Tokyo

天丼 てんや Tempura Tendon Tenya @ Tokyo, Japan

For our day 11 dinner in Tokyo, we went to a famous chain restaurant by the name of Tempura Tendon Tenya at Ueno. It’s just a stone throw away from Ameyoko, a famous market street. You might noticed that we dine at chain restaurants a lot in Japan. Yeah, save $$ lo. Although it’s not cheap in my standard, at least it’s cheaper than many others restaurant. Haha

I’m sure you know what’s tempura. I didn’t know tendon is actually a dish name until I’m about to write this post and find out more about the name of this restaurant. Tendon means tempura on a bowl of rice, just like gyūdon means beef on a bowl of rice or butadon, pork on rice. Tempura + donburi = tendon.

Tempura Tendon Tenya @ Ueno, Tokyo
The crowds at 6pm. Thankfully there were an empty table.
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August 15, 2017
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Urayasu

Wonderful Ramen At 一風堂 Ippudo @ Urayasu, Japan

We spent our whole of day 10 at Tokyo DisneySea. Had super late lunch (=3pm) at Mamma Biscotti’s Bakery inside Tokyo DisneySea (click link to see what we ate if you’re interested). For dinner, we went for something which I can say classic; ramen! So happened our point of exit from Disney Resort line at Resort Gateway Station brought us to a shopping mall called Ikspiari. We were really tired, and so dining there to recharge our battery was the best choice. As soon as we saw Ippudo at the mall’s directory, we knew we gotta try it at least once in Japan.

I’ve tried Ippudo in Taiwan and Malaysia. While the one in Taiwan (my first time) blew me away, the one in Malaysia (The Gardens) was a real disappointment. Read on to find out where does Ippudo in Urayasu stands in my book.

Ippudo @ Urayasu
Ippudo at Ikspiari is located on the 3rd floor of Gracious Square. There was a queue when we arrived. I think we waited for about 20 minutes. The condiments offered here are different from the two other Ippudos except beni shoga (pickled strips ginger) if I’m not mistaken.
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August 7, 2017
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Fujikawaguchiko

ほうとう不動 Hōtō Fudō @ Fujikawaguchiko, Japan

When I was in Fujikawaguchiko on day 8 of my 2016 Japan trip, my dinner plan was to eat hōtō at the super awesome futuristic igloo-like structure (it’s actually cloud shaped but looks more like igloo to me) of Hōtō Fudō’s Higashi Koiji Store. However, luck were not on our side as they were sold out for the day (as early as 5pm!). So, we went to their Kawaguchiko Station Front Store. And… they were sold out too! Wow, are their hōtō really that good? I really wanted to find out.

The next day (day 9), after our visit to Oishi Park and Kindaruma, we went to Hōtō Fudō (Kawaguchiko Station Front Store) for lunch at 12.20pm. This time there were no hiccups. Yay! It was our last meal at Fujikawaguchiko before we depart to Tokyo. We didn’t went to the Higashi Koiji Store this time as the taxi fare from yesterday’s night were quite pricey. So, we settled for the store nearest to us.

Hōtō Fudō (Kawaguchiko Station Front Store) @ Fujikawaguchiko
Hōtō Fudō (Kawaguchiko Station Front Store).
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July 25, 2017
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Tokyo

やよい軒 Yayoiken @ Tokyo, Japan

We arrived Tokyo from Fujikawaguchiko by bus in the evening on day 9. After checking in our hostel, we went looking for dinner nearby as it was already quite late by then and we’re really tired too. We settled on Yayoiken やよい軒, which is just 3 minutes walk from our accommodation. Yayoiken is a chain dining restaurant specializing in teishoku (Japanese set meal) and donburi (rice bowl dish). Ironically, our first dinner at Kyoto was also a teishoku. You can find Yayoiken everywhere in Japan and also in USA, Asia (Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore) and Australia.

Salt-Grilled Mackerel Teishoku @ Yayoiken やよい軒, Tokyo
This beautiful mackerel! 😍
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July 23, 2017
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Fujikawaguchiko

Beautiful Mount Fuji Yōkan From 金多留満 Kindaruma @ Fujikawaguchiko, Japan

Fujikawaguchiko was the place that I look forward to visit the most during my virgin Japan trip last year. What’s so special about Fujikawaguchiko? Mount Fuji!!! 🗻 You can see Mount Fuji from here and it’s also the more popular base for climbing Mount Fuji. You see, Fujikawaguchiko is situated at the foothills of Fujisan. There’s also a really big lake in Fujikawaguchiko called Kawaguchiko (Kawaguchi Lake).

On day 9, after visiting Oishi Park 大石公園, we stopped by Kindaruma 金多留満 for this one of a kind wagashi called Mount Fuji yōkan. Being a biggie fan of Fujisan, I made sure to grab this unique souvenir. What’s yōkan? Yōkan is a type of Japanese jelly dessert. Its texture is way thicker from any regular kinds that I’ve eaten before.

Let’s visit the shop first:
Wagashi @ Kindaruma 金多留満, Fujikawaguchiko
Kanetamaru mochi かねたまる餅 (left) and 財縁金塊菓, a type of cake which looks a lot like financier (right).
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July 19, 2017
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Chicken

Sumac Rosemary Lemon Roasted Chicken

Woah, the last time I posted a recipe was back in February. That’s really a long time ago. To break the ice, I thought I’ll share this sumac rosemary lemon roasted chicken recipe which I made during the weekend. I’ve been using sumac quite a lot lately, mostly on salad. This was my first time combining sumac (and rosemary+lemon) with chicken, and I gotta say the end result is pretty good. Give it a try and let me know if you like it, ya?

Sumac Rosemary Lemon Roasted Chicken
Sumac rosemary lemon roasted chicken. 😍
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July 3, 2017
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