Nakamuraya @ WeST PArK CaFE (Ramen and Burger), Shimokitazawa

East Meets West

This has to be one of the weirdest combination of food I've seen in a while: Ramens and Burgers served in the same establishment. Then again, if these were served in a random restaurant, I'd be VERY suspicious about the outcome, but we're talking about a famous Ramen joint "Nakamuraya" and an expat favorite West Coast style restaurant "WeST PArK CaFE" collaborating, so it got my taste buds rather excited.

By the way, you should know that the owner of "Nakamuraya" (famous for its salt-based broth), Shigetoshi Nakamura, has spent some time in the US as a teenager and also opened in 2009 a Ramen joint in Los Angeles called "Ramen California". It should therefore come as no surprise if he has been interested in mixing genres and cultures again.

The stylish shop opened beginning of January and I can't say it's been drawing crowds yet. Does it need more word-of-mouth or is it just potential customers being dubious about the combination of cuisine served there? I'm not sure yet. All I can say is that the burger I ordered was pretty good, so chances are the bowl of Ramen is worth it too. But that'll be for another occasion.

Stylish interior

There are two chefs in the kitchen: one seems to be in charge of the Burger menu and the other one looks at the Ramen noodles. Though I've been to WeST PArk CaFE countless times, I've never tried their burgers, so I decided to have the former cook get to work by ordering the Bacon Cheese Burger. (For your information, every burger comes with some fries)

The Bacon Cheese Burger

In about ten minutes came a rather tall burger with a promising look. The pictures don't do the burger justice in terms of size and color, but I can guarantee you that from the fresh tomatoes, lettuce and grilled onions to the juice-dripping beef pate and melted cheddar cheese, everything was pretty mouth-watering. The white sesame-topped buns are quickly toasted over the grill and (if I remember well) a hint sweet. Good bread. As far as I know, WeST PArk CaFE bakes its own bread so I would assume the bread here is homemade as well.

The buns soaked in meat juice

The charcoal-grilled pate is made of 100% Australian beef and there are no eggs, bread crumbs neither onion mixed in the meat : just plain meat so you can appreciate its taste. The beef was good and juicy, seasoned with salt and pepper only. There was a little bit of mayo-like sauce on top of the lettuce, but that's the only seasoning I could find besides what I mentioned. If you're the type of person who likes his/her burger simple with as little sauce as possible, this place should suit your taste.

The long and sweet French fries

There were not a lot of French fries on the side, but the few ones on the plate were thick and a good 4 to 5 inches in length. They tasted a little bit like Japanese sweet potatoes, so it was slightly surprising at the beginning. Good nonetheless.

The Bacon Cheese Burger costs ¥1,400 so it's not the cheapest burger around but it was a satisfying dish, both size-wise and taste-wise. Will try to review the famous Ramen next time!

In the meantime, Bon Appetit!

Nakamuraya @ WeST PArK CaFE is open everyday from 11:30am to 23:00pm (L.O. 22:00pm)

03-3410-1120

Setagaya-ku, Daizawa 5-32-13

Click here for a MAP

Village Vanguard Diner (Burgers), Shimokitazawa

There is in Shimokitazawa a true "institution" that anyone ought to visit when in the area. "Village Vanguard", which started 25 years in Nagoya as a "bookstore where you can have fun" has now over 350 stores in Japan and continues to rapidly expand its business. The stuff they sell may slightly vary depending on the location, but the one in Shimokitazawa is a labyrinthine bazaar that will satisfy anyone interested in pop culture, mangas, gadgets, candies, records, books, name it you'll find it. It is very difficult to get out of the store without buying anything, so may the force be with you should you be on a prison cell tight budget. Even if you're not into consumerism nor pop culture, go catch a glimpse at what the store has to offer, as the place is an explosion of sound and color and it's full of Kodak moments. (Click here for a MAP)

I love "Village Vanguard" and burgers as much, so it was a no-brainer for me when they opened a burger joint 5mn away few years ago. Though I find the food and most of the all the beers expensive, I recommend this place to anyone craving for a burger. Don't forget "Frisco", which offers a more authentic delicious charcoal grilled version.

Village Vanguard Diner

If you visit the texmex looking restaurant, you will probably be amazed at the service the kids working there offer you. It is the BEST service I know in Japan among any kind of casual western-style eateries. They are so attentive to details and so eager to make you enjoy your fare, sometimes it might even feel like it's too much. But too much is better than too less, so no complains on that side, and my hats-off to the director of personnel.

They also have a very decent list of popular to less know American local beers (by the bottle) that should make for a nice break if you've got a little tired of the Japanese beers. Only problem: the bottles all cost around ¥800, so it's not like you can order one after an other.

Avocado laver burger

Now, the food: they have a menu essentially comprised of Taco Rice or Nachos-like texmex fares but the stars of the joint are definitely the ten or so burgers they offer, ranging from the "Mushroom and garlic cheeseburger" to the "Avocado laver burger (with Nori dry seaweed)" or the "Pepper∧ cheddar melt (with a fat piece of bacon!) "ones. All come with french fries on the side, which you will want to ask them not to salt if you're low on that condiment. I think they tend to over-salt them, so don't hesitate to let them know in advance if you want to keep it eatable.

Authentic Burger with Cheddar cheese

You can obviously order the "regular" burgers, but I usually go for what they call the "Authentic Burger", which simply consists of a 200g beef pate, cheddar cheese, fresh tomato, grilled onion, all sandwiched with two big loaves of Graham bread.

The salt and peppered meat is unbelievably juicy. Good stuff. There is 200g of it on your plate so you should be happy if you're a meat eater.

As you can see from the picture, they're quite generous on the cheese and manage to melt it just the way you want it. The perfect definition and example of "guilty pleasure".

There are big slices of tender grilled onion hidden under the meat, which provide a timely sweetness to the otherwise salty dish. Same goes for the slightly sweet bread, which I think goes very well with the beef pate and the vegetables, though I wish it could be a hint more toasted.

An overall very satisfying and filling dish, but at a cost: ¥1,580. Given the size of the beast, you can't be too demanding, but if you order a beer the bill adds up to over ¥2,300 so I still think it could and should be cheaper.

Village Vanguard Diner is open everyday from 11:30am to midnight
03-3481-5620
Setagaya-ku, Daita 6-3-1 B1
click here for a MAP

Frisco (Burgers), Shimokitazawa

UPDATE: Frisco just closed end of July 2010 as the building it was in will be destroyed. It will reopen one day, so stay tuned!

The hole-in-the-wall...

I chose today another wonderful place that I have unfortunately neglected far too long, which I visited the other day for the first time in probably five years.
The first time I ate at "Frisco" (which was right after it opened), literally a burger hole-in-the-wall, the chatty English-speaking owner gave me a brief and honest introduction on why he got to open this joint. I remember being rather surprised as he did not seem too sure whether that even was a good idea or not, being new in the business and new in Japan after spending a great part of his life in the US. He did not know Shimokitazawa very well either (except that potential-burger-eating youths hang around a lot in the area), so you will appreciate why I got a little worried for the guy. The burger was good, that's for sure, but the place is so VERY hard to find that I thought word-of-mouth would not be enough to sustain decent business. Thus, fearing the disappointment and the bad feeling of visiting an ever empty store, I simply never went there again. As usual, too bad for me, and I hope I can catch up as soon as possible with the lost time. Please try it for yourself if you like nicely barbecued burgers. You won't be disappointed.

When we got in the shop, I was first impressed by the several quality press clips on the wall, all praising the state-of-the-art burger. Also, five minutes after we got there, few regulars-looking customers got in, clearly meaning I had been wrong all the way on selfishly predicting the future of this burger business.

The charcoal, the grill and the buns toasting

The reason this shop got so much word-of-mouth certainly relies on the charcoal grill that gives the meat and the buns such distinctive smoky aroma. Not sure whether that was a way to avoid heating the grill to a temperature too high, but the owner placed the metal grid over the red charcoal after we placed our order. We opted for the filling Cheeseburger set (¥1,200), that comes with a drink and some french fries.

Owner bbqing the patty

The cheese burger consists of the grill-toasted hard-on-the-outside but soft-on-the-inside buns, a well-done and wonderfully smoky 150g beef patty, the guilty-pleasuresque slice of cheddar cheese with its undefinable umami, some VERY fresh onion, tomato, lettuce and a little pickle. You guessed it right: it's a simple and classic burger like you'll see barbecued everywhere in the US.

The Cheeseburger

The crinkle-cut french fries are heavenly crispy and salted enough to match the salt-and-pepper-only-seasoned patty. I think there was a very thin layer of mustard and mayonnaise on the buns, but nothing else that came in the way. In other words, the cooking is really designed to make you enjoy the flavor of the juicy beef and the smoke aroma.
The vegetables are super fresh and provide a very nice crunchiness and freshness to the whole.

The Cheeseburger set

I am sure there are plenty of good places among those new burger joints popping out in Tokyo, but I would assume that "Frisco" has to be ranking among the best ones, especially in the "authentic", "sunday barbecue style" category.
It is expensive at ¥1,200, but if you're ready to pay the price, you will most probably enjoy it, with the additional fun of actually having to find this incredibly tiny joint in the Shimokitazawa maze.

"Frisco" is closed on Tuesdays, and open the rest of the week everyday from 11:30am to 21:00pm
Setagaya-ku, Kitazawa 2-34-11
03-3468-5744
click here for a very needed MAP