Tokyo/Kyoto Apr 12 - Day 3

Mt. Fuji & Hakone 1-day tour

Booked this guided tour way in advance on JAPANiCAN.com for JPY13,000 per person (option inclusive of lunch). Started the day bright and early at 8am. Took a short 5-min taxi ride from our hotel to the nearest pick-up point (Keio Plaza Hotel) where a bus then took us to the Hamamatsucho Bus Terminal. There, we were transferred to a coach heading for Mt. Fuji. ~2hrs after departure, we were stopped off at the Fuji Visitor Center for some souvenir shopping, traditional performance, and a welcome documentary film.

Soon after, we were on our way up the mountain. It had been raining since dawn broke so fog was inevitable. Thank goodness we were still allowed to proceed to the 5th station on Mt. Fuji (highest station reachable by coach). The previous time I was there the weather was so bad we could only make the 1st station.

Immediately upon arriving at the 5th station, it started to snow..quite heavily. This really came as a surprise. I thought the day was a goner because with all that fog, there was absolutely nothing in sight. What a silver lining! Even though nobody was prepared for this kind of cold, we were excited enough to rush in and out of the souvenir shops -- just to snap some photos out there, head back into the shops to warm up, then out again for a next round of shots =D

You should at least buy some snacks/biscuits here. I used to think that you'd be able to get them anywhere in Tokyo but seems like several items are unique to the area. If you don't want to miss out on any goodies, be sure to JUST BUY IT if you there's somethin you fancy! Next, we had a pretty bento lunch that's included in the tour. Quite tasty I must say..although not exactly enough for me :p

The tour continued with a cablecar ride up Mt. Komagatake. It was supposed to boast a stunning view of the Hakone National Park but the rain and fog evidently did not give in. More souvenir/goodies shopping at the top. Our tour guide told us that the Black Eggs here are very popular. Legend has it that for every egg you eat, you add 7 years to your life. Ha Ha. Obviously popular with tourists. Hence be prepared as they get sold out easily. We were lucky to have snatched up the last of the eggs. Apparently these Black Eggs (Kuro Tamago) are normal eggs cooked in boiling sulphorous volcanic springs (which turns the shells black). Anyhow they tasted no different from hard-boiled eggs.

The tour came to a dramatic end with a cruise ride across Lake Ashi. Spent a good half hour enjoying the beauty and serenity. One of the best boat rides.

Returned to Shinjuku at about 8pm and had dinner at a random beef tongue chain restaurant called Negishi (website in japanese). Awesome food once again!

Name: Gyutan Negishi

Loaction: 東京都新宿区西新宿1-6-1,  新宿エルタワーB2

Expenditure: ~JPY6,500 for 4

Sansui @ Clarke Quay

Went to the restaurant on a Groupon deal. With all the congratulatory flower stands lining the entrance, it seems like they just opened their doors. Really quiet on a weekend lunch (probably the same for other CQ restaurants at this time of the day). There were only a couple of servers, and the one who served us was kinda disorganized and inexperienced. She had to confirm our order thrice. Not a good first impression of the place.

When we tried to order, several items were not available..which obviously caused some disappointment! I mean, the lunch menu is already concise enough. What am I supposed to do if you don't have half the items there? Grrr. Thank goodness I have S to make the smart choices.

Ordered cold sake which thankfully they were quite generous with. That calmed me down a little. Then came the food. From the left, we had crispy Japanese fried yam (from the bar menu), Negitoro bamboo sushi, Tako salad, and Warm Foie Gras bamboo sushi. The fried yam was nothing like I've tried before and we both love it. It's quite light and you could just pop it in your mouth one after another. Definitely something I'll go back for! Bamboo sushi is interesting and they're generous with the negitoro. Salad is not bad but I don't really like the texture of the tako octopus (too soft). Warm foie gras was also superb. So we went for another one.

Just when I thought they've salvaged themselves from the poor first impression, the 2nd foie gras sushi came in a smaller bamboo!! The inconsistency is such a big boo-boo. I order a 2nd one and you give me less? C'mon...

Not enough to fill our tummy so we ordered one $15 nett set lunch. Excellent value I must say and the selection is pretty good. The beef we chose came in a very decent portion. Nonetheless it tasted too beefy and I suspect it's the cut they use. Stay away from this. I'm sure the others are a safer bet.

We'll be back only because of the 2nd Groupon voucher (and also for the fried yam la :P) so let's see how they fare the next time.

Name: Sansui @ Clarke Quay (website)

Location: Block 3B, The Foundry, Clarke Quay

Expenditure: Would have been ~$150 without Groupon promotion

Tokyo/Kyoto Apr12 - Day 2

When your trip is so long it's really a drag to blog all about it. But I must persevere. Don't wanna go searching for lost memories when I'm old.. Ok let's continue. Early in the morn we walked from our hotel to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden to do "Hanami" ( which means flower viewing). According to a website this is supposed to be the best place to Hanami in Tokyo. It's supposed to be the tailend of the sakura season already but luck was with us. Some trees were still in full bloom while some were starting to bare. Overall, very satisfied with the outcome. This is exactly what we're here for! (other than the food of course) Such a mesmerizing sight. More so with the sakura shower (petals raining down when the gentle wind blows). 太美了！Too bad they didn't allow alochol in the premises (we actually brought our own champagne). I'll leave the rest of the talking to the photos...

After about 2 hours we left for lunch. Booked this 2 Michelin-starred restaurant a few months ago. Haven't been to a starred restaurant in Japan so was quite excited...and it didn't disappoint! Albeit French cuisine, there's a slight Japanese touch to it; there were even sakura petals added to one of the dishes. Nothing too fancy or inventive and each course suited our tastes very well, especially since it's more geared towards seafood. Paired with a nice bottle of Burgundy white. Ichiban! Definitely will be back.

Name: Les Créations de Narisawa 

Location: Minami Aoyama 2-6-15 Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062

Expenditure: ~29,000yen (7,350yen pp for set lunch + a bot of wine)

S' parents arrived a day later than us. It's their maiden trip to Japan so I, as the appointed tour guide, was a bit nervous. Took them out to experience the lively Shinjuku night atmosphere. Dropped by a traditional-looking beer place where lots of businessmen in suits gather after work and stand around makeshift tables drinking beer and ordering beer food non-stop. This was followed by a satisfying sushi dinner.

Tokyo/Kyoto Apr12 - Day 1

Arrived Haneda airport at 5am. Took airport limousine bus to Shinjuku station West Exit ~30mins. Got pretty lost in this huge station; took us a long while before we figured out the right exit (Exit B9) that wld lead to our hotel - Best Western Shinjuku. Too early to check in, so we left our luggages at the counter and went to Tsukiji Fish Market. On our previous visit we only managed to have a sushi meal but this time round we ventured further in and walked the aisles and aisles of fresh seafood on sale. This part of the market is open to public at 9am so if you're thinking of shopping, do come on time. (Fyi they now open the 5am tuna auction to a limited number of visitors only so do check their website for more details). As an avid seafood lover, this was definitely an eye-opener because of the endless variety of sea creatures on display - many of them in the most qwerky shapes and unthinkable sizes! Haven't seen so many types/grades of uni (photo below) before. Yums. Bought some sashimi, then went to a sushi shop for lunch. Will never have the patience like other tourists to queue for some of the sushi shops that offer really cheap options. Chose the one that we patronized last time (signboard says 市場 something) . Short queue but suits us fine.

Back to hotel for check-in. Decent size by Tokyo's standard. New, modern and clean. Location can be slightly better but good enough for me. Worked on the sashimi we bought at Tsukiji earlier in the morning. Caught a wink then headed out at night to walk around the vicinity. Settled for a tempura dinner but I suddenly fell very sick so couldn't enjoy at all. Pity.

Savour (food festival) Singapore 31Mar12

Hi all, because words aren't flowing freely to my mind today, I've taken the liberty to quote an introduction to the food festival from their website www.savour.sg:

"The SAVOUR concept is a first of its kind in Singapore, with a philosophy to unite the finest food and drink with a plethora of expert master classes, live demonstrations, fun workshops and culinary shopping, in an event that is accessible to all. Within one purpose-built venue, one can find an alfresco Gourmet Village teeming with award-winning restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs, a bespoke indoor Gourmet Auditorium complete with a state-of-the-art kitchen where culinary master classes are held, and a Gourmet Market that boasts an international showcase of artisan food and drink exhibitors."

Exactly what we were presented with at the event:

o   Shop for hundreds of exciting products that are not readily available in Singapore
o   FREE celebrity chef masterclasses and cooking demonstrations.
o   FREE wine tastings, activities and culinary workshops from bread making to latte art
o   15 award-winning chefs, including chefs from the world’s top 100 restaurants and Michelin-star recipients
o   50 signature dishes to sample from S$6 – S$21 

Entrance fee was S$44 for the afternoon session with S$21 worth of savour dollars (that acts like cash). Without much ado, let me introduce you to our all-time favourite: Gunther's (Singapore) cold angel hair pasta with Oscietra caviar. There he is! The dish bursts with flavour so heavenly I'm craving for it even as I type. Bought it for S$21 and realized that he's actually selling it at his restaurant for S$60! Probably bigger portion and better presentation but still, it's a steal :p

Next, Chaud Froid of Egg (translates directly to hot cold of egg) by L'Arpège (Paris) which harnessed lots of hoohaas but turned out to be the most disappointing dish and most expensive egg I've ever eaten. S$18 for that! We concluded that the hot is not hot and the cold is not cold. Soury sauce is also abit off. Thumbs downnnn :(

Most surprising dish of the day: Molecular xiao long bao by Bo Innovation (Hong Kong). See those cute little balls? Yes it's S$6 for one. Not cheap, but worth every cent. I love surprises and this made us go.."wow". Think we need to start trying molecular cuisine! The Har Mei Lo Mein (dried shrimp based) was also superb. Definitely gonna mark this restaurant on our list for the next HK trip.

Moving on to the Gourmet Market in the pit building. Had some oysters..some cheese tasting..tomato tasting..sake..wine..tea... Pretty fun. The Gourmet Pie Company offers pies with interesting flavours like chilli crab which was not bad. Can't remember the coffee company but it was good. Contemplated the Beluga Vodka & Seki Sashimi but found it too intimidating. Think about salmon sashimi soaked in vodka! Hmmm..