All posts filed under: Tokyo

Cignale Enoteca, Tokyo

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You’d think that a self confessed raw fish obsessive who has booked a trip to Tokyo would want to spend each day – morning, noon and night – slurping up every silky seafood slither in sight. Right? Well, I thought so too, until I made my 10 year dream trip to Tokyo a reality. Why? Because on the flight there, my boyfriend told me that whatever the Japanese turn their hand to, kitchen based or otherwise, turns out to be the best in the world. So when I came across the 2016 Monocle Restaurant Awards list and saw that the number 1 spot had been awarded to a small rustic restaurant in Tokyo, run by Japanese chef, Toshiji Tomori, who spent 4 years learning his trade in Italy, there was no question I would be booking it. It may not have a Michelin star, but anyone who goes to Tokyo with bookings only at spots recommended solely by the foodie elite, are a bit stupid in my eyes. It’s not to say I wouldn’t go to …

Two Michelin starred dining at Ren, Tokyo

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“I literally have no idea where this place is”, I mumbled as I wandered down a dimly lit alleyway in Tokyo’s upmarket Shinjuku district, spying thorough windows of restaurants that were not the one we were looking for. It was 5.30pm and we had been saving ourselves for dinner most of the day. And I was on the verge of severe hanger. Luckily, my boyfriend saved us both by popping into a local bakery to ask directions. The young cashier took his phone, turned it around what must have been about 5 times and scratched her head. Finally, her eyes lit up and she ran out of the shop, gesturing for us to follow her. She took us down a side road and pointed to an unassuming doorway, which looked like it belonged to a block of flats. This was to become a common occurrence on our trip, we soon realised. Once we had finally located the restaurant, we waited outside before realising that the wooden lattice door was ready for us to slide open …