I’m Saito, a column writer♪
Thank you for remembering my old hotel recommendations.
This is going to be long ↓
As for restaurants, I’ll leave out the places I regularly visit on purpose.
Some of these are places I’ve only been to once or twice, so the details may not be entirely accurate, but I’ll try to write everything out plainly.
I’d also love to hear about your recommendations.
(Posting external URLs would violate the rules, so I’ll just provide the restaurant names and a brief overview.)
My criteria are:
・Within Tokyo’s 23 wards
・They’re accommodating about reducing portions or leaving dishes off the menu
・A calm clientele
・Flexible reservation times—not fixed dining times or simultaneous starts
・Reservations that are relatively easy to get (booking several months ahead isn’t possible)
① Hiroo — Sudachi
Reservations are relatively easy to get here, and you can enjoy a relaxed meal. It’s a sister restaurant of Bon Appétit, a Michelin-starred restaurant, but I felt Bon Appétit’s flavors were a little too intense. Personally, I prefer Sudachi.
It’s recommended when you’re meeting up after work late in the evening, around 9 p.m. or later.
② Meguro — Yakumo Saryo
I think it’s ideal during the day, or when you want to give your stomach a break without drinking alcohol. It’s a soothing place where you can enjoy tea while peacefully taking in the scenery.
The prices are relatively reasonable, and the clientele is quite refined. The view from the window on the way out is especially lovely.
③ Azabu-Juban — Carapeti Batubata
Casita, a fairly well-known Italian restaurant, is on the top floor of this building, but I think Carapeti is superior in both taste and atmosphere.
They sometimes open some pretty good wines by the glass, yet the prices seem surprisingly reasonable.
④ Ebisu — Kifu
It’s traditional Japanese cuisine, but apparently there are a lot of papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) pairs here. When I visited, I ended up next to two people at the counter who seemed to be meeting for the first time. lol
I watched them for a while, and the woman was clearly not interested at all. The man eventually started talking to us, which was pretty amusing.
Actually, I felt sorry for the woman.
The chef is a very pleasant person who follows the principle of seeing nothing, saying nothing, and hearing nothing.
⑤ Ginza — Oguma
It’s an easygoing place to enjoy. There are all kinds of customers—people with complicated circumstances, dinner companions, and so on—so nothing really stands out.
They’re also very accommodating about portion sizes, which made things wonderfully easy. I could see myself going there regularly.
I recommend the counter.
⑥ Ginza — Ichiyanagi
It’s recommended if you want to drop in and leave without spending too much time.
These days, many high-end restaurants serve everything in a simultaneous seating, like feeding livestock, and don’t tolerate lateness. They bring out enough food to make you uncomfortably full, and you have to keep the chef happy by saying, “This is delicious! So delicious!”
But this place is casual, which I like.
⑦ Toranomon — Andaz the Sushi
They’re open on Sundays. It’s less about being delicious and more about being convenient.
However, the counter is elevated, so if you wear a miniskirt, the chef can see everything. lol
The bathtub in an Andaz room is easily big enough for about three people. The mirror is huge too, so it’s recommended in all sorts of ways. lol
⑧ Azabu-Juban — Sakai
They have lots of DRC wines, so it’s a great place to enjoy wine.
There aren’t any strange customers either, so you can enjoy papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) without worrying.
You can really have fun at the counter. When I went, half the counter was occupied by celebrities I recognized.
Since meat dishes inevitably leave a smell on your clothes, this is the only place of its kind I’ve included.
⑨ Odaiba — Jiki
I’d rather enjoy it at the counter than in a private room.
The atmosphere is wonderful, and there aren’t any odd customers. It’s pleasantly lively, so you can take your time enjoying conversation.
The staff and chefs aren’t overbearing, which puts you in a gentle, relaxed mood.
⑩ Nishi-Azabu — Goryu Kubo
I liked the food so much that I thought, “I’d love to make this my regular place with a woman I’ve been seeing for a long time.”
There are only about six seats, so I don’t think anyone will bother you.
I gave the woman all the food we had left to take home, and she said her family enjoyed it together.
☆Honorable mention — Daikanyama: Cielo (Hacienda del Cielo Modern Mexican)
The rooftop atmosphere is great, and the prices are unbelievably low. It might actually be difficult to spend ¥10,000 per person at dinner.
The clientele isn’t particularly high-income, and the mood is lively and noisy. I found it just okay, but apparently the women had a great time making a big fuss and talking about papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) with several people.
It’s the kind of place where you think, “Maybe something unexpected like this could work.”
However, I don’t recommend the indoor seating at all.
☆Other bars
Azabu-Juban — Under
I go there when I want to get some vitamins from fruit.
Nogizaka — Bunkyu
I use it as a wine bar when I’m out late.
The following are just my personal opinions.
Ebisu — Joël Robuchon
Women do request it, but the meal takes more than three hours.
It’s too long. A full course is absolutely impossible for me.
Women who start eating nothing but bread because the first dishes take forever to arrive and there are such long gaps between courses are adorable in their innocence. lol
Sushi
Ginza — Yoshitake / Ginza — Amamoto / Ginza — Arai / Ginza — Sawada / Shintomicho — Hashimoto / Ginza — Tokami, and others
Of course the food is delicious, and they’re very good at creating a sense of togetherness and a pleasant atmosphere, so they’re perfectly fine for papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan).
However, the reservations are difficult to get, and it’s hard to invite a woman unless she has a good sense of timing about when to arrive.
Azabu-Juban — Fukuda / Akasaka — RyuGin
Both have raised their prices, so I’m curious to see how things go from here.
Of course, there aren’t any strange customers, but RyuGin has cameras, so don’t secretly kiss in a private room.
(There seem to be more cameras in private rooms lately.)
Kamiyacho — Sugalabo
I got tired of hearing the chef constantly boast about the food.
The woman’s reaction wasn’t very enthusiastic either, since she didn’t seem interested in going again.
Ginza — Bulgari
Well, the woman was happy, or at least she acted happy, but she said the seasoning was questionable.
I agreed. Why was that??? It just wasn’t good.
Roppongi — The Ritz-Carlton, Hinokizaka
I think the corner table in the section next to the sushi counter offers the best view.
You can request the teppanyaki or tempura section and order whatever you like.
Otemachi — Aman Tokyo, Arva
It’s famous for being an Italian restaurant that isn’t particularly tasty, but the chef has changed and it’s gotten a little better.
Still, well... it’s really a place to enjoy the view, so I’d approach it as a transactional relationship.
I don’t like being seated alongside customers from the bar or afternoon tea, so I tend to go when I’m actually entering the restaurant.
How does that sound?
I’m tired from writing all this!
