Safe Travels in Japan - Ura no Niwa

Ura no Niwa

Jason here. On our second night out of eating, we spent some time trying to find a particular sushi restaurant. As it turned out, the place must have closed some time before, or we had the wrong address as it was nowhere to be seen. Luckily for us there were a few restaurants nearby. We decided to go for a fancier looking place named, Ura no Niwa in the Ebisu South Bld.

The atmosphere was lovely. We were sat a booth that was shaped like a cylinder with s small section of side cut out. This meant that it felt really secluded, like we were the only ones there on a private date. The lights dim, and the smell of delicious food really set a great honey moon atmosphere.

Our waiter spoke English really well, but be aware that he was the only one there that could.

For my meal, I ordered a hotpot with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, daikon, shrimp, mussels, and a white fish. It usually came with some sauces, but they were not gluten free. Instead they substituted them for a little dish of salt.
The meal was well prepared, but definitely not for me. I was happy for the private booth, as I am sure I looked ridiculous trying to eat giant pieces of cabbage. Cabbage is usually a neutral food for me, but there was quite a lot of it in the meal, that it was a bit bland by the end. I’m sure the sauces would have added the flavor it was missing. The mussels were my favorite part, but again were a bit difficult to get at with just chopsticks.

What really stood out to me was the shrimp. I had never had a raw shrimp before, and as it turns out I am definitely not a fan. I removed the shells still, which I am honestly not certain if you were supposed to or not. It was mushy, and tasted like old fish paste.

You might be surprised to hear, but I was actually really happy we ate here. Trying out a unique dish is what traveling is all about, and this was certainly unique. Most of all I love learning new things about myself, and that day I learned I definitely do not like raw shrimp.

Kayleigh here. Personally, I could find joy in eating a giant bowl of steamed cabbage, so I think I enjoyed the dish more than Jason- yes, it was more than large enough for the two of us to share. And it was our first experience with the 'cook it yourself' mentality, as they brought the pot out over a small burner and we picked from it while it was still hot and freshly cooked. We got to enjoy a very intimate meal in an intimate booth, really making us feel like we were having a fancy dinner just the two of us.

Safe Travels in Japan - Yatagarasu and unnamed cafe

Unnamed cafe

Jason here. My second favorite restaurant we visited in Japan was café that we unfortunately could not find the name of. We did take some pictures of the sign for anyone that can read Japanese.

Hidden away in off a road in Harujuku, is this tiny little café located by walking down some stairs to basement. When you walk through the door, it’s like walking back in time with classical music playing and décor reminiscent of that era. Everything was just so relaxing and inviting, the atmosphere brings you in.

After sitting down I ordered a coffee, and Kayleigh ordered a Matcha Parfait. Depending on the coffee, I like it either black or with lots of chocolate, cream, and sugar. If it is really good flavorful coffee, with a good bit of bitterness to it I like it straight. Otherwise if it is lacking flavor, overly bitter, or already two sweet I just go crazy with additives.

Coming in a tiny little teacup, I drank my coffee plain. It was bitter, but still packing a strong coffee flavor.

If you are every walking around Harujuku, perhaps sightseeing the latest fashions, definitely find this little hidden gem and stop by for a nice relaxing cup of coffee.

Kayleigh here. It was quite a surprising find, to duck into this quiet European-style restaurant after walking through the crowded Harajuku main thoroughfare. The waiters were all crisply dressed in black and white, and the bartender was grinding the coffee beans in a wooden hand-cranked box. As if to juxtapose this, the coffee percolator itself was a series of glass globes and metal strips- looking more at home in a chemistry laboratory than a quaint painting-lined getaway.

Yatagarasu

Jason here. After taking a day trip out to Nara and walking around the park, we stopped at a restaurant called Yatagarasu to grab dinner. Nara is famous for a particular breed of chicken, and that was this restaurants specialty. 

The menu was in Japanese, and our waiter spoke only a very little bit of English so we were adventurous and ordered effectively a few random things off of the menu. We had pictures we pointed to, but there was definitely some uncertainty of what we would be getting. Luckily we had our allergy card on us, and the waiter was extremely friendly and made sure nothing contained any gluten.

We ended up ordering chicken heart (or liver?) sashimi for the both of us, grilled chicken offal rice bowl, and breast and egg soup. I had the offal rice bowl, and the soup was Kayleigh’s (we don't think that was gluten free).

We aren’t certain if we ordered sashimi chicken heart, or if it was liver. Either way it was tastier then I expected. The texture is similar to that of salmon sashimi, with a bit of an initial chewiness to it that quickly gives way. The taste itself was plain, with little to no hint of chicken. The closest flavor I can think of would be an extremely lightly flavored water. Something like rose water.

The chicken offal rice bowl was delicious. The offal was well cooked, and just tasted like chicken with a bit more flavor and richness than one would usually find. 

Kayleigh here. I would also like to vouch for the atmosphere of this place- it seemed like the sort of cozy local spot that you could easily become a regular at. Since izakayas (the tiny bars you see peppering downtown streets) were out of the picture for us, this was the one time that I really felt like we had found something unique. They had something on the menu for every part of the chicken, showcasing the unusual bits and really making them shine instead of trying to hide them in a sausage or smothering them in a overpowering sauce.

Safe Travels in Japan - Artnia and CoCo Ichibanya

ArtniaCafe

Jason here. After getting lost for some time, and fierce wind storm beginning to pick up we finally found our destination, Artnia- the Square Enix Café.

This is café and store is right next to the Square Enix headquarters, located in Shinjuku. Everything about it pays homage to some Square Enix game or another. After perusing the store and checking out their really fantastic upscale room decorated to look like a crystal cavern, we decided to sit down and order some drinks.  

Of course the entire food and drink menu is themed. After looking over the ingredients and trying to decide if it would be safe, I ordered a Chocolate Ice Cream Parfait, complete with a solid chocolate buster sword sticking out of the top. 

While I seemed to feel fine the next day, I may have just gotten lucky. There was no allergen menu, and Kayleigh’s parfait contained corn flakes despite not being listed as one of the ingredients.

The parfait itself was delicious. Extremely chocolaty, which is exactly what I had been craving. There were multiple layers, each one revealing yet some other type of chocolate. After walking around all day, this really hit the spot.

Kayleigh here. While the food is a bit risky because of the frequently changed theme menu and unlisted components, the trip is still worth it for any nostalgic Square Enix fan. The drinks are equally creative and decorative, and should all be safe other than the beer cocktails. Not to sound nerdy, but Final Fantasy VII was what Jason used to ask me out on our first date, so it holds a special place in our hearts (even though the game has not stood the test of time!)


CoCo Ichibanya
(website is in Japanese only, but english menu is available online)

Jason here. As I mentioned in a previous post, Kayleigh spent some time before our Japan trip researching restaurants which would be gluten free. The second chain she discovered was Coco Ichibanya.
CoCo Ichibanya is a Japanese curry restaurant, and Kayleigh was eager to find out how Japanese curry tasted. I myself, was happy to eat at a restaurant that sported an English allergen menu, and takes extra special precautions.

The allergen menu unfortunately only has a single item, non-spiced curry. It comes with white rice, and you can add sausage and\or meatballs as a side for an additional charge. Of course I opted to get both sausage and meatballs.

To make sure the meal is completely allergen free, they actually bring you the curry freshly heated up still in its package. Be warned it is extremely hot, so be careful opening it. It was a bit chilly that evening, so the extra hot meal really rejuvenated me and helped me to enjoy the rest of the night. 

Kayleigh here. Unfortunately, as Jason said, the only gluten free curry available is the mild version, without the ability to select the spice level like the other curries. It is still a good representation of what sort of flavors and combinations that Japan considers a curry, so bring your own travel-sized hot sauce and heat things up to your liking.