Bonhomie

Wow, haven't updated in a while...

About a month ago, we had dinner at Bonhomie, a Bistro in Gotanda. We were so excited because the reviews were excellent and we were finally able to get reservations.

Interior.

It's tiny, there were only about 5 tables and this counter.

They have a "Today's Vegetables" list where you can order individually or a platter with your choice of 4. 

We chose: Grilled Eggplant with Tapnade & Cheese, Broccoli marinated in Garlic Anchovies, Carrot Rappe and Tomato Compote.

Marinated Sardines.

The Sardines were so fresh!

Chilled Gold Rush Corn Potage.

"Gold Rush" is a type of yellow corn from Miyazaki prefecture that has a soft texture and super sweet. This was like dessert! 

Roasted Horo-Horo Cho (Guineafowl) from Iwate-Prefecture.

I've never had Horo-Horo Cho prepared like this before and it was impeccable. It was super tender and because it wasn't flavored (you add salt) you can really taste the meat. The potatoes (above) were insanely sweet, but I forgot the name...

Hamo & Edamame Risotto.

I think this may have been the best Risotto I've ever had in my life. The Hamo went perfectly well with the cheese flavor, the Edamame added some sweetness and the texture of the rice was perfect.

Roasted New Zealand Lamb with Eggplant Puree.

They certainly do a fantastic job with roasting meats.

Platter of homemade cookies & chocolates with the coffee we ordered.

I definitely want to dine here again, because their menu is seasonal. When we went, their main dishes were all meat, but I'm hoping that they'll have fish the next time we go.

Cossott'e

My boyfriend went to Cosott'e a few months back and insisted that it was now his favorite yakiniku place. I can see why now. The meat was so fresh, they have unique items on the menu and still serve raw meat (a lot of places stopped, because they don't want that risk).

Our friend generously drove us there so I don't know how to get there by train... but it's sort of near Shibuya?

Exterior.

世田谷の住宅街の中で“こそっと”やってるから、コソットって名前なんだって。Cosott'eって書くと、なんかオシャレ。

Special Yukke

Cosott'e特製ユッケ

こういうユッケは初めて！10月から生肉が法律で禁止されるみたい

Liver Sashimi

レバ刺

The outside was seared, which turned me off in the beginning, but the liver was amazingly sweet and SO good!

Salted Beef Tongue

牛タン塩

Salted Kalbi

特上カルビ塩

Miso-marinated Kalbi

味噌棒カルビ　

ホルモン塩

Salted Stomach

His: Kalbi Chazuke

カルビ茶漬け

お肉のお茶漬けって珍しいよね。一口もらったけど、とてもあっさりしてて美味！

Mine: Cold Noodles

冷麺

夏だから、冷麺！だけど、もっとお酢が強い方が好み。

Lohotoi (ロウホウトイ)

Lohotoi is a Hong Kong Cantonese-style cuisine located inconveniently in the middle of Ebisu, Hiroo and Shirogane. I forgot to take a picture of the exterior/interior, but it seems like its been here for a while.

Considering that Chinese food (especially in the Shirogane/Hiroo area) is quite expensive, this place was very reasonable. We ordered a lot of what we saw on the Tabelog page and all of them exceeded my expecations. All of the flavors were elegant and refined. It was nice that they offered a small and large size. Everything pictured is a small size. 

Crispy Skin Pork (Small) appetizer

皮付き豚カリカリ焼き

Vegetable Steamed Dumplings

野菜の蒸し餃子

This was so delicious! It mainly had mushrooms and bamboo and there were some other chopped veggies in there as well.

Shrimp & Chive Dumplings

エビとニラの焼き餃子

My fave! The shrimp here was really plump and sweet.

Shrimp Steamed Dumplings

エビの蒸し餃子

After having the veggie and shrimp/chive dumplings, we wanted more. Each piece is super small, probably about half the size of American dim sum. But the homemade skin was incredibly chewy and the ideal thinness, just perfect.

Eggplant with Ground Pork and Miso

魚香茄子

Similar to Mabo Eggplant, without the spice. A little salty, which was probably intentional to eat together with rice (although we didn't order any).

Yellow Chive & Bean Sprout Noodles

黄ニラともやしの麺

Everyone seemed to be ordering this noodle, and we understood why. Its very understated, especially the ingredients, but it just came together and had such a delicate flavor.

We finished off the meal with a refreshing homemade mango pudding and almond jelly.

手作りハンバーグ (Salisbury Steak)

Hamberg, or Salisbury Steak (didn't know it was called this until I looked it up on wiki) is considered a comfort food in Japan. My boyfriend said that he used to make them often when he was a student. I've only made minced chicken or tofu versions, so on his day off, he cooked us a hearty dinner.

First, finely chop onions and carrots, and lightly saute.

Add the sauteed veggies into minced meat (we used a pork and beef mix, but any type of meat works).

Add in some panko, an egg, salt & pepper and throughly mix.

Shape them into favored shape/size. When shaping, make sure to get the air out by slapping them down on your palm.

After shaping them, lightly cook the the surface to get some color, before simmering them.

To make the sauce, we chopped fresh tomatoes and added Port Wine. Any wine works, but we didn't have any opened red wine, so we substituted with Port, which turned out great.

Add in the lightly cooked steaks into the sauce, close the lid and let simmer.

After adjusting the flavor or the sauce with some ketchup, Worcester sauce, salt and pepper, it's ready to eat.

完成

いただきまーす!

Cooling Down

Haven't been in Japan during this season (mid-summer) ever since I was a kid. The weather's been super weird; hot, cold, rainy but constantly humid. Just now, there was a crazy, random thunderstorm.

Some things I've been cooling down with:

Beer tastes the best in the summer.

Rising Sun Pale Ale from Baird Beer that I've blogged about before (here). 

Matcha Shaved Ice from Ouca (blogged before here).

Shaved ice is only served during the summer time at Ouca. I also had the Apricot last time, but my favorite has to be Matcha.

A new cafe, Sarutahiko Coffee, opened right next to Ouca while I was back home. I love specialty coffee shops (especially single drip!).

Guess the guy wanted to pose for my camera, haha.

Sarutahiko (dark roast) drip Iced Coffee.

Tarantella-da-luigi

Dinner at Tarantella-da-luigi.

Exterior.

Located in a residential area, less than a 10 minute walk from Shirokane-Takanawa station.

Interior.

Baked Eggplants in Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese

Spinach Pizza with tomatoes, Italian bacon, Ricotta and Mozzarella Cheese

They serve traditional Napoli-style food, so their pizza is a must. The crust is thin but chewy and the Ricotta cheese was surprisingly light. The flavors of all the toppings came together so perfectly! All of their ingredients (cheese, flour, charcuterie, etc.) are flown in from Italy.

We actually saw this place on TV for their Acqua Pazza & Pasta dish. They come around with this platter so you can pick out a fish. You also pick a pasta which turns into...

this!

The fish was cooked to perfection, so tender and the perfect amount of sodium.

Tomato & Basil Gnocchi.

One of the best Gnocchis I've had. Ever.

Everything we had here exceeded my expectations. It's also very reasonably priced. I will definitely be coming back here!

Aalawi

Lunch at Aalawi in Ebisu.

I've never encountered any Jamaican food in California before, so this was my first "real" Jamaican Jerk Chicken/Pork.

Exterior.

Interior.

Jamaican Jerk Mix (885 yen)

Mix=Chicken & Pork

They were both really tasty, but I liked the Chicken slightly more.

Ordered a Frozen Peach & Orange with Rum cocktail.

Craftheads

After dinner drinks at Craftheads.

This was my first time here, and it's a bit of a walk from the station but in a really quiet, residential area of Shibuya. They have a really great selection of imported and domestic beers and whiskey.

Bar.

Interior.

Cheers!

Tenryu (天龍)

Dinner at Tenryu in Ginza.

We wanted to go somewhere famous for Gyoza and stumbled upon this restaurant that has been around since 1949.

Entrance.

Gyoza

The size is huge (almost double compared to a normal Gyoza), the skin is quite thick and chewy and the inside is super juicy. Yum.

Sauteed Chinese Spinach (空芯菜)

Kushinsai is my favorite!

Beef with Oyster Sauce

It's a really casual restraunt (especially in Ginza) but the food was good and by the time we finished eating a little past 7pm, there was already a line.