Vay Cay to Jay Jay – Part Five

We’ve eaten like locals, we’ve settled in and feel right at home handling money and interacting with other Japanese people so what to do today?

So far hubby and I have gone to places we visited last time and wanted to see again. Today it was time for something different!

We didn’t get to Roppongi last time so we decided to start the day with a trip to Roppongi.

I had a quick look online and saw a couple of places I wanted to visit.

One of the places I read about was the Nogi Shrine.

I won’t go into details  here but it’s worth having a google and a read and it made the place all the more interesting to visit.
Lastly, being slightly arachnophobic, I had to visit the great Maman!

It was impressive!  If you look up and underneath here, you’ll notice she’s carrying eggs as well.

Now we knew we wanted to eventually get to the Rainbow bridge today but didn’t have set plans and figured we were brave enough to use public transport from wherever we were so we just walked.

Up to now, every place we’ve visited (mostly tourist places) were just packed with people and interesting to see. As we walked we noticed less and less people and less and less shops and restaurants. We were entering a business district? At least that’s what we assumed.

I should give a special mention to these cute Westerners risking their lives on the streets in these interesting vehicles!!

The drivers at the back were actually dressed in onesies and gave us a friendly wave as they drove past.

We walked on thinking we’d hit something interesting soon but after almost an hour of walking we set our google maps for Tokyo Tower and headed back into that direction.

It looked pretty impressive as we approached it.

On the way we passed the Australian Ambassador’s residence and that was interesting to look at too.

Hubby and I weren’t really interested in going up the Tower, we just wanted to sit and have a look at the shops.

My eyes lit up when I saw there was a food court inside! It just makes ordering food so much easier AND they had a place that was doing beef/rice bowls! Alright!!

 

My beef bowl, topped with runny egg is in the left and hubby had some pork/rice thing. They were both delicious and both came with Miso soup which was really tasty too!

Once we were done with that, hubby asked which train was going to take us to the Rainbow bridge.
I checked out google maps but it was a mass of train/bus confusion and I said “You know, we’re only just under 4kms away, we should walk it!”

I can’t say that hubby agreed but we did end up walking it and I’m glad we did because I think we just see so much more when we walk.

Again, the structure looked impressive as we approached it. They sure don’t do things by halves here!

The pic on the right is NOT the rainbow bridge but the on-ramp to the bridge.
I did take pics of it but unfortunately didn’t load them in time for this entry.

I took a couple of pics from the middle of it though!

It was such an experience!! Apart from the bridge itself, it was incredibly windy. So much so, I thought I was going to drop my phone a couple of times and felt unsteady on my feet! The bridge was constantly shaking and the traffic was noisy as it rushed by.

I really loved it and was glad we’d made the effort to get out here.

Once we crossed the bridge it felt like we were in a different country or even a different era! Everything was quieter and more laid back.
We walked through a couple of malls, bought some over priced frozen yoghurt then hubby begged for us to take the train back over the bridge. I really wanted to walk it again but we took the train.

We’re a bit sad that we’re not able to watch our favourite AFL team The Adelaide Crows playing tonight. Hubby has been trying to get it via anyway he can but we can’t seem to connect. Must be a country thing.

Aside from that, we enjoyed some more local foods. I think we’ve eaten dumplings every day since we’ve been here!!

 

And the grocery store saw us once again for some bread desserts.

I bought three this time and opened one as hubby and I walked back to our apartment.
I’m not sure I bought the right thing because although it tasted nice, it was like eating raw dough so maybe I’d bought something that had to be baked some more at home?? could that be possible??
Either way it was nice!!
Now back to trying to get that Crows game happening….

Vay Cay to Jay Jay – Part Four

Here we are waking up to another beautiful day in the ever mysterious Japan.

Sake  – Not the actual kind I bought though.

I forgot to mention in my last entry that hubby and I bought some Sake yesterday. I have no idea what kind it was. In fact, we weren’t entirely sure that we were in the Sake section but a nice young lady helped us out.

I just chose a small bottle and later on we tried some. Hubby screwed up his nose immediately. I thought there was a nice, even sweet aroma from it but it’s not a drink for me. Give me a nice Cab Sav from the Coonawarra region any day.
I’m glad I’ve finally tried some though as I’ve always wondered what it tasted like.

We were a little sore after a full day of walking yesterday so went into a chemist to try to find something nurofen like. We had an interesting conversation with the pharmacist and thanks to google translate, finally left the chemist with a drug with ibuprofen in it and NOT an ointment for itchy skin…

First stop today was Harejuku. The only thing I knew about Harejuku was that Gwen Stefani had a song called “Harejuku Girls”

What I found was an amazing array of high end shops!  Not that I went into any of them, but it was just shop after shop of designer stores.

We saw a couple of Japanese men who were parting after having a conversation.
One bowed, then the other bowed, then the first bowed again and on it went!
When was it going to end I wondered!! It was like two teenage lovers saying “You hang up”, ” No you hang up”, “No you hang up”
Very funny.

Hubby was a little miffed that he wasn’t the only non Asian. In fact there were plenty of tourists around!! I could have been walking around Sydney CBD for all I knew.

It suddenly poured with a pelting rain so hubby and I snuck into a coffee shop for a snack and hot drink.
Just look at what they were serving!

They were sweet hot dog style buns with a variety of fillings (as seen above) from noodles and eggs and tuna, to jam and chocolate and god knows what else!

We settled for the egg and it was really pretty delicious!

I was surprised at how sweet the bun was though.

One thing that continues to surprise me here is that you can’t smoke on the streets.

They have designated “smoking areas” where you can smoke outside however you can still smoke in a lot of restaurants, albeit in the “smoking” section.

I just loved Takeshita Street!!! The pronunciation is probably not how you’ve just said it in your head!
I bought so many little things here and could easily have bought lots more.

Hubby and I decided to get a little something sweet that kind of looked like a Churro when we first saw it.

The outside was crunchy and the inside was what they called a custard. It was really very light and the whole thing was pretty delicious!

We walked from Harejuku to Shibuya and then back to Harejuku… I think… After a while it all seemed to blend into one for me.

Hubby asked if I wanted to walk to Shinjuku and maybe get some dinner there. At first I was a little confused as I thought we had already been there but no, this was a new destination for today…
So we walked to Shinjuku and again were overcome by the throngs of people, the lights, the noise, the activity, the smell of food!!! Everything is just overwhelming!!

We found a little place and ate like locals tonight. The waitress had to come and help us order because even though we were now familiar with the ordering system, the menu wasn’t in English so we didn’t know what buttons to press…

Hubby had some Pork Ramen

He’d been searching for it all day!

I had my heart set on a beef bowl but the waitress said they only did pork. No chicken, no beef.
So I opted for rice and we got some gyoza to share too.

It was all pretty delicious and I’m glad we opted for this and didn’t wuss out and get Western type food.
I’m actually amazed at the amount of Italian places that are here. So many restaurants do pasta and pizza! It’s so tempting to go Western style because at least you have an idea of what you might be getting…

We finally got back to our room after walking for almost twelve hours straight.. and yes, we did make a sneaky stop into the grocery store on the way home for a few Japanese goodies…

Looking forward to doing some more sight seeing and Japanese dining tomorrow but first, where’s that ibuprofen!!

Himeji Restaurant

Today on the Dining Diaries…

Beautiful memories of Japan resurface,
Slight horror at realising shoes were going to have to come off and
Waiting a long time for our meals benefits us as staff proactively offer us a selection of desserts for our patience!

Diners today we were at the lovely Himeji Restaurant on Grote st, in Adelaide’s CBD.

What a little gem of a place this is. Walking in we were immediately hit by amazing aromas. The restaurant was full and there was a lively atmosphere happening.

I’d been so excited to come here, especially after looking through their website and seeing how passionate the chef was about the food and wanting to bring a true Japanese experience to the people of Adelaide.

We were a party of four tonight and were ushered into a room that had two tables in it.
I’m not entirely sure why, perhaps something to do with the flooring, but we had to take our shoes off in this room.
They supply a little side cupboard for diners (pictured right, next to the chair) to keep their shoes on. Luckily, none of us seemed to have stinky shoes otherwise it could have been a bit awkward!!

While the male folk perused the menu, we women went for a little walk and I was impressed by how authentic this restaurant was, at least by appearances.

I’ve been to Japan twice in the last two years and this really did seem like the type of place I could walk into in Tokyo.

I’m not sure if it was the room we were tucked away into, or if it was due to the “busy-ness” of the night but the waiter seemed to take a very long time to come back and take our order. We decided to share a few things to get a good idea of the type of food they served.
Although our room was small, it was all closed off and we found ourselves competing to be heard with the nearby table. It didn’t really take away too much from our experience but I definitely will ask to be seated somewhere else when I visit here again.

Not only did we wait a long time for our waiter to take our order, but it was well over an hour before the first food came. I noticed that the same thing happened to the other table that was sharing our room.
We weren’t complaining about it and in fact, as they brought our first dishes out, the wait staff apologised and said they’d spoken to the manager and were going to be offering us a selection of desserts at the end of our meal.

How lovely was that!! We hadn’t even complained and we didn’t even look grumpy! They proactively noticed a situation and offered something to make it better. Big ticks to you Himeji!

When our first dishes came out, Gyoza (pan fried dumplings), we couldn’t help but rip into them. We were just so ravenously hungry.

It’s true, things do taste better when you’re starving and these were just so amazing! They were very fresh and still very hot! Lovely soft yet slightly crisp outer with beautiful tasty goodness inside.
I ate my share way too fast and could only hope the next dishes were going to be coming out very soon!

When hubby and I were in Japan we really wanted to try authentic Ramen. What we had at Himeji was slightly different to what we had in Japan but that could be due to the meat in the dish we ordered.

Tonight I had Hakuryu – Himeji Original HAKATA Tonkotsu Ramen – Himeji original Tonkotsu soup which has been cooked for more than 8 hours, resulting in a creamy broth. Served with very thin straight noodles. With toppings of half boiled egg, pork loin, bean sprouts, wood ear mushroom, and spring onion. Flavoured with a dash of garlic oil.

Everything I ate was tasty and I just love noodles however I found the broth to be too fatty. Now that’s probably the way it supposed to be and something I just wasn’t aware of? I can’t remember eating ramen like this in Japan, however the flavours were definitely Japanese and I did mostly enjoy this dish.
There was a very strong pork taste throughout and you can tell that a lot of care had been taken in the cooking process.

Hubby decided to go for a Bento Box so that he could sample a few different things.

It looked quite impressive when it came to the table! There was also a soup that came with it that I wasn’t able to capture in the photo.
You can see hubby’s hand protectively near the plate, anxious to dig in as soon as the photo is taken!

As per the menu description, this was the SHOGUN Dinner Bento Box – Sashimi / sushi roll / cold noodles / Karaage chicken / Gyoza / Takoyaki / Japanese omelette / Agedashi Tofu/ Miso soup / choice of Teriyaki Salmon rice or Eel rice

This dish proved to be a winner with lots of selections. I tried a few of the items on there and again thought everything had been made fresh and was bursting with flavour. My particular favourite was the Gyoza (As per our entree) and the Teriyaki Salmon rice! What I loved most were the different flavours. Spices and herbs that I wasn’t used to and just couldn’t pick. I could have had a plate full of that rice alone!

The waiter asked if we were ready for our complimentary dessert and it looked amazing when it came out!

Our only “complaint” was that it was a little difficult to share between four people but we each got to try a little of all six dishes.
I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly what each one was but the ice cream (top left)  was definitely my favourite.

I should also mention that the prices at Himeji are very very reasonable. In fact, I’m really looking forward to going there again soon to try a few more dishes.
Luckily for me, they are open for lunch and situated very close to my work building!
Oh yes, they’ll be seeing me!

Have you eaten at Himeji?
What did you think?
Let me know in the comments below!!

Till next we chow…

Fedoras Restaurant

Today on the Dining Diaries…

We saw carpet, didn’t run, and experienced one of the best meals we’ve had in a while
We dine in an elegant and spacious dining room and
I’ve learned that a good Pork Belly is the true way to a man’s heart.

Diners today we were at Fedora’s Restaurant, just a short drive west out of the city’s CBD

From the moment I called to make the booking to the moment we walked out the door, they gave exceptional service.

I called late Saturday morning to make the booking and wasn’t sure we were going to get in. The person who answered had to speak to a manager and said he’d call me back. I really didn’t expect a call but true to his word, five minutes later he called back and we were in!

There were four of us dining tonight. The carpark was full but they have an attendant stationed there to let people know where else they can park and quickly stop anyone who mistakenly think they can park in the permit only areas on the streets nearby and not get a fine.

We walked into a warm and spacious dining area. The smells hit us right away and I was so eager to see what the food would be like. I must admit being a little apprehensive when I saw carpet but there wasn’t a salad bar so I had no cause to be afraid!

I took the photo later in the evening but when we arrived, the place was full!! Yet the ambiance was such that we were able to have a conversation and be heard.

I have to point out that salt on the table. You may remember when we were at “The Republic”  they had a similar salt bowl but no accompanying spoon. I like this idea much better…

I thought there was a good variety on the menu and was keen to try something a little different.

I noticed that with many menu items, you could choose “add ons” and create exactly the meal you want to have. I love that idea and have noticed more and more places are doing this.

We decided to share a couple of entree’s to start.

Hahndorf Chorizo and a Japanese Entree Plate.

This was the first thing I sampled and oh wow!

The flavour hits you right away!

The chimi churi had such a kick!

The other entree was the Japanese Entree Plate

Yakitori chicken skewers, vegetarian gyoza, salmon & nori rolls
I can’t emphasise it enough, everything on this plate was divine. From the nori rolls which were warm and gooey on the inside yet crispy and firm on the outer, to the gyoza and the tender and amazingly seasoned chicken. Everything was just to die for.

Now I had a raging hunger and my expectations for the main were very high!

The meals all came out at the same time which is always a plus.

I chose from the “Clean Eats” section of the menu. Vegan Paella but added Prawns which made it not so Vegan anymore.
(saffron rice, sofrito, roast garlic, artichoke, zucchini, roast capsicum & pistachio)

I can still remember how delicious the prawns were. That was the first thing I tasted. I don’t know what they were cooked in, I tasted something unfamiliar but it was just divine! In fact this whole dish was really just perfect. The rice was crispy in places  and the flavour was amazing throughout. Sometimes you get diner’s envy, sometimes you’re the cause of diner’s envy!

One of our party chose the Chicken Kiev

I don’t normally have a lot of chicken but this looked really good when it came out! As we know, chicken breast can easily come out dry but she said this was really moist and was cooked perfectly with beautiful flavours throughout… which seems to be the theme of tonight!

The two boys ordered the Pork Belly but with different “add ons”

Hubby got extra pork and arancini balls with his serve.
They both said that the skin was crispy, (although one serve was definitely crispier than the other) that there was a beautiful flavour throughout and the meat was exceptionally tender and moist.
I had a taste of some of that salad and just LOVED it! It had fennel, coriander and orange. I think that may be my new favourite salad combination!

We were celebrating tonight and honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better.
I was a little surprised that we weren’t asked if we wanted more drinks at any time during the night but that wasn’t really a huge thing for me and if we wanted it, we could have flagged someone down.

The wait staff were all so polite and invested in us having a good time. I cannot recommend this place highly enough and if you do make the trip here, I’d love to know what you think!

Have you been to Fedoras?
What did you think?
Let me know in the comments below!!

Till next we chow…