Kinoko no ko - Mushroom restaurant ***

Address - Nishi-Shinjuku 1-16-8
Telephone - 03-3342-0888

Only Japanese mushrooms! Grilled, boiled, in tempura or gratin, a goof address for those who want to eat... mushrooms (whether it is enoki, shiitake, eringi or matsutake)! Small restaurant underground, total price around 2500 yens.
Que des champignons japonais! Grilles, sautes, en tempura ou gratin, une bonne adresse pour ceux qui aiment... les champignons!
Petit restaurant en sous-sol, prix raisonnables 2500 yens.
10% discount ticket here : r.gnavi.co.jp/g862100/map1.htm

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Donjaka & Dora -Izakaya ****

Donjaka
東京都新宿区新宿3-9-10
Telephone - 03-3341-2497
Web : r.gnavi.co.jp/g873801
Dora
Address - 東京都新宿区新宿3-9-5
Telephone : 03-3226-0919
Web : r.gnavi.co.jp/g873803

Two inexpensive izakaya, popular among salarymen, serving cheap jizake (nihon-shu from specific regions) and good grilled fish. They have two shops close together, the Donjaka being the main one. It is a good place to enjoy traditional izakaya food, but keep in mind that the restaurants can be crowded.

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Kaasan - Izakaya ***

Address - Nishi-Shinjuku 1-11-11, B1F (directly behind Yodobashi Camera)
Open - 11:00-15:00, 16-23:00 (LO). Closed Sundays.
Telephone - 03-3344-0771

You certainly can expect home-made dishes from a place called "Mom", especially then the staff is exclusively middle-aged women (or young grand mothers, perhaps). Perhaps a little too "home-made", sometimes, as the food, while good, is not very imaginative. And the interior design looks more like a cafeteria... This doesn't really bother salarymen, who represent the largest part of the customers. The main draw is nihon-shu here, as they have almost 100 different types of them! A rare selection, even for Tokyo's standards. Served for 500-800 yens per glass, it will keep your bill low even if you drink heavily! Also, vouchers for free beers are sometimes given by the staff in front of the entrance.

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Hatsumomiji (はつもみぢ) - Whale food ****

Address - 東京都新宿区歌舞伎町1-6-1
Opening hours - 16:30-23:00 (LO)
Telephone - 03-3209-6034
Web : www.hatsumomiji.jp

Un autre restaurant spécialisé dans la baleine, moins connu que celui de Shibuya, mais sans doute meilleur! Etablissement de 80 places (petites salles) au troisième étage dans un endroit très animé de Shinjuku. Les locaux sont typiquement japonais, et un peu défraichis! Mais le choix en viande de baleine est impressionant (du fugu est aussi disponible en automne et hiver). Quelques bons choix: steak, kujirakatsu, kujira age (1000-1200 yens par plat). Le restaurant sert différents types de baleine, en fonction des arrivages, demandez-donc ce qui est disponible - cela change ainsi de la baleine de Minke qui est la plus connue au Japon. A noter la présence de plusieurs menus, le moins cher à 2100 yens - sans doute un très bon choix pour découvrir cette nourriture particulière.

Taruichi (樽一) - Sake tasting place

Address - Kabukicho 1-17-12
Telephone - 03-3208-9772
Opening Hours - from 17:00 to 23:00 (L.O. 22:00); closed on Sun & Hol

In Kabukicho, specializes in whale and great sake, with nice izakaya atmosphere and fair prices.

web - www.taruichi.co.jp


One of the "Top Ten Sake Dining Experiences" in Tokyo, selected by John Gautner
Reproduced with permission

Shinjuku - Japanese food





RED = Izakaya
YELLOW = Yakitori
GREEN = Specialized food
AQUA = Sake tasting place

Keishoan - Yakitori & Nagoya specialties ****

Address - Nishi-Shinjuku 1-1-5, Shinjuku Lumine 1, 6F (above Shinjuku station)
Open - 11:00-15:00, 17:00-23:00 (LO 22:00)
Telephone - 03-3349-1015

This restaurant is located on the 6th floor of the Shinjuku Lumine 1 building, above the Toei Shinjuku station. The restaurant floors have been rebuilt recently, and now offer a large selection of good dining places.

Keishoan occupies a small surface, with about 10 tables and a counter built around the cooking area. The restaurant is specialized in chicken food - including of course yakitori - with a special emphasis on Nagoya specialties. Indeed, this is the only restaurant of this chain in Tokyo, but they have several of them in the Nagoya area.

The most interesting part of the menu is probably the "tori kaiseki", a kaiseki course with 7 dishes based on chicken. They have several choices, ranging from 2800 yen to 5000 yen. In those course, the usual fish sashimi is replaced with raw chicken, an unusual dish even for Japanese guests.

The menu is also interesting. We choose the "3 sorts of chicken tataki" (地鶏のたたき三種盛, 980 yen), a selection of three parts of the chicken barely grilled (with the inside still raw) and served with 3 different radish sauces. The chicken shachu, served with black miso from Nagoya, is also an excellent choice. If you want to eat something else than chicken, there is also a nice selection of salads, including their recommended "matsuri salad" (680 yen), served with some kind of fried potatoes, and our favorite "tofu salad" (680 yen).

The restaurant sometimes serves superior chicken, usually eaten raw (1000 yens per person).

The selection of nihon-shu is quite interesting, although prices are not cheap - count 700-900 yens per glass of sake. Their recommendation of the day turned our to be a great choice. Overall, you can count on a 4500 yen bill per person. If you want to reserve a table, you will be charged 1000 yen for otoshi, instead of the usual 500 yen.

Web - www.keishouan.jp/shinjuku
Full review from bento.com - www.bento.com/rev/2296.html
For map and coupon - r.gnavi.co.jp/g030054/map1.htm

Yamato (やまと) - Izakaya ****

Address - Yoyogi 2-1-1, Shinjuku Maynds Tower B1F
Open - 11:30 - 14:00 / 17:00 - 23:00
Telephone - 03-3377-1233

This restaurant is located on the underground of the Maynds Tower (マインズタワー). The settings are really nice, with tatami rooms reached following corridors were you can enjoy the sight of small gardens with even some water running. The service is excellent, and immediately places this restaurant in the category of upper-class izakaya.

There is a good selection of food, and some of the dishes were excellent surprises. The tempura (anago - eel - for 1480 yen or vegetables for 710 yen) were just perfect. We also enjoyed okura croquettes, an unusual dish (650 yen), and yubashumai, Chinese raviolis made with skin of tofu (640 yen). One of the features of Yamato is their rice dishes, large portions with a choice of side dishes which are mixed by the staff just before being served. We choose the tai rice, which was good but fat too expensive (1280 yen per person, and you have to order for 2 persons at least).

Drinks were a little expensive. Beer is 650 yen, while most nihon-shu are between 700-900 yen for ichigo (180 mL), which is a little bit more than what you can expect usually in izakaya.

There is also a good selection of desserts, including a creme brulee (420 yen).

Overall impression was that of a good address for tasty food, but with a bill that will reach 5000-6000 yen per person with the drinks.

Web - www.yamato-sinjuku.jp