Good Chicken and Pork Curry in a Fast Service Environ- Ment. I Haven't

good chicken and pork curry in a fast service environ- ment. I haven’t been here, but I’ve been to similar places in the past.

*Genki Sushi (24-8 Udagawacho, Shibuya, 150-0042, +81 3-3461-1281, genkisushi.co.jp) – Yummy sushi, recommended by Jeremiah Cooper (@jeremiahcooper- photography on Instagram). There wasn’t anything fancy about the place — it just had solid, satisfying sushi. Very attentive service too!

Ginza Kagari (4 Chome-1-2 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3561-0717) – Bethany (@bjbitler on Instagram) suggests coming here for incredible chicken broth ramen.

Japanese ramen dish

*Ginza Sushi-Dokoro Shin (7 Chome-12-4 Ginza, Way Fair Bldg. 1F, Chuo, 104-0061, +03-3543-9339) – A spectacular sushi spot in Ginza. It was one of the best *Kyubey (8 Chome-7-6 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 I ate at. The portions are huge. Go for lunch, when you 3-3571-6523) – Suggested by my friends, this restau- get more bang for your buck. And definitely get the uni rant (which has a couple of locations) offered the fan- — yummy! (Suggested by Mark Weins) ciest sushi I had in Tokyo. You sit at the bar and are served whatever the chef decides to bring (this is called *Ichiran Shibuya (1 Chome-22-7 Jinnan, Shibuya, 150- omakase). It was expensive (at $150 USD) but worth 0041, +81 3-3463-3667, en.ichiran.com/index.php) – every penny. Check out this video where the shrimp Recommended by many people, this ramen spot served they served me is still moving. one of the best meals I had my entire trip. The thick, flavorful broth is to die for. I also like how you eat in Masaru (1 Chome-32-2 Asakusa, Taito, 111-0032, +81 your own little private booth. Funky. Expect a wait 3-3841-8356) – Daina (@headedanywhere on Insta- during peak lunch and dinner times. gram) recommended this as an excellent option for tempura dishes. *Isakaya Juban (2 Chome-1-2 Azabujuban, Minato, 106-0045, +81 3-3451-6873, izakayajuban.com) – A *Memory Lane (Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, +81 3-3342- little hole-in-the-wall izakaya restaurant (think Jap- 1589, shinjuku-omoide.com) – On this tiny alley of anese tapas) with locals getting drunk on sake and yakitori joints, some require an entrance fee, but they eating tasty small plates. I was big fan of their salmon are all worth it. I ate at about three of them, but I don’t and grilled squid. They have a small English menu, remember any of the specific restaurant names. but judging how my friend ordered for me, I think it 37 Places to Eat in Tokyo On a whim, I went to Tokyo for a week. My friends and *Bifteck Kawamura Ginza (6 Chome-5-1 Ginza, Ginza I had been talking about a food-themed trip to the city MST Bldg. 8F, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-6252-5011, bi- for years, and after convincing them that now was the fteck.co.jp) – At the suggestion of our hotel’s concierge, time to cash in all our miles, we found ourselves at the we went there in our quest for Wagyu beef. The steak airport on a cold November day with one goal: to eat as basically melted in my mouth and exploded with flavor. much as humanly possible. However, I don’t think I’d go back, as I found it a bit too high-end and overpriced for me. The décor is incred- Like me, they’d been to Tokyo before and each had a ible, the service over the top, and the wine list world- list of places to eat at. Along with our combined lists, I class — but all that is more than I needed. That said, if had received suggestions from friends, readers, and one you want to spend money on delicious steak with out- of my favorite foodies, Mark Weins of Migrationology. of-this-world service, you can’t go wrong here.

Even eating four to six meals a day, I was barely able BrewDog Roppongi (5 Chome-3-2 Roppongi, Minato, to scratch the surface of the list of recommendations. 106-0032, +81 3-6447-4160, brewdogbar.jp) – Recom- Nevertheless, I wanted to share the combined sugges- mended by Matt Chandler (@mchandler07 on Twit- tions of the community and my own investigations ter), this bar has 20 craft beers on tap, 10 of which are with you. (Those I ate at are denoted by a star.) brewed on site. So if you’re tired of sake and want some fancy beer, you probably can’t go wrong here! Afuri Yebisu (1 Chome-1-7 Ebisu, 117 Bldg. 1F, Shibuya 150-0013, +81 3-5795-0750, afuri.com) – CoCo Ichibanya (1 Chome-2-12 Nishishinjuku, Shin- Tom (@tjdj311 on Instagram) recommended this for juku, 160-0023, +81 3-3345-0775) – Recommended by yuzu-flavored ramen. Char (@charmatcha on Twitter), this ramen restaurant is supposed to offer hearty and filling curry as well as good chicken and pork curry in a fast service environ- ment. I haven’t been here, but I’ve been to similar places in the past.

Ginza Kagari (4 Chome-1-2 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3561-0717) – Bethany (@bjbitler on Instagram) suggests coming here for incredible chicken broth ramen.

Japanese ramen dish

China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Its home Xi’an City Wall to a rich culture, a few millennia of history, great food, sig- nificant historical sites, and over 1.3 billion people. Most The oldest and most well-kept city wall in China is in Xi’an, tourists head for the obvious tourist attractions – the Great a modern city with a lively and chaotic nightly carnival. The Wall of China, the Terracotta Warriors, the Shaolin Temple, red-lantern-lined wall overlooks traditional Chinese buildings, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square. While they are with towers every 100 or so meters, and makes you feel like you all amazing (and amazingly crowded), there is much more to are truly in China and not a whitewashed tourist attraction. China than these crowded tourist sites. Start your bike ride before sunset and you’ll be able to ride when the lights along the wall and the lanternslight up to guide China has amazing areas of beauty that are great to escape your way in the dark. to, even if the road leading to them isn’t as beaten down by throngs of tourists. These three places will help enjoy the historical and natural wonders China without the Disney Song Mountain World crowds:

The Longmen Caves

Fans of the movie Kung Fu will know the Shaolin Temple well. Sadly, nearly the entire original temple has been destroyed and you share this faux-site with hordes of tourists. However, nearby and included in the Shaolin admission ticket, is one of The Longmen Cave has an extensive collection of Buddhas China’s holy mountains – Song Mountain. To reach the moun- near Luoyang. Though still popular, there is more breathing tain, you must take a 60 RMB lift, which offers a nice view of room and more natural scenery here than in other tourist the surrounding landscape. Once on the mountain, you can areas of China. Thousands of Buddhas, from neck-craning walk around cliffs where stacked rocks look like dominoes enormous statues to thumbnail-size ones, are carved into about to collapse over each other. You can get excellent views of cliffs along the Yi River. From a distance, the cliff looks like a the cloud-covered mountains that look out to the jungle. And honey comb network. On the opposite side of the river from the best part? It’s an easy hike, leaving you with no excuses not the giant Buddhas lies a romantic tea house tucked away in to explore. the woods, alongside a stream to offer weary travelers a rest. The site is very cheap at 40 RMB. Laura Ksyer is a teacher in China. This Is the Best Thai Food Outside of Thailand. I’ve left pieces of my heart in many places around the world: New York, Paris, Stockholm, and Hong Kong to name a few. But no place has a bigger piece than Thailand. It was my home for a long time (and in many ways still is). No amount of time there is long enough, and any amount of time away is too long. Whenever I miss it, I head to a Thai restaurant, shock the staff by speaking Thai, enjoy a quick conversation with them, and eat my weight in food.

But I always leave disappointed.

Even the best dishes at the most authentic restaurants are never as good as in Thailand. The food only temporarily fills a hole in my heart. I walk away satiated but never satisfied. It only makes When I was done, all that popped into my mind was “more.” me miss Thailand more. I roamed the market, weaving in between rows and around But then I came to Berlin, and my world changed. vendors, and ate like a king. I dived into spicy (yet so sweet) som tam that made my mouth burn, ate sticky rice wrapped A few months ago, my friend Jodi found delicious soup at a in banana leaves (licked my fingers clean), and made multiple Thai weekend market in Berlin and proclaimed it the best she’d trips to the woman who sold Thai iced tea. “Back again?” she’d had outside of Thailand. I stared at the photo of her red pork ask. noodle soup. I was in shock. Despite my years of searching, I’ve never found it outside Thailand. “Yes!” I said with a smile as I drank half the cup in one gulp. Closing my eyes, I remembered all the hot Bangkok days this So while in Berlin two weeks ago, I found myself at that market drink cooled me down on. for lunch. I was like a moth to the flame, except my fire came in the form of soup. As I approached the park and saw color- Everything about the market brought back home — from the ful umbrellas shooting from ground with the scent of cooking way the food was cooked, to the little bags takeout orders were food emanating from beneath them, my walk turned into a put in, to the style of spoon, and even the little step stools, so sprint. My expectations were high — the online reviews of this popular throughout Southeast Asia, that you sit on while you market vouched for its authenticity, and the pictures made it eat. seem like the real deal. But could I really have found Thai street food in a park in Berlin? This place is as close to Thailand as you can get without actual- ly going there. I roamed the market, spotting vendors crouched down on mats, cooking on camping stoves, mashing chilies, and shout- The next day I went back with a group of friends, ordered a ing in Thai back and forth to each other. It sure felt like the real bunch of dishes, and ate family-style. It was too good not to go thing, but what about the taste? Would it be real? I spotted a back again. If the market was open every day, I’d be there, my soup lady and, walking over, I saw it in all its glory: face buried in some Thai dish, but, sadly, it’s only open on the weekend. Thai red pork noodle soup photo Berlin has a lot going for it: cool hipsters, food, music, and art. There it was: kuay tiew moo dang. Red pork noodle soup. And now it has something nowhere else outside Thailand has — authentic Thai food. This is the best Thai food I’ve found My heart welled up with joy. Because of how the broth sits out outside of Thailand. Don’t miss this if you’re in Berlin and collecting flavor for hours, you can’t find this soup outside of love Thai food. Berlin will now be the hub of my future travels Thailand — food safety laws in Western countries don’t allow through Europe so I can gorge on the Thai food I only dream it. But there it was. Here in this park, German officials looked about. the other way as women crushed up chilies to make som tam without wearing any gloves, vendors poured authentic Thai Until next summer, I’ll have to wait with anticipation…and iced tea, pad kra pao gai (spicy chicken and basil) was prepared maybe impulsively book a trip to Thailand for this winter! as in Thailand (minced up and quickly fried), and soup was cooked the way it should be. There was no refrigeration, no How to get there sink to clean the utensils. Take the U-Bahn to Fehrbelliner Platz and it’s in the park outside I ordered the soup, sat down to eat on the grass, and was trans- the train station. The market is open on Saturdays and Sundays ported home. The sweet and spicy flavor of the broth, the red in the summer, if there’s no rain. It starts around 12 p.m. and pork, the texture of the noodles, and the crunch of the rind ends around 8 p.m., with the peak time being 1-5 p.m. There are were all as perfect as they could be. more people and vendors on Sunday.