One of my favorite week night meals as a little girl was something my mom made with pantry staples. A nice piece of bread, piled with tuna and topped with a slice of Kraft cheese. My mom would turn on the broiler and melt the cheese until it started to bubble and began to brown. Simple pleasures.

These days, Kraft cheese doesn’t always cut it. Call me a food snob or whatever, but sometimes a girl needs something with a little more sophistication- am I right?

Back to the point- I experienced the same delectable simplicity in sandwich form during our second week after moving to Tokyo. Yep, that’s right. The inspiration for this sandwich, oddly enough, comes from a restaurant here in Tokyo called Uncle Sam’s. Their sandwiches are comfort food for me when I don’t really want something sea weedy or raw fishy.

Brad had the day off on Monday and instead of spending all our time in the kitchen (which is usually find with me, but Brad always gets stuck with the dishes) we made this really easy sandwich.

Here is the recipe. I hope you’ll give it a try and let me know what you think!

Grilled Tuna Sandwiches with Cheese and Avocado
Makes 2 sandwiches


4 slices of multi-grain bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can tuna, drained and rinsed (packed in oil if you can find it)
3 tablespoons mayo
2 tablespoons yellow or dijon mustard (or to taste)
salt and black pepper to taste
2 slices gouda, swiss or cheddar cheese
1 avocado, sliced

Brush the bread with the olive oil. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the tuna, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.

Make the sandwiches with the tuna and cheese only to start. Place the sandwiches in a panini grill, George Foreman grill (this is what I use), or heat on the stove top in a pan until the cheese melts. Remove the sandwiches from grill, take of the bread slice without the cheese and top with the avocado slices. EAT!

Today was a big day. Like, really big.

My friend Jenn and I went to Shibuya first. We paid a short visit to the “busiest Starbuck’s” for a little pick-me-up before our long day of walking, where I tried to take a picture and was reprimanded…in Japanese…and I caught it all in this photo!

Apparently, you are not allowed to take photos at the Starbuck’s in Shibuya across from the train station. This is second time I have experienced this (the first time, Brad was trying to take my picture and get a video). Apparently we are not allowed to steel their “this is how people stand in line at the Shibuya Starbuck’s” secrets. Whatever.

After our caffeine fix, we went to Omotesando. Here we stopped by Omotesando Hills (a high end shopping mall), then went to Fujimamas, an Asian fusion restaurant near Harajuku. We had a large dinner planned, so we split the Swordfish burger with black sesame mayonaise and a sweet, gingery salsa. Their cheesecake looked dynamite as well, but we had to pass.

After taking a stroll around Meiji Gardens, we headed back home to freshen up before a much anticipated dining experience. Matsusakyagyu is a yakiniku in the Futakotamagawa area, very close to the train station. Yakiniku basically means BBQ’d meat. There are charcoal grills in the center of the tables where you cook your own bite-sized pieces of meat.

Our first courses included steak tar tar, kimchee, and beef tendon in a delicious sauce served over greens. This was only the beginning of the meat experience.

The waiter sets three different dipping options in front of each person at the table. One is soy sauce, to which you add freshly grated wasabi (another do-it-yourself experience), the second is a sesame sauce, and the third is a delicious salt flavored with what I think was sesame.

After ordering, the waiter bring a cube of fat to the table. Using bamboo tongs, the fat is rubbed on the grill to keep the meat from sticking. Now comes the exciting part…

The first plate was thinly sliced beef tongue. Not usually my first choice, as my experiences with tongue have been tough and chewy, but this was different. The meat was tender and delicious. The next platter was incredible- beautiful pieces of beef tenderloin, beef cheek and rib. The meat grills beautifully and ends up with a crispy layer on the outside (the marbeling in the meat is perfect, as you can see in the photos).

After you have grilled your beef to your liking, it goes straight from the grill, into one of the dipping options, then straight into your mouth for savoring. Wash it all down with a sip of Malbec. Amazing. The final touch was a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and some barley tea. At the end of the meal, you don’t feel bogged down and painfully full either. The portions are reasonable and the food high quality. LOVE it.

Jenn and I ended the day at a restaurant our friend in Tokyo call the “Plywood Place” because we don’t know the name. It is just a little izakaya with a very ‘local’ feel. Over an appetizer that resembled the bottom of a lake, some cold sake and ika karage (fried squid), Jenn and I indulged in some girl talk.

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I love having Jenn here. It has been wonderful sharing these experiences and I hope we can do it with more visitors in the future (hint hint…)! For even more about our day, check out her blog for the Minnesota Image Company.