Taro @ Meguro

September 26, 2020 Dave Perry

Yaki soba — ***Pork, cabbage and black pepper sauté***

***Liver, Chinese chive and wood ear sauté***

After 45 years’ brisk trade on the Hiroo shotengai, on June 30th Taro served its last customers before relocating to the Meguro station area in early July.

Thankfully, little has changed.

Although the budget sake and self-serve takuan are sorely missed, the same team attends to customers and mans the kitchen providing the familiar service and home style cooking for which it is admired. The only real change is a welcome one; a modern, airy space allowing for improved social distancing and kitchen hygiene.

Taro

03 3449 8301

Tonkatsu Jinya @ Kaminoge

September 5, 2020 Dave Perry

Jinya is a textbook Showa era tonkatsu-ya situated off a residential side-street close to Kaminoge station. Although usually busy with local customers, the raised koagare dining floor and counter seating provide a sense of space and adequate social distancing.

The lunchtime set menu provides excellent cost performance but is limited to rosu (loin) katsu. As such we prefer to order from the evening dinner menu to enjoy the ’special’ hire (fillet) katsu. Portions are extremely generous, including the rich tasting miso soup, pickles and shredded cabbage. The pork is excellent; clean, lean and light in colour. The rosu katsu in particular is dense and moist but not too oily.

By evening the menu expands to include a variety of izakaya staples to accompany alcohol.

Tonkatsu Jinya

03 3703 4711

Vinoteca Messina @ Jiyugaoka

August 15, 2020 Dave Perry

***Broccoli in anchovy and garlic marinade***

***Fruit tomato with buffalo mozzarella***

***Red snapper with cabbage and turnip***

***Beef tagliata topped with foie gras***

Vinoteca Messina has become something of a Jiyugaoka institution in recent years, evidenced not only by bums on seats but also a steadily climbing Tabelog score and word-of-mouth.

The concept behind this sister shop to Taverna Messina is simple; ‘enable people to casually enjoy authentic Italian and Spanish cuisine at a reasonable price.’ Combined with a friendly atmosphere, generous servings of delicious ‘home-cooked’ food and a selection of reasonably priced yet eminently quaffable world wines from a dozen or so countries it’s a formula that provides fantastic value for money.

Although not as gluttonous nor overwhelming as some, the zensai moriawase is a popular choice with which to start a meal before delving into the broad sweep of the regularly updated menu; both the crab pasta and beef cheeks simmered in red wine are excellent.

Usually packed with partying OLs, retiree gourmands and everything in between, reservations are advised.

Vinoteca Messina

03 5701 7205

Cantina Carica.ri @ Toritsu-Daigaku

July 25, 2020 Dave Perry

***Fresh sliced ham with wasabi mustard and parmigiano***

***Kumamoto mozzarella with farm tomatoes and basil***

***Green asparagus topped with fried egg and fresh cut ham***

***Baked zucchini and smoked cheese with spicy miso paste***

Cantina Carica.ri (sister store to nearby Gakugei-Daigaku’s Osteria Bar Ri.carica) is a welcome addition to Toritsu-Daigaku’s hitherto underwhelming dining scene, providing good food, wine and service with an air of ease and sophistication.

Owner chef Tsutsumi Ryosuke learned his trade in Tuscany and at Komazawa-Daigaku’s Tu Sei Grande. His latest restaurant is staffed by a cohort of young, friendly chefs and floor staff as well as a sommelier passionate about his cellar of organic and bio wines catering to a range of tastes and purses.

The menu provides Italian staples as well as cooking inspired by seasonal ingredients and Japanese flare. Signature dishes such as the charcuterie moriawase, zenzai moriawase and A5 black hair wagyu steak frites won’t disappoint (as long as you consider baby roast potatoes to be frites).

Cantina Carica.ri

03 5726 9629

Hirakuya @ Jiyugaoka

June 30, 2020 Dave Perry

The first of the three restaurants in the Hirakuya family, the Jiyugaoka store has remained a reliable favourite for many years.

Housed in an old Showa era building, the interior is all timber frame and rafters decorated with an eclectic collection of art, books, posters and an admirable (if now occasional) collection of One Piece figurines. The atmosphere is casual yet intimate. Counter seats before the open kitchen allow a view of the chefs in action while the wine list-partition adds a little fun to choosing from the small selection of reasonably priced table wines.

Although (much like Ebisu’s Toliuo) Hirakuya’s focus on pairing wines with a fusion of Asian and European cuisines is now less novel than once it was it still ensures a satisfying meal. The menu ranges across a variety of dishes and is seasonly updated so deserves to be studied. Portions are large; so much so that the signature salads also come in half and quarter portions.

Hirakuya

03 3725 3979