During my few days in Japan, I was able to try out a couple of really nice restaurants. In general, it seems to be pretty hard to get a bad food experience whilst in Japan, however, I’m sure that many locals would disagree. To me, even the lunch boxes that you can get as a take away meal for the Train (Shinkansen) is a million times better than the greasy horrible food that are usually the fast food fare at most European train stations.

On one of the evenings, we were flown into Tokyo quite late and so there wasn’t too much time for hunting around for something decent. Between the jet-lag and the pressing hunger, I thought it would be easiest to just to find something close to the hotel where I was staying. So, after wandering around a bit, and deciding that I didn’t want to wait in lines when I was so hungry I found a few restaurants that seemed to be linked to the hotel complex that we were staying in. Oddly enough, there were Italian places and “Western” food places, but I figured that might be more appealing for the locals, but while I was in Japan, I wanted Japanese food!

The Space

This particular place caught my eye, the Japanese Bistro “Ichozaka”. It is a dimly lit restaurant and bar with an open kitchen. I found that it was a bit busier and noisier than I would prefer (the music especially), however, I did like the darker setting which allowed me to sink into a corner table and not have to deal with anyone else whilst reading on my phone and computer.

As you can see, the tables are individually lit with down lights, but the diners are not. This was quite nice, allowing you to see your food and drinks quite easily, without being able to see the other diners (and in turn, allowing you to be in the shadows). I really like this sort of lighting, but I understand that it might not be to everyone’s taste (haha!).

The Menu

Well, as you can probably guess from the title of “Tapas” menu, the food on offer was a mix of Japanese and Western foods. I only took photos of the Japanese section of the menu, as that was the only thing that I was interested in eating. However, from spying on what the other tables were ordering, the Western choices looked pretty good as well! That said, I didn’t walk over to other people’s tables to take photos….

The main menu was also split into a Western and a Japanese section, and yet again, I am only showing the Japanese section as that was what I was going to choose from. See if you can guess what I was going to order? HINT: It is probably the second most famous Japanese meal type after Sushi!

Here is a sample of the Western part of the menu. I love Paella when I am in Spain, often it will be on the top of the list of what I will probably order, either as a side or as a main dish. However, in Japan, I’m not sure if that is what I will be eating!

The Food

Whilst waiting for the main meals to arrive, I was given a little appetiser of salmon and caviar. Nothing grand, but a tasty little treat whilst waiting in addition to the Japanese beer, Asahi. Nothing like a beer and snack after a long day of travel you are sitting around starving!

For the entrée, I had ordered the Satsuma-age (Fried Fish cakes) gilled on a Mt. Fuji Lava Stone Plate. It was unexpectedly sweetish and came with some nice condiments and some grilled vegetables. I can’t say if the plate was authentically from Mt Fuji, but it did it’s job well. The candles underneath keep the food warm, but after a while were starting to overcook the fish cakes. I should have blown them out…

Ramen is my favourite (or at least one of my favourite) Japanese dishes. There is nothing better than a warm noodle soup with all the various toppings. So, when I saw it on the menu, it was a complete no brainer… I needed some comfort food after a long long day of travelling! This dish lives and dies by the quality of the soup and noodles (the extras being the bonus on top), and I’m happy to say that both aspects were up to scratch, decently textured noodles and a soup broth that was tasty whilst not being oily or salty.

Later, after the main meal, I relocated to the bar, to free up the table for other patrons. However, I was still peckish, and so I asked for a dessert menu to continue onwards with the eating! There were a few interesting selections on the menu, and I couldn’t choose, so I went with the sampler plate, with a few choices (chef’s choice) from the menu. In this case, I got a Panna Cotta with berry sauce, a chocolate cake with ice-cream and a Yuzu mouse with citrus fruits. All of which went down very nicely, as I was at the bar I also took the opportunity to have a little shot of Amaretto.

The Experience

The service was swift and polite, and I actually enjoyed the lighting ambience of the restaurant (although not everyone would). I did find it a bit noisy with the background music, but again, that is really my personal taste. I enjoyed the fact that the wait staff pretty much left you alone in your own world unless you signalled for them, I really dislike it when they come and bother you with questions about the meal or if you want more of this or that…

One minor complaint was that the entrée and main course arrived at the same time! However, that is a very minor complaint, and not something that would ruin the experience. However, I can imagine that if there were more people than a single person, then this could be a problem…

Cost was a little on the expensive side of things, but still reasonable, especially considering that it was a restaurant that was attached and in easy walking distance to the hotel that I was staying at. Sometimes, the convenience is worth that little bit extra!

The food was top notch, although as I have remarked in this post and others, it is pretty hard not to find decent food in Japan. Or perhaps my experience is limited….

Opening Times

Breakfast: 6:30 – 10:00
Cafe: 10:00 – 17:00
Lunch: 11:30 – 15:00 (Last Order 14:30)
Dinner: 17:00 – 23:00 (Last Order 22:30)
Bar: 17:00 – 1:00 (Last Order 0:30)

Contact Details

Address: Annex Tower 1st floor
4 Chome-10-３０ Takanawa, Minato, Tokyo 108-8611, Japan

NOTE: As it is inside a building complex and part of the hotel, it was pretty hard to get an exact address for the restaurant. I've done the best I can!

Website: http://www.princehotels.com/shinagawa/restaurants/ichozaka-bistro-japonais/