{ San Francisco Peaks }

2013, Oct 15

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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{ Bread, Espresso & — パンとエスプレッソと }

2013, Oct 7

Stopped by this bakery cafe for brunch with Miss E recently. The cafe name in English makes no sense but in Japanese, it’s pronounced “Pan to Espresso to”. They are quite famous for having a good bakery and yummy coffee. I’m sure the coffee/espresso is good because it’s from Omotesando Koffee! However, we happened to visit the cafe on a day that their espresso machine broke so we unfortunately couldn’t order their specialty drinks. FAIL.

They have 2 lunch sets on the weekends. The ‘Weekend Brunch Set'(1500yen) includes an assortment of bread, side dish, ham, butter, honey, and drink. The ‘Panini Lunch Set'(1000yen) comes with a panini of your choice, side dish, and drink. You can also pay an extra 150yen to get soy milk in your coffee if you prefer. The bread was definitely good and the paninis were decent. I’m gonna have to come back here a few more times to fully explore this place.

After we left the cafe, we were walking around Omotesando and a lady came running after us asking us if we would be ok to be photographed for a fashion magazine. At first, we were like huh? I’ve always seen street snaps in Japanese magazines but never thought we’d be asked to be in one. I guess this really does happen! After hearing more about it, Miss E and I decided to pose for the camera. We then had to fill out a short form of what we were wearing and how much each item cost, etc. I’d have to say I’m a little excited/curious/worried about how this is going to come out…sigh*

Address // 3-4-9, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5410-2040
Website // http://www.bread-espresso.jp/

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{ Nakamura Tokichi — 中村藤吉 }

2013, Sep 30

Nakamura Tokichi is a restaurant/cafe located in Uji, Kyoto. Uji has become quite famous for their Matcha/green tea and Nakamura Tokichi is one of the most popular places to dine in the area. They serve meals such as matcha soba as well as matcha sweets in a very traditional setting/ambiance. Since the main branch and the nearby Byodoin branch are walking distance from each other, you can choose to dine at one or the other depending on which has a longer wait. We actually ended up going to the Main branch first but it was way too crowded so we walked over to the Byodoin branch and got a seat right away.

We ordered the matcha soba noodle lunch set for 1100yen and the seasonal cha soba special lunch set for 1200yen. The set comes with rice, pickles, and a small dessert as well. Everything was tasty and enjoyed our meal. Both locations are beautifully designed so I think you would enjoy either one. Don’t miss this place if you are near Uji, Kyoto.

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Related Posts on Kyoto:
1) Hirobun
2) Nakamura Tokichi
3) Kyoto Trip
4) Kyoto Cafes
…………………………………………………

Address for Main Branch // 10, Ichiban Uji, Uji-shi, Kyoto, Japan (map)
Phone Number for Main Branch // 0774-22-7800
Address for Byodoin Branch // 5-1 Renge Uji, Uji-shi Kyoto, Japan (map)
Phone Number for Byodoin Branch // 0774-22-9500
Website // http://www.tokichi.jp/english/

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{ Hirobun — ひろ文 }

2013, Sep 24

I recently took a trip to Kyoto with some friends and had a blast! I’m planning to post some of the places we visited + yummy Kyoto eats that we enjoyed so stay tuned :)

Did you know there’s a place in Kyoto where you can have nagashi-soumen on top of a river while enjoying a waterfall view? (Note: it’s a seasonal event and is usually open between May-September). “Kibune/貴船” is located about 40min north of Kyoto Station by car and is all the way up in the mountains. It’s a place where people go during the hot summer season to cool down. The best part is that you can dine on top of a “Kawadoko/川床”, a man-made floor that sits on top of a river. Traditional Japanese cuisine (Kaisekiryori/懐石料理) is also available and is quite an experience surrounded by beautiful greenery, water, and nature.

Instead of having the kaisekiryouri, we opted for the nagashi-soumen which is a fun way to eat cold noodles. The noodles come sliding down a pipe that you have to catch with your chopsticks as it passes in front of you. They time it so you get your noodles one bite at a time and they make it so you’re only sharing your pipe with your own party so you don’t have to share it with other guests. We had a party of four so the noodles came sliding down 4 at a time and were spaced about a minute in between each bite. The noodles were surprisingly good and overall was a decent sized serving. We all loved the experience even though the wait was 2hrs long(!) It wasn’t too bad though because we visited the nearby Kibune-shrine and walked around the area during our wait. There’s also a covered tatami area next to the nagashi-soumen where you can put your legs in the river and wait. It’s ~~1200yen~~ 1300yen per person which you pay at the top before you head to the waiting area.

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Related Posts on Kyoto:
1) Hirobun
2) Nakamura Tokichi
3) Kyoto Trip
4) Kyoto Cafes
…………………………………………………

Address // 87 Kuramakibunechō, Sakyō-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 075-741-2147
Website // http://hirobun.co.jp/index.html

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{ Bangkok }

2013, Sep 20

“Bangkok Restaurant” is a hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant located in a very random area in Roppongi which you would never go to unless someone recommended it to you. However, this place serves authentic Thai food and many people seem to know about it since it’s always packed with customers.

The menu is straight forward: you get to choose between 5 main dishes that change daily for 1000yen. All the lunch sets include a small soup, salad, and dessert. Pictured above are the ‘Pad Thai – fried noodles with shrimp, peanuts, egg and vegetables’, ‘Stir-fried chicken and basil leaves with rice & fried egg’, ‘Green Pork Curry with rice’, and ‘Stir-fried chicken, bamboo shoot and red curry with rice’.

Everything we’ve had so far has been really good. Check it out if you’re in the neighborhood and in the mood for authentic Thai cuisine.

Address // 2F, 3-8-8, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3408-8722
Website // n/a

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Tag Archives: 3.5 stars

{ San Francisco Peaks }

{ Bread, Espresso & — パンとエスプレッソと }

{ Nakamura Tokichi — 中村藤吉 }

{ Hirobun — ひろ文 }

{ Bangkok }

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