Cold Stone Creamery

A Swiss friend of mine introduced me to Cold Stone in 2009 and I haven’t looked back. It’s very similar to Cold Rock in Australia, where you choose an icecream, load it full of yummy things, and watch while the staff mush it all together (mush being the technical term, of course). Actually, Cold Stone ups the game, offering icecream in waffle bowls (you heard me, waffle bowls) and singing to customers as they prepare your icecream. As if this place didn’t make me happy enough, they also have the best icecream flavour combo ever – peach and raspberry! It’s a spring special called the Peachy Cheeky and includes white peach icecream, raspberries (frozen), peach jelly, peach chunks and whipped cream. In a waffle bowl. Are you sold yet? I first tried this delight in 2009 and was super excited to have it again this year – it didn’t disappoint. The sweet peach and tart raspberry combination is always a winner, and the textural contrast of the fruit pieces, jelly and icecream was magic. I may or may not have devoured the waffle bowl too… Luckily that’s what they’re there for. Check it out, they’ve got locations all around Japan.

Cold Stone Creamery, Shibuya Mark City 4F, Dogenzaka 1-12-13, Shibuya, Tokyo Japan  http://www.coldstonecreamery.co.jp/

Smoothie Stand Aoya

I don’t generally tend to think of vegetables when I think of smoothies, but when I saw this cute little wooden stall on one of Kagurazaka’s quaint backstreets, I couldn’t help but give it a try. The menu is organised by colour, and is also available in English. I picked the ‘orange colour smoothie’, which included red paprika, carrot, tomato, apple, mango, orange, goji and water. This whole stack of fresh ingredients was packed into a blender and carefully coaxed into a smoothie, that was, to my surprise, poured into a plastic pouch rather than a cup. The colour was certainly orange and on first sip I was delighted by the warmth of the paprika (the flavour was just like capsicum) and then the tones of carrot and tomato. The texture reminded me a bit of the fresh, slightly bitey Pressed Juices, but with a lot less sweetness. The portion was generous and the lady was really friendly and chatted to me as she made my smoothie. A lovely introduction to vegetable smoothies!

Smoothie Stand Aoya, 3-1-4 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, no website

Paletas

I’ve recently returned from a holiday in Japan, so, in exciting news, for the next month or so #icecreamthurs will be all from Japan! I had a lovely catch up with a friend of mine who’s studying in Tokyo and we went to a smoothie bar he wanted to try. It turned out to be a gorgeous cafe with fun red, green and natural timber decor – I was hooked even before I saw the icecream display cabinet. To dine in, you had to order a drink not just an icecream (served on a stick), so we both picked one smoothie and one icecream. I started with the Japanese citrus smoothie, which was absolutely delicious! Yes there was lots of ice, but the freshness of the flavours was really surprising, and there was definitely a streak of some kind of berry in there. I’m guessing the citrus in the drink included orange, grapefruit and maybe yuzu, a Japanese citrus. Our icecreams arrived served on frozen plates to keep them from melting in the spring warmth. I chose the earl grey and orange flavour, which was beautifully creamy and had a subdued bergamot flavour that meant it wasn’t overly sweet. The texture had flecks of orange and tea inside – I would love to come back to try more of their nearly 20 icecream flavours!

Paletas Cafe, Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-3 Asakasa, Minato-ku, Tokyo                        http://www.paletas.jp

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/