ASAGAYA: Hawaii's Own Coffee Co (HOCC) revisited for Chili Rice!

When HOCC was tweeting they had their home made chili for 2 days during the Asagaya Jazz Festival I had to go!  Love their tuna and chicken sandwiches but for hard to find Chili in Tokyo I will go anywhere.

Kenta and his staff filling a Chili order.  Most of their staff have some connection to Hawaii and speak English... 

Chili Bowl starts at 500yen with toppings at a minimal fee.

There it is... Chili with extra rice and cheese/onion topping... Spiciness was just right, no need to search for Tabasco.  Overall a great Chili flavor.

My mango Smoothie with hints of fresh Pineapple.

Kenta's Uncle was out and about helping during the busy 2-day Asagaya Jazz Streets annual Festival.

Special spam musubi with a layer of egg... home made.

For previous entry with Video pls click here!

http://tokyobelly.blogspot.com/2010/03/asagaya-hawaiis-own-coffee-company-for.html

Shop: Hawaii's Own Coffee Company (HOCC)

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1319/A131905/13100300/

Shop Website: http://www.hawaiisowncoffee.com/default.htm

Shop Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/HOCC_Asagaya

HOCC Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/HAWAIIS-OWN-COFFEE-CO/144139308934699

Address J: 東京都杉並区阿佐谷南1-34-6 新東京会館 １Ｆ

Address E: Tokyo-to, Suginami-ku, Minami-Asagaya 1-34-6
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OMOTESANDO HILLS: Golden Brown Burger Shop... Fries that reach da sky!

Friend of mine with the perfect Aussie accent invited me out for a lunch Burger in posh Omotesando Hills... with tenants like Harry Winston and Jimmy Choo what kind of price will these burgers command~?

There are no special lunch sets (drink, salad, dessert etc) but you will get a mountain load of chewy fries with every order.  Burgers start at 900yen to 1,350yen.

Interior is very comfortable and clean...

Mayuko ordered the Bacon Cheese Burger... 

I picked up the 1,350yen Avocado Cheese Burger... first impression was that this burger is very pretty... kind of an odd choice of words but the avocado was perfectly sliced and cheese perfectly melted only on the burger.  Lettuce extra crispy and Tomato very juicy...  

Itadakimasu~.  Overall a solid burger... can't say anything bad about it... If you have the urge for hamburgers this will definitely hit the spot but perhaps won't make you craving for a second visit.  Oh, the amount of chewy french fries were massive!  I couldn't finish.

We entered at 12:15pm and the shop was fairly full but by 1pm it was totally empty.  I guess the rather low foodie ranking of 3.17pts says it all... maybe the other alternatives in Omotesando/Harajuku area attracts more burger fans.

1pm... where is everyone?

I don't think I'll be back but if you want a satisfying clean burger in a posh atmosphere of Omotesando Hills then give it a go~.

...and if you are a car fan there are always exotics parked in the area.  Beautiful Ferrari 458 nearly got backed into by that older C-Class Mercedes... phew... only inches away.

Shop: Golden Brown

Nearest Station: Harajuku or Omotesando

Foodie Website:  http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130602/13100291/

OHills Website: http://www.omotesandohills.com/shopdetails/index.php?sid=163

Shop Website: http://goldenbrown.info/

Address J: 東京都渋谷区神宮前4-12-1 表参道ヒルズ 3F

Address E: Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 4-12-1, 3rd Floor.
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SHIBUYA: Miraflores Peruvian Lunch... Great food... Perfect service with a friendly Smile!

When Mari mentioned a great Peruvian restaurant in the shadows of the Cerulean Tower Hotel I just couldn't picture what type of food they would serve... perhaps something similar to Indian or Nepalese? Hmm...

We were standing outside looking at the daily specials and immediately one of the Peruvian waiters stepped out shook Mari's hand as he called her "Amiga!" and shook mine as he said "Amigo!"  How can any one resist... we followed him inside.

The interior is so comfortable... almost like a friends living room.  Just dark enough to feel totally relaxed. The music must have been from Nepal and so soothing...

Lunch was an VERY reasonable 800yen (sorry I didn't take pics of the menu but there were 5 solid selections).  Each order comes with a salad, main dish, dessert and closes with coffee or tea.

Soup arrived... deep flavor, extremely tasty... was craving some bread to dip into this. Excellent!

We asked our waiter his name and responded "Amigo!"  

We assumed he introduced his cute little son to us but it seems that it was one of the customers little baby...  This guy was so friendly and outgoing that even customers trust him with their little loved ones.  He spoke to during and continued to serve us with so many smiles all thru the meal.

Mari ordered the Chicken kebab sticks (hope thats what its called).  Chicken was soooo tender and juicy.   Totally recommend this.  

I had the Chorizo dish with spicy beans... tasty!

They provide you with a nice little green spicy sauce... we both loved this.

And the dessert... seemed like half tapioca and half raspberry/cranberry jelly.  Reminded me of Tapioca Pudding that I haven't had for years.  Yum!

We closed with one Ice Tea and one Hot Tea.  For 800yen you just couldn't ask for more.  Service from our waiter Amigo was simply superb and the food will definitely have you craving to go back for more.  If you are ever in Shibuya please give this place a try. Oh, 2 guys sitting next to us seemed to have been from the Peruvian Embassy so this must be a great sign of the food authenticity.

Shop: Milaflores Peruvian Restaurant

Location: JR Shibuya (Behind the Cerulean Hotel).

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130301/13012504/

Hotpepper.jp: http://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ000010980/

Tokyo Calendar: http://www.tokyo-calendar.tv/dining/50029.html

Address J: 東京都渋谷区桜丘町28-3 恒和ビル １Ｆ

Address E: Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Sakuragaoka-cho 28-3

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IIDABASHI: Standing Bar Musso... 500yen Pork Bowl! 100yen Salad Buffet!

There are special TV programs in Tokyo highlighting great one coin 500yen lunches throughout the city.  One of the best hands down is Nakame'kun in Nakameguro so I had to give this place a try.

Three lunch choices: Pork bowl, Chicken tomato stew bowl and Mabo bowl... all with 2 kinds of free self-serve soups. Plus 100yen for salad buffet and 100yen for a drink. 

Its nearly all counter seating as the place seems more like a British pub than a restaurant.  Pre-pay at the register and they hand you your bowl order... 

Even at 500yen my pork bowl was rather disappointing... beef was rather tough and sauce didn't compliment it at all, too sweet.  Mayo topping didn't help much.

There were 2 types of free soup: Seaweed or Cabbage soup... both quite boring.  As for the salad bar the selections were limited and most items seem to come directly out of a can but for 100yen I guess you can't ask for much more than that.  

I sat in one of the few counter window seats overlooking the street with sliding windows bringing in a nice breeze.  Overall this place was definitely not worth even the 500yen when average lunches in the area were 750yen.  Oh well... looks like a great place for drinks in the evening as the space allows for some friendly mingling but as for lunch it was...honestly... just very bad.

Shop: Standing Bar Musso

Train Station: Iidabashi

Foodie Blog: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1309/A130905/13006302/

Hotpepper: http://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ000229056/

Address J: 東京都千代田区飯田橋3-3-11 ばんらいビル１Ｆ

Address E: Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Iidabashi 3-3-11

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KOJIMACHI 31MT Space: Munch's Burger Lunch Wagon... keep on munchin cause the meat is tough~.

Burger!  I'm a huge fan of Japan's burgers made with pride and to perfection but this was a definite fumble.

Asked for a Cheese Burger but they sold out of cheese... This shop was pushing the 100% beef factor so went for the standard burger to see how tasty the beef was.

... it takes about 5 minutes for the patty to be grilled.

Burger was not very big.

And there it was my burger that lacked volume... after my initial bite it was kind of like eating a tough steak.  The burger was a bit too chewy and not juicy.  Covered in Teriyaki sauce with mustard and chopped onions. Hmm... was rather disappointed.

Think I would have preferred McDonald's Big mac for 200yen vs this burger for 550yen.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/menu/limited/1971_campaign/index.html

If you are in the mood for a little jaw exercise then give Munch's Burger wagon a try... otherwise I'd give the other lunch wagons a go... Oh well.

Lunch Wagon: Munch's Burger

Shop Website: http://www.munchs.jp/

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130803/13040559/

Address J: 東京都千代田区麹町5-7-2 麹町３１ＭＴビル前 麹町村 ネオ屋台村

Address E: Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Kojimachi 5-7-2
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KOJIMACHI: Salon De Kappa... great atmosphere but volume lacking.

Curry on my mind... so how to satisfy this craving.  Of course I could hit up a very easy choice CoCo Curry or even wallet friendly Kojimachi Curry but this day decided to pass on the franchise shops and check out Salon De Kappa.

Beef curry starts at 750yen (with water) all the way up to 1,500yen for their Mix Curry (includes salad and drink).

Daily specials posted outside...Hamburger, Scallop, Veggie etc.

Interior was exceptionally clean.

Original paintings on the walls.

The waiter and possibly owner of this shop provided great service (older gentleman pictured on left).  He suggested I either try the Beef Curry, Beef Curry with Gouda Cheese and egg topping (+100yen) or the Rosu-Katsu Curry.  Very attentive and asked how I enjoyed the meal afterwards.

And so it arrives... first impression... volume was lacking even in Japanese standards and it surely will leave me hungry.

The one cube of beef in the curry was inconsistent... normally beef in curry has been cooked long enough to have some tenderness but this was rather tough and dry.  Curry hits you with a sweetness and part way through the spice will kick in... but after finishing my order I still felt hungry. 

Nice selection of BGM.

I doubt I'll be back to Salon De Kappa anytime soon but the foodie score of 3.63pts was my attraction.  In Japan when lunch always comes with salad, drink and possibly a small dessert this spot simply lacks the attraction for lunch goers.

Shop: Salon De Kappa

Nearest Station: Kojimachi 

Shop Website: http://www.salondekappa.com/

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130803/13119465/

Address J: 東京都千代田区麹町3-5-5

Address E: Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Kojimachi 3-5-5
MAP:

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