Kitty Solo in Japan 2015 Day 13 and 14

Asparagus Bacon Bread, Black Honey Muffin, Wheat Bread with Cheese, and Picked Vegetable Rice Ball

All I can say is....CARBS CARBS CARBS.

School Lunch

Kitsune udon, tonjiru soup, vegetables and milk (gotta stay lactose tolerant). This lunch was not even $8 USD.

Traditional Kyoto Dinner

It was a busy day that day, but still managed to go to Osaka again. This time the Daimaru 14th Floor was visited. My companions and I were feeling for a healthy dinner, so we opted for this restaurant. Unfortunately I do not recall the name but these types of restaurants are fairly common. For about $23 USD this set meal includes a variety of pickled vegetables, miso soup (unlimited refills), tororo, two types of grilled fish (I chose a mackeral and cod), rice (unlimited refills), tea (you can also put this in your rice to make it an ochazuke), and warabi mochi for dessert. It was a well crafted and delicious dinner. The portions may look small but after finishing everything in the set I definitely was not hungry at all. I really recommend trying these types of restaurants if possible to get a taste of Kyoto.

Afterwards I went on my own in search of dessert. The other day while passing by the Lucua department store at Osaka Station I noticed Max Brenner Chocolate Bar. It seemed very popular with a line running out of it. I was only able to nab a chocolate drink to go. I thoroughly enjoyed it since it was not overly sweet yet not overly thick like most drinking chocolate, so I had to return, and return I did to try their other things.

Store Front

Mixing Chocolate

Mint Chip Chocktail

Worth It

It was difficult to choose what I wanted to try. There were crepes, chocolate pizzas (topped with marshmallows), chocolate syringes, but my eyes fell upon chocktails...chocolate cocktails I suppose. There are no alcohol in any of their chocktails though. What their chocktails do offer is a variety of chocolate blends. I decided on a seasonal flavor that wasn't available on the main menu: the Mint Chocolate Chip Chocktail. It was a blend of drinking chocolate, ice, chocolate ice cream, mint chocolate ice cream that sits on the surface which is topped by a chocolate shell that hardens shortly after being poured onto the ice cream. Max Brenner has branches in the East Coast but if you're not traveling there anytime soon and happen to be in Japan......GO HERE!

Of course while at the Daimaru department store's basement....I came across a MON CHER PATISSERIE BRANCH! So I bought half of a mango dojima roll cake. The attendant asked me how many forks I needed. I sheepishly lied to her saying I needed two.........

More Mon Cher

Mango Roll Cake

This was even better than the fruits roll (perhaps because right now is the season of mangos?) and now you can see what an un-ruined dojima roll cake look like.

I also bought another strawberry daifuku on my way home. I think I'm on a side journey to find the perfect strawberry daifuku.

Strawberry Daifuku

The Inside of Strawberry Daifuku

This one had whipped cream instead of the traditional red bean filling. As much as I like whipped cream, I was not a fan of this combination. The stall at Nishiki Market still reigns supreme.

Lunch Buffet

The following day was another field trip day. We ate at a buffet by Kyoto Station. It was all right...it had a variety of fanfare such as tempura, salads, stir fries, egg rolls, tofus.

Kyoto Aquarium's Sea Salt Vanilla Monaka

Next part of the field trip was the Kyoto Aquarium. I noticed this little guy hanging around at one of the kiosks. Isn't he so cute?

Penguin Shaped!

It was a monaka! Monaka is like an ice cream sandwich....but rather than cookies surrounding it, it's a thin wafer that completely surrounds the ice cream.

Penguin no More

I barely tasted the sea salt, but I always vote yes for ice cream...especially in the hot summers of Japan.

Matcha and Agar Jelly Noodles with Light Black Honey Syrup

Next part of the field trip was the ever famous Kiyomizu-dera! And like many temples whether you visit this one or the Golden Pavilion, be sure to stop by the little tea shops and try authentic matcha while enjoying the view or even some cold refreshing dessert too.

Afterwards the class dispersed and I headed down back towards Gion in order to meet with an old friend of mine. There was a parfait place I wanted to check out that seemed to have its name pop up more than a few times: Gion Kinana. They're known for their incorporation of soybean flour in their ice creams. To be honest this place is quite hard to find if you don't have internet. It lies in the heart of Gion but in a maze of high end restaurants as well. I highly recommend using either the internet or pre-printing google map directions from the station ahead of time.

Gion Kinana

Kinana Pon Parfait

This parfait came with warabi mochi, red bean, mochi, two ice creams (I got sesame and green tea that day), a biscuit and topped with a chestnut. Hojicha also comes served with the parfait. It was a good parfait with a crisp clean taste. Ice cream was slightly on the icier side. Overall I think if you have time to explore I recommend this place. Otherwise if you're in a jam packed schedule I would recommend Tsujiri or Nakamura Tokichi since they have much easier access.

Afterwards my friend and I walked down Gion and he pointed out that there was a good tart shop. When I saw where he pointed it looked like a shop that was filled with tourist trap products. However looking closely I noticed there was a hallway that had a dimly lit entrance at the end.

Cafe Comme Ca

Indeed it was a hidden gem in there. You walk up a set of sleek modern stairs to find yourself in a very wide open cafe. If you turn right and walk further down past the cash register and around the corner you'll see the display case of absolutely gorgeous and glistening tarts with an array of fruits on top.

Orihime Tart

I chose the Orihime Tart (in celebration of Tanabata) which featured lychee and figs. Like many Japanese dessert places it was not overly sweet, the custard wasn't overbearing, and tasting fruit in a country where it's such a luxury item....well at this point of the trip I did sorely miss fruit. This is a good resting spot for anyone tired from the heat. Their tarts are refreshing.

Afterwards....we decided to eat DINNER....and what better way to graze than go to an izakaya? The one my friend recommended to me was actually located literally next to my apartment. If only I was inclined to drink, it would have been so convenient. Otherwise the izakaya is known as: Shirokiya (aka White Tree Shop). It turned out to be a decent and fairly common branch of izakaya.

Tablet Menu

What better way to order than a touch screen menu that sends your order directly to the kitchen without the hassle of social interaction with your waiter. No really I'm serious. This is brilliant. 

Grilled Pickled Mackeral

Green Onion Pancake

Variety of Yakitori

Gyoza

Yellowtail Tataki

Overall it was a fine establishment to snack and be merry with beer. Izakayas are fairly accessible these days. Menus are either in this nice tablet with pictures...or giant menus with pictures....or if you're in a town like Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka many places will offer English menus as well. Just point and go. Don't be afraid to encounter something different! For all you know you might find something you like......for me it was definitely the grilled pickled mackerel. The slight acidity with the grilled taste of fish.....works!

Kitty Solo in Japan 2015 Day 11 and 12

At this point I was pretty much done with baked goods for the time being. For breakfast my favorite combination has become a drink and a rice ball.

Yuzu Lemonade and Konbu Onigiri

This yuzu lemonade is one of the few things I will sorely miss most. Yuzu is it's on citron in respect. It has the sourness of a lemon yet the sweetness of a lime. Needless to say I'm partial to try anything yuzu flavored. By the way this yuzu lemonade is only available in 7-11. As for the onigiri.....it is time to enjoy not paying $1.50+ for them.

Not So Cheap Snack

I skipped lunch today (GASP) because I was taking many of the students to eat all you can eat shabu shabu with me. So I spent the better part of the afternoon lounging around the dorms. I did get rather hungry and succumbed to a snack from the vending machine. It was very small and lasted very briefly.....

When then the time finally came we all migrated to the restaurant. This was a local place in Kusatsu called Kin no Buta aka Golden Pig. I believe it's a chain so it will not be the only Golden Pig you'll see around Japan.

Konbu Dashi Broth and Yuzu Dashi Broth

They allow for 2 flavors of broth max. The flavors to choose from were Original (Konbu Dashi aka seaweed dashi), Collagen Broth (.....for your face? health? longevity? youth? I stayed clear away from that one), Spicy Szechuan Broth (no GERD today please), Yuzu Dashi Broth, Chicken Milk Broth (not literally chicken milk...the chickens' bones were literally boiled down until the broth became milky), and Tomato Bisque Broth. I really wanted to try the chicken bone and bisque broths but in order to sustain eating all you can eat shabu shabu longer .... the original and citron bases were the way to go.

Racks of High Grade Pork

To be honest this place was a bit more expensive than I expected. Granted they are using higher grade pork, and they were indeed rather delicious pieces of pork. Downside to this place was that they started delivering the meat rather slowly. It could either be some shady tactic to slow down customers or it may have been because I had about nineteen other students with me which overwhelmed the staff. I'd like to believe in the latter. Upsides to this place was that it was not just the shabu shabu that was all you can eat but all of their different appetizers and salads and other vegetables to put into the pot. They weren't measly appetizers either....the tempura was of decent quality and our salads had bits of nuts, a variety of shredded vegetables, and even.....potato chips.

Parfait

You even get a choice of one dessert at the end. The buffet price at the time was 3030 円 which at the time roughly rolls down to ($25.25). Pretty good deal since back at home it's around the same price but getting more bang for your buck. Kin no Buta I may return to you next year....I promise to bring less students.

Peach Tea

The next day I wanted to try a new drink. I decided on this Peach Tea which is made by the same brand who makes my beloved bottled milk tea drink. It was way way way too sweet and artificially peach flavored. I don't recommend this.

Nutritious Bento

My tummy felt better when I had this bento box. It consisted of all sorts of vegetables (which by the way is very lacking in Japanese cuisine if you're not dining inside a family's home) and two kinds of rice. The vendor is a local family practice who also sells vegetables grown in his own farm. He advertised this bento and nutritious and delicious. Well well well................guess he was right.

Pudding

Tried the pudding that was sold at the campus store. One of the best puddings I've had. Took a lot of self control to not buy one every day. This was the more expensive brand. I should buy some of the cheaper brands and do a blind test to see if there really is a difference. For science.

Today I had enough time to make a trip to Osaka. I didn't really have a particular goal but to wander around the station. Some of you may scoff at me for hanging around a train station on my free time but for those of you who have gone to major train stations like Osaka Train Station....it is no small feat. There are numerous malls and department stores either attached or right next to the station and of course endless eateries. One can easily spend an entire day there. Anyway I went into the Daimaru basement and what did I find.

Zunda!

Zunda! What is Zunda? Zunda is a sweet edamame paste, famous in the Sendai region of Japan. I truly regret not trying their zunda mochi since it required refrigeration, so I had to eat it when I got home (and I already had two cakes in my hands at the time). So the next best thing I got was....

Zunda Shake

A zunda shake! To think that there was such a thing as edamame milk shake. To be honest this only really had a hint of edamame taste...which I really enjoyed. By the end of it I really wished there was even more edamame taste. Otherwise it was a fun snack.

Next it was to hunt for dinner. Eating out in Japan is a terrible terrible first world problem There are too many good things around that it becomes hard to choose what to eat. One thing I'll never get tired of though is gyutan (aka beef tongue) This place seemed good, so I went in.

Tip: Anytime you go anywhere the best way to find out if a place is good or not is just to go in. It's ok if it doesn't end up being amazing meal. Because from now on you'll know it's just an ok or not a good place to eat. Because you'll never know if you'll hit jackpot and end up finding something amazing either. Failure in some aspects is just as valuable as success.

Today's adventure took place in Grand Front Osaka's 7th Floor which is basically the restaurant floor.

Kisuke Aji no Gyutan

Beef Tongue

Overall was it good beef tongue? Yes. Have I had better? Yes. This was definitely not a bad place. The tongue was still soft and juicy but it lacked flavor...it lacked zest....it lacked what we call in Chinese 'wok hei', breath of the wok...but I suppose in this case it lacked the breath of charcoal. Regardless I left the restaurant mildly satisfied.

The next restaurant I ventured to was Kitchen Omiya. This place actually had a lot of good ratings. I was excited to try it out when I went through the pictures. I had limited stomach space so I had to choose wisely.

White Wine Steamed Mussells

I think for the price of 900 円 ($7.5) I receved a decent portion of these mussels. The mussels themselves were very plump, but a tad over steamed and more on the chewy side. The wine sauce was all right.....very mild broth taste.

Omelette Rice

I love omelette rice....which means I judge a bit harder when I eat omelette rice anywhere. Presentation wise Kitchen Omiya gave omelette rice a very classy look with the tomato and sprig of greens on top. Unlike a lot of places I've dined at the omelette rice was not drowning in a sauce. It merely had two ladles of sauces...a cream sauce and a demiglace sauce. First the egg: it was very smooth...like one very smooth blanket....no lumps or bumps which means it was not overcooked. The rice: tomato based rice, good for what it was but nothing particularly special. The sauces: they were definitely not out of a can ....the cream sauce was very fresh and light while the demiglace sauce had a deep and slightly charred flavor. The sauces were what impressed me most about this dish, that it was made specially in house from scratch. Overall I prefer my omelette rice to have super fluffy runny eggs but I respect Kitchen Omiya's take on omelette rice.

So I mentioned earlier that I had cakes in my hands which prevented me from buying  zunda mochi. Earlier in the day I had to stop by this shop before it closed...it was Mon Cher Patisserie! I vaguely remember reading about it in an article internet how their Dojima roll cakes were famous. I love roll cakes. Which means I had to try it.

Store Front

Assortment of Dojima Rolls

I honestly wanted to buy the entire store. But alas I had to choose. I couldn't try the plain one because that meant I had to buy half of a roll cake. I wasn't too keen on investing in half of a roll cake quite just yet.

Super Pretty Box

Fruit Roll

First of all....it may look kind of gross in this picture because it had to endure about 3 hours of me carrying it around shops and restaurants. So for 3 hours of hustling and bumping I'm impressed that this roll cake even maintained itself remotely. Not to mention I accidentally dropped it back into the box when I first picked it up before I took this picture. ANYWAY. This cake was AMAZINGLY DELECTABLE. The sponge cake was so light and airy and the cream....oh the cream......it rivals my love for Starbucks' whipped cream....everything about this little fruit roll cake was heavenly.

Happy Pouch

Do you know why this is called a Happy Pouch? Because there's cheesecake in this Happy Pouch. Not the super heavy cheesecake but the super light and fluffy not too sweet or sour cheesecake. And the Happy Pouch itself was made of a finely thin crepe like wrap. And nothing was more honest than calling this the Happy Pouch.

Kitty Solo in Japan 2015 Day 10

Today I ventured to Maibara to visit a long time friend. Waking up early and going to the train station really means going to Mister Donut. They had a couple of new flavors I wanted to try.

Black Sugar Pon de Ring (left) Double Chocolate (right)

Both were good in their own ways. The black sugar Pon de Ring tasted like sugar coated Pon de Ring. Didn't have that lingering subtle sweetness that original Pon de Ring has. The double chocolate was certainly very chocolatey almost like a brownie. In the end I still like original Pon de Ring the most.

Shop Front of Suehiro

An old friend of mine took me to Nagahama. They have a restaurant famous for Oyako Don but when we got there the line was ridiculous and he was on a time crunch. We walked around this quaint little town and found this place called Suehiro. The menu looked good so in we go.

Gyu Don Lunch Set

I ordered the beef bowl. Many restaurants including this one advertised using beef from Ohmi. Each bite of this beef rice bowl was pretty darn amazing. The beef was so soft and not because the restaurant cheaped out using fatty parts of leftover beef but truly because the quality of this beef is high. They were not stingy on how much beef they gave you either! The salad had a great dressing too....!!

Ordinary Looking Soft Cream Stand

Nagahama is famous for glass making craft. There were many little shops to look at. Passing by this very ordinary soft cream stall after lunch...I saw the advertisement of using 12% raw cream. There was a line for it too. If there is a line it's always a good indication that it's worth trying

Cremes Soft Cream

Holy cow. This creaminess of this soft serve is unbelievable!!! I have to admit it was a rather expensive soft cream. Most soft creams are around ¥350 but this one was a whopping ¥500. WORTH IT. Plus the cone isn't a regular sugar cone. It's like this buttery delicious shortbread cone that supplements this sorcery.

I parted ways with my friend and had an evening to myself. Since I was already at Kyoto Station I decided to hit a few places that's been on my list, namely Tsujiri Tea House. Their original branch is in Gion but they recently opened up a store in Isetan Department Store 6th floor.

Tsujiri Cafe Store Front

Tsujiri Tokusen Parfait

This is a fairly famous place that specializes in green tea products. Of course that means trying their supreme green tea parfait. The anatomy of this parfait as follows:

Green tea whipped cream
Green tea Castella cake
Chestnut
Green tea ice cream
Shirotama mochi
Green tea jelly
Green tea sauce
Cream

This parfait is to be taken seriously. Line can get a little long but nothing compared to a newly opened hipster restaurant in San Francisco. I like both Tsujiri and Nakamura Tokichi. Anyone should go try both places. For science.

Katsukara Store Front

Of course after dessert, dinner comes afterwards. I had to revisit one of my favorite restaurants: Katsukara. It specializes in deep fried pork cutlets aka deep fried juicy crack aka yandere relationship with my arteries.

Various Sauces

You're provided with different sauces:
Ponzu citron sauce for salad (top left)
Mustard (bottom left)
Koikuchi sauce (dark soy) (middle)
Tonkatsu sauce (right)

Fresh Sesame Seeds

You're given seeds to grind and use it in combination with the sauce to dip your tonkatsu cutlet. Highly recommended to do this. It will bring you closer to enlightenment.

Tonkatsu Pork

Look at this succulent specimen. Perfectly breaded. Not dry. No mind games or playing hard to get. This cutlet is here for you.

Set Meal

Did I mention this set meal includes unlimited salad, rice, and soup?

Complimentary Pickles

UNLIMITED KYOTO PICKLES.

This is located on the 11F of the JR station.  It's so conveniently located how can you not go. Weekend lines are terrible though since this place is famous for a reason. By the way this meal was around ¥1800 aka less than $20.