Lazy Update

It's been a while since a proper update...

Honestly, I've been way too lazy to carry around my camera and it doesn't help that the iPhone camera is quite decent. Here are some snaps on my phone of summer in Tokyo.

I love this "tree tunnel" on the walk to the station.

Beautiful, colorful hydrangeas everywhere!

My absolute favorite pizza in Tokyo (and currently my favorite Italian restaurant):

Spinach Pizza at Tarantella-da-Luigi

(blogged about previously here)

Sunday Farmer's Market at Daikanyama T-site

Indian Curry Lunch: Priya

Shaved Ice to cool down with: Koyomi Hiroo

The homemade strawberry syrup is SO good!

My friend treated me to a fancy birthday lunch: Les Enfants Gates

(blogged about previously here)

Cherry Pie: Matsunosuke NY

Pizza lunch with bubbles: Napule Omotesando

Refreshing Tororo Soba: Honmura An 

Walking through Roppongi with an awesome view of the Tokyo Tower.

Japanese sweets: Naniwaya Souhonten

(blogged about previously here)

Ladurée

There are many stores in Japan now but Ladurée was a must for me in Paris. We went to the Bonaparte store in the 6th arrondissement.

I'm really picky about my macarons (texture, chewiness, filling..) but I still think it's hard to beat Ladurée (totally a personal preference). They had a collaboration with Tsumori Chisato and the display was super cute but they wouldn't let me take pictures inside the store. I don't understand when stores do that, especially when they're already so established. けち！

La Pâtisserie des Rêves

Finally getting some time to post updates!

After arrving in Paris after a rather smooth 13-hour flight, we had breakfast, explored and headed to La Pâtisserie des Rêves.

Exterior.

The really cute interior.

Pastry section.

They have a cafe that opens at 2PM for tea time.

Tart Tatin. YUM!

Orange Tart.

The cakes both had a very delicate sweetness to it. I picked up a pastry and had it the next morning, which was also yummy (wish I had a toaster, would have been much better heated!). The herbal teas here are really nice as well. The store is very girly, cute and photogenic - the perfect setting for afternoon tea.

Cafe Mamehico

One of our new favorite cafes to go to, to get away from the noise of Shibuya is Cafe Mamehico.

すごくこだわりが多くて、季節によってメニューもコーヒーの豆も変わるの。

Love the long communal table in the middle.

They always have a different tree/flower arrangement too.

Ice Coffee comes in these retro tin cups.

They always have a few selections for hot coffee.

My brother told us about this cafe and he recommended this.

煮豆が入った食パンで、手前のクリームをつけて食べるの。シンプルで美味！

These two were seasonal menus for the fall:

Baked Apple with homemade Ice Cream.

HEAVEN! 

Grape Muffins.

葡萄も皮を一粒一粒むいて、すごく手がかかってるんだよ！（リンク）

Cooling Down

Haven't been in Japan during this season (mid-summer) ever since I was a kid. The weather's been super weird; hot, cold, rainy but constantly humid. Just now, there was a crazy, random thunderstorm.

Some things I've been cooling down with:

Beer tastes the best in the summer.

Rising Sun Pale Ale from Baird Beer that I've blogged about before (here). 

Matcha Shaved Ice from Ouca (blogged before here).

Shaved ice is only served during the summer time at Ouca. I also had the Apricot last time, but my favorite has to be Matcha.

A new cafe, Sarutahiko Coffee, opened right next to Ouca while I was back home. I love specialty coffee shops (especially single drip!).

Guess the guy wanted to pose for my camera, haha.

Sarutahiko (dark roast) drip Iced Coffee.

Downtown Petaluma

On the way to Healdsburg, we stopped by Petaluma for lunch.

We had lunch at Della Fattoria, a charming artisan bakery. They bake their breads in brick ovens with wood fires started the day before and instead of using yeast, they use a natural starter consisting of organic flour, water and Weber Ranch grapes (details here).

Interior.

My order: Tuna Melt Piandana (Pizza-dough bread)

The chewy Piandana went really well with the wild Albacore Tuna and bitter arugula. I also ordered the Lavender Lemonade (pink drink in the back) which was a bit too sweet for me but I love anything Lavender, couldn't resist!

My friend ordered: BLT Sandwich

They use Bovolo Black Pig Bacon, which is also a local company. Because Petaluma is known for their farming, the vegetables were so fresh!

After lunch, we walked over to

Petaluma Pie Company

Shared this seasonal Apricot Mini Pie on the patio.

The buttery pie and the tangy apricot went so well together.

Kyoto Sweets

We wandered around Kyoto the following day. 

I love traditional Japanese sweets and in Kyoto, it's the best because they are famous for Matcha. After walking around after lunch, we randomly found

Yamagishi, a Japanese cafe run by an old couple.

Ordered the Matcha Azuki Kanten (抹茶小豆寒天)

I love when the Matcha flavor is strong and bitter.

After dinner before heading back to Osaka, we stopped by Nakamura Tokichi Honten inside of Kyoto Station. Their first store opened 150 years ago and they are famous for Uji Tea.

We shared this Uji Parfait (most of which was devoured by me)

and sipped on Matcha Cappuccinos.

Before going back, we made a quick pit stop at

Mochitsukiya Naomasa a traditional confectionery shop that is famous for Warabi Mochi. Warabi Mochi is probably my absolute favorite Japanese dessert so I was dying to try. 

This man makes all of his confectioneries at his shop. He was so charming and friendly and it was so cool that he used an abacus! 

The 3 in the front are the Warabi Mochi. They are different than other places because these had red bean fillings, but they were so good. The outer warabi just melted and the red bean was the perfect sweetness. Heavenly.

椿サロンカフェ(Tsubaki Salon Cafe)

In Ginza, there aren't too many cafes that are casual and spacious. I had seen Tsubaki Salon Cafe in a magazine and when I met my friend for coffee in Ginza, I suddenly remembered this place. It's a cafe from Hokkaido, so they have a lot of desserts using milk (supposedly, they are known for their pancakes). The atmosphere was warm and it was so spacious. Not to mention, super inexpensive in Ginza. The interior, vibe and the music were so chill, I'll definitely be returning here when I have time to kill in Ginza.

Exterior.

Interior.

Love that its all wood and the super long center table.

The light bulbs were put in Milk bottles. Clever.

I ordered Coffee Jello with Milk Ice Cream.

The Coffee Jello wasn't that sweet and the milk ice cream was so rich. To my liking.

My friend ordered the Tsubaki Roll Cake which had milk pudding in the middle.

I would definitely recommend this place to take a coffee break or to chat with friends, when in Ginza.

Nico Donuts

I had read about Nico Donuts and was curious to try because they use soybean in their donuts. It newly opened in Azabu Juban and when I was close by, I decided to swing by to eat one. The donut wasn't oily, the texture was doughy (kind of like mochi) and the exterior had this unique crisp to it.

I returned (with my camera) to get some more and through their website, found out that they use a soy "paste". They had come up with their own way to make the soy into a paste to keep all of the nutrients, minerals, protein and fiber contained in soybean. A healthy donut? Yes, please!

Exterior.

Tiny shop (more like a donut stand). When they run out of dough, they close!

So simple, so good!