Archives for : April2013

Breakfast in Kyoto

Following up from the previous post. Here is our breakfast the next day.

breakfast kyoto

Traditional Kyoto Cusine

On our 6th night in Japan we stayed in a traditional Ryokan located in Old Gion, Kyoto. With Ryokans you are commonly charged for the whole service/stay and dinner. We were treated to a lovely traditional Japanese dinner which featured an array of seafoods.

kyoto cuisineOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA kyoto cuisine

For those who have never had a traditional dinner in a Ryokan before. Basically what happens is that you sit in your room on the tatami mats, and someone comes to your room and serves you dinner in your room. I highly recommend it as a must-do Japanese experience.

kyoto cuisine kyoto cuisine

Yakiniku: Japanese Charcoal BBQ

We were in Ikebukuro on a cold night so we decided to have something hot to eat. Our choice was a Japanese Charcoal BBQ restaurant. Also very easy to order. Just point to the pictures, and you cook the meat yourself on the charcoal grill on your table.

Yakiniku

 

I can’t remember exactly what we had but what I remember is: intestine, heart, liver, corn, pork sausages, pork ribs,  thinly sliced beef, bacon etc. I grew up eating the ‘regular’ pieces of meat as well as the other stuff, so the notion of eating  something like chicken liver is not off putting to me. It’s such a waste to just eat particular parts of an animal and not eat the rest, because they tend to be the more tender, and less bland cuts of meat.

 

Yakiniku

 

Yakiniku

 

Yakiniku

 

We finished the meal with some berry ice cream and a sundae in waffle cone.

Berry Ice-Cream Ice cream Sundae

Tonkatsu: A Modern Classic

Deep fried pork cutlet is one of those modern classics. Really simple, but very delicious.

Tonkatsu

As shown above. Typically it is served with rice, a side of cabbage, and some Miso soup. I would recommend having it (the pork cutlet) with “Sosu” sauce. It will be in a brown pot that looks like a tea pot (Don’t get it confused like I did, and pour it into your tea cup…)

Tonkatsu :)

Lotteria: Fast Food in Japan

One thing I recommend doing in Japan is eating at a fast food restaurant. You know – just to compare.

Lotteria is a fast food restaurant found in many places around Japan, especially Tokyo. Ordering is really easy if you don’t speak any Japanese. Just point to the picture and say “this please!”.

I ended up ordering the “Hangover” series Prawn/Shrimp burger meal .Wow!

Lotteria: Prawn Burger Meal

Prawn Burger ( Hangover series)

Soy Sauce & Butter Popcorn

I was at Disneyland, Tokyo and could not resist but try this. Sounds strange. Tastes pretty good.

Soy Sauce and Butter Popcorn

Soy Sauce and Butter Popcorn

Sweet Corn Soup

Let’s continue with yesterdays theme of hot vending machine drinks with some – Hot Sweet Corn Soup.

Sweet corn soup

 

Sorry about the shitty image. We had been walking around Ginza for ages trying to find the Ginza Crossing and a focused image was the last thing on my mind.

 

Hot Red Bean Soup in a can by Asahi

Hello World!

Welcome  to my very first blog post of the year. I am new to this, so please bare with me in the meantime as  I become accustomed to the world of blogging.  I promise to deliver new, unique, and interesting content on regular basis – so please come back frequently for updates!

It is known by many beer lovers that Asahi – along with Sapporo are amongst two of the largest breweries and beer manufacturers in Japan. But what about the other stuff?

Today I introduce to you – Red Bean Drink by Asahi.

Red Bean Drink

I bought this from a vending machine in Tokyo, Japan.  By the way, it is a HOT drink.Who would’ve thought? A hot drink from a vending machine. But it makes a lot of sense when you are freezing your tookus off.

In terms of taste, I would say  it is pretty close to the real thing. Much more red bean than I expected. Although it is closer in texture and thinner like the Chinese version rather than the Japanese Oshiruko version.