New discoveries in Tokyo

     I'm happy to introduce our new discoveries. We came across these while shopping. ^_^

St. Marc Cafe

     While walking along, I saw a crepe display on the other side... or so I thought. Of course, being lured by their display, I was able to convince Mom and Dad to take a break there. We saw how busy it was, but good thing the line wasn't kilometric, so we gave in. The crepe display turned out to be ice cream in cones (pardon my poor eyesight). 

Their display

     Japan is known for their wax-made food displays. I believe it's one of the best marketing strategies... It worked for me. ^_^

Soft served ice cream with strawberries

2 of my favorites, ice cream and strawberries. ^_^

Royal ice milk tea

This was Mom's order. She loved this one too. 

     As much as we wanted to try the sandwiches, we were still quite full. It was a nice break from the warm weather. I'll make sure to have a sandwich and ice cream next time. 

Doutor

     This cafe is near the hotel. We stopped by here on the way back when Mom got a drink. While Mom ordered, Dad and I got intrigued with their menu because of their hotdog. Dad and I decided to have lunch here on our last day.

Lettuce dock

     This is the type of hotdog that pops as you bite, something that Dad loves. He ordered the German dock, which is like this one minus the lettuce (sorry was too hungry to take a picture).

Milan sandwich A boneless ham, bologna sausage

     Because Dad and I were still hungry, we agreed to have this one too. 

Iced tea

     The sandwiches had mustard (the mild one) and weren't greasy at all. I'm sure there will be a next time here on our next Japan trip. ;)

St. Marc Cafe

Visit their website

Doutor

Visit their website

Sushi feast @ Sushizanmai

     Of course, a trip to Japan isn't complete without sushi. There's a sushi place which is like a block away from the hotel called Sushizanmai. Dad has been raving about their sushi for a long time, so we were definitely excited to have dinner here. The place was a full house. Dad wanted to stay by the sushi counter but since all the seats were taken, we still managed to get a table. 

Their appetizer

Some kind of seafood with raddish. Pretty interesting!

They have a big variety... beware to be overwhelmed. ;)

Tempura

     

    They serve the freshest sushi at a reasonable price. For the specials of the day, the chef rings the bell and announces it right on the spot. It's no wonder this place is a hit for both locals and foreigners. Another place that makes it to the family's favorite restaurant list. ^_^

Sushizanmai

Visit their website 

Comfort and happy food @ Parkside Diner

     One of our favorite restaurants in Japan is Parkside Diner. This is another restaurant highly recommended by my parents. They serve sandwiches, pasta, ice cream, etc. If you're looking for something comforting, simple and happy (my sister Mitch would call this happy food because it's food associated with celebrating), this is the place to go to. 

Fried prawns

     The fried prawns come with tartar sauce. This wasn't overwhelming at all. It was just right and yummy!

Spaghetti with clams, tomato and mushrooms

Assorted sandwich

(with ham, egg, tomato, tuna and cheese)

American clubhouse sandwich

Love the buttery taste of the chicken! 

Strawberry ice cream

Chocolate sundae

     I wish we ordered everything in the menu. Believe me... everything we tried here was just terrific! This makes it in the family's favorite restos in Japan. ^_^

Parkside Diner

Imperial Hotel

Tokyo, Japan

Visit their website

Our home in Japan

     Imperial Hotel was our home for this year. This was highly recommended by my parents who have been loyal guests since the 80's. Since my first time here last 2009, I too have fallen in love with the hotel. 

Feels like you're in a Palace. ^_^

     Now let me show you our room...

I love the TV in the bathroom!

     You will encounter toilets with controls everywhere. Isn't this just the coolest thing ever? ^_^

     Besides our elegant, clean and cozy room, service is excellent! The staff (I mean everyone) are the most accommodating, cheerful and friendly. They never fail to greet and offer their service with a smile and bow. Last but definitely not the least, their food is one of the best, which I will talk about later on. Overall, we felt all positive vibes. ;)

Imperial Hotel

Tokyo, Japan

Visit their website

Dessert festival in Japan

    There's always room for dessert... especially in Japan. If you recall my videos of the basement section of a department store, who won't be in awe and resist all those fancy, mouth-watering cakes and pastries on display? After every meal, we definitely didn't miss out on dessert. We had our own dessert festival in our room. ^_^

Baumkuchen cake

     This is a German layered cake, which is popular in Japan. We first had this when our Japanese family friend gave us a box of this. 

Cheesecake

     There are 2 cheesecakes: the fluffy kind and the baked one. This was the latter. It's light and creamy with a hint of citrus.

Chocolate refrigerator cake

     Mom was hesitant buying this one because of the size. This was the smallest... but couldn't resist after all. She made the right choice. :P

Milk and white chocolate

Love it!

Custard pudding

Mom and Dad's favorite. This is similar to Leche Flan.*

Laduree chocolate ice cream

     I was surprised and happy to know Laduree also has ice cream. Of course I chose chocolate. Love it! ^_^

Strawberry Shortcake

     A popular cake in Japan, also known as a Christmas cake. This is one of my favorite cakes. Love the combination which is light and creamy. I wanted to have another slice before leaving Japan. :D

     

     Japanese cakes and pastries are as good as they look. Taste and consistency are just right, not too sweet, not overwhelming.  

     As we were walking by Ginza and waiting for stores to open, we came across a bakeshop called Dalloyau. This was familiar to Mom and Dad.  Because of our amazement with their display, it took a while before deciding on what to buy. We bought Macarons, Madeleines and Strawberry jam (sorry forgot to take a picture of our stuff). Again, we enjoyed. ^_^

Pastry chefs in action.

  
Dalloyau
6-9-3 Ginza
Chuo-Ku
Tokyo
Visit their website


Leche flan -Filipino custard flan

Konnichiwa Japan! (Part 2)

     Hello Kitty has been an all time favorite (I'm sure most girls will agree). I can't believe I almost forgot to pass by this part. Thank goodness Mom brought it up. ^_^

     For fellow foodies, don't miss out on the basement section of a department store. This is why...

     Sorry I got overwhelmed so I didn't get to take pictures of all the food. Check out the videos for more goodies...

Let me share some info and tips I learned:

-You will encounter everyone bowing as this is a way of greeting and is also a sign of respect.

-Giving tips or "keep the change" isn't practiced as it's considered rude. 

-When eating noodles, you may slurp as slurping indicates it's delicious.

-The numbers 4 and 9 are bad luck. The former is shi which also means death and the latter is ku which also means suffering.

-Do not place your chopsticks in an upright position inside a bowl because it will look like a ritual done in burials.

     I'm currently learning Japanese and got to practice when I would order. The people here are the nicest and most accommodating, so you don't have to worry. Thank you to my friends, Candice and David for your help and tips. :D My first time here in Japan was last 2009 but I didn't have a camera that time. Now I already have not only one, but two cameras. ^_^