Wouldn't it be great if we could all just make our way out to the Hamptons or Napa Valley for a good ol' Bed & Breakfast? What a lovely way to spend a weekend with your significant other, right? In a cute little cottage or something overlooking a couple hundred acres of chardonnay vineyard...
Unfortunately, we have no such luxury here in Tokyo. People are too preoccupied with work, I think they've forgotten about breakfast. I've noticed that most shops and restaurants don't even open until 11:00am. Where do you go for brunch around here? Where you can sit down and have some eggs benedict or a stack of blueberry pancakes and sausage? I have not the faintest clue. I guess, either you eat breakfast at home (who has that kind of time at 6 o'clock in the morning?) or buy a rice ball and miso soup at your local convenience store and eat at your desk when you get in for work at 7 (that's what I do most days when I don't have time to go down to Starbucks - this is when you know you're busy... when you can't spend 10 minutes of your morning for your coffee to brew and your panini to grill). I can't believe I'm still working in an industry that makes employees come in before 7 am.
Ok, I'm actually straying off subject here. What I wanted to say is that I actually found an alternative B&B in Tokyo. Not bed & breakfast, but rather, butter & borscht. Alright, so it's not really an alternative. Just a play on words, I suppose.
Butter's Factory in Gohongi, which is just down the street from POPHOT, is a little restaurant specializing in borscht and homemade butter. While I can hardly pronounce borscht, it's a Russian/Ukranian stew with beets, cabbage, potatoes, beef shank, and onions. The vinegar makes it a bit tangy, but it's extremely tasty and goes well with freshly-baked bread. Butter's Factory makes both hot and cold versions and boasts a variety of other dishes to please your palette, like rolled cabbage, curries, risottos, and gratins. And of course, their homemade butter is creamy and mild and definitely a delight.
A little heavy on the stomach, but easy on the wallet, Butter's Factory is open late so it's a nice place to grab dinner after a long day's work.
Meguro-ku, Gohongi 3-33-2, Tokyo
Open 18:00 - 27:00
Tel: 03.3791.9870
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