{ Island Vintage Coffee }

2013, Nov 29

Hawaii + pancakes are both booming in Japan right now so you can imagine that Hawaiian pancake places are basically assured success here. Island Vintage Coffee is another one of these which opened at the end of August in Aoyama/Omotesando area and serves Kau Coffee from Hawaii. The Hawaiian coffee and the Acai bowl seem to be the 2 most popular items here. When we went, about 80% of the guests were eating the Acai bowl. We were hungry, so we opted for the chicken pesto sandwich instead for 1200yen and the Iced Hawaiian Honey Latte(L) for 650yen. The coffee was expensive but I’d have to say it was pretty good and the sandwich wasn’t bad either. The side salad was nothing special.

Come here for a light snack and Hawaiian style coffee if you’re in the neighborhood.

Address // 5-52-2, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6418-2416
Website // http://www.islandvintagecoffee.co.jp/

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{ VOVO — ボボ }

2013, Nov 21

Another yummy curry place in Gakudai. VOVO curry opened in April 2013 and is making a name for itself with its spicy curry (beef curry) as well as its other deliciously flavored curry. I saw this place on TV so I decided to check it out. It’s a small shop but it has some nice retro touches.

The curry is only 1000yen during lunch time and it comes with a small side salad. During lunchtime you can order the combo for 1000yen and try 2 flavors of curry. We both ordered the veggie + butter chicken combo. Both curries were very tasty and I really enjoyed the flavors. I don’t know how they make the rice and two different flavors of curry look so nice on one plate but the presentation was perfection. The portions are rather small so we felt that it wasn’t quite enough food for us. The little condiments on the side were also good and are spice + pickles to go with your rice.

I still love sync curry a bit more but this is a new spot that is not to be missed!

Address // 2-21-8, Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3713-6334
Website // n/a

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{ Toshi Yoroizuka }

2013, Nov 14

Toshi Yoroizuka is known as one of the top 3 pastry chef’s in Japan and he is famous for his exquisite desserts. I had an amazing opportunity to be part of a French film documentary with both Toshi Yoroizuka and Christophe Adam, a Michelin-rated French pastry chef. This was such a surreal experience, I still can’t believe it happened and I’d have to say that my experience and review may be just a little biased :)

Although I’ve tried Toshi Yoroizuka’s desserts before, I’ve never had the chance to dine at his salon in Roppongi Midtown until now. Let me tell you, it’s a completely different experience compared to simply purchasing his desserts to-go. His salon is a cool chic space with 14 seats. Chef Yoroizuka explained that he never plans to make the seating space larger because this personal feeling/atmosphere cannot be achieved if it becomes too big.

Dining at his salon is a MUST if you are into sweets. It is such a special experience as you get to enjoy freshly made pastries that can only be savored to the fullest when they are just made. For example, I had the mouth-watering ‘Watermelon mille-feuille’ (1200 yen) which is a seasonal dessert that includes watermelon from Tottori, puff pastry straight from the oven, and is topped with homemade salted ice cream. This perfectly constructed masterpiece can only be appreciated within minutes of its creation since the delicate balance of the ingredients would quickly collapse. I literally melted after my first bite. It was SO good. In fact, everyone kept taking bites off of my plate! (Please note that the menu changes frequently so you may not be able to eat the same items.)

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{ Osuri }

2013, Nov 7

Osuri is a new Korean Fusion restaurant that opened in Gaienmae. All their dishes use a lot of fresh veggies and a variety of different ingredients. We were impressed with the price point on their lunch sets, all of this for an average of just 1000yen? We ordered the ‘Bulgogi lunch set’ (1000yen), ‘Samgyeopsal lunch set’ (1000yen), and the ‘Samgyetang lunch set’ (1200yen). If you are hungry, I recommend ordering the Bulgogi lunch set since you get more meat than the samgyeopsal set. They all come with soup and a choice of white or brown rice with several bite-sized side dishes and a small dessert at the end. Everything was tasty but I recommend the samgyeopsal at ondoru more. If you are near Gaienmae, this might be a nice lunch option. Btw, this place happens to be right across the street from A&G diner (one of the highest-rated burger places in Tokyo).

Note* Osuri is closed on Sundays.

Address // 3-42-5, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6447-0765
Website // http://www.restaurant-osuri.com

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Monthly Archives: November 2013

{ Island Vintage Coffee }

{ VOVO — ボボ }

{ Toshi Yoroizuka }

{ Osuri }

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