  Oh to close things off the waiter never informed us of last call for drinks... the sadness that is Sante Bene. NEVER AGAIN!!

Restaurant: Sento Bene

Tabelog Foodie: https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130603/13121942/

Address J: 東京都渋谷区神宮前3-1-28 ベルタウン青山

Address E:  Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 3-1-28, 2F
MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/qGMuUzQK4dy

Japan, Tokyo, Foodie, Sony Rx100, セントベーネ, イタリアン, 創作料理, ワインバー, 外苑前, オークウッド 青山, Japanese, pasta, wine bar, Pentax K-3, tokyobelly, yelp, Italian, Wine bar, lunch, dinner, oakwood aoyama