Paul

I’m not generally one to shy away from a good sweet, and seeing Paul on Kagurazaka-dori, it’s pretty hard to just walk past. Their window display is just a sample of the baked goods heaven inside, and I was drawn in by the promise of a good canelle. I had my first canelle in Paris at a street stall on the Champ-Elysees and have been smitten ever since, so was keen to see how this French patisserie in Tokyo compared to the real deal. The outside was lovely and crisp, with a slight burnt flavour, but not overpoweringly so. The inside has the good stuff – a custardy cake that is spongy and soft but thick, with a distinctive milky flavour. It was small, but it passed the test. Next up was the apple danish – this was a real winner, with crisp, flaky pastry and glazed, soft apple pieces inside. The lady initially got the order wrong, but happily swapped for the apple turnover she’d given me for the danish. Both of the sweets had great flavour and texture, and I was disappointed not to have stomach space for more.

Paul, Kagurazaka Terrace 1F, 5-1-4 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo Japan  http://paul-inter-release.fo-02.naxeo.net/

Ekibenya

There’s really nothing like grabbing an obento and going on an adventure. We picked ours up at Shinjuku station and took them out to the lovely Inokashira-koen in Kichijoji to soak up the sunshine in the park. I remembered that Ekbenya, near the JR line exits close to the South-East exit, had some delicious options, so that’s where we went. I picked a square bento with a big range of ingredients (to try as much as possible), and was really happy with this choice. I love being able to mix between the fish (which flaked perfectly and went really well with the steamed greens), three serves of rice with different flavourings, veggies (pumpkin, lotus root, carrot), and pickles. All bento are served cold, so the different textures are really important for variety. This one ticked all the boxes, although I was sorely tempted by the kid’s one shaped like a bullet train! Surprisingly, the highlight of the bento was the dessert – a little yuzu jelly, which was so juicy and deliciously citrusy that I would have gladly eaten another handful. Whilst there are so many great restaurants in Tokyo, don’t forget to try the local, humble bento!

Ekibenya, Shinjuku JR station, near South-East exit, Shinjuku Tokyo      http://www.nre.co.jp/shop/brand/ekibenya/

Afternoon Tea

One of the best things about visiting Tokyo is getting to catch up with old friends. On this visit, my friend suggested meeting at Afternoon Tea in Marunouchi, near Tokyo station. We arrived to find an elegant cafe with a great view out over the city – the tables had fresh green flowers on them and the seats were welcoming and comfortable. There’s also a lovely homewares store out the front of the cafe, which we spent some time browsing afterwards. There was plenty to choose from on the menu, but having already had lunch, we decided to stick with the drinks (although the scones sounded tempting!). After much deliberation, I chose the orange iced tea, which was an earl grey mixed with orange. It came out and immediately looked refreshing with a vibrant orange colour, a segment of orange and a sprig of mint on top. Given how warm the day was this was exactly what the doctor ordered. The flavour was stronger on the orange than the earl grey and was quite sweet. I couldn’t imagine a better setting in this city for afternoon tea or meeting lovely friends.

Afternoon Tea, 4F Shin-Marunouchi Building, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan   http://www.afternoon-tea.net/

Fujiya

Fujiya is another haunt I used to frequent as a student, which I revisited on this trip to Tokyo. On Kagurazaka-dori (my favourite part of the city), this is the only store in Japan that turns Fujiya’s mascot, Peko-chan, into cakes! Well, Japanese-style cakes. Peko-chan yaki are a play on taiyaki, the traditional Japanese sweet of a pancake-waffle like shell filled with red bean paste. Peko-chan yaki are available in a range of flavours, including mango, custard and chocolate, the latter of which I picked. There’s quite a lot of the cake shell to get through to reach the centre, but when you do, I can only liken it to the best chocolate fondant you’ve ever had – the chocolate was slowly solidifying, but was melty enough that once you bit into it you got both cooled and liquid chocolate. The quality is excellent, and makes you feel a bit less guilty for biting into that cute face! It’s quite a filling snack, so if you want to try lots of flavours I’d recommend getting them take away, but they’re definitely best when eaten fresh out of the store. A fun take on a traditional sweet.

Fujiya, 1-12 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan                                      http://pekochanyaki.jp/

Sushi Zanmai

I know I’ve blogged about Sushi Zanmai before, but my experience on this visit was incomparable. We went for dinner, and surprisingly didn’t have to line up (win!). Sitting at the counter, our sushi-san started chatting to us, as they usually do, but this guy was a comedian, and kept us entertained with jokes and impressions all night. Not only did we get the amazing nigiri sushi I ordered, chuo toro (mid-grade tuna), aburi salmon (my ultimate favourite), unagi (top grade eel), saba (the tastiest mackarel ever), we were also treated to a complimentary cube of the most delicious tuna I’ve ever eaten – it was tiny, but had been seared on all sides and salted and it just melted in my mouth. Amazing. To top it off, the gentleman sitting next to us, who was dining alone and joined in on the conversation and jokes, gifted us bowls of miso soup – it must have been their premium soup, as it was packed with fish meat, and had an incredibly complex and hearty flavour. I can’t really explain how much this place makes my heart swell with joy, but I can say that it epitomises everything that I love about Japan. Thanks for another special experience Sushi Zanmai.

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

Mos Burger

Sometimes you just need a burger. After a long day of sightseeing, we ended up at Tokyo Tower for dinner and treated ourselves to Mos Burger – Japan’s native burger chain. Playing on the novelty of a store at the Tower, Mos Burger only offers the ‘Tokyo Tower Burger’ at this location – a 14 layer beast that apparently is the chain’s tallest burger. Obviously we had to try it. I was quite impressed when the burger came out that it actually looks like the advertised picture, something that fast food rarely does in Australia. The layers included two buns, onion rings, lettuce, two beef patties, mayonnaise, tomato, two layers of chopped onion, ketchup, bacon and two layers of a hot sauce that added a really nice kick to the whole thing. The patties were thin by Australian standards, but had good flavour for a non-gourmet restaurant and the onion rings added some great texture. The toughest part was working out how to eat it – there was no way to squish it down and get a taste of all layers at once without some serious oozing. Not elegant, but tasty and very filling, plus the added novelty factor, of course.

Mos Burger, 4 Chome-2-8 Shibakoen, Minato, Tokyo Japan                  http://www.tokyotower.co.jp/eng/foottown/2f_food_07.html

Ladurée

I’ve been to a Ladurée salon de thé in Paris, but when I tried to visit the Ginza one while living in Tokyo in 2009, I couldn’t get a table (they don’t take reservations). On this visit, I was very strategic about when we went (5pm on a weekday) and we only waited 10mins to get a seat – winning! This was Mum’s belated Mother’s Day gift – we started out with a pot of Thé Eugenie each, served in silver teapots with pastel coloured cups and saucers. The black tea had a fruity fragrance, with strawberry, cherry, raspberry and redcurrant part of the blend. It wasn’t as overpowering as some of the other options (there are samples to sniff while you wait for a table) and we enjoyed every sip. For cake, I picked the Ispahan – a large macaron filled with fresh raspberries, lychee and rose-flavoured cream. The flavours all worked so well together and every mouthful was delicious – the macaron shell was crisp, the raspberries were very fresh and the cream spiked with lychee was just as decadent as you would expect. If you get a seat by the window you can people-watch while enjoying your luxury sweets. Swoon.

Ladurée, salon de thé, 4-6-16 Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo Japan                                             http://www.laduree.jp/