Kyourakutei is another fine example of Tokyo's endless choice of udon restaurants. The soba noodles are famously good and you can slurp them with a glass of sake; choose one from the pleasingly extensive range. Kyourakutei serves many local favorites but if you're looking for something a little different, try their beef curry udon. It's a heady combination of spice, some stewed beef, chopped leeks and, of course, chewy soba or udon noodles. A satisfying choice, bound to warm you on one of Tokyo's crisp winter days.
Located in an alleyway, beneath a yellow canopy, lies Kitajima-tei, one of Tokyo's best-known and best loved French bistros. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and the food immaculately presented. The owner and chef, Motoyuki Kitajima, trained at two highly regarded French restaurants, Troisgros and Georges Blanc, and the resulting food is a seamless combination of Japanese and French cuisine. The menu can be daunting but staff are more than happy to help confused diners.
For delicious oysters, the Fish House Oyster Bar is your best bet. With oysters from Canada, America, and a plethora of local varieties, there are as many varieties as there are ways to chomp them down. Besides oysters, clam chowders, cheese platters and several other menu choices are also available. This one-room joint also offers a thoughtful variety of oyster-friendly wines and beers. Whether you believe in the power of the oyster or not, if you are a fan, aficionado, or just want to see what all the fuss is about, then the Fish House Oyster Bar is a great place to start.
Hachiku is famous for its Osaka-style (boxed) sushi, perfectly made at this tiny establishment. As there are only four tables, most customers choose to get take-out. Try the chakin-sushi, rice is mixed with eel, pickled gourd, lotus and minced fish then wrapped in a thin layer of omelet. For the experimental types, get a sushi variety box, which is a great way to sample many of the twenty or so flavors. Hachiku has been open for eighty years now and continues to set a very high standard for Osaka-style sushi.
Shang Wei is hidden on the first floor of a building which is near the old Olympic Games stadium. This restaurant is most famous for having invented teppanyaki-chuka, Japanese-style Chinese griddle cooking. This style of cooking guarantees sizzling hot food that is cooked in considerably less oil than wok-based cooking. The chef is happy to oblige individual requests.
Ponta Honke is one of Tokyo's highest praised tonkatsu restaurants. Tonkatsu has the honor of being loved equally by locals and foreigners and at Ponta Honke, you can dine on some of the finest pork cutlet that the city has to offer. They are simultaneously tender and crispy, thanks to the cooking method; the deep-fat frying is done at a low temperature first and then the cutlets are finished off in extremely hot oil. Portions are huge. Wash your tonkatsu down with a glass of cold beer for a satisfying evening meal.