Little China in Roppongi

If you are craving for authentic Chinese food at authentic Chinese price, this all-night 24hour open Peking duck restaurant is the place to be. It is one of the best Chinese-food bargains in Tokyo. They attract a crowd of young Japanese club-goers and Chinese patrons of all ages. The food, the price, and service are very authentic (some employees do not understand Japanese), and this place offers quite a contrast to the more posh cafes and restaurants of Roppongi Hills just across the street.

When I walked into the restaurant I was well impressed by the atmosphere. Fantastic decor, atmosphere was buzzing, the drinks were being poured, there were a lot of food on each table. The dining room is huge, with some big communal tables, more small tables in a back dining room and tables on the balcony which is open during the summer. Some of the erotic artwork (probably for fertility charm?) decorating the dining rooms is a bit unusual for a restaurant but it's certainly fun.

Their spaciality is Peking duck - which they charge just 3,680yen for a whole duck, including soup, a stir-fry, and the usual pancakes and condiments. I actually did not try the duck this time, so I cannot comment but it looked delicious. Most of the customers had the Peking duck on the table.

Instead of the Peking duck, what we went for is the huge menu of appetizers to accompany warm Chinese liquor. There are more than fifty small-plate dishes priced at just Y200 a plate. You can try anything from stir-fried garlic, pickled lotus roots, duck egg, sauteed cucumber and pork ears, BBQ chicken, rice noodle salad, to fried peanuts. At these prices you can try whatever looks interesting without worrying about the wallet. Then there's the amazing sui-gyoza (steamed dumplings) priced at just Y100 for a plate of three. They all incorporate the meaty filling and a dollop of hot broth inside the dumpling skin. These come in 26 different varieties, choices of dumplings with shrimp, garlic, scallop, tomato, spinach and others but it there was no drastic difference in flavor among them.

There are more substantial dishes as well - noodles, clay pot items, sauteed vegetables, fried rice and so on, most priced well under Y1000.

The good news is that the menu is in English, Chinese, and Japanese and I believe some of the waitors understand English. This is a perfect place to dine like a king with very little money. And you would know what I mean once all your orders have arrived at your table!!

Address: Nishi-Azabu 3-2-13, Court Annex 2F, across from Grand Hyatt Map:http://www.mapfan.com/index.cgi?MAP=E139.43.50.9N35.39.23.0&ZM=9

Phone:03-5414-5708

Dancing to A Life (with 500 yen drink in my hand)

Although Nishi-Azabu has an abundance of small restaurants, clubs, and bars all dispersed around its main intersection, it's a quieter area than the Roppongi circus up the road. ALIFE is located in the middle of Nishi-Azabu and Roppongi, but a quite bit closer to Nishi-Azabu and is certainly different from clubs in Roppongi.

ALIFE is one of the most successful disco style japanese club... which mean that they gather young Japanese office lady and salaryman with gorgeous decoration and shiny bar. It has 3 floors: The basement is the dancefloor with the usual mix of trendy hiphop, old disco and some trance as well, the 1st floor is the restaurante and a bar, and the second floor is the hiphop floor. As many of Tokyo's best clubs do, ALIFE too begin the night as restaurants before turning up the music after midnight.

Now if you are looking for underground club parties then its not for you but if you are looking for a typical popular japanese disco style spot then its the place to be. I had to say it was an experience to go to such Japanese disco after spending much time in Roppongi. It's really amazing, how the atmosphere, the drinks, people, dance style are completely different just a station away from Roppongi.

I must really give credit to ALIFE for their 500yen drinks. In addition, if you go early, that is before 11pm, the entrance fee is 1000 yen for girls and 2000yen for boys. With 2 drink tickets that they handout, the cover is really not that bad. Make sure to break your IDs since this place does check the ID for your age.

It is worth a visit if you 1. get there before 11pm 2. drink as much 500 yen drink as possible before they slowly raise the price starting from 2am 3. want to experience Japanese clubbing (i.e. saying "hai hai hai hai" when the dancefloor is heated, seeing Japanese girls and guys dancing completely separately like a school dance)

Location: Minatoku, Nishiazabu 1-7-2 Myojo Nishiazabu 70 bldg
Website:http://www.e-alife.net/