Chocolixir from GODIVA Chocoiste, Harajuku, Tokyo

Well look at that.

There's a GODIVA boutique right in front of me. Hmmm tempting. I carefully ask Tors whether I could check it out or not because we're quite in a rush. 

Positive.

As I walk in, I see this promotion board.

Ok. Too much graphic for my poor eyes. Can't stand it.

P: "Can I buy THAT (pointing at the chocolixir drinks)?"

T: "What? You said you just want to check them out....(looking at his watch)"

P: "But it's........(puss in boots eyes' expression)....."

T: ".....just HURRY!"

Yeaaayyyy.

While queueing in line I spot lots of flavor of ice cream. Wow. Focus.

Other chocolate goods.

Ok. Got what I wanted.

The strawberry chocolixir. Strawberry shakes combined with white chocolate bits topped with whipped cream and strawberry sauce. Refreshing and crunchy. But quite ordinary. Ssshhhh but don't tell my husband.

Tendon at Tenya, Tokyo

You know what.

I think I'm addicted to Tendon at Tenya. Heavily addicted.

Well I'm sure I'm addicted, and I'm also confident to say that my husband, Tora, is addicted too. I mean this is our third trip to this 'japanese fast food' joint. 3 times within a week. When we should've tried other varieties of food we simply ignore the rules and come back again (and again) to this eatery. Sigh.

Hello again dear Tenya!

Ok. Let me explain.

Tenya is a fast food joint specialized in tempura (deep fried food), especially tempura don (tendon). They have around 100 branches all over metropolitan area in Japan.

Simply they offer basic things: cheap, fast, fulfilling and most importantly, tasty food.

This is the tempura. But really, you can just forget about them. They are just plain ordinary, nothing special.

But.

This is the tempura tendon. Please don't forget them. They are special.

Bowl of perfectly cooked (still) hot rice topped with ebi and veggies (mostly aubergine) tempura poured with special tare sauce (taste a bit like teriyaki sauce but less sweet). Crispy, crunchy, sweet, salty, succulent, all in one place, giving you a warm and happy feeling.

It's like I'm having a dejavu. The exact same experience with KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). You still remember loving KFC as a child and now as an adult you're still loving it. It's like falling in love over and over again with KFC. My kind of comfort fast food, never disappointing. And now, I'm experiencing the feeling again with Tenya.

Well surely it can't be compared to fine dining food. Yes, it's definitely not some fancy food. Yes, it's not that healthy, although in my defense it's much healthier than burger and fried chicken joint. But it has this psychological impact for me (and Tora). That's what matters.


PS: Tendon at Tenya is my new KFC.


PSS: Just saying, please eat the tendon with lots and lots of Tare sauce and the Salt (below), mix them together evenly with the rice.

Hanabatake Bokujo Cafe, Roppongi Hills, Tokyo

Beautiful and sunny morning in Tokyo :)

We decide to stroll around Roppongi Hills until we spot a cute Cafe just below the Mori tower.

It's Hanabatake Bokujo Cafe, for details and address click this link http://www.roppongihills.com/shops_restaurants/restaurants/en/cafe/209110005.html

Perfect timing as we need a little tickle for our stomach before a long walk until lunch time.

As I go in, I feel like jumping around, up and down!! I can't believe what I'm seeing!!! OMG!! It's MELON PAN!!! God knows for how long I've been longing one!

There are 2 main reasons why I'm very curious about the bread:
1. About 8 years ago they were on trend here in Japan. I heard about it from Tora's brother, Giri, who had a school trip back then, he had been raving about it ever since.
2. An episode from anime called Yakitate *cough cough nerd.
It's an anime specialized in bread making and competition. More or less like "Born To Cook" with the same quirky and hyperbolic reaction. Very amusing to watch because it's funny and also educating (you'd learn a lot about baking terms).
There is one episode where they hold a melon pan competition. I drooled instantly looking at the bold graphic and hearing comments from the TV screen. Since then, melon pan has been haunting me. Like seriously. I've been searching all around Jakarta and Singapore's bakery but only to meet great disappointments.

Here's the wikipedia link about yakitate in case you're wondering :) search for the melon pan episode.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakitate!!_Japan

So, you can only imagine how excited I am now. Only moments away from tasting it.

Ok here goes....

Just the way I imagined it to be. Perfect crisp outerlayer.  Warm, fragrant bread. A little bit chewy but in a good way. Sweet and rich filling that taste absolutely wonderful, must be coming from a good quality melon. This reminds me a bit of "Roti Boy" for their similarity in texture.

Please eat it while it's still warm.

All in all, it's like I'm eating the exact original melon pan from yakitate. Sooo happy. I feel like dancing in a melon world.

Ok. Let's move on :)

Actually the star of this Cafe is the Caramel on ice cream. It's a popular dessert. And of course I am tempted to try it.

Look at the caramel and chocolate sauce. Of course I'd choose their speciality. The caramel sauce.

First, the ice cream. It's rich, soft, milky, ooohhhh pure goodness! I could eat it alone without any topping. Taste very honest and simple. Not at all sweet almost taste like cream. Perfect. High quality ingredients for sure.

Then the caramel sauce. The hot caramel sauce. OMG. Sweet, a bit salty and buttery in a perfect hot and thick consistency. Superb.

Now you combine both it's a match made from heaven. For real.

Sadaharu Aoki, Tokyo Midtown, Tokyo

A trip to Sadaharu Aoki is on my TOP 10 list to visit in Tokyo. I've been hearing all kind of praises about him as a pastry chef. He has this talent to pair french classic with japanese flavors, so I really can't wait to witness and sample his creation myself.

There are several boutiques in Tokyo, but we decide to go to the one in Tokyo Midtown simply because we're in the neighborhood.

When I spot a sleek but colorful pastry boutique my heart begins to flutter, oh wow I could die in excitement like for real! Eeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkk.

Sadaharu Aoki!!!!

The colorful chocolates.

Spotted: the famous Macaroons.

Spotted: the famous Eclair! Matcha Eclair!

But why oh why there's only one type of eclair *cries out loud, I'm hoping for the yuzu, black sesame and caramel.

Spotted: the famous Bamboo.

Some other baked goods.

To be honest I am so overwhelmed. I'm having a hard time what to buy *cries in excitement.
Before Tors getting irritated about my indecisiveness, I better choose quick. Mini mini miny moe.

Our takeaway.

We are still a bit full after having a big lunch, so we decide to eat it later between our strolls.


Strolls. Strolls. Strolls. Strolls. 2 hours later...


Ok. The moment of truth. Now I'm ready to eat you babieesss. Perfect  afternoon weather by the alley of little but charming shops and boutiques :)

Here goes...

Aaaahhh. What happened to youuu dear eclair au macthaaaaa???
I'm truly sorry for not taking a good care of you *sobbing hard

Hiks. Hiks. Oh well. Still, it doesn't make my appetite any smaller.

Munch.

Perfect choux pastry soft yet crunchy, perfect thick green tea custard and mild sweetness, perfect thin layer of green tea ganache to add boldness of flavor.

As I eat it, I wait for a natural yet magical reaction to appear within my mind and body. But sadly none appears. I mean this is a high quality eclair but it doesn't blow me away.

Don't get me wrong, it is one hell of a genius creation, and it's delicioussssssss. But it's not my favorite.  I kind of reserved a spot for this eclair to be one of my faves, but the spot is still empty. Maybe I do have a high expectation, too high I assume. Still, I love it and would want to eat it again :)

Next is the Bamboo or Matcha Opera

Layers of goodness. Rich matcha buttercream, matcha cake and chocolate ganache. Interesting fact is they taste quite balance, I mean the matcha and the chocolate don't overpower each other which I find nice.

Well my happy tummy is now resting, and hope I'll be seeing you again Sadaharu Aoki as there are many beautiful creations of yours I haven't sample.

Sushi Zanmai, Ginza, Tokyo

I've been wanting to taste ONE generic and ONE traditional sushi eatery. After asking some colleague and searching on the net we decide to try Sushi Zanmai (generic) and Daiwa Sushi at Tsukiji Fish Market (more traditional).

*sadly we couldn't go to Tsukiji Fish Market due to several reasons :( :( :(

Ok. Move on, shall we?

Sushi Zanmai http://www.kiyomura.co.jp/sushi-e/index.html

We head to the one in Ginza area.

Sushi Zanmai represents the successful sushi chain in Japan. In Jakarta maybe more or less like Sushi Tei. Sometimes overrated but yeah, it serves 'ok' and 'satisfying' food, plain good in general.

We order the set lunch and ala carte sushi.

The appetiser. Salad and Chawanmushi.

The salad is fresh, crunchy and tangy. Good.

The chawanmushi is very good actually. It's soo sooooffftttt, silkyyy and delicate, a perfect texture. Not bad for a chain-ish restaurant.

The Chirazi sushi set.

Everything's here is surprisingly fresh and sweet. Perfect. Loved it.

The ala carte sushi.

I choose Otoro (high grade fatty tuna), lots of Sake (salmon), and Uni (sea urchin).

As you can see as an Indonesian I am FOND of salmon sushi hehehehe *blush

Well, the salmon doesn't disappoint :) it's fresh and good.

But the Otoro and Uni have taken me to the next level. The Otoro literally melts in your mouth, it has that good fat factor. It's sweet, fresh, rich and very tasty. While the Uni, oohhhhh it also melts in a blink of eyes, very richh and sweeeet, me likey *teary eyes

Damage: Minimum. Fair price I may say.

Food: Generally good. Safe food.

Unadon at NOBORITEI, SHINJUKU, TOKYO

Address:
〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿3-32-10
3-32-10 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022


Access:
2 min. walk from JR Shinjuku station South exit,
3 min. walk from Subway Marunouchi line Shinjuku Sanchome station,
10 min. walk from JR Yoyogi station


Phone: 03-3352-2484
Hours: 11:00～21:00 (L.O. 20:30)　


I’ve been researching for a good bowl of unagi on the net. The best that you can find in Tokyo is Unagi Kappo Izuei Honten in Ueno. All agrees they taste superb but they also charge you big price. So I and Tors agree to head for the second best which is cheaper and easier to locate, Noboritei.



We arrive quite early for lunch so the restaurant isn’t packed and we don’t have to wait. Without any hesitancy we order right away, one Unadon set (grilled eel bowl) and one Naju Nami set (grilled eel on rice box). While waiting and sipping nice hot ocha, we can’t help but noticing how this restaurant is filled with quite a number of elderly. We find it amusing to observe them, they seem to really enjoy eating their food :)





To be honest, I was not a fan of unagi back in Jakarta. Only once or twice I got to eat good unagi, but it didn’t blow me away. So, this ‘unadon experience’, I dedicate this for Tora, as he is fond of unagi. And well I am sure glad, because this particular unagi tastes sooooo good.


The eels are both broiled and grilled; meaning double the taste. I love it when a dish is done double-ways, especially broiled and grilled, because they usually have a perfect texture without drying the meat and you still can get the smoky/caramelized surface. Perfect. The sauce compliments the dish beautifully, it is sweet but not overpowering, somewhat like teriyaki sauce but more salty and less sweet; I imagine they brushed the sauce generously while grilling the eels :). As expected, the meat is lusciously tender you don’t have to chew, it melts. And also neither ‘fishy’ smell nor taste could be found. The level of freshness is good; as you can taste the natural sweetness of the meat (you all know fresh products are always sweeter, especially fish, fruits, and veggies).


All and all, I like unagi now :)

Ueno Park

We sure are blessed that we still have the chance to view beautiful sakura in mid April. This year 2010 is one of the longest sakura season :)

We head to Ueno Park to enjoy hanami but unfortunately it is packed and some says you have to somewhat 'reserve' it beforehand.

What a lovely day, it is sunny and a bit breezy. We stroll down the park, which is huge! And we spot lots of food stall, but sadly we only take few pictures :(

Banana on a stick.

Each character represents the flavor. Cuteness.

Corn and candy stall. *oji-san why frown?

Yeaaayy Takoyakiiii

Brushhh brushhhh brusshhhhhhhhh those balls of octopus...

Sprinkle sprinkle sprinkleee with bonito flakess...

Squeezeeee squeezeeee squeezeee lots and lots of mayonnaise...

Hi gorgeous!

Oh it's just perfect. Sitting by the park full of cherry blossoms, watching people go by, eating takoyaki. Oh, Life.