First Time Kaiseki Dining

Kaiseki Dinner

I used to be not a big fan of eating in smaller portions; the idea of the joy of eating has to be presented in a buffet style - the grab-all-you-can-eat type of setting -  the bigger, the better. Eventually, the excitement of looking at food in immense portions wore out, and the foodie in me started to crave a wider gastronomic experience.

'Kaiseki' dining is a must experience for every foodie, this opportunity came when I and dear 🐻booked a Ryokan for a honeymoon trip in Japan. Being pregnant at that time and having had a myriad of food to avoid as advised by my physician, the thought of kaiseki dining had made me worried; will the raw fish be safe? can I have a sip of their wine? and will my dear 🐻enjoy it?... Ignoring the voices in my head, I proceeded...with a touch of caution, it's only for one night.

The dining room boasts a panoramic view of their property's garden. We were very lucky to have the window seat to admire the view. The view was not visible during nighttime, but the vision on the table is worth admiring. When the menu of the dinner was handed, I noticed that my dearest 🐻 showed a sign of being intimidated, he was out of his comfort zone, food-wise. Knowing I have the solution for this challenge, I need to ask permission from the fragile blueberry-sized human inside me, I whispered "be strong...I have to eat some of this seafood with a possible few drops of mercury that can possibly harm you...most likely not, you have a portion of my durable cells!" --- for sure pregnant Japanese women have been eating raw fish for years and their life expectancy is one of the longest!

Menu March 2018

*Aperitif*

“Saika”

Plum Wine Produced in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan

*Appetizer*

Tofu Flavoured Fukinoto* And Sesame

With Salmon Egg, Flower of Shiso, Wasabi,

Bamboo Shoot, Shrimp, Fried Fukinoto

*Fukinoto: Japanese Butter Scape

*Soup*

Chicken Soup with Bun of Tofu, Kelp, Ginger

*Sashimi*

Daily’s Special

Shiso leaf (Japanese Herb), White Seaweed, Wasabi

*8 Assorted Dish

Jellied Monkfish / Wasabi Flower / Boiled Herring/

Shrimp Norimaki (A kind of sushi) /

Boiled Beans and Squid / Pickled Japanese Ginger / 

Mille feuille of Bread and Salmon /

Beef, Mitsura & Pine Nuts Dressed with Miso Sauce

*Stewed Dish*

Local Odawara Chicken, Turnip,

Red Konjac & Canola Flower

If you like, dip ingredients into citrus soy sauce,

Green onion and spicy radish.

*Fried Dish*

Fried Local Ashigara Beef and Vegetables

With Curry sauce, Grated Cheese,

Tomato, Green Pepper

*Shimmered Dish*

Yellowtail Flavored Arimani*

*Arimani: Flavor of Boiled Soy Sauce,

Sake & Japanese Green Pepper

*Rice*

*Miso Soup*

*Japanese Pickles*

*Dessert*

“Setoka” Premium Mandarine Orange & Strawberry

The whole thing sounds so foreign to both of us, but I immensely enjoyed the whole experience, I just wished that there will be more of this in my future dining experience.

Sashimi Part of the Menu

To see the whole Kaiseki gallery please click the emoticon: 

☜(⌒▽⌒)☞

Following the Sweet Man's Pilgrim at Hatsune and Kinozen

I love the Japanese show 'Kantaro' from Netflix. It's based on the manga Saboriman Ametani Kantarou, following the (mis)adventures of a book salesman juggling between completing his tasks and indulging his sweet addiction during work hours. What I love about Kantaro is the way he describes his sweets finds, he describes them with passion as if he is making love to them. Kantaro is food porn, period.
After watching one season, I made sure that I have to include at least one of the places that were featured in our Tokyo itinerary.

My Anmitsu

Kanmidoko Hatsune 

Anmitsu

Founded in 1837, it's Tokyo's oldest confectionary restaurant. This joint is known for its Anmitsu.

It was the feature on the show's pilot episode. For the uninitiated, it resembles an ordinary fruit salad drenched on heavy syrup. Anmitsu is a Japanese dessert that has sweet beans, syrup, mochi (rice cake) and agar for the signature ingredients.

It was late afternoon when we arrived at Hatsune, the place is not so busy that we were able to sit where Kantaro sat. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و

Using the best of local ingredients, carefully crafted to achieve perfection, no doubt Hatsune etched to every Tokyo residents' hearts. It's their secret why they exist up to this day, sweetening Tokyo's day since it opened almost 200 years ago.

Iron Kettle

My dear 🐻ordered another kind of sweet bean with mochi dessert; while me I came here for the Anmitsu. 

It was not my first time having a dessert with a medley of ingredients of different textures and flavours; Halo-halo' sans ice, the beloved Filipino snack during the torturous heat of summer, which makes my first bowl of Anmitsu as same as enjoying a glass of good ol' halo-halo.

Matcha Bavarian Cream

Kinozen 

Matcha Bavarian Cream

Pig shaped rice crackers

In the sixth episode, Kantaro discussed a mouth-watering result when east and west work in harmony in a form of the rich Match Bavarian Cream of Kinozen.

Matcha formed into a creamy jello-like consistency, with a side of sweetened bean paste and whipped cream made from Nakazawa cream. It's a product a year long of hard work and experimentation, with trial and error to attain the right consistency of the gelatinous matcha, and finding the suitable sides to complement altogether. It is Kinozen's main attraction.

Unfortunately, It seems Netflix has cancelled Kantaro after its first season. It saddens me that a show that is really close to my heart has been prematurely ended. I will terribly miss seeing him describing his cravings of the day intimately.

.·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·. 

There were also several questions that were left unanswered. Did the 'Sweet Knight' and the 'Sweet Princess' ever meet? What are other joints would Kantaro visit when playing hookie? Did he fulfil his promise to the Almond Tofu?. I can always read the manga version, but nothing matches Matsuya Onoe excellent portrayal of sweet-lusted book salesman.
I'd always say my prayers to the sweet deities for few more seasons. Will my prayers be heard? As Kantaro always say-

Only sweet heaven knows... 八(＾□＾*)

Slice of Heaven in Higashiya Ginza

Somewhere in Ginza there is a modest looking building that house the wonderland of tea parlours. The search for this building started off when I wanted to go for a high tea in Tokyo.

Since afternoon tea is mostly a European custom, I began to wonder if there is a distinctly Japanese fashion in enjoying an afternoon tea. I admire how they put so much thought and care to detail of almost every aspect of their lives. Blend this trait with the formal presentation of high tea and the result would surely be a divine experience.  My search led us to the doorsteps of Higashiya Ginza.

Higashiya Ginza pride itself for their traditional Japanese confectioneries (wagashi), and their original tea blends to match their sweet treasures. I am very familiar with few Japanese confectionaries, but it would be a great experience to try other traditional treats aside from mochis.
Based on my research, Higashiya Ginza is the only place in Metropolitan Tokyo that offers Japanese twist on afternoon tea.

As we stepped out of the elevator, their logo on a drape welcomed us. Behind the drapes, everything is arranged elegantly - from the neat displays of the different wagashi, the glass vials display, wooden furniture, the whole interior of the Higashiya Ginza radiates perfection.

Tea Bar

High Tea in Higashiya Ginza

Our wagashi was served on wood and brass-like tray,  The good thing for me, my dear 🐻is not a big fan of fermented vegetables which means more for me to enjoy. We had one of each when it comes to our treats, all of them - superb, but the one that stood out the most was this:

Their natsume-butter (photo above), is a dried date with walnut and fermented butter stuffing. This treat was so rich that is so decadently addicting. On our way out we decided to bring us a few more for ourselves to enjoy and was hoping that we can bring it home to Canada. But alas, the Natsume-butter has a shelf life of four days! It's funny to think that a decadent treat has a way of telling us that there are some things that are meant to be enjoyed in a limited time.
Higashiya Ginza has opened my eyes to other traditional confectionaries of Japan aside from different kinds of mochis. I can see myself wagashi hopping on my next trip!

Reissue

Visiting this cafe was the main highlight of the day; I pictured myself clearly - me in a charming coffee house, admiring my coffee that was designed by a master latte artist!

There's plenty of coffee places around Metro Vancouver that does latte art, but I haven't encountered who does beautiful frothy sculptures, being in Tokyo where's there a handful of cafe that specialized in latte art, it should be an experienced that I shouldn't miss!

You have arrived!

Reissue Cafe is known for its beautiful masterpieces on their coffee, bring a picture or any image in your mind and few extra hundred ¥; the artist will painstakingly turn your cup of joe into a work of art.  Reissue is located on top of another establishment along the quieter street in Harajuku; once inside I was greeted with a very laidback vibe, I would have probably mistaken it as someone's else house if there's no extra tables around. We were still full from our hearty brunch earlier so we decided to pass from their food in their menu, we are looking forward to the latte art.

My dear husband 🐻ordered to have our baby Concha's photo that we got from his breeder, mine the 3D design - the pink Sugar cubs' character - 'Latte'.

Concha at 3 weeks
Photo credit to Cowboy Up Kennel

Concha on coffee ;)

Unfortunately our orders didn't arrived together, I was hoping that I could get a photo of both orders while the chocolate ink on the froth was still sharp, so pardon my photo of Concha on coffee, the chocolate has (verrry) slightly dispersed. As soon I received the 3D art, I snapped the photo of them side by side right away!

Sugar cubs' Latte and my forever pup Concha

Latte and Concha

Both were beautifully rendered, both tasted great! If I was not pregnant at that time, I would be ordering my second cup of coffee to request for another latte art and for more photos too, I guess sometimes, I can't have too much of the good thing...
They say that having a cup of coffee in a quiet day is one of greatest pleasure in life; having coffee rendered by an artist take this statement to the next level!

The Only 'Bill(s)' That Made Me Smile

Ricotta Hotcakes with fresh banana and honeycomb butter

Metro Vancouver has several names to boast of when it comes to a great brunch; I have been to several of them that my Instagram account has been a testament to my brunch adventures.

One morning, during our second trip to Tokyo, I suggested to my dear husband that we should check what Tokyo brunch scene has to offer; the baby inside seems to want to try a Tokyo brunch experience.

I seemed to noticed that fluffy pancakes are very popular in Japan, so I decided to try to find out what these fluffy pancakes are all about.

Based on my research, this place was dubbed "Best breakfast" by few write-ups on the web; good thing this Sydney-based restaurant chose Tokyo as one of the first cities outside Australia for Bill's international branch. We were planning to visit Reissue Cafe on that day and found out that Bills is just 5 minutes walk from it.

On the way to Bills

Located at the Seventh floor of Tokyu Tower, a short line up had already started to build up by the time we arrived. Not wanting to risk losing our spot, we decided to stay and 15 minutes later our table is ready. I checked the menu to see what else to try but my mind is made up. I came here for their ricotta hotcakes and ordered the herbed garlic mushroom for the side dish.

The pancakes look like flat yellow, pillowy marshmallows on top of the sliced banana. Can't help staring at them, it's nicely plated that I didn't want to eat it right away but my tummy is telling me otherwise. It would've been nice if I am enjoying my latte with a cool 3D design on it!

Pinch me! Pinch me!

Bills' airy interior is very inviting, it's busy without too much of the bustling energy. It would be nice to stay a little bit longer but there's so much exploring of Harajuku area to do, and the queue outside is getting longer. Time to let others have a taste of paradise ♡〜٩( ˃́▿˂̀ )۶〜♡

I finally found the 'Bill(s)' that makes me smile. Next destination...time to have my latte art.

Back in Japan ヾ(o✪‿✪o)ｼ

Before Marvel and DC superheroes I had Son Goku and Voltes 5 to rely on when planet Earth is in danger; my love affair with Japan started early, I remember my younger self wishing to visit Japan if the opportunity presented itself.

Then fast forward to 2018...

A year after our short visit to Narita and Shinjuku, me and 🐻 swore to each other that we will come back to spend more time and explore Japan. We were both hypnotized by Metropolitan Tokyo's crowded streets and flashing city lights, we really fell in love with how Japan balances modernization and old traditions.

There are plenty of Japanese restaurants in Metro Vancouver, and we regularly visit sushi restaurants in our area, I am proud to say that I converted my dear 🐻 into a sushi lover.  Even for a short trip, we aimed to dine in a sushi restaurant in Tokyo and we were very happy to find one in Shinjuku area - Kizuna Sushi.

On March 9 - 21, Japan is our chosen destination for our honeymoon, and me and my dear 🐻, now my husband are looking forward to it; we have already ordered our JR Rail Pass, our sumo tickets, booked ourselves a night in a ryokan with onsen and so much more on our plans, we are now in the process of tweaking our itinerary and for sure it's going to be a busy but lot's fun trip!

Here's one photo of Godzilla greeting us in Shinjuku 

≧(´▽｀)≦   ヾ(´▽｀*;)ゝ”

Godzilla head in Shinjuku

I guess my love affair with Japan goes on, this time I will be sharing it with my dear husband who is the biggest love of my life💕

Day Trip in Naritasan

Our 2017 Philippine vacation had at least 30 hours of layover in Japan, a country that fascinates me for a long time. To make our brief visit to the anime land worthwhile we really did our research thoroughly and worked around from our hectic flight schedule. 

First glimpse of Mt. Fuji

Airport lockers in Narita International Airport

Coming from Oyama Station heading to Narita Airport; we woke up early to avoid the rush hour of Tokyo's transits. It was a hectic ride; several transfers and relying on transit workers for directions. 
Once we arrived in the airport, we placed our luggage in a locker, had a quick Starbucks breakfast and waited our tour guide from Narita Rainbow Tours in the designated meeting place.

Few hours in Narita Airport and want to do something cultural?

Akane showed on-time, warm greetings were exchanged, she gave us a brief information about our trip was about, and we hopped in to our train heading to Downtown Narita.

Naritasan Omotesando -- a charming shopping spot

Lines of shops on the way the temple

The road leading to the historic Naritasan Temple (Omotesando) was filled with rows of shops and restaurants, according to our guide that the road has been busy for centuries; the pilgrims would stop by these shops on their way to the temple and later on tourists came as well. 

The side street of Omotesando is decorated with sculptures of Oriental zodiac, i regret that i was not able to take photos at least one of them 😒. Some shops were setting up, some were closed. Akane was enthusiastic introducing us to the shops' products: from rice crackers, bbq eel (the area's specialty), pickled vegetables and interesting kitchen gadgets; she was very informative about which shop offers samples and which one are popular.
We saw a stand that sells dorayaki--- a small pancake filled with red bean! My 🐻 bought one for us to share; for someone who is used to having sweet bean for a treat, this one is has a subtle sweetness into it and i can taste more of the red bean—it’s soo yummy!

Red bean dorayaki

The entrance to the temple was quite busy with both worshippers and tourists; crowds filled the cleansing stations. 

First cleansing station 

As we walked along Akane explained everything from the rituals of the believers and the brief history of some of the buildings. 


She pointed at the thick piles of wood plaques and explained those are the wishes of the devotees, it ranges from finding significant others, luck in employment, financial and health improvement and passing an exam!

devotees's wishes

Three storied Pagoda

The building that caught my eye was the Three-storied Pagoda, built in 1712 the bright colours of the pagoda were eye catching, we took a closer look, our guide pointed that the pagoda's ceilings were not just painted, it was painstakingly carved, It created a cool 3-D effect! 

Three storied Pagoda's 3-D ceiling

Avoiding the crowd for a little while we walked along the Naritasan garden park, where we fed the healthy inhabitants of the pond---the Kois, it seems that they know what to do when there's human presence nearby, they all swim fast beside the bridge because food will be automatically provided! 





We left the kois satisfied with the crackers, and went to climbed the stairs leading to the Great Pagoda of Peace which housed several historical relics, from old calligraphies, several Buddhist statues, a grand altar, and a time capsule that was signed by several world leaders during the early 80's. It's scheduled to be opened on 2034. 

Great Main Hall

Goma Ritual

Akane informed us it was time to go to the Great Main Hall; following the crowd to witness the Goma Ritual. When we reached the door of the Main Hall, we were instructed to keep our phones and any instruments that could take videos and photographs and remove our footwear. 
Respecting the temple's ettiquette, we joined the crowd who were all kneeling and getting ready for the ceremony; we knelt down and quietly observed what was happening. 
When the ceremony started, we listened to the solemn chanting of the monks, a large drum beaten as they chanted, wood being thrown and burnt, and later on there were monks who collected handbags and purses to wave over the smoke. Must be their way of asking the deities for prosperity and luck.

It was a great honour to be able to experience such a solemn event and learn a bit of history, 

Naritasan Compound

As we were heading out of the Naritasan compound, I was looking forward to seeing the shops along Omotesando once more and planned to take a look inside some shops that were closed when we arrived earlier. Along the way, she showed me more interesting goodies from the other shops.

Chestnuts

Treats in Omotesando

Various flavoured peanuts!

We checked a shop that specialised in desserts and tea ceremony treats and also checked out some of the souvenir shops, I was considering grabbing a Daruma doll but bought myself a kokeshi doll instead and magnet masks for me and my sister. Our tour guide told us to show our transit ticket to the vendor so we can get a discount.
With so much great memories from our day trip, and quite satisfied with our souvenirs; it was time to head back to Narita airport, Akane rode with us going to the airport and we exchange our goodbyes (or till we meet again) when we reached the airport's entrance; the next time i visit Japan for vacation, i will be booking my day trip with Narita Rainbow Tours again.

More of my 2017 Japan Trip check my Facebook Page!

The Yakiniku Virgins

Grill that! 

It's the first day of Dine Out Festival and me and boyfriend (my teddy bear 🐻) decided to try a Japanese style barbecue at Gyu-Kaku, it's something new for both of us considering we've been to several sushi places or Japanese style restaurant around Lower Mainland. My 🐻 enjoyed the idea of cooking our orders in our table, it's a novelty to him and it makes you feel of being more in charge of your dining experience, you have the choice- which one to grill and how much you want to have. In our experience the only blunder that we made is placing the veggies directly on top of the grill instead of placing the foil where they where served on top of the grill. 😅 This blunder resulted to a semi charred veggies though i don't really mind because i also enjoy my veggies raw.

We are Yakiniku virgins!

I would say first time trying a new dish leads to a new experience, and new experience is learning something new! After posting another version of this photo in my Instagram account a follower commented "Japanese bbq= Yakiniku". New Japanese word to add to some of the words that i know: Harigato, Hai!, Gomenasai, Sugoi and few more words...

It's a sign that life is really prepping me to my upcoming trip to Manila and i will be in Tokyo for an overnight layover twice and get to see bit of Narita.

Tokyo, can't wait to see you!!!💕