December 2, 2025 Breakfast - Denny’s. Lunch - Belon Dinner - Take out

 December 2, 2025 Breakfast - Denny’s.  Lunch - Belon  Dinner - Take out 

We may have had the best meal of the trip today. We also took our guided trip to a supermarket in the basement of a department store.

We left the apartment at 7:30 and walked one block to a Denny’s were we ordered two egg over easy, a slice ham, a sausage, two pancakes, and a tea for 715 yen.

We then taxied to the OK department store Ginza where we met Yukari our guide to all things edible. We went down and toured the two floors of food and beverages. OK is a discount food store. We bought soup seasonings with dehydrated tofu and spinach, and lots of other items like a timer, a knife, a miso mixer, Comte cheese, ham slices, a duck smoked breast, and cookies. 

After an hour of shopping the two floors of food I began to weaken and we went to the cafe on the 7th floor where we had cups of tea for me and coffee for Yukari and Suzette. The featured item was a Mont Blanc, a tower of Bern paste in a parfait glass with ice cream and threads of chestnut paste and several whole chestnuts in syrup. We ordered it and shared it, but I soon asked to be left so Suzette could continue the tour and they went to buy more cosmetic brushes for Suzette’s staff.

When Suzette returned around noon we discussed lunch and she suggested an oyster bar in the Loft department store around the corner so we walked the 500 steps and took the elevator to the 7th floor where we found the small restaurant named Belon that specialized in fresh Japanese oysters. We were seated beside the extensively well stocked walk in wine refrigerator that was loaded with some of the best wines in the world, which was promising. We were given lunch menus. There were only two choices: salad, pasta, and dessert without three oysters or lunch with three oysters.  We each chose lunch with three oysters.

Suzette ordered a limoncello kir Royal (white sparkling wine with a splash of limoncello) that has become her instant favorite cocktail. I ordered a glass of dry white wine and received a lovely dry but flavorful Japanese white wine. One of the great discoveries of the trip was that Japan has a highly developed wine industry that produces both excellent red and white wines. 

The first course was a small plate with three or four slices of a white fish sashimi with a drizzle of pickled tomato as the dressing, innovative and delicious.

Then we were served a salad of greens and threads of pickled carrots and daikon in a light dressing that was very refreshing.

The Third course was a bowl of al dente angel hair pasta in an oyster olive oil and garlic sauce. There were four small oysters cooked into the rich oyster sauce in my bowl but only two in Suzette’s bowl, which upset her a bit especially since she did not eat much pasta.

Then another glass of the white wine for Suzette served with trays of ice on which three very different looking oysters were resting each with a plastic encased card identifying its name in English and Japanese and map of Japan with the bay where it was grown marked with a red dot. Rather like a seashell label containing name, gathering information, and habitat where collected.

We were also served a tray with three small depressions, one with a soy sauce, one with a vinegar sauce and one with salt.

Our waiter instructed us to eat the smaller to the largest from left to right.

When we asked about the sauces he recommended a few drops of fresh lemon juice from the small lemon wedges instead, which we did.

The first oyster was delicious and rather briny. The second one that had a deep v shaped shell was mellow and firm and the third one was a long flatter oyster from the northern island of Hokkaido, was sweet and texturally soft with a wonderful flavor and the biggest oyster we have seen in a while.

After we finished the three oysters, Suzette told the waiter she wanted to try three more different oysters. I said I would take another of the v shaped shell middle oyster that seemed a perfect oyster to me with its unusual shaped shell and firm texture and clean mild taste.

Suzette’s second three oysters were just as interesting as the first.

The first was her favorite creamier in texture and sweeter. The second one was very briny, her least favorite. The third one was another Hokkaido monster that was creamy with a texture like many oysters we eat in the U.S.

I ordered one more of the Hokkaido monsters and found it to be a little muddy in flavor, which may have even oyster specific because Suzette’s was not muddy tasting.

Washing it down with sips of white wine relieved much of the muddy flavor.

Finally it was time for dessert and a beverage. I took dark tea with steamed milk. Suzette took coffee with steamed milk. We were served a small plate with a wedge of pound cake with a red currant coulis and small dab of pouring custard garnisheed with a green mint leaf.

The only other customers were two well dressed middle aged women. I had the impression that there must be 1000’s of fancy restaurants in Tokyo where women who lunch meet to enjoy the local delicacies.

After lunch we went to the 5th floor stationary department where Suzette bought ball point pens and I bought Thank You note cards.

We rhen returned to OK department store and I waited while Suzette shopped for take out for dinner.and bottle of white wine.

We then taxied back to the apartment at 3:00 and rested until 6:00 when Willy returned from his trekking across Tokyo.

We ate dinner at 8:00, a box of unagi on rice for Suzette, a bento box of sushi for me and a box of chicken sate on sticks and a box of fried chicken for Willy that we all shared.

Lunch today was the most interesting meal of the trip anf for us perhaps the best, excellent Japanese oysters and white wine. We decided that if we ever return the focus of the trip will be oysters and wine.

We watched some football and soccer and went to bed at 9:30.

Bon Appetit