Seoul Eats

I love Coffee Bean... why don't they have any in Tokyo!? Please get rid of some Starbucks for Coffee Bean!

Korean BBQ at Bornga

The thin-cut beef is marinated in a clear sauce. After grilling the beef...

you wrap it in lettuce with Korean Miso paste and Kimche. I was amazed at the variety and how fresh the leaves were.

ユッケ！(Yukhoe)

冷麺 Spicy Cold Noodles

Congee Breakfast at 栄養粥、栄養餃子

Really enjoyed the Abalone Congee.

Samgyetang Lunch at 百濟参鶏湯

This black Samgyetang is made from 地鶏の烏骨鶏 (Free Range Silkie) and is a delicacy in Asian countries. It is said to have more nutrients than regular chickens. It looks a little grotesque but the meat is firmer and the soup was richer. Definitely recommend trying this when in Seoul.

Dinner at Gorilla in the Kitchen

Ordered the Grilled Prawns with Crab Fried Brown Rice.

Although it wasn't Korean cuisine, the menu options here were very healthy and light. It was quite pricey compared to the other meals we had in Seoul though.

Seoul Scenery

This past weekend, we took a quick trip to Seoul. I've only been to the airport as a layover so this was my first time being in the city. Since it was a short stay, we didn't really get a chance to explore the historic sites but we definitely got around to eat! (Will blog about the food in a separate update)

Gorgeous sunrise from the plane.

Seoul Tower from Myong Dong.

Dongdaemun.

Cool architecture at Gangnam-Gu.

Loved the Apgujeoung area.

Cool sign in Apgujeoung.

Lots of posters, banners and donation boxes in support of Japan.

頑張れ！日本！

Ganbare Nippon!

The week after the earthquake, my brother and I went down to Fukuoka to stay with our relatives. Stress built up from the frequent aftershocks, uncertainty and being overwhelemed with so much information definitely took a toll. It was a great break being away from it all but a part of me was left feeling guilty.

It's been nice being back in Tokyo, although there hasn't been drastic improvements. There's still not much we can do here except to donate money and necessities, conserve energy and to hope. I am also trying to help the local community by dining out. The restaurants and stores have been hit hard.

Yesterday, I took a few shots of the bent Tokyo Tower (you can see it if you zoom into the picture) because the weather was amazing. It's finally starting to feel like spring.

P.S. If you haven't already, please donate! I donated through the Japanese Red Cross but there are a lot of organizations that are doing all they can to help those affected by this devastating earthquake and tsunami.

JAPAN

Japan has been hit with a devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami.

As of this point, there is not much people like me in Japan could do besides hoping, donating and conserving as much energy as possible. There are still crazy amounts of aftershocks and a nuclear meltdown, but I am so thankful that my family and friends are safe. I was also extremely fortunate having my friend's grandmother's home to stay the night when I couldn't get home due to the public transportation halt. Many of my friends, including my boyfriend, walked hours and hours just to get home from work or stayed over at their offices.

I know some people from the Sendai area and I am praying for the safety of their loved ones.

Yasaiya Mei Azabu Juban

Yasaiya Mei opened a new restaurant in Azabu Juban late last year. I've wanted to try it and happened to walk past it for lunch one day. They had an excellent lunch set at 1,000 yen each (what a deal!) and were  mostly healthy because like the name of the store, their main focus is vegetables.

I've blogged before that my favorite restaurant group is eatwalk. I've tried most of the stores around this area and my top 3 are Kotatsu, AW Kitchen Laplatina (here) and now this one!

Sat at the counter for dinner.

(After we went for lunch, I went twice for dinner in less than 2 weeks.)

Bagna Cauda

Must order this.

パクチー餃子 Cilantro Gyoza

The taste of cilantro is faint, but the texture of the gyoza skin is like mochi but slippery and is so good! (This was on our first visit, the skin had spinach so it was green. The second time I ordered it, the gyoza skin was orange from carrots.) 

蓮根ちぢみ　Lotus Root Jeon

蓮根が入ってるからすごくもちもち！上の揚げた蓮根とのバランスが◎

塩銀杏　Salted Gingko Nuts

日本でフレッシュな銀杏を初めて食べて、やみつきに。今は大好き！

山芋焼き

Elio Locanda

Last Saturday, our friend took us to Elio Locanda Italiana in Kojimachi. It had an "authentic" Italian feel and a lot of the workers (waiters and chefs) were Italian as well. What I really liked about this place was that they will plate a little bit of everything (if you ask) so that you can try a lot of dishes. 

Interior.

Appetizer; Bruschetta, Mozzarella alla Caprese, Carpaccio di Pesce (fish of the day was Yellowtail)

We chose the appetizers that we wanted to try and they plated it like this.

Ravioli with Black Truffle Sauce

The homemade Ravioli had excellent texture and the scent of the truffle was an added bonus.

Spinach Tagliolini with Fresh Tomato Sauce

I chose this one and I really enjoyed it. It was very light and the homemade tagliolini was awesome.

Fusilli alla Calabrese

Sasage Fusilli that the waiter had recommended to us.

We also ordered a Parmiggiano Risotto (didn't turn out well in pictures) and the boys ordered a steak for the main. I skipped because I was so full from all the carbs.

Another awesome thing about this restaurant was when we ordered our 3rd bottle of wine, they gave us cheese with homemade grape jam as a "dessert" on the house.

Rico Pez

Rico Pez was on my to-go-to list. It's rated awfully high on Tabelog so my expectations were way high. The atmosphere and interior was nice but the food... it wasn't bad but nothing really left a big impression either. I also thought that a lot of the dishes were salty. They only have two courses (no a la carte) which are priced very reasonably, for what you get, but they make up for it with their beverage menu; not a very good selection and way over priced.

Interior.

They only have 12 counter seats.

Appetizer platter.

Fried Langoustine with Lemon and Tomato "Condiment"

"Poele" Sauteed Foie Gras and Buckwheat "En Beurre"

This was the best dish out of all (in my opinion).

Grilled Swordfish and Scallop with Puree of Anchovy and Cauliflower

(This was especially salty...)

"Pouisson" Prepared 2 Ways

Soup of Strawberry and Milk Ice Cream

Fondant au Chocolat

I've had better... much better. But I did enjoy the Mango Sorbet (in the back).

Nha Viet Nam

One thing that is missing in Tokyo is good, authentic Vietnamese Food. I found Nha Viet Nam on a food magazine and went to try for lunch. 

Exterior.

Huge restaurant located 5 minutes away from Ebisu station.

I ordered the Pho lunch set that includes a pho, spring roll and a small dessert.

Chicken Pho.

The noodle and soup was good, but it was missing all the herbs! Especially the Cilantro!! Japanese people are not used to eating Cilantro and a lot of people hate it. I asked for extra and when it came, I was shocked because they chopped it up SO tiny you could barely taste it. FAIL.

Spring Roll.

With no Cilantro. None. FAIL.

Will I ever find a decent Vietnamese place in Tokyo? Desperate.

Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum

While I was exploring this area, I randomly found the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum (岡本太郎記念館). I've wanted to come here but never found a chance. Taro Okamoto is an artist, famous for his sculptures. His most famous sculpture was "Tower of the Sun" which he made for the Osaka Expo in 1970. This memorial used to be his home and atelier.

Replica of the "Tree of Life", another sculpture he made for the Osaka Expo but had to be taken down. As a memorial for his 100th birthday, they made this replica (1/20 the size) to show the younger generation his art.