Salon De Muge 無碍山房: Dessert in the woods by Michelin 3-Star Kikunoi

 Getting a seat here by reservation was a horrible story.

 I don’t know whether to count that is gaijin sabetsu because they can only take in reservations if you have a Japanese phone number. Even hotel concierges don’t help because they don’t want to be liable to the cancellation cost.

But the popularity of this place amongst the locals isn’t surprising at all. As the first dessert salon opened by Michelin 3-Star Kikunoi, standards and expectations are set in place.

I only had eyes (and stomach space) for one dessert and that’s the matcha Parfait.

My first reaction was “やばい 超濃厚だ” it was very rich but strangely the more I eat the sweeter it became. Here, there’s the order of eating, carefully planned with the position of the spoon. I was told to spoon from the right to the left, which means I will encounter the Yuzu castella first before reaching the ginger castella on the other side. The yuzu castella was too sweet, which probably make things rather “jelat”.  There was nothing much special about the warabi jelly as well but I guess what merits praises is the matcha ice cream that boasted such a charming dark hue which would be perfect if it is less sweet.

I’m glad I didn’t have to queue long for this. My neighboring customers ordered the seasonal Ichigo Parfait which looked no less attractive then the matcha Parfait. Perhaps that could be a better bet.

Website: http://kikunoi.jp/kikunoiweb/Muge/

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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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Kyoto Modern Terrace 1960 : Best Matcha Opera

Kyoto Modern Terrace 1960 is a cafe restaurant that sits in the middle of many attractions that include Heian Shrine, Kyoto Art Museum and Okazaki Park. It can get quite crowded during weekends or public holidays.


I wasn't loitering in the area for any sightseeing purposes. I was there only for one thing. The limited edition Matcha Opera dessert. And boy, I was totally blown away with this. I've had many many matcha operas before but I haven't come across anything as perfect as this. 

The matcha opera is part of the collaboration campaign held between the restaurant and Souda Kyoto. Perhaps to promote Kyoto I guess. But for a cafe-restaurant which doesn't focus on desserts to churn out something of such high calibre, I am really curious to know the brilliant mastermind behind this creation. 

THE KYOTO MODERN TERRACE

CAFE & RESTAURANT

京都市左京区岡崎最勝寺町13 ロームシアター京都 パークプラザ 2 階

TEL  075-754-0234
OPEN  8:00-23:00

Nearest station: Higashiyama Station
www.kyotomodernterrace.com

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Cafe Pocher : My Tamago Surprise!

Opened only in Dec 2017, Cafe Pocher isn’t those prominent hipster cafes that are located in the city region but it is fortunately not too far from Kyoto Station—approximately 15min walk. It is part of a guesthouse-cafe concept produced by a Kyoto magazine. 

I didn’t have time for it’s most popular item, a  racelette cheese hotdog sandwich that looked sinfully delicious. But I discovered something that would suit my budget and taste. Dashimaki sandwich! It is one of the four flavours that is available for takeaway. I learnt from the staff that these prepacked sandwiches are highly popular on weekdays as breakfast for the working community. These are sold starting from 8.30am and may run out by 10am occasionally. 

So I “dabao” one even though I was doubtful whether it will taste good given the fact that it wasn’t prepared fresh but packed into a brown paper bag right from the fridge. “No reheating or microwaving is needed” answered the staff upon my further enquiry on whether I should reheat ( I always do that if possible as I love my bread hot and toasty). 

Little did I expect myself to be wowed by such a humble sandwich (¥360) an hour later on my Shinkansen ride. The purple pickled vegetables from Tsukemono specialist Isoism (Kyoto is also famous for its Tsukemono aka pickles) were sour and salty but the presence did not overwhelm the juicy egg omelette which was minimally sweet. Even though the buns were kept chilled, they were still fluffy and not dry. 

The pairing of pickled vegetables and eggs in a bun was such a brilliant and unique idea that I will never forget this moment in my life. 

Breezing through the countryside in a Shinkansen and gleefully munching on a delicious find.

Cafe Pocher 

Daily 8.30am-9pm

89-1, Harikoji-cho, Nishikujo, Minami-ku, Kyoto city, Kyoto, 601-8422, JAPAN.

〒601-8422　京都市南区西九条針小路町89-1

京都駅八条口より徒歩13分

https://toji-pocher.com/pocher/index.html

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Andaz Hotel Pastry Boutique : Sakura Sweets 2018

It’s back to Andaz Hotel Pastry Boutique after nearly a year and that’s all because of the Sakura Sweets Fair which will end on 27 April 2018. 

I’ve had several Sakura sweets this year but those from Andaz stood out even though they are pretty simplistic in design.

Be it the Mont Blanc or the Roll Cake, the overall taste and texture were amazingly light while the flavour of Sakura is kept in check. What surprised me was the Sakura Cheese Tart whose tart filling was so rich and dense-contrary to the usual touch of Japanese pastries. 

However, the most regrettable impetus buy was the Vert which I spotted on the display shelf on my visit. It was a far cry from its predecessor in 2017 as the entire thing suffered a huge damage from the overuse of white chocolate. Super duper sweet. Yikes. 

I returned to my Sakura Sweets right away after taking a bite.

Andaz Hotel Tokyo

東京都港区虎ノ門1-23-4 アンダーズ 東京 1階

Tel: 03 6830 7765

Hours:

Weekdays 8:00～20:00

Weekends/PH 10:00～20:00

Dine-in seats available

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