Yoku Moku ヨックモック Blue Brick Lounge Aoyama Tokyo

I’ve never had the motivation to visit this place until recently when I spotted its seasonal menu that looked potentially good. Matcha fondant is a dessert of the yesteryears but this cigare specialty store still had the guts to serve it. In fact, it had done a brilliant job with the entire concept. Who says plated desserts have to be deconstructed in an avant-Garde style and leave us feeling empty after that? 


モワルーショコラ 抹茶仕立て

Thankfully this was totally not the case. Everything was in the way they should be. You can tell a cake’s a cake and an ice cream is an ice cream. 

The perfectly matcha circles painted in the background were the key that transformed the dish, as if it was done with the masterful strokes of Picasso. The wobbly blobs of matcha bavaroise was barely sweetened but it wasn’t too bitter as well. 

Together with the yuzu sherbet, the matcha bavaroise toned down the sweetness from the matcha fondant cake. The matcha ice cream itself was already good on its own and I wiped it clean first. 

桜のクレームブリュレ Sakura Creme Brulee



However, the Sakura Creme Brûlée Parfait was a sorry situation as the centerpiece was terribly sweet, not salvaged in any case by the meringue sticks. Nonetheless it wasn’t a wasted trip as the matcha dessert saved the day and at least now that I’ve finally know how it feels like to dine at this famous Blue House eh nope, Blue Brick Lounge, that have been widely written and reviewed. 

Yoku Moku Blue House 
Lounge 10am-11pm (Shop till 7pm)
https://www.yokumoku.co.jp/store/tokyo/509/
https://www.facebook.com/yokumoku.co.ltd/
南青山５－３－３ 東京都港区 107-0062
Nearest station: Omotesando 

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Hotel New Otani Tokyo: $15 Super Overhyped and Overpriced Japanese Shortcake

If there’s one place you should avoid for cakes in Tokyo or even the whole of Japan, it is Patisserie Satsuki of the prestigious Hotel New Otani, the same place that houses the first Pierre Herme outlet in Japan. 

It’s famous for its super melon shortcake which is priced at a whopping ¥3500 per piece and limited to only 20 per day.  WOW. To think that something so simple can fetch such a heavenly price. And if it can continue to be around for so many years (more than 10 years), it must be damn good. 

Having found out that the cakes can be booked online for collection (which means no wasted trip  if it is sold out or no wasting time to queue), I eagerly booked 3 items from the edo Sweets series, a collection of matcha based pastries. 

1500 yen (~SGD 18) millefeuille

As I tried to navigate through the rather forlorn hotel (think old Beauty World Shopping Center) with kimono-clad Obaasan sipping afternoon tea on red cushion sofas, trying to reach the god-knows-where patisserie, I felt very awkward and I just wanted to collect and get out of this place asap. But the horror of all horrors came later. The cakes turned out to be the worst decision ever made in my life. 

1250 yen (~SGD 15) per slice 

I won’t describe the details of every single piece because it reminded me of the mental torture to try to consume as much as I can without wasting my money. The sponge (be it in the roll or shortcake) was terribly dry and rough you’ll better standby some water by your side. Meanwhile the matcha cream/ganache was so sweet that the first reaction most will do is to scrape it away. I felt sad for the matcha which have been robbed of their beauty because of the poor control of sugar and chocolate.

Portion for each cake is definitely bigger than average but who will even be keen to finish it when it tasted like this? 

Better save your calories and $$ for something else across the streets.

https://www.newotani.co.jp/tokyo/restaurant/p-satsuki/cake/edo-sweets/

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Mensho : Best Duck Rice Ever

Kamo Gohan aka Duck Rice, the Japanese Way.




Kamo gohan is a dish which could be easily overlook if you didn’t do your homework before you come. But for those who have visited here numerous times aka 老饕, they will order this together with the Shio ramen that clinched the No. 1 Must Try Ramen of the Shio category run by #Tokyoramenoftheyear  

Unveil the Nori coating and I discovered not plain white rice but glistening brown pearl grains that’s been seasoned and mixed with chunks of flavorful duck, much to my surprise.

The seaweed added a layer of unami to the dish and the squirt contained yuzu orange dish that brightened the dish with fruity but non-sourish notes. I truly enjoyed every morsel, trying to come to terms with the fact that this ultra-delicious dish only cost ¥250. Pardon me for being brutally honest but this is way better than the Chinese duck rice.


Just like most ramen ya, Mensho gives customers the option of adding on Aji-tama. But as I dug in midway, I noticed that the vending machine not only has this option but also Saikyo Miso Eggs. The most noticeable different is the color of the eggs which is white and not dark brown. But it didn’t pale in comparison in taste. In fact, I love this more than the usual Ajitsuke Tamago. It seemed to me that the miso had totally ignore the egg whites and went straight to become good friends with the egg yolk as the gooey core was superbly yummy but not overly salty.

There’s also tori-gohan aka chicken rice. Maybe I should be like the guy sitting next to me, ordering both the Shio Ramen and Tori gohan on my next visit. 

Mensho 

http://menya-shono.com/mensho/

Nearest Station : Gokokuji

11am-3pm

5pm-9pm 

Closed on Mon/Tues

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Mandarin Oriental Tokyo Gourmet Shop : Fly me to Kumo

Most people don’t really bother about the pastries from hotels but I think it would be a pity to overlook those from hotels in Japan. Not every single hotel I mean because some are worse than convenience stores.
So far the most unpalatable ones I had were from Hilton. The pastries from Shangri-la and Mariott group are average.

But those from the Hyatt Group (Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt and Andaz) are excellent. No I’m not paid to write this and neither am I affiliated to any staff who work there.

Mandarin Oriental? I would rank it 2nd, below Hyatt Group and above Shangri-la. This is because this 5-Star hotel does invest efforts to ramp up its pastry boutique. It not only revamped the space but also hire new executive chef stephan to helm the kitchen. The pastries are visually attractive but the flavours were not sharp enough to create a lasting impression. Take for example I thought the Bonsai, one of the botanical inspirations, would revolve around matcha but matcha was only limited to the surface and the entire composition was predominantly vanilla mousse.

I had high expectations for the Kumo, the signature “cloud” cake launched last September and changes flavour every season. It was chestnut last Autumn and Pistachio-Raspberry this spring. The cake was massive, such that it was placed separately in a cake box that could fit a regular 8-in strawberry shortcake. Perhaps it’s a flavour issue as the pistachio-raspberry mousse was quite sweet and tasted just like an average mousse cake. My favourite part was the sturdy chocolate shell.


The Sakura Pannacotta was the tastiest of all with its silky wobbly texture and the presence of sake in the jelly.

Website: 

https://www.mandarinoriental.co.jp/tokyo/nihonbashi/fine-dining/cake-shops/gourmet-shop

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We are the Farm Ebisu : More than just veggies

I thought I was going to have a “healthy” vegetable dinner here but I ended up in food comatose.
We are the Farm is a farm-to-table restaurant which uses organic vegetables from its company farm in Chiba. The folks here take pride of their organic produce which are on display at the counter. The walls are scribbled with messages explaining the techniques and science of farming.



I was aiming for the Kale Caesar Salad ¥980 because I was tempted by its gigantic portion. The kale was crisp and fresh, drizzled in just the right amount of dressing that won’t leave the salad too dry after a few bites.

But I guessed my mind wasn’t functioning right as I was too easily persuaded by the waitresses who recommended me to try a few other signature dishes. I don’t remember having a whole onion to myself but I knew I could trust the  quality of the ingredients here and thus opted for the grilled onion. And yes, you get just one whole onion with just speckles of salt at the side.

 The onion was beautifully torched and glistening with on the surface. I was recommended to eat from the innermost to the outermost ring as the sweetness are concentrated in the core where the nutrients are transported to. Honestly, I couldn’t detect any significant difference between the rings, though the onions were tender, sweet. Oh and slightly oily.

But what left me with the deepest impression that evening wasn’t the vegetables, it was the meats. In fact, the mains of this restaurant are  dominated by meats. The signature grilled duck with mozzarella (¥2500) took me by surprise because I didn’t imagine duck to be so tender and tasty! It tasted like smooth sausage or I should say anything but a duck. The mozzarella is flattened into a crisp and made this look like an UFO! Portion was huge as well.


Delicious food aside, I would advise coming as a group to share as the bill could easily clocked up to ¥6000 for just 3 dishes. Do note that there is a compulsory order from the drinks list that start from ¥550.

LUNCH :

EVERYDAY >> 11:30〜14:30 (LO. 14:00)

DINNER :

MON. - SAT. >> 17:00〜23:30 (LO. 22:45)

SUN. >> 17:00〜23:00 (LO. 22:00)

東京都渋谷区恵比寿西2-8-10　ORIX恵比寿西ビル 1F

TEL : 03-5784-3877

https://www.allfarm.co.jp/we-are-the-farm

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