饂飩ト酒 maru-gin 【うどん マルジン】 — Restaurant in Tokyo

This izakaya is a great for those who want to try Japanese cuisine, with some modern twist. Perfect for hanging out in groups, or a fun date. (This is definitely not an udon shop but you can still order udon if you want too)

We came here on Thursday evening, and it was a full house. I really enjoy the atmosphere. They have counter seats, normal seats, and also Japanese tatami arrangements for those who want to experience it.

The food was great, too.

These are what we had:

Hokkaido cheese (cheese with nori and wasabi): recommended! Please have it with wine, it was so good.

Shoyu cheese (surprisingly tasty)

Maguro: very fresh

Grilled bacon: nice, thick and juicy

Octopus sashimi: my favorite was the octopus sashimi marinated with sesame sauce. It was so fresh.

Oden: normal

Roasted beef: looked very raw but it is actually edible.

Wagyu: The beef supposed to be one of their special dishes (included in their featured courses), but I think it was not very special.

Boiled pork and kimchi: their kimchi is awesome, not too sweet like normal Japanese kimchi.

Raw green pepper: this costs 500yen, so I don't recommend this.

Pancetta rice: this is the first time I have ever tried something like this. It was butter rice, and we eat it with very raw ham. But the taste was amazing, the meat melts into the warm buttery rice. And the after-flavor was very delightful.

Udon nabe in the end: The nabe was a nice closing after so much drinking and eating. For those who can eat intestines, do yourself a favor and get Motsu nabe. Or you can also get the oxtail nabe. One portion is good for 2-3 people.

They also have a good selection of drinks. They have French wine. And those who want to have Japanese drinks can get plum wine umeshu, or other nihonshuu they have.

(Budget:...

This cozy izakaya, located just 5 minutes away from Shibuya Crossing, is a perfect spot to have dinner after a long day visiting Tokyo! I went to Sake Maru-Gin with a group of friends for dinner. The restaurant is located in the 9th floor and well signaled at the building’s entrance. I really liked the atmosphere and the location! The décor has a Japanese style, with wooden walls and tables, yet rearranged with a modern touch and open spaces. There are two types of seating, so customers can choose between a low traditional table for sitting cross legged in order to have an authentic Izakaya experience (we chose it indeed!) and Western higher seats clustered around the open kitchen cooking area. The staff was very welcoming, friendly and helpful throughout the dinner. Also, the service was quick. The menu has a huge range of options, so we tried many dishes. All of them were very good and I was also very satisfied with portions. Among my favorite dishes, I would definitely recommend the deep-fried oysters, served with salad and sauce. The tuna sashimi was extremely fresh while the wagyu, served together with a delicious ginger cream, was just excellent and very juicy (definitely my best dish of the dinner). I also really liked the udon and the noodles! We also had a dessert: I chose a very tasty pudding, while some of my friends took a cheesecake which they really enjoyed. We all had a Japanese blonde beer to drink but during the dinner we also tried two different versions of shochu, a typical Japanese liquor and some sake. The quality-price ratio is just great given the location, so close to city center, so I would definitely come back again to Maru-Gin for enjoying another dinner in Shibuya! Highly...

酒 Sake Maru-Gin is located between Shibuya and Harajuku stations. Though these are popular areas, 酒 Sake Maru-Gin was located in a calm and quiet place. Upon exiting the elevator, I was greeted by the staff and shown to my table. It was a good combination of traditional Japanese aesthetics and modern flair. After looking at the menu for a bit, I decided to start with a Lemon Sour. It was strong enough while maintaining its sweetness. Needless to say, it went down smooth.

The first course was a combination of egg, fish cakes, vegetables and meat. I especially enjoyed the bacon wrap. Shortly thereafter we received some fried fish and karage. Both were served with dipping sauces and they were delicious – and quite hot as they were straight out of the oven. Then there were two beef dishes, both served with wasabi. The beef was cooked just right. It was not raw and it was not well done, it was medium, just as I like it.

Next was nabe. At this time I switched my drink from lemon sour to a shochu based cocktail that was mixed with beer. It was very good. I really enjoyed the nabe, and the portion size was huge. After this we were given a small dish of udon. The udon was fine, however I am not a big fan of udon and I preferred the nabe much more. Next we were treated to dessert – cheesecake. And it tasted like cheesecake from back in America. It was rich, but not as heavy as I remember, which is a good thing because I was quite full after this meal.

The staff was very generous and made small talk and the service was quick. The food was delicious and I left very satisfied. Definitely give this...