Kitchen Punch — Restaurant in Tokyo

From my gaijin perspective, the atmosphere here is about as authentic as it gets. There's a certain kind of place in Japan that has the sumo wrestling tournament roster on the wall. It's also quiet, except for kitchen sounds and soft conversation. Non-stop Japanese from the server--irasshaimase, Onegaishimasu, arigato gozaimasu--but always at a super low decibel level. Baseball playing quietly on the TV. A man and a woman, presumably husband and wife, working together, like clockwork, each doing their part.

There's a big sign on the wall that says you're only allowed to take pictures of food, and no video. That's a good thing. It let's you know this is not a made-for-Instagram experience, it's for real people who have worked hard at real jobs all day and need a nice warm meal. While I was there, a big line kept growing outside. This place is very popular with Nakameguro locals.

I ordered the hambagu set, with rice and miso soup. It came with a perfectly fried egg, with a runny yolk, on top of my hambagu, which was swimming in rich brown "demi glace" gravy. There was also a small nest of curried spaghetti, cooked far beyond al dente, as is traditional. And a big pile of cabbage, plus an orange wedge. A small plate of bitter pickles on the side.

The hambagu was flavorful, juicy, and delicious, but it was the egg and the demi glace that really made it work. This is what separates the Japanese version--the yoshoku hambagu--from Salisbury steak or meatloaf. The demi glace is not demi glace in the sense of French cuisine, it's more like beefy brown gravy, but with a distinctly Japanese Worcestershire and soy umami flavor that's just a little bit fruity.

The Japanese yoshoku cuisine is "Western food." That's what they call it. But it has very few correlatives with Western dishes you'd get in the West. Seems to me yoshoku is like katakana, they call it Western because it's borrowed, because it features flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques that weren't introduced to Japan until the Meiji Restoration period. In other words, it's distinctly Japanese, but it has foreign influences, so they label it differently.

Yoshoku is the kind of simple food that makes you think comfort isn't all about nostalgia. To me, it's so foreign, yet still tastes like home. If you want to try the Japanese cuisine that you'll almost never find in a Japanese restaurant in Europe or North America, this is a good place. You not only get it prepared well but it's also a very authentic atmosphere....

Originally plan to visit during lunch time but it takes 1 hr to queue so we came back for dinner instead. We were seated right away.

The lady took the order and the guy is the chef. We ordered crab cream croquettes (2 pieces), hamburg set, and extra fried oysters (3 pieces). Everything was so delicious! The crab cream croquettes were perfectly seasoned and very creamy. Not greasy at all. The hamburg also was very delicious. But the fried oysters were the star. Must order if you ever visit!

Price around 1000-2000 yen per dish, with this quality I think it’s...

This cozy spot is a great place to indulge in common Yoshoku dishes (western style Japanese dishes). From Omuraisu, Hanbagu, to my personal favorite, Kani-cream croquette (think Dutch bitterballens).

Yes, food is average…but the dishes here are simple and filling. And this place is a local favorite - evident by the que that’s always there. Minimum 30mins wait on...