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Nicolai Bergmann Nomu Cafe: Omotesando

A lot of upscale Aoyama shops seem to have an obligatory cafe area tucked into a corner somewhere, but the combination works especially well at this Copenhagen-based designer flower shop. While the food and drink aren't so very different from a dozen other area cafes, the lovely, plant-filled setting and the lively atmosphere set it apart.

Lunch is served from 10am-3pm, with choices of open-faced Danish smorrebrod and panini sandwiches, big organic salads and fresh fruit juices. A set lunch with a couple of sandwiches, soup, salad and coffee or tea runs around Y1500.

After 3pm is teatime, with a nice selection of freshly made muffins and pastries to accompany your beverage. Tucked away on a quiet side street behind Aoyama-dori, Nomu Cafe is a pleasant spot for an afternoon break when you're in the area.

Zaian: Ikebukuro

The funky basement space and sixties-jazz soundtrack give this cozy little izakaya the relaxed atmosphere of a neighborhood drinking spot. The food menu offers good, solid fare - down-to-earth rather than fancy, and especially strong in daily fish specials, seasonal vegetables and grilled pork dishes.

The main reason to come here, though, is the impressive sake list - several dozen labels from small regional breweries, often including multiple varieties from the same brewery. Sake is served either in 1-go tokkuri or by the 100ml glass, so you can put together your own tasting flights and sample a good assortment of brews over the course of an evening.

In addition to the regular sake menu there's a page of seasonal, limited-edition specials, a small but respectable shochu list, and an intriguing display of colorful fruit liqueurs in glass jars. At lunchtime Zaian draws in the crowds with their famous spicy udon noodle dish, Shisen Tantanmen, which has been featured in numerous magazines. Budget around Y4000-5000 in the evening for ample food and drink; cash only.

Bills: Daiba

This is the third Tokyo-area outlet from Australian celeb chef Bill Granger, known in particular for his gourmet breakfast menus. Breakfast is served every day from 9am-3pm, and choices include signature dishes such as potato-feta fritters with gravlax, and ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter. The Full Aussie Breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon and chipolata sausage, mushrooms, roast tomato and rye toast - is well prepared but still feels just a bit pricey at Y1800.

Also noteworthy at this branch is the gourmet children's menu, offering dishes that are a bit more sophisticated than average but still appealing to younger palates. The Y1100 kids' menu includes a main course and a dessert, with choices like crisp-skin salmon with beans and mash and a pleasantly crunchy chicken schnitzel with spinach and mash. Fresh fruit is used in many of the desserts (e.g. ice cream with fresh strawberries and strawberry sauce) and drinks (the "Sunrise" smoothie with orange juice, banana, yogurt and berries).

The main menu is Italian-influenced contemporary international - meatballs with tomato and tamarind; duck casserole with green olives and orange gremolata; penne with pancetta and peas. The dining room is comfortably spacious and airy, with a cheery off-white color scheme, skillful lighting, attractive artwork on the walls and a nice view of Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Bay.

Craft Beer Market: Toranomon

Craft Beer Market offers thirty different brews on draft, including a good number of seasonal specials. Prices are noticeably less expensive than the average Tokyo microbrew bar, with pints priced at just Y780 and glasses at Y480. (There's also a Y300 table charge.)

The food is top-notch pub fare - we can recommend the shrimps sauteed in garlic (Y900 with bread) and the delightfully spiced lamb kebabs (Y900). The music ranges from Britpop to R&B, and the customers veer toward a very local after-work crowd from nearby office buildings.

Uchimura Egyptian Deli Shop: Higashi-Kitazawa

The Egyptian fare at this tiny deli-style shop is tasty and impressively inexpensive. Well-seasoned mutton and chicken-spinach curries run Y500-600, and come with rice or pita bread. Chicken and lamb shawarma sandwiches (Y500) make a nice take-out snack along with simple but delectable side dishes like tabouli salad and fuul (mashed fava beans with peppers, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic).

Keeping with Cairo tradition, the falafel here is also prepared with fava beans rather than chickpeas. The shop has four small tables, but many customers opt for take-out.

Wakanui: Azabu-Juban

Run by a New Zealand meat company, Wakanui was set up to introduce Tokyo gourmets to premium beef, lamb and wines from New Zealand, and they succeed quite admirably at that mission. The dining room is attractive but not overly fussy, with an open kitchen and a glass-enclosed aging room at one end to literally showcase the beef. The off-the-beaten-track location was chosen for its proximity to Nissin, an international market where patrons can pick up the same meats and wines that are served here and bring them home.

The beef is all from pasture-raised Black Angus cattle and is dry-aged on the premises. Both beef and lamb are grilled over Binchotan charcoal, and the results are succulent and very flavorful. The one-kilogram Ocean Beef Bone-in Ribeye (Y8800) makes an imposing centerpiece for a table of three or four diners; other mains include a 350g ribeye cut (Y3800) and a half or full rack of Canterbury Lamb (Y2100/3900). Among the starters our favorite is probably the intensely smoky Hot Smoked New Zealand King Salmon (Y1600). Side vegetable dishes like sauteed mushrooms average around Y650.

The wine list offers forty labels, mostly from small boutique vineyards and priced from Y4500. The lunch menu starts at Y1280 and includes burgers, meatballs, grilled lamb and veal, with a Y2100 multi-course prix-fixe option.

Bottega: Yotsuya

This casual bistro offers value-priced wines and meaty Mediterranean snacks late into the night. The spacious basement dining room has a warm feel to it - heavy on the wood and brick, with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with wine bottles surrounding the tables.

Some fifty wines are available by the bottle, starting at just Y2500, with twelve poured by the glass. The food menu offers simple but satisfying fare like pork rillettes, assorted hams, country-style cassoulets, and tapas favorites like garlic-sauteed shrimp and mushrooms.

Decanter: Akabanebashi

Decanter is an international steakhouse with a distinctly modern sensibility. Chef David Ueno's menu is smart and engaging, with entertaining appetizers and first-rate steaks and chops. The gorgeous setting feels more like a stylish lounge or club than a tradtional stuffy dining room - there's sophisticated lighting, cool music on a professional sound system, and a very impressive city view.

The foie gras bonbons are the first sign that this isn't your dad's steakhouse. Basically they're pieces of foie gras dipped in various types of chocolate and served with dabs of rhubarb culis and artisanal salt - an inspired mix of flavors and textures. Another nice surprise is the bone-marrow flan, served in the bone with an outstanding oxtail marmalade.

Beets and goat cheese are always a pleasing combination, and Chef Ueno's version is a well-balanced construction of heirloom beets, seasonal greens, hazelnuts and a goat-cheese brulee. That old steakhouse standby, shrimp cocktail, is supersized here in the form of the "Raw Bar for 2 On Ice," a sumptuous collection of market-fresh lobster tails, snow crab, scallops crudo and king shrimp.

Decanter's beef is all sourced from the US and New Zealand. The US steaks are Certified Angus Beef (a rather exclusive designation), grain-fed and wet-aged for a more intense flavor, while the New Zealand beef is 100% grass-fed wagyu from Hawkes Bay. Both are excellent, each with its own special character. Steaks are served with bone-marrow butter and a lovely salsa verde, and they also come with assorted side dishes, unlike many steakhouses where you have to order everything a la carte.

Other mains include a delectable Berkshire pork belly, lamb chops, beef short ribs, grilled Iwate baby chicken, some seafood dishes and a seasonal vegetarian option. There's no dessert menu, just a plate of a few light items that Pastry Chef Daisuke Yuki feels inspired to prepare that day - ours included a deconstructed tiramisu.

The wine program at Decanter is perhaps one of the restaurant's most impressive features. The cellar stands ready with some ten thousand bottles, ranging in price from Y4,000 to Y500,000. It's one of the best selections in Tokyo, especially strong in vertical offerings from the same producer.

Rather than a phonebook-sized wine list, you're presented with a customized tablet computer when you arrive at your table. This is your menu (for food as well as wine), and you can browse by grape or region, or search the full collection by winery. The bar also mixes original cocktails and pours a nice US microbrew from Ballast Point in San Diego.

In addition to the main dining room there's a separate bar space, an outdoor terrace lounge area, various private dining spaces, and a Chef's Table located inside the kitchen. Budget around Y8,000-16,000 per person before drinks; there are also prix-fixe menus ranging from Y11,000-22,000. Patrons must be twenty or older.

Brews News #107

Reviews of Yebisu Kohaku beer and Craft Beer Market in Toranomon, and news of upcoming events in Tokyo and Yokohama in the December/January issue of our Japan beer newsletter.

Chilling In Tokyo - Cafe Ohana: Ginza

This charming little cafe is located in an old office building that's now filled with art galleries. Relax on comfortable sofas and listen to mellow lounge music on the stereo while you admire the cat-themed artwork on the walls. Browse through their collection of magazines and cat picture books while you sip on a cappucino (Y750) or cocktail.

If you're hungry there's a simple food menu - Caesar salads (Y1000), mixed sausages (Y800). The unpretentious decor is all cinderblocks and exposed pipes, with a silver and white color theme set off by lots of green plants.

New opening - White Smoke: Azabu-Juban

Billing itself as a traditional Texas smokehouse, White Smoke offers a good selection of Texas barbecue-style dishes - beef brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, turkey breast, pork chops, chicken and burgers. Owner-pitmaster Craig White was born in Texas, and learned his craft at Louie Mueller's BBQ in Taylor, Texas. A former engineer, he designed for himself a serious, 1.8-ton upright smoker that was custom-built in the US and shipped to Tokyo.

The premium-quality meats used here are all sourced from the US, and are cooked in a traditional "low and slow" style for up to fifteen hours. The slow cooking approach results in very tender and juicy meats - the brisket in particular is a favorite. Meats are complemented by a smoky, tomato-based barbecue sauce that's mild enough not to overpower the individual meat flavors.

The menu's side dishes, while traditionally inspired, are much fancier than what you'd find in a Texas BBQ joint. The cole slaw features diced apples, poppy seeds and a hint of anise, while the flaky, lard-infused buttermilk biscuits are served with a delicious molasses butter. Other side options include five mushrooms sauteed with a five-peppercorn mix; roast shallots with watercress; and a very tasty version of that old standby, pork and beans.

The wine list offers several good choices in the Y4000-7000 range, plus some special bottles for celebratory occasions. There are ten wines by the glass, plus a couple of excellent US microbrews from legendary breweries like Bear Republic and Southern Tier. The upstairs main dining room is spacious and comfortable; next to it is a small private dining room, and downstairs is the open kitchen area, flanked by a twelve-seat counter. Budget around Y5000-6000 for dinner with a few drinks; lunches start in the Y1000 range.

Chilling In Tokyo - Dry Dock: Shimbashi

Perhaps this isn't the narrowest bar in Tokyo, but it's certainly the narrowest bar offering such an impressive class of craft beers, both domestic and imported. Cleverly, the tiny space is fashioned to resemble a yacht, with porthole windows and nautical decor throughout. Three small tables fill the upper deck, while the lower deck is standing-room only, with space for maybe seven or eight along the port-side bar.

If you arrive when it's crowded (i.e. most of the time) you may be asked to stand on the companionway between decks, and if that space is taken you might be directed out the stern to one of the two dockside tables; these look out onto a very noisy road where unfortunately the nautical metaphor breaks down. The tight quarters are worth putting up with for the beers, which include some great US microbrews that you simply won't find anywhere else in town.

Chilling In Tokyo - Festina Lente: Okubo

A change of pace from the down-home Korean restaurants and boisterous makkoli bars surrounding it, Festina Lente has ambitions to be a proper cocktail bar. The barman operates his shaker with just the right degree of vigor, and he understands the importance of pre-icing your glass before the pour. On the downside, a very simple drink might take five minutes to arrive even when it's not busy.

Along with standard and exotic cocktails you'll find Belgian beers and some nice Japanese sake on the menu, along with a basic food menu. The atmosphere is quite chilled-out, and you can relax late into the night if you're so inclined, as they don't close until four or five. In keeping with neighborhood customs, the background music is K-pop shown on a big-screen TV.

[Y300 cover charge; cafe time 1-6pm; bar time 6pm-4am.]

Dining Diary - Rokuzo: Roppongi

Now here's something you don't expect to find in the middle of Roppongi Hills - an old-fashioned down-to-earth izakaya. The specialty at Sakanaya Rokuzo is fish and seafood from around Japan, served raw, basket-steamed or charcoal-grilled. The grill menu also offers a good selection of tempting, meatier items like miso-marinated pork belly, tsukune with yuzu-kosho oroshi, and heirloom Iwate chicken.

There's a choice of a dozen good standard craft sake and five varieties of kokuto-joshu (brown-sugar shochu) to drink. Lunch is served until 3pm weekdays, 4pm weekends. Budget around Y3000-4000 at dinnertime.

Chilling In Tokyo - Brooklyn Parlor: Shinjuku

Whether you're here for a dessert break, a casual evening meal, or an afternoon working on your laptop, Brooklyn Parlor supplies a fun, bustling backdrop. Unlike Tokyo's many quiet, hidden-away cafes, here it feels like you've stumbled onto the hub of a social scene. Of course all the standard cafe needs are provided for - free wifi; hip background music; tons of magazines and books on art, design and fashion; good espresso beverages, interesting cocktails and very affordable wines.

There are also some special touches, like Brooklyn Lager on tap and Hitachino Nest beer by the bottle. The food menu is gourmet cafe fare - scones and almond pancakes, serious burgers, and very nice quiches and salads. The burgers are also available to take out - perhaps convenient for a picnic in nearby Shinjuku Gyoen.

Review - Mondo: Nihonbashi

You'll find exceptionally good regional cuisine from Shimane Prefecture and very reasonable prices at this old-fashioned izakaya. The menu showcases fish and seafood flown in from the region as well as local-style dishes prepared from heirloom breeds of pork and chicken. There's also a good selection of Shimane craft sake, with a friendly staff who are happy to advise you on your selection.

As with many good izakaya, the sashimi platter of the day is an excellent place to start; here it's served with wasabi root that you grate yourself and three varieties of soy sauce. Other quick-to-arrive dishes for the hungry diner include the colorful vegetable and crabmeat salad, and the very tasty cold grilled Mochibuta pork in sesame dressing, served salad-style with greens and lots of raw onions. Cucumber with miso dip is served with a rather sweet, very chunky miso that's studded with unblended bits of bean - a refreshing variation on this classic izakaya dish.

The grilled chicken is more of a production number - Daisen-dori (a flavorful heirloom breed) seasoned with spicy yuzu-kosho and cooked over a portable grill right at your table. The results are flavorful and very tender - adjectives that could also describe the garlicky ika-geso kara-age (deep-fried squid tentacles). Another highlight is the satsuma-age (fritters) made from flying fish - not the least bit oily, but well balanced and pleasantly crunchy with various vegetable bits mixed into the batter.

The sake list features twelve brands from small craft breweries, most priced in the Y800 per glass range. (If you order 1-go it comes in a glass, while 2-go servings come in a tokkuri to serve the table.) More adventurous drinkers may wish to try the Shimane-ken wine - red and white are each Y630 per glass. The restaurant is affiliated with the Shimane-ken Prefectural antenna shop next door, which helps explain the abundance of freshly imported ingredients and the very reasonable prices. Budget around Y3500-4500 per person for ample food and drink; party plans are also available.

Feature - Sushi menu vocabulary and fish/seafood glossary

Here is a guide to the different types of sushi that are available in Japan, followed by a sample sushi restaurant menu.

This includes a glossary of fish and seafood items that are commonly used in sushi, a guide to maki-zushi (sushi rolls) and other sushi menu terminology, and a few helpful phrases for ordering in Japanese....

Recipe - Satsuma-age (deep-fried fish cakes)

1. On a paper-lined sheet pan, lightly salt the mackerel fillets, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours....

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