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In times past, this was the most fashionable Italian restaurant in town. It’s slowed down and the days are gone when half the space was given over to high fashion, but they still know how to serve a decent pasta and a glass of red. It’s 10 minutes’ walk from Roppongi Crossing, going towards the Tower.
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Viva Mexico! There’s music and dancing at this restaurant and it stays open until dawn. The menu starts with a cheese fondue, known as queso fundido. Carry on to a main course such as steak with avocado, beans and, yes, cheese again—the dish is called la sabana. Top the whole lot off with a dessert flamed with a tequila sauce. Main items cost about £10.
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This recreation of a traditional Japanese inn has 15 private rooms, each one different. In this warren of little rooms they serve kaiseki, the most refined Japanese cuisine, with sake or shochu, at prices ranging upward from £20 for the cheapest courses. It should be noted that this is traditional Japanese fare, including sashimi, sushi, tempura, soup and rice—appearance and presentation count as much as taste and flavour.
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In this sumiyaki (charcoal grill), where you roast your food on sticks over large charcoal pits, the ceiling is festooned with all kinds of irrelevant junk from the countryside to make it look rustic. Ignore the decor and get on with the nosh, washed down with sake, shochu or beer. There are two tiny rooms for intimate dinners which need to be reserved in advance.
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Mako has been a very bold effort by a new, young team, with premises in one of the newest prestige business towers in the city. Mako Tanaka, the executive chef, comes and goes between this [address] and the US, and has bestowed his imprint on the menu. Try his crispy whole fish with black bean truffle sauce for £14 or the Peking duck for £16.
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Should you want to take the family out for a meal and not spend the earth—and want Western—where do you turn? Most Western restaurants in Tokyo are geared up to hit your wallet. Probably the best bargain in town is a restaurant on floor six at the main Mitsukoshi department store. You can get a hamburger or a chicken salad.
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This used to be the best-known Indian restaurant in the centre of town, and it probably still is, thanks to its wicked location just up the street from Mr Mori’s Roppongi Hills. The staff are all Indian, so this is the full ethnic exercise, not a milder version thereof.
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This is authentic Korean food of the aristocratic variety, meaning it’s not served with lashings of pepper. Nankantei is tucked away in the backstreets of Ogikubo, at the end of the Marunouchi line. Get them to fax you a map. Recommended on the basis of years of sampling, the food is mild. The serving staff can tell you what’s best.
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The food is excellent, but the place is a bit noisy and the tables are close together at night. The best time to try this excellent little Italian is lunchtime on a weekday. Then the crowd is much thinner and Señora Okubo, the proprietor, has plenty of time to care for your needs.
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Not every part of Tokyo boasts a Sicilian establishment; this one is in Roppongi. Try the pappardelle with oxtail sauce. Or go for the Dom Perignon risotto, another dish at around £10. And to complete the feast, perhaps a sumptuous pancake with strawberry sauce and ice cream. It stays open until dawn or 5am—whichever comes first.
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There’s a famous story that chef Kyoichi Hashimoto travelled to Szechuan to collect 60 different spices for his restaurant. In any event, try the mabo tofu with minced meat, chilli beans and peppers—including some of those transported from China. It costs £10.
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Lunch courses start at around £5 and dinner courses from £25, so this is a classic case of an eatery that packs in the office staff at midday for 15 minutes and let’s those with deep pockets dawdle over their soba (buckwheat noodles) in the evening. Soba is one of the world’s healthier foods and delicious to boot—go for it.
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It’s that man again, Mr Puck has come to town. Have you tried his smoked salmon pizza? Try this café in ARK Hills and then trundle up the hill to Roppongi Hills to check out another of Mr Puck’s inventions, his café in the Hollywood Building. You’ve got to hand it to him, he picks his locations beautifully.
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