Tokyo 東京 Espresso エスプレッソ

Cafetherapy Diichai >>MAP Sangenjaya 1-31-11 Setagaya-ku TEL: 03-3421-4377 カフェセラピー　ディーチャイ 東京都世田谷区三軒茶屋 1-31-11 A hard-to-find home cafe in the backstreets of Sangenjaya. The building is 45-years old and the owner-chef is extremely friendly. Sure, he's using a DeLonghi super-automatic and the espresso is . . . well . . . vintage DeLonghi (drinkable yet wrong). But one doesn't come here for the espresso. Instead, the atmosphere and food (homemade soups, cabbage rolls, house pickles, etc.) are the draw. Better still, brown rice is on the offer.

Del Sole >>MAP 6-8-14 Roppongi, Patata Roppongi 1F Minato-ku, Tokyo TEL：03-3401-3521　 東京都港区六本木6-8-14 Patata六本木1F A former Japan Barista Champion and WBC runner-up is here. And that is why it is utterly shocking how mediocre and sloppy the espresso is. Del Sole is more restaurant than cafe. Its aim seems to be churning through food service as quickly as possible (with uninspired food--a flaccid pizza here, a lifeless and stingy smoked salmon sandwich there), with pulls of espresso as mere afterthoughts. Mine was not ground to order and seemed to have been sitting for a minute or so before being served. A monumental disappointment.

Ivan Ramen >>MAP 3-24-7 Minami-karasuyama Setagaya-ku TEL: 03-6750-5540 東京都世田谷区南烏山 3-24-7 I didn’t want to like this place. Ivan, a transplanted New Yorker, has received tons of media coverage for his gaijin-in-Japan success story. I must admit, it’s pretty ballsy: foreigner comes to Japan and opens his own ramen shop. Ramen! There’s nothing more revered in this country than ramen (and don’t even attempt to argue that soba garners as much adoration, obsessiveness, blog-time, etc.). But Ivan’s ramen is transcendent. The pork is thickly-sliced and succulent. The noodles have just the right toughness and are made in a room above the restaurant. The broth is not overly salty or oily. Now if he can just get his waits down to a reasonable time (I waited one hour in line).