Art Music the lAst Word sports **dining** - Metropolis

36 • SPECIaL advERTISIng SECTIOn
teppanyaki» sAsAshiGe
Spac iou s a nd s t y l i s h ,
Nishi-Azabu’s Sasashige
draws a fun crowd into its
modern interior for some
of the best bang-for-yourbuck
teppanyaki in town.
The irresistible smell of
juicy, fragrant meat sizzling
on a hot plate makes
Sasashige’s kuroge beef the
hottest thing on the menu
(available in sirloin ¥2,200/50g and Chateaubriand ¥3,000/50g). For those
who prefer to pluck their sustenance out of the oceans, some fresh aquatic
foodstuffs are up for your enjoyment as well. Our first recommendation
would be the seared live abalone in its fresh liver sauce, but there’s also a fantastic
selection of fresh scallops, flounder and lobster for any occasion. The
course menus can’t be beat either, with three omakase courses (¥5,000-
8,000)—where you leave your choices up to the seasoned wisdom of the
cook—and the special ¥12,000 Sasashige course.
There is a menu of seafood mains, plus a vegetarian menu for those who
prefer their meat on someone else’s table. Requests are accepted to suit any
budget and taste. Talk to the chef or the wait staff to work out the details. A
variety of wines are offered—from California, Chile, South Africa, Australia,
Italy, New Zealand, and France—because nothing washes meaty juices down
better than a hefty glass of red.
2F, 2-13-15 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5774-4439. Open Mon-Sat
5pm-4am (LO), Sun & hols 5-11pm (LO). Nearest stn: Hiroo or Roppongi
or Nogizaka. www.sasashige.com
grill» side door hisio
If the usual izakaya, yakitori,
and yakiniku joints
seem passé, maybe you
need to go somewhere that
requires a reservation—
but not a platinum card.
Tucked underneath Roppongi’s
nocturnal haunt ,
the Tokyo Sports Café, the
recently renovated Side
Door offers course meals
from ¥5,000 and full entrées like roasted chicken, pan-fried veal with tempura
zucchini, large f lower- and vegetable-infused salads and more. A
healthy New World wine selection focusing on California and Australia help
make a robust, Western-styled gourmet meal even more full-bodied.
But for serious eaters and meat maestros, it’s all about the grill. Using only
bincho charcoal, Side Door’s kitchen’s specialties include Tasmanian garlic
lamb loins (¥2,520), De Bellota Spanish pork (¥3,150), and domestic aged beef
(¥5,040 per 225g or ¥6,300 per 300g). A prix fixé menu for ¥4,200 offers a daily
changing array of salad, fish and meat courses, and for ¥5,985 you can get the
specialty aged beef course.
You’d do well to stick to the simple grilled items—and whatever you do,
don’t miss the steak. Side Door’s domestic aged beef costs ¥3,150 per 100g,
and the 200g hunk of meat arrives looking more like a butt steak or tenderloin:
a thick disk of boneless beef perfectly cooked medium. Unseasoned—except
for a dab of salt and pepper—it could be one of the best steaks in Tokyo.
B2F Fusion Bldg., 7-13-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5785-0573. Open
Mon-Sat 6pm-1:30am, closed Sun. Bar open until 5am. Nearest stn: Roppongi.
www.sidedoor.tv