Rakaposhi

Sometimes taking the ‘wrong path’ leads to unexpected discoveries. On our day-trip to Kamakura, I turned left instead of right at the train station, thinking I would find the bustling shopping street full of restaurants for lunch. Instead, we found a local shopping street and a real gem. Rakaposhi is one of the most beautiful cafes I’ve ever been to. It’s half-florist, half-cafe, and their menu is full of fascinating culinary delights. All lunch options come as a set, so include soup, salad and a tiny dessert. The salad had Japan’s amazing goma (sesame) dressing and despite the heat of the day we devoured the chicken soup. We picked the ‘taco rice’ – I thought it would be octopus rice (tako being octopus), but it turned out to be an Okinawan dish that fuses Japanese and South American food styles – literally a deconstructed taco on a mountain of rice. I loved it – the crisp of the cornchips paired with the fresh lettuce, tomato and grated cheese was so refreshing, and the rice made it quite filling. We were spoiled with a frozen cube of chocolate mousse-esque icecream dusted in cocoa powder to finish. The staff were welcoming and friendly – when in Kamakura, please take the ‘wrong path’ to this little oasis of perfection.

Rakaposhi, 2-12 Onarimachi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Japan, no website

Haagen Dazs

Flashback #icecreamthurs! I was in Tokyo during spring last year and one of my most exciting food discoveries was that Haagen Dazs had put together my two favourite flavours in the world. I made this discovery on an unassuming evening visit to the konbini (convenience store), and was so excited I rushed outside to take this photo right away. I mean really – peach AND raspberry??!! How is it no-one has done this before? Showing superhuman self control, I saved the taste test until I got back to the hotel, by which point the icecream had gone slightly mushy, but luckily not all the way through. I took my little spoon (Japanese convenience stores really are the best) and got stuck in. Oh man. This was so, so good. Every mouthful was a beautiful contrast between the sweet, almost frangrant white peach and the tartness of the raspberry flavour. The icecream itself was rich and creamy for a mass-produced brand (even when melted), and the ‘minicup’ (as the size is called) was more than enough for me – I ended up saving half for later. Dear Haagen Dazs: 1. #cometocanberra and 2. please keep making this flavour, it’s really something special.

Haagen Dazs, sold in various locations, http://www.haagen-dazs.co.jp/

Benbee Teppan

Okonomiyaki would have to be in the top three of my favourite Japanese foods of all time. On our first night in Tokyo, we walked past a traditional style restaurant serving Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and that was it, dinner decided. The staff at Benbee were very understanding and managed to accommodate our 10+ group without any trouble in the larger upstairs seating area. The teppans were turned on, but our food was cooked downstairs, where the chef was manning the main teppan, so unfortunately we didn’t get to cook it ourselves. Our Hiroshimayaki came out looking beautiful – it was slathered in okonomiyaki sauce (as it should be) and you could add bonito flakes to suit your taste. There was also a vegetarian option, which I was told was delicious too. After the okonomiyaki we ordered a range of other meats, including calamari, which was a particular highlight. But by the end of the trip everyone looked back and thought that the best thing about Benbee was the beer – it was served incredibly cold, which was exactly what we needed after a long overnight flight.

Benbee Teppan, 5 Chome-1-11 Shiba, Minato, Tokyo 108-0014, Japan , no website

Uogashi Nihon Ichi

My love of sushi is pretty well known, so when I was back in my old stomping ground in Tokyo for a day, my friend and I stopped in at the local standing sushi bar for lunch. This branch of Uogashi Nihon Ichi is located on one of my favourite streets in Tokyo – Kagurazaka-dori. It’s an old geisha quarter, now full of traditional stores and restaurants, and is a bit of an institution – the street even has its own annual festival! On entering Uogashi, we were shown to a space along the standing bar. Like a sit down sushi bar, each station has its own cup of tea, soy and hand towel, just no chair. We ordered a range of different pieces, including tuna, salmon, kingfish and a couple that I had no idea what they were, but tasted amazing! The sushi-san gives you the option of soy (shoyu) or salt (shio) to put on the piece, and there are different recommendations for different fish. Each piece was reasonably sized, although a bit smaller than the nigiri at Sushi Zanmai. As usual, my favourite was the aburi (seared) tuna, but really, it’s all good!

Uogashi Nihon Ichi, 1F PORTA Kagurazaka 2-6 Kagurazaka Shinjyu-ku Tokyo  http://www.uogashi-nihonichi.com/english/

Cafe Comme Ca

¥1000 is a lot to pay for one piece of cake, and when I was a student in Tokyo I could only bring myself to do it twice – once with friends and once in a train station when I’d arrived three hours early for my train (oops). Both times it was from Cafe Comme Ca, and both times it was worth it. So when I went back to Tokyo I made sure to stop in again and try another slice. Each cake is sculpted with fresh fruit into rosettes or other incredible arrangements – I recommend taking some time to look at the display cabinet before making a choice (fair warning though – the staff, sadly, won’t let you take pictures of the whole cakes). This time I went for the blood orange and raspberry cream cake, which came out on a plate with cocoa dust in the shape of bluebirds (swoon). The fruit was juicy and covered in a sweet glaze, and the cream was light and not too rich. Western-style sweets in Japan are often sickly sweet, but Cafe Comme Ca gets the balance (and the beauty) just right.

Cafe Comme Ca, 5F Comme Ca Store, 3-26-6 Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku Tokyo  http://www.cafe-commeca.co.jp/ (Japanese only)

Sushi Zanmai

Not everybody is a ‘sushi for breakfast’ person, but if we’re talking Sushi Zanmai, I absolutely am. I dragged my colleagues out to Akihabara bright and early, promising that sushi at 7am was something they wouldn’t regret. Sushi Zanmai is open 24 hours and you are always met with a chorus of ‘irashaimasen’ to welcome you. Here, seating at the bar is best, so you can watch the sushi-san work and have a chat. The staff are super friendly and are always happy to give you their recommendations. On this occasion, we were the only people in the restaurant, and had a sushi-san to ourselves, so we started the nigiri feast with salmon, followed by tuna, mackarel, scallops, and unagi (eel). We tried the ootoro (top grade fatty tuna), but all found it a bit too fatty for our tastes. The highlight was the aburi tuna, which had sprigs of spring onion on top and just melted in your mouth. I’m pretty sure that piece alone managed to convince my colleagues of the wisdom of eating sushi at 7am. A must visit for a real Tokyo experience – although not necessarily for breakfast!

Sushi Zanmai, 1F Yodabashi Camera building, Akihabara Tokyo     http://www.kiyomura.co.jp/ (Japanese only)

Paris Plans

I am beginning to think more about what I want to do in each of the cities that I am going to visit, and today a memory from Japan has inspired a plan for Paris.

On one of my visits to Ginza, I decided to go into the exclusive Laudrée cafe and try their famous macaroons. The store window is on the corner of a major intersection, and towards the end of my trip I figured I could justify it. I went up, and was told by a rather snobby lady that unless I had a reservation, I would need to join the huge line of locals waiting to buy from the take-away menu. Needless to say, I was quite put off, gave up, and ended up eating a Starbucks macaroon instead the next time that I had a craving for one.

But… I’m going to Paris, which is where Laudrée is based, and I think this time I will stick to my guns, especially after devouring the amazing menu on their website: http://www.laduree.fr/index_en.htm

So this post is more of a “note-to-self” so I don’t forget to go when I have the chance!

35 days to go.