About food in Japan

MARLOWE pudding from Hayama - (マーロウ プリン 葉山)

Pudding (purin, プリン) has been loved by many people from kids to elder in Japan for long years.  MARLOWE pudding became the top 1 on the survey among food and/or sweets specialists in Japan as their recommended pudding. (Nikkei April 2010) 

It is not available in Tokyo and I took a journey to Zushi (逗子) where one of the shop branches is located.

MARLOWE started its main restauran in 1984 in Kanagawa. From the restaurant beatiful scene of sunset over Sagami bay and Mt. Fuji are available as well as fresh seafood and vegetables from the region.

MARLOWE pudding was originally provided as dessert at the restaurant. Now it becomes so poplular that the owner opened two "pudding shop" in the area.  

What is different from ordinary pudding...

Made from good quality selected ingredients exclusive (fresh milk from Hokkaido, eggs of rich in Vitamin E, sugar, naturaly made vanilla beans), no addtives, no gelatin 

What is unique ...in glass "beaker" special ordered and made by PYREX

It can be used as a measure cup after it is finished. Otherwise you can return the cups to the shop for re-use.

I tried 3 kinds of their pudding.

Hokkaido fresh cream pudding

The best sale puduct for 22years

It is very soft, not too sweets but with rich caramel and vanilla flovour.

It looks big volume but the staste is not so heavy.

It was not hard to finish a glass, inspite of the volume.

 

This is HELLO KITTY 35th anniversary version cup

Of course the cup can be used as tea-cup or beer mag after finished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The custard pudding taste is softer than the first one.

It has less bitter in caramel. For kids this must be better not only because of the cute cup.

 

Kuro-mitsu (黒みつ black syrup) pudding

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kuro-mitsu flavour is not so obvious.

It seems to emphasize bitter caramel taste.

Again the big volume is not a problem and it is easy to finish or even you could feel having more...

 

 

 

The taste is never too sweet. It is simple but ones made from fresh good quality ingredients.

That is the reason MARLOWE pudding is recommendable to anyone, youg or old, even to ones who are not "sweet-lover". 

 

The shop also offers other products such as cake, jam and fruites sauce.

Don't miss the fruites sauce that makes good match with MARLOWE pudding!

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately it is not available in Tokyo. The nearest pudding shop is at Sogo department in Yokohama. Othersise it can be ordered from online store within Japan. However surely I will come back and will have the pudding again. It is one of unforgettable experience...

 

 

Shop name: MARLOWE Pudding shop

Official website: http://www.marlowe.co.jp

Onine store: http://www2.enekoshop.jp/shop/marlowe/

Zushi branch

Address: 1-2-10 Zushi, Zushi city, Kanagawa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

大きな地図で見る

Le Bretagne - crepe cafe at Kagurazaka (ル・ブルターニュ クレープ 神楽坂)

Kagurazaka (神楽坂) is a quiete residential area in central Tokyo. It is also known as "French quarter" because of some French educational institutions located in the area. Consequently it is said that authentic French food are available at restaurants in Kagurazaka where French nationals are walking around more than in other places in Japan.

This cafe is not the exception. Cafe Creperie Le Bretagne, as the name shown, provides authentic galette (ガレット buckwheat crepe for meal not for dessert) and crepe (クレープ) both from Bretagne region in France.

The cafe has open terrace when the climature is appropriate. After welcomed by French staff, the interior decoration is lovely with wooden floor and funitures, porcelain displayed from the region. We must feel as if we visit Bretagne not the Asian cosmopolitan. 

The ingredient choices offered as salty galette for lunch or snack is much enough and is hard to select just one or two; tomato, bacon, cheese, mushroom, onion, season's special etc... Crepe as dessert is also what cannot be missed. Galette is a good choice for light lunch or dinner during traveling, when you are tired to be filled up. But here you could not be reliefed in that way. 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cafe creperie is so popular to accommodate guests fully for lunch and dinner time. It might request you to wait for a while until ready to be served, especially lunch hours on weekend. Yes, it is worth waiting and enjoying strolling at Kagurazaka.

 

Restaurant name: Cafe-Creperie Le Bretagne

Address: 4-2 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.le-bretagne.com

 

 

大きな地図で見る

GOUTER de ROI White chocolate - GATEAU FESTA HARADA

The most people check my last post about this sweets, GOUTER de ROI, crispy sugar coated rusk produced by GATEAU FESTA HARADA based in Takasaki, Gumma prefecture. The boutique in Tokyo still attracts a lot of people who are happy to make a long queue to get a pack of GOUTER de ROI. 

It offers the newer type of rusk during October to beginning of May.

 

This is it

GOUTER de ROI White Chocolate

I cannot wait it, as I love white chocolate...

The piece is pure white.

It is a bit problem to hold it, as top and side of the small piece are all covered with white chocolate and it melts by heat from fingers.

 

Before it melts on fingers, let's bite it !

 

The rusk is crispy as same with the original version.

Of course the sweet chocolate coating is additional joy on it!

Fantastic!!

 

The white chocolate has been selected among tens of chocolate ingredients by Gateau Festa Harada product development team. It produces a good combination of rust and white chocolate, making the most use of flavours of butter and milk.

Unnn. I cannot wait for another piece!

 

Price:

GOUTER de ROI White Chocolate from Yen 420 by 5 pieces

 

Related story: Rusk "Gouter de Roi" - Gateau Festa Harada

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/12/rusk-gouter-de-roi-gateau-festa-harada.html

 

GOUTER de ROI productes are available at food floor in following major department stores in Tokyo and Osaka.

<Tokyo>

Matsuya Ginza - http://www.matsuya.com/foreign/index.html

Keio Shinjuku - http://info.keionet.com/foreign/index.html

Tobu Ikebukuro - http://www.tobu-dept.jp/ikebukuro/

<Osaka>

Hanshin Umeda Honten (the flagship store) - http://www.hanshin-dept.jp/dept/english/

 

Cream bun (くりーむパン) - Hattendo (八天堂) from Hiroshima (広島)

The small stand shop is in the middle of JR Shinagawa station, just a few meters from Yamanote line platform, where thousands of people walking across for their direction. Always seeing people waiting for shop staff taking order for them, I had been curious what is the product here.

That is the shop called Hattendo (八天堂) and it sells only two items, cream bun (くりーむパン) and rolle cake (ロールケーキ).

 

The wrapping package reminds us the long history and tradition of the sweets.

"Established in 8th year Showa(昭和)"(1933)

"in Mihara Mintatomachi, Hiroshima"(広島県みはら港町)

I have never head the name of the small town. Anyway I tried and got two pieces of cream bun.

 

As per the official home page of Hattendo (八天堂), the product, cream bun (くりーむパン) was born after 3 years spent for product development, aspired for better taste, higher quality product. It is soft to be melted in a month and light taste. The mildness makes us take one more piece...

It looks like buns for humberger but it is actually much softer.

Custard cream flavor is the most standrd product.

 

Maccha cream (抹茶くりーむ) caters fine green tea flavor.

The bun is thin and it is filled with cream.

 

Cream buns are made without preservative. Therefore the product life is only two days. And the fresh product has to be kept in fridge. It is very delicate product.

In Tokyo, it is available only at the small stand in JR Shinagawa station.

Don't miss the chance and keep extra time to wait for a while by queuing.

 

Shop name: Hattendo (八天堂) Shinagawa station (品川駅)

Address: 3-26-27 Takanawa, Minatoku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.hattendo.jp

 

 

 

 

 

大きな地図で見る

All Day Breakfast - Eggs'n Things, Harajuku (原宿)

As the signboard shown, Eggs'n Things was opened in Hawaii in 1974. After 36 years, the unit opened in Harajuku, known for young casual fasion boutiques, central Tokyo.

The restaurant's concept is "All Day Breakfast", where people enjoy "breakfast menu" at any time of a day, regardless lunch or dinner time.

I have never been to Hawaii but I like breakfast menu such as eggs, bread, pan cakes. It is known that a lot of people are making a queue line to eat "breakfast" there. Luckly on one afternoon of a weekday, we could get a table within 10 minutes after our arrival. 

The restaurant offers seats on the large terrace space. That must be a good choice when the climature is fine for outside dining. 

What we enjoyed here are....

 

Bacon n' Eggs (scramble) with potatos

To be honest, that is nothing special as breakfast plate often found at international standard hotels. That could make me feel better when I had it in the morning, not on afternoon...That is breakfast.

 

Pancake strawberry, whipped cream and nuts!!

Everyone is surprised by the big mountain of whipped cream.

The cream is not too sweet nor heavy as much as we thought.

The pieces of pancake are very soft and light taste as well.

We completed the plate including the cream finally !!

That was not what we could imagine before we started eating the plate.

That's it, that is what we should order here.

 

I hope I have a chance to come back here for "real" breakfast in future.

 

Restaurant name: Eggs'n Things

Address: 4-30-2 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Official website: http://www.eggsnthingsjapan.com/

 

大きな地図で見る

Kobe pudding (神戸プリン)

I got a souvenir (お土産) sweets from Kobe. 

Kobe is very well known for "Kobe beef". Apart from it, it is not easy to come up with any other food specialty for Kobe. Kobe pudding could be the second popular food in Kobe. The history Kobe Pudding is not so long, almost 20 years ago. However the image of confectionery is a good match with Kobe town where we find Western style housing heritage. 

Anyway, let's try the taste...

A bit different from a typical one. It is flavored with citrus liquor syrup and not too sweet.

That is recommendable for adults rather than for kids.

The seal-up package can be stored at room temperature.

Kobe pudding is available at souvenir shops in town, stations or airport or at department stores in Kobe.

 

神戸プリン（小）

神戸プリンチョコ　4個入り

******************  Find accommodation in Japan  ***************

OSAKA / NARA / SAPPORO / TAKAYAMA / TOKYO/YUFUIN 

YAKUSHIMA / NOZAWA ONSEN / NISEKO / NIKKO /

HIROSHIMA / MATSUMOTO / KYOTO / KANAZAWA / ISHIGAKI ISLAND /

HAKUBA / FURANO / BEPPU /

 

ISSUI - Sweets in bowl

It is extremely hot in Japan and the temperature exceeds 30C degree every day in Tokyo and other major cities. We need every ways to make cool ourselves like this sweets.

Sweets in bowl (Kashiwan 菓子椀) is not common in modern Japan but it was a way of welcoming guests in Muromachi-era, hundreds years ago. A major traditional sweets producer Nakamuraya (中村屋) newly developed a series packs for sweets bowls and the series are sold as the brand "ISSUI" at Isetan department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

The packages are unique already.  3 packs in all different colors, such as anko (sweet beans paste), fruits sauce, syrup, jelly, kinako (soy beans powder), are in a rectangle clear box as ingredients for a bowl of sweets. Nakamuraya, known for Yokan (traditional sweet beans cake), proudly uses high quality beans and sugar for ISSUI series. 

For example, what I got are...

It does not provide how to make it manual in details but anyway let's put and mix them in a bowl...

Mizu Yokan (みずようかん) with berry sauce and anko(sweets beans paste)

 

Warabi mochi (わらび餅, sticky cake made from plants) with soy beans powder and black syrup

An-mitsu (あんみつ), Kanten jelly (made from seaweed) with sweets beans paste and citrus sauce

 

In very hot summer, the cold jelly soup like sweets surely ease heated air and body.

Personally I felt that the amount of some sauce or syrup is too much for a good balance in a bowl with other two. In that case, it can be put in another bowl of ice cream or yogurt as you like!

The package can be stored at normal temperature for a few weeks depending on the pack.

This must be a good souvenir gift from Tokyo with a small surprise and joy to make the sweet by own.

Shop name: ISSUI

Address: B1 floor, Isetan department store, 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Website address (Japanese only): http://www.nakamuraya.co.jp/products/issui.html

大きな地図で見る

Dairy products from Hokkaido - Machimura Farm (町村農場) at Marunouchi

Hokkaido region is known for high quality dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt etc). Machimura Farm (町村農場, Machimura Nojo), which was founded in Hokkaido in 1917, provides its original dairy products at Marunouchi, business district in very heart of Tokyo. So we are able to enjoy fresh high quality ice cream, cheese cake, milk yogurt etc from Hokkaido, while we stay in Tokyo

The boutique by Machimura Farm is located on the basement floor (B1) of Shin-Marunouchi Building, just in front of Tokyo station. Its first boutique outside of Hokkaido offers chances to taste its fresh products with 12 seats there. Have a break with parfait, cakes or a glass of milk ?! while you are having shopping or working at Marunouchi area. The boutique also provides options to bring their products away.

Shop name: Machimura Farm Marunouchi (町村農場 丸の内)

Address: B1 floor Shin-Marunouchi building, 1-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website (Japanese only) : http://www.machimura.co.jp

大きな地図で見る

Grom - Italian gelato

The 9th of May is considered as "the day of ice-cream" by Japan Ice Cream Association.

Why it is the 9th of May? the date is the anniversary of the first biggest promotions made for Ice Cream in Japan in 1964, the year when Summer Olympic Game was taken place in Tokyo. On the beginning of May, the temperature is going to rise and the weather becomes better with more sunshine. It means that it comes to the good condition to start promoting Ice Cream in Japan.

Well, what I am going to introduce is not exactly Ice Cream but is Italian Gelato.

The Italian gelato shop Grom was born in Torino in 2003. The very best product is made of carefully selected fresh highest quality natural ingredients including fresh milk in the region's traditional way of production. Soon it became so popular in the city that people made a queue for it. (Yes, in Italy, not in Japan) The gelato producer won the "Master of Food" award  from Slow Food Organization and the Province of Torino. Now they have own orchard to harvest high quality seasonal fruits for its gelato products.

The store opened in New York in 2007 and the low-fat, low-sugar healthy dessert attracts New Yorker as well.

Probably no need to tell more stories to imagine a long queue was seen at the gelato shop when a year ago in 2009, it arrived in Shinjuku Tokyo.

The first unit in Japan is located on the ground floor of Shinjuku Marui department store. It has some seats and counters to taste the Italian sweets. More than 10 kinds of gelato are always available. Some of the flavors change season by season.

A plus point is that the shop opens until late evening 23:00. So it is still available as the fantastic end of meal even after you enjoy dinner in Shinjuku area.

The second unit in Tokyo will be open in Harajuku on June 2010.

The shop name: Grom

Address: Shinjuku Marui Honkan (Main building) 1F 3-30-13 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

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

 

Brasserie VIRON - French style brasserie cafe in Marunouchi

VIRON is the name of a French company in the flour milling industry. The flour by VIRON is often used as an ingredient of high quality breads and cakes in France. The brasserie in Japan proudly serves breads, French style cakes and sweets made from the VIRON flour from France.

Needless to say about breads for lunch or taking out, the tarts also can be a reason to visit the brasserie. During the time between lunch and dinner, you are able to enjoy a nice pair of tart and "cafe au lait" at sunny terrace tables close to Tokyo station.

 

Restaurant name: Brasserie VIRON

Address: 1F TOKIA Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo