Shima is a hidden gem, quite literally, located in a basement of a bland office building in the Nihonbashi neighborhood in Tokyo. Chef Manabu Oshima uses marbled premium steak from his hometown of Kyoto that he ages himself and then cooks over binchotan- Japanese white charcoal.

150g Fillet Steak (¥15,000 or $150 USD). The steak options were either filet or sirloin in 150 g sizes (1/3 of a lbs). There isn’t a lot of complex dishes on the menu which is a testament to the minimalist nature of it all.

We didn’t order a lot because, after all, we are coming for the steak sandwich.

Here comes the BEST part – the takeaway steak sandwiches you get at the end of the meal. The sandwich is made with lovely thick Japanese toasts, juicy, tender and packed of flavors. Simply out of this world!

Obsessed with eating food when it’s just made and still hot, my husband (fatter-half!) and I gobbled up the whole thing once we stepped out of the restaurant! Eating premium steak sandwich while braving the spring chill at the nighttime of Tokyo- that’s a first even for a foodie like me:) still I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything!

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