Japanese Restaurants
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Don Don
A Japanese eatery, Don Don, serves great bentō (boxed lunches).
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Eatery
Wooden booths, lava lamps and a neon ‘miso horny’ sign are all part of the ambience at this pop-culture reinvention of the traditional sushi joint. Bring your manga comic and dip into the giant, well-priced menu of soba bowls, curry-rice and several sushi combos, all washed down with a good selection of Japanese and Canadian bottled beers. There are plenty of vegetarian options, including some shareable platters for all those veggies who travel in packs.
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Tsunami
The food at this celebrated restaurant exhibits the style and taste you'd expect from an ex-Nobu chef. The sushi is exquisite, but it's the more unusual dishes, like ebi prawns wrapped in Greek pastry and butternut squash, and especially the mint-tea duck with pear and sweet honey miso, that will really bowl you over.
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Chocolate Buddha
Slurping organic soup noodles, or sharing gyoza (dumplings) and steamed edamame (fresh soya beans) is a cheerful way to enjoy the vibe of Federation Square. Chummy communal tables, wireless waiters and a mechanised ordering system make the place feel like a futuristic uni caf. It could be the location or the organic ingredients, but Buddha's always busy.
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Yamamori Sushi
Sushi arrives on the north side and immediately proves successful, but that’s hardly surprising considering that its south side sister has been doing the Japanese thang with great aplomb for a very long time. The menus in both are largely the same, but we prefer this newer location – right on the river – because it’s just that little bit more airy and spacious. The bento boxes are a popular choice – especially at lunchtime – but we really just can’t get enough of the nami moriawase.
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Uosue
Uosue is one of the best value Japanese places in town. It’s a traditional Kyoto-style restaurant with a clean interior and friendly proprietors. For lunch, try the wonderful nijū bentō for ¥1000. At dinner, the omakase ryōri kōsu is a great way to sample kaiseki ryōri without breaking the bank: it costs just ¥3800. It’s next to a tiny shrine – keep an eye out for the sake barrels out the front.
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Japanese Pancake World
If the Dutch are famous for pancakes of meat, seafood and vegies, so are the Japanese. At the continent’s only shop specialising in okonomiyaki (literally ‘cook as you like’), you’ll get yours in a hot iron dish with your choice of fillings, topped with flakes of dried fish. There’s a J-pop backdrop and barely two dozen seats.
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Daikoku
In a feed-off between Ichizen and Daikoku, we narrowly chose this to be the best Japanese restaurant in Moresby - outstanding! The sushi, sashimi and other Japanese favourites are very good. At dinner, chefs will prepare your meal on a hotplate at your table with great skill and showmanship. Also serves lunchtime bento boxes.
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Matsuri
You’ll feel a bit like a carp in a fish tank here – floor-to-ceiling glass runs the perimeter of this large, long-standing Japanese restaurant. The tempura udon with sushi set ($20) is enough to feed two salarymen.
reviewed
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Sakura
A great place for Japanese is the restaurant Sakura.
reviewed
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Osaki's
There is no finer sushi in all of Vail, and possibly the state of Colorado, than here. Osaki is a star disciple of Nobu Matsuhisa (yes, that Nobu). He worked in the LA restaurant, when Nobu only had one shop, and eventually opened this hole-in-the-wall temple devoted to all that is sweet, tender, raw and holy (we're talking about fish!).
It's not cheap, but what Vail haunt is? Plus, if you go with one of the combo dinners you'll get out for under $50. And whatever you do, do not leave without tasting the salmon. It's simply spectacular. Osaki offers 30% off rolls in the summer, and reservations are advised in peak season. You'll find it hiding behind Campo de Fiori.
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Honyaradō
This woodsy place overlooking the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park is an institution. It was something of a gathering spot for Kyoto’s countercultural elite during the hippy days. It has the lived-in feeling of an eccentric friend’s house, with stacks of books and magazines and interesting decorations. The lunch deal (a daily stew set) is good value. Surprisingly, considering the ambience, there aren’t many veggie options. It’s a good place to relax over coffee.
reviewed
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Matsuei
None other than the venerated Japanese super-chef Nobu Matsuhisa once co-owned this diminutive sushi bar, now situated on a San Isidro side street. Don’t let the modest appearance fool you: Matsuei serves up some of the most spectacular sashimi and maki (sushi rolls) in Lima. A must-have: the ‘acevichado, ’ a roll stuffed with shrimp and avocado, and then doused in a house-made mayo infused with ceviche broth. It will make your brain tingle in all the right places.
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Sumibiya
At the first Japanese yakiniku-style restaurant in Dubai, every stone table has a recessed gas grill where you cook your own meat then pair it with a selection of sauces and condiments. Though the Wagyu beef and seafood run high (Dh100+), the set menus of various meat-and-veggie combos are a relative bargain. There’s nothing romantic about the narrow windowless room, but it’s great interactive fun for families or groups of foodie friends.
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Parco
The Italian love affair with Barcelona manifests itself here with this branch of the stylish Milan sushi-restaurant-cum-cocktail-bar. With a little fusion music in the background, start the evening with a round of bulbous cocktails before ordering plates of sushi and sashimi. Lighting is low, while red and black dominate the décor. Those unlucky enough to miss out on a lounge may find themselves uncomfortably perched on backless chairs.
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Zuma
One of a new crop of contempo Japanese restaurants, this dramatic bi-level den draws go-go executives for power lunches and the sexy crowd for low-light dinners. Tables are in full view of a massive bamboo sculpture and the two kitchens; one a sushi counter, the other a robata grill. Choice picks include barley miso marinated baby chicken, marinated black cod and salmon teriyaki. Immensely popular Friday brunch, too.
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Aunbo
Aunbo serves elegant, creative Japanese cooking in traditional Gion surroundings. The last time we were here we started with sublime sashimi, moved on to fried yuba pockets and went from there. We recommend asking for the set and leaving the difficult decisions to the master. Aunbo takes reservations in the evening. There is an English menu but no English sign; look for the traditional Japanese façade.
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Royal Hana Garden
This place is a bit of a secret – there are two outdoor hot-spring baths (admission Rs 340, includes towel and shampoo, Thursday to Saturday from 3pm only) where you can luxuriate for as long as you like before heading inside for a very reasonably priced Japanese meal. It’s perfect for small groups and it’s worth ringing ahead to book a soak. The restaurant is in Lazimpat, just north of the Hotel Ambassador.
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Nagoya
Madrid has its fair share of Japanese restaurants, but you won’t find any better than this one. The service is friendly and fast, and the food is outstanding – from the tempura and sushi to the kami yaki soba (duck with noodles and teriyaki sauce). Ask for your maki with sesamo por fuera (sesame on the outside) and you’ll be in heaven.
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Yakiniku Station Bambohe
If you've got a big appetite and quantity is important, head here where you'll find an all-you-can-eat yakiniku (grilled meat over table-top hibachi grills), including dessert and soft drinks, for a reasonable price. The restaurant is just off of Kokusai-dōri, across from the covered arcades, and is easily recognised by its bright yellow English sign.
reviewed
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Don Don
For years we’ve thumbed our way through diminutive Don Don’s photo menu, discovering consistently delicious dishes. Expect everything from katsudon (rice with deep-fried chicken, beef or pork, egg and condiments) to sashimi, mostly served with rice, miso and Japanese pickles on the side. Be prepared to queue.
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Kawagoe-ya
Cosy and country-style, specializing in a range of Japanese foods like soba and donburi (rice with assorted toppings). The mini-maguro-don set (¥1365) comes with soba and more. It's outside Kamakura Station's east exit, in the basement below McDonald's. Picture menu and plastic models available.
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Toko
Toko dishes up superb modern Japanese otsumami (tapas) such as soft-shell crab, eggplant with miso and meaty options from the robata (charcoal grill). Settle into a communal table, make a selection from the extensive wine and sake list, and expect to spend around $30 on food – more if you're a sashimi junkie.
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Tokyo Diner
Everyday Japanese food at everyday prices is what Tokyo Diner's all about, and you can't ask for fairer than that. The waiters are all Japanese; they are discreet and graceful in their service, and very knowledgeable about the food. The miso is ordinary but the Japanese-style curry is tops, as are the noodle dishes.
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Fujino-Ya
This is one of the easiest places for non-Japanese to enter on Pontochō, a street where many of the other restaurants turn down even unfamiliar Japanese diners. Here you can feast on tempura, okonomiyaki, yaki-soba and kushikatsu in tatami rooms overlooking the Kamo-gawa.
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