David’s Deli, Mita デビットデリ、三田

Not my usual stomping ground, so I have zero knowledge of Mita’s eateries. After visiting David’s Deli – specializing in Israeli, Mediterranean and European cuisine – I feel inclined to look deeper into the neighbourhood.

Located in between Shirokane-Takanawa station and Temple University’s Mita Hall, this Jewish Delicatessen is a bit dull when it comes to décor and ambience, but the food speaks for itself. The beer, interesting though it was, tasted exactly the same as Hoppi, so probably isn’t going tempt serious drinkers. 

My dining partners and I enjoyed a bountiful array of dishes, with hummus playing the lead role in most.

Pita bread is both necessary and recommend for mopping up most dishes. These were fluffy and wholesome. Way better than the tawdry stuff I remember back in Blighty.

Hummus with a kind if sesame dressing/ mayonnaise. Thoroughly delicious.

Yet more hummus, but this time the center was piled with strips of spicy meats. The spices were subtle and the meat itself lean and flavoursome. Could have done this dish time and again.

The baba ghanoush – mashed aubergines with olive oil and seasonings, was excellent, too.

Salad, vinegary and crunchy.

The chicken schnitzel pita sandwich was pleasant, and could pass as a Japanese chicken cutlet. 

A worthy lunch destination, should you happen to be in that neck of the woods.

(And a nudge and wink @Tokyoeater)

03-5441-1211 

David’s Deli

Daisuki Nippon, Naka-Itabashi だいすき日本、中板橋

After being turned away from the the local kaitenzushi place as it was full, and then taking a wrong turn and missing the raman shop, my dining partner and I almost ambled passed Daisuki Nippon (no points for the name) without noticing it. 

The fresh, spicy-sweet aroma caught our attention. Not much to look at from the outside save, perhaps, that kind of bare bones, “it might not be much but we love it” appearance, upon peering through the door the packed tables promised a decent Nepalese lunch. 

Clean, simple and cheerful, the tables were all covered in clear plastic, beneath which hand written notes and messages from visiting diners were carefully arranged. Turns out people have visited from Okinawa to Hokkaido. Again, this promised great things and further reading revealed that many had popped in due to a clearly successful - and far reaching - Twitter campaign.

The master of the house, a muscular, mild mannered looking gent named Bikasu, attended to our needs, proffering a menu outlining the lunch sets for the day as well as evening options and a la carte offerings. 

I did the Double Curry Naan, while my dining partner had the Double Curry Rice with Tandoori Chicken. Both were enjoyable and value for money, coming in at under ¥800 a piece. 

Although no at large as some, the naan was light and fluffy and not at all oily. The two small bowls of curry fine, but hardly divine. The chicken curry was a little too light tasting and the morsels of chicken small. The keema was the star of the show - less gritty feeling than some and flavoursome, the minced meat not overpowering the flavour of curry itself. All in all, these were curries cooked for Japanese taste buds. The less said about the salad the better. 

Decent enough for lunch, and probably worth a look for dinner while the 7-8 course meal for ¥2,000 coupon (available on Daisuki Nippon’s website) is in force, but not even close to usurping Manakamana’s Tobu-Tojo Line Napalese curry crown. 

03-3964-9775

Daisuki Nippon  

(No Facebook like button as the code is always crap and never works properly.)

Tachikichi Gyōza, Shibuya 立吉餃子、渋谷

The gyōza at Tachikichi Gyōza are fantastic. Hefty, juicy and delicious, whether boiled or fried. Certainly in a different league than the rather paltry dumplings served at the immensely popular Harajuku Gyōza Ryō.

Tachikichi’s gyōza differ from the norm by not having garlic in the meat mix. This allows the flavour of the pork to come through. For those, like me, who love the taste of garlic, quite excellent garlic gyōza are available. The gyōza skins have a thicker more succulent feel than usual, akin to Chinese dumplings.

Prices are good – about ¥100 a piece, with discounts when ordering in sets of five or ten. A range of other simple izakaya classics are available although apart from the cabbage and shio kombu salad I’ve yet to sample them. Beer at ¥390 isn’t bad, but the glasses are small.

Friendly staff and customers – a nice mix of young and old, male and female, smart and scruffy – make for a relaxed, cozy atmosphere at this hole in the wall eatery.

Funky decoration and ornaments add some flavour to an otherwise plain interior.

The location works well, too; on Meiji Dori, just a few minutes from the east exit of Shibuya station over the pedestrian bridge.

The open front allows for a spot of people watching while quaffing beers and tucking into the tasty dumplings. Perfect for lunch, a light dinner or just a beer-break on your way to the station.

Update 17/10/11: A recent visit at lunch time revealed the lunch sets to be of excellent value. Three gyoza, along with some kimuchi, leaf salad topped with potato salad, soup and finished off with sweet tofu desert. 

My dining parnter ordered a plate of ten gyoza as an extra, only to find his eyes were bigger than his belly. 

Furthermore, a recent attempted visit revealed that Tachikichi is closed for refurbishment. From the glimpse I caught, the planks of wood clamped to metal frames that once served as tables are being replaced with purpose built furnishings. Great to see the place doing well enough to be more permanantly fitted out. Just hope none of the charm of the place is diminished in the process! 

UPDATE 26/10/11: Revamped and renamed "Kitchen Tachikichi," the interior fittings are better, the wall mounted counter-tops, especially, much improved. The playfully kitch deocrations are sadly no more, and with them much of the atmposphere has disapeared, too. In all fairness, Kitchen Tachikichi now feels like a blank canvas, perhaps more a work in progress. With luck, the young masters will add some of the old sparkle atop the new lick of paint.   

But - Honolulu starbright - the food remains the same.

03-3486-1269

http://www.tachikichi.net/index.html

Cafe & Bar Square Hedges, Nakameguro スクエアヘッジズ、中目黒

Nakameguro has plenty to offer – ever the more so as its gentrification proceeds. As such, Café & Bar Square Hedges has its work cut out for it. How to differentiate from the many other fashionably artsy, left of center café-bar and arts spaces?

The location, three blocks left and three blocks up from the bridge over the Meguro River if you head straight over the road out of Nakameguro station, provides a chance to stroll through rarely visited Kamimeguro back streets.  The café itself, all pale blue walls, white wood and airy ceilings brings to mind a beach house. As much Devon as it is Tokyo.

The shop front, dominated by a large window, provides a lush green view by summer, and by spring a little known cherry blossom-viewing site. Spread across two floors, by day the first floor offers a relaxed, comfortable and thankfully unpretentious lunch venue amidst an eclectic mix of knick-knacks, framed by a breezy bar and made welcoming by the affable attentions of the lady of the house, Ms. Nawata. By night the second floor is opened, offering a more bar-like experience, as well as a space for parties, events and exhibitions.

The menu offers simple, home-cooked dishes covering Asian Fusion, Brunch, Mexican, Sandwiches and Vegetarian categories. The lunch sets, all coming in at under ¥900, offer particular value, being comprised of salad, soup, hot or cold drink, rice and main dish. 

My dining partners and I settled on the Gappao, Red curry and Avocado salad (which, due to soaring lettuce prices thanks to recent typhoons, hot weather and radiation, was based on cabbage, as most salads seem to be of late). All were fresh, tasty and filling.

03-5489-8683

http://www.facebook.com/cafe.squarehedges?sk=info

Best & Burger's, Iruma ベストアンドバーガーズ、入間

Situated amidst the sterile environs of Iruma’s Mitsui Outlet Park with its plethora of stores flogging low to mid-level brands at bargain prices, Best & Burger’s (sic) was better than Burger King, but not a patch on Giggle or Blacows.

Weary after traipsing around what felt like an average English town centre, less the roaming gangs of tooled-up hooded looters, my dining partners and I were happy to find a seat, some beer (Heineken) and something to eat.

Neither the burgers (we all had Avocado burgers) nor the fries were much to write home about, but could have been worse. No matter – you’ll never visit this particular eatery unless you visit that outlet park, which, I assume, is unlikely. 

04-2902-5269

http://www.31op.com/iruma/shop/iru1280.html

Khana, Nishishinjuku カナ、西新宿

Khana is simply a small, rather nondescript Indian/ Pakistan eatery in Nishishinjuku 6-Chome, tucked away in the shadow of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, roughly halfway between the Nishishinjuku and Nakanosakaue stations.

Nothing much to look at from the street – if not for the menu displayed on the pavement you’d miss the shadowy entrance – the interior is basic, too. The TV, loudly displaying stupefying variety shows, dominated proceedings. 

No need to go out of your way to try this place, and certainly not for an evening meal. But, if you are in the area at lunchtime, you could do worse. 

For around ¥780 the various lunch sets provide a filling, tasty meal mainly based around a small bowl of salad (poor) and rice (average), light fluffy naan (good, but not Nepalese restaurant good – i.e., not the same size as a skateboard) and a fair sized bowl of curry, all served on a platter.

Two of us had the chicken curry, and one the spinach and cheese curry. No complaints, not much chat, didn’t last long and suitably fall when we left. The service was friendly, in Japanese or English. 

The website shows lunch sets consisting of more than they actually do.

03-3344-8622

http://www.khana-potohar.com/khana_nishisinjyuku.php

On The Corner, Shibuya 渋谷

In an attempt to stave off the effects of my affection for iced-Canadian Club my morning commute, weather permitting, culminates in a brisk stroll along Meiji Dori, from Harajuku to Ebisu.  

In doing so, On The Corner – an American-style diner hosting an outpost of the apparently esteemed No. 8 Bear Pond espresso bar of Shimo-Kitazawa – has taken my fancy for months. As if often the case, while others such as The Recently Betrothed, have visited I’ve never quite gotten round to it. Until today. 

As mentioned elsewhere, “American diners” bring to mind apple pie, buxom blondes, pancakes, bacon and maple syrup. Sadly, not a single pancake was to be flipped. 

After waiting an eternity for a table (while witnessing happy patrons being scolded for attempting to photograph Bear Pond’s fare) we were eventually seated in our faux-leather booth amongst whitewashed walls and fashionably industrial ducts and piping. 

By all accounts, the breakfast menu is perhaps the most compelling reason to visit, but the lunchtime spread wasn’t half bad either; reasonably priced, well proportioned. The mojitos were much better than those served here. Service was friendly (photos allowed) especially when needed to make diving catches to save falling French fries… 

Talking of fries, I wish I’d been warned after ordering a side of them that my BLT would be served with an ample supply of the very same. The BLT itself was okay, but the bread left much to be desired. Such a venue would suggest the availability of something less reminiscent of sliced-white. My dining partner’s herb and watercress green salad was voluminous. The chocolate brownie, served with ice cream and white foam from a can, was tasty. 

Enjoyable, a fun lunch spot, and apparently a place to charge your laptop for free. The breakfast menu (served from 9am to 3pm) seems the best reason to visit. 

03-6427-7273

http://onthecorner-shibuya.com/