Yakiniku And More Yakiniku For New Year

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Just as how we celebrated Christmas, we didn't have plans for the New Year. IKR!?

So what should we do? Where should we go? What should we eat?!

Dec 31 - Yakiniku at Shinjuku

While everybody was busy cooking and baking many goodies, preparing for the fireworks, and drinking from the afternoon on the 31st, we were still in bed until 6 PM. 😂 This is probably the very impromptu holiday I had ever had in my life - this had never happened to me before, knowing me as a person who always has a plan for everything.

A few restaurants popped into our discussions of where to eat the last dinner of 2022. Unfortunately, all of these restaurants we talked about were already closed by the time we left the house or were about to close.

We reached Shinjuku past 8 PM and we were just mindlessly looking for a restaurant that was still open til late. We wanted sushi but found none. Our 2nd option was yakitori and we found a good place but we weren't sure about it. While standing outside the yakitori restaurant, our eyes got caught by photos of yakiniku in a quiet alley nearby that immediately we decided we would be dining there.

The restaurant is called Yotsuba-Tei (よつば亭) and occupies the 2nd and 3rd floor of a small building we didn't know the name of, located in the streets around Shinjuku station and Shinjuku Sanchome station. It's a bit hard to find but if you know where to go, you'll find it.

Semi private space for groups

Our private space, boyfriend was hanging his coat on the side so please excuse him

I like how we had privacy in the restaurant. I'm not sure how it looks on the 3rd floor but on the 2nd, all groups were separated into mini-rooms. The only thing I didn't like about our experience was how the orders took time - including the drinks we ordered. Usually, restaurants in Japan provide quick service, especially for the first drinks.

While waiting, they served us this dish - I forgot how they call it

While waiting, we were served this dish that made me remember how menudo or kaldereta from the Philippines tasted. It had a similar taste. Boyfriend didn't like it though so he skipped this. Instead, he ate a lot of the assorted vegetables we got.

Assorted vegetables

なんこつ唐揚げ or nankontsu karaage

It's been a while since I had なんこつ so when I saw this in the menu, we ordered it. なんこつ唐揚げ (read as nankontsu karaage) is fried chicken cartilage.

My favorite - 上カルビ or Special Boneless Beef Short Rib

My favorite, 上カルビ (read as Jo Kalbi) or Special Boneless Beef Short Rib (as translated from this website) was the best and arrived first on all the meat we ordered. We got タレ (read as tare) or sauce for all the meat we ordered.

A mix of all the meat we ordered

Let's start grilling!

My boyfriend likes ホルモン (read as horumon) or hormone so we always order one whenever we go to yakiniku restaurants. I didn't like internals that much because hormones are chewy, not my type but I still ate a little.

ホルモン or Hormone

I included the veggies in the grill because I need veggies

Aside from the meat we ordered, we ordered お茶漬け (read as *ochazuke). It's a dish where you pour green tea or hot water over steamed rice that is mixed with different seasonings like adding nori (seaweed), etc. You can read more about ochazuke in Wikipedia.

PourMix

Finished product, ready for eating!

It's new year so drinks were necessary (or I was just making an excuse to drink). Guess what I ordered?

Cheers to a new year!

They look similar, right? Mine was Ginger Highball, a mixture of ginger ale soda and whiskey while my boyfriend had tea. 😂

Jan 1 - Yakiniku at Nakano

We were too tired to cook and wash dishes so we ended up eating out again, though I wasn't sure if we could find something good because restaurants closed early or don't open at all on the first day of the year. Nakano City in Tokyo felt like a ghost town with few people walking around 9 PM. We found Gyu-kaku (牛角) which is famous all over Japan for its yakiniku.

Gyu-kaku logo, which you'll see when you get off from the elevator

We had a bad experience in Gyu-kaku in one of their branches in Osaka. It was my first Gyu-kaku and the place felt sticky, messy, and not clean but I remembered the meat being tasty. After that trauma, I tried to avoid Gyu-kaku but since we were so hungry this time and couldn't find another restaurant that was open, I courageously agreed and went with it.

Inside the restaurant

Inside the restaurant

Surprisingly, this restaurant was so clean and so posh. It's the opposite of what we had experienced. The meat was still tasty, and the overall vibes of the place were just so nice, perfect for starting the year.

Ordering

Each table has an iPad where you can order. I know what you're thinking, in some countries this iPad will already be gone 😂 We ordered the first drinks though through talking to the staff so they could bring it right away. We availed the non-alcoholic drink-all-you-can option because one or two glasses wouldn't be enough for us. Guess what we ordered? A lot of black oolong tea and a glass of grape juice.

Our orders arrived a few minutes later. They all looked delicious and well, they all tasted delicious, especially with a warm steamed rice!

Meat meat meat

Of course, カルビ, my favorite was the first to be grilled

I'm being true to my goal so I got myself a ceasar salad. I ordered half but I almost didn't finish it because it's really a lot.

Ceasar salad with egg

They had a sukiyaki option so we tried it. After grilling this, we soaked it in egg batter before eating. It wasn't the usual sukiyaki but it was good! I might try it at home the next time we will have yakiniku at home.

Meat for sukiyaki yakiniku

4 plates of meat weren't enough for us so we ordered more beef, this time we chose salt for the last 2 meat plates. I didn't know the names of the meat anymore because my boyfriend just kept ordering and ordering. Surprisingly, he didn't order hormone.

My boyfriend was already so full by the time we cooked the last 2 meat plates so I had to eat a lot of his portions. I ended up stuffing myself when I should be dieting! 😅

It was almost around 11 PM when we left the restaurant but for sure, we would be back. I already liked this place!

We left full and a lot of empty plates


Comparing The Restaurants

If we would compare which one was the best, I think it's Gyu-kaku, the yakiniku restaurant we went to in Nakano. My boyfriend also thought the same so I think we would come back to this place often.

CriteriaYotsuba-Tei in ShinjukuGyu-kaku in Nakano
Food taste89
Meat variety88
Restaurant interior810
Service610

In addition, Gyu-kaku in Nakano had the non-alcoholic drink-all-you-can option for less than 1,000 yen (or less than 7 USD) and eat-all-you-can options starting from 3,000 yen (or 23 USD) so if you're a heavy eater, this might be a good option for you to get.


It was a very spontaneous New Year for us but we had so much fun. We love eating so we're so glad we explored these restaurants and found new favorites. I guess from next time, we should cook at home. 😂

I hope you had a good New Year's with your friends and loved ones, just as I did.


Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね!


All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.



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34 comments
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(Edited)

I know what you're thinking, in some countries this iPad will already be gone

Philippines ba to te? Gusto ko rin te kumain nung Japanese cuisines but hindi ko kasi gamay yung chopsticks nila haha. Japanese ba te BF mo or other country haha.

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Philippines ba to te?

Pwede hahahaha

Try mo practice muna, may mga disposable chopsticks naman. You can use it to practice. Practice2x lang din ako dati, ngayon mas bet ko sya gamitin kesa spoon and fork on some dishes.

Japanese ba te BF mo or other country

Half Japanese 😌

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Woah, 90 already! Yehey!

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Looking forward to you reaching your new target 😅

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Mas lalo lang ako nagutom now hehe.. Bat parang ang mamahal lage ng foods mo 😅

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HAHAHHAA Di ko rin alam jane, pero di naman to super mahal 😂

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Tokyo Tokyo has yakiniku. Lami gyud kaayo ai pero lahi ra gyud guro diha sa Japan ang kalami.
Ma everyday is cheat day man guro ug ako pa. 😂

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I forgot the taste of Tokyo Tokyo already but lahi ra ata sa mga kan anan dire. Mas lami. hahahaha
Everyday cheat day jud bitw ko dire ay, ambot asa na ang diet hahahaa lami man pagkaon gd

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(Edited)

Iba talaga si Japan. Hehe

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Bet ko yong may pa privacy sa kainan.😃
haha natawa ako sa Ipad, buti nlng hindi Pilipinas jan.🤐

Spending new year with boyfriend and with scrumptious food is great! Happy new year Miss Wit and boyfie.

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It's nice to have privacy noh. Naka open ung half part ng curtain though but it's okay.
Buti nga eh. Many restaurants here use ipad for taking orders so ayun lang, pag PH to, wala na hahahaha

Thanks @callmesmile! Happy new year too!

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A good way to start the new year, meat and whiskey! I will end up ordering more of the latter.😊 The meat looks so tender.👍

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We also keep a bottle of whiskey here in the house. I like to make cocktails from it.
The meat was so tender! I think all meats here are.

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If i'm to answer this

what should we do? Where should we go? What should we eat?!

Ganito sasagot ko,

"In bed, magkakainan kami."

HAHAHAHAHAHA charrr, lol

Pero grabi, sa first part palang ng kainan, ganon na kadami. Or maliliit servings nya and mukha lang madami? Kakagutom mga meats ee huehue.

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HAHAHAHHAHA ewan ko talaga sayo @ruffatotmeee HAHAHAHHAA d best!

hmm, ung meat 5 slices sya per plate, ung iba, parang ok lang. aww normal servings lang. aw ano ba. gusto lang talaga namin kumain nang marami HAHAHA

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HAHAHAHA.

Grabi, galing mo mang inggit huehue. Nakakatakam kasi lahat 🤤

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I know what you're thinking, in some countries this iPad will already be gone 😂

HAHAHA! plato tsaka mga utensils pa nga lang inuuwi na sa bahay yan pa kaya, chos 😂.

Aaaaaaaa ito and when? I'm not having dinner yet and reading this one makes my tummy go rAwr. Aside from the good food, the place also looks peaceful and quiet. This is plus point for me because I am able to focus on what I am eating.

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I remember Jollibee! HAHAHAHA

Nice ung di ka ma iistorbo talaga when you're eating. Nakakahiya din naman kasi when someone is looking at you while eating. Di naman to pang landi na lugar hahaha kakain ka naman dito. 😂
Sorry, sana nakakakain ka na hahahaha

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Mine all, witz! heheh. We may have all those foodies here but nothing beats the real taste of Japanese foodies, ansarap, hehe. Best regards and have safe travels with your boyfie. Lablab

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Hahaha online selling pala to 😂
Authentic kasi siguro.
Thanks @pinkchic! You too!

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Meat meat meat😍
I love Japan😂😂😩💓

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Hahahaha! I bet there's also meat over there

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😂😂😂well there is but the option of grilling yourself isn't as rampant 😂

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Awee😍
Once beaten, twice shy! Your food blogs always leave me hungry, so i made sure to have my meal by the side, after this comment i eat my food😂
next on list if bf, once that is settled, you'll know.

tbh Yotsuba-Tei is such an amazing restaurant, look at the menu, spiced steak ready for the heat and you cook it how you want it. this option is great.
😍you always blow my mind Witzu, happy eating and good looking bunny you've got😉

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Thank you @queenstarr! I think you need to keep doing that while reading food blogs or you'll really get hungry. 😂
Do you like meat? Coz I do! We ordered so many kinds that I totally forgot the names already 😂

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Those restaurants look nice - and it looks like you had a ton of food in that first one ! You clearly know how to celebrate new year !

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Thanks @hoosie! We had a lot 😂 it seems kind of normal for both of us hahaha we tend to order more

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Those foods, nakakagutom. The iPad thing proves that people there are well disciplined.

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Nakakagutom nga, now that I'm looking at the photos again 😂

The iPad thing proves that people there are well disciplined.

True!

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