Napoli’s Pizza & Caffe, Jiyugaoka 自由が丘

Having been tipped off about Napoli’s Pizza and Café shortly before its opening, and then keeping an eye on the torrent of Facebook advertising and the sudden proliferation of young ladies handing out fliers on the streets of Jiyugoaka, I could hardly wait to give this low cost fast food pizzeria a try.

Located on Jiyu Dori, opposite Monsoon Café, Napoli’s delivers a refreshingly simple, and astonishingly cheap alternative to the more costly (although admittedly more refined) Neapolitan joints springing up across Tokyo. Pizzas range from ¥350 (margherita) to ¥650 (fantasista), with middle-size paper mugs of Carlsberg lager coming in at ¥500. 

The large backlit photographs of menu items above the service counter and bright red plastic trays are undoubtedly in the McDonalds vein, as are the S, M or L fries. The interior is more charming than most fast food joints, with the open kitchen and pizza oven at least giving a nod in the direction of more authentic pizzeria.

A fast food restaurant it may be, but the quality of the food and shop interior (non-smoking) are a cut above those offered under the golden arches.

Each of the pizzas I’ve tried to date have been delicious, the quattro formaggi in particular, given the low cost. The fantasista was good, too, but perhaps a little crowded in terms of toppings. Using the margherita as a benchmark, it was fine, not the best, but tasty and topped with plenty of fresh basil.   

The pizza base itself lets the side down somewhat, lacking the salty-doughy flavour and chewy moreishness of better establishments’ fare. On the upside, each was of a good size – one was more than enough for lunch.

Aside from fries, the side menu covers salads and antipasti, with a small range of desserts available, too. A two hour all-you-can eat plan is available for ¥2,000, which can be upgraded to include all-you-can-drink soft drinks, beer, wine and cocktails for an additional ¥800 – a tempting offer.

There’s another branch in Shibuya, with another due to open in Shimo-Kitazawa on September 15th.

Napoli’s Pizza & Cafe

03-5726-8873

Kyo no Shin, Jiyugaoka 京乃臣、自由が丘

Situated on a side street just off Jiyugaoka’s Hilo Street – just around the corner from Fermata – Kyo no Shin offers Hiroshima style (packed out with vegetables rather than the familiar pancake-like batter) okonomiyaki and a range of sundry dishes with a Mediterranean flavour, in a surprisingly intimate and contemporary setting.

This small restaurant is on the ground floor of what must have been a home. As such, it’s hardly spacious. A large teppanyaki hotplate dominates the space, around which 10-12 diners can be seated. Off to the right, an alcove complete with table and chairs can accommodate a small group. The kitchen, what there is of it, is behind the hotplate.

The crew of amiable young chefs takes orders and cook their delicious fare right before your eyes – this “show” being half the fun. The other half is eating the food itself.

We started our meal with hiyayakko kakijou (thick slices of flavoursome cold tofu with bonito flakes), followed by the kaisen no kouso bataa yaki, consisting of shrimps and assorted white fish and shellfish, cooked in butter, the flavours and seasoning being redolent of Spanish cuisine.

Moving on to the okonomiyaki, the funwari yamaimo suteki was delicious, although so light as to be somewhat unsatisfying. Craving something more robust, the soba torotoro tamagonose totori daisen tori no sauté provided a gooey pile of sauce-smothered vegies, topped with a fried egg and juicy chicken. 

Excellent overall, Kyo no Shin does a competent job of providing a somewhat more sophisticated okonomiyaki dining experience than is usual. There’s another in Gakugei-Daigaku, too.

 

03-3723-9600

Kyo no Shin

Sakana no Daidokoro Oriental, Motosumiyoshi 元住吉

One of two (the other being in Musashikosugi) seafood-centric izakaya, Sakana no Daidokoro Oriental is a superb dining experience – providing you like huge servings of fresh fish and shellfish as extremely low prices.

Located on the Breman shotengai (out of the east exit of the station, on the left just passed ABC Mart), it’s not a place that jumps out at you, being hidden away on the 2^nd floor of an inconspicuous building, unseen from the street. My dining partner and I stumbled upon the place having been tempted by the signs for an okonomiyaki restaurant in the same building.

Oriental, plays the blue-collar, days-gone-by card well – simple, lively interior complete with beer and beverage posters, rough wooden tables and counters, crates, paper lanterns and bucket loads of noisy, happy diners.

The menu was wide-ranging, covering sashimi and sushi, through grilled, baked, fried and stewed dishes, salads and sides, and a smattering of classic izakaya fare not of the sea. Portions were extremely impressive, tasted great, and then even better when we received the bill at the end of the night.

Service was efficient, friendly and informed. Each member of staff knew their way around the menu, and was happy to offer recommendations and advice.

The clientele were a mixed bunch, young and old, and seemed each and every to be having a whale of a time. The atmosphere was lively, although most of the action seemed to be in the (much larger) smoking section of establishment.

A good range of shochu and nihonshu were available, along with draft and bottled beer, Hoppy and soft drinks. Best dishes of the night were the immense nokezushi, and the succulent, flesh-laden tuna jaw, not to mention thick slabs of fresh, if rough-hewn, sashimi. 

Top stuff.

Sakana no Daidokoro Oriental

044-430-5530

Bowery Kitchen, Komazawa Park 駒沢公園

Apparently the establishment that brought Tokyo’s post-modern café genre into being, after 15 years in business Bowery Kitchen remains an excellent dining spot, whether for lunch or dinner. 

Situated on the edge of Komazawa Koen (on Komazawa Koen Dori), it is also one of the better pet/ dog-friendly establishments I’ve come across. This also means that queues, as well as canines, can be expected on weekends.

This should not deter a visit, however, as both the ambience and food are thoroughly enjoyable. The interior – all tiles, stainless steel and concrete, off set by exposed ducts and tempting displays of beverages and cakes – is rather cool, and perhaps surprising for a neighbourhood diner. As always, the open kitchen is both entertaining and a central feature.

The atmosphere is relaxed, but busy, with clientele ranging from dog-fondlers to dating couples and oldies out for a bottle or two. The menu covers a range of cuisines, North American through European and Asian, most of which come across as somewhat tapas-y.

The food itself comes in fairly well sized portions and at reasonable prices. The mains aren’t particularly large, but it’s fun to choose several dishes to share with your dining partner(s)/ doggie(s). Overall, the ingredients and resulting dishes are fresh, healthy and tasty.

Drinks are a little pricey, so perhaps not the best location for those intent on binging.

After several lunchtime visits, an evening stroll through the park followed by a meal at Bowery Kitchen proved to be an intimate, low-lit affair, with oodles more atmosphere than during the day. 

Worthy of repeat visits.

03-33704-9880

Bowery Kitchen

Toyoda, Yukigaya-Otsuka とよだ、雪谷大塚

Another of Tobi-chan’s recommendations, Toyoda is a nice little bare-bones izakaya within spitting distance of Yukigaya-Otsuka station (Ikegami line).

Certainly old-school, and packed to the gills with old-timers busy about their shochu and bottled Kirin beer, the interior is in better condition than the lantern-lit façade might lead one to believe.

The front section of the izakaya is taken up by a long, L-shape counter, the middle by a dining floor with a half-dozen or so tables, and the third, rear section made up of a zashiki area with low laying tables and the aching limbs they induce.

The menu is broad, covering the gamut of typical izakaya fare, the prices extremely reasonable (although the portions are at best average), and the quality of the cooking acceptable given the overall flavour and price point of the establishment.

The oden and chicken karagage were the best dishes of the evening, with the most disappointing being the chijimi.

Happy diners are served by bustling old ladies with beaming grins and croaky voices. The atmosphere is convivial, and at times rather lively.

Around 10pm, a younger - mostly male - crowd swarms in just as the ojisan are bidding their keep-bottles farewell.

Asupara-maki

Tebasaki

Excellent fun, especially for nomikai goers more intent on drink than food. Expect to leave with plenty of yen still in your pocket.

03-3720-3338

Toyoda

Yakiniku Peking, Motosumiyoshi 焼肉北京、元住吉

A crossing on a major road somewhere in Motosumiyoshi (Toyoko line) marked by two imposing looking yakiniku restaurants on either side road.

Deciding between the two came down to Yakiniku Peking having more customers visible through the 2^nd floor window, and the nice way the neon signage looked on a dark, humid, rainy night.

This atmosphere carried through to the shop interior itself. Clearly a relic of the bubble years, there was something “classic” about the place.

The tabletop grill was in a style I’ve yet to come across, and indeed, my dining partner informed me that the grill with which we were confronted was all the rage in the eighties.

The food itself was a little fresher. None of the meats offended, being tasty and reasonably proportioned.

The best of the evening was the cucumber kimchi and the tongue.

Not a bad restaurant overall, but no better than cheaper chain offerings, such as Genkaya.

044-411-7716

Yakiniku Peking

Yuri Café, Koenji 高円寺

An interesting concept, Yuri Café is a monthly “pop up” café-bar located in a small, fashionably understated gallery hidden away among Koenji’s backstreets.

The second floor of the building is home to a couple of one-room bric-a-brac/ antique (i.e., post-war oddments) shops, also worth a look.

Back to the café, and it’s all white walls and Ikea-esque furniture, a few prints upon the walls and a small kitchen to the rear of the space, from which the delightful Ms. Yuri produces rather nicely put together, and somehow “wholesome” feeling, meals with a traditional Japanese slant. 

The point of interest, aside from delicious home-cooking and superb leaf-wrapped onigiri (rice balls), being that the meal, laid out on a platter, was created with the aim of suggesting the colours and textures in a painting. Said art being reproduced as a tablemat for each diner.

A kooky little place providing decent food, interesting patrons and potent, if over-priced, homemade sangria. The tiny, photograph-filled menus also serve as a little memento of ones visit, too.