Taste the World Gaienmae

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I don’t know how many of our readers are married men, but when you’re married, you learn certain things. There are specific phrases a wife can utter that inform her husband that he must do something, and that this thing he must do is non-negotiable. One of those phrases is “I want pancakes.”

See, a couple weeks ago, Eriko and I were watching a video where Harrison Webb went to iHop and ate pancakes. “I want pancakes,” she said. “There’s lots of pancake places in Tokyo,” I said.

“Japanese pancakes are big and fluffy. I want American pancakes.”

I knew what this meant. It meant I had to find a place that served American pancakes and take her there. It was non-negotiable.

Taste the World’s Gaenmaie restaurant

Taste the World is a breakfast joint with four locations in Tokyo. Their gimmick is a rotating series of global breakfasts - every few months, they offer a different country’s breakfast options. We went to the Gaienmae location, which is a cute little spot with decor that reminds one of little eateries in Europe, with one big long table and plenty of foreign products like cans of beans.

They had Japanese, Taiwanese, and American breakfasts, along with this season’s rotating selection, Greece. I got a frappe, and while it had a nice coffee taste, it wasn’t blended and icy in the same way as a Greek frappe, and the straw was straight (Greek straws are always the bendy kind). Eriko got a pineapple iced tea concoction that was really delicious.

The food was brought quickly, despite there being just two staff for the whole restaurant. We were there on a Tuesday at lunchtime, which is apparently the time to go. I have a feeling this place gets crowded on weekends, given that there are only 12 seats.

American breakfast at Taste the World

Eriko got what she wanted: the American breakfast, with pancakes, fried eggs, bacon, potatoes, and the little orange slice that’s always included for some reason. I tasted the pancakes, and they were solid American-style pancakes, not the best ever but far from the worst. The bacon was definitely crispy, but more the kind you’d find on a burger or at a chain restaurant; that is to say, nothing special, but better than the floppy sadness you get at most places in Asia.

The real star of this plate was the potatoes. I don’t know what kind of seasoning they’re putting on those babies, but they were amazing. Eriko didn’t notice how many of them I was eating, and was dismayed to find they were all gone. You snooze, you lose, baby.

Greek breakfast at Taste the World

I went for the Greek breakfast, as I have a special love for Greek breakfast pastries. One of my top-five food experiences of all time was the Bougatsa from Bougatsa Chania on Crete. Taste the World’s Greek breakfast plate contained a feta cheese pastry, a spinach pastry, scrambled eggs, yogurt with honey, and some veggies.

First off, the eggs were incredible. That little bit of cheese on top and the perfect amount of salt and pepper, plus they weren’t watery at all. Wonderful. The yogurt and honey was similarly good, and the veggies were fine but unremarkable.

As for the pastries, unfortunately they were a bit burned on top. Perhaps they were made in a batch and reheated too many times. Phyllo pastry can be finicky, so points for trying, I guess. The feta one was okay, but the wrong kind of cheese for this type of pastry, and the spinach one had little luck of wowing me because I don’t like spinach pastries. All in all, mine was just okay. Clearly they are better at American food than Greek. Next time, they’re doing Sweden, and I may have to go back to try that.

Verdict: does Taste the World accurately replicate global breakfasts?

While the Greek breakfast was so-so, the American one was just what Eriko wanted. These aren’t the most amazing pancakes ever (there’s only one Griddle Cafe), but they did the job. The atmosphere and service were lovely and reminded us of our time in Europe. The rotating breakfasts from many countries is a great idea, because it’s absolutely going to get us to come back.

If I worked in this neighborhood, I’d have lunch here all the time. We get our hair cut not too far away, so we’ll definitely have an excuse to come back. For tourists, this is probably one to skip, as it’s not Japanese and not exactly a gourmet restaurant. But for locals, it’s a reasonably-priced way to try foods you aren’t likely to find too many other places in Tokyo.

Where to find Taste the World in Tokyo

Address: 3-1-23-1F Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Hours: 7:30am-8pm (last order 7pm)

Website: Taste the World

Taste the World has four locations in Tokyo: Gaienmae, Shinjuku, Kichijoji, and Ginza. We can vouch for the Gaienmae one, and I have a feeling the others are similar, so go wherever you want. You have my permission.