From Ireland to Japan—the pub fare that came to Tokyo
by Amy Dose
I always find myself returning to my favorite watering hole after a long week at work. As soon as I step through the door of Paddy Foley’s in Roppongi, I’m greeted with a friendly face, and ‘my usual’ (a Kilkenny) is already being poured. Now that’s service! Tonight, though, I had a different purpose. Paddy’s recently switched up their menu by adding new dishes, and it’s non-typical pub food at that! I was famished and ready to dine.
I joined some friends already on their second beer just in time for the first dish to arrive. After that the food just kept coming. We started off with the bruschetta and calamari—it was gone in seconds. The bread was toasted to perfection and wasn’t soggy despite being loaded with fresh tomatoes, onions, basil, olive oil, and pesto drizzled on top. The calamari was scrumptious; lightly breaded, meaty and moist, not rubbery nor chewy and no sauce needed, just a squeeze of fresh lemon, and, enjoy!
Moving on to the entrées, we had stuffed chicken, jammed with baby spinach and brie cheese, served on top of a herb tomato sauce. The stuffing was fresh, and a perfect blend of flavors. Next, we had a heaping mound of spicy chicken pasta with onions, peppers, black olives, and garlic tossed in a spicy tomato sauce. The dish was hearty, had smoky chili flavors, and was not too spicy (in fact, it could have had a bit more kick to my liking). The fish and chips were a firm favorite and somewhat of a comfort food for the table. Two generous fillets of white flaky fish served piping hot, battered and fried to perfection. The chips were so hot they burnt our tongues and we ended up sucking in air just to cool them off. Finally the last dish arrived; beer battered king prawns served with a sweet chili sauce. The prawns were not a mouthful of batter, but tender, moist, and even more delicious when dipped in the sweet chili spiced sauce. A quick glance around the table and you could see the content in everyone’s faces. We were stuffed; empty dishes and beer glasses a testament to our satisfaction.
Paddy Foley’s has really evolved with their menus, adding dishes to their customers requests like the 300g Aussie sirloin, smoked salmon, a roast of the day, lasagne, and more. There is also a ladies’ menu available on Wednesday nights with lighter fare like the smoked chicken and camembert salad, and a prawn cocktail. We tipped our hats to the chef, Tris, and stepped out into the bright lights of Roppongi to head home.
For more information on Paddy Foley’s anil the new menu see: www.paddyfoleystokyo.com or call 03-3423-2250
