The Hunt for the Best Eggs Benedict in Tokyo Continues

Being in Japan for a while makes us crave for non-Japanese food. Maybe, the same thing happens to those who have never been here and think that they can eat Japanese food every single day. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

For us, Egg Benedict is more yellow. Most likely, it doesn’t make sense and I do not know what it means, but I thank you for entertaining me. Bow.

Both of our hometowns – Singapore and the Philippines are cultural melting pots. (Singapore: Malays, and Chinese and Indian immigrants under British colonization: The Philippines: Spanish, American and Japanese colonization. Look it up on Google.) We grew up in places with a great variety of dishes which may be a big factor why we love all sorts of food. Well, you might have heard of chilli crab and adobo, yes? We take pride in our national dishes but our hearts are so big we fall in love with other nation’s dishes as well. In the past year of being in Kanto, we kinda fell i love with a flavorful dish called Eggs Benedict. Its origin seems debatable but we prefer the story involving a hangover. Drunk stories create the most interesting stories and sometimes the most innovative stuff, amiright? But it is a little difficult to casually create it at home (or maybe we’re just lazy?) Unless you are Gordon Ramsay… and just in case you are, please step aside… wait, I mean, I’d like to invite you over and play pretend cooking with real food and fire!

Eggs Benedict is just magical. The egg yolk wobbles. The hollandaise sauce shines. It’s like the sun basically melted on a sun. (Ha! Does that even make sense?) And because we are addicted to this dish, we have been trying out various places in Tokyo in search of the best one in town. So far, we have one favorite and three runner-ups. (Anyone reading this who wishes to give new recommendations, please do send us an e-mail or leave a comment below. Thank you!)

Eggcellent

Our #1 is Eggcellent! The name is such a corny play on words but listen to us when we say, Eggcellent is truly excellente!

Half/Half. Classic Ham topping and a customized version of rice patty, avocadoes and smoked tuna. Who can say no to this? KAZABOOM!

It’s situated in Roppongi which is an area popular among expats. Well, most foreign embassies are in the area so no wonder. It is the place to go to when you want quality foreign cuisine. Just remember that the good places are usually crowded so you might want to arrive at an earlier time or make a reservation way ahead!

In Japan, it is common for stores to specialize in a single type of product. So for most restaurants, they offer a single item in various forms (e.g. Tonkatsu, Soba, Ramen, etc.) Yes, that is how snobbish stores are but it also shows how dedicated, proud and focused they are on their product and in this case, their food.

Eggcellent’s menu is basically all about eggs. Eggs Benedict, Pancakes, plus some Açai granola healthy thingy and some drinks (typically tea and juices). It caters to a variety of customers – foreigners and locals, adults and children.

Service is a little slow when it is crowded and they won’t even take you in even if there are empty seats (maybe because they want to make sure once you sit down, you can order and have your food within an acceptable time frame). Also, remember the option of “terrace seats” isn’t actually a terrace in the open air. It is just a pseudo-private area.

We have both been to Eggcellent several times, just no together. The quality has always been good! They serve the classic Eggs Benedict with muffin and ham, and their own crafty version: eggs, hollandaise, smoked tuna (MAGURO!), avocado and a rice patty. P.S. Be sure to order one of their detox drinks! It’s good with the dish.

Eventually, you settle your bill with a little egg figurine at the front counter. Seriously, how corny can this place get? I LOVE IT!

Here are the runner-ups:

WeST PArk CaFE

Second on our list is West Park Cafe. It’s at the fifth floor Marunouchi building which is just in front of Tokyo station. And you know what this means right? Awesome view. It is actually the first cafe that we went to which serves Eggs Benedict after our move to Kanto. Yes, this cafe is the culprit that started this entire Eggs Benedict craze!

Look at that helpful serving of hollandaise sauce!

The place serves the typical food selection as most western cafes–burgers, salads, soups, and mains. Eggs Benedict is only available during brunch hours (11:00~17:00 on Sat, Sun and Public Holidays) so we were lucky when we stumbled upon this place.

They offer the classic version but with a little surprise: instead of  the usual bacon / ham, they use Parma ham. We think they did a good job: the yolk was runny, the sauce was just right and the Parma ham blended in perfectly. The portion was just a little sad but hey, we are in Japan.

Eggs ‘n Things

Extensive queue. But they have great ambiance, particularly the branch in Ginza. Good food, but potatoes are too heavy. Hopefully they replace it with something else, like salad, maybe?

Cinnamon’s

Cinammon’s is your usual Japanese “Hawaiian” brunch place. Their version is good, especially with the pork meat. But PH is boring and always opts for the salmon one. Perfect for  Sunday brunches and lazy afternoons. PS They offer refillable coffee. BEST THING. EVER.

Hopefully these can help you with the brunch that you’ve been planning with an old friend or with your mom. And if not, we hope you get so hungry with our pictures and curse our miserable timing for making you tempted to ruin your week-long diet.

Have a wonderful morning! xx