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Aoyama

Kidoguchi Sushi / きどぐち Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan

Published September 13, 2019October 8, 2019by Peter Cucè in Aoyama, Sushi

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Little Darling Coffee Roasters Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan

Published September 13, 2019October 9, 2019by Peter Cucè in Aoyama, Coffee & Tea

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Exploring food, coffee & cafe culture in NYC and beyond.

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Monumentally disappointing Kawi set meal for close to $30. A dull hunk of fish and terrible quality rice. It really made me miss stellar Japanese set meals that clock in at half that price or less. I guess it’s supposed to be Korean food or East Asian, but the only nod that way was the insipid miso soup. @momolongplay should be embarrassed to serve this stuff. #nyc #hudsonyards #food #foodporn #foodpic #instagood #foodlover #newforkcity #eeeeeats #foodpost #foodblogger #instagood #instafood #eatingnyc #nyceats #eaterny

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The pho ga @hanoisoup is just so good. Chewy noodles, flavorful broth + always gotta get a pork summer roll. #food #foodporn #foodpic #instagood #foodlover #newforkcity #eeeeeats #foodpost #foodblogger #instagood #instafood #eatingnyc #nyceats #eaterny #nyc #manhattan #eastvillage #vietnamesefood #料理 #美味しい　#美食

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Another amazing hotpot meal at Flushing’s Chongqing Lao Zao - it never disappoints. Delicious broth, quality ingredients.
Flushing was a ghost town and this restaurant was far emptier than normally - sad to see.
#chinatown #flushing #queens #nyc #chinesefood #hotpot #火锅 #food #foodporn #foodpic #instagood #foodlover #newforkcity #eeeeeats #foodpost #foodblogger #instagood #instafood #eatingnyc #nyceats #eaterny #好吃 #料理 #美味しい　#沼井

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Beef spine soup w/ glass noodles and rice is perfect for a damp cold day. #koreanfood #murrayhill #nyc #queens #flushing #auburndale #food #foodporn #foodpic #instagood #foodlover #newforkcity #eeeeeats #foodpost #foodblogger #instagood #instafood #eatingnyc #nyceats #eaterny

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Today’s @khaokangnyc was amazing, as always. $11 for 3 things, one which was spicy AF, plus an extra egg.
This was the final stop after a short coffee crawl with @premshree , @ristretto88 , @lisa.matchata
Photos are in reverse order.
3 - a pretty @varietycoffee macchiato @winsonbakery
2 - the best espresso I’ve had in a while, a beautifully balanced, light bodied, sweet Mas Morenos Honduras @seycoffee
1 - a visit to @dripcoffeenyc , a new Bushwick shop, after being alerted to its opening by @coffeebydre and @bgaffnbk #coffee #cafe #cafeculture #thirdwavecoffee #espresso #specialtycoffee #nyccoffee #咖啡 #コーヒー #カフェ#food #foodporn #foodpic #instagood #foodlover #newforkcity #eeeeeats #foodpost #foodblogger #instagood #instafood #eatingnyc #nyceats #eaterny #thaifood #料理 #好吃

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The Noho branch of @kettltea opened today. I was there for the creamy, delicious soba/matcha gelato, made for them w/ their tea by @icecreamlab. They also have cute little Japanese style puddings in 3 flavors: houjicha, matcha, soba. #japanese #japanesefood #icecream #gelato #nyc #noho #eastvillage #manhattan #cafe #matcha #soba #料理　#アイスクリーム #food #foodporn #foodphotography #foodstagram

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Dug up this 2008 shot of Smith Union Market from my Flickr time capsule. It’s a gorgeous Carroll Gardens vintage sign. It doesn’t look nearly so good now, festooned with stickers. #vintage #vintagesign #nyc #brooklyn #carrollgardens #red inspired by @portnoys_complaint #signgeeks

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The noodles are Q AF today. So good. Cold noodles / crossing the bridge noodles. Good antidote to small town NJ #chinesefood #brooklyn #sunsetpark @chinatown #nyc #food #foodporn #foodphotography

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Christmas dinner highlights. Assorted oysters, local pastured pork loin from @limafamilyfarms, golden beet salad. #christmas #food #foodporn

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Christmas morning - @breadandsaltbakery chocolate orange panettone, Brillat Savarin Affiné from @bklynlarder, spreads from @shelsky_s, flax bread from @runnerandstone and a variety of homemade goodies #food #foodporn #christmas #xmas

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Chilling with the friendly folks behind the bar @parlorcoffee roastery, open only Sundays from 10-2 and reading David Lebovitz’s hilarious L’appart for the next @_archestratus_ book club. #nyc #clintonhill #brooklynnavyyard #brooklyn #coffee #cafe #espresso #cafeculture #thirdwavecoffee #specialtycoffee #coffeebar #espressobar #reading #coffeeroaster #コーヒー　#カフェ #咖啡 #cafe

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Killer crispy fish snack from Elmhurst’s @patamarket - jing jang (?) fish, red onion, garlic, chili, salt. There’s gotta be sugar in it but not listed in the ingredients. #thaifood #queens #elmhurst #nyc #food #foodporn #料理

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One of my favorite coffee shops in Tokyo, Sydney-offshoot @single_ojapan, specializing in - you guessed it - single origin coffee, is definitely off the beaten path with their roastery and tasting bar in residential Sumida. Although its southern adjacent neighborhood, Kiyosumi Shirakawa, gets most of the credit for its coffee scene, a better one is growing here in Sumida. Single O’s friendly baristas will tell you all about their coffees, give recommendations, and make great drinks, both espresso and various forms of pourovers.

A 10 minute walk north will take you to @leaves_coffee_roasters attractive street corner roastery in a somewhat more commercial area of Sumida, just a few blocks from the Sumida River waterfront. Interestingly, this is where one of my hometown favorite coffee personages, @paoloohno of Regalia Roasting Collective @regaliacoffee, did a master roasting class a few months back. ```
#tokyo #japan #日本 #料理 #東京 #coffee #specialtycoffee #espresso #thirdwavecoffee #cafe #cafeculture #coffeeroaster #thirdwavewichteln #soe #singleorigincoffee #sumida #kiyosumishirakawa #cafe #cafeculture #カフェ　#コーヒー　#咖啡 #コーヒー好き #コーヒーショップ #australiancoffee #japanesecoffee #tokyocoffee #coffeeroastery #baoandbutterjapan

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The three omakase sushi lunches I’ve had during this Tokyo trip were all great for their respective price points ($50, $35, $23), with the Tsukiji Sushidai Honkan / すし大本館 meal falling squarely between the other two in terms of number of courses, rice quality, and overall experience. The fish quality at all three lunches was high - the differences were more about variety and creativity.

Frankly, I was astounded at what you get for $35. Unless I counted wrong, it was 11 items (consisting of nigiri, maki and tamago) plus miso soup, with one of the maki being an option between uni and ikura (my companion chose the sea urchin - I went with the fish eggs), and a final nigiri where the master gives you the option to choose any fish - mackerel lover that I am I asked for sanma (too early in the season) and settled for a beautiful piece of saba.
My buddy went with a gorgeous piece of fatty tuna. Since this shop is right outside the old Tsukiji market, the freshness and quality are high, and each piece had all the flavor and appropriate texture you could hope for.

Tsukiji Sushidai Honkan / すし大本館 is a huge tourist attraction and luckily I was able to find the correct one on Google Maps - there are a few places with similar names.
After our Turret Coffee experience, my pal and I headed over to the sushiya and arrived just after their 10:30am opening to find that we’d missed the first seating. However, there were only two groups ahead of us, and we were seated within 10 minutes.
The somewhat nondescript restaurant has three levels, each with a sushi bar; we were shepherded to the basement, where two spots were waiting for us at the counter. Nearly all customers were foreigners - and they are catered to with English menus.
Service was friendly, and they do have English. When we left, there was a line down the block.

#sushi #lunch #food #foodporn #foodphotography #japanesefood #baoandbutterjapan #tokyo #japan #日本 #料理 #東京 #寿司 #料理 #握り #

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The closest thing to volcanic ash I’ve consumed since last year’s Bearpond Espresso experience, this @turretcoffee ristretto is the darkest, dankest, shortest espresso I’ve experienced thus far. Apparently some people like that sort of thing.

#tokyo #japan #日本 #料理 #東京 #coffee #specialtycoffee #espresso #thirdwavecoffee #cafe #cafeculture #thirdwavewichteln #ash #tsukiji #turretcoffee #cafe #cafeculture #築地 #カフェ　#コーヒー　#咖啡

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It’s hard to find a better bargain than the high quality, nine course ¥2000 ($20) omakase lunch at midrange sushi spot Kidoguchi / きどぐち, a meal that will run you ¥12000 at dinner time - albeit with more food. Located on a side street off busy Aoyama Dori, Kidoguchi also offers a Y3000 lunch with more pieces. Make a reservation if you plan to come (they have some English). #sushi #lunch #food #foodporn #foodphotography #japanesefood #baoandbutterjapan #tokyo #japan #aoyama #日本 #料理 #東京 #寿司　#青山

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There are a few branches each of @higuma_doughnuts and Coffee Wrights around town and I had planned on hitting one of each at some point this trip. Serendipity brought their collaboration shop @coffeewrights_omotesando along my path on the way to sushi lunch with an old friend in Aoyama.
After imbibing all or part of six or seven coffees of varying quality, starting with @littledarling_coffeeroasters and ending with @koffee_mameya, and walking a fair distance on a mostly empty stomach, I realized that a kinako doughnut was just what I needed to make it there without fainting. Of course I had to try their espresso as well.
The doughnut - a light, chewy, slightly sweet yeast doughnut dusted with kinako (roasted soybean powder) - was a delight. The coffee however suffered greatly from comparison with my previous stop, the justly-lauded Mameya. Although well-extracted, the muddy espresso had no highs and no lows no acid - it just was - and I felt no compulsion to finish it.
The space itself is beautiful, with multiple types of seating arrangements, on multiple levels, open to the air, lots of light. A great place to read and gaze upon the Omotesando street life.

#tokyo #japan #aoyama #日本 #料理 #東京 #寿司　#青山 #donuts #doughnuts #coffee #specialtycoffee #thirdwavecoffee #foodporn #foodphotography #food #omotesando #thirdwavewichteln #表参道 #コーヒー #咖啡 #カフェ #cafeculture

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Little Darling Coffee Roasters @littledarling_coffeeroasters is a gorgeous, Instagrammy place that is somewhat hard to find, and if you’re coming for coffee or food, I don’t recommend you bother. After traipsing through a local park trying to track down the dot on Google Maps, I realized I had to walk around the block to get into Share Green Minami Aoyama @share_green_minamiaoyama, a very cool adult playground type of spot in an interstitial Tokyo neighborhood, with a vast faded green turf surrounded by buildings, cabanas, park-y areas, some office buildings, and lots of foliage.
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Little Darling Coffee Roasters inhabits a giant, hangar-like space on the northern side of Share Green. Given the beautiful space and good design elements, I was excited to try their offerings. Although it was fairly early in the day, I ordered their so-called Japanese bao sandwich along with my espresso and received a dry mantou containing chewy, overcooked sukiyaki-style beef and a piece of dry tofu - except for a chopped green onion and julienned daikon garnish no other elements were present - and no flavor either. The coffee was seriously over-roasted in the old-school Japanese style, so I gave up on Little Darling entirely, found my way out of Share Green and headed out to Aoyama proper to meet an old friend for lunch.

#coffee #cafe #cafeculture #thirdwavecoffee #tokyo #japan #aoyama #minamiaoyama #sharegreen #japanese #baoandbutterjapan #南青山カフェ #カフェ #南青山 #青山カフェ #リトルダーリンコーヒーロースターズ #coffeeroaster #コーヒー #bao #mantou #日本 #東京 #咖啡 #thirdwavewichteln #coffeeshop #specialtycoffee

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After arriving back in Tokyo relatively late from my sojourn to Gunma and checking into my Akasaka hotel, my first thought was to find a great place to eat nearby. With the help of a local friend and Tabelog (the Japanese Yelp - but only for food), I located a highly-rated nearby horumonyaki (grilled offal) spot named おやじのおとうと (literally Father’s Father, although it probably has some cultural or pun meaning that I don’t get), and after a few flybys, finally built up the cojones to go inside alone.
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This basement restaurant had fewer than 10 tables of varying size, all with charcoal braziers and hoods, and all full except for one large table and one small one, and no bar - there were no other foreigners there and limited English. I was directed to the largest table and given a menu, all in Japanese. Luckily I could read most of it, which was strictly animal parts, many written in katakana.
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Since it was pricey (most items were close to the $10 mark or higher), I decided to just order a limited selection - in any case it was quite late and I wasn’t super hungry, so I located a few organs I was in the mood for: heart (haatsu), liver (reba), and pancreas (shibire) plus kimchi and rice with raw egg (*tamago gohan). The one quirk about this place is that you can only make one order. No ordering extra items later if you’re still hungry. -
What a tremendous meal. Each order was relatively small and arrived cut into two to four pieces - the liver was also marinated. The waiter turned each piece once or twice and moved each to the edge of the brazier when deemed ready. All of the meat was meltingly tender, juicy and extremely flavorful.
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I’d love to return sometime albeit with extra humans.
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*If you’ve never had raw egg over rice (“tamago kake gohan” - sometimes shortened to “tamago gohan”), you’re given a bowl of rice, a raw egg, a small extra bowl and some soy sauce. Break the egg into the extra bowl, add a little soy sauce, mix, dump over the rice and eat (there are other variations). Yum.
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#food #foodporn #foodpic #instagood #foodlover #eeeeeats #foodpost #instafood #japanesefood #japan #tokyo #日本 #東京 #料理 #晩御飯 #horumon #offal #organs #痺れ #レバー #ほるもん #赤坂

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If you happen to find yourself in Nakanojo 中之条町, Gunma Prefecture, with some time to kill waiting for the bus heading to Shima Onsen or train returning from there to Tokyo (or elsewhere), you’re naturally going to leave the tiny train station and head out looking for sustenance. This town of fewer than 20,000 isn’t much to look at (and was seemingly uninhabited during our visit), but does boast a few promising restaurants. Unfortunately some, including the best looking spot, a fairly high end soba restaurant, were on vacation.
Right next to the sobaya is an unassuming tonkatsu shop (竹の家 / Bamboo House) that we decided to try, and upon ordering a couple of different lunch sets, were rewarded with well-cooked, juicy, good quality cutlets - and blessed air conditioning to escape the brutal humidity. The interior seems fairly standard, but then as you gaze about, your eye lights upon some quirky elements including a whimsically decorated second level high up in the rear of the shop, with various mythical creatures perched on the floor and affixed to the rafters.
There is also a vintage poster of what I took to be a film actress named Rubin Riki, but it turned out I was reading the katakana backwards - it was an old poster for Kirin Beer! LOL
Afterwards we visited an artisanal miso shop across the street (こうじや / Koujiya) and picked up some bags of their product. They also produce some credible homemade gelato, so we got a scoop each of the lemon and the miso. Pretty good stuff.

#japan #tokyo #nananojo #tonkatsu #miso #gunma #shimaonsen #whimsy #baoandbutterjapan #中之条町 #日本 #群馬県 #豚カツ #味噌 #みそ #ジェラート #food #foodporn #foodphotography #japanesefood #料理 #美味しい #美食

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