CUP RAMEN: Charumera's Miso Ramen... more fun than Nissin's Cup Noodle

If you are in Japan and want something very inexpensive to eat the give Myojo's Charumera Ramen a try... Its been around for years and I've had it since I was little in Okinawa.

There is Miso and Shoyu... gave Miso a try today.

Little faces of the Charumera old man logo...

http://www.myojofoods.co.jp/products/charumera/

The most recent commercial on TV now.

Like all cup noodles the flavors for Miso and Shoyu differ very little.

Just a post to give you an option of the standard Cup Noodle by Nissin.

http://www.cupnoodle.jp/

EBISU: Fuji Soba for a quick 270yen bowl to calm the hunger

Few friends were hungry after a party at Cafe Celi so we took a quick detour to Fuji Soba (franchise)... its easy on the wallet and far fewer calories than Ramen or Gyudon.  Most of the dishes are displayed outside.

We all went for the 270yen Kake... Just say Udon or Soba as you pass the ticket to the chef.

Lots of toppings for your noodles.

Little red shrimps.

Add wasabi to noodles that you dip in the sauce and the red 7 seasoning pepper to hot noodle bowls.

Added some red pepper to mine... 

Interior is very basic but you honestly won't spend more than 10 minutes here ordering and finishing your meal... its a very very fast food type setup.

Overall quick and easy with little damage to the wallet or waistline. These soba shops are all over Tokyo so if you are craving a late night meal after drinks it will hit the spot and for sure you'll be among salarymen on budgets (wives control the wallet) and taxi drivers who pop in for a quick meal.

Shop: Fuji Soba Ebisu Branch

Shop Website: http://fujisoba.co.jp/

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13113238/

Address J: 東京都渋谷区恵比寿1-5-2 第2こうげつビル

Address E:  Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Ebisu 1-5-2

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EBISU: Celi Cafe for a party of 75 people... Beautiful cozy interior.

If you are new to Tokyo and love to eat Meat then its a must to join a great group of people that meet up on the 29th (2 = NI, 9=KU... "Niku" or Meat).  https://www.facebook.com/groups/yaki29/ 

The club normally rents out Yakiniku shops in Tokyo with the average spend of 3500yen per person that includes all you can eat and all you can drink.

But this night we were there to support a members new restaurant in Ebisu.

https://www.facebook.com/cafeceli

We all paid 2,900yen plus 1,500yen for all you can drink.  Vegetable sushi selection... no fish just veggies.  Wish there was some Tuna~.

Interior

Lots of dessets... these were 100 yen additional but normally priced around 300yen.

The leader of the Yaki29 group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/yaki29/

It was a great time and very cozy with 75 people mingling about.  But for parties the cost performance of the food and drinks (4,400yen) was a little low.  Shop is struggling a little with 3.00pts on Tabelog but perhaps they need a little more time (http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13135155/). If you are ever in Ebisu you should give it a try... I'm sure the regular menu consists of so many other things that were not available to us this night.  

Shop: Celi Cafe

Shop Website: https://www.facebook.com/cafeceli

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13135155/

Address J: 東京都渋谷区恵比寿1-13-6 第2伊藤ビル1F

Address E: Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Ebisu 1-13-6

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EBISU: Les Pieds Nus: Soothing range interior and Beef Cheek was melty tender.

I had an opportunity to enjoy a great French meal over a business meeting with two cool headhunters.  The director recommended this little French spot just moments from Ebisu Station.

Daily lunch special menu was vast... so many items to select from.

As you enter there are counter seats along the right facing the chefs at work and to the left was table seating.

The small 2nd floor entrance was very decieving as we were led to the back thru a small hallway opening into a very cozy back room.  If you want to dine discreetly this may be an option for you.

Bread arrives... I was struggling to tear this apart but we all love bread.

I went for the French Onion Soup Gratin as the appetizer.  Nothing special here... But I did notice something very nice about this spot.  Even though it we were there only for lunch the shop wasn't worried about hurrily getting us out to increase turnover.  The quietly checked on us frequently to see when he should bring out the next dish. 

My Soft Wagyu Beef Cheek with in wine sauce arrived.  Portion was small but it simply melted in mouth.  You could definitely break this up with chopsticks it was so tender~.  

Closed with nice duo selection of desserts... a tar with lots of fruits and a mango/coconut cake.

You can close with Coffee, Hot Tea or Iced Tea.

A very comfortable soothing orange atmosphere, perfect service and a great lunch menu selection... I will definitely be back for lunch again. OH!  And the majority of lunch goers were WOMEN... this is the best indicator to how the good food.

Shop: Les Pieds Nus

Shop website: http://add.softin.jp/pienu/index.html

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13007184/

Address J: 東京都渋谷区恵比寿1-8-7 三恵エイトビル ２Ｆ

Address E: Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Ebisu 1-8-7, 2F
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GAIENMAE: American Dining EAT... Salad bar in a bun... Shoulda had a BK Whopper... Kobe-beef Fail.

Passed by EAT on the way to Goro's Diner in Gaienmae and noticed an unusual offering at a very reasonable 1,050yen price point. Kobe Beef and Kuroge-Wagyu (Black Haired Japanese Beef)... really Kobe Beef!  Remember Kobe Beef is only available in Japan and Macao... so you normally find this only in high end spots like Oakdoor at the Grand Hyatt. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/

Anyways I couldn't find Goro's so had to give EAT a try!

The "Kobe Burger" starts at only 1,050yen... wow.  There are no wonderful lunch side dishes here... Just water and fries unless you are willing to pay 300yen for soft drinks and 500yen Wine/Beer.  

A little Miley Cyrus on the BGM.

And thus it arrived... visually it was nothing impressive.  Just a very plain burger with a rather big bun covered in a bit of flour.

French fries were very greasy... get those wet napkins ready.

And here it was.  The Kobe Beef patty was as thin as can be... The lettuce overwhelmed the burger and the tomato was almost as thick as the patty.

My first bite and impression was that the bread had a very solid texture and it never lost its shape thru the meal.  As for the beef it was dry as can be, the thinnest patty I've ever had in Tokyo (in the ranks of Burger King and McDonalds)... absolutely NO juiciness and I was thoroughly disappointed.  I suddenly began to crave the massive 200gram burgers at Martini Burger...  This was basically a Salad Burger with hint of a very dry beef that should be ashamed to be labeled "Kobe-Beef."

Lunch Drink Menu

Saw a little poodle so looks like the shop is pet friendly.  Interior is mostly counter seating with 2 tables in the front that can accommodate 6 people.

Don't let the word "Kobe Beef" Burger fool you into trying this spot... I would suggest just hitting up Burger King for a Whopper that will be lighter on the wallet and just as satisfying.  I was a bit harsh with this review but expectations ran high on their use of "Kobe Beef."

Ship: American Dining EAT

Shop Website: http://www.eat-burger.com/main/

CNN: http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/eat/best-new-restaurant-520119

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130603/13094589/

Address J:  東京都港区北青山2-12-27 ハレクラニ北青山1F

Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Kita Aoyama 2-12-27

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