Restaurant Review: Sometaro, Tokyo

We came to Sometaro for lunch. This little cafe is a traditional eatery specializing in what are essentially do-it-yourself Japanese pancakes.

After shucking our shoes, we were led into a tiny creaking house carpeted with tatami mats. Our tiny table had a gas-powered flattop grill in the middle. We were elbow-to-elbow with the locals, who did their best not to stare at us (unless you were a kid, in which case you got your fill of the weirdos in a local Japanese restaurant who didn't speak a lick of Japanese).

Eating here is a process: when you order, you are given a bowl with some batter, an egg, and whatever ingredients the type of pancake you ordered has in it. You then are responsible for greasing up the grill and making your flapjack. Simple, right?

Well, somewhat. Sometaro did have an English menu, so we at least knew what we were eating. However, we were kind of lost after the staff handed us the bowls and a couple spatulas. Thankfully a very nice elderly Japanese couple next to us were willing to show us what to do (i.e. where the lard for the grill was, how hot it needed to be, etc), and helped us realize that we actually needed to turn our grill up if we wanted to eat before, say, next year. That accomplished, we fried up two pancakes in short order--shrimp and cabbage, and pork, mincemeat, and cabbage. Along the way we had a great time swapping English for Japanese words with the helpful couple alongside us. Perhaps not surprisingly, "burned", "too hot", and "turn up heat" were heavily featured in the exchange.

Highly recommended as one of those experiences you tell your friends about after you get back. Oh, and very reasonably priced too--just be prepared to roll up your sleeves and do a little short-order-cooking.