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The Starvin' Xpats Guide to Getting Home Delectables
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mitsui



Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki

PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes I heard about that place in Kanda.

As for Vietnamese I had good food in Shimo-Kitazawa.
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jmatt



Joined: 29 Apr 2012
Posts: 122

PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 5:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

fat_chris wrote:
southofreality wrote:
Best pizza in Tokyo is Devil Craft, hands down


Seconded. I ate there in October of 2011. Fantastic pizza. Fantastic beer.

I like the building they're in as well. Tall and narrow. Reminds me of something that could be in a Brooklyn neighborhood.

Looking at the website is making my mouth water.

http://en.devilcraft.jp

Warm regards,
fat_chris


Thanks for that tip---looks great, and as much as I like eating in izakayas and drinking Japanese beer, sake & shochu, get a jones for US style microbrews at times and this place looks to be a good place to indulge.

The only thing I found weird was the statement on the website that:

"When considering the menu for DevilCraft, a key thing the founders noticed was the serious lack of quality food at bars and pubs in Tokyo."

Seriously? I'm guessing that they were referring to Western-themed pubs around the city, as there is certainly no shortage of good food at izakaya everywhere around the city.
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Vaqueiro



Joined: 18 Jun 2008
Posts: 33
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's my "hot tip":

Everywhere I've been in Japan, I've seen enormous liquor stores. I have had more success finding interesting imports at these stores than I have at large supermarkets (even the boutique-y, import-heavy ones). For example, I recently returned home from one of these liquor behemoths with a bike basket full of coveted items: garbanzo beans, kidney beans, black beans, canned olives (green and black), salsa, nacho chips, mint chutney, stone ground mustard, dill pickles, and evaporated milk. OP, maybe focus on scouring places like this; I've found at least three in my town in the distant Osaka suburbs, and I remember seeing similar stores in Nagasaki and Fukuoka.

Hope it works out for you. Be thankful that you're in a beautiful part of Japan. Some of us would trade all the bagels and cream cheese in Kansai to live there. Very Happy
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mitsui



Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki

PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You mean Yamaya, right? Like the one in Kishiwada?
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kah5217



Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 270
Location: Ibaraki

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 2:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding US style pizza- If you want a US chain, I've had Domino's from Yoyogi-uehara and I couldn't tell the difference.
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timothypfox



Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 492

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 6:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! These are all very fine tips indeed.

Here is a non-food one. I ran out of men's anti-perspirant. What they sell here is a liquid roll on deoderant which is wet or anti-perspirant on pieces of tissue paper (I don't really get it).

So, the best solution I found to get a nice white block anti-perspirant was to buy women's unscented. Amazing! Actually works about as well as Speed Stick or Mennan back home.

Sorry for the seguay, but felt this post needed a non-food item on the way...
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ALX



Joined: 19 Sep 2012
Posts: 36
Location: The Big Hill

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

timothypfox wrote:
Wow! These are all very fine tips indeed.

Here is a non-food one. I ran out of men's anti-perspirant. What they sell here is a liquid roll on deoderant which is wet or anti-perspirant on pieces of tissue paper (I don't really get it).

So, the best solution I found to get a nice white block anti-perspirant was to buy women's unscented. Amazing! Actually works about as well as Speed Stick or Mennan back home.

Sorry for the seguay, but felt this post needed a non-food item on the way...


You know, I used to use roll-on deodorant/anti-perspirant until I read something online that said it makes you sweat more. The stuff actually clogs your natural sweat glands and makes them work harder. Ever since then, I have been using European-like sprays (think Axe) and it has been great. Not only does it not clog my 'pits, but it keeps the BO away and not by covering it up - but by diluting it with the perfumes in the spray. Try it, you'll like it!
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timothypfox



Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 492

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks! I'll give it a try.

Now I don't want to ruin everyone's appetite since we were talking about food here. (Sorry women!)

I tried the restaurant Pissolina this weekend. It's a kind of Viking (buffet) type of restaurant with Italian food like pasta and ---- pizza. The pasta is standard run of the mill - nothing to paint the town red with - but the pizza is actually good I would say.

What makes it good is that it tastes handmade (not frozen dough) and the ingredients on top are simple - i.e. basil and mozarella cheese and tomato sauce. This restaurant also has certain items included as all you can order as a part of the buffet price - and pizza is on that! So go to town!

Only trouble is that the lunch is somewhere about 1800 yen, so you got to be pretty hungry to go there - or really after pizza! (I was hungry, and had 3 personal sized pizzas!)
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ALX



Joined: 19 Sep 2012
Posts: 36
Location: The Big Hill

PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 1:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

timothypfox wrote:
Thanks! I'll give it a try.

Now I don't want to ruin everyone's appetite since we were talking about food here. (Sorry women!)

I tried the restaurant Pissolina this weekend. It's a kind of Viking (buffet) type of restaurant with Italian food like pasta and ---- pizza. The pasta is standard run of the mill - nothing to paint the town red with - but the pizza is actually good I would say.

What makes it good is that it tastes handmade (not frozen dough) and the ingredients on top are simple - i.e. basil and mozarella cheese and tomato sauce. This restaurant also has certain items included as all you can order as a part of the buffet price - and pizza is on that! So go to town!

Only trouble is that the lunch is somewhere about 1800 yen, so you got to be pretty hungry to go there - or really after pizza! (I was hungry, and had 3 personal sized pizzas!)


I'll tell you this right now though - There's nothing more delicious than someone who smells good!
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J.



Joined: 03 May 2003
Posts: 327

PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 9:47 pm    Post subject: Try J. Italian restaurants Reply with quote

for good pasta and pizza. At least a few years back there were tons of these around and they made much better food than the take out places.

In a pinch, most supermarkets have a ready-made Margareta pizza -- thicker crust with a pesto packet you put on and bake at home. Just sex it up with some sliced fresh tomatoes, extra mozzarella cheese, dried oregano, green peppers, mushrooms etc. Small counter - top ovens (conventional, not microwave) shouldn't be much more than 12, 000 yen or so at your local electric store.

You might try Tengu Natural Foods for dried and canned beans. I think they also have chili powder. They ship to your door.

Indojin.com sends Indian ingredients and pre-made packets of curries to your home at pretty reasonable prices.

You can learn to cook and you'll find thousands of good recipes for free online. If you buy a wok, stir-frys are ridiculously easy and you are in the prime place to get good ingredients for them. Try agedofu ( fried tofu) and broccoli.
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tokyo10



Joined: 13 Apr 2010
Posts: 27

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 6:15 pm    Post subject: Re: The Starvin' Xpats Guide to Getting Home Delectables Reply with quote

To resurrect this one from the grave, Ive got some Tokyo food suggestions from a fellow New Yorker:

timothypfox wrote:

Bagels
My last home, New York City, abounded in them. You could literally take a breath on any street corner and smell bagels.



The best bagels in Tokyo without question are Maruichi based in Shirokane Takanawa. The girl there worked at Ess-a-Bagel for 6 months in Manhattan and brought back the recipe. Its not 100% original, but it blows everything else out of the water. These are the best New York bagels Ive had outside of New York.

timothypfox wrote:

Cream cheese for your bagels is easy to find at any grocery store. It will take a little more digging to find smoked salmon, but many grocery stores have it. Just look around.


In Tokyo at least, smoked salmon and cream cheese are stocked in most supermarkets. Most of the higher end markets will have a good variety (ie Seijo Ishii, Kaldi ect). My favorite specialty store is Shinanoya in Kabukicho which happens to have excellent prices on all sorts of imported foods and liquor. Its a weird little spot too.


timothypfox wrote:

Pizza
I'm still searching!


As as been already said, Devil Craft makes an excellent Chicago deep dish in Kanda. Also stepping up to the plate is the Nakameguro Baird Taproom which has been churning out some amazing New Haven style thin crust lately. Baird also rocks because their beers are world class. Outside the beer pub pizza choices, Ive heard great things about Rocco's New York Pizza in Oji but Ive yet to make it up there (its kind of a trek even by Tokyo standards).

timothypfox wrote:

Tex-Mex
I need help on this one! The Mexican restaurants I tried in Kagoshima city were very poor. It is extremely hard to locate beans here.


I cant tell you how much I crave Mexican around here. It exists, like everything does in Tokyo, but for quality the price is arguably double or triple what it would cost in the states. The best Ive had in Tokyo is Salcita in Hiroo. For two people, we dropped about 9,000円 which is not something I would ever do in the states. But its worth it. Mole is so rare here I almost cried when I saw it on the menu. Other, more affordable options are Frijoles (essentially Chipotle) or El Torito. Neither of which are going to blow your mind, but in a pinch they'll satisfy your Mexican fix. Im going back to the states in two weeks and look forward to a few 6$ burritos the size of a football.

If your in a DIY mood also, beans can be had at Seijo Ishii for 380円 per can, which is laughably expensive. Oh, you can buy beans in a grocery store, but usually they're sweetened because that's how they roll in Japan.

timothypfox wrote:

Western Style Take Out Chinese Food


This one is going to be harder. You're not going to find General Tso's Chicken or the like in Japan. The closest to it Ive found to American Chinese food is in Kichijoji, a restaurant called Chukagai that loves their corn syrup, duck sauce and msg just like they do in the states. Its actually got me somewhat nostalgic for my spots from back home. Im sure Yokohama's Chinatown will also have some things that are on par.


timothypfox wrote:

Hummous
Can you get gabonzo (chick peas) beans in Japan?


I have friends that make their own hummus but I think its kind of a pain in the ass. The best hummus (and Kebab) Ive had around these parts is a small shop in Nakano Sakaue called Troy Kebab. The owners are super cool and they make everything from scratch. Ive seen them making their own donner meat which is all kinds of awesome. Im fairly sure they do the hummus fresh too.

timothypfox wrote:

Vegi Drinks


There are kiosks at a lot of the JR stations that sell fresh fruit/vegetable drinks for cheap. Honey..something (I forget)

For great smoothies/drinks one of the better vegetarian restaurants in Tokyo is the Kick Back Cafe. Its way out in Chofu, but I would eat here every day if it was closer to me. They have a huge menu and its has a very chill California vibe to it.
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timothypfox



Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 492

PostPosted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 12:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

tokyo10, I'll keep your suggestions in mind for when I visit Tokyo... As for Kagoshima City where I live, however....
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