Solomon, the restaurant’s manager, is very personable and goes out of his way to get to know his customers which contributes to the all round friendly atmosphere. In addition, unlike some other restaurants, customers are encouraged to relax and enjoy their dining experience here, rather than being rushed out as soon as they finish their meal; the result being quite a number of repeat customers.

Prior to living in Japan, I was (and still am) a veteran of Ethiopian food.  To that end, I was more than impressed to discover that this unique form of cuisine existed in the cosmopolitan city that is Tokyo.

The first time I actually went to the Queen of Sheba, in 2007, following my move to the capital from Kanagawa Prefecture, the experience exceeded my expectations and Solomon’s niche in the restaurant scene of Tokyo instantly became one of my favorite restaurants in Japan.

Central to Ethiopian cuisine is injera-an Ethiopian flatbread, that is made with water and flour and fermented for several days; the resulting slightly sour taste, an enhancement to the accompanying dishes. The injera also absorbs any sauces die to its crepe-like texture.

As a very communal people when it comes to eating, Ethiopian meals oftentimes epitomize the concept of “breaking bread” together. Various meat and vegetable stews are served on a platter of injera which is then shared by a group. Pieces of the injera are torn off and used to scoop up the food in lieu of utensils, and when the food atop the injera is finished, people turn their attention to the bread itself; thereby, as summed up by a friend, “First, you eat the food.  And then, you eat the plate”.

On a recent visit to the Queen of Sheba, with a beginner to Ethiopian cuisine, my dining partner and I started off with a large portion of goat kebabs. We then moved onto a main course of Kei Wat (beef in a spicy red pepper sauce a.k.a. ‘berbere’ sauce), Gomen Wat (spinach with potato and carrots in a garlic sauce) and Yabeg Alicha (lamb and potatoes in a turmeric sauce).

The goat kebabs were served medium-rare with a tangy sauce that serves as its foil. The Kei Wat was spicy, but not overly so while the Yabeg Alicha struck the perfect balance given the bite of the Kei Wat and the milder Gomen Wat, a vegetarian offering of the restaurant.

Price wise the a la carte items generally range from 1,000 to 2,000 yen which means it can get a little expensive as everything adds up. For larger groups it might be worth considering the 3,000 - 8,000 yen set courses which consist of around five or six items, with vegetarian options included. And of course, the all important accessibility; fortunately Queen of Sheba is not too busy, even at the weekends, but it is worth booking ahead to play it safe and ensure that you are not kept waiting.

[Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant]

Address: 1-3-1 Naka-Meguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo.
Phone: 03-3794-1801
WEB: http://www.queensheba.jp

With both indoor and outdoor seating options, Ramen Genta, in the humidity of summer offers ‘fresh’ or conditioned air options.  Both come with advantages; sitting inside enabling customers to see the food prepared directly in front of them as well as offering the opportunity to interact with staff and other patrons.  Outside, on the other hand, serves up an altogether more natural environment enabling the cooling summer breezes to be enjoyed.

Thanks in part to the ticket vending machine system in place, service is highly efficient as visitors wait but a few minutes to see their food appear.  In this respect, Ramen Genta really has the best of both worlds:  a quality restaurant but with fast food service. Add to this the fact that all offerings are priced below 1000 yen and ramen perfection seems the name of the game.

These points notwithstanding, customers unable to read Japanese will find themselves at a disadvantage as there is no English menu available, and this can make it tricky to know which button to press at the vending machine although it is possible to cope by looking at the pictures that are provided and, of course, by asking the staff who are very helpful and will try their best.

This writer-cum-visitor ordered a ramen dish complete with hot sauce, pork, scallions, egg and a serving of dried seaweed.  Depending on personal preference, the dish in question can be served up hot or cold – the hot chili powder served on the side.

Additionally, there are condiments at each table to let customers adjust the potency and / or delicacy of their food to taste.

Order the above ramen dish hot and add a few (small) spoonfuls of chili oil and hot sauce; two ingredients that work in unison to enhance the hot sauce and thus best bring out the taste of the other ingredients, and your taste buds will be tingling with excitement – well worth the journey in and of itself.

[Address]
Minami-Yawata 4-2-10, Ichikawa, Chiba

[Tel]047-370-8508

Located in Shinjuku, in a building across from Franc Franc, (JR South Exit), it’s the perfect spot for either lunch or dinner - followed by dessert if one still has the appetite as Krispy Kremes and Starbuck’s are but steps away.

This is actually the second time I’ve been to El Torito. I was first introduced to this authentic Mexican restaurant at the end of Golden Week when a friend invited me to dinner. There were eight of us in total on that visit so we ordered a set course. The best part was the beef fajitas. I can still taste them to this day. Served sizzling hot on an iron skillet, they were cooked medium rare. The accompanying tortillas were served fresh out of the oven which made for an orgasmic combination, especially when salsa, sour cream and avocado were added to the mix.

Anyway, I digress - in terms of price, a la carte items generally range from 1000 -2000 yen with appetizers as low as 490 yen. Set courses range from 2000 - 5000 yen. However, combination meals, generally hover around the 1500 yen mark, are the most economical as they come with a drink – but only if the drink in question costs no more than 420 yen.

On my latest visit I ordered the Shrimp Rice & Flautas combination platter, and decided to indulge in my craving for Sprite – a drink rarely found in Japan. The portions were divided evenly into thirds so one can thoroughly sample each item on the platter. For those who are not well versed in Mexican cuisine, flautas is a small rolled-up tortilla, about six inches long, served with some sort of filling, usually beef or chicken. At El Torito, the flautas were stuffed with chicken and green tomatoes, and even for yours truly, as someone who does not eat chicken breast, I found the meat to be very tender and its flavor effectively enhanced by the tomatoes. (El Torito pic 4) That said, as a seafood lover, the best part of the meal was the shrimp rice. There were four jumbo shrimp served on a bed of rice with just the right amount of cream sauce added to prevent the rice from being considered too.

Although the a-la-carte selections are pretty good at El Torito, it must be added that it is advisable to go in a group of at least six to eight people so one can take advantage of the variety and range of flavors offered through these set courses.

Oh, and before I forget, the aforementioned foodie thoughts aside for a mo, one must not forget the unlimited tortilla chip refills complete with salsa dip service at El Torito. The dip itself is made with fresh tomatoes and just the right amount of spice to keep everyone happy. Nibble away to your heart’s content.

a mix of modern eclecticism and tradition in Harajuku

Nestled at the back of the same building as the Design Festa Gallery, is a hidden gem that goes by the name of Sakuratei.
Opened in 1996, this innovative restaurant caters to both artists and non-artists alike giving the former a place to replenish their creative energies without having to venture too far, and allowing the latter the opportunity to see how tradition co-exists alongside modern society while savoring the local fare.
There are four rooms and a terrace on the first floor. The walls are painted with an eclectic flare by various artists from the Gallery and each of the rooms has its own theme. The second floor is a traditional, Japanese style room made of polished wood and is ideal for large parties. The one thing that these rooms have in common is that all of the tables come with a heated surface which enables everyone to cook their own food. Additionally, there are condiments at each table consisting of sauce, spices, mayonnaise and soy sauce so customers can season their own food to taste.
Sakuratei specializes in okonomiyaki and monjayaki; okonomiyaki a Japanese style ‘pizza’ made of wheat, flour and egg. “Okonomi” means “as you like” – be it meat, seafood and vegetables, or a mix of all three. Monjayaki is similar to okonomiyaki; the only difference being that the batter used is more fluid - more watery - and no egg is used. Monjayaki originated in Tokyo, while okonomiyaki originated in Western Japan.

Although these were the specialties, fear of the cooking process led us to order mentaimayo yaki-udon (udon noodles with spiced cod roe & mayonnaise sauce, pork and squid) along with soba-meshi (a noodle and rice combination dish). However, instead of simply going with what was on the menu, we got a little adventurous and “customized” our soba-meshi with pork, kimchi (pickled cabbage from Korea) and tuna.
Unlike most restaurants, Sakuratei does not offer appetizers. However, they do have a teppanyaki (Japanese grill) section with choices that complement the main courses quite effectively. To this end, we ordered the spicy sausage which went well with both the soba-meshi and the mentaimayo yaki-udon. The mentaimayo yaki-udon was heavenly and the taste remained fresh in my memory a week later.
Our “customized” version of the soba-meshi tasted much better than the menu listed dish – in the end being a soba-meshi a la Korea, with the spices emanating from the kimchi, sauce base, soy sauce and the various spices added by yours truly.
Price wise, the portions are great for the amount charged as the majority of main courses fall under the 1000 yen mark with just a few dishes in the 1,000-1,400 yen range.
For more information and directions,
go to: http://www.sakuratei.co.jp/en/index.html - definitely worth a visit regardless of whether you are a visitor or a long-term resident.

For those who are into art and/or art galleries, check out the Design Festa Gallery at: http://www.designfesta.com.

A friend introduced me to this excellent, and highly authentic Thai restaurant, and I was so impressed after visiting that I was compelled to go again this week – with another friend who ended up equally impressed. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and you know you’re on to something good when an entire group of people hold a particular establishment in high esteem.
Not only does Tinun Aoyama have my own personal seal of approval, it is now my favorite Thai restaurant in Tokyo, and I have every intention of promoting it when coming across anyone and everyone out for a taste of genuine Thai food.
My favorite dish, an appetizer, and the one that got my ‘mojo’ going, is the Tom Yam Kung. For those who are unfamiliar with Thai food, Tom Yam Kung is a lemongrass soup containing prawns. Having tried it the first time, I decided to try the Tom Yam Talay – a seafood version consisting of mussels, prawns and squid.

However, unlike other Thai restaurants which merely serve a lemongrass broth, Tinun turns it up a few notches by adding some coconut milk to enhance the four essential aspects of Thai cuisine: hot, sour, sweet and salty. Moreover, the coconut milk makes for an effective combination of sweet and spicy without overly conflicting with the other elements. Not surprisingly, the trademark Tinun dish seems to be the Tom Yam Kung Noodles - advertised as “World Famous”. I have yet to try this particular dish, but have every intention of doing so the next time I visit and to enjoy the choice of noodles on offer - from ramen to rice stick noodles of varying widths.
Of note in this city of miniscule servings, it is important to mention that everything served at Tinun came in portions large enough to leave you comfortably full, but not to the point of being overly stuffed.
For the main course, we ordered Pla Phad Prik (stir-fried spicy fish), Nua Phad Ped (stir fried beef with red curry sauce) and Pad Thai.

The Pla Phad Prik was fried in a honey garlic sauce and sprinkled with red pepper flakes. As someone who is not keen on honey garlic, I have to admit that I didn’t warm to this dish immediately, but after a few bites was won over. The pepper flakes served to enhance the sweet sauce giving it the perfect sweet and spicy blend, and, unlike most fried fish, the batter wasn’t highly saturated in fat and oil which meant there was no aftertaste; a definite plus.
The Nua Phad Ped was actually less spicy than expected with a very subtle sauce taste coming through. Interestingly, it tasted more like a stir fry than a curry – the name under which it was advertised – but according to my eating partner, “…. was the best beef (she’d) ever had.”
Last, but certainly not least, was the Pad Thai. Known by many as Thailand’s national dish, the Tinun version has been adapted to suit the local palate and was therefore served with a rather mild taste. Although both my partner and I are quite the spice connoisseurs, we appreciated the fact that one can adjust the tenacity of the spices to suit, or can simply go without altogether; each table in the restaurant offering up four types of spice, in small bowls, to use as required.
Washed down with Thai Singha Beer, the perfect complement to the food, in that it is light, not bubbly and definitely not bitter, the meal was rounded off in perfect style.

It takes more than good food for a restaurant to remain in business in Tokyo, and Tinun Aoyama is a place in which the food excels. Along with friendly and helpful staff not averse to taking the time to answer our questions, make the proper recommendations and to allow the splitting of the bill, absent was any sense of pressure to order more than necessary and no ‘up-selling.’ When we asked for a recommended Thai beer, the server gave us what they felt was the best for the dish in question, rather than the most expensive.
The above notwithstanding, the very best part of Tinun Aoyama is the cost. Considering it is in a prime spot in Omotesando, an upscale area near Shibuya, the prices were not only reasonable, but very economical; most prices hovering between 1,000 and 2,000 yen.
Reservations are generally unnecessary, even on weekends but it never harms to play it safe to ensure that you’re not kept waiting.
For more information about this excellent establishment, go to www.tinun.jp. You’ll be glad you did.