Mitsumori @ Sukhumvit 23, Bangkok - มิตซูโมริ @ ซอยสุขุมวิท 23 กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Japanese

Map: Mitsumori @ Sukhumvit 23, Bangkok - มิตซูโมริ @ ซอยสุขุมวิท 23 กรุงเทพฯ

Charged Price: THB400 per person without alcohol (lunch)

Visited: 2 May 2016

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 7/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Mitsumori may be related to the Ootoya chain of Japan. But it is a step forward in term of quality and delicacy. For this one in Bangkok, it is located within Soi Sukhumvit 23. It might be a little hassle for those who do not drive here as the location is somewhat deep into the soi: cc. 8 to 10 minutes walk (600 meters) from the entrance of Soi Sukhumvit 23. Nevertheless, driving here might equally gives some headache when the place is crowded as there are less than 10 lots for parking.

What surely calm my nerve down about quality of this Mitsumori when I walked in was the Japanese expats crowd. I did not see many local here. More than 80% was Japanese. The very first word in my mind then was "authentic". And yes, it did not disappoint us at all. I believe, apart from quality of ingredient, Mitsumori shows excellent bbq range like yakitori. The lunch set is as well superb. As for atmosphere, it is comfy enough with Japanese feeling. There is a counter of around 10 seats in the centre of the restaurant where guests can enjoy chef performing bbq.

Mitsumori @ Sukhumvit 23, Bangkok

~ 6 - 7 car lots for parking only

the counter seats

performance by bbq chef

the menu

It was one fine lunch when we visited Mitsumori. We had Oyakojyu - ข้าวหน้าไก่บ้านโอยาโกะ (7/10), which is simply grilled chicken cooking in a similar way to katsudon, and Hot Soba with Sakura Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura (7/10). Rest assure, quality was indeed great. Chicken was tender and flavouful. Alongside condiments were delicious too. The soba had nice texture. The one with chewiness but soft as noodle should be. Simply classic and lovely. The lunch set also comes with a choice of coffee or tea. A set is certainly wonderful enough to fulfill one's need for a meal. Will surely return.

Oyakojyu - ข้าวหน้าไก่บ้านโอยาโกะ (THB320)

Hot Soba with Sakura Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura (THB360)

Iced Coffee to end the meal

Mitsumori @ Sukhumvit 23, Bangkok - มิตซูโมริ @ ซอยสุขุมวิท 23 กรุงเทพฯ

47/1 Soi Sukhumvit 23
Thanon Sukhumvit
Khlong Toey Nuea, Watthana
Bangkok 10110
Thailand

Open Hours: daily from 11:30am - 02:30pm for lunch and 05:00pm - 10:00pm for dinner (09:00pm for Sunday and public holidays)

Tel: +66 (0) 2640 8283
Web: http://www.mitsumori-bkk.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/mitsumori.bkk/

Jiyusan (じゆうさん) @ Eharacho, Tokyo

Cuisine: Soba

Map: Jiyusan (じゆうさん) @ Eharacho, Tokyo

Charged Price: JPY2,000 per person without alcohol

Visited: 13 November 2015

Food: 8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 8/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Who knows "Soba" can be fabulously nice. Whilst people keep seeking and searching for high end sushi or sukiyaki, this little soba-specialised restaurant just out of Tokyo city centre offers such unforgettable soba: "Jiyusan". Apart from lovely soba, the atmosphere and services of this place are as equally great. Expect the warm welcome from owners, and quiet and peaceful ambient.

As it is out of city centre, arriving at Jiyusan can be a little tedious. What we did is taking a train from Ikebukuro to Higashi-Nagasaki (~ 5 minutes) and then followed by a short walk of around 10 mins. Trust me, it is not that difficult and worth a trip for dinner.

Jiyusan (じゆうさん) @ Eharacho, Tokyo

small but comfy restaurant

counter seats

When flipping through me here, we were not surprised the menu was all in Japanese. However, the owner was kind enough to recommend us to take Dinner Course which was priced at JPY2,000. This came into 3 parts. The first one was Soba on Bamboo for dipping - せいろ (9/10). Classic zaru soba that was well made. If you were Italian, you may say "al dente". Delicious indeed. Love the texture as well as well balanced dipping sauce.

Soba on Bamboo for dipping - せいろ

Then we were presented with a small bowl of Soba with Mackerel in Soup - 小さばにしんそば (8/10). This was mind refreshing. The soup was well made with flavour and a touch of tanginess. The saba (mackerel) was also tasty.

Soba with Mackerel in Soup - 小さばにしんそば

[soba water with remaining dipping sauce]

Lastly, the dessert was red bean jelly (8/10), I suppose. What a perfect way to end the course in classic Japanese style. Sweetness was well balanced. The flavour of red bean exploded deliciously. Soft on the texture. Love it.

Nothing much to say about this place, except "Must Visit".

dessert of red bean jelly

Jiyusan (じゆうさん) @ Eharacho, Tokyo

3-1-4 Eharacho
Nakano
Tokyo 〒165-0023
Japan

Open Hours: Tue-Sun from 11:00am - 03:00pm for lunch and 05:30pm - 09:00pm for dinner

Tel: +81 (0) 3 3951 3397
Web: http://www.bluewesco.co.jp/hp/jiyu-san/index.html

Bekku Tonkatsu @ Jasmine City, Bangkok - เบคคุ ทงคัทสึ @ จัสมินซิตี้ กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Japanese (Tonkatsu)

Map: Bekku Tonkatsu @ Jasmine City, Bangkok - เบคคุ ทงคัทสึ @ จัสมินซิตี้ กรุงเทพฯ

Charged Price: THB300 per person without alcohol

Visited: 12 February 2016

Food: 6/10

Atmosphere: 5/10

Value for money: 4/10

Services: 5/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Rumour was around (good or bad, it is not the matter) a few years back when Bekku, which was situated at Thonglor, was shutted down. Now it has returned at the new location on the basement floor of Jasmine City on Sukhumvit Road. This new store at Jasmine City is much bigger than the old place. Things are kept in minimal concept. What's good about this new location is convenience and Japanese are around.

p.s. Notice the Son Goku at the front of the store and you won't miss the place.

Bekku Tonkatsu @ Jasmine City

store front with Son Goku

ordinary simple decor

Nothing much about the concept of this place really except another specialty in deep-fried pork cutlet. The procedure for katsu dishes here starts with choosing your choice of meat and then followed by side dishes set, which is refillable, as desired. You may also opt for rice only at the price of THB50 per person. In my humble opinion, THB50 for rice is obviously expensive.

As with other tonkatsu joints, you may start with milling your sesame before adding in tonkatsu sauce. Now you are ready to go. For us, we had a chance to try Pork Tenderloin with Daikon Sauce (6/10). I have to say my expectation was higher than this (at least it was). Pork was tender. However, I felt then it could be crispier with more juiciness and flavour. The daikon sauce is like ponzu sauce with lots of grated daikon. The other dish we tried is Katsu Don (6/10). Not bad but not great. The overall flavour was ok. Nevertheless, seasoning such as onion, egg, and etc. could be much more to enhance flavour. Otherwise, it is an enjoyable one.

If you were to ask me about this place. I gotta say it is ok but don't just waste your time travelling all the way here just to taste it like me. In case you are around the place, it might not harm you just to experience it.

milling sesame

pouring in the sauce

Pork Tenderloin with Daikon Sauce (THB290)

zooming in a bit more

Katsu Don (THB220)

Bekku Tonkatsu @ Jasmine City, Bangkok - เบคคุ ทงคัทสึ @ จัสมินซิตี้ กรุงเทพฯ

Floor B1, Jasmine City
2 Soi Sukhumvit 23
Sukhumvit Road
Khlong Toey Nuea, Wattana
Bangkok 10110
Thailand

Open Hours: Mon-Sat from 11:00am - 02:00pm for lunch and from 05:00pm - 10:00pm for dinner

Tel: +66 (0) 2661 6003
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Bekku-Tonkatsu-436587219880450/

Sushi Tokami (鮨とかみ) @ Ginza, Tokyo

Cuisine: Sushi

Map: Sushi Tokami (鮨とかみ) @ Ginza, Tokyo

Charged Price: JPY10,800 per person without alcohol

Visited: 13 November 2015

Food: 9/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value for money: 7/10

Services: 9/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Hiroyuki Sato of Sushi Tokami is, in my humble opinion, a non-ordinary sushi master at his age. Not so much fancy for his almost flawless execution but things could be just so ozzzzz. Yeah.....it's umami in Japanese, I guess. This tiny sushi bar, of 8 seats, on basement floor of Seiwa Silver Building in Ginza is defitely an extraordinary one with future.

Sushi Tokami (鮨とかみ) @ Ginza, Tokyo

Seiwa Silver Buidling

where great sushi are prepared!!!

the energetic Hiroyuki Sato at his work

look like a delicious roll

The very first to arrive was Oyster Boiled with Daikon (7/10). It might not be standing out for this cold appetiser but surely enjoyable. Then the very first nigiri was Hirame (平目) - Flounder (8/10) which was fresh and possessed the right chewiness texture. Just only the overwhelmed fragrance of wasabi that was irritating. Sumi Ika (墨いか) - Cuttlefish (9/10) on the other hand was tender but with texture. Nice explosion of flavour without fishy saltiness.

Oyster Boiled with Daikon

Hirame (平目) - Flounder

Sumi Ika (墨いか) - Cuttlefish

After that, Baby Snapper (8/10) was brought on. Not sure whether I got the name right. What I heard was Katsuo (鰹) which usually means bonito but it was baby snapper for this incidence. Not a big deal though. Nevertheless, rather on the side of sourness piece of Akami Zuke (赤身漬け) - Marinated Red Tuna (9/10) came in rich taste and melted-in-mouth texture. Afther that, the perfect piece of Chu Toro (中とろ) - Medium Fatty Tuna (10/10) arrived in style. It just melted right away leaving so much of flavour behind.

Baby Snapper???

Akami Zuke (赤身漬け) - Marinated Red Tuna

Chu Toro (中とろ) - Medium Fatty Tuna

Moving on to kind of marinated sushi, Kohada (小鰭) - Gizzard Shad (9/10) at this instance was well made with excellent quality. Kuruma Ebi (車海老) - Tiger Prawn (10/10) was surely one of the very best alongside Sushi Saito and Sushi Mizutani. Nonetheless, Kisu (鱚) - Silver Whiting (8/10) which was just an oridnary fish, somehow presented itself rather ok. Sawara (鰆) - Spanish Mackerel (9/10) showed lime aroma with almost perfect mind-blowing texture.

Kohada (小鰭) - Gizzard Shad

Kuruma Ebi (車海老) - Tiger Prawn

Kisu (鱚) - Silver Whiting

Sawara (鰆) - Spanish Mackerel

The very last range began with Saba (鯖) - Mackerel (9/10) which was so sweet, so smooth and so without sea breeze aroma. A kind of shell, Hamaguri (蛤) - Clam (10/10), was the next one. It came with a kind of rather sweet sauce. Crisp, fresh, bouncy, and balance. Ikura (いくら) - Salmon Roe (10/10) which is one of my all time favourite had come just before the smoothy Anago (穴子) - Sea Eel (10/10) arrived. 

Saba (鯖) - Mackerel

Hamaguri (蛤) - Clam

Ikura (いくら) - Salmon Roe

Anago (穴子) - Sea Eel

As in other sushi restaurant, the Hand-rolled Tuna (10/10) and Sweet Omelette (9/10) came to be the finish items. The maki was at the very level of satisfaction. On the other hand, the sweet omelette was excellent too. It was just the texture that still cannot beat Sushi Mizutani. But the burnt caramel on top layer was definitely gorgeous. Surely look forward to the next visit at Sushi Tokami. Cheers guys!!!!!!!!!

hand rolled tuna

sweet omelette

miso soup with egg

Sushi Tokami (鮨とかみ) @ Ginza, Tokyo

Floor B1, Ginza Seiwa Silver Building (銀座誠和シルバービル)
8-2-10 Ginza
Chuo-ku
Tokyo 〒104-0061
Japan

Open Hours: Mon-Sat from 12:00pm - 02:30pm for lunch and 05:30pm - 10:00pm for dinner

Tel: +81 (0) 3 3571 6005
Web: http://sushitokami.3zoku.com/

Sukiyaki Ishibashi (鋤焼いし橋) @ Sotokanda, Tokyo

Cuisine: Sukiyaki

Map: Sukiyaki Ishibashi (鋤焼いし橋) @ Sotokanda, Tokyo

Charged Price: JPY14,000 per person without alcohol

Visited: 11 November 2015

Food: 9/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 7/10

Services: 10/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Sukiyaki, in my opinion, is a kind of Japanese dish that has put together many things in a meal: delicacy, tradition, joy, and even companion. It is definitely delicious which is full of umami sense from each bite. However, it is never just a quick quick meal then off you go like ramen or don nor lining up on a counter to be served with sushi individually. Sukiyaki is fun and is always good for family and friend gathering, and even business talk.

Ishibashi near Suehirocho Station is one of the magnificent in its category. Long history with almost 150 years. It is also situated in the traditional house which is indeed rare for such developed city like Tokyo. What I really like about this cozy place, apart from the taste, is the service and privacy. All rooms are private. So it is not a matter how many of you are visiting, you all get your own room.

Sukiyaki Ishibashi (鋤焼いし橋) @ Sotokanda, Tokyo

traditional private dining room

my pot is ready (^.^)

chopsticks are also ready!!!!

While waiting for Nakai (waitress) to prepare for sukiyaki, appetisers were served. The first one was steamed daikon which was so soft and sweet. Then it was a small portion of grilled salmon and ginkgo. So delicate and tasty.

appetiser 1: daikon

appetiser 2: salmon + ginkgo

At Sukiyaki Ishibashi, you do not have to do anything with the sukiyaki. Your job is only to eat. Nakai has her role in preparing, cooking, and serving. I believe there are choices of beef grade to be chosen. The one for our meal was from Kyushu Miyazaki. Just by looking, ones can tell this would be heavenly melting in mouth.

Nakai would firstly start with oiling the pan with beef fat before pouring in some of warishita sauce. The serving came in 4 rounds: 1) beef only, 2) beef with kombu and vegetable, 3) beef with mushrooms and onion, and 4) beef with kombu and vegetable. Of course, the delicious way of having sukiyaki is to dip with fresh raw egg. The combination of fat flavour from beef, its delicacy, the sweet and salty warishita, and fatty texture of yolk is just undeniable.

sukiyaki set

bird's eye view

1st round with beef only

subsequent rounds with vegetable and side dishes

a small bowl of heaven

To end the course, we also had ojiya which is rice cooked with the remaining sauce and egg. This was enjoyable and a good experience. Not at all the amazing one but good enough. I believe how rich the flavour would be, depend on the amount of remaining sauce though. Anyway, it was at satisfaction along with condiment.

Well, Sukiyaki Ishibashi is sure one with long history and its history tells you well how delicate and perfect this place is. Personally, I love this place and would not hesitate to return at all. Look forward to next trip here even so.

baked rice with egg in action

it is now ready

classic carb dish to end the meal

Sukiyaki Ishibashi (鋤焼いし橋) @ Sotokanda, Tokyo

3-6-8 Sotokanda
Chiyoda-Ku
Tokyo 〒101-0021
Japan

Open Hours: Mon-Fri from 05:00pm - 08:30pm (last order) for dinner

Tel: +81 (0) 3 3251 3580