Gyukaku premium Japanese BBQ dinner set @ Ueno, Tokyo

Gyukaku is a famous chain restaurant serving quality yakiniku in Japan. They have many restaurants worldwide which includes presence in USA, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta and Malaysia. In Japan, you can find Gyukaku at just around the corner of district. I had the barbecue dinner in Gyukaku outlet in Ueno, Tokyo.

Taste:8/10(Good. The beef were marinated for you and you have to grill it yourself to your liking. Good variety of beef provided and the beef were adequately marinated. However some of the parts were a bit rubbery after grill. I expect the meat to have more flavour on it. The meat were fresh and taste wise is good).
Price:5/10(Near expensive. I ordered their premium beef set which consist of platter of beef slices (brisket, round primal cuts and tenderloins), beef tongue, beef intestine/hormone, vegetarian noodles, green tea, tofu as dessert, rice, vegetables with kimchi appetizer and salad. All these priced at 3,218 Yen include tax).


Grilling beef tongue.


Good barbecue system. Gyukaku uses special smokeless BBQ roaster which can suction off most of the smoke in their down draft system. The best thing eating here is that you won't smell like walking BBQ stove as soon you finished your lunch or dinner.

260 years of unagi tradition at Izuei Honten @ Ueno, Tokyo

I was checking for lunch on my first day arrival to Tokyo during my March 2015 trip. Izuei Honten also show up as serving among the best unagi meal in Tokyo during my online search. So I decided to try on how well their prepare meal as this establishment already exist for almost 260 years. This restaurant is different from other restaurant in Tokyo which usually have limited space and only have 10-20 seats. But Izuei Honten have 7 floors of dining space which can occupy 150 patrons. The staffs are all dressed in proper traditional kimono. This place is recommended for unagi lovers.

Taste:9/10(Delicious. The unagi were well prepared and the rice were seasoned. The unagi here was pure, fresh and without any adulteration or masking of flavours. They have sansho (Japanese pepper) to put on unagi which makes the taste pungent).
Price:5/10(Near expensive. The unagi meal set shown below priced at 2,700 Yen. If you come early and able to have their lunch set, the price is lower).


Nice decoration inside the shop.

Cute utensils. Extra unagi sauce, sansho pepper and soy sauce.

I ordered the unagi (grilled eel) set.

The unagi grilled to perfection. Slight crispy with less sweet sauce when compared to my home country version. The rice were flavoured very well with their special sauce. The meal was non oily at all.

The texture were soft and non oily.

The meal set comes with pickles and soup. The soup was quite clear unlike miso soup which is cloudy.


There are plenty of miniatures inside the shop.

As soon you enter the entrance, you will be greeted by the miniatures display.

This is how the shop look like. Its just around 5 minutes walk from Ueno station.

GPS/Coordinate: 35.709723, 139.772690
Address: 2-12-22 Ueno, Taito, Tokyo 110-0005, Japan
Phone: +81 3-3831-0954
Hours: 11:00 am – 9:30 pm
Public transport: Ueno station. You can reach this station via JR or Tokyo Metro. This is a main interchange point on east of Tokyo.

King crab and fresh oysters @ Ameyoko shopping street, Tokyo

Ameyoko shopping street is a haven for anyone looking for apparels such as shoes, jeans, leather jackets, sport equipments and boots. This is a discount shopping street famous for a wide variety of products which is stretch from Ueno station to Okachimachi station. Besides that you can buy fresh seafood, dried goods, cosmetics, precious metals and imported goods over here too. You can get fresh ikura in a container for about 1,000 Yen. You never get hungry in Ameyoko after a busy shopping day. There are a good variety of restaurants there from sushi to ramen to yakitori. Ameyoko is also a place to get budget food as well. As we walk around, we saw this store having fresh king crab and fresh oysters and we just stop by and have this nice meal on the spot! Ameyoko street has been my must visit place for me each time I visit Tokyo.

Taste:9/10(Delicious. I like the freshness and the size of the oysters given. A satisfied simple meal).
Price:6/10(Moderate. Medium size oysters set or king crab at 1,000 Yen each is affordable and fresh).


King crab and fresh oysters in Ameyoko, Tokyo. Eat it on the spot.

King crab at 1,000 Yen. They just steam it.

Three medium sized fresh oysters at 1,000 Yen. You can have it fresh or steamed.

Fresh oysters. Just put lemon juice that they provide.

Me having the oysters.

GPS/Coordinate: 35.709089, 139.774724
Public transport: Ueno station Tokyo JR or Tokyo Metro.