| Restaurant Review |
By Steve Trautlein
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Podo
Home-style Korean cooking—with lots of pork—is served up at this Nishi-Azabu restaurant
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| Photos Courtesy of Podo |
Podo has been getting a lot of coverage in
local magazines and TV shows, which doesn’t surprise us in the least. With an appealing interior and a creative menu, the restaurant deserves all the attention it can get.
Podo specializes in charcoal-grilled pork, including a variety
of dishes that are served in mini cast-iron pots. These sumibi offerings range from the fatty coragen (pig’s feet, ¥350) to the egg and bacon (¥450) to ho ho (cheek, ¥400)—and they’re a lot better than they sound. Served on a sizzling skillet and topped with leeks or even cheese, the mini-pan dishes are decently portioned and uniformly excellent.
Elsewhere on the menu, simplicity wins out. A single, lusciously ripe tomato is served with a tennis ball-sized chunk of “Himalayan” salt, which diners can grate themselves (¥500). This “salad” will appeal to anyone who appreciates elemental flavors and top-quality ingredients. The shellfish chijimi (¥1,000), meanwhile, is so gently seasoned that the flavors of the shrimp, squid and tako all shine through; carrots and nira add color and texture. Doughy and large enough for two, this pancake-like dish is also agreeably non-oily.
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Other familiar Korean fare includes bibinpap (¥1,200), kimchi platters (¥850) and hotpots, like the excellent kamuja tan chige (¥850). This spicy stew of pork, potato, leek, onion, carrots and egoma
(a shiso-like leaf) would be the perfect dish to warm the body on a chill midwinter’s day. Summertime diners, meanwhile, will appreciate the coragen yude buta (¥980). Chilled, boiled strips of pork are served with hakusai leaves and condiments like red miso, shrimp shiokara and kimchi. The dish is eaten by wrapping the meat and fillings in the leaves—and then, ideally, washing it all down with a crisp Asahi beer (¥600-¥650).
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All of Podo’s food is served up in a smart interior that has cleverly arranged seating areas to mask the relative lack of space. If you’d like a front-row view of the action, belly up to the counter and watch the cooks maneuver around the stoves and charcoal grills. Several four-person booths would be the best choice for couples, and the friendly staff will give you personalized service. Before you visit, though, you’d better brush up on your kanji, as there’s no English on the menu. Better yet, bring along a Japanese friend.
At the opening party last summer, Podo drew its share of beautiful people. Based on the media coverage the restaurant’s been getting since then, the celebs have been coming back for more. We agree that one visit to this ground-central eatery is not enough.
3F, 1-12-4 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3401-8191. Open Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm and 6pm-midnight, Sat 6pm-midnight, closed Sun. Nearest stn: Hiro-o or Roppongi. www.podo.jp
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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