Iron Chef Chen Kenichi Room Service, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Hello Tokyo

Dusk is spreading out over the city and I've been holed up in my room all day nursing a hangover that just won't leave.  I'm tired, hungry, ready for a belly full of great food to send me deeply into sleep.

My hotel is in the heart of Shibuya.  The hip/cool area of Tokyo known for lots of great restaurants and bars.  I am literally across the street from the Shibuya station, 

the launching point to everywhere Tokyo.

Located on the second floor of my hotel is the Chen Szechuan restaurant, named for and created by the Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi.  For those of you not familiar with the Iron Chef TV series, wake the hell up and get a clue.  Search the internet, I'm embarrassed for you.

Chef Chen is amazing, his food is delicious, this is simply a treat to not only be able to GO to one of his restaurants but they will deliver his food to my room?!?!?  WTF?!?!?!?  

Yes please, I want that.

His signature dish is Ma Po Tofu

A spicy (or not so much for those used to Mexican food spicy, like me) tofu and minced pork dish.

Here is what is delivered:

Ohhhhh mama, sofaking good.  The smells are infecting the very soul of my room.

The sun continues to set, changing from day to night, the city begins to come alive.

This is some sort of Shumai, not certain of the meat.  

They are large and good and hot and handmade.

Gohan.  Sticky and perfect.  

A nice base for the spicy tofu.  

A gentle magic carpet ride for my food, down my throat, into my belly.

Night is here, darkness falls upon the land

Next is a very light onion soup.  Possibly beef broth.  It's light and easy on the stomach, a perfect way to wash down the pork/tofu.

Dessert is a very sweet custard.  It has a very strong vanilla flavor but surprisingly not overwhelming.  I have no idea what the red things are.  I ate one and I honestly can't tell if it's a seed or fruit or manmade or what.  It had the texture of a small tomato but the flavor of a strawberry or raspberry, with a hint of cherry.  Very weird.

The day is done.  As the darkness seeps in red lights begin to awaken everywhere that the eye can see.  Like cherries atop a giant never ending sunday, or a field of raspberries covering the landscape.

I slip into bed, ready for this day to be done, 

a solid delicious meal in my body carrying me away to dreamland.

Goodnight Tokyo

DVA

Lunch In Tokyo For Under $5

And not just filling but DELICIOUS as well, AND filling, and super close to my hotel.  

I'm pretty much killin' it right now....

But, anyhow, it's lunch time, and I'm working from my room today and the internet connection sucks, and I'm hungry but I don't want to waste a lot of time.  In the building right next door to my hotel is this small breakfast/lunch spot, very typical of the many thousands that canvas the city.  The offerings may be different but the system is much the same, plastic food in the window, machine where you select and pay, hand the ticket to the person behind the counter, grab a stool.  Within seconds, faster then Mc Donald's, your food is ready.  Healthy (usually) and fresh.  

This is gonna be good!

Quite obviously this must be the machine.

In we go

This is a no bullshit post.  We are gonna eat and roll out.

I select the "set" menu.  Meaning that it's not just one item.  I'm having the hot soba and a breaded/fried chicken cutlet over rice.

The soba is similar in appearance to ramen.  The only, and huge I might add, difference is the noodle.  Ramen are alkaline noodles, making them a little chewy and tend to be more flavorful.  Soba is made from buckwheat.  You can find soba in both the cold and hot versions.

Delicious and hearty.  The noodles were packed with a lot of flavor and the broth was a soy broth but not too salty.  I really really enjoyed this.

This chicken and rice wasn't the star of the show, and it wasn't intended to be.  What it did do was top off the tank, filled me up, a nice floater above the soup in my belly.

Not every meal in Tokyo is this inexpensive (normally it's quite the opposite), but most are this satisfying.

Eat out

DVA

Bella Napoli, Sandals Pizzeria, Ocho Rios, Jamaica

No, we are no longer in Jamaica.... Back to work and reality.  It was a great trip though!

Tucked away on the east end of the resort, back from the beach just a ways, up from where the kayaks and paddle boards are located, is a pretty decent pizzeria, and an adjacent pool with a swim-up bar, nice.

A neapolitan style, personal in size, handmade pizza.  The dough is made fresh on the property, at the pizzeria, every day.  Ingredients are fresh, as is everything here.

A gas oven is the backbone of this joint, as well it should be.  Wood burning would obviously be preferred but ehhh, were in Jamaica and 30 feet from the beach, I think we can give them a pass on the gas.  At least it looks cool and get's hot enough to toast the pie, which is really all you need.  

Heat is heat, and we're here to eat, so let's get on with the show!

Kegs and pizza.  Just add water...

Here's the mixer.  Fairly standard for big batch dough making.  

Seeing this validated, at least for me, that this place is legit.

Adian was the man at the controls on this day.

Just like everyone else we met here,  full of smiles.

The same two guys.  Every day, every pie.

Adian                                                                 Christopher

 

In between the oven and the pool are a dozen or so tables nicely set.  Dare I say comfy? 

The thing to pay close attention to here is the Prosciutto e Funchi (their spelling not mine)....

Now, I don't have a photo of it but HG and I got this pie the first day and their version of Prosciutto is small cubes of ham.   Yeah, I said that right, ham chunks. 

WOW 

The pepperoni is legit though and that's what I'll offer up in the continuation of my exposé herein.

Pizza dough, obviously.

I thought it was interesting that Adian would prep 4 at a time, even though there were only 2 pizza orders in, mine and another person.  I asked and he said that's just how he does it....

All this stuff is obvious so that's why there's no commentary.....

That's probably obvious too :-O

House made sauce.  Ground tomatoes, salt, oregano.

A little cheese

The peps

Red-ta-go

Yeah, smells great and looks KILLER

I totally want/need this to-go!  And I am totally headed back to the beach to devour it!

For those of you that have been around a while you know how much I love these, and that they have them HERE!?!?!?!?!?!?!  Someone knows what time it is - up in this place! 

Slotted tops on the chili and cheese, genius, and awesome, and it made my day.  No overworking the forearm shaking the hell out of the jar just to get a few flakes out.  So great.

Let's get outta here, I feel my tan fading already.

Bellissimo

Perfetto

A little crunch, a little pull to the dough.  Thin yet holds up to the toppings, which aren't over done either.  Sauce/cheese/pepperoni/yeasty dough balance.  I'm in heaven.

And if you haven't figured out yet why the photos are all blurry....

I"M ON THE BEACH IN JAMAICA EATING PIZZA!!!!!

And lastly, but definitely not leastly,

who the heck do I run into all the way here in this far away country?!?!?!?!

ICE's best friend Scotty! 

What the what?!?  I couldn't believe it!  What a random place to run into someone from home!

Cheers Scotty!

Wagwan?

DVA