{ Toyoko Fukutoshin Line Connected }

2013, Mar 19

On March 16, 2013, the new Shibuya Station opened connecting the Toyoko and Fukutoshin train lines. This has been huge news all over Tokyo and although this is not related to food I wanted to give you all a little more information on this.

It was rather hard for people who have been using the 48 year-old Shibuya station building to say their farewells as the above ground station has now been replaced by a new underground one on the B5F level. In light of this new opening, there will also be some special events held at Shibuya station:

★ The “Toyoko Line Shibuya Special Park” event will happen for only 3 days from March 22~24. For those of you who are train fans, this seems like it will be the event to check out as they will show case classic trains from the past and much more.

★ Uniqlo is having a special UT pop-up from March 28~April 7.

Although this new change has been causing some confusion and frustration at the new Shibuya station during the first few days, people seem to be generally in favor of it and are pleased about this new connection. Since I am a heavy Toyoko-line user, I will be definitely be making trips using the new Fukutoshin line connection.

Website // Tokyu Railway Website

{ Mado Lounge }

2013, Mar 17

Mado Lounge is located on the 52nd floor of Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. Most people dine here when they go to visit the Mori Art Museum because it costs 1500yen to go up there even if you’re just dining there (that price includes a ticket to the Mori Art Museum as well as a free pass to the sky deck observatory). However, I was lucky enough to borrow a friend’s card who happens to work in the Mori Tower so I was able to get a free pass to visit the restaurant :)

As you can imagine, the view is beautiful and it’s nice to see a panoramic view of Tokyo once in a while. The best part of having friends who work here is that I also got to order the “worker’s lunch” which is a special deal they have for people who work in the building for 1000yen. This awesome lunch includes a main dish of your choice, bread, dessert, and coffee or tea. The food was pretty good and the service was excellent. Of course they have a regular lunch menu but it’s a bit more pricey. Mado lounge is also very romantic and beautiful at night time. It’s a nice spot for special occasions or for a date night.

Address // Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 52F, 6-10-1, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3470-0052
Website // http://www.ma-do.jp/

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{ Moona }

2013, Mar 13

Shimokitazawa (aka “Shimokita”) is considered one of the more suburban areas of Tokyo, especially when compared to Shibuya or Harajuku. It is a popular area among young adults and students to both hang out or to live in.

We decided to dine at “Moona,” an Indian inspired curry house located on the 5th floor of a random building that you would never notice unless you were looking for this place. We walked up the narrow stairs not really knowing what to expect and finally arrived at the tiny restaurant. Although we thought it was going to be hole in the wall kind of place, it was still decorated nicely. The place was already filled with customers when we arrived so we were seated at the counter. We both ordered the 1050yen set which includes 3 types of curry. The set comes with chicken curry, chick pea curry, and your choice of a daily curry selection (from which you can choose between 2 options — we chose the Spanish mackerel curry). The set also includes homemade yogurt and a good portion of rice with pickles on the side which I loved. You can get “Oomori” (a large portion of rice) free of charge.

I enjoyed ALL of the curry options and the yogurt was a nice touch. None of the curry’s were too spicy for me and even though the set came with a good amount of rice I found myself wishing I had a little bit more because the curry was so tasty. This place is quite small so I would recommend coming here with a party of 2 or 4 at most.

Address // 5F, 2-12-13, Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3411-0607
Website // http://www.moona.jp/

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{ IDEE CAFE PARC }

2013, Mar 10

After having brunch at Mercer Cafe with Miss E, we decided to walk to Roppongi Midtown since it was only 3 mins away. I usually end up having coffee at Dean & Deluca or Starbucks when I go to Midtown but this time we decided to walk around and explore the upper floors since we never do that. On the 3rd floor, we noticed that one of the interior design stores I like, IDEE SHOP was there. We walked in and noticed that there was a cafe attached to the shop in the back! With excitement, we decided to tea there since it had such a nice open space with balcony seating. We were happy that the smoking and non-smoking section was divided too. Miss E got the herbal tea and I got a latte that came in a cute mug. This cafe is totally a hidden gem, lets see how long we can keep this place a secret :)

Address // Midtown Galleria 3F, 9-7-4, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5413-3454
Website // http://www.idee.co.jp/shop/tmd/

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{ Mercer Brunch }

2013, Mar 5

Miss E (my friend who you frequently see on my blog) and I went to this new restaurant/cafe that opened at the end of last year near Roppongi Midtown. “Mercer” is a restaurant brand and this restaurant is their new concept that serves “brunch” (but they are open for dinner too). The restaurant feels very airy and the tall windows bring a lot of natural light in which is great on a sunny day. As soon as you walk in, you’ll notice the great fire place which is the centerpiece of the restaurant. There’s also a small terrace seating where you can dine with pets allowed but it was a tiny section.

Mercer Brunch is known for their brioche french toast, which was quite good. You get to choose your main dish out of 9 selections (but for some you have to pay additional $$) + french toast for 1600yen. Since it doesn’t include a drink, it feels rather pricey for lunch, but the quality of dishes we got were good so we were satisfied with our meal. The ambiance was nice and cozy, the staff were friendly, and we hardly had to wait so overall it was a good experience. In case you are wondering, we chose the grilled chicken salad and salmon tartar for our main dishes.

Stay tuned for my next post where we went shopping and had a tea break near the same area :)

Address // 4-2-35, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3470-6551
Website // n/a

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{ Toyoko Fukutoshin Line Connected }

{ Mado Lounge }

{ Moona }

{ IDEE CAFE PARC }

{ Mercer Brunch }

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