About food in Japan

Belgian bakery cafe - Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien has been one of my most favourite place in Belgium when I had been there for a few months. The bakery cafe provides simple traditional style breads with high quality ingredients including some organic ones as well as lunch and light meals. Its cafe space is a good option for a short break in a busy day anytime from morning to evening with organic breads and/or tarte cakes, sweets with Belian chocolate.  

Many who know Le Pain Quotidien in Europe have been looking forward to having it in Japan. It was finally arrived in Tokyo last year. The first unit in Japan is located just next to Zojoji temple, Shiba Park area, just a few hundreds meters distance from Tokyo Tower. The single-story pavillion-like building is surrounded by green trees on the site of Tokyo Prince Hotel. 

Let's go through the bakery area and you will find spacious cafe space behind tall shelves. The warm wooden taste furniture, black board with chef's suggestions in handwritting and symbolic  "Communal table" (very large dining space to be shared by more than several diners)...the atomosphere is nothing change from the original ones in Belgium. 

Rather could it be better environment in Tokyo than the ones in Brussels and Paris. As long as ones I visited before, there is no such spacious and high-ceiling space with large windows and natural scene of green over there.

 

 

 

It opens from 7:30am so we cannot miss the best time to enjoy the speciality breads with several selections of fine Le Pain Quotidien original jam. I believe that this is one of the best place to take breakfast in Tokyo, especially when it is sunny day in good season Spring to Summer or Autumn.

 

Not only the traditional style breads, other good breakfast menu are available.

It offers so wide selections for us to be hard to choose just a few of them... 

For lunch and dinner, some dishes mainly in Mediterranian flavour are available.

(description and photo added on August 2014)

 

If you would, Le Pain Quotidien brand seasoning and olive oil are also on sale at the bakery boutique.

 

 

When you would like to have quick lunch and unfortunately no time to be relaxed at the cafe, it is another choice to get pastries, sandwiches, or muffins at the bakery. 

 

Le Pain Quotidien is very close to Zojoji Temple and Tokyo Tower. It will be a good to visit here before or after the stroll in this area. (description and photo added on August 2014)

 

Restaurant name: Le Pain Quotidien

Address: 3-3-1 Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Official website: http://www.lepainquotidien.jp 

大きな地図で見る

 

<Accommodation close to the site in this article>

セレスティンホテル

芝パークホテル

ザ・プリンス　パークタワー東京

Hot pepper cookie by Royce Ishigaki (島とうがらしクッキー, ロイズ石垣)

You may know Okinawa prefecture, the southernmost rich-nature islands region in Japan, for the beautiful beaches, Churaumi aquarium or unique folk culture. Recently our mind was hit by the news that The Ritz Carlton Hotel will open its first resort property in Japan in Okinawa main island next spring. 

For us, Japanese people, Okinawa is one of the most popular destination for summer vacation, which arracts any kind of travellers from family with young kids to romantic honeymooners.

An interesting sweets (or snack?) has been reported to us from Ishigaki Island.

It is called "Shima togarashi cookie" (島とうがらしクッキー, Island-hotpepper cookie).

Hot pepper in cookie?!  Seems to be "Yes" as red pepper picture is depicted on the package box as well as the words "13% included hot pepper made in Okinawa". 

The other thing to be mentioned for the cookie is that it is made by a company called "Royce Ishigaki". It is a subsidiary of the most known chocolate producer in Hokkaido "Royce Confect". Royce founded its subsidiary for cacao tree cultivation on the far south island, at another edge of Japan, four years ago. 

Hot pepper cookie sounds strange, while cookie by Royce brings us high expectation...

As it opens the small pack, it is nothing change from ordinary one.

Let's try it.

Uhhnnnn...

 

 

Firstly It is rich in cheese flavor. As per the official site, two kinds of cheese Edam and Camembert are used for it. After the cheese flavor, I felt spicy hot pepper in my mouth. A bit hot and spicySurely hot pepper can be interestingly recognized in the cookie. As snack, it must be matched with chilly beer. It is well-arranged, good souvenir for Ishigaki and Okinawa islands. 

 

Products by Royce Ishigaki, including Hot pepper cookie, are available at major souvenir shops on the Ishigaki Island as well as some stores at Okinawa-Naha Airport, otherwise online store by the company.

Royce Ishigaki home page (Japanese version only) 

 http://shop.royce-ishigakijima.com 

 

Royce Confect (English) 

http://www.e-royce.com/english/index.html

 

Hot pepper cookie is available at souvenir shops in these hotels in Ishigaki island. 

ＡＮＡインターコンチネンタル石垣リゾート　＜石垣島＞

ホテル日航八重山　＜石垣島＞

軽井沢倶楽部　ホテル石垣島　＜石垣島＞

石垣リゾート　グランヴィリオホテル（ルートイングループ）　＜石垣島＞

On other islands

小浜島リゾート＆スパ　ニラカナイ＜小浜島＞（南西楽園ツーリスト提供）

ホテル日航アリビラ

ホテルＪＡＬシティ那覇

Mt. Takao (高尾山), what to eat there? - Fantastic dining experience in ancient Japan, Ukai Toriyama (うかい鳥山)

After mount hike in Takao (高尾), to make the most use of travelling far from central Tokyo, whether it is lunch or dinner time, we suggest a fantastic dining experience in Takao.

The experience is even for us, Japanese, something special and unforgettable. 

The luxury restaurant, Ukai Toriyama (うかい鳥山）is 10 minutes car ride from Mt. Takao's (高尾山) gateway rail station, Takaosanguchi (高尾山口). The restaurant provides complimentary shuttle bus service for their diners to/from Takaosanguchi railway station every 20 minutes. The 10-minute bus journey took us into unfamiliar area deeper woods and less residence houses.

As soon as we arrived and after we were checked in with table reservation, we waited for a few minutes at a cozy waiting space with folk decorations and "irori" (いろり) fireplace. 

The restaurant seats are not accommodated in a single modern building but are scattered in Japanese traditional garden and in traditional style small or middle-sized buildings.  While a lady in Kimono took us to our table in a dining hall, we were admired by the beautiful and romantic scenes of large Japanese garden with red painted bridge on creek, thatch roofing bower and wooden water wheels.

WOW, it is "time trip" to ancient Japan which we imagined as "old tale". 

Our table was ready and facing to the lovely Japanese garden with a pond. 

Whatever we have, it must be nice experience already with the Japanese garden and folk room decoration.

Anyway, here chicken or beef barbecue is the restaurant's speciality. After some starter dishes and/or soup bowl, let's enjoy self-BBQ in ancient style, meal cut in large size and skewered. 

At the end of the course meal, rice with tororo (とろろ, Japanese yam potate) and miso soup are served.

Our dreamy experience was continued to a seasonal special event there.

From the beginning of June to Mid-July, the restaurant offers "firefly show" (hotaru gari, ホタル狩り) at the garden on evening.

After the BBQ dinner, we had been fully fascinated for about 20 minutes with subtle lights by fireflies drifting in the dark. Really sorry for you, it is not technically possible to picture the scene. It is available only when you visit there in real. 

I could never imagine that I was able to see a dream, such many of fireflies in the dark as real-life experience. As you know, Tokyo surroundings where the land is totally developed everywhere, it is rarely found a place which is completely dark without light. The experience was even for Japanese, beyond our expectation. 

Don't miss the chance after you visit Mt. Takao

The restaurant offers different attractions season by season.

Reservation is of course essential for the restaurant.

 

Related link: 

Mt. Takao (高尾山), what to eat there? - Tororo Soba (とろろそば)

Mt. Takao (高尾山), what to eat there? - Japanese traditional sweets at Yukido (有喜堂)

 

Restaurant name:  Ukai Toriyama (うかい鳥山)

Address: 3426 Minamiasakawa, Hachioji-city, Tokyo

Website: http://www.ukai.co.jp/toriyama/

大きな地図で見る

 

Accommodation in the area

八王子プラザホテル

京王プラザホテル八王子

八王子スカイホテル