Tokyo

Run! Godzilla

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I’ve been too busy to blog lately.
I’ve been attacked by Godzilla.

From Godzilla
From Godzilla
From Godzilla
From Godzilla

I haven’t quite been attacked by Godzilla, but I was recently attacked by jellyfish and sea lice. More to come on that in a future post.

Life has been hectic recently, hence the absence. But it’s all been good hectic. In a nutshell over the last 2 months, I’ve quit my job, got a new job, older brother visited me in Japan, went on a holiday, started new job and last weekend and this weekend have had/will have open water swimming races (race reports to come), and so many travel posts I don’t even know where to begin. Lots of fun and interesting times had recently.

Rest assured, lots of cool posts and photos to come soon!

Shonan 10km OWS: Race Report

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My first DNF in a swim race.
Sadly, after 9 months of training and lot of hours spent in the pool, I was pulled from this 10km open water swim race.
Honestly, it was a race that I did not want to do. I refused on principle simply because of its location, but was talked into by the housemate. He’d done the race before a couple of years ago, and was prepared to do it again. The swim was a point to point swim – from Zushi beach to Enoshima beach in the Shonan Area. The last time I swam at Shonan, this happened to me. I vowed I would never swim in those waters again. Before you know it, I’ve gone and signed up for it.

This was to be my first actual open water marathon swim race. I’d already done an 8km ows, and a 10km pool race (which was probably about the equivalent of 8km in open water). This was going to be one reluctant swim. And 3.5 hours in which to do it.

Tough conditions this year though. I was stung by jellyfish, eaten alive by sea lice, and battled currents. I was unable to make a lot of ground. There was 1km cut off at 20minutes, and then another 5km cut off at 1hr 40min. Water was about 22-23 degrees but felt warmer.

From the get go, it was not a comfortable swim. I was getting stung by sea lice for much of the swim.
Despite being pulled from the swim, I still swam for about 2 hours. I think I got caught in currents and basically either kept going in circles or zigzagging between the buoys. Just shy of the 5km mark, I was stopped. I pleaded to continue, but a pack of us were put onto jetskis and then hauled onto boats. So for about 2 hours I had been swimming and had only covered about 4.5km of the course. I am taking solace in the fact that about over 25% of starters were pulled from the race or voluntarily retired from the race. There were about 100 non-finishers of those that started. The official statistic from the race organisers was that there was only a 73% finishing rate. It was a very tough race. I even know of someone who was pulled at 3.5 hours in. Disappointing for us. JC however did well and finished in just over 3 hours with a time of about 3hr 2min. His previous time for the same race was 2hr 36min. And JC is one of the top swimmers I know.

The race time limit was 3.5 hours. Last year everyone was within that time limit. This year, there were over 80 people with times between 3.5-4 hours, reflecting a much tougher race in tougher conditions. Well done to all those that finished. So many people bore the marks of jellyfish stings. You could see all the jellyfish and another nasty crap as we swam in the water. Do not swim in Shonan waters. Dirty, dirty, dirty.

So what’s it like to be pulled from a race?
I didn’t want to be pulled. I wanted to at least finish the race, no matter how long it took me. I knew I wasn’t yet at the 5km mark, but I also didn’t know how long I had been swimming for. When I was stopped, I had asked what the time was. Ugh. At that rate, I was going to be just over 4 hours. I still wanted to finish, coz at the end of the day, no one wants to retire voluntarily. I had spent months training, so many hours at the pool, paid over 20000yen for the race entry alone, had travelled all the way, gotten up really early to do the race etc. But a little part of me was also relieved, coz I was also suffering from bites and stings. At one point I couldn’t even kick properly because I had gotten stung between the upper thighs so that every time I kicked, it irritated. I basically did a waddle kick with my legs apart for a short while until the stinging wore off.

So we got dragged along in a jetski 2-3people at a time and then hauled onto a boat. There were a couple of packs of swimmers, and two boatloads of people at this time that were brought into shore. We were offered water, blankets etc. Handed in our ankle timer chips, and taken to the port. When we alighted from the boat, they had laid out over 30 pairs of thongs/flip flops for us (only in Japan ay), and provided us with some blankets for the walk back to the finish line where all our luggage bags were located.

I was gutted not to have finished, but it was an extremely tough race that would have taken me over the race time limit.
I don’t plan on a redemption swim for this particular race.

Am sporting a nasty itchy sea lice rash at the moment:

From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS

And that’s just the PG-rated photos.

Below is the pictorial race report:

Friday night-pre race registation centre:

From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS

I was amused on the race disclaimer, that in the absence of a hanko (name seal/stamp), they wanted us “foreigners” to give a fingerprint instead:

From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS

Because it was a point to point swim, it meant that all our gear was transported from the start line to the finish line. We were given race souvenir bags to put all our gear in. I had been worried about the size of the bags we would be given. I carry a lot of crap to races. The bag was satisfactorily spacious – 55cm x 45cm with backpack straps.

From Shonan 10km OWS

I even paid for a race t-shirt, and I didn’t get to finish the race:

From Shonan 10km OWS

Unfortunately, no finisher’s medal for me.

Weather forecast conditions:

From Shonan 10km OWS

Saturday morning:
Up very early to prep and fuel. It was a 7am registration kick off for a 9am swim start.

From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS

Conditions at Zushi beach looked deceptively calm:

From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS

We basically had to head for this island at Enoshima, but then swim into shore:

From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS

There were a lot of rescue and lifeguards on hand. It was a well supervised race – plenty of lifeguards, rescuers on paddles, jetskis, and boats out there.

From Shonan 10km OWS

The bouys were pretty much a km apart throughout the course, marked with numbers, counting down the remaining km’s.

From Shonan 10km OWS

Looking optimistic:

From Shonan 10km OWS

Warm up swim:

From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS

At the finish line: unfortunately I didn’t get to run across it:

From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS
From Shonan 10km OWS

Oh well.

Have another shorter swim this Saturday at a much cleaner beach. Let’s hope I make it to the finish line.

Ekki Brunch, Tokyo

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Indulged in a massive carb-laden brunch yesterday. But I totally deserved it. I swam my first ever 10km swim race on Saturday (race report to come), so Sunday was spend putting all the calories back in.

The Four Seasons Hotel, Marunouchi is my number one spot for Afternoon Tea (have been there twice). Of all my high tea reviews in Tokyo, this one is my favourite. Was keen to try out their brunch.There weekend brunch offering did not disappoint. The food and service is really awesome. A pleasant experience is always had here.

Totally went all out on the calories. The weekend brunch set consists of your choice of appetizer, main dish and then the chef’s dessert, along with tea/coffee and a basket of complimentary breads/rolls. Wine was extra but hell I had just swum 10km the day before so I had a little celebratory drop.

I went the scallops for appetizer. Can’t resist scallops whenever they’re on the menu. Served with a sweet potato puree. My friend had the foie grais with mango chutney. Both were really delicious. The foie grais is a good choice though. Great flavour combination and a generous serve of foie grais. The scallop dish would have been perfect had it been served with three scallops rather than the two. But maybe that’s me being shellfish 😉

From Ekki Brunch
From Ekki Brunch

The brunch is certainly filling, especially with the complmentary bread basket dipped in olive oil and salt. Was torn as to what to order for mains – there were several options but narrowed them down to two. Was in need of some meat. The Wagyu burger with truffle fries or the Aussie lamb. Went the burger and fries and went the whole hog with the extra topping of bacon and cheese.

From Ekki Brunch
From Ekki Brunch

Yum yum. Divine. Wagryu burger was perfectly cooked and awesome portion for those with big appetites like myself.

From Ekki Brunch
From Ekki Brunch

And who needs ketchup for your fries when you have a truffle oil mayonnaise instead. Fancy burger and fancy fries.

This is a burger with height:

From Ekki Brunch

And if that wasn’t enough food, the brunch set also includes the chef dessert. An orange sorbet with yoghurt and orange and hazelnuts. And a whole pot of English breakfast tea. Was dying for a cuppa. Hadn’t had one in nearly 48 hours.

From Ekki Brunch
From Ekki Brunch
From Ekki Brunch

Everytime I go to the Four Seasons, Marunouchi, I can barely fault them. Food and service is also top notch. Brunch is about 4000yen for a 3 course meal. Alcoholic beverages extra and they’re not cheap. I deserved to induldge a little though. And for the record, I did not eat dinner that night. Was sooo full.

Oshima Fuji open water swimming

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Went to Oshima a few weekends ago. Finally got to tick that one off the list. Of the seven Izu islands, I only have one more to do. Was in Oshima for a triathlon – not an individual one, but rather a team relay. Naturally, I’d be doing the swimming leg. Unfortunately, and to everyone’s disappointment, it rained. A lot. The race was cancelled. And, of course, the next day was a perfectly sunny day. Oh well, hiked a volcano on the Sunday instead so all was not lost. In the absence of a swim on Saturday, some of us got up early for a pre-breakfast swim. Gotta love a 6am swim on a Sunday. Who needs sleep, right? It was worth it though coz we got to see Fuji.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

Mount Fuji in all its glory. Was a drastic change from the previous day of rain and cloud.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

This particular spot was called Akinohama (on Oshima Island). We jumped off from a small rocky point.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

A fine morning for some wild swimming. In we jumped. Everyone wore wetsuits except me. Triathletes are such wimps in the water 😉

From Oshima tri day 2

The water was cold. I’m guessing about 19 degrees. Definitely made the heart stop beating for a second when I first jumped in. Took me a while to get my breathing right. Water was chilly and it was surprisingly choppy. Felt a bit seasick out there. Didn’t help that I was seasick the day before on the boat from Tokyo to Oshima island. We had had some wild wet weather the day before.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

This is open water swimming at its finest. Refreshing cold water with Mount Fuji looking over us. C’mon in!

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

The pensive swimmer:

From Oshima tri day 2

 

This totally Rocks!

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This chair totally ROCKS!

From Giant rocking chair

I need to get me one of these bad boys. It’s a huge arse rocking chair. Literally, a huge arse could fit in it! The rocking chair to the right is a regular/normal-sized rocking chair (for scale). Saw this at a furniture store in Tokyo. Soooo tempted to sit in it – Goldilocks style. This chair is much too big. This chair is just perfect! Shame this rocking chair has already been sold.

Harrods Tea Plantation, Ginza: Afternoon tea

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Due to a technical glitch, I hadn’t been able to blog for the past week. Couldn’t get access into blog host to post up some recent happenings.

Ticked off another afternoon tea venue in Tokyo, bringing my total tally to 28 venues, and that’s just in Tokyo alone. Doesn’t include the rest of Japan nor my afternoon teas abroad. I have singlehandedly had high tea at about 50 different venues around the world.

This time it was off to Harrods Tea Plantation Salon in Ginza, located in the Mitsukoshi department store.
Went there with a friend (whom incidentally started out as a blog reader, got in touch with me when she was in Tokyo and now has a job here. We’ve become friends, and meet up on the odd occasion to partake in tea and scones.).

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

It had a hint of a Singapore Raffle’s vibe to it:

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

Afternoon tea is available here from 2pm onwards (until 5pm) and boy did it get busy after 2pm. Luckily we had gotten there early at 1:30pm and were seated right away. We ordered the afternoon tea, even though we wouldn’t be served it until 2pm. The venue does not take bookings.

The Harrods Afternoon Tea set is a set price for 2 people so it needs to be shared and you’ll need even numbers. It includes a pot of tea each per person but the pots here are very small.

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

The tea selection is pretty impressive covering about 3 pages worth.
We went the Georgian Blend No. 18

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

and the Assam Orangajuli.

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

From 2pm, the place gets busy.

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

The teapots are tiny. Barely enough for 2 cups of tea. Free hot water refill is available, but the tea gets really weak.

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

I really liked the sugarcubes. They had different sized cubes, perfect for when you only want a half teaspoon of sugar!

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

Afternoon tea for two:

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

This place is an all-round good afternoon tea venue. The food was classic. Not too fancy but not too plain either. All in all, everything was pleasant.

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

I quite enjoyed all the sweets.

And the sandwiches were plentiful. There were 6 triangles each to consume, so it wasn’t too skimpy on the portions.
This was the serving for one person:

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

Scones were typical of the scones in Japan. Not the same as Aussies scones, mind you. Aussie scones are the best.

Scones with strawberry jam and cream – simple and sufficient. Scones served with any other jam than strawberry is blasphemous.

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

At the time of you ordering, you had a choice of either a plain scone or a raisin scone.

From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea
From Harrods Ginza afternoon tea

The price is split between two people so at a price of just a tad over 2500yen per person, it’s a very reasonable afternoon tea in Tokyo. Food was good, and plentiful. But no all you can drink tea.
It’s a nice spot for afternoon tea if you need a break from shopping in Ginza without breaking the budget.

Am now seriously running out of afternoon tea venues in Tokyo!

Nobu, Tokyo

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The year is flying by. Turned another year older last week. Kept it pretty lowkey and had a birthday dinner on the day of my birthday even though it was a school/work night.

Had a nice birthday lunch courtesy of my boss with a few colleagues. Went to Nobu which is a really nice (and pricey) restaurant. I really enjoy the food there. Have been there a few times now.

The Chef’s Lunch Box: A little bit of everything.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XSWr1Ksn7ThrI1oi-v1zStmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6Ia91PThqy0/U3oj0m2FZrI/AAAAAAACp7A/02p5tlaq-aw/s640/IMG_8816.jpg&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lmv4k6Dleu1DKwJTOqIwd9mlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1UK09X6_e2g/U3ojxQGo_pI/AAAAAAACp1k/zcUtII4pAY8/s640/IMG_8810.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mG1IeKjSuCDTYNhlLc3fYdmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_PEiB7aSnAU/U3ojxvt9CaI/AAAAAAACp1Q/VHZOhjkrEWo/s640/IMG_8811.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jiUtQKScazTrnFc8d-6A-tmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r1FBIb3Ku8o/U3ojyQaLOjI/AAAAAAACp1Y/zxM7RdfuXqk/s640/IMG_8812.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WjYwr6IIme-__9FaVFmUMdmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dOm3fqRKi1o/U3ojzGucoII/AAAAAAACp1s/WEsAeGl_RbA/s640/IMG_8813.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4DPQj74lJz7D9-RahnM6X9mlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YHbW4S7IUS8/U3ojzcC4tbI/AAAAAAACp1o/r9JpcysL34w/s640/IMG_8814.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PTNHh7Ehw5Jzq-9Ve761zNmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-84b1AzPw7H8/U3ojz-40ReI/AAAAAAACp14/SofLELe2ZsA/s640/IMG_8815.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

Amazing chocolate souffle:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PLNjub6Uwxv6014YPHikwNmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gS-nTWp2DHk/U3oj9yEzfEI/AAAAAAACp4Q/RTR8u-2ccXY/s640/IMG_8974.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

And then my birthday dinner was at a casual retro Mexican restaurant in Nakameguro – Junkadelic. A place that has been on my bucketlist for a while now. Finally got to tick that off. I highly recommend the fajitas there and there frozen mango margaritas.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mWQFk98S-_yWP2XU-iytgNmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mLU_wWY0z74/U3okA1D4TQI/AAAAAAACp4g/CqgH-My_jE8/s640/DSCN3435.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

Got two Mexican jokes for ya courtesy of my best friend:

Why are Mexican houses so hot?

… coz they have fajitas (four heaters)!

And why are Mexicans so good at laying carpet?

Because they really know their underlay, underlay!

Chimmichanga time:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/roHSb7jZn1H-YBX-G_0Zx9mlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XrQuS4qoFf4/U3okJWqItXI/AAAAAAACp48/Kf__UG33668/s640/DSCN3444.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCLKd54_FlaPenwE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

Good friend. And good friends:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/O6aq-t1Kz1r393TkAT1IANmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VUqDj8zRHK8/U3okN2moIHI/AAAAAAACp5I/D8Ucts8ddP8/s640/DSCN3445.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

And surprise birthday cakes. Yes, plural. Two cakes!

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J6jPja8dRQfixwx-lzKFZ9mlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-k3QXEyAlu28/U3okYVyAZNI/AAAAAAACp5s/GhFWEiZ2RSE/s640/DSCN3449.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IHI8dOFkDZrQcSRCDgGdT9mlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WqfeUpb1Vhk/U3oke6LLATI/AAAAAAACp6E/6eOPQbgpCb4/s400/DSCN3454.JPG&#8221; height=”300″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6TpEdpOmZ3Fiy1pc6IYrmNmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zmFQKfRMNQg/U3oj9-I49EI/AAAAAAACp4Y/bw5CUjXuWzs/s640/IMG_8973.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

Got some nice flowers which was sweet:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DAASDf-6l29R1oBwfyTqb9mlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tZEUv4M80EI/U3oj9j99PEI/AAAAAAACp4M/MLoemZnNszI/s640/IMG_8919.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

And when I got home later that night, I found my bedroom filled with balloons, courtesy of my housemate!

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/s-0pNghVoHKpU3wquaABTNmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4KPos6_Y18s/U3oj77oPikI/AAAAAAACp4I/ZaLM8MLZT8Y/s640/IMG_8831.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

Some of them even glowed in the dark!

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DqakYs-xh4NGWbzTA25j-NmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wp8g8BihfjQ/U3oj5FiYEzI/AAAAAAACp3E/74wehGGdnrA/s640/IMG_8825.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>
<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0R93iRt4EXkIE2_vR-ncVtmlF_Hgg1WgE844Oxhxuns?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wED5ALU4puc/U3oj4vyRCOI/AAAAAAACp24/Ia72dVceoRM/s640/IMG_8824.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Birthday201402?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Birthday 2014</a></td></tr></table>

Cheers to that!

Birthday 2014

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

The year is flying by. Turned another year older last week. Kept it pretty lowkey and had a birthday dinner on the day of my birthday even though it was a school/work night. Had a nice birthday lunch courtesy of my boss with a few colleagues. Went to Nobu which is a really nice (and pricey) restaurant. I really enjoy the food there. Have been there a few times now. The Chef’s Lunch Box: A little bit of everything.

From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014

Amazing chocolate souffle:

From Birthday 2014

And then my birthday dinner was at a casual retro Mexican restaurant in Nakameguro – Junkadelic. A place that has been on my bucketlist for a while now. Finally got to tick that off. I highly recommend the fajitas there and there frozen mango margaritas.

From Birthday 2014

Got two Mexican jokes for ya courtesy of my best friend: Why are Mexican houses so hot? … coz they have fajitas (four heaters)! And why are Mexicans so good at laying carpet? Because they really know their underlay, underlay! Chimmichanga time:

From Birthday 2014

Good friend. And good friends:

From Birthday 2014

And surprise birthday cakes. Yes, plural. Two cakes!

From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014

Got some nice flowers which was sweet:

From Birthday 2014

And when I got home later that night, I found my bedroom filled with balloons, courtesy of my housemate!

From Birthday 2014

Some of them even glowed in the dark!

From Birthday 2014
From Birthday 2014

Cheers to that!

Kobeya afternoon tea

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

My mission: to find a cheap afternoon tea in Tokyo. The request was for under 3000yen. That was going to be a hard challenge.

I had plans a few weeks back to meet with a couple of ladies from my Namie NESS days.
We usually meet for coffee/lunch etc. They wanted to do afternoon tea but had set a budget for 3000yen or less.
The starting price for afternoon tea at most places in Tokyo is 3500yen.
And the consumption tax rate in Japan has recently risen as well (that’s been a huge pain!).
This was not going to be an easy task. And I wanted to throw in the extra personal challenge of choosing a venue that I have not yet been to.

I put my research skills to the test and came up with an afternoon tea venue for under 1500yen! Total score.
Not the best afternoon tea I’ve had in terms of food quality, but it made for a pleasant afternoon nonetheless.

The venue was Kobeya at the Tokyo International Forum (TIF) in Yurakucho. Points gained for location.
Kobeya is actually a really nice bakery chain. Some of their bakeries have extended into cafe dining restaurants where you can actually order main meals etc. The only place I know where the afternoon tea set is available is the Yurakucho branch of Kobeya. It’s kind of a “gentei” thing, which means it’s limited to so many servings a day. And they don’t take bookings so you’ve just got to turn up and try your luck that they haven’t reached the limit for the day. Luckily, it’s not heavily advertised and most people don’t know about it. You’ll need to ask for the Tea Time menu. And it’s only available between 2-6pm.

The afternoon tea is simple and no frills.
A pot of tea is included. One tea selection only (but you can ask for hot water refill, but the tea did not taste so good after we did this). I think I went with the UVA tea but they also had a couple of other options as well as an organic tea which is technically the tea that comes with the set.
I liked the little touches such as the timer and the teapot cover.

From Kobeya afternoon tea
From Kobeya afternoon tea

The 3-tier set is light and sufficient, but no so tasty. More skewed to Japanese tastebuds.

From Kobeya afternoon tea
From Kobeya afternoon tea
From Kobeya afternoon tea

I enjoyed all of the sandwiches, except one. There was a mentaiko sandwich. And mentaiko is the roe of pollock and cod (basically fish ovaries).

From Kobeya afternoon tea
From Kobeya afternoon tea

The other sandwiches were perfectly fine.

The second tier was essentially the pastry course: a chocolate chip scone, a green tea (matcha) pastry and a berry pastry.

From Kobeya afternoon tea
From Kobeya afternoon tea

Not enough savoury morsels for your liking? They threw in some olives as well.

Clearly, these items are just from the bakery section of their store.

From Kobeya afternoon tea
From Kobeya afternoon tea

I don’t like matcha flavoured stuff, so I didn’t really enjoy this much. Also the jam doesn’t really go well with a choc chip scone.

The last dish was heavy on the grapefruit theme. Again, not a huge fan of grapefruit, so this afternoon tea wasn’t really to my liking. But I wasn’t here for the food. I was here for the company, to catch up with some friends over language exchange.

From Kobeya afternoon tea
From Kobeya afternoon tea

There was a cheesecake which was quite nice. Can’t go wrong there.

From Kobeya afternoon tea

The afternoon set is 1300yen plus tax. Food items will vary as it will be seasonal. I think I must have gone during grapefruit season.

If you go on a weeked to TIF, you might also be in time for the regular antique market that they have there. Great antiques and knick knacks, but not cheap.

I ordered “pancakes”

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Back in April, a bunch of us had planned on going for a Sunday hike. Weather was not in favour so we went to brunch in Omotesando/Harauku instead.
Went to an unusual cafe. It looks like a tiny non-descript coffee shop at the front. Not at all enticing for a tea-drinker like myself. But lo and behold, once you enter and if you go out the back and downstairs there is a lot more seating. And they do brunch, lunch and dinner. So much more than a coffee shop.

I ordered the crab burger, which was a tad on the small portion size for my liking.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/769K0fyvTOvFCAEHdBhqqS1tLRW7weQC4VUklPbLQQo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zuaCCGn5xYQ/U1OgFjFT06I/AAAAAAACjlM/h8ywgQ0yAxk/s640/IMG_7430.jpg&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/OmotesandoBrunch?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Omotesando brunch</a></td></tr></table>

Oh well, that just meant that there was room for brunch dessert so I ordered “pancakes”.
But what I got was a “cake” made in a “pan”. Well played, Japan.
No disputing that they were “pan” “cakes”.
Surely, these are the thickest pancakes my eyes have ever laid on.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tGfEkIrTJIVVwK3SeqquEy1tLRW7weQC4VUklPbLQQo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-w9msqNLFWVU/U1OgFkPXv7I/AAAAAAACjlI/vohOBVC2eeM/s640/IMG_7432.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/OmotesandoBrunch?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Omotesando brunch</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QjULp9duWzzCjXJnlbTq9C1tLRW7weQC4VUklPbLQQo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7lFRP_6gHyU/U1OgGuNPx2I/AAAAAAACjlk/3O50vE2Y9s8/s640/IMG_7433.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/OmotesandoBrunch?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Omotesando brunch</a></td></tr></table>

It was like a cake batter cooked in a pan.
The thickness didn’t detract from their flavour, but they certainly were filling. They were thick and fluffy to be sure.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GQGCBpRm7vQtLzPdVIx0Hy1tLRW7weQC4VUklPbLQQo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rf0Flos6PcQ/U1OgHHoTGBI/AAAAAAACjls/LYMbfPhM_gs/s640/IMG_7435.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/OmotesandoBrunch?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Omotesando brunch</a></td></tr></table>

Had to drown these in syrup.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/28-sTZpaP3151JSo1JcEPC1tLRW7weQC4VUklPbLQQo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-y0Lw-muAs84/U1OgIlRYodI/AAAAAAACjl0/_Yy9AdaN4gg/s640/IMG_7437.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/OmotesandoBrunch?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Omotesando brunch</a></td></tr></table>

And if you thought that was a generous quinelle of ice cream, you thought wrong. That was whipped cream with a side of butter.

Right now, can’t remember the name of the place, but I know exactly where it is.