| Restaurant Review |
By Alex Vega
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Baker Bounce
Hardcore carnivores (and late Xmas decorators)
should head to Sangenjaya
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| Photos courtesy of Baker Bounce |
We went to Sangenjaya to eat a hamburger and ended up buying a Christmas tree. This corner of Tokyo, only two stops from Shibuya, still retains a local spirit that is far removed from the city’s hubs—and prices. You can buy a tree for one third of the price of within the Yamanote line.
Sangenjaya’s laid-back pace attracts beatniks who prefer to keep Tokyo at arm’s length, and Baker Bounce fits that mold. It’s located on a backstreet a good 10-minute walk north of the town in a narrow old building that has been gutted and turned into a cute, colorful diner.
Sit at one of the tables along the banquette at the front, which are bathed in sunshine during the day; the area around at the back is dark and can get smoky. Behind the counter, a production line of cooks busy themselves through the lunchtime rush. Be prepared to wait for a table at peak times.
Burgers are the main event, but the menu also includes a range of sandwiches such as grilled roast ham and egg cheese melt (¥1,029) and BLTA (A = avocado; ¥892). Steak and roasted mash potato (¥1,260) is one of the innovative sandwiches on the menu. The smoked salmon and avocado salad sandwich contains surprisingly generous slices of salmon for the price (¥1,102). The salmon also features in the chef’s bowl salad (¥630) along with cream cheese, avocado, asparagus and other fresh vegetables. Fish and chips (¥420) and mashed potato with grilled vegetables (¥472) are among the snacks.
But back to the burgers, which are wide and thin and come with the usual optional extras. Every day there are a limited number of “Red Eye Bull” burgers, which are especially fleshy and [vegetarians look away now] make you feel like you’re really taking a bite out of a cow. The meat is incredibly flavorful and each bite has to be ripped, caveman style, from the burger.
Militant carnivores will enjoy this sensation, but regular burger enthusiasts should stick with the standard hamburger (¥945), which is still fleshier than most mince patties without being quite so Stone Age. Cheese lovers will want to add several portions of extra cheese, because each small square barely covers half the meat. Instead of a burger, try a rib-eye steak (¥2,310) or pork spare rib (¥1,785). End your flesh-fest with a slice of apple pie, or accompany it with a shake (¥525), coffee (¥367) or draft Ebisu beer (¥472).
Baker Bounce is easy to find. It’s on the narrow street off Chazawa Dori opposite the building that’s got a big gorilla hanging off its roof. Bargain Christmas trees can be picked up on your way back to the station from the flower shop next to Seiyu
45-13-5 Taishido, Setagaya-ku. Tel: 03-5481-8670. Open Mon, Wed-Fri 11am-3pm (L.O. 2:30pm), Sat 11am-11pm (10:30pm), Sun & hols 11am-10pm (9:30pm), closed Tue. www.bakerbounce.com
When popular restaurant Roti closed its Harumi Triton Square branch in March, there were a lot of sad diners. Fortunately, a new and exciting restaurant and wine bar has opened to take its place… or perhaps we should say “dramatic,” since that is how Garden Bay describes itself. Garden Bay offers modern Italian cuisine in a casual style at reasonable prices. The dinner menu is quite extensive. For starters, you can pick from carpaccio, tomato and basil salad, pancetta, terrine, or bacon and egg salad, for ¥680 to ¥1,380. For entrees, Garden Bay offers lots of grilled meats, seafood, pasta, rice dishes and some vegetarian fare. No entree item costs more than ¥2,400, and there is an ample selection of red and white wines from Italy, Spain, France, Argentina and Australia to go with your dinner.
The restaurant is also popular with the lunchtime crowd.
Sets, which change daily, include pasta, a rice dish and a one-plate combination of salad, rice and meat. Of course, no meal is complete without dessert, and Garden Bay offers the likes of tiramisu, gateau chocolate cake and fruit tart. The restaurant is available for parties as well, starting at ¥2,400 per person for a two-hour period. Having just opened, Garden Bay doesn’t yet have an English menu, but the staff are friendly and floor manager Kanako Uehara is more than happy to help with any inquiries.
Harumi Triton Square 1F, Harumi 1-8-16, Chuo-ku 104-0053. Tel: 03-5547-0561. Open daily 11:30am-11pm. Nearest stn: Kachidoki. www.gardenbay.jp CB |
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