Finally finished work on Friday at 11 pm, got excited and went with 4 colleagues to visit a restaurant. The first floor had counter seats, while the second floor had table seats, and our group was seated on the second floor. The restaurant had a typical izakaya interior, giving off a vibe of being a regular spot for salarymen, but there were also quite a few groups of women. We ordered grilled dumplings, chicken nanban, Inca awakening fry, stingray fin fry, Yokote-style yakisoba, fried rice, cheese omelette, and gin and meat. They had a service where if you won at rock-paper-scissors, you could get drinks at half price or in a large mug, but be careful because the staff are pretty good at it (or maybe we were just bad at it haha). The menu consisted of typical izakaya dishes, but the taste was quite good, and the prices were reasonable, especially for the area around Daimon. With good value for money and tasty food, it seems like a nice place to casually go for drinks.

It's been a while since I visited Chai Kuro. The charm of the restaurant is the half-price drink janken (rock-paper-scissors). Unfortunately, today I only won 1 out of 4 games. Thanks to that, I ended up with a 3000 yen course by myself, but the yakitori and kushikatsu were delicious as usual. Thank you for the meal.

"Many places offer a service where you can get beer or highballs at half price if you win at rock-paper-scissors, but at "Chaikuro" you can also get a 5-piece tempura set at half price if you win. I wonder if the hourly wage of the staff fluctuates based on their rock-paper-scissors winning rate. The food was delicious as usual. Thank you for the meal."

On January 2nd, during a trip to Tokyo, I found myself alone for dinner. My daughter wanted to visit the glittering city, so we decided to take a sudden trip to Tokyo. However, I had no plans for where to eat. When I offered to join my wife and daughter, my daughter insisted, "Dad, don't come with us!" So, I was left wondering what to do. Unfortunately, all the Showa-style bars I had planned to visit along the Yamanote Line were closed for the New Year. I wasted half a day. I ended up in Hamamatsucho where there were few bars open. The two places I had checked out before leaving were fully booked. It was 5:41 PM and I was at a loss. Just then, I saw a light at the end of an alley! Thankfully, it was open. It seemed to be a chain restaurant with a few locations in Tokyo. There were only five people at the counter. I started with a half-priced beer after winning a game of rock-paper-scissors with the manager. Being from Hokkaido, I don't walk much and I was thirsty and hungry. I enjoyed drinking and eating alone. The food was satisfying, especially the miso-flavored meat and tofu. I finished one draft beer and three glasses of Hoppy. It was 7:21 PM and time to leave. The total bill for the night was 2,731 yen, which I found to be a reasonable price. It was my first winter trip to Tokyo in over a decade, and even the chilly wind felt oddly pleasant.

After finishing a hamburger at RUBY JACK'S and traveling to Hamamatsucho where we stayed, we visited this place. Our stomachs were already full from the burger, so we stopped by to enjoy some drinks and had a great time chatting in this cozy little shop. The enjoyment of food and drinks is not only about the content itself, but also about who you're with and the situation you're in. This place didn't make the restaurant the star, but rather focused on making the visitors the main characters of the space. It was a fun experience. Thank you for the meal!

The grill and kitchen capacity do not match the number of seats in the restaurant, and the prioritization is off, so the food comes out very slowly. Even for salmon sashimi, it takes over 30 minutes.

When you win at rock-paper-scissors, you can get beer at half price or a highball in a large glass. It's also nice that you can eat deep-fried pickled ginger skewers.

The food at Kaneyama-san and Mikami-san's restaurant is delicious.

Kenyama-san, Sekiguchi-san, and Fujii-chan.

It was cheap and good.

Great value for money!

Foolish Fried Chicken (^^)

I went to a year-end party at a restaurant located on a narrow street behind Shibadaimon. My companions were already there and we were seated at a table on the second floor. It was quite crowded and it took a while for our first drinks to arrive. When the beer finally came, it was warm and the glass was dirty. We started with motsunabe, yakitori, and kushiage that my companions had ordered earlier. The motsunabe had a mixed taste and the motsu was hard to find. The kushiage had a separate container for the sauce, which we had to pour over it ourselves. The yakitori sauce was too sweet, almost like candied sweet potatoes. When we tried to order more drinks, we were told that the all-you-can-drink time had ended. Overall, it was a disappointing experience and I don't think I will be coming back. Thank you for the meal.

I'm not sure which number it was, but I had a light snack and a good drink at this lively place. The menu was reasonable and all the dishes looked good. I started with a highball and played a game with the staff to upgrade to a mega highball, but I lost every time. The young people at the table ordered random dishes like yakitori, kushikatsu, and nikudofu. The nikudofu could have been better if the tofu was more cooked. I got excited when I saw ginger on the kushikatsu menu, but it turned out to be sweet pickled ginger instead of red pickled ginger. The lightly pickled cabbage was my favorite. It was a fun drinking party with too much food and drink!

The neon lights in Hamamatsucho at night are especially eye-catching. I decided to try my luck at the "Rock, Paper, Scissors with the staff" game at a place called "Nama-Ruby" and ended up losing, but that's okay. I enjoyed some delicious "oden" and freshly fried "kushikatsu" while savoring the pickled red ginger. The grilled dishes included pork and chicken, which were both very satisfying. To top it off, I had a refreshing glass of "Hoppy" to make me happy. Plus, they let you order additional servings of your preferred amount. It was a great night!

Solo weekday lunch for a woman. Couldn't get into the desired restaurant and wandered around, then saw a sign saying "All lunch items for 750 yen" and decided to enter. Opted for the Chicken Nanban set, a Kyushu gourmet dish, which was the featured menu item. Sat at the counter in a pub-like atmosphere. It was around 1:30 pm so it was not crowded. The food was served in about 5 minutes. The main dish, Chicken Nanban, seemed to have a mix of flavors, some parts not blending well while others did (lol). Some parts were a bit tough. The miso soup was average. The rice seemed like it wasn't freshly cooked. The taste got better as time passed, but was still within acceptable limits. I had some leftovers, so I ended up getting a rice refill. Overall, it was a down-to-earth set meal and the price was reasonable, so I'd like to try dishes like Oyako-don or curry next time. Thank you for the meal!

I stopped by Chai Kuro for a quick drink. It was cold outside, so I decided to warm up with some hot sake before heading home. It was around 10 pm on a Friday, and there were hardly any customers at the counter on the first floor. I decided to give it a try. I wasn't sure what kind of place it was, but they had a special offer of pork skewers for 50 yen each (limited time offer for November), and there was no limit on the number you could order, so I got 2 skewers. It was only 100 yen for both, which was incredibly cheap. I also ordered two types of oden (both around 100 yen each) - chikuwa and shumai. The shumai was cooked with chikuwa in it. The flavors were delicious. I had one serving of hot sake. The total bill came out to around 1,300 yen per person. The food cost about 300 yen, so the rest was for the appetizer and sake, which was around 1,000 yen.

It is located near my workplace. I used it for the first time. It's a bit hard to find because it's on a back street that leads to Shibadaimon. I think the main dish is deep-fried skewers, but the menu is also extensive. The pork skewers are 50 yen (1 piece). It seems to be a special product for November, and you can order as many as you like per person. I ordered two pieces. I heard they also serve lunch, so I would like to try it next time. They have been selected as one of the "Top 100 Visionary Food and Beverage Companies." The "Top 100 Visionary Food and Beverage Companies" is a media that highlights 100 companies leading the food and beverage industry in Japan, as well as entrepreneurs and companies leading the next generation in the food and beverage venture, and those with innovative and advanced management.

◆Hamamatsucho (Daimon) Chai Kyuro◆ The other day, I stayed in Hamamatsucho and used Chai Kyuro. I have stayed in the Hamamatsucho area many times, but I didn't know about this place. It seems like there is also a 2nd floor (lots of groups were coming down from there), but this time I stayed on the 1st floor at the counter. The menu is affordable, which is great. This time, they had a special menu posted for November: Pork Cutlet Skewers for 50 yen each. When I asked for 10 skewers, the girl at the shop was surprised haha. While drinking Hoppy and waiting, the skewers arrived. 10 skewers! By the way, the shredded cabbage in the photo can be refilled as many times as you want. I also had takoyaki, ordered some eringi (weird shape, but tasty), drank lots of alcohol, and ordered quite a bit of food, all for around 3,500 yen. At first, I thought about leaving early, but I ended up chatting with the staff and time flew by. The staff were all friendly and the service was great, so I have decided to visit again.

After drinking and eating at another place, we visited "Chai Kyuro" for a final meal. I tried their takoyaki, which was cooked fresh in the restaurant and topped with green onions, bonito flakes, and mayonnaise. It was delicious and piping hot! Although we didn't order much food, this izakaya was reasonably priced and convenient even for our first stop.