Sparkling Food : That Taste of Tokyo

This was long awaited...well, for me at least but it's only delayed because I was still trying to figure out how to get this done and I think finally got an idea how to make this post. My journey throughout Tokyo was short, that I must admit but it was fulfilling (needless to say). Although, I am still yearning to go back now because again, the trip was too short. More or less, if there something that I could say about my trip, I love travelling to Japan and yes, I want to go back again and truly make a more memorable and more fulfilling journey. But one thing that stands out of this trip is of course the food that I got to enjoy. Albeit the fact that I wasn't able to enjoy the authentic Japanese delicacies like sushi, teppanyaki and the many fancy street food we see on television and travelling magazines but it was still good. 

  

 

First stop, Sekai Cafe at Asakusa where we feast on our breakfast and lunch and we had their very famous Japan Burger. Honestly, I don't think Japan would actually create a burger as such but again when it comes to food, features and presentation are not as important as its taste and if I can be honest, although it wasn't the world's greatest, it was still good enough for us who haven't had our breakfast yet. And when in Japan of course when in Japan, you should always pair your food with the very famous Matcha Latte because what else could be better? However, putting their mediocre food aside, the atmosphere of the place was very inviting and warm especially during dull, rainy days. The hosts were sweet and welcoming too and most importantly we found out how much they truly welcome visitors from abroad as the display of the world map on their walls. As for us, we left our mark by leaving a polaroid picture of us eating there and they were sure happy to take it from us. So to summarize our visit to Sekai Cafe, well, some words of wisdom, don't expect grandeur food presentation and taste but definitely drop by for the ambiance and of course the beautiful sight of the Skytree just before you enter the shop.

 

Next stop, after a few hours of walking through the town of Akihabara, we got hungry of course and of course we had to go look for something that is filling. After much googling, we found the CoCo Ichibanya Curry House where they served protein cutlets with the famous Japanese curry sauce and rice and this was awesome. We loved it here even though we weren't able to finish them. I definitely love and recommend this place for everyone. The joke for the day for us when we entered this place was that the host was also a Malaysian who spoke Malay with us...LOL :D As for the shop, it's a very typically small and cute Japanese shop with limited seats and almost limited space to walk around which I love. If you walked around town and happened to be really hungry after a long and breezy walk around Akihabara, this is definitely one of the many places you can visit for some simple and hearty meals. 

 

Moving onto the next day, after a night of laughter and fun and a Gundam show, we made our way to Shinjuku where we first stop by to greet Godzilla. When you're already in Japan, how can you not meet Godzilla. Little did we know that the streets of Godzilla wasn't nearly as 'disciplined' as the other places in Tokyo. Now, since we already meet Godzilla and we are in Japan, we have got to find the time to enjoy Ramen and voila...we found just the place - Ouka Ramen. The place is close to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (one of Tokyo's most beautiful gardens). Anyways, back to the ramen - I wasn't sure what to expect rea//11lly because the only ramen I have ever tasted is the 2 in 1 Korean ramen, so I was mildly interested with the taste. It was all spicy, salty and sweet at the same time and even though it wasn't my cup of 'ramen', it sure is a nice good bowl of something hot to warm up the day. Again, it was raining on this day too. The only difference was that on this day, we received a warning of an incoming typhoon.   

 

So what did we have for dinner while we wait patiently during the typhoon for the next day to come? Well, we dish on of course the signature food of Japan - sushi. This shop was on the way to our hostel so it was definitely a must for us to stop and enjoy a dish of raw fish and other sea creatures edible for the stomach and my God, this was crazy good. I am very sure that any sushi consumed anywhere in Japan is good because well, it's like the signature dish of the country but I never thought that it was going to be this good and at only 500 Yen?!! Highlight of the day for me...truly. 

 

The last day of out trip came and boy I wasn't feeling it at all because in all honesty, I didn't want to go home. Japan or Tokyo took my heart and my soul away and I can't quite confirm if it's because I was on a vacation where I get to spend time away from stress or because the country is just meant for someone like me. The city, even though it was busy, it was still cool and calm and the fact that I was able to roam around the city without a worry in mind, it's just perfect for me. Of course, it is also because I was blessed that God decide that it will be better for no harm to come my way while I am away in another country, Alhamdulillah. Anyways, back to our last day in Tokyo, we took a trip to of course Harajuku - the it town. The town where the ridiculous is normal and boy it's truly a busy place to visit. When reading the blogs about Harajuku, many recommended that we try out crepes, a signature snack that comes both choices of sweet and savoury. Considering that we barely had breakfast earlier that day and that we might be eating more throughout the day, we decided to enjoy just two sweet ones and they are awesome!!! Our choice was Marion Crepes and they made this real fast and I just love how it was both sweet and warm to the taste and on a hot Monday morning, this was a great treat. Of course, now that I'm in Japan, how can I not try out the Green Tea Latte - so couple he drink with the sweet crepes, it was delicious. 

Our next stop was going back to Shibuya and check out the ever so famous, the creator of Cronuts, Dominique Ansel Bakery. This was the place I wanted to visit, thanks to my foodie sister who constantly rubbed down my brain with him being the cronut's creator. Truly, the bakery is so hidden inside the town of Shibuya but it is real cute. Now, taking this small stroll from Harajuku to Dominique Ansel Bakery is well worth it because you will taking a stroll down a long stretch of streets decorated with top high-end designer fashion brands. But put those brands aside, the shops are not only small but they were designed and decorated to beautifully, it's amazing. Plus, it is very clean. Now back at Dominique Ansel Bakery, the shop is again real cute and the hosts are very friendly. Of course, when walking into a bakery, you have got to smell the scent of butter and that was enough to get us going. We took a short walk along the displays and made our way to a free table upstairs. When we got back down and ordered, it was then we found out that we couldn't eat the cronuts. Well, we could if we want to, but I truly appreciate the hostess telling if we can eat them since it contains gelatin. So because of that, I opted not to order cronuts and got the DKA - Dominique's Kouign Amann, Mr. Roboto and Matcha Monaka Cookie. Well, I bought the cookie for big sis so technically we only tried the DKA and Mr. Roboto. The DKA, yums...the butter taste, you can really taste it. Overall, however, I guess the highlight of this place should be the cronuts and the s'mores which both we couldn't eat because of the gelatin, everything was okay. You can definitely find the same thing anywhere else. But if you really want to try the cronuts and the s'mores, this maybe the place to go to because when I look around at others who are eating those two things, they look delicious. 

 

Next, we took a stroll back to Shibuya to meet my favourite hero - Hachiko (go read about Hachiko if you don't know who that is) and of course as our flight is still a long way to go (11.15PM), we decided to make a few strolls around Tokyo and of course visit the place where so many people have come to recommend to us. The ultimate barbecue beef place - Gyumon. Damn, I love this place. At first we order only 1 serving of two sets and in a blink of an eye, we were able to finish both sets and then decided to order another set. It was as if we literally breathe in the meat and everything else that came with it. The meat was so tender and soft it literally just melted in your mouth and the barbecue sauce for dipping elevated the taste. The salad was great too. It never occurred to me to have salad with sweet Thai sauce until that day. It was really a great place to eat as an end to our Tokyo trip.  Three servings was enough for the four of us. 

 

 

We were full by then and of course considering and knowing it was our last day in Tokyo, we were a bit reluctant to move but we had to move anyways. So an idea triggered and we made our last stop to catch the Tokyo Tower. This was definitely the best way to end our trip. It was so short but we knew by then we will be coming back for a real trip that is of course longer and more fulfilling than this one. All in all, this trip was well worth it for me and the best thing that I got to bring home was not just the memories but also the knowledge and inspirations. Honestly, I never knew how much those short four days in Tokyo was going to change myself and right now I'm still considering if this change was a good one or a bad one. Time will tell but I encourage everyone to give Tokyo a chance.

Perhaps maybe my next trip to Japan will be that trip that may allow me to finally get to my dream of writing my first travelling journal - a journal about a single Muslimah travelling the world and providing tips for travelling in ease of all Muslims across the globe. I still have time to improve myself first. I am still lacking so much in terms of my religious practices. InsyaAllah, time will allow me to look deeper into myself and provide that improvement that I truly need. In the meantime, I shall greet you again, Tokyo. This won't be my last time unless Allah says so and insyaAllah, He may made that way for me again.

Sparkling Love,

The Sparkling Unicorn