SHINBASHI: Beef Kitchen Stand... brand new! Mediocre salad bar and poor dry balls... plus a runny nose chef. Ooolala

This menu caught my eye!  I'm a super fan of Japanese hamburger steaks as its the closest you will ever come to meatloaf in all of Japan.  I went for the triple hamburger for 980yen!

This is the all you can eat salad bar section that also offers miso soup, french fries and potato corokkes.  

My buffet items!

And my meatballs arrive!  Three TINY TINY meat balls on a bed of shredded onions.  One bit... two bites... this thing was dry as a bone.  Three Dry Balls!  BOOORIIINNNGGG.

For some reason they had so many bottles of Jägermeister here.

See the chef in this pic.  He was slicing fresh steak and kept wiping his nose between his white plastic glove and sleeve.  Thank goodness I didn't get the steak set.  Almost all the staff was regularly interacting with him but I guess hygiene is not top priority here.  He looked a bit Nepalese. 

The food was outright very poor and I will 100% stay away from their Shimbashi Branch.  

Restaurant: Beef Kitchen Stand Shimbashi Branch

Tabelog Foodie:  https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130103/13209262/

Address J: 東京都港区新橋2-20-15 新橋駅前ビル 1号館 B1F

Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Shimbashi 2-20-15, Shimbashi Station Front Bldg. B1F

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/MSRFfb3HDUt

ビーフキッチンスタンド 新橋店 , バル, バール, ステーキ, ハンバーグ,  Japan, Japanese, Tokyo, Canon s120, foodie, yelp, tokyobelly, cheap, drinks, beer, 

HIGASHI GINZA / TSUKIJI: Japanese Sushi Party! Over 150 friends and friends of friends... yum!

When Japanese plan events they sometimes can go big.  Tsukiji sushi guy planned another seafood event in Higashi Ginza for a rather big group of people.  

https://www.facebook.com/events/154782088568587/

He mentioned the Maguro he purchased was around JPY 500,000 (USD 5K).

One thing I learned is that Japanese girls love to eat... sushi or champagne?  They will most definitely go for food first.

I think people were scooping up the tender meat from the backbone of the tuna.

Next time I need to bring my Hydro Flask... Plastic cups tonight.

Uni and Ikura gone in seconds... girls are quick!!

But we knew the organizer so a plate of goodies arrived for us beer drinkers.

Another plate just for us!  Lucky lucky.

Bingo contest for seafood and proscuitto... I actually won twice but shared my winnings with the crowd.

A famous comedian came by for the bingo contest... wow.  

Someone is connected.

The key to Japan is learning the language one step at a time... Then a whole new world opens up with interesting events and friendly people who want to chat up the lone foreigner. 

TOSHIMAEN: N Cafe... unfortunately the pasta and pizza was just too mediocre to go again.

Cute little cafe recently opened up in Toshimaen (right across from the movie theater) and decided to give it a try in this desolate restaurant town. 

Lunch sets were around 800 - 900 yen that includes a drink, mini salad and the tiniest onion soup ever... it was really tiny.

Pasta arrived...  rather small and the sauce had a sweet flavor.  

Definitely won't be craving this for the remainder of my life.

Then the pizza arrived... Yeah, if you goto a cafe definitely don't go to order pizza.  It was just so boring and mediocre.  

My friend said her coffee tasted really good.  Honestly don't go for food but the cute cozy interior.  Lots of things seemed to have been hand made or painted.

There are 2 dog enclosures outside!  Pet friendly is nice.

Restaurant: N Cafe

Tabelog Foodie: https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132102/13216999/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/_n_cafe/

Address J: 東京都練馬区練馬4-25-13 華園ビル

Address E: Tokyo, Nerima-ku, Nerima 4-25-13

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/o4iYnPH3oF62

エヌカフェエヌバー （(N) cafe N bar）, 豊島園, japan, japanese, tokyo, canon s120, foodie, yelp, tokyobelly,  pasta, spaghetti, meat sauce