Cavalock and The Not So Meatless Monday Post

Wait, what? Did someone say Meatless Monday? Well, it sure ain't me cos this Tokyo post is gonna be as meaty as can be. We pretty much stumbled unto On-Yasai Shabu Shabu in Shinjuku on our first night here. Up the stairs we climbed as it's kinda stashed away and actually a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside. Nicely packed on the both nights we were there. Yah, we returned several nights later with friends. It took us awhile to remember that they have a branch here in Singapore too.

Go with the recommended Tou-nyu Dashi (organic soy milk) broth, it's the white one in the above pix. It's tastes great, subtle and not overpowering. There's an all-you-eat menu but we went for the sets. What else can I say about Japanese beef that hasn't really been said? My suggestion is stuff yourself silly with them whenever you are here. You often hear folks hyping bout the sushi and sashimi here but don't forget the other meats.

And now this. Japanese menus and menu boards, they are everywhere and I just can't get enough of them. So much to learn.

Cavalock and The Return of The Obligatory Food College

I had to do this. Did it for my last couple of overseas trips so here we go again, it's the obligatory Tokyo food college for the second time this year! Geez, I lost count of the amount of amazing food I had. I have already attributed 10 posts (not counting this!) so far to this latest trip and I do ask myself if folks out there are tired of reading them. Then I also wonder how many people actually do read this blog. Heh, to the few who do drop by, thanks again for putting up with my ramblings. You know who you are. <^;^>

And now this. Spent a wonderful afternoon reliving my childhood at the Sesame Street 45th Anniversary exhibition at Nihonbashi Takashimaya. A truly mesmerising collection of puppets, props and memories. Which leads me once again to asking, "why can't we ever have anything like this here?".

Cavalock and The Coffee Jelly Enthrallment

Coffee Jelly!!! A simple yet highly addictive dessert that I just can't get enough of whenever I'm done with a heavy Japanese meal. It's usually a toss-up between this or some matcha concoction. Coffee jelly is exactly what it is. A popular Japanese dessert created back during the Taisho period in the 1910s, it's a glob of jello made from sweetened coffee and served with cream or condensed milk.

While in Tokyo, it was my second choice for best takeaway dessert after the city's amazing Haagen-Dazs selection. We even bought a box from Gateau Festa Harada while getting our usual bread snack fix there. Comes with little creamer packs too and with the DIY part, it's really convenient to enjoy it anytime back home.

Another dessert snack I had was the popular cheese tart by Bake. It's a Sapporo brand of cheese tarts and they have a shop not far from our hotel in Shinjuku. It's apparently baked from three different cheeses and they taste so light and fluffy! To savour the cheese tart at its finest, you must eat it while it's still hot and fresh out of the oven.

And now this. You know you got a serious hard-on for Lego when you spend almost S$50 on an official Lego iPhone 6 Plus case in Tokyo, even though you don't even own an iPhone 6 Plus.

Cavalock and The People-Watching Patisserie

Ever since our first visit to Tokyo a decade ago, its amazing selection of desserts have been tempting and luring us back like some mythological Siren. We used to frequent supermarket basements or "depachika" during those early trips but have since kinda "upgraded" to more specialised dessert joints like the famous patisserie Hidemi Sugino at Kyobashi.

Some of the best French pastry you'll ever find in Tokyo is right here. It's like if you only have time to visit one French pastry cafe here, this is it! But first you gotta find it as it's nicely tucked in a rather narrow and quiet street. Once you step in, you'll be greeted by a dazzling myriad of gorgeous delicate cakes. I won't pretend to possess the culinary vocabulary needed to praise every single one of them except to say that you can't possibility go wrong with whichever one you choose. Our bill for 3 cakes, coffee and tea was almost S$39.

But believe it or not, the highlight of my first visit here (baker-at-home has already been there once) was observing the other patrons. As it was the National Day long weekend, I wasn't that surprised to spot another Singaporean couple a few tables away. But what was interesting was how young they were. They appeared to be in their late teens, early twenties tops. Hey, I'm all for spending daddy's and mommy's money (heh) but when you start that young by flying your dates to cities around the world, you sure are setting the relationship bar real high. <^:^>

Then there were these two young attractive Japanese ladies seated at separate tables across the room. We believe they were food critics or writers. They were served a parade of Hidemi Sugino's masterpieces one after another. We counted four each and still going on strong after we left! The way they each gingerly dissect every piece then sniff and carefully examine them up close, followed by a flurry of note-taking. All before taking that first bite. It's like an episode of CSI: Food Forensic Detectives. More importantly, I don't think they snapped a single shot of their pastries!

And now this. Fake olive trees for sale in Tokyo. I swear if I can find them here I would grab a pot, dunno why but I'm simply fascinated with them. Maybe cos they remind me of my trip to Tuscany.