About food in Japan

"Japanese Ice" OUCA, Ebisu (恵比寿)

It's getting cooler day by day in Tokyo though.

 Why not taste Japanese autumn flavor in fresh hand-made ice cream at a small cafe in warm atomosphere in Ebisu (恵比寿).

Japanese Ice cafe OUCA offers several flavors of hand-made ice cream with carefully selected ingredients across Japan. The flavors are changed by season and the cafe gives you a chance to choose 3 to 5 flavos in a cup.

 

Flavor in photo:

seasonal fruits Kaki (柿, persimmon),

Matcha green tea and

Kinako (soy beans powder) & Kuromitsu (Brown suger syrop) 

 

Enjoy home-made Japanese seasonal harvests at the small cozy cafe with interior inspired by Japanese traditional motifs. 

   

Cafe name: Japanese Ice OUCA

Address: 1-6-6 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.ice-ouca.com

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Ocean view internet cafe on the 48th floor, Makuhari (幕張)

Some of you maybe have a plan to visit Makuhari Messe, one of the biggest international convention center in greater Tokyo. Here we introduce an internet (and comic) cafe in the area.

Comic & Internet cafe aprecio Tokyo Bay Makuhari branch is not just a normal unit of that type of facility. It is a quite unique internet cafe in term of the view and location. If your journey plan includes visiting Makuhari, Chiba area for trade fairs or alternative stay out from Tokyo, don't miss the chance to enjoy an advantage of the cafe. 

Aprecio is located on the 48th floor in a hotel, APA Hotel & Resort Tokyo Bay Makuhari. It is just a few minutes walk from the international convention center Makuhari Messe and the building is one of the closest to the cost line among hig-rise buildings in the area. 

In addition, as most space of the cafe is facing sea side, the blue coast of Tokyo Bay is visible from your PC desk on 170-meter height level.

Blue sky and blue ocean, very relaxing view

Chiba Marine Stadium is on the right side.

 

If you are lucky, you could find Mt. Fuji and Tokyo Sky Tree tower, depending on weather condition. 

As it opens for 24hours a day, if you would, enjoy sun-set, sun-rise or some night illumination as well. 

 

Like other aprecio internet cafe, soft drinks and some sweets are provided without additional charge.

You might find this is more fun place than some hotel's' executive lounge

 

No better place in Makuhari to take a break at reasonable cost but without bothering.

 

Cafe name: Comic & Internet Cafe aprecio Tokyo Bay Makuhari

Address: 48th floor APA Hotel & Resort Tokyo Bay Makuhari, 2-3 Hibino, Mihama-ku, Chiba-city, Japan

Website: http://www.aprecio.co.jp/makuhari/

 

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Hotels close to the location

アパホテル＆リゾート＜東京ベイ幕張＞

ホテル　ザ・マンハッタン

ホテルニューオータニ幕張

Cafe restaurant by Mercedes-Benz, Roppongi (六本木), Tokyo

The global prestige car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz did open a cafe restaurant in its showroom in Roppongi (六本木), Tokyo last month. The German company named the whole two floors space facing Tokyo Midtown, as "Mercedes-Benz Connection", refering that the place is a connect point between autocars and people's lifestyle. 

When we enter to the modern designed showroom, firtsly we found a large wooden table with electric outlets on it and a coffee shop counter next to high and big glass wall. The cafe space is called "DOWNSTAIRS".

The coffee provided there are as high quality as ones served at chain coffee shops like Starbucks.

 

 

 

The upper floor is a restaurant offering lunch and dinner and also opens as a bar until 4a.m. during weekend. For lunch time, it offers several choices of main dishes like pasta, meat or fish all include appetizer and dessert buffet. The price is NEVER expensive as much as Mercedes-Benz cars... It is quite reasonable price, less than Yen 2000.

Because the restaurant's dishes are produced by a chef who works for AW Kitchen, known for fine quality selection of vegetable ingredients, we are able to find colorful and healthy collections of fresh vegetable plates on the buffet table. Here we do not have to worry about nutritional balance, you cannot take less healthy meal.

 

What I took from the buffet board

Left: from appetizer buffet

Right: from dessert buffet, including pumpkin role cake, carrotte mousse 

Main dish - pasta plate 

Sauce with minched meat and turnip

 

Tokyo Tower and Midtown buildings are visible from the window side seats.

The cafe restaurant provides what ladies like in the globaly-known autocar showroom. 

The comfortable space with high quality and well-designed funiture is also adding value to experience at the restaurant. It is an ideal place to take a break during shopping or visiting art museums or hanging with friends before going out for night entertainment in Roppongi.

************ UPDATE 14 January 2013 **************

  As scheduled. Mercedes-Benz Connection restaurant & cafe was once closed on December 2012. And from 18 January 2013, the luxury autocar showroom will be moved to another location, just across a steert from the former location, and the restaurant & cafe will be also re-opened. 

We will post a new report, when we visit the newer space.

***************************************************************

*The cafe and restaurant opens limited-time until December 2012.

Please do not miss a chance to try the modern and cool oasis in Roppongi. 

Restaurant name: Mercedes-Benz Connection 

                           DOWNSTAIRS (coffee shop)

                           UPSTAIRS (restaurant & bar)

Official site: http://www.mercedes-benz-connection.com

Address: 7-8-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 

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Food from a long-life village in China - Bama Lohas Cafe, Ginza

Japan is known as a country of longevity but today's post is about food from a long living village in China. Following my previous post about an interesting cafe FARO Slow_time in Ginza, Bama Lohas Cafe is also situated in Ginza, just a block away from Matsuzakaya (松坂屋) department store.

"Bama" is the name of city in south-west China. As per explantion on the cafe's official website, in Bama there are more than 80 centenarians out of 250,000 residents. It is said that the longest-living rate is the top rank of the world. One reason of the longevity in Bama is assumed that a food called "hima" seeds help ith keeping human's health for antioxidation. 

Well, let's go back to the cafe in Ginza, very central Tokyo. Bama Lohas cafe provides some dishes made with hima seeds as well as peaceful atomosphere like the longest-life village in China. 

From 9am, Chinese breakfast is available in the calm and relaxing space. 

Chinese congee with 3 kinds of ingredients selected from a list.

Small pieces of hima is also mixed in the bowl.

The small brown ball in center is it...what makes my life longer maybe.

 

The cafe also provides dim-sums and other Chinese dishes for lunch and dinner.

Our breakfast was ended with these sweet dumplings are also made with hima. 

I am very curious how long my life has been extended today....

 

Another important point to be noted for Bama Lohas Cafe is the excellent interior design work by Mr. Kengo Kuma. Morning is also the best time to enjoy his great work, during the lunch and dinner time it is busier and could be filled with diners.

 

Restaurant name: Bama Lohas Cafe

Address: 1st floor, 6-11-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 

Website: http://bama-cafe.com

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コートヤード・マリオット　銀座東武ホテル

パークホテル東京

メルキュールホテル銀座東京

ホテル西洋銀座

Let's spend "slow time" in Ginza! - FARO_slow time by Shiseido (資生堂)

You may know Ginza Shiseido (資生堂) building where the best-known prestigeous Japanese cosmetic producer offers various dining choices in the eleven-story builiding facing Ginza Chuo street.

On May 2011, "FARO_slow time" opened on the top floor with the concept of tasting blessing from the sun.

Going up to the top floor from the vibrant main street of Ginza, the top floor is unexpectedly calm and peaceful space. As matched with the concept, the space is filled with brilliant sunlight from a roof window. Wooden decoration and light green color accent also contribute to make the "slow time"atmosphere.

Truely it is a place where we are able to spend "slow time". We found a nice oasis in central Ginza.

The casual restaurant offers several selections of vegetable plates as well as fish and meat as main dish for lunch and dinner. Dessert and tea time are also very attractive due to the imaginative dessert plates with fresh high quality fruits and healthy ingredients such as beans, rice powder.

The narure-friendly concept is spreded into a small piece of items found there.

A "leaf-shape" spoon is put for sugar pot.

In very hot summer day time, let's spend "slow time" and cool down in the central Ginza location.

By the way, we found floor button board  in the lift looks unique, though it confused us a bit to find an appropriate floor button...

 

Restaurant name: FARO_slow time

Address: 11th floor Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building, 8-8-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://faro.shiseido.co.jp/slowtime/e/

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<Accommodation close to the site>

三井ガーデンホテル銀座プレミア

コートヤード・マリオット　銀座東武ホテル

パークホテル東京

メルキュールホテル銀座東京

ホテル西洋銀座

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 

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<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

Ruri, Ginza (瑠璃, 銀座) - cafe with Japanese-Western sweets

It is rate to find a cosy space with nice cups of tea and cakes in Ginza, as many of cafe in central locations are always busy and filled with guests. Ruri (瑠璃), who's name represents "lapise lazuli" in Japanese, was newly opened in 2010 just a few blocks away from Ginza 4-chome crossing. In spite of the central location, the space and surrounding are calm and can be a good oasis while enjoying shopping at luxury boutiques.

 

What is great of Ruri is not only the modern Japanese taste interior and decorations but also sweets selections offered on the menu, Due to the cafe's owner company, Mon Chou Chou based in Osaka, Ruri cafe provides several selections of Mon Chou Chou sweets including very popular "Dojima Roll" (堂島ロール).

 

Dojima Roll (堂島ロール) is made with fresh cream from Hokkaido and wrapped with soft sponge cake. The sweet is awarded as Grand Gold Quality by Monde Selection in 2010 and it is greatly appreciated by Japanese clients. People are always making a queue line for Dojima Roll at Mon Chou Chou stand in major department stores in Tokyo. Some cases it is sold out.  

 

Here we do not have to make a long line to get a piece of cake rather we can have it with tea at the comfortable cafe space.

Maccha roll is exclusive to the cafe Ruri. Sponge cake and cream is made with maccha, Japanese green tea. Sweet beans paste is inside of maccha cream. It makes combination of Japanese traditional ingredients and Western-style roll cake.

Casuteran, natural honey is used for and served with fresh cream and sweet beans paste to dip.

Ruri has not only cafe space but also sweets gift shops attached where we can find these fancy cakes and other sweets in gift box for take away.

 

Cafe name: Ginza Ruri

Website: http://www.ginza-ruri.com

 Mon Chou Chou official home page: http://mon-chouchou.com

************* UPDATE 9th September 2013 *****************

Unfortunately Ginza Ruri Cafe was closed.

Some sweets mentioned above post, such as Dojima Roll are still available at boutiques of Patisserie Mon Cher in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo.

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Goku Tea House (悟空茶荘), oasis in Yokohama China Town (横浜中華街)

Chinese New Year celebrating weeks is almost ended for 2011. But the one of the biggest China Towns in Japan can never be a quite place. Whether it is Summer or Winter, weekend or weekdays Yokohama China Town is always filled with tourists and local diners. 

Goku Tea House is peaceful oasis amid the busy streets of Yokohama China Town. It is just a stone throw from one of the most popular tourist spots, Kantei (Guan Di) byo (関帝廟). The tea house has two floors; tea making tools and leaf shop on the ground floor and the cozy tea salon on the upper floor. Goku Tea House is far away from bustle of the exitotic town and is filled with Chinese folk arts and objects. 

 

Needless to say, the Chinese tea house offers really wide selections of every kinds of Chinese tea, categorized by color, blue (example: popular oolong), green, red (like Engish tea), flower tea etc. It is fun to choose one from the list but it can never be done within a short time...

 

Finally I took Longjing tea in a glass cup and speciality "parfait" called "Tonkou" (敦煌, Dunhuang), named after the major city on the Silk Road in China. 

Tonkou Parfait: Tapioca pearls, Chinese herb jelly and a piece of cherry wrapped by litchee on top of ice cream.  

Boild water is available from an electric kettle on table. That makes us stay in Goku Tea House for long time. Enjoy having Chinese dessert, chatting or reading as your peaceful tea time with cups of tea in the Asian atmosphere, as long as you can or want...

 

During lunch time, it also offers lunch set such as Chinese noodle, pork rice bowl at reasonable price.

Of course the cozy tea house attracts many of local people and it might be fully occupied for a while of mid-day. Goku Tea House has two more units in Yokohama China Town; one Tea tools boutique and another Tea Salon.

 

Cafe name: Goku Tea House (悟空茶荘) 

Address: 130 Yamashitacho, Naka-Ku, Yokohama-city

Website (Japanese) : http://www.goku-teahouse.com/index.php?page=shop02

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L'OCCITANE cafe at Ikebukuro (池袋)

Maybe many of you know the French cosmetic brand with Provence taste, L'OCCITANE (ロクシタン). The boutique is visible at some places, most cases in shopping complex across Tokyo. The cream, lotion and other cosmetic products with aroma of lavender, rose or green tea etc, attract ladies in Japan, as same in other parts of the world.

Why I talk about the cosmetic brand on this blog? as long as I know, cafe by L'OCCITANE band exist only in Tokyo. Yes L'OCCITANE cafe is located one in Shibuya (渋谷) and another in Ikebukuro (池袋). Both are close to each JR stations. In bustling districts, the cosmetic boutique is on the ground floor so you can find it easily and the cafe is on the upper floor connected through a stairsteps inside of the boutique. 

No worry! you will never find cosmetic product on food plates or in a cup of tea. Instead, the cafe depicts the image of nature in Provence which is the origine of the cosmetic brand. In the space decorated with brick color tiles, yellow columns and wooden furnitures, it serves food and drinks that imply atomosphere of Provence region; green salad with herb or tuna, colorful fruits tarte and herb tea selections from L'OCCITANE product seriese (Rose, Citrus vervena, Lavender, Provence herb etc). That are surely what ladies like...get the cosmetic products at L'OCCITANE boutique on the ground floor, after that, take a break and be relaxed with Rose herb tea. Both opportunities will help you for well-being and beauty.

I had Chicken cream soup in a cute red bowl for lunch and cafe-au-lait in French style.

 

 Have a relaxed time and enjoy feeling of south France with healthy natural food in Shibuya or Ikebukuro. It will be an oasis in the two most vital towns after shopping.

 

Cafe name: L'OCCITANE cafe

Shibuya branch

Address:  Shibuya Ekimae build. 2-3-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

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Ikebukuro branch

Address: The SH  one, 1-26-6 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

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Gion Tokuya (ぎおん徳屋) arrived in Tokyo - Mochi (餅)

Gion Tokuya (ぎおん徳屋) is a very traditional style dessrt cafe in Kyoto, where Maiko (舞妓) and Geiko (芸妓) could also visit there for sweets and relaxed tea time. The new branch of Gion Tokuya opened in Harajuku (原宿), Tokyo last year. Here maybe no chance to encounter Geiko or Maiko in Harajuku but a good point is no need to make a queue like the main shop in Kyoto. (At least as long as I know but in future I do not know though...) 

In Tokyo, Gion Tokuya is located on the ground floor of the well-known select shop, UNITED ARROWS. The sweets cafe is accessible even from the floor of Women's cloth in the select shop.
Entering into the small cafe, it is totally different world from the popular select shop. The traditional style interior decoration makes us feel as if we were visiting Kyoto.  

What I ordered is Tokuya's speciality called "Hanami Komochi" (花見こもち). It is a set of mochi (餅, rice cake) with five kinds of ingredients all well-matched with mochi.

As soon as we ordered the speciality, the shop staff switched on a brasier on the table. It is guests who has to bake eight pieces of rice cakes on the brasier.

How exiting is it I worry a bit whether I am able to succeed in cooking these rice cakes. 

Anyone will be motivated for the challenge when she/he finds a plate of five kinds of topping ingredients brought by staff. 

 

Zenzai (a kind of Oshiruko, sweets beans soup) is in a bowl on the center of tray. Other ingredients, from left to right, in counterclockwise, pickles of Japanese basil seeds, soy sauce (醤油), laver seaweed (海苔, nori), kinako (soybeans powder).

As you like, those eight pieces of mochi (rice cake) can be taken, piece by piece. 

 

 

 

 

Let's try to make mochi cakes grilled. 

 

 

Can you see? Afre five minutes, the square and hard cakes are heated and they are blown up like a balloon. When they become partly brown by heat and no longer square shaped cake, it is ready to eat. Take them out from the brasier quickly. 

 

First I dipped a few pieces into Zenzai.  
 

Then with soy sauce (醤油) and nori

 Kinako (soy beans powder) is set beautifully in flower shape.

But it has to be broken into pieces, after mochi is put on the plate...

 

All are the typical ways of having mochi. It is not so often to try so many pieces of mochi in different flavor. It is fun but you might have too-much-cooked and burned mochi in case you leave them on a brasier too long time, while thinking over what kind of flavor you prefer. At the same time, when we leave mochi left after cooked without having heat, the cakes become cool and hard soon. Just cooked is the best timing to have it.  So it is important to keep appropriate pace of grill and to put pieces one by one.

It is a kind of dessert but rice cake has heavy volume which is enough to be a light lunch.

Gion Tokuya in Harajuku offers not only Hanami Komochi set but also other traditional sweets menu such as Warabi mochi (わらび餅), Anmitsu (あんみつ) and Kakigori (かき氷). Normally mochi is served only in winter and Kakigori is only in summer. Here at Gion Tokuya, all these desserts are provided whole year.

Related story:

 Oshiruko (おしるこ、汁粉）　http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/02/oshiruko-%E3%81%8A%E3%81%97%E3%82%8B%E3%81%93-%E6%B1%81%E7%B2%89.html

Shoyu (soy sauce, 醤油) http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/01/shoyu-%E9%86%A4%E6%B2%B9-soy-sauce-at-website-shokunin-shoyu-%E8%81%B7%E4%BA%BA%E9%86%A4%E6%B2%B9.html

Kakigori (かき氷)  http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/08/kakigori---chim.html

 

Cafe name:  Gion Tokuya (Harajuku, Tokyo)

Website: http://www.united-arrows.jp/harajuku/womens/tokuya/

Address: 2-31-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 

 

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Cafe name:  Gion Tokuya (Kyoto the main store)

Website: http://giontokuya.jp/

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