Dining in Tourist Traps: Shibuya x Tokyo Disney Sea x Mt. Fuji
SHIBUYA
NIKU YOKOCHO
On our first night ever in Tokyo, my siblings and I were overwhelmed with the magnitude of people surrounding the popular Shibuya Crossing. Wide-eyed and slightly dazed, we clung near to each other; fearing that we’d lose each other in this crazy part of the city.
We were hungry (and a bit lost) but fortunately, we found ourselves in Niku Yokocho, a busy izakaya filled with boisterous groups of friends winding down from a busy work day.
We were greeted by a jubilant waiter who barely spoke English but seemed genuinely interested in helping us out in our meal. I wasn’t aware that cross-ordering from its neighboring bars and restaurants was possible so we had to settle with the extremely limited English menu they had. Fortunately, there were amazing gems that definitely surprised us in the meal!
DEEP FRIED OCTOPUS (¥790)
We started with an order each of their Deep Fried Octopus and their Deep Fried Chicken (Karaage) (¥790). Expecting to be served with mediocre-bar chow, I was blown away with how tender the octopus pieces were; and how the chicken pieces were juicy despite their incredibly crisp exterior.
ASSORTED SAUSAGES (¥790)
My dad ordered a Sausage Platter; which featured a pretty straightforward bunch of deli-quality sausages. The kicker for me was the spiced mustard sauce that it came with! It definitely made the dish order-worthy.
CHICKEN GRILL (sic) STEAK
The Grilled Chicken Steak honestly looked quite raw when it was served on our table. Upon closer inspection though, the pieces were fortunately cooked through and were beyond juicy! It uses its generous pepper seasoning as a crutch for flavor so if you’re not into pepper, it’s best to steer clear away from this dish.
BEEF LOIN STEAK
We also ordered the Beef Loin Steak, which was definitely tinier and less appetizing than what we imagined. However, it’s a testament to the adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, as it was incredibly marbled and delicious. We actually ended up ordering another round of this because it was that good! If you don’t mind your steak on the rarer side, do also try out their killer Meat Sushi!
MENTAIKO BOILED ROLLED EGG
The Mentaiko Boiled Rolled Egg took a while to arrive. As we were feeling full from everything else we ate, we actually considered simply cancelling the order. I’m just grateful that we waited it out as the dish was nothing short but extraordinary. Sure, you may think that it's just an egg omelette; but once you bite into its impossibly fluffy egg layers, the incredibly long waiting time would feel justified. Another thing that made it worth the wait would be the incredibly large mentaiko that was generously topped over the rolled egg. We definitely did not let a single sphere go to waste even if it proved to be quite a struggle to eat with our chopsticks!
Unfortunately, most of the items didn’t come with a clear price tag but just to give you a ball park figure, our bill for five pax arrived at a total of ¥16700! We didn’t know it at that time, but it ended up to be one of our most expensive meals throughout our entire trip! No regrets though!
Niku Yokocho
2F/3F Chitose Kaiken, Center-gai, Shibuya, Tokyo
December 26, 2019 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua
TOKYO DISNEY SEA
Technically located outside Tokyo, the Tokyo Disney Sea was a natural addition to our Tokyo itinerary as all of us haven’t been to this theme park before. What made it convenient was that our hotel, Dai-Ichi Hotel Ryogoku offered free shuttle services to/from the hotel, Tokyo Disney Land and Tokyo Disney Sea!
We took the first shuttle to Tokyo Disney Sea so we were there roughly 45 minutes before opening time. We thought this was a bit exaggerated on our end but when we saw the queue in front of us; and the queue quickly forming behind us, it seemed like we made a smart decision coming this early.
NAUTILUS GALLEY
We systematically went through each ‘land’ in an efficient manner; aided by the fact that none of us took too long in photo-taking, and we generally wanted to take the same set of rides. After covering a bit of the park, we wounded up in Nautilus Galley which served the quirky Gyoza Sausage Bun.
GYOZA SAUSAGE BUN (¥500)
I’m used to overpriced underwhelming theme park food; but the Gyoza Sausage Bun definitely surprised us by coming with a value-for-money price tag, and a mouthful of flavor! The Gyoza Sausage Bun is essentially a Pork Siopao, shaped like a gyoza dumpling. It’s stuffed with immensely flavorful ground pork, it comes with a fluffy bun, and its gyoza-shape makes it convenient to eat while walking around the theme park.
Nautilus Galley
Mysterious Island, Tokyo Disney Sea, 1-1-3, Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
Date of Visit: December 27, 2019 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua
VULCANIA
The Vulcania restaurant drew in massive numbers of hungry diners for lunchtime. However, despite the long queues, the operation flow was seamlessly efficient; that I can’t stop raving about it. There’s nothing I could do with the food being unable to meet my already sub-par expectations, but due credit must be given to its impressive restaurant management!
PAN-FRIED NOODLES WITH BEEF AND BAMBOO SHOOTS IN THICKENED SAUCE
(CHEF’S SPECIAL SET - ¥1880)
My family was still a bit from the Gyoza Sausage Buns we had earlier so we opted for their value-for-money Chef’s Special Sets which come with your choice of main, a cup of fried rice, a bowl of Dumpling soup, a dessert plate and a soft drink of your choice.
SPICY TOFU AND MINCED PORK IN THICKENED SAUCE
(CHEF’S SPECIAL SET - ¥1880)
The five of us opted to share two Chef’s Special Sets. Everything looked quite appetizing; but sadly nothing delivered on flavor. The fried rice lacked in seasoning, while the soup dumpling actually came in a nice tasty broth but the dumpling itself had an odd aftertaste. The Pan-Fried Noodles with Beef and Bamboo Shoots came loaded with mushrooms; while the Spicy Tofu came packed with minced ground pork; making for a filling (but bland) meal. To my surprise, I actually liked its dessert plate the best (despite not really having a sweet tooth); the medley of a sesame buchi with red bean filling, strawberry pannacotta, and slice of fruitcake may have just afforded us with a bite each; but boy were those bites the best tasting ones from the set.
FRIED CHICKEN WITH SOY VINEGAR (¥980)
Fret not, as there’s hope in their a la carte options. Its crunchy bite-sized Fried Chicken with Soy Vinegar (¥980) is something they can boast about. My piece of advice: ignore the soy vinegar that it comes with to best enjoy it. Sure, I’d prefer to pair it with some good old mayonnaise; but it’s immensely better on its own than with the sauce.
Another surprise was its off-menu Cold Appetizer plate that I just grabbed while in queue. It’s basically an array of jellyfish, toothpick slices of cucumber, beansprouts and chicken fillet in hoisin sauce. Simple, but it works.
Vulcania
Mysterious Island, Tokyo Disney Sea, 1-1-3, Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
Date of Visit: December 27, 2019 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua
MT. FUJI
For our day trip to Mt. Fuji, we engaged the services of Joey’s Van and Chauffeur (+81 90-1778-3759(Viber/Line). Gary, a Filipino residing in Japan, was our assigned driver/tour guide for the day. He maintained an easy-going jovial demeanor throughout the day, which definitely contributed to us having a great experience at Mt. Fuji.
STEAK GUSTO
We were supposed to go to a restaurant serving Hōtō, a regional dish featuring udon noodles and vegetables in a miso-based stew. Unfortunately, it seemed that all the other tourists had the same idea for lunch, so the restaurants Gary had in mind were jam-packed.
He suggested for us to go to Steak Gusto. Styled like a classic American diner, Steak Gusto offers free-flowing soup, salad, and drinks as add-ons to your main steak of choice.
I love how well-curated their free-flowing options are: warm fresh rolls were served alongside their pots of soup; while hot Japanese curry and Japanese rice can also magically be found in their salad section! The curry rice combo is enough to make the extra ¥450 you shell out for the buffet access immensely worth it!
Its Drink Bar includes several options for juice, coffee and tea! Do keep in mind though that all its juices still need to be sweetened to taste!
RIB STEAK (250G - ¥1899 +¥450 for the Soup, Salad and Drink Bar Access)
I opted for their Rib Steak, and was served with a gorgeous medium-cooked steak which boasted of a perfect balance of juicy meat and a nice indulgent fatty layer. Several options for steak sauces were available; but the spices rubbed on the steak proved to be tasty enough for me. The potato wedges and the raw onions it came with were forgettable; fortunately its free-flowing sides helped make the meal memorable. We may have missed out on some traditional Japanese cuisine, but I definitely have no regrets with Steak Gusto. I honestly wouldn’t mind eating here again the next time I visit Mt. Fuji!
Steak Gusto
403-0016 Yamanashi, Fujiyoshida, Matsuyama
Date of Visit: December 29, 2019 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua
