The Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest freestanding tower, is finally open. The talk of the town is all the gourmet food that boast height, just like the Skytree, that you have to try when you go visit. The nearby restaurants, which the locals love, now provide elaborate dishes. The food looks fun and tastes great, enjoy gourmet food around the base of the Tokyo Skytree! (Above: Yakiniku Daitouen)
A tendon on which the star of Edomae tempura
reaches for the sky
The first item we would like to introduce is the “Power Tower Don” (1,700 yen), made to resemble the Skytree and very popular among foreign tourists as well. You can find this dish at Soba Yuzen Ichikiriya, about a 4 minute walk from Oshiage (SKYTREE) Station.
The headliner of the dish, is the star of Edomae tempura, conger eel. Standing on a foundation of kakiage tampura filled with seafood and vegetables, the three towering extra large conger eels rise above the cloud of fried noodles.
The dish stands at about 35, 36 centimeters tall. It’s extremely filling, the conger eels are light and fluffy, and the kakiage tempura, that has soaked up the sweet yet hot sauce is sure to fuel your appetite to finish the dish before you know it!
The owner, Keiko Ooi, says “we’re a soba noodle restaurant so tempura comes naturally for us. We’ve added a twist on a long-standing favorite so we know it tastes great.”
That’s right, this is an established soba noodle restaurant, loved by the locals for over 50 years. When you come and visit, you have to try the fast food pride of Tokyo, Japanese soba. It’s delicious!
Soba Yuzen Ichikiriya
1-20-8 Oshiage, Sumida-ku, Tokyo TEL: 03-3622-9804 Hours: 11:00 - 15:00, 17:00 - 21:00 Closed: Thursdays
Exactly 1/1000 the height.
House made Tower Chahan Fried Rice
At Yakiniku Daitouen, right near Honjo-azumabashi Station, the “634 Tower (with prime beef short rib)” (3,240 yen), made by forming kimchi fried rice into a tower of rice, is extremely popular! It’s already popular among the masses with people crowding around to catch a glimpse of it if you take it outside to take a photo.
The dish measures 63.4 centimeters, exactly 1/1000 of the Skytree. Making this dish which can feed 3 to 4 people is no easy task but the restaurant insists on making it in-house. “We use an abundant amount of konbu seaweed from Hokkaido as well as other ingredients for the broth of the house made kimchi. We never use chemical seasonings or additives for the other ingredients either,” says Hisae Sato, a staff member. You can taste the difference too, the kimchi fried rice is obviously hot, but you can feel a gentle sweetness and has a delicious tastes that lingers in your mouth.
There’s more to enjoy at the base of the tower. Once you’ve served the fried rice, the staff will slice up the daikon radish that serves as the foundation to make a salad. Another sight to behold is the prime beef short rib, grill only one sire and you’re good to go. The feel of the beef, like fatty tuna, as it melts on your tongue is impressive and exquisite.
Yakiniku Daitouen
2-2-5 2F, Azumabashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo TEL: 03-3623-4129 Hours: 11:00 - 24:00 (Lunch: 11:00 - 15:00) Open year round (closed January 1)
A cavalcade of nostalgic western tastes.
Now this is a children’s lunch for adults
In Japan, there is a menu item called “Okosama lunch”, or children’s lunch. It features a variety of western tastes popular with children, all on one plate, making it a thrilling dish for children because they’re able to eat such a large variety of their favorite foods. Although it’s only for children, there are a large number of Japanese people who are still drawn to the lunch even as adults.
The “Tower Pasta” (1,100 yen), served up at Pub Restaurant HEIWA, located a 3 minute walk from Tokyo Skytree Station is a children’s lunch for adults.
This menu item offers a wide variety of items on it including the stable western dish, Neapolitan spaghetti, as well as karaage fried chicken, a hugely popular dish in Japan at the moment, sausages, ham, hard boiled egg, bread, salad and fruits. What makes it more enticing is that it’s just the right size for you to enjoy by yourself. “There are many women who eat the entire dish by themselves,” says the owner, Masao Hasegawa.
Everything on the dish has a taste that is nostalgic of the good old western cuisine restaurants, which naturally just makes you smile. In particular, the Neapolitan spaghetti is simple but has deep flavors and is so good that it makes you want to come again just for the Neapolitan spaghetti.
Pub Restaurant HEIWA
1-18-12 Narihira, Sumida-ku, Tokyo TEL: 03-3622-0333 Hours: 9:30 - 16:00, 18:30 - 23:00 Open unless otherwise noted
A tower shaped parfait, based on the Skytree’s illuminations, ideal for summer
Lastly, something sweet. Behold the “Skytree Parfait” (1,800 yen), served at the Sakura Café Mukoujima, literally right underneath the Skytree, about a minute’s walk from the Tokyo Skytree Station.
This parfait also stands at 63.4 centimeters, 1/1000 the height of the Skytree. Not only is it tall, but it also visually beautiful and enticing, with the almost lace-like candy sculpting and the colors of the sauce and ice-cream. There are two flavors, “IKI” is mattcha green tea flavored and “MIYABI”, which is berry flavored. Both flavors are based on the motif of the Skytree’s illuminations.
Once the “MIYABI” that we had ordered arrived at our table, it was, just as we though, something to look up at. It’s tall but with it’s transition of numerous tastes and textures from the smooth soft-serve ice cream, to the thick melons, berry flavored ice cream, the refreshing yogurt mousse, and the fun to eat nata de coco, you never get bored of eating it. In fact, it’s exactly the size and volume perfect for the approaching hot summer season.
Sakura Café Mukoujima
1-17-5 Narihira, Sumida-ku, Tokyo TEL: 03-6658-8435 Hours: 10:00 - 19:00 Closed: Wednesdays (the following day if Wednesday is a holiday)
http://www.sakuracafe-mukoujima.com