Where to Dine - Tokyo - page 144

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EXPENSIVE
There's a branch of the famous tempura restaurant Ten-ichi on the seventh floor of Isetan
department store, 3-14-1 Shinjuku ( & 03/5379-3039; p. 131), open daily from 11am
to 8pm.
f Kakiden KAISEKI Although it's located on the eighth floor of a rather
uninspiring building, Kakiden has a relaxing teahouse atmosphere, with low chairs, shoji
screens, bamboo trees, and soothing traditional Japanese music playing softly in the
background. Sibling restaurant to one in Kyoto founded more than 260 years ago as a
catering service for the elite, this kaiseki restaurant serves set meals that change with the
seasons, according to what's fresh and available. An English-language menu lists the set
meals, but it's probably best to simply pick a meal to fit your budget. The set lunch is
available until 3pm. Set dinners include box kaiseki starting at ¥5,250, mini-kaiseki for
¥8,400, and kaiseki courses ranging from ¥8,400 to ¥15,750. Some of the more com-
mon dishes here include fish, seasonal vegetables, eggs, sashimi, shrimp, and mushrooms,
but don't worry if you can't identify everything—I've found that even the Japanese don't
always know what they're eating.
3-37-11 Shinjuku, 8th floor. & 03/3352-5121. Reservations recommended for lunch. Set dinners
¥5,250-¥21,000; set lunches ¥4,200-¥6,300. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 11am-9pm (last order). Station: Shinjuku
(east exit, 1 min.). Next to Shinjuku Station's east side.

MODERATE
In addition to the suggestions here, an excellent choice for nouvelle Japanese cuisine is
daidaiya, located next to the east exit of Shinjuku station on the third floor of the Nowa
Building, 3-37-12 Shinjuku ( & 03/5362-7173 ). It's open daily 5pm to midnight
(p. 168). I also like Kushinobo, a kushikatsu restaurant at 1-10-5 Kabuki-cho
( & 03/3232-9744 ), offering two set dinners: The ¥2,940 course features 10 skewered
morsels, including crab, mushrooms and asparagus, while the Omakase course is the
chef 's choice and continues until you say you've had enough (16 skewers costs ¥4,500).
It's open Monday to Saturday from 5 to 11pm (p. 161). Thai restaurant Erawan, on the
8th floor of the Adhoc Shinjuku Building, 3-15-11 Shinjuku ( & 03/3341-5127 ), is
open Monday to Friday from 11:30am to 3pm, Saturday and Sunday from 11:30am to
4pm, and daily 5 to 11:30pm (p. 161).
g Ban-Thai THAI One of Tokyo's longest-running Thai restaurants and credited
with introducing authentic Thai food to the Japanese, Ban-Thai prepares excellent Thai
fare, with 90 mouthwatering items on the menu. My favorites are the cold and spicy
meat salad, the chicken soup with coconut and lemongrass, and the pad Thai. Note that
set dinners are available only for parties of two or more; also, portions are not large, so if
you order several portions and add beer, your tab can really climb. Finally, the service is
indifferent. Yet this place is packed every time I come here.
1-23-14 Kabuki-cho, 3rd floor. & 03/3207-0068. Reservations recommended. Main dishes ¥1,200-
¥1,800; set dinners ¥2,500-¥6,000; set lunches ¥630-¥1,365. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm and
5-11pm; Sat-Sun and holidays 11:30am-11pm (last order). Station: Shinjuku (east exit, 7 min.). In East
Shinjuku, in the seediest part of Kabuki-cho (don't worry, the interior is nicer than the exterior), on the
west side of a neon-lit pedestrian street running from Yasukuni Dori (look for the red neon archway and
7-Eleven) to Koma Stadium, a Kabuki-cho landmark.
h Hayashi ROBATAYAKI This restaurant specializes in Japanese set
meals cooked over your own hibachi grill. It's small and cozy, with only five grills and a
woman in a kimono overseeing the cooking operations, taking over if customers seem the

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