By Type

しるの店 おふくろ Shiru-no-mise Ofukuro @Takamatsu

Posted on 4 December 2015 by lendeliz

2015-12-04 22.57.43Hubby had read about this place near our hotel that was popular for miso soup and homecooked style food, so off we went for dinner. We were quite lucky as we managed to get the last table 🙂

Everyone were having miso soup, and while there were many types available, we chose the more popular ぶた汁 pork miso soup.

We randomly picked some of the dishes that we fancied from what we saw. Most of the food were delicious, and made us feel like we were at home 🙂 However, the egg plant really left its imprints in our minds because it was so, so unexpectedly salty. So salty that it became our benchmark for saltiness throughout the remaining trip… Nothing else could beat it, not even pickles!

Contact:

  • Location: 1-11-12 Kawaramachi, Takamatsu-shi, Kagawa-ken, Japan 香川県高松市瓦町1-11-12
  • Nearest Station: Kawaramachi Station 琴電琴平線瓦町駅
  • Direction: Walk 300m north-west of station.
  • Website: yousakana.jp/ofukuro, Tabelog
  • Hrs: 5pm – 11:30pm (Mon-Sat)
Categories: Dinner, Japan, Shikoku, Travel | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

上原屋本店 Ueharaya Honten @Takamatsu

Posted on 4 December 2015 by lendeliz

2015-12-04 13.10.48On our way to 栗林公園 Ritsurin-koen, we made a special visit to the local speciality famous 讃岐うどん Sanuki Udon shop 上原屋本店 Ueharaya honten nearby. It is said that while udon is widely available throughout Japan, nobody makes it better and cheaper than in 香川 Kagawa Prefecture.

This is a popular lunch venue with locals working nearby, as it provided a very delicious meal at very affordable prices. It was a short wait outside the shop, as turnover was very fast. Almost everything is self-service. Once you decide on the type and size of udon, you just need to select your side dishes, pay up, and cook the udon yourself, or add the desired toppings yourself. Then you hunt for a table, finish your meal, and return your tray.

Continue reading →

Categories: Japan, Lunch, Shikoku, Travel | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

たまりば 琥太郎 Tamariba Kotaro @Okayama

Posted on 3 December 2015 by weiming

2015-12-04 06.39.07We slept through the entire journey and finally made it back to 岡山 Okayama from 神戸 Kobe.

As we were walking from the train station back to the hotel, we were also looking out for dinner places. 😛

I saw a bright lantern saying おでん Oden and pointed it out to the girls. We went closer to the shop but were not too confident about venturing inside and ordering because we saw that it was a standing bar of sorts. Just as we were still contemplating, an office worker had parked his bicycle outside the shop and pointed to us “おいしい” when we asked him how was the shop! Not only that, he even helped us talked to the chef and got us table seats on the 2nd floor of the shop!

We ordered a everything that was on the おでん Oden menu (except egg) and was happily drinking our Oolong Tea and eating the nut snack when we realized that the wall is full of decorations of 阪神タイガース Hanshin Tigers (a hugely popular baseball team playing in Japan’s Central League). No wonder the shop is named 琥太郎 Kotaro, haha…

The おでん oden was warm and soothing to the stomach, and we enjoyed every bits of it. So much so that we ordered three other side dishes to further warm our stomach!

Contact:

  • Location: 2-11 Honmachi, Kita-ku, Okayama-shi, Okayama-ken, Japan 岡山県岡山市北区本町 2-11
  • Nearest Station: JR Okayama Station 岡山駅
  • Direction: 5 minutes walk from JR Okayama Station.
  • Hrs: 6pm – 12:30am
Categories: Dinner, Japan, Okayama, Travel | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

我逢人 かっぱ Gahoujin Kappa @Gion

Posted on 2 December 2015 by lendeliz

We were done with sight-seeing for the day and were searching for cheaper alternatives near 祇園 Gion area for dinner, before heading home. Ms V found a highly recommended 居酒屋 izakaya, and we decided to go try our luck!

When we peeped in, we saw that the bar counters were fully occupied, but still decided to try enquiring for seats. To our pleasant surprise, there were tables available in another room, away from the smokey bar counters.. Happiness!

It was a traditional tatami room, which meant that we had to take off our shoes, and kneel/sit on the floor. The trio of stiff-legged 外人 gaijins ended up sitting with legs in various positions to avoid leg cramps 😛 The food and atmosphere were good enough that we sat through leg cramps and enjoyed our dinner for 2 hours!

Most of the items were ¥390, excluding tax, and of a small portion, which was good, because we wanted to have a variety. For a total of ¥5610 (~S$65) for 3 persons, we left the place really bloated and happy.

Contact:

  • Location: 77 Sueyoshi-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto-fu 605-0085, Japan 〒605-0085 京都府京都市東山区末吉町77
  • Nearest Station: Gion-Shijo Station 祇園四条駅
  • Direction: Take Exit 7 and walk along 四条通 Shijo Dori. Make a left turn at 大和大路通 Yamato Oji Dori. Turn right at the second junction.
  • Website: www.kirinya-foods.jp/kappa
  • Hrs: 6pm – 3am (Tue-Sat), 5pm – 12:30am (Sun)
Categories: Dinner, Japan, Kyoto, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

はしたて Hashitate Restaurant @Kyoto

Posted on 2 December 2015 by lendeliz

2015-12-02 14.02.562015-12-02 14.00.39We left 東京 Tokyo on 東海道新幹線 Tokaido Shinkansen and headed to 京都 Kyoto!

After dropping our luggage at the Capsule Hotel, we went back to JR Kyoto Station for lunch before making our way to 東福寺 Tofukuji. FourSquare suggested はしたて Hashitate, and we managed to find the place after some help from the information counter.

The queue was rather short, but we only got a table about 30 minutes later. By then, we had more or less decided on what we wanted, a Seasonal Set (¥1650+8% tax) with a groupa and spinach don, vegetable soba, appetizers and pickles, and a Special Set (¥2250+) with a groupa, egg and vegetable noodle soup, preserved tuna don, appetizers and pickles.

The food was presented in a lovely manner and we could not wait to attack the food! Despite the almost completely blocked nose, I felt immediate bliss from the first bite… I love Kyoto! 😀

Contact:

  • Location: Higashi-Shiokoji, Shiokoji-Sagaru, Karasuma St, Shimogyou-ku Kyoto-shi, Kyoto-fu 600-8175, Japan 〒600-8175 京都府京都市下京区 烏丸通塩小路下ル東塩小路町
  • Nearest Station: JR Kyoto Station JR京都駅
  • Direction: 3rd floor of Suvaco JR Kyoto Isetan スバコ ジェイアール京都伊勢丹3F
  • Website: www.wakuden.jp/tenpo-hashitate
  • Hrs: 11am – 10pm
Categories: Kyoto, Lunch | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

六厘舎 Rokurinsha @Tokyo Ramen Street

Posted on 30 November 2015 by lendeliz

2015-11-30 19.38.41We had initially wanted to check out イーヨ横丁 Iiyo Yokocho, but somehow ended up 黒塀横丁 Kurobei Yokocho (black-fence alley). However, it looked like a tourist trap with very few customers, and none of the restaurants were appealing to us. We were almost going to settle for one of the nearby restaurant, when hubby recalled that Mr J had mentioned a very famous つけ麺 tsukemen place at Tokyo Ramen Street in Tokyo Station.

Without further ado, we located Tokyo Ramen Street within the massive Tokyo Station, and before I could look for the name of the shop, we spotted the queue 😮 It’s amazing that there were 8 ramen shops here but only one has a snaking queue!

Continue reading →

Categories: Dinner, Tokyo | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

ノア カフェ・銀座店 NOA CAFE @Ginza

Posted on 30 November 2015 by lendeliz

2015-11-30 13.29.20We were looking for a place to rest, and Ms V read about this cafe with excellent, fluffy waffles that tasted like “It was like biting into a crispy cloud“, so that was where we went!

There were 2 branches of NOA CAFE with another one in Harajuku, and apparently this is a popular joint for breakfast among Japanese, and for coffee/dessert break after shopping along the Ginza strip. There are quite a lot to offer on the menu, from waffles to sandwiches, to desserts and mains for breakfast/lunch and coffee/tea/soft drinks/alcohol, and the dining areas are thoughtfully separated into smoking and non-smoking areas.

We had a set of seasonal キャラメルエスプレッソと自家製ティラミスのワッフル Caramel Espresso and Homemade Tiramisu Waffle (¥1100+8% tax with coffee or tea) and a set of キャラメルバナナワッフル Caramel Banana Waffle (¥1000+ with coffee or tea).

The waffles were crispy enough and the tiramisu soft and moist with enough rum. We enjoyed our little escape from the cold as we used the free wifi to plan for our dinner!! 🙂

Contact:

  • Location: 5-8-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan 〒104-0061 東京都中央区銀座5-8-5-B1
  • Nearest Station: Subway Ginza Station 地下鉄銀座駅
  • Direction: Take Exit A5 from station and walk 10secs
  • Website: www.noacafe.jp/ginza
  • Hrs: 8am – 11:30pm
Categories: Coffee/Tea Break, Tokyo | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Half day trip to 築地市場 Tsukiji Fish Market

Posted on 30 November 2015 by lendeliz

2015-11-30 09.47.252015-11-30 09.39.29We did not think that we could wake up in time for the tuna auction, so we did the next best thing, which was to aim for breakfast at 築地市場 Tsukiji Fish Market 😛

We reached the market close to 9am in the morning, and just followed the crowd into the fish market. We had initially wanted to visit the wholesale market first, but our attention were diverted when we spotted the snaking queues at the most popular sushi places (like Sushi Dai, Sushi Daiwa and Sushi Bun) 😮

We saw a more manageable queue at うまい鮨勘 Umai Sushikan, and had previously read online that it was also quite value-for-money, so we decided to join in the queue.

While queuing, I could not help but notice the steaming hot omelette stick that the person in front of us was having, so I bought one to share from a stall in the previous aisle. It felt great to have hot food in the cold!

Continue reading →

Categories: Breakfast, Tokyo, Travel | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

ファーマーズマーケット@国連大学前 Farmer’s Market at UNU @Shibuya

Posted on 29 November 2015 by lendeliz

2015-11-29 13.53.422015-11-29 14.14.04For this trip, we were searching for special events in Tokyo and found that there was a regular weekend farmer’s market at United Nations University.

Hubby was very excited about this, and so we planned to go there for lunch. We had initially thought that we would be snacking there, but it turned out that there was actually an entire section devoted to food, with food trucks, proper tables and seats 😀

We tried:

  • Tomato Ketchup Omu Rice Set (¥800) from 東京オムレツ: This was a hearty portion of omu rice and vegetables. The omulette was fluffy and the tomato fried rice inside was flavourful.
  • Bacon and Egg Pancake (¥450) from Betty’s Pancake: This was a surprised find! The soft and fluffy pancake covered a huge piece of tender bacon, egg mayo and green vegetable to make a very delicious mouthful!

We were pleasantly surprised by the good quality of the food here! Hope that we will have a chance to re-visit next time to try out the other food trucks 🙂

Contact:

  • Location: 5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-0001, Japan 〒150-00001 東京都渋谷区神宮前5–53–70 国際連合大学前広場
  • Nearest Station: JR Shibuya Station 渋谷駅
  • Direction: From JR Shibuya Station take the exit towards Aoyama Dori and walk along Aoyam Dori until you reach UNU.
  • Website: www.farmersmarkets.jp
  • Hrs: 10am – 4pm (Sat-Sun)
Categories: Coffee/Tea Break, Tokyo | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

なんつッ亭・品達店 Nantsuttei Shinatatsu @Shinagawa

Posted on 28 November 2015 by lendeliz

2015-11-28 19.32.14We finally made our last trip of 2015 to the Land of the Rising Sun! And this time we started from Tokyo!

Our first real meal in Tokyo was at Shinagawa. We met JL, who recently started working in Tokyo. Funny that we always meet up when we are out of Singapore… 😛

Anyway, she used the powerful Google Maps to navigate our way to the Shinatatsu Ramen Street 品川駅前「麺達七人衆　品達」. This is an area below the railway tracks of JR Shinagawa Station 品川駅 which has a collection of 7 ramen shops. And Nantsuttei is the first one as you walked into the area (and incidentally one of the only two that were still operating, the others were closed for renovations because of some construction going on at the railway tracks).

Nantsuttei started from Kanagawa and has now quite a number of branches in Tokyo, Thailand and Singapore too (Orchard Central). There is quite a following for its celebrity founder Ichirô Furuya, and judging from the queue that we were seeing at the Shinatatsu branch, this was the ramen for us!

Continue reading →

Categories: Dinner, Tokyo | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Blog at WordPress.com.