I hope you’ll forgive the culinary traversing across the globe. I still haven’t finished with my New Zealand stories and now I confuse matters by putting up a Tokyo story? I wish I could say that I jetted off to Tokyo briefly but not so. This visit to Sakata Udon was my last Japan story so I thought that I should “get it out” before things became irrelevant or changed.

Having lost my faith somewhat in my Lonely Planet Tokyo edition (hopeless maps getting us lost most of the time) we had originally tried to go to Sakata Udon in Ginza only to find ourselves in front of a demolished building. Granted the fact that it had been demolished at the end of last year wasn’t Lonely Planet’s fault as they scarcely had time to update their book but the fact was we wandered around for ages trying to find the pre-demolition spot that they had given directions to. We finally found it after a bit of research and a helpful hotel concierge who had given us a proper map.

Finding restaurants in Tokyo tends to mean that you often have to look up. Literally. A lot of the great find restaurants are housed not just on the ground floor but upper floors of a grey building. Sakata Udon is on the 3rd floor or a building and it doesn’t have an English sign, just script in Japanese. It was recommended by Lonely Planet with this praise “If you eat only one meal out, you’d do well to eat it here.”

We enter and it’s all brown woods and soothing tones – we had almost expected a place like a ramen joint, a bit rough and ready but this is much nicer. We sit down and receive some refreshing chilled tea while we peruse the menu (they have an English menu although this might be abbreviated). A friend of mine recommended “Bukkake Udon” which had me almost splattering my drink in all directions when I heard the name. For those of you including my parents who don’t know what Bukkake Udon might suggest, don’t worry and don’t google it (especially if you’re my parents!). For those of you who do, it’s not what you think. Bukkake is a colloquial expression that means “throw something at/in/on” so the udon is just that.

We can see the making of the udon through a window (as well as a small window when you step out of the elevator) and before long our bukkake udon arrives (we ordered one dish cold as it’s a hot day) as well as a hot Tempura udon soup. I also get my husband a serve of Nattō, the Japanese version of Australian Vegemite that the Japanese love but I personally find repulsive but I want to hear what my husband thinks of it.

Nattō Y150

I can see that while he is chewing it, he desperately wants to like it (being a boy he wants to say that he likes really grotesque sounding food) but it’s only one mouthfull for him and the remaining Nattō goes untouched.

Bukkake Udon Y700

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After trying MOS burger, of course for comparison sake, I needed to try Lotteria, the omnipresent burger chain all over Tokyo. I had memories of a MOS burger in Harajuku but this has since closed down so on our visit we tried Lotteria. There are actually two branches within Takeshita Dori in Harajuku-if anyone would like burgers, it’s the teenagers of Tokyo. We were lured by their burger with it’s option of 1 or 2 patties with melted cheese. Of course I choose two patties Y490 as well as a prawn burger Y280 and a rib sandwich Y320, and some Y100 chicken bites.

Mango Frappe Y160

It’s warm so the Mango frappe, although not as fancy as a frappe you’d get back home, is well received. It’s more like milk with some flavour to it and mango flavoured shaved ice on top.

Double Burger Y490

I bite into the double burger (which looks nothing like the mouthwatering picture) and the beef is very juicy, in fact the juice (or grease but it is more like juice) almost drips out. The bun itself is smaller than we are used to but the double patties provide a good protein to starch ratio.

Ebi Prawn burger Y280

The burger that I like the best of the Ebi burger (prawn burger). I didn’t expect there to be whole of half prawns in the patty (I expected “seafood” minced up) but that’s exactly what we get. The patty is piping hot as it’s freshly cooked and the sauce goes nicely with it and at Y280 it’s a steal.

Pork Rib Sandwich Y320

The last item is a Pork Rib sandwich, smothered with BBQ sauce. I can’t really tell if the pork rib itself is pork rib with the bones removed although it looks like it, it’s a bit too soft and manufacture meat in texture to be real pork rib but you never know with Japan as they often use better quality ingredients. I prefer my pork ribs to have a bit of chewiness to them and this is too soft for me, much like manufactured meat (and I was already full) so I leave this to my husband.

Fries Y330

The fries are fresh-ish, although they’re not that different to fries that you get anywhere else.

Chicken Bites Y100

The chicken bites are a little dry but they’re actually made of real chicken breast (not that horrible stuff that nuggets are made from) so whilst this is pleasing, they need a dipping sauce.

We leave Lotteria, full to the brim of Japan’s take on American cuisine and dive into the crowds ambling up and down Takeshita Dori in their platform shoes.

Lotteria Burger

Takeshita Dori Harajuku, Tokyo. There are two branches at Takeshita Dori, one at the top and one at the bottom.
Exit JR Harajuku station or Subway Meiji Jingumae station and turn left, continue down street until you reach opening of Takeshita Dori.
Plus branches all over Japan.
http://lotteria.jp/index.html

What would you say if I invited you to come along to a Haunted Prison themed restaurant, in one of the busiest hubs of Tokyo and told you that you may indeed be scared senseless entering the restaurant and that you’ll be led to a jail cell in handcuffs and then locked up in it for the duration of the meal? Sounds good? Then you’re someone that I would be friends with.

I had been looking forward to The Lockup in Shibuya ever since arriving to Tokyo as I kept hearing how very weird it was. At another location (there are several Lockups throughout Tokyo), apparently you and your party get placed into a darkened room and if you find the secret opening, then you make it into the restaurant. I had no idea what to expect so when we see the sign indicating we are to go to Basement 2, we follow, hesitating. The entrance looms and there is a genuinely spooky atmosphere given by the extremely dark and winding hallways, cold rush of air and cackling and screaming sounds around us. We inch around the corner slowly, as to not to fall (it’s a lawsuit waiting to happen and this would never happen in a litigious country like America or even Australia) and what happens next frightens the hell out of me, a man strapped to an electric chair, Clive Barker from Hellraiser sans pins, rocks back and forth screaming with lights flashing.

I scream my lungs out and then fortifying myself, move on where we encounter other bumps and things designed to scare (I won’t ruin the surprise for those that want to go) and encounter three doors, one door being the correct one, and two others….well let’s not ruin that for you too! If you want to experience entering the LockUp there are a couple of videos on Youtube

Making it into the sanctum of the restaurant, my husband is led by handcuffs to our prison cell (I don’t get handcuffed apparently, only one member of your group is which I think is a bit disappointing). We get our own “prison cell” and are locked in although the door isn’t actually locked and we are free to go but they do pull the doors shut.

We peruse the menu and find some cocktails that tickle our fancy, mainly due to the presentation as we can’t actually read the menu that well and there is no English menu. It’s Izakaya food, which I absolutely love as I like small dishes in a plentiful number so that I can try as many tastes as possible.

A friend translated the cocktail menu for me as it reads as follows:

• Cloning Experiment
• Electric Shock
• Illegal Parking (Injection) [Red Ticket]= pronunciations of Japanese words for ‘parking’ and ‘injection’ are the same
• Bad Loan – your eyeballs have blown up because you’ve lent too much money
• Human Experiment
• Drug Addition (you are already dead)
• Time Bomb Capsules – they may explode after you’ve swallowed them?
  

Test tube cocktail (non alcoholic Y800)

Our cocktails arrive, the first one a non alcoholic number served in a beaker and with 5 test tubes with different flavours and a dropper to add each flavour to the drink. The drink itself is like a carbonated light yogurt drink and the flavours are sweet and tasty. I enjoy this chance to play scientist and “mix” drinks all night.

Syringe drink Y580

The second drink comes also comes in a beaker but this also has a syringe full of red jelly which we squirt into the drink. It has a sweet berry flavour to it and is alcoholic (and strongly so).

Complimentary breadsticks and cheese dip

The drinks also arrive with some breadsticks broken in half in a beaker along with the sweet and savoury cream cheese. It’s curious and not too bad indeed.

BBQ pork with spring onions Y609

Our range of dishes arrives in quick succession. The BBQ pork dish at first looks like it has too much spring onion on top of it but once popped into the mouth, it tastes perfect, the pork beautifully soft and melt in the mouth. It’s a delicate touch for an Izakaya and we are both impressed.

Big Salad Y871
The second dish, a 35cms tall salad in a glass arrives and the waitress serves this up by tipping out the salad onto a bowl and spreading it out. There is finely sliced crunchy daikon, lettuce, cherry tomato and fried chicken pieces with a Japanese Wafu dressing. There’s no egg as per the picture though but we welcome the taste of fresh salad.

Chinese chicken salad Y504

The third dish is actually different from what we had ordered but it’s very good so we don’t mind in the slightest. It’s a chicken and sesame mayo Chinese chicken salad served in a purple cabbage cup. It’s very good, one of my favourite salads ever so we don’t ask what happened to the original dish (not that we could anyway, my Japanese only gets me as far as ordering, not complaining)

Nankotsu Y504

The fourth dish is one of my favourites ever since I first had this in an Izakaya. It’s not always available at every Izakaya and whenever I see it, I always order it. It’s Nankotsu (chicken cartilege), breaded and deep fried so that the bone is no as crunchy as when it is grilled. A sprinkle of Tabasco and it is perfection and this is indeed.

Mince Okonomiyaki Y609
The last dish, a beef mince okonomiyaki is not to my taste. I am also very full so I pass up on this after a first taste. My husband prefers the mince as it is more “moist” than a regular Okonomiyaki whereas I prefer the regular version. This tastes like a lot of mince with some fish flakes on top. My husband on the other hand is hypnotised by the swaying of the fish flakes.

We sit back and watch other parties being led this time by bondage-y style clad waitresses and wish we had more time to try the other Lock Up experiences. Just because a meal tastes better after a fright.

The Lock Up

33-1 Udagawa-cho
(just off Center-gai, Shibuya Grand Tokyo Bldg. B2F)
Tokyo
Tel: +81 (03)-5728-7731
Open:
Monday to Friday 17:00～01:00
Saturday 17:00～05:00
Sunday 17:00～24:00

Shibuya

Cover charge Y525 per person plus tax charge