5 Tokyo Sky Tree inspired dishes

The Tokyo Sky Tree is still under construction in Sumida ward, but the steel frame of the main body has been completed and has reached its highest point of 497m. From this point, the steel antenna will be installed on top of the tower, so that when building is completed in 2012, the tower will have an impressive height totalling 634m. The surrounding areas such as Oshiage and Narihira are already drawing large numbers of tourists eager to see the tower as it ‘grows up’. With an eye towards serving the tourists, many of the restaurants in the area have been creating their own Sky Tree-themed dishes, and Time Out Tokyo has found the five most inventive on offer.

Soba-dokoro Kamimura: Tower-don

Tower-don ¥1,800

Head South from Narihirabashi Station and you’ll find the old-style handmade soba noodle shop Kamimura at the intersection with Asakusa-dori. Kamimura’s Sky Tree-themed dish is a tower-themed ten-don (tempura rice bowl). Three large prawns are propped upright by the lid of the donburi bowl, under all of which is a kakiage (julienne vegetable tempura) made with onions and small sakura shrimps. The tempura sauce is sweet without being too overwhelming, and despite its potentially fickle quality by being a novelty dish, the ‘Tower-don’ won’t disappoint. Height: 20cm. (Full details & map)

Sakura Café Mukojima: Sky Tree Parfait

Sky Tree Parfait ¥1,800

This café is situated by a river, close to Narihirabashi Station. You can spot it by the large, red traditional Japanese umbrella outside. As well as a selection of café-style drinks such as coffee, Japanese sweets such as anmitsu are also on offer. The café’s special Sky Tree offering is a svelte and very tall parfait. Beneath a tower of sculpted sugar one finds a generous serving of soft-serve ice cream. It doesn’t stop there – the parfait also contains fruit, Bavarian cream, shiratama rice-flour dumplings and kanten agar jelly, as well as the café’s specialty ningyo-yaki right at the bottom. When the parfait arrives at the table and is set down in front of you, it’s hard to not feel impressed. Height: 60cm. (Full details & map)

Soba-yuzen Ichirikiya: Sky Tree Soba

Sky Tree Soba ¥1,890

This long-established soba noodle shop is located on a shopping street, a five-minute walk from the A1 exit of Oshiage Station. As well as regular soba shop food, Ichirikiya has a great range of special set meals and their own original dishes. Because the interior feels very clean and spacious, it’s also ideal for large groups and dinners. Ichirikiya’s Sky Tree original is agesoba (deep-fried soba noodles). All of the noodles in the dish, as well as the tower that stands in the centre, are made from deep-fried soba. The noodles are covered with an ankake sauce with mitsuba greens, capsicum, cabbage, prawns, onion and pork. It’s like kata-yakisoba (deep-fried yakisoba noodles) with a strong soba aroma. As you eat it you can tell that it wasn’t created on the spur of the moment; a long process of trial and error must have been involved in inventing and perfecting this dish. Height: around 40cm. (Full details & map)

Sumibi-horumon Sakai Shokudo: The 634 (Musashi) Mori

634 Musashi Mori ¥1,280

This yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant is located in the tangle of streets in front of Hikifune Station. Both the exterior and interior are designed with a Showa feel and decorated with lots of interesting retro bits and bobs. The restaurant specialises in horumon (offal), with everything from gatsu (stomach) and tan (tongue), to chire (spleen) and hachinosu (tripe), as well as a great selection of raw meat dishes such as sashimi.
Sakai Shokudo’s Sky Tree offering is a plate of assorted meat sashimi, dubbed the ‘Musashi Mori’, (aka the ‘634 Assortment’). Rosu (thin slices of beef short loin), yukke (a Korean-style steak tartare) and tan are arranged on a platter in the shape of a tower. The meat is of generally good quality and won’t disappoint in that respect, but the dish seems a little lacking in imagination, and doesn’t have much of an impact. Height: 25cm. (Full details & map)

Narihira Kimuraya: Tower Danish

Tower Danish ¥250

This bakery is on Asakusa-dori, right opposite the still-under-construction Sky Tree. The shop sells a range of homemade baked goods such as quotidian loaves of bread, sweet buns and pastries, sandwiches and savoury buns, as well as cakes and western-style sweets. Kimuraya’s Sky Tree tribute is a Danish pastry. This tower is a chocolate coronet (a cone-shaped sweet bun filled with chocolate cream) placed upright, on top of a biscuit. It comes in two flavours – chocolate and custard – and is a delight. Compared to the other rather pricey Sky Tree food, the ‘Tower Danish’ is a bargain at only ¥250. Height: 20cm (Full details & map)