Asia Eating & Travel @Not Quite Nigella

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Eating and Travelling in Asia

Tokyo Disneyland

I know I’m hardly a child, and I know that every visit to Tokyo for me has to seemingly include a visit to Tokyo Disneyland. This time however I had the excuse that I wanted my husband to come along. When he was 2 years old, his parents took him to Florida Disneyland. When he met Mickey Mouse he promptly burst into tears. The poor thing had not only the humiliation of crying at the cartoon character at such a tender age but also a second round of humiliation when his brother, his best man at our wedding, recalled the story to all of our guests.

So in an effort to purge him of his Mickey Mouse demons, I took him to Tokyo Disneyland. I shan’t bother you with the details of the rides (although I loved them and as always my favourite was The Haunted Mansion) but here is a look at some of the food we ate:

Smoked turkey drumstick Y472 (about $4.90AUD)

The Smoked turkey drumstick was a gigantic sized drumstick where the delicious smoked aroma beckoned to us. I know that I am in Western World when I can smell these. There’s some gristly bits but it’s soft and the flesh eases away easily which is a must when you’re eating takeaway style without utensils.

Caramel popcorn stand

Caramel popcorn Y300 (about $3.20AUD)

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16 comments | July 10, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

Mos Burger Green cafe in Ginza and Shibuya branch

The Japanese are officially obsessed with burgers (as well as most things American). But like a lot of the food, it’s geared towards their own taste. Which doesn’t bother me a jot as I happen to like mayonnaise and tuna on pizza. It may seem odd to go to Japan and eat burgers but it does happen to be what they are obsessed with and I of course have to give this a go.

MOS burger (standing for Mountain Ocean Sun) is the second largest burger chain in Tokyo after McDonalds. And despite it’s standing, it’s hard to find a MOS burger outlet. When I had heard that they had specially designed branches of MOS burger called “MOS burger Green Cafe” Dick Bruna (he of Miffy the bunny fame) designed store I knew I had to visit. So one rainy afternoon we traipsed along to the Ginza cafe. Unfortunately the famous “Takumi Judan” premium “artisan taste” burger with avocado, Tasmanian beef and wasabi for Y1000 isn’t available or perhaps I just can’t read Japanese well enough (that’s quite possible). The burgers are smaller (as is the food generally in Japan) so if you’re hungry, you may need 2 to satisfy your appetite.

One thing that they do is at MOS burger is a rice burger where they replace the bun with two patties of rice. I first tried MOS burger many years ago in Singapore and was eager to have a second taste. Unlike other burgers chains, it’s a little harder to find a MOS burger outlet and when I read about a Dick Bruna (he of Miffy the bunny fame) designed concept store in Ginza, I know that we have to visit. It’s called MOS Green, and is outfitted in a Scandinavian style with of course a lot of green. The cute illustrations are instantly recognisable as Dick Bruna’s work when you come upon the store. Service is impeccable although there doesn’t appear to be an English menu, the staff translates the relevant items. We order a Spicy beef burger and a teriyaki burger. Disappointingly, there aren’t any rice burgers at this branch, just the regular burgers.

Spicy Beef Burger Y380

The spicy beef burger is interesting, with a thick slice of tomato and a slightly spicy sauce, my husband loves this as it tastes so much like a salad. It’s very fresh.

Beef burger Y320

The regular burger is also good, there is a good amount of lettuce (unlike Lotteria’s piddly pieces) and the patty is tasty. Like a good teriyaki burger with mayonnaise.

Of course we can’t leave Japan without trying a rice burger so later we make our way over to Shibuya where we find a regular MOS burger. It’s signage is subtle in comparison with the other burger places like the multiple Lotteria and McDonalds in that location. Indeed we count three “Freshness Burger” shops in the one stretch.

Japanese vegetable rice burger Y280

We order the three types of rice burgers available: a Japanese vegetable salad filling Y280, the prawn burger Y300 and the beef teriyaki burger Y350. We get our number and take a seat and they deliver us the burgers within minutes. The Japanese vegetable salad burger is filled with crunchy julienned vegetables and is crunchy and good with the rice patty.

Prawn rice burger Y300

The prawn burger is very seafoodey in aroma but not quite to my taste. If you’ve ever had a Sea Shanty, and my mother used to buy these for us thinking that we liked them but I didn’t, it’s a similar taste. It’s my husband’s favourite though.

Beef Teriyaki rice burger Y350

My favourite is the beef teriyaki burger, with thinly sliced beef and lettuce on the rice patty. It goes perfectly with the rice. What is disappointing about all of them is that the front of the burger has a lot of filling but the back of the burger is empty. This is with all three burgers so we feel a bit jipped by that and wouldn’t have expected this to be the case here.

And because no visit to Shibuya is complete without a browse of the Love Hotel district, I leave you with some pictures of what is on offer, should the urge strike you while you are in Tokyo along with a shot of the famous Shibuya crossing.

Not just your ordinary hotel room

Rental of costumes and lotions and creams is also possible!

The famous crazy busy Shibuya crossing (not so many people though)

MOS Burger Ginza Cafe

Ginza Ｎine 2-1F, 8-7, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 〒104-0061
TEL : 03-5568-5067

Business hours : Weekdays 09:00 ～ 23:00
Sat , Sun 09:00 ～ 21:00
Holidays : No Holidays

MOS Burger Shibuya

Dogenzaka Center Bldg. 2-29-8 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043
Exit Shibuya station (look for AM PM store)

13 comments | July 9, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

Christon Cafe at Shinjuku, Tokyo

A knowledgable friend of mine, Kathy from Brisbane recommended that I try Christon Cafe after I canvassed friends for unique Tokyo experiences. Started in Osaka in 2000, there are now 8 Christon cafes around Japan, each boasting incredibly detailed interiors decorated in a religious gothic theme. It speaks to the strong Lolita goth culture that exists in Tokyo. In the lobby there is a glass display of the Virgin Mary. Upstairs, Cafe Christon doesn’t disappoint. On the 8th and 9th floor of the Oriental Wave building, you’re struck by the fantastic interior decor the minute you step off the elevator.

We were greeted with 3 leather chairs with naked iron maidens on them the arms well worn and loved. We were then led into the inner sanctum which was awash with wrought iron, gothic and catholic imagery.

To our delight, we’re led towards a blood red curtained booth, private and completely gothic. I’m not a Catholic so the imagery doesn’t strike fear into my heart although I have heard that it can make anyone raised Catholic slightly uneasy. Indeed, there is an altar in the restaurant which we’re told is an authentic altar that was used in a European church.

The details are numerous and quite astounding including the painting on the ceiling.

Gargoyles

Gigantic chandelier

We’re shown the menu, an assortment of izakaya dishes (small dishes typically served with beer). We choose a Japanese beef carpaccio Y1380, Foie Gras sreak with baked risotto Y1800 and grilled salmon steak with mushroom cream sauce Y880.

Amuse Bouche Y300

We’re given an amuse bouche or a spinach tortilla and some sort of pressed meat like a mortadella (we learn we are later charged for this although we may have agreed to it, we just kept nodding yes). The spinach tortilla is delicious and full of spinach and cheese and the luncheon meat is actually delicious, much better than a mortadella.

Japanese beef carpaccio Y1380

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17 comments | July 8, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

Angels Hearts and Marion Crepes at Harajuku

Entrance to Takeshita Dori

My friend once told me about competition in Japan. She and her husband were from England and he was posted to Tokyo by his pharmaceutical company. He said that in Japan when competing business bring out a similar product, they get together to set the price for this product with everyone in agreement as to the price. In Australia, that’s considered price fixing but in Japan, it seems more a quaint gesture probably borne from the exceeding politeness of the people (although I’m sure, it’s not as polite to be in the room when this happens now). So on our visit to Harajuku (favoured area for the youth of Tokyo) and Takeshita dori, the market style street that sells this season’s styles at a teenager friendly price tag, we count 4 crepe places, two directly opposite each other with barely enough room between them to drive a car.

Both crepe stands, right opposite each other

But what we’re mainly interested in is the Crepes. When I lived here, I didn’t have an interest in the gigantic crepes here. They always seemed a bit “too much” but of course now that I have a food blog, it seems only logical to abandon my prejudice at them and try one from each. The lines for both are similar so I first try the #47 crepe from Marion crepes.

Marion Crepes selection

It has a little bit of everything: strawberries, strawberry sauce, chocolate cake, cheesecake, whipped cream and ice cream (see I really did mean it has a bit of everything!) and was Y450. The man selling it is not feeling the excitement that I am but I do get to watch him make the crepe and fold it up.

Marion crepes #47 strawberries, strawberry sauce, chocolate cake, cheesecake, whipped cream and ice cream Y450

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11 comments | July 7, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

Yakitori Alley at Yurakucho Tokyo

I’m always after a authentic experience. And anything that is slightly seedy but good and busy always peaks my interest I am almost embarrassed to admit. So when I read about Yurakucho’s Yakitori alley, a small alleyway underneath a train line where commuters and Japanese congregate under rickety stalls that look slightly patched together, I knew we had to visit. It’s small, packed and absolutely fascinating.

It’s hard to find, we find the Lonely Planet’s map lacking essential details (grrr!) and we get lost during the way. We finally find it and the telltale red lanterns and smokey grill aroma tells us that we have finally arrived at the right place. There are 3 stallholders here each serving their own Yakitori dishes with their own tables. On the walls there are a multitude of Japanese signs, none in English at all, so we ask for an English menu and take a seat at one of the stalls.

We order the: roast Chicken skewer, Chicken meatball skewer, gizzard skewer, pork skewer, nankotsu (bone cartilage) skewer and heart skewer (all Y160 per skewer). We then ask what the waitress recommends and she points at an item on the Japanese specials menu of pork and miso Y460 and also suggests a potato salad Y420. We always get good recommendations when we ask the staff what is good so I always make a point to ask.

Potato Salad Y420

The potato is a typical Japanese potato salad although it is a very good version of it. There are two ice cream scoops of creamy potato salad, which is a combination of a slightly sweet mashed potato with carrot and spring onions as well as small potato chunks.

From left to right.: heart, gizzard, pork skewer Y160 each

The heart skewer is…Im sorry to say unpalatable. I tried to take one bite and released it from my teeth and passed it to my husband. If you happen to like rubbery tough organs, this may be your thing. My husband ate it but more because it was there and has was hungry after we got lost.

The Gizzard Skewer suffers a similar fate. I don’t even know why I ordered it. I think more to try something odd but when push came to shove, I couldn’t eat it.

The pork skewer is slightly better, although the pork pieces are also quite chewy and not quite as tender as I’d like.

From left to right: Nankotsu (2), chicken and meatball skewers Y160 each

The second plate is more successful, the roast chicken skewer is good, especially when the pieces are removed from the stick and dunked into the sauce. The chicken meatball skewer is also good and slightly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. I’ve had better nankotsu with the bone cartilage being softer, this nankotsu is hard and quite hard to chew.

Pork and Miso skewers Y420

The mystery pork skewers with miso are however perfection. Softly tender and juicy pieces of pork are marinated in a miso sauce which complements it perfectly. If only I could have ordered 6 serves of this, I would have been inordinately pleased.