Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu 權八 西麻布 (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★★

For the past few years, Gonpachi has been a permanent fixture in our itinerary whenever we go to Tokyo. Commonly known as the "Kill Bill" restaurant in the tourist circuit, this Gonpachi outpost in Nishi-Azabu is often credited with providing an inspiration for the famous Hollywood film "Kill Bill".




Gonpachi is an izakaya-style restaurant located in the "quiet" side of the Roppongi neighborhood. Decorated in a warm and rustic style with wooden furniture, the two-storied restaurant offers a short menu full of charcoal-grilled skewers and soba noodles.  



The "Gonpachi Supreme" is a must-try here. This platter contains three of the most popular skewers at Gonpachi including toro, or tuna belly with wasabi and daikon radish, foie gras with balsamic sauce and fresh strawberry and lastly, Japanese Kuroge beef sirloin.



And if you are feeling adventurous, try the "Sunagimo" gizzard which is served medium (left).

Another house specialty is the "Tsukune" ground chicken stick with special soy sauce. Be sure to add an onsen-style egg to enrich the flavor.



Still have room for some more? Try their "Tebasaki" chicken wings. They are not as good as the ones we had in Nagoya but it's worth a try.



Gonpachi (Nishi-Azabu) is much more than just an izakaya. It's a culinary institution not to be missed by any foodie.




Food Rating: 6.2/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1-13-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Roppongi
Tel: +81 03 5771-0170
Website: www.gonpachi.jp/nishiazabu/?lang=en




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Wolfgang Puck Cafe (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★☆☆☆☆

We stayed at the Intercontinental ANA hotel in Minato during a recent trip to Tokyo and stumbled upon this bistro in our search for a late lunch. The lunch crowd seemed to have thinned out considerably as it was already 3:30pm.

The Wolfgang Puck cafe is one of the many bistros run by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and you see them everywhere in Tokyo. There's always one around the corner like a convenience store. Okay, I am exaggerating a bit but you get my point!

This is our first experience with the celebrity chef and his restaurant here mainly serves spaghetti, pizza and burgers. We ordered the spaghetti carbonara and were surprised how badly overcooked it was. Not so much 'al dente' as we would expect. Our second dish was a beef burger and it was again a very sub-standard effort. Most noticeable was the lack of juice with the steak. It was an overall lackluster first impression by the celebrity chef.

Service was also a bit disappointing which was surprising to find in anywhere Japan. Maybe it's too close to closing time. Although the staff was not unfriendly or impolite, everything was far too mechanical. It desperately lacked the passion that keeps customers welcome.  I don't think we will be keen to come back.

Food Rating: 3.6/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 1-12-32 Ark Mori building 1F Akasaka Minato-ku Tokyo, Japan 

Closest Metro Station: Roppongi Itchome
Tel: +81 3-5575-2100
Website: www.wp-japan.jp/shop/cafe_ark.html

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ANA InterContinental Tokyo (Tokyo, JAPAN)

Jelloman has a handful of business engagements to attend in Tokyo this week, and her company has placed her at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo — fairly often the case, since it’s conveniently located near the middle of her activities. I decided to tag along on the trip, although I’d largely be on my own for most of the time.

One of the main advantages of staying at the ANA InterContinental is that it’s one of the stops served by the airport limousine service, which makes getting around from/tp the airport much easier.

Along with the central location, those were the key reasons we enjoyed staying at the hotel. But there are also some significant downsides. One thing I didn’t like right away was the lobby. It’s extremely busy and noisy. It always seemed crowded with people rushing around.

The room itself also feels like it needs a serious facelift. 

The interior design, furniture, and wallpaper all look tired and uninviting.

 The bathroom is the same story, and I also wasn’t happy with the lighting.

Another issue we ran into during this stay was the sound insulation. It was almost nonexistent. Since our room faced the overpass/bridge directly, the noise level was bad enough to keep us from sleeping well at night.

We’re starting to get a bit bored with this hotel. We still love the location especially the convenience of the nearby metro lines but the negative aspects are starting to really get on our nerves.

Rating: ❤❤❤

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1-12-33 Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Tameike-sannō (溜池山王) / Roppongi-Itchome (六本木一丁目)

Tel: +81 3-3505-1111

Website: www.anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp