Il LUPONE

* Cuisine: Italian
* Where: Naka Meguro
* Tel: 03 5722 6789
* Website: click the pic
* Menu: Italian
* Cost: around 6,000 per head (inc beer)
* Ohishi: Calzone, Capricciosa
* Rating: ----

Great pizza places abound in Tokyo so to be exceptional takes something special. Il Lupone's homely ambience, efficient service and authentic fare is that something so it's no great surpise to find that depsite the not-so-convenient location, it's a three month wait for a reservation. The menu is varied but compact and ordering is a pleasure. There's antipasti, pastas and meat dishes on offer but the wood-burning brick oven and the "vera pizza" certification mean that pizza is the star here. They're a decent size (unless you ask for a same topping but less base version - same price) and excellently prepared. We had three.

* Alternatives: Pizza Savoy (Naka-Meguro), Il Pizzaiolo (Sangenjaya)

RAJ MAHAL

* Cuisine: Indian

* Where: Roppongi

* Tel: 03 5411 2525

* Website: click the pic

* English Menu: Yes

* Cost: 6,000 per head (inc beer)

* Ohishi: Non-Vegetarian Thali, Nan, Paratha

* Ordered: Chicken Masala, Chef's Chicken Curry, Prawn, Sag, Pilau.

* Rating: ---

Raj Mahal in Roppongi has been a favourite with Tokyo’s foreign community for many years and considering that the UK has more Indian restaurants than English ones, it was no surprise to hear so many British accents amongst our fellow diners. The menu here is wider and more varied than many Tokyo curry houses - I’d never seen many of the dishes on the menu before. The meaty, generous Thali (pictured) was spicy and dry and covered every base. The nans were soft but substantial and the paratha crisp outside and soft within. The norm in Japan for curries seems to be tiny pieces of meat/fish in an ocean of sweet, mild sauce; here, even if the former is true the sauce was well-spiced and balanced. It’s not the cheapest nor the best Indian but Raj Mahal Roppongi is a decent choice for when you have good foreign company as the big menu makes ordering interesting and the seating, if you get there early or reserve in the banquette area, is comfortable and spacious. Branches in Shibuya, Shinjuku, etc.

* Alternatives: The Taj (Akasaka), Kenbokke (Nishi Azabu)

ROTI

* Cuisine: American
* Where: Roppongi
* Tel: 03 5413 3654
* English Menu: Yes
* Cost: 7,000 per head (without wine)
* Ohishi: Onion Rings
* Ordered: Lamb chops, Ribs, Fries, Charcuterie
* Rating: ---

The new kid on the mega-block, Tokyo Midtown boasts the city’s highest tower but up close it seems not to rise as high as Roppongi Hills’ or even the metropolitan buildings in Shinjuku. Inside, the architecture is bland and the ambience rather soulless. Unfortunately the setting proved rather fitting for Roti. There’s clearly been much thought into the décor, presentation and menu but the sum of the parts somehow don’t add up to a satisfiying whole. The décor is the same dark woods and off-whites that every new ‘classy’ restaurant opts for. Presumably with Midtown rents to cover, customers are packed in together. The small space is split into a wine bar and brasserie when it’s not really big enough for one of either and the overall ambience is as much Tokyo station as it is Tribeca. As for the food, portion size is adequate and service fine but at these prices that should be expected. Side dishes were imaginatively presented and generously proportioned but the entrees less impressive: the lamb rather fatty and its wine and pepper sauce rather weak, the ribs as soft as confit and on the wrong side of bland. The wine list is long and varied and full of quality (at 6,500 to 34,000 with most in the 8-13,000 range) and more than usual available by the carafe. At these prices Roti is certainly not a venue for a casual dinner but neither is it likely to impress a date or a client. The speciality is rotisserie chicken and perhaps that would have been the better choice (had we not had chicken for lunch). Perhaps a visit to the sister restaurant would be worth a shot, this one was unfortunately as uninspired as its building.

DAI GO

* Cuisine: Japanese, Tonkatsu

* Where: Shirokane Takanawa

* Tel: ?

* English Menu: No.

* Cost: 1,000 for a lunch set

* Ohishi: Tonkatsu

* Ordered: lunch set (tonkatsu, cabbage, rice, miso soup)

* Rating: ----

Deep fried pork in breadcrumbs is never the healthiest of lunch choices but when it's as tasty as this, sometimes it's worth the extra time in the gym. Dai Go (Big Five?) is always busy and with great food at fast food prices it's easy to see why. The pork is decent quality and the batter is crisp and dry. Quite how Worcester sauce became so popular in Japan is a mystery but it certainly complements tonkatsu very well and the sosu here is thick and balanced. No extra helpings of rice and cabbage though. The ebi seemed just as popular as regular tonkatsu so that's one to try next time.