Tag Archives: 3.5 stars

{  Artisan Terra  }

Artisan Terra
Artisan Terra
Artisan Terra

This cute bakery/pastry shop is located in Sangenjyaya right by Setagaya park and it might remind you of a Parisian bakery. We couldn’t help but notice how adorable this shop was when we first passed it so we came back on a different day just to check it out. It’s a small & cozy shop with cute decor and very friendly staff. The service was great, the breads were delicious, and we couldn’t have asked for more. Even though this place is slightly inconvenient to get to, there were many people coming in and out in the short time we were there which makes me think it’s definitely worth coming here even in the rain :)

Just to give you an idea, here are some of the items we had:
– Asparagus and bacon foccacia (263yen)
– Smoke cheese and dill bread (252yen)
– Bean bread (126yen)
– Hokkaido cabbage menchikatsu burger (357yen)

Everything we had was delicious!

Address // 2-44-11, Shimouma, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5787-8850
Website // http://www.laterre.com/artisan/

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{  Gari gari kun Festival  }

Gari gari kun Festival 2012 Summer
Gari gari kun Festival 2012 Summer
Gari gari kun Festival 2012 Summer

It’s getting real hot and humid in Tokyo these days, the summer has definitely arrived. On days like this, I crave for ice cream, shaved ice, and popsicles. One of the famous popsicles here is called “Gari gari kun”. They have many flavors such as Soda, Grape, Pear, Grapefruit, Orange, Cola, etc, but their current most popular flavor is Pear. I happened to try the pear and it was so good and refreshing.

Anyhow, they are currently having a gari gari kun festival at Shibuya Parco and they have 7 selections of popsicles for only 100yen each. They also sell some accessories if you are a gari gari kun fan so if you happen to be in the area, stop by! The festival is from 7/14~7/25. If you can’t stop by the festival, you can still pick up your popsicle at most convenience stores and super markets :)

Gari gari kun Festival 2012 Summer
Event Info: http://www.parco.co.jp/parco/garigarikun/

Address // Parco, 15-1, Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3464-5111
Website // http://www.garigarikun.jp

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{  AEN  }

AEN Jiyugaoka
AEN Jiyugaoka
AEN Jiyugaoka

Found a nice Japanese restrauant in the midst of Jiyugaoka which is typically known for having more cafes and cute shops. We went here for lunch and it was a great experience: good food + attentive service. I had the wappa, which is a traditional Japanese dish cooked in special round containers made of thin wooden sheets. It comes with a salad, main dish, drink, and dessert for 1780yen. The other lunches were either 1600yen~1800yen and we thought it was a pretty good deal for the amount and quality of the food. If you are craving Japanese food in this hip town of Jiyugaoka, check out AEN :)

Address // 2-8-20, Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5731-8251
Website // http://www.mosdining.co.jp/aen/jiyugaoka.php

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{  A to Z Cafe  }

A to Z Cafe
A to Z Cafe
A to Z Cafe

This popular cafe is shockingly crowded for being in the most random spot… I’m really not sure how people know about this place on the fifth floor of an unassuming building at the end of a small side street? Perhaps there’s a lot of Yoshitomo Nara fans because this cafe is designed by him. Yoshitomo Nara is a famous pop artist from Japan who has had exhibits in places such as MoMA in NY and Moca in LA. This place was recommended to us by a friend so we decided to check it out since we were in the area.

As soon as you walk in, it’s filled with Yoshitomo’s work and there is a small cottage in the center that has many of his artwork pieces inside. The food was pretty good and we saw many couples and friends who were there to enjoy the afternoon. My only wish is that they differentiated the smoking and non-smoking sections a little better. A quiet neighborhood place to take a break from shopping in the hustle and bustle of Omotesando.

Address // 5F, 5-8-3, MinamiAoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5464-0281
Website // http://atozcafe.exblog.jp/

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{  Green Grill  }

Green Grill
Green Grill
Green Grill

Vegetables in Japan are so good, you can really tell that the farmers here have pride and put their love into their products. We fell in love with this place because 1) they use fresh vegetables from local farmers in Japan, 2) they are totally affordable despite the high quality of their organic vegetables, and 3) it turns out they are owned by Mos Dining which also owns mos burgers.

Surprisingly, they even have a weekday lunch special that starts from 880yen. Everything we had was fresh and good, they didn’t even bother us when we stayed there for more than 3 hours, and there was lots of moms with baby carts there so it must be a very easy going place :) Even though this restaurant is located in the busy Shibuya area, it’s actually less crowded than the scramble cross walk so if you are a little intimidated by the crowds in Shibuya, this might be a good alternative for you!

Address // 3F, 1-23-16, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3486-7280
Website // www.mosdining.co.jp/green_grill

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