Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Salad Bar in Tokyo? - Sizzler in Setagaya

I think, by far, the best salad bar in Tokyo is the Sizzler in Setagaya on 246.


The restaurant is about 6 minutes walk from the west exit of Sakura Shnmachi station on the Denen-Toshi line about 12 minutes from Shibuya heading towards Kanagawa. The restaurant is open from 11 am until 11 pm seven days a week. Here is their webpage (sorry Japanese only!) 


The salad bar there is fantastic. The place is extremely clean and kept quite nice. The food is always fresh (I've been there dozens and dozens of times).


The all you can eat lunch bar includes bread, soup, drink and dessert bar. Lunch all you can eat is ¥1980
Dinner all you can eat is ¥2380


It's the best salad bar deal I've ever seen in Tokyo. The food is good, I can relax, and the kids love the place. Everyone can find what they want at Sizzler in Setagaya.


Here, let me allow the photos to do the talking.

Outside view of building from 246 heading toward Shibuya. Beautiful newly reformed building. Parking for about 28 cars. 

Quite spacious inside. This photo is about 1/4 of the entire restaurant so it seats a few hundred easily. 

Large salad and fruits bar. Seriously, it's huge and the size of a salad bar you'd see in the United States.

About 21 different vegetables and organic tofu seen here.

12 different mixed salads here.... Seafood salad, Waldorf salad, others...

as well as apples, white and pink grapefruit sliced, bananas, orange slices, pineapple, peaches, as well as diced onions, shredded lettuce, olives, jalapenos, mixed cheese and salsa which is for...

...the burritos you can make. Taco meat and melted cheese for cheese nachos, gratin, spaghetti and curry rice are also available on the salad bar menu at no extra charge... 

There is also soup bar that offers at least three types of soup daily 

Of course, there are several styles of bread to choose from...

The drink bar offers everything you can think of....

And, of course, the kid's favorite, the dessert bar. Shoe-cream, coffee cake, chocolate mousse, apple strudel, three flavors of soft cream "ice cream" and chocolate and all sort of goodies that the kids like to sprinkle on top. Beware parents! The chocolate fountain pictured is only out on weekends and weeknights after 6 pm!

The address is: 

Setagaya Sizzler 

Sakura Shinmachi 1 - 33 - 5

Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 

Tel: 03 - 3705 - 4919

東京都世田谷桜新町１−３３−５

URL: webpage

Take the west exit from Sakura Shinmachi station. Turn left down Sazai-san street. When you get to the police box turn right and go up the hill. It's a one-way street. Follow the road up and turn to your left at the end. Sizzler will be on your left. Can't miss it.

Gaijin Gourmet! Part 5: Great Udon in Tokyo: Rakugama Senmenjyo

Well, it's another episode of the fantastically popular Gaijin Gourmet. The blog post written by me, Mike Rogers 'The gaijin cheapskate with the tastebuds, bud!', tells you where the best cheap places are to eat in Tokyo. 

I once was told that, "If someone eats out for over 300 nights a year, they can be a newspaper or magazine restaurants critic." Well, for several years, I ate dinner outside 364 nights a year... Lunch everyday too!

But, I never became a critic (until now) because if I don't like a place, I don't go there twice. If the service is bad upon entering or seating, I will get up and walk out.

I don't have time to write about restaurants I don't like. I, actually, don't have the time to write about nice restaurants that I do like because if they are nice restaurants and I do like them, one of the good reasons I like them, is that they are undiscovered. I certainly wouldn't like to write about them now and ruin one of the few spots I enjoy and look forward to going to.

One more thing, expensive restaurants should be delicious. It's the cheap ones that are delicious that are the real treasures. So it's the cheap and delicious ones that I want to write about in Gaijin Gourmet! 

*Oh, and many years ago, I wrote that Fuji Soba was good and now that's one reason it is so popular for foreigners... But! Fuji soba has really gone downhill. I cannot recommend it anymore. Today's restaurant blows Fuji Soba away!

Today, I want to tell you about Rakugama Seimenjyo. Rakugama Seimenjyo, in English means, "Easy Pot Noodle Place"

This place rocks. It a chain restaurant that serves Japanese noodles (Udon). This is a chain restaurant and the place is packed at lunch time during the week, so don't even try to go there at those times. 


Get there at 11:30 or after 1:30 and you will be in for a real treat.

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

The typical basic bowl of noodles is about ¥280 ~ ¥330 ($3.60 ~ $4.27 USD). See menu and HP here: http://www.sankofoods.com/shop/rakugama/index.html

Walk into the restaurant. Chose from the menu. I recommend the "Kama Age Udon" (kama a-gay uu-do-n) at ¥280 yen. Order from the nice lady. (Notice that you can see into the kitchen and it is spotless!)

Receive your basic tray of noodles. Then proceed to the toppings rack to the right. Choose the toppings of your choice. They have delicious fried chicken, fried veggies, fried squid, shrimp, pumpkin, and an assortment of rice balls... And! The prices are much cheaper than even a convenience store! 

Choose any or all of the toppings you like. Super cheap too! You can easily fill your stomach up for $7.50 (USD)... No tipping too!

Hot udon with an egg and fried shrimp. Most restaurants about ¥800 ~ ¥1,000 yen. Here? ¥400 (about $5.18 USD!)

Large hot udon and fried squid ¥480 (about $6.12 USD)

My wife had the "tempura udon" at ¥400 (about $6.12 USD). This place is delicious and you just can't beat the prices!

The restaurant is called, Rakugama Seimenjyo in English means, "Easy Pot Noodle Place." They have 19 shops all over Tokyo. Here's a webpage that shows locations (sorry it's all in Japanese!): http://www.sankofoods.com/shop/rakugama/shop.html

My favorite one is just 1 minute walk from Sangenjyaya station!

楽釜洗面所

(Rakugama Seimenjyo)

Sangenjyaya 2-13-11

Setagaya-Ku,

Tel: 5779-8340

I highly recommend this place for locals and for tourists. This gets the Gaijin Gourmet 5 stars award for cleanliness, delicious taste, and awesome price.

Gaijin Gourmet! Great Cheap & Delicious Soba Deal in Gaienmae on Ginza Line

In another installment of "Great places to eat in Tokyo for Super-Cheap" by me, Mike Rogers, connoisseur extraordinaire and one of Japan's top cheap-skate Gaijin experts on good tachi-gui (stand up and eat) soba shops, I'd like to introduce you to a shop named Shinetsu. This place is excellent!

Shinetsu, interestingly, is located right next door to one of the finest (and most expensive) Italian restaurants in Tokyo: Sabatini. I thought that was funny because a fine dinner with wine for two next door at Sabatini can easily run ¥25,000 yen!


Whereas Sabatini is great for what it is, so is Shinetsu! But, I reckon if you were going on an important date with that special someone or planning to do something stupid, like say, propose marriage, then Sabatini is probably a better bet.


Or, if you have a sense of humor, you could tell her that you are taking her "someplace special like Sabatini." (Right? It is like Sabatini as they are both near Gaienmae station exit #3)

This delicious meal with cold soba, inari sushi 

and tempura topping for ¥500!

Two people can eat excellent soba and toppings freshly made on the premises for ¥1,200 (the water is free and all-you-can-drink!)

And, as usual, a spotless kitchen is a must for me and you can see into the kitchen from the counter at Shinetsu. The tempura and all toppings are made on premises and the soba is very good quality for the extremely good price.

Don't bother going there right at lunch time between 12:00 noon and 1 pm on a weekday unless you want to stand in line.

Here's the address: 

Shinetsu Soba

Kita Aoyama 2-13-4 Tot Aoyama 1F.

東京都港区北青山2丁目13-4 ToT青山１F

Here's a map: http://yj.pn/bBNRd_


To get to Shinetsu Soba, take the Ginza line to Gaienmae. Exit 3. Thirty seconds walk. 

Gaijin Gourmet! Great Soba Deal in Dai-Mon on Oedo Subway Line

In another installment of "Great places to eat in Tokyo for Super-Cheap" by me, Mike Rogers, connoisseur extraordinaire and one of Japan's top cheap-skate Gaijin experts on good tachi-gui (stand up and eat) soba shops, I'd like to introduce you to a shop named Rikka near Dai-Mon Station on the Oedo Line (Exit A4).


First off, be forewarned, after you exit the station, if you ask a local, "Where is Rikka?" They won't know. Because even Japanese people cannot read this name. In kanji it is 六花, which looks like it says, "Rokka" (six flowers)... But it says "Rikka." Why is it read this way? Heck, don't ask me! It just is. Lots of Japanese kanji are read in various and incomprehensible ways.


Do not question the ways of my people!


But, once you've traveled, endured and finally found this place, you'll be glad you did. It might be one of the best-kept secrets in the area!

I've walked by Rikka a few times at lunch hours and have seen a dozen or so businessmen lined up to get in. That's a good sign for decent food for a great price. 

When I saw the line of guys, I knew I had to try it. I mean, I had to try eating the soba, not the lining up part (been there, done that). Yesterday, I got my chance to go into the restaurant and try it out when it wasn't crowded.

Being a fair and wise connoisseur of fine cheap dining, I always want to compare the basic soba set. At Rikka, I ordered shrimp tempura soba. 

Shrimp, mushrooms and pumpkin tempura with

cold soba noodles (omori) for ¥550 (about $6.50 US)

When I placed my order, the cook said, "We are having the extra helping service now (omori). Would you like extra noodles for free?" 

"Wow!" I thought, "Sure! I answered." And they gave me the extra helping of noodles that usually would cost an extra ¥100 ~ ¥150 at most shops. I then asked the guy what time the extra helping service was from and he answered, "We are open from 7 am until 7 pm."

"Oh, no" I replied, "I didn't mean 'what are your business hours,' I meant, 'what time is the free extra helping of noodles service." To that the man smiled and said, "Everyday. From 7 am until 7 pm!"

Wow! What a great deal! I know that running these restaurants in this day and age in Japan is a tough business and it's hard to survive. Businesses have to do lots of extra things to get customers, but this is the first time I have ever heard of the extra helping of noodles (omori) service during all business hours!  

All sorts of soba sets that include a rice "donburi" dish 

(donburi is rice with meat, fish and vegetables on top). 

They are slashing the prices! Check that out!

A full healthy lunch for ¥390!? A Big Mac set costs ¥550! 

(Where can you buy a full meal for $4.66 US?)

This place is a great deal! These prices aren't lunch specials, 

they are available during all business hours!

I really do like these cheap but delicious soba shops. They are so cheap so I don't expect much, so when I bite into it and think, "This might be better than what I make at home!" Then I'm really happy with it. Rikka was delicious and for ¥500 it can't be beat.

Also Rikka passes the "Mike Rogers immaculate kitchen test" 

for cleanliness. The kitchen is open for you to see 

when you walk in the shop and it is spotless.

Most guys wouldn't take their girlfriend on a date to one of these stand up soba shops, but Rikka and Takamoto Seimenjyo are so delicious that she might forgive you for taking her to a place that doesn't have the atmosphere of fine dining but has great food... Heck, if you are married and on a budget and want to eat out, I wouldn't have trouble taking the wife there... By the way, Rikka does have seats too!

I highly recommend that, if you are in the area, that you try out Rikka. If you do, you'll be quite pleasantly surprised at the quality, taste and price. Try it and see for yourself. 

To get to Rikka, take the Oedo Line to Dai-Mon Station (Exit A4). Exit the station, turn left and walk up the street. About 350 meters.

Rikka 六花
URL: http://tachiguisoba.jugem.jp/?eid=82 (Japanese)

Minatoku Shiba Oo Mon 1-3-6

港区芝大門１−３−６

Tel: 03-3433-6058
Business hours: 7 am ~ 7 pm Mon. - Fri.
Closed Sat. Sun. and holidays

Map: 

Gaijin Gourmet! Awesomely Delicious Udon in Kamiyacho, Tokyo!

I found the one of the best places to eat udon in Tokyo. It is near Kamiyacho station on the Hibiya line. It is very cheap but extremely delicious. The restaurant is named "Takamoto Seimenjyo." It is a udon specialist restaurant. I've been there three times and was impressed every time with the quality of the food, the taste and the very good prices!

View of the front of the restaurant

Fried Squid and udon with inari (sweet rice ball)

¥620 (about $7.40) for a delicious & healthy meal. 

Can't be beat for the price and tastes delicious!

The basic bowl of udon is ¥280 (about $3.20 US)! That's amazing! 

Show up after 1 pm every weekday and you get a bowl of rice free of charge!

This place ROCKS! 

Takamoto Seimenjyo tel: 03-3438-3788

Address: 東京都港区虎ノ門3-20-3

Toranomon 3-20-3 Noah's Ark Toranomon Bldg.

Access: Go to Kamiyacho station. Exit 3. Walk up the stairs and exit the station. There's a convenience store at the top of the stairs on the left. Walk just past it and turn left walking down the busy street towards Atago Hills. The restaurant is on the left past the Starbucks about 200 meters from the station.

Business hours: Open Weekdays from 8 am ~ 10 pm

Saturdays from 10 am ~ 8 pm

Closed Sundays and holidays