My culinary life in Tokyo has taken a sudden and dramatic turn. It would appear that the food gods heard my repeated questioning of why a city with a food obsession as intense as Tokyo doesn’t have a good, reliable Mexican food option. Not even a quick burrito joint! Indeed, I’ve wondered aloud on many occasions why a place like Chipotle doesn’t exist here, particularly given the Japanese willingness to experiment with different foods and their manic focus on fresh, quality ingredients.
Well, sure as shit, this past November a little spot called Frijoles opened up just down the street from us. And – in a total alignment of the planets moment – it’s modeled exactly after Chipotle! From the ambiance, ordering process, carnitas/chicken/steak/veggie options, multiple salsa choices, bottled beers, even the color scheme of the menu. I tried a carnitas burrito tonight for my first taste and found it to be quite tasty, though certainly nothing like the real thing. The chips were not of the tortilla sort, which was kinda weird, but they tasted strangely good nonetheless. And the mild salsa they include for dipping consists solely of chunks of tomato and onion, so they haven’t quite mastered that element yet. Still, it’ll be good enough for an easy lunch option on a lazy Sunday afternoon, which is just fine by me. Who knows if this place will even last, but they can count on having at least one expat regular!
By the way, a careful reading of the Frijoles philosophy makes for a fun glimpse into the awkward wording that often arises when the Japanese attempt to translate their words into English:
We believe in serving real great-tasting food which you may usually enjoy at fine dining, in casual environment. We prepare our food with gas stove, pots and pans, knife and other kitchen utensil, refrigerator stocked with a various fresh ingredients, herbs and spices, and dry goods. Ingredients we use include marinated chicken and steaks, carnitas (seasoned and braised pork), pinto and black beans and more. And a majority of our food is prepared from scratch in our restaurant, not simply reheated and slapped together to order. We do all of these because we believe food tastes much better when we make it this way.
