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Japan really is the sort of place that makes you want to take pictures of lunch.
I treated myself to sushi at Manten Zushi today. It’s a small sushi-ya in the Brick Square building, near beautiful Tokyo Station. They offer a terrific value at lunch – an opportunity to experience a true omakase experience for under 30 bucks. About 15 pieces of incredibly fresh fish (and egg, and greens) served by a talented sushi chef.
The pics speak for themselves. Among my favorites were a tiny bowl of clam broth, possibly the best miso shiro I’ve ever tasted (incredibly dense and rich with baby clams), zuke (marinated tuna, an old Edo delicacy rarely served) and buri (Japanese yellowtail). When it comes to omakase I always find myself eating things I’d never order, and sometimes glad I don’t know what the name means – but I also find myself loving things like uni and ankimo than I can’t stomach in the U.S.
One other note: I stopped at Daimaru on the way back and discovered, much to my surprise, than Denki Bran really exists. This doesn’t appear to be made by the Ebisugawa family, though.
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thedarktower
October 4, 2013 at 8:07 amLOL that last note. I barely eat Japanese food.
anyway, dont forget to say – itadakimasu 😉
elianthos80
October 4, 2013 at 10:36 amThe seafood broth is looking specially appealing from this presently cold corner of the planet. I'm salivating. Odi et amo for making me crave the impossible X,D. So uhm… thank you and I'm very glad you're eating fine while still taking time to share the pictures.
elianthos80
October 4, 2013 at 10:40 amP.S.: the Denki Bran packaging is quite lovely in its flapper-ness I must say. As a man of spirit(sorry) are you gonna try it? :p
admin
October 4, 2013 at 12:39 pmHaving read the wikipedia, it sounds kinda gross. And it doesn't have any actual denki in it (no shock there, tee hee) so probably not…
Zeta Zero
October 4, 2013 at 12:50 pmAt ¥626 it seems like a worthy experiment.
elianthos80
October 4, 2013 at 2:01 pm'The drink is a mixture of brandy, gin, vermouth, curacao and a mysterious variety of herbs, and is available in two strengths–30% or 40% ABV. While the exact method of making the drink still remains a secret, bottles of both versions can be purchased at a store directly outside the bar at bargain prices: ¥880 (approx. $10) for the sixty proof or ¥1,120 ($14) for the eighty. Its cheap price may infer cheap taste a la soju, but don”t be mistaken–Denki Bran is smooth as butter when going down the goose. ' <—– I'm not big on strong spirits usually but this made want to thouroughly sniff it if anything X,D.
quote from here btw: http://onedrinkahead.com/2012/03/denki-bran/
admin
October 4, 2013 at 2:05 pmGiven that gin is one of the few spirits I distinctly don't care for, it seems unlikely to me I'd be a fan – it tends to dominate whatever concoction it's a component of. But maybe I'll try it at my next nomihoudai.
elianthos80
October 4, 2013 at 7:11 pmThe gin I'm familiar with is the one brewed in the Alps (often home-made) so the actual juniper is pretty prevalent it's not just flavouring… I like the smell because it does remind me of the juniper plant's but taste-wise it's pretty hit and miss with me.
Nomihoudai= 'all you can drink' ? I think my liver is weeping…
elianthos80
October 4, 2013 at 7:34 pmP.S.: talking of local spirits here in the NW corner of Italy Genepy is pretty good in winter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9n%C3%A9pi and the other popular choice on mountain resorts is the 'fil da fer' ('filo di ferro' lit. 'iron wire' I think it's due to the preferred kind of cup/material used to serve it) a steamy zabaione-based + orange or lemon punch. It can be more or less dense and often a pretty effective resuscitation tool.
Kim
October 4, 2013 at 5:13 pmYum Sushi, perhaps I will check this place out when I am in Tokyo in Nov (if I have time, I have limited time there and so many things I want to do). Darn I am jealous you are living there. 🙂
Ronbb
October 5, 2013 at 1:25 amIt's not fair. I'm eating cup ramen while reading this post…!
Oh well, it's nice to treat yourself once in a while, and for $30 it's quite a steal. The food looks so delicious — I can't help but click on every photo that you have here. We don't have a lot of good Japanese restaurants in our city, and most of them are run by either Chinese or Vietnamese. Even though we often question the authenticity, that's all we have, and I love Japanese food. The packaging of Denki Bran looks cute and different.
admin
October 5, 2013 at 1:45 amIf they'd had one with a tanuki on the bottle I'd have bought it.
Ronbb
October 5, 2013 at 4:09 amI would want one and nag you to help ship it over…lol.
Hangman
October 5, 2013 at 12:39 pmDat clam broth. Some of the other stuff honestly doesn't look that appetizing, but it could just be the lighting. I unexpectedly bit into some unagi once and couldn't do it.