Monday, July 29, 2019

Cavalock and The Tokyo Summer Treats

When you are in Japan during summer like now, it's also the time for unagi cos summer is all bout fresh and delicious eels. So we were at Tokyo Station one early afternoon and realised we haven't had any eel yet since we arrived. Did a quick search online and found Isesada, an unagi restaurant on the 12th floor of Daimaru Tokyo Station.


A long queue usually means good food and we weren't disappointed at all. Enjoyed it immensely, the unagi didn't come in a blanket of sauce like they usually do back home but we found it already nice and sweet. Did another online search and found some notable reviews for another Isesada restaurant in Nihonbashi. That one's pretty famous and this one's pretty good so I guess they could be related. Know what I'm saying? Oh, and we got a table with a wonderful view of Tokyo station too.


Dessert after that was at the Machimura Farm dessert joint just across the road at Shin-Marunouchi Building. All the desserts are made using dairy products from their farm in Hokkaido. Smooth, milky soft-serve ice cream, just the way we like it in the summer.


So this is becoming a regular thing now. On our way back home, I would pick up a Japanese anthology book at the airport bookstore. This trip's selection is Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edogawa Rampo. Says on the back, "Edogawa Rampo (1894 - 1965) is widely regarded as the father of Japanese mystery writing" and the Journal of Asian Studies regards him as "Japan's foremost writer of mystery and tales of suspense." Sounds good enough for me. But I have yet to read the book as I have busy painting my Warhammer miniatures since I got back, maybe more on that in another post.


Saturday, July 27, 2019

Cavalock and The Tokyo Starbucks Roastery Rendezvous

One of the highlights of this year's Tokyo vacation has got to be breakfast at the new Tokyo Starbucks Reserve Roastery over at Meguro. It's pretty easy to get there. Depending on where you are, you could take the train to Shibuya station. Then head to the Toyoko line. Bit of a walk through the station but if you been to Tokyo before, it's no big deal. Board the Toyoko line train and alight just two stops later at Nakameguro. Head up to the surface and use your Googlemap to find the building. It's a nice stroll down the river, it would had been a lovely walk if it was sakura season as that's where all them sakura trees are. Anyway, just walk straight down the road and you can't miss it.






Now the Baker-at-Home and I have a strange relationship with Starbucks. We used to visit them at least once a week when we were dating then stopped completely once we got our own little apartment. We rather drink our own coffee at home or at kopi tiams and other smaller joints. We just weren't that crazy bout the oversized Starbucks mugs and the watered down, sugar-laden swill sold back home. Too harsh?


But really, even if you aren't a fan of the coffee, you should visit the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo when you are in the city. This is a really cool iconic 4-storey building. I'm no architect or interior designer but I like the design and layout of the place. It's spacious as well as immersive and even though it's crowded it doesn't feel busy and cramped. I can imagine if they open something as big as this in Singapore, the whole place will be swarming with students who will park their asses there the whole day. You don't see such selfish and inconsiderate behaviour in Tokyo.







All that pix is just the ground floor where we had our breakfast, upstairs you got a floor for tea, another that's part of a bar and cold brew coffee, an outdoor terrace and lounge. I had the butterscotch latte that was rather pleasant. Definitely a place to drop by for a unique experience, something different from the usual Tokyo attractions. Go as early as you can on a weekday cos I heard there'll be a queue later in the day. Think they open as early as 7am or 8am.






Monday, July 22, 2019

Cavalock and The Quick Tokyo Fad Observation

Ever since our previous vacation in Tokyo last August, I knew the locals were crazy bout bubble tea. Still, to see that long never-ending queue for Gong Cha last week in the heart of Shinjuku is something to be believed. Remember the American fast food joint Wendy's? They got on their menu bubble tea with tapioca balls called 'jewels' now. After more than a year, the fad is still going strong.


What else did we see with a long queue? Tim Ho Wan! What's interesting wasn't exactly the queue, it was more like where they were. It was the same location where over a decade ago, when we first visited Shinjuku, that was a Krispy Kreme shop that I blogged about! Also with a crazy ass queue! Now it's Tim Ho Wan but there's still a queue. If I recall correctly, there was another tenant after the doughnut folks moved out before Tim Ho Wan took over but I can't remember what or who it was.


Oh, I think I can add one more thing to the list of things I like about Tokyo. Hardly a freakin' PMD in sight on the roads. I never felt for a second that I was in any danger of getting run over by one of those damn things while I was there which is a hell lot more than I can say back home. Now if anyone is keeping track of what's hot in Tokyo, this character appears pretty popular as in lots of shops are selling her merchandise. I assume she's some kind of ... er... motivational speaker.






Sunday, July 21, 2019

Cavalock and The Tokyo Recuperation Vacation

Hey, lookit that! It's a post bout the new Haagen-Dazs flavours in the Japan and that can only mean we were back in Tokyo again! We kinda needed a break from me recovering from me operation if that makes sense. I guess after being bedridden and home bound for two whole months, me and the Baker-at-Home just felt that we wanted to get out, like really really out of the country. Heh.




I really really wanted to have that Cherry Custard Pie ice cream but was either too full or didn't walk back past any convenience store! Cherry Custard Pie!!! I can't imagine how that's gonna taste but I really regretted not having it. Hah!

Lychee and Raspberry sounded interesting too. But ya gonna remember ya ain't young anymore, eating all that ice-cream can't be good for ya.


Even though it's the start of summer here in Tokyo, the weather wasn't exactly hot and sunny. It was the opposite as in being rainy and cloudy although temperature-wise it was great, hovering around the lower 20s. Fortunately the rain was light and powdery, a slight drizzle here and there that didn't hinder the vacation at all.


Thursday, July 11, 2019

Cavalock and The Mystery of the Disappearing Ducks

And then there were none... well, that's what I'm assuming by the time this gets posted. My last post bout the whistling ducks at Garden by the Bay, there were nine ducklings well, last week me Dad was there and there were six, couple days later four. I'm guessing by now there won't be any more ducklings left. I heard it could be a snakehead fish gobbling them up one a day (or night), my Dad says it could be a monitor lizard lurking in the Garden. C'est la vie non?




Kinda early but it's that time of the year again when the wash pole patriot is back in action. Can't believe its like a decade since I started snapping this annual pix. Hah!


Wednesday, July 03, 2019

Cavalock and The Post Gym Lunch Options

Absolutely gutted to learn that Meidi-Ya supermarket will be gone from Liang Court by the end of the year. I know they got a new outlet down the road over at Great World City but I heard it's dreadfully small compared to the current one at Liang Court. I guess I'll have to drop by one of these days to take a look. 

On the good news side, there's a new eatery right next to me gym at Raffles Place. Kipos opened an outlet at One Raffles Place and it's me first time having them and after two trips, they kinda won me over. I'll still do Daily Cut so for now post-gym lunch will be spilt between the two. They got a pretty neat selection. Metal cutlery and decent tables and chairs too! But it ain't perfect, it's a little more expensive than Daily Cut and paying by cash is a hassle.




A family of whistling ducks was spotted at Garden by the Bay and me 85-year-old Dad managed to snap a couple hundred shots of them. Hope you guys like them.