The theme of this Tokyo trip was Spanish food. If you want to eat Spanish food, the right thing is obviously to go to Spain, but with my line of work there is no way I could ever get enough time off to spend that long on the other side of the globe, so I decided to try a Spanish restaurant in Tokyo that is supposed to be good. Someday I really need to make it to Europe, but it is not easy.
I searched for Spanish food in Tokyo and found the place that looked like it would serve the tastiest food, and it turned out to be near Shirokanedai. Since I was going anyway, I booked the best one. The location is really awkward though, so unless you live in the neighbourhood it is hard to find. Even though it was a hot day I got off at Hiroo and walked about 15 minutes, but normally it is quicker to take a taxi from Ebisu.
Otoshi
They brought this out when I ordered sangria. Olives in tomato sauce. The focus looks off, though I think it was right; the room was so dark I could not check properly.
Sangria
It was hot out, so I ordered sangria, low in alcohol and easy to drink, and knocked it back glass after glass.
Ibérico jamón
Good-quality jamón. I was craving red wine, but I had to settle for sangria.
A glass of sangria
The lemon is the key.
Beef offal stewed in tomato.
You could call it a Spanish-style beef offal stew. I got to enjoy the offal with a nice tang. The flavour is different from the nikomi at an ordinary izakaya, but the dish itself is an izakaya menu item. It struck me as Spanish food arranged izakaya-style. (The ingredients are all Japanese anyway..)
Skewers of Shizuoka pork
Not at the level of a skewer specialist, but tasty, maybe because they use a special branded pork.
Potato tortilla
This was the day’s recommendation. It comes out generously sized. It worked well in place of rice too.
House-made Kurobuta sausage
A black pork sausage, snappy and full of tasty juices. I would have regretted not ordering it.
Soft-boiled egg stewed in tomato
Lighter than the offal stew.
Charcoal-grilled foie gras
One of us had never had foie gras, so we ordered it. Though I doubt you could judge real foie gras from eating this..
Tomato and mozzarella baked in a cocotte
The mozzarella is lovely and stretchy. It goes well with the fresh tomato. No real misses on the menu; overall this is a very high-level izakaya.
Squid ink paella
Finally I ordered something to fill us up. It was my first time eating a paella with squid ink this rich and savoury. They seem to use plenty of ingredients, just enough not to spoil the flavour. The thing is, eating this paella turns everything around your mouth black. It is so tasty you keep shovelling it in, but the more you eat the funnier your face gets. Well.. being a middle-aged guy, I did not care and just kept shovelling it in. Everything else was delicious too, but this dish is one I will remember for a long time. I already want to eat it again..
All that came to around 4,000 yen per person, so the value for money is excellent. The only downsides are the awkward location and the cramped seating that fills up completely. It is a place to go with friends on a special day.