Lazy Update Part II

Soon after coming back to Tokyo, I went back to CA again for one week. Went to Vegas for half of it so it was a whirlwind trip back home. Here are some shots from my phone:

Southern California = Palm trees.

Pizza time! Pizzeria Mozza Newport

Beer al fresco. Basically commuted to Bruery Provisions every night.

Vietnamese food fix: Brodard Cafe

Cheeseburgers: In-n-Out Burgers

Absolute favorite beach back home, Laguna Beach.

A whole new appreciation for the close access to the amazing beaches after being away from OC for a bit.

Santa Fe Eggs Benedict (substituted Potatoes with Spinach): Plum's Cafe

Enjoyed hanging out with friends and of course, this handsome boy.

Miss him so much!

Counting down the days until I'm back...!

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)

Where the Hell is Matt?

Am I the last person who knew about this video?

Amazing!

A Very Happy Birthday

Showered with lots and lots of love on my birthday!

So blessed!

Tomorrow...

... I am making my way back to Tokyo.

Tokyo is now home to the tallest building in the world, thanks to the Tokyo Skytree. Last week, it opened to the public and I can only imagine the chaos that will surround it for the next year or so. Probably won't go near it until it somewhat dies down...

Poules Moules

Before our train back to Paris, we had dinner at Poules Moules in Bruges.

They are known for two things: Poules (Chicken) and Moules (Mussels) and that is what we ordered. The Chicken was a bit too dry, but the Mussels were so good! It was one of the largest servings of Mussels I've ever had and of course comes with a side of frites.

Chocolate & Waffles

Chocolates and waffles were everywhere in Belgium.

Beer, chocolate, waffles... if we stayed longer, we would have gained so much weight.

Chocolate Line was recommended to us by our friend, who was taken there by a Brugge local. They have very interesting chocolates with flavors like bacon, wasabi, shiso and lemongrass.

Went to the first Godiva store in Brussels.

Chocolate covered strawberries were so cheap (a whole bag with about 5 or 6 strawberries for about 5 Euros) which was great considering one strawberry here costs like 5 bucks.

Leonidas was everywhere! Waffles in Belgium were a lot denser, chewier and richer than I had imagined.

Regretted eating this waffle which resulted in a major heartburn.

Cool window displays.

Beer Beer Beer!

Belgium is the ULTIMATE for beer lovers.

The selection is insane!

Hertog Jan

Haven't updated in a while. I've been fully enjoying my stay in CA but I've also started to countdown the days until I fly back to Tokyo.

Finishing up on my updates from our Eurotrip...

The reason for our detour to Bruges was to eat at Hertog Jan. The Chef and Sommelier co-own the restaurant and they organically grow most of their vegetables, herbs and flowers to create modern, gastronomy dishes (you can read more here). They earned 3 Michelin stars last year in 2011 after taking over the restaurant in 2005.

We ordered the 5-course menu paired with wine. Luckily, we got seated right next to the kitchen so we were able to watch all of the chefs in action.

It's difficult to put into words all the elaborate flavors of each dish. Actually, its impossible.

All I can say is that this truly was an "experience". Once we step in the restaurant, we get an opportunity to sample a taste of Chef Gerd De Mangeleer's culinary genious. All of the paired wines that we had were very interesting (never had wines from the mountains of Portugal, Greece and small islands in Europe) but was the perfect accent to that specific dish. The interior was so simple but the ambiance was warm and inviting and not at all stuck up. And the service was beyond amazing. They explained each dish and wine in depth, made sure everything was perfect without being in your face or staring you down. Everything about the restaurant and the food had an elegant flow that made us forget we were in there for a good 4 hours.

If you are ever in Belgium, the trip out to Bruges and Hertog Jan is SO worth it.

Bruges: B&B Sint Niklaas

Stayed at B&B Sint Niklaas in Bruges.

This was my first time at a B&B and had such a pleasant stay. It's a charming, old house that is conveniently located a block away from Market Square. There are only 3 rooms and we stayed in the rooftop room. Anne, the lady who runs the place, was so friendly, hospitable and welcoming. She let us leave our bags until 8PM and kindly called cabs for us whenever we needed. She also had freshly squeezed Orange Juice in the morning. I would definitely recommend this B&B to anyone who is thinking of visiting Bruges.

Rooftop Room.

Super clean and spacious bathroom/shower.

Views from the window: