STROLLING DOWN MEMORY LANE: TOKYO FOOD TRIP




(Shown here with my mom and siblings, in traditional japanese summer robes. "Yukata" Daddy was the photographer. We were "imprisoned" in a Japanese Traditional Inn "Ryokan" in Hakone. Food was forgettable but the Japanese spa "onsen" was all worth the trip! Gladly, Sadako wasnt there to spice up our trip!)


I lived in Japan for almost a year. I was browsing through my pictures yesterday and suddenly, I begun to realize how I missed the food back there. Nowhere in Manila can you find alternatives that even come close. My eyes grew big looking at these pictures and then I felt sad that it may take a while before I can go back there and taste these treats again. So, I just want to share my agony with you all. How misery loves company indeed....

Okay, let me start with the desserts.. Japanese people also have a sweet tooth, much like us Filipinos. So I binged on desserts each and everytime. There were Haagen Dazs Ice cream stands everywhere, and your local convenience store "kumbini" ice cream delights. But when it came to cakes and other baked goodies, nothing compared to my favorite bakeshop... GINZA COZY CORNER!!!

This Ginza Cozy Corner branch is located at the Central Tokyo Station.



I especially loved their Neapolitan Pie and Mille Feuille. The sweetness of their cakes were just right. If you order the cakes to go, they will ask you how long will the cake go without refrigeration since they will pack your cakes with dry ice, that can stay for 30minutes or whichever amount of time you will need to get home. So your cakes won't collapse in the heat. A classic case of Japanese customer service, remarkable!




This was taken at the Starbucks- Carrefour Makuhari branch.

Yah yah, I know... I'm in Japan, and I still go to Starbucks. But wait, they serve the best Green Tea "Matcha" Frappuccino ever!! You can taste the strong green tea flavor mixed well with the creamy ice cream consistency. This is the only place in the world I will order the Matcha Frappuccino. And that's a promise!

Among their great baked goods are the Chocolate Chip Cookies and all their other cookies and the Poppy Seed and Cream Cheese Squares. Yuuuummmmm!

Take note though, that the Scones that I was eating here didn't taste any good. I put up a good acting job and made it look delicious hehehe..




This photo was taken at Kyoto Cafe, located at the first level of Roppongi Hills, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan.

And what does Kyoto Cafe serve? Tofu Ice Cream!! I am not kidding! It might interest you to know that they call it U-fufu! Hahahaha... But let me tell you, I ride the train for over an hour and several transfers just to get my tofu ice cream treat. I think it costs about Y500.


The best almond jelly ever produced can be found in Japan! Ironic isn't it? But for my standards, this is the best. How do I know? Because I never enjoyed eating almond jelly! But this one, I savored down to the last drop



Try it at the Suiran Restaurant, Hotel Springs Makuhari, several steps away from the Kaihin-Makuhari Station, along the Keiyo Line



Now let's move on to the serious stuff. Hardcore Japanese fastfood fixes....




PEPPER LUNCH

A sumptuous, sizzling juicy steak at a press of a button? Seriously, I would pick Pepper Lunch anytime of day, and twice on Sundays, over any steakhouse around! Here's how you go about it. You take a pick of what steak lunch you would like from a menu with electronic buttons, which will issue you a receipt/coupon. You will then be given a token that will ring and light up when your order is ready. The steak is half-cooked and sizzling when it is served, then you can mix/ stir fry the vegetables and the rice, together with your steak, to absorb the beef drippings. Hay, I am getting so hungry. The choicest cut will cost you about Y1200.




YOSHINOYA

This is the real thing baby! White fluffy rice "gohan" topped with thin strips of beef or pork ( because they had a beef ban the last time I was there so they shifted to pork.) Then season it with Kikkoman and garnish it with red ginger "gari." And voila, you have a satisfying delicious lunch "gyudon" for Y280 then. That's for this "small" bowl.



RINGER HUT

What you see above is the Sara Udon, crispy fried nagasaki champon noodles served with a thick soy based sauce and topped with crispy vegetables, pork strips, shrimps and fish roll. They serve this piping hot, and you can order Japanese dumplings "gyoza" on the side. For a "small" plate, it used to cost us Y380.



And the one I miss the most.... TENYA!

The best tempura in the world! Hands down. The picture shown here is the basic dish at Tenya, Jotendon. It costs Y580 then. Two pieces of Ebi Tempura drizzled with Tenya's special sauce on top of a heaping serving of Japanese Rice. It comes with a serving of miso soup. Getting your hands on this dish during lunchtime is like harakiri! Tenya branches are jampacked during the unholy hour of lunch. When you take a bite, you'll know why.

This is too much torture. If I had the luxury of time and money, I'll be strolling the busy streets of Tokyo right now, having my share of each and every item on this entry. But then I wake up, and find myself munching on a slice of whole wheat bread and downing a bottle of purple Gatorade.

But well, dreaming is for free...

HOUSE, M.D.

I spent my late afternoon yesterday watching Season 3 of House, MD, starring Hugh Laurie, Lisa Ederstein, etc. One of my favorite TV Series of late. I have seen all of Seasons 1 and 2. I was able to find a copy of the latest season, so I was eager to watch all of it! But I managed only to see 3 episodes since I ended up sleeping almost half of yesterday, because I wasn't feeling well due to the unpredicatable weather.

Dr. Gregory House, played by Hugh Laurie, is a brilliant diagnostician, who believes only in himself and his brilliance at detecting the most obscure of illnesses. Despite his unprofessionalism and faulty people skills, not to mention his heavy dependence on Vicodin, his colleagues tolerate these shortcomings to have a piece of his mind.

For me, Laurie effectively depicts the seeming contrast of House's person, as the physician who gets the job done despite his unfeeling attitude towards his patient. He pushes this insensitivity to the point of humor. But at times, you would empathize with the patients and their relatives, especially when House resorts to fishing expeditions to find out the patient's illnesses, thus bringing the poor victims to mere guinea pigs. The rest of the cast complements the strong character that is House, playing true to their roles at the backdrop, making House, M.D., such a joy to watch. This is true, even half the time, you try to catch up with their scientific terms and highly-technical jargon.