Ten Ichi Deux
Ginza 4-1
Nishi-Ginza Deptartment Store 1F
Date of Last Visit: Monday, July 21
The Victim: Me
The Damage: 3500 yen
The Background: It’s my first night in Tokyo. My first stop? Itoya in Ginza. Itoya is a Japanese stationery store. I have this thing for Japanese wrapping paper and paper products and design. I stock up and then wander around in search of sustenance.
I end up at Ten Ichi Deux, the more inexpensive cousin of Ten Inchi, which is a well-known higher-end tempura restaurant. I suppose it might be akin to the Maze Grill/Maze relationship. I’m shown a table in the back and then my server does this…
And I’m so intrigued. A very good idea, isn’t it? This helped me keep an eye on my belongings, and I rested safer with the knowledge that for someone to take anything, they’d have to get into the entire basket. Hard.
That’s really all I have to say about Ten Inchi Deux because while the food was nice, it wasn’t the home run I was hoping for. It was just nice.
What was really nice was my lunch the next day with Norito, who gave me a great in-depth tour of Tokyo.
Teppan-yaki Ittetsu Grandeur
Grandeur Kichijoji B1 2-13-7 Kichijoji-honcho
Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-0004
More Info from Gourmet Navigator
Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, July 22 2008
The Victim: Norito
The Damage: Monopoly money.
The Background: Months earlier, I had read an article in the Washington Post about tour guides in Tokyo. It seemed like a great way to see the city, so I signed up with Tokyo Free Guides and was assigned to Norito. We enjoyed a great e-mail dialogue in the months preceeding my visit. I told her I wanted to see parts of Tokyo that I wouldn’t normally see on my own.
Norito took me to Kichijoji, which strikes me as the Blackheath of Tokyo. A little on the outskirts, but still close enough to the city. My Japanese friends told me later that Kichijoji was a popular place for young couples to settle in. We wandered through the park and took a look at some of the shops, and then we stopped into Ittetsu for some teppanyaki. And this was a great meal. I ordered the pork and aubergine. Norito ordered the okonomiyaki. Don’t you love the plates?
The hardest part about this meal was not drinking the tea that accompanied the meal. I’ve been caffeine free for two months! I will admit to taking a few sips. Bad of me.
The Verdict: Kichijoji is a bit far to go for a meal, but I understand there’s also a branch of Ittetsu in Roppongi. I really enjoyed the Kichijoji location and would be intrigued enough to check out the Roppongi one when I next visit Tokyo.
