EAT > Fujimaru, Osaka

Osaka is well known for its street food, with 222 listings in the Michelin Guide (3 for 3 star, 9 for 2 star and 80 for 1 star) you know that they are serious about food. But what about wine, well that is a little harder to find, especially if like us on…

ByEd ItorApril 4, 2024

CAFE > TOKYO

CAFE > Verve Cafe, Roppongi Hills

Over in Roppongi Hills right next door to the excellent design store ‘Living Motif’ you will find an outlet for the popular Verve Coffee (and roasters) chain. Here they do an excellent range of pour over coffee’s (some of them are quite specialised and they are priced in line ~¥1,500 for a…

ByEd ItorApril 1, 2024

CAFE > TOKYO

CAFE > Kitasando Coffee, Kitasando

Not far from the Meiji Jingue Temple in Yoyogi Park and sandwiched between the Shinjuku Goyen National Garden you will find the small suburban area of Kitasando (there is even a Kitasando station there on the Fukutoshin Line). In amongst the apartments and small shops you will find a coffee oasis Kitasando (it has…

ByEd ItorApril 1, 2024

EAT > TOKYO

EAT > Menchirashi, Shibuya

Udon, the under rated noodle. Its chewy and tasty, fresh and filling and at Menchirashi it is made into an enormous range of wonderful dishes, from traditional Udon (noodle) soup dishes to a Japanese twist on Carbonara. You do need to line up and yes it will probably take about 20-40 minutes to get a…

ByEd ItorMarch 31, 2024

STAY > TOKYO

STAY > All Day Place, Tokyo

Located just off Meji Dori Avenue in Shibuya, the All Day Place Hotel is hidden away above a cafe / craft beer bar in a tower building. A simple place with rooms that are functional with smart design at a reasonable price. SLEEP > Rooms come with the usual Pyjamas, reusable…

ByEd ItorMarch 30, 2024

CAFE > TOKYO

CAFE > About Life Coffee Brewers, Shibuya

About Life is a funky coffee shop close to Shibuya station, probably the best coffee in that area. A simple menu the shop sells espresso, brews (hot and cold) and cold drip coffee. They have a small food menu and the space is ‘funky’ in that classic Tokyo way somewhere between design…

ByEd ItorMarch 30, 2024

DRINK > TOKYO

DRINK > Mikkella Bar, Shibuya

Sharing the same space as the About Life Cafe (read our review here) in the evening they pull down some venetian blinds that cover the coffee shop and pull up the venetian blinds that open the bar. The rest of the space is the same… It is tucked in a back street of…

ByEd ItorMarch 30, 2024

STAY > ROME

STAY > G-Rough, Rome

Just off the Piazza Navona at the end of a quiet little square and across the road from the famous Roman 'talking statue' Pasquino, you will find the design hotel G-Rough a bespoke ten room hotel. Set in a 17th century building the rooms offset the rough patina on the walls with slightly weathered…

ByEd ItorFebruary 26, 2024

STAY > ROME

STAY > Soho House Rome

The Soho House brand has gone global and the once slightly secretive hipster private club now has venues around the world and some of them are excellent hotel choices for those looking for comfort, style and familiarity. Soho House Rome is a dedicated building 10 floors with a gym, rooftop pool, the Soho House signatory…

ByEd ItorFebruary 19, 2024

DRINK > SYDNEY

DRINK > Busby’s Bar, Paddington (Sydney)

Busby's feels a bit more like a bar you might find in Tokyo or Kyoto rather than Paddington and that is due to the resurgent popularity old vinyl and enjoying those good tunes in a funky dark space. But Busby's is in Paddington, Sydney not Japan so it has a focus on wine…

ByEd ItorFebruary 16, 2024

Ed Itor

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