{  The Roastery by Nozy Coffee  }

The Roastery by Nozy Coffee
The Roastery by Nozy Coffee
The Roastery by Nozy Coffee
The Roastery by Nozy Coffee

The Roastery by Nozy Coffee is a new ‘Single Origin Coffee’ shop that opened in collaboration with TY Harbor (which owns restaurants and cafes such as Ivy Place, CICADA and Breadworks among others). Since I’ve enjoyed many of those other places, I had high hopes for this new coffee shop and I must say they did a great job with the ambiance and decor. They really got the hip and cool vibe nailed for this coffee shop and it’s in the perfect location right on ‘Cat Street’ where all the fashionistas walk by. It’s like the place you want to be seen at.

They have a very simple menu and their coffee beans change frequently from all around the world such as Ethiopia, Brazil, Indonesia, etc. We ordered a latte (450yen) and they gave us a choice of coffee beans from their daily selection. Both of the coffee bean options smelled amazing so we chose one and then waited about 5 minutes until it was ready. Unfortunately we weren’t huge fans of their coffee since it was too strong on the acidity + bitterness even with milk in it. If you’re a big coffee drinker perhaps you may like it so I suggest giving it a shot if you’re in the area.

Address // 5-17-13, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6450-5755
Website // http://www.nozycoffee.jp

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{  San Francisco Peaks  }

San Francisco Peaks
San Francisco Peaks
San Francisco Peaks
San Francisco Peaks

San Francisco Peaks serves American-style breakfast/brunch food such as pancakes, omelets and burgers but it doesn’t really have much to do with San Francisco in my opinion. The restaurant is very nicely designed and we enjoyed the ambiance. Seems like most people order the pancakes here but the burgers are tasty too. Since the building is 2 stories high, we didn’t have to wait much in line when we got there even though it was 1pm on a Sunday.

We ordered the Avocado Mozzarella Burger for 1350yen and the Buttermilk Pancake with homemade sausage (we chose the ‘Pork Mexicano Chipotle & Smoked Cheese’ Sausage) for 1200yen. Everything was tasty and we enjoyed our meal but the portions were rather small and not exactly “Californian size”.

The restaurant is located in a great area, with easy access to Harajuku/Omotesando/Meijijingumae so you can enjoy shopping and cafe hopping in the area. When we went, it was filled with families, couples and some single guests so it’s a really easy and casual place that anyone can enjoy.

Address // 3-28-7, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5775-5707
Website // http://sf-peaks.com/

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{  Rainbow Pancake  }

Rainbow Pancake
Rainbow Pancake
Rainbow Pancake
Rainbow Pancake

I stumbled upon this pancake shop after having coffee at Identity Coffee as it’s in the same plaza!

Rainbow Pancake is located in the back-alleys of Harajuku/Meijijingumae so the line is not as long as other popular pancake shops in the area. In total we waited about 30~40min which wasn’t too bad since they take your order while you’re standing in line so you get your pancakes pretty quickly after you get seated.

Their pancakes taste exactly how they look. Fluffy, soft, and yummy. With all the whipped cream and sauces, you might think these pancakes would taste too sweet but they were flavored perfectly and they are snack-sized so it’s easy to finish the entire dish by yourself. I personally enjoyed the ‘Seasonal Fruit Pancake’ (1300yen) which has a ton of delicious whipped cream. The other pancake pictured above is their most popular item + the chef’s recommendation: the ‘Macadamia nut sauce Pancake’ (1200yen). It comes with a small sugared fork and knife pancake cookie(?) that was such a cute touch. They do have savory pancakes too but I would definitely go for the sweet ones here.

Address // 2F, 4-28-4, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6434-0466
Website // http://www.rainbowpancake.net/

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{  Minoringo  }

Minoringo
Minoringo
Minoringo

This place is rated No.1 in the “curry” category in the Harajuku area and it was also featured on TV so we decided to come try it. It’s a hole in the wall kind of restaurant and the owner must be a fan of the comic “One Piece” since they have figurines from it scattered throughout the entire restaurant. As for the food, Minoringo has four types of curry: Chicken (Mild), Pork (Semi-Spicy), Keema (Spicy), and Beef (Very Spicy) and they are available in three different sizes (S-800yen, M-900yen, and L-1000yen). You can also order the Minoringo special that includes both the Keema and the Chicken curry on the same plate for 400yen more.

I ordered the medium-sized Keema Curry that comes with an egg on the top and I added melted cheese for an extra 150yen. The curry was well-seasoned and the melted cheese was really good but overall it was a bit spicy for me. I’m not too hard core with spicy food so that must be why. If you’re into spicy food, you will probably love this as many other people do. The other dish pictured above is the medium-sized Minoringo Special. The mixture of the spicy keema curry with the mild chicken curry in the Special dish seemed to be the perfect combo because the spices were very well balanced and it lets you appreciate the food more. The chicken curry is made with tomato and yogurt as well so it has more of a mild sweet flavor to it. I found myself wishing I had ordered the special after trying a bite of it… sigh

Just a note, the Beef and Pork are very popular and the owner said it usually sells out by 3 or 4pm so come here for lunch if you’d like to try one of those two.

Address // 1-22-7, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6447-2414
Website // http://www.minoringo.jp/

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{  Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku  }

Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku
Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku
Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku

We shouldn’t have, but we did. We went to check out the brand new Tokyu Plaza that opened in Omotesando/Harajuku during the busiest possible time – Golden week. Since it just opened about 2 weeks ago, it was such a mad house that there was even a line just to get inside. This plaza has a few cafes like Bills and Starbucks and plenty of stylish shops! I particularly liked the miniature Tokyu Hands store called “Hands Be” located on the 5th floor which only carries the coolest items from the larger stores. Since it was a special week, there was also performers singing on their outdoor roof patio area which was lovely.

Maybe not the best idea to go here this week but I hope you get to appreciate this craziness through my photos! Hope you are all enjoying your GW holiday :)

Address // 4-30-3, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Website // http://omohara.tokyu-plaza.com/