5 ms·

A History of Tokyo in Eight Dishes

102 points by stuffedolives 8y ago

jpatokal 8y ago
> the third option, the skewered kushi-katsu is an inferior cut Them's fighting words: kushikatsu is a quintessential Osakan dish, and while originally cheap food, there are plenty of gourmet places serving things like foie gras kushikatsu these days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushikatsu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushikatsu
- dfxm12 8y ago
  Adding foie gras to an "inferior cut" doesn't make the meat itself any better.
- SECProto 8y ago
  The article doesn't claim the foods originate in Tokyo (it talks fairly broadly about nanban influenced food, etc). I'd be more annoyed generally, that kushikatsu is stuffed in a footnote of the tonkatsu section :)
- GuB-42 8y ago
  It is not uncommon for "inferior cuts" to end up being highly sought after gourmet food. For example bouillabaisse was made by fishermen from bony rockfish that couldn't be sold. It is now considered gourmet food and you probably won't find proper (chartered) bouillabaisse in Marseille for less than 50 euros per person, and you need to order at least a day in advance and as a group.
tokyodude 8y ago
Tonkatsu at Tonki .... hmmm. It may have a history but it seemed like Japanree cafeteria quality tonkatsu.
- lkramer 8y ago
  I don't know where the accompanying picture is from, but definitely not Tonki. Tonki is really really good (it's the only one from that list I've been to), it's also a bit pricey at around 2300yen for a portion, but in my opinion, easily worth it.
  - carlosesco 8y ago
    yea Tonki was great. There is a reason the line to get in is out the door every day.
- lunchables 8y ago
  My favorite tonkatsu was at a place called Katsusen. Highly recommend it, it was definitely one of my favorite meals in Japan along with Narisawa and Sukiabashi Jiro (the one in Rippongi). But also shout out to Hyotei and Kappo Sakamoto for incredible experiences.
dforrestwilson 8y ago
For Ramen in particular you don't need to go to a specific restaurant to get a good meal. Ippudo Ramen is a solid local chain and very reasonable at maybe $7-8 for a big bowl. On the low-end side for sushi - Sushi Standing Bar is not a bad chain to try either. Definitely need to try these others though.
- titanix2 8y ago
  Ippudo is decent at best, and that's only if you like Hakata style ramen. I would advice to skip it (you can find it abroad anyway) and try non-chain restaurants. There is more variability in this case, sometime really bad but most of the time way better.
- tokyodude 8y ago
  Not all Ippudos are the same. They franchised all over the world. There in an Ippudo in Changi Airport Singapore, trust me, it's not the real deal. It also depends on what you like. Flavorful vs Subtle. Rich vs Light. I'm a Flavorful+Rich style lover myself so when I go to a light+subtle place I often feel like I'm getting a bowl of salted water. Conversely my friends into subtle+light can't take the flavorful+rich style. They feel it upsets their stomachs. There's an Ippudo in NYC and in SF. I haven't been to either. Have heard mixed reviews. The one in SF of course looks nothing like a ramen store in Japan. It's a restaurant and serves french fries. I can say the Tsujita in LA for Tsukemen is spot on, exactly the same as the one here in Tokyo in Jimbocho. The ramen though was at the LA branch was off the day I went. For rich+flavorful I'd recommend Jangara Tonkotsu Ramen (pork bone broth). They have several stores, Harajuku, Akihabara, Nihonbashi, and if you've got vegan friends in tow they have a vegan ramen. The vegan one is on the light+subtle side but is one of the few stores that has any vegetarian/vegan options.
  - amyjess 8y ago
    > There's an Ippudo in NYC and in SF. I haven't been to either. Have heard mixed reviews. I got to eat at one of the NYC locations (there are three) last year, specifically the one on Fifth Avenue, and it was fantastic. Best ramen I've had in my life. Very much on the rich-and-flavorful side.
ElBarto 8y ago
'Ramen' is phonetic for 拉面 (lamian) which is a type of Chinese noddles. That's also the reason 'ramen' in Japanese is written using katakana ( ラーメン ): It is a foreign word.
Larrikin 8y ago
Was slightly surprised to see Narisawa on the list. The multi-course meal I had there was easily the best (and most expensive) meal I've ever had. I had to book pretty far in advance, but it was absolutely worth it.
- lunchables 8y ago
  Same, very expensive, but what an amazing meal. It really is an experience.

102 points by stuffedolives 8y ago

> the third option, the skewered kushi-katsu is an inferior cut Them's fighting words: kushikatsu is a quintessential Osakan dish, and while originally cheap food, there are plenty of gourmet places serving things like foie gras kushikatsu these days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushikatsu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushikatsu

dfxm12 8y ago
Adding foie gras to an "inferior cut" doesn't make the meat itself any better.
SECProto 8y ago
The article doesn't claim the foods originate in Tokyo (it talks fairly broadly about nanban influenced food, etc). I'd be more annoyed generally, that kushikatsu is stuffed in a footnote of the tonkatsu section :)
GuB-42 8y ago
It is not uncommon for "inferior cuts" to end up being highly sought after gourmet food. For example bouillabaisse was made by fishermen from bony rockfish that couldn't be sold. It is now considered gourmet food and you probably won't find proper (chartered) bouillabaisse in Marseille for less than 50 euros per person, and you need to order at least a day in advance and as a group.

tokyodude 8y ago

Tonkatsu at Tonki .... hmmm. It may have a history but it seemed like Japanree cafeteria quality tonkatsu.

lkramer 8y ago
I don't know where the accompanying picture is from, but definitely not Tonki. Tonki is really really good (it's the only one from that list I've been to), it's also a bit pricey at around 2300yen for a portion, but in my opinion, easily worth it.
- carlosesco 8y ago
  yea Tonki was great. There is a reason the line to get in is out the door every day.
lunchables 8y ago
My favorite tonkatsu was at a place called Katsusen. Highly recommend it, it was definitely one of my favorite meals in Japan along with Narisawa and Sukiabashi Jiro (the one in Rippongi). But also shout out to Hyotei and Kappo Sakamoto for incredible experiences.

dforrestwilson 8y ago

For Ramen in particular you don't need to go to a specific restaurant to get a good meal. Ippudo Ramen is a solid local chain and very reasonable at maybe $7-8 for a big bowl. On the low-end side for sushi - Sushi Standing Bar is not a bad chain to try either. Definitely need to try these others though.

titanix2 8y ago
Ippudo is decent at best, and that's only if you like Hakata style ramen. I would advice to skip it (you can find it abroad anyway) and try non-chain restaurants. There is more variability in this case, sometime really bad but most of the time way better.
tokyodude 8y ago
Not all Ippudos are the same. They franchised all over the world. There in an Ippudo in Changi Airport Singapore, trust me, it's not the real deal. It also depends on what you like. Flavorful vs Subtle. Rich vs Light. I'm a Flavorful+Rich style lover myself so when I go to a light+subtle place I often feel like I'm getting a bowl of salted water. Conversely my friends into subtle+light can't take the flavorful+rich style. They feel it upsets their stomachs. There's an Ippudo in NYC and in SF. I haven't been to either. Have heard mixed reviews. The one in SF of course looks nothing like a ramen store in Japan. It's a restaurant and serves french fries. I can say the Tsujita in LA for Tsukemen is spot on, exactly the same as the one here in Tokyo in Jimbocho. The ramen though was at the LA branch was off the day I went. For rich+flavorful I'd recommend Jangara Tonkotsu Ramen (pork bone broth). They have several stores, Harajuku, Akihabara, Nihonbashi, and if you've got vegan friends in tow they have a vegan ramen. The vegan one is on the light+subtle side but is one of the few stores that has any vegetarian/vegan options.
- amyjess 8y ago
  > There's an Ippudo in NYC and in SF. I haven't been to either. Have heard mixed reviews. I got to eat at one of the NYC locations (there are three) last year, specifically the one on Fifth Avenue, and it was fantastic. Best ramen I've had in my life. Very much on the rich-and-flavorful side.

ElBarto 8y ago

'Ramen' is phonetic for 拉面 (lamian) which is a type of Chinese noddles. That's also the reason 'ramen' in Japanese is written using katakana ( ラーメン ): It is a foreign word.

Larrikin 8y ago

Was slightly surprised to see Narisawa on the list. The multi-course meal I had there was easily the best (and most expensive) meal I've ever had. I had to book pretty far in advance, but it was absolutely worth it.

lunchables 8y ago
Same, very expensive, but what an amazing meal. It really is an experience.