Shunpu Banri: Tokyo 2017

Tokyo Dome City (also known as “Big Egg City” due to the dome-shaped roof of the stadium located in Bunkyo) is also home of LaQua, a shopping mall and amusement centre. Located on the 9th floor of LaQua is Shunpu Banri, a higher-end Japanese restaurant that is both spacious and tourist-friendly.

We started out with an order of Assorted Sashimi. Presentation skills are on point at Shunpu Banri… the tuna, yellowtail, and salmon were beautifully displayed on the dish and were as good as any sashimi that we’ve had in Japan.

A dish that was definitely more tasty than the name implied was the Chicken Meatballs. We were kind of expecting a typical round meatball but these were more like grilled sausage-like skewers. Amazingly tender and juicy on the inside.

Next up was the Queen Crab and Cheese Rolls. The light and crispy wonton wrapper encased a creamy, cheesy, crabby filling.

After having pan-fried yakisoba earlier, we were looking for something a bit lighter so we wound up ordering the Green Tea Buckwheat Noodles. The thin and cold soba noodles are served with some basic toppings and a dipping sauce which turns this dish into a rather refreshing meal as opposed to heavier udon noodles.

I was constantly surprised by how much depth you get with miso soup in Japan. This isn’t like the watered down versions you get at most places in Vancouver.

Our penultimate dish was the Steamed Egg Custard with Sea Urchin or Uni Chawanmushi. A decidedly simplistic looking dish but so rich, creamy and decadent.

Our last dish to arrive was the Assorted Tempura. It was a bit difficult to tell what exactly was in this dish but I think it was comprised of prawn, fish, squash, eggplant, and mushrooms. The thin tempura batter gave each bite a perfect crispness without making it a heavy dish.

If you’re looking for more higher-end dining instead of the usual hole-in-the-wall ramen joint, Shunpu Banri is a good choice and they had a number of very solid dishes.

Tōkyō-to, Bunkyō-ku, Kasuga, 1 Chome-1-1 9th floor LaQua
春風萬里

https://www.tokyodome-hotels.co.jp/e/restaurants/list/shunpubanri/

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