In the Area

• Eggs 'n Things

  Chuo-ku

  I’d seen a lot of images of pancakes loaded with a mountain of cream, on the web. I’d also heard of pancake specialist, ‘Eggs ‘n Things’ before. I had the chance to give it a try at the branch in Ginza.  The shop was pretty easy to find, located as it is at one end of Ginza’s main drag. It’s on the restaurant floor of a small (but fancy) department store.  After a bit of light research prior to arrival, I’d read plenty of complaints about the queues to get in. We arrived around lunchtime on a Sunday, and although there was a queue, we were seated within 15 mins. There’s a nice looking terrace, but it was so hot that day, so few people wanted to make use of it.The service was fast, friendly, and efficient. There was at least one member of staff who could speak English, and an English-language menu was offered to us.  There were two of us. We ordered an omelet, two drinks, and a pancake, all between the two of us. I was struggling to finish everything. The omelet was fine, but really, the pancakes are the main event here. Ours didn’t disappoint. That mountain of cream is lighter than it looks, and an extra topping of ice cream went down pretty well. Our bill came out at around 3,700 yen. It’s not cheap.The restaurant is really comfortable. There’s plenty of space, it looks cool (especially in summer), and our chairs were really nice. They have baskets for your bags and coats.  Ordering was done at the table. When is comes time for the bill, call the wait staff, and then pay at the counter on your way out. 

  

• Open front Parisian style coffee and people watching

  Chuo-ku

  Too expensive to be that place for a regular caffeine fix, but this branch of French cafe/bistro Aux Bacchanales is a great option for a classy treat.The highlight of a visit here, is a chance to take a table looking out onto the street so that you can see and be seen.  It's a really nice experience on a fine day, and the cafe fronts a pleasant street in a well-to-do area on the edge of Ginza.The cafe always seems to have a good number of people, too; not so crowded that it's difficult to get table, but not so quiet that you feel conspicuous about being there.If there is a downside to this street side experience, it's that for some reason, from time to time you get blokes come here simply to park up their super expensive motors across the street, and then take a table and a coffee so that they can sit down and stare at them (the motors), and the passers by that stop to take pictures (again, of the motors).  If you can get past that, and the prices, this is a really nice place to come and relax.I've never eaten here (can't afford to) so I couldn't comment on the food.  They have the usual range of coffees on offer (although not as many as, say, a Starbucks) that come in at around 500 - 700 yen.  Service comes with an authentic French brusqueness, and bills are received and paid for at tables.  I think you need to wait to be seated, but I've never been quite sure about this.It's a fairly big place, so if you can't get a table by the street you'll surely be able to get one further inside.  That said, you really come here for the tables out front, and the interior is a little dark.I've given Aux Bacchanales Ginza 4 stars because of the really nice street-side experience.

  

• Sabar restaurant only serve mackerel and they are good at it.

  Chuo-ku

  This Sabar restaurant specialised in making many kinds of dishes with mackerel.Recently, I am trying to cut any unhealthy food like steak and fried food, fish seems like the best option because it is low in fat and high in protein. After workout, I went to this restaurant and ordered a couple of dishes and a beer.The food is amazing and the shop is very clean too.http://sabar38.com/

  

• Tasty Thai food in a great location for a date

  Chuo-ku

  I expect those who like good quality Thai food will find much to enjoy at this quite classy restaurant on the edge of Ginza.  I was looking for a place for a sort of romantic dinner.  We both like food from South East Asia, and while we were actually looking for a Singapore Seafood Republic (same building) we ended up opting for this place.The decor is really nice, and the atmosphere (at around 7pm on a Sunday) was really calm.  It's a small place and tables are quite close together but it doesn't feel cramped in here, and you feel as if you can talk openly without worrying the people at the next table can hear what you're saying.  The only problem really with the layout is that, although the windows have views over towards Yurakucho Station, the table aren't laid out to make the most of them.  So, this isn't a 'view' restaurant.Food wise, it's not cheap, but not super expensive either.   Maybe around 700-1,000 yen for appetizers, 1,500 - 2,000 yen for mains.  We shared a couple of appetizers and mains, plus with a couple of drinks each the bill came in at around 7,000 - 8,000 yen.  The food was nice but in Thai style, some of it was really hot.  That said, the staff here were really friendly and happy to explain what was going on with each dish and help make choices if needed.  The location is nice for an evening out being sort of between the Ginza and Yurakucho areas.  We didn't need a reservation, but maybe on a Friday or Saturday night it might be recommended as this isn't such a big space. 

  

• Tofu Restaurant - Ume no Hana Ginza Namikidori

  Chuo-ku

  If you really love tofu you should visit one of the Ume no Hana restaurants. You can find them everywhere in Japan. It is recommended to make a reservation because the restaurant is very popular and especially in areas like Ginza it is hard to get a seat. The restaurant offers many diffrent courses which all include some tofu speciallties. But they don´t serve only tofu, you can also enjoy meat, fish and vegetable. But I recommend to order one of their nice tofu courses which often comes with a choice of meat or fish and a dessert.For eating at that restaurant you shouldn´t be in a hurry, because it takes a lot of time that they serve each food. ~No english menu.