Katsu kari don at Narita International Airport. I cobbled together the last few yen on my Suica transit card and a fistful of hundred yen coins to buy the above breaded pork cutlet in sweet and acidic curry gravy, washed down with a bland as a mountain stream lager. I
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Location
Aug 04, 2010 | Post by: Phil Lees 3 Comments
Eating Japanese food like a complete jackass
Aug 04, 2010 | Post by: Phil Lees No Comments
Crossing Kappabashi-dori
The streets around Kappabashi in Asakusa are filled with nothing but kitchenwares and restaurant supply stores. If you were ever keen to fit out a Japanese restaurant with the full complement of ye olde traditionalia, this is the suburb to hit hard.
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Jul 04, 2010 | Post by: Phil Lees 4 Comments
Izakaya under the train line
There is nothing as inviting as a restaurant that builds its furniture from empty beer crates. Update, 24 June 2011: Commenter Nathan identifies the location as Under JR Yamanote line at Yurakucho Station. I’ve added the map.
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Jun 18, 2010 | Post by: Phil Lees 4 Comments
Asahi Strong Off
I’ve noticed that one of the first beers that I drink in any country is the one whose advertisement I see first. The ads for Asahi Strong Off on the subway platforms around Tokyo depicts your average businessman with an expression on his face of either drunken jubilation or gaping
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Jun 16, 2010 | Post by: Phil Lees 3 Comments
Tsukiji Market is not just fish.
It also sells fat red chunks of whale meat. Not much of it though. While the cubed cetacean is pretty hard to uncover (I only saw a single vendor), what does tend to get overlooked is that there is also a gigantic vegetable market next door. Compared to the speed
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Jun 12, 2010 | Post by: Phil Lees 6 Comments
This is where tuna ends
Whole frozen tuna on a forklift at Tsukiji fish market, Tokyo I have no hope whatsoever for the future of tuna. The death warrant for Atlantic tuna was written at the last meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, ensuring that current tuna stocks will have
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May 10, 2010 | Post by: Phil Lees 3 Comments
The sultry sounds of Queen Victoria Market
I don’t shop for food outside of my ‘hood all too often these days and so a recent visit back to the Queen Victoria Market made me realise the distinctiveness of the aural landscape of Melbourne’s markets. Markets in Footscray are dominated by vendors spruiking their specials in Vietnamese, generally
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