Place in the Sun
Place in the Sun is a restaurant near where I live with excellent sandwiches and delicious coffee that's quickly become a favorite spot of mine.
I work from home once a week, and recently on my lunch break I decided to take a walk and find someplace new. Turns out that was a very good decision.
The inside of the restaurant has an interesting multi-level structure, but the main impression is one of openness and natural light. The whole west wall is glass, the ceiling is high enough for two stories, and the center of the restaurant is actually the kitchen, completely open to view. When someone order bacon you can tell by the wonderful smell.
The BLT in the photo above is the best I've had in Tokyo; while the bacon isn't crispy, it's no limp conbini leather, it's genuine textured and smoky meat. The vegetables are fresh and balanced, the mayonaisse fresh-made, and all of it packed into the bread like a tightly sealed and slightly oiled love letter.
Besides the BLT they have a full selection of sandwiches and burgers and a variety of side dishes. Their cabbage and garlic anchovy sautee looks unassuming but is actually pretty incredible, and the minestrone is quite good.
About the burgers - I did try the grilled onion burger, but the onions were cooked just enough to be considered grilled, not enough to be sweet by any means. Including that it was a burger that, while good, favored everything I don't enjoy in a burger - a substantial bun and rough-ground meat standing out - so I felt it was underwhelming compared to the rest of the menu.
Their dessert menu is also interesting. The kokutou bavarois is good, but the flavour was more subtle than I might have hoped. I haven't had the courage to try it yet, but browned butter with salted caramel is also on the menu.
Besides all that the coffee is absolutely spectacular. Looking at their blog, they just got a new coffee machine, staff training, and possibly a new source of beans earlier this year; it seems to be paying off.
It's rapidly become a regular weekly stop for me, and if you're around Shiba or Tokyo Tower consider dropping by. Ψ