👍 Getting such strong berry flavours purely chocolate feels like wizardry.
👎 USD4.05/SGD5.35/JPY432 for a single stick of Kit Kat is crazy expensive.
You probably know that generally speaking, there are three types of chocolate: Milk, Dark and White. Well, apparently now there's a fourth type: Ruby Chocolate! You can read all about it in more detail on Barry Callebaut's Website, but in a nutshell, taking a special type of cocoa bean and processing it in a special way results in a chocolate that is naturally pink (in colour) and tastes like berries.
We're not exactly sure what the commercial arrangements are between the companies involved, but the world premiere of this new chocolate rests in the hands of Kit Kat Japan, which has produced a limited run of Ruby Chocolate wafers under the Sublime Ruby name!
When we were in Japan last week we picked up a 7-pack Sublime Ruby gift box for ¥2592 (yes, you counted right, that is on average SGD4.50 per stick of Kit Kat), which includes two sticks of Sublime Ruby, and one each of Milk, Bitter (Dark), White, Green Tea, and Raw Kit Kat Fingers.
You'd think that at this price point the wafers would be a little larger but no, they are exactly the same size as regular Kit Kats.
The verdict? Well, it's actually pretty cool to get a pink chocolate that really does taste like strawberries / mixed berries (and yet there are no berries, or berry flavours, or any pink colours).
But the pricing is really something else. Kit Kat sells single sticks at ¥432 (USD4.05/SGD5.35), which to be honest is eye-bleedingly expensive. When the exclusive arrangement expires, I'm sure that Ruby Chocolate will start appearing in more products in more countries, and prices will hopefully / surely drop.
In the meantime if you really must try this new chocolate type before anyone else, then get somebody in Japan to buy one for you; or if you're a resident in USA, Europe, HK and Macau, you can order some directly from Japan: 10 sticks of Ruby Kit Kat + 24 mini sticks of Green Tea Kit Kat will "only" cost you ¥10000. Happy eating!
If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Creme Caramel Cake (Caramel Pudding) at ESSE DUE (エッセドゥエ) from episode 10 of the show!
Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.
🍨 I guess Creme Caramel needs no introduction - it's a really popular custard dessert topped with a layer of soft caramel. What's a little different about ESSE DUE's version is that it's served as a slice of cake and topped with whipped cream. Aesthetics aside, though, it's superbly executed: the custard's smooth, jiggly but firm, and the caramel has been cooked/burnt just long enough to impart the perfect amount of bitter. Divine.
🍴 Unlike many of the other shops on Kantaro's list which are dedicated dessert joints, ESSE DUE is first and foremost an Italian restaurant. During our lunch visit we shared a pizza lunch and salad lunch (there's also a pasta lunch option), which comes with pizza, salad, and your choice of cold or hot coffee/tea.
Ultimately, we thought that the food was mediocre/subpar, so ask for the dessert menu if you just want cake!
👥 Crowd: We visited on a Friday lunchtime, and the ground floor dining area shop was around two-thirds full. Do note, though, that ESSE DUE is firmly in the middle of office territory, so it's possible that they are less crowded on weekends.
🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then the restaurant is a few minutes walk from exit B6 of the Akasaka Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line).
Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations not accepted.
If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Bavarian Matcha Cream at Kinozen (紀の善) from episode 6 of the show!
Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.
🍨 Bavarian Matcha Cream is an East-meets-West sort of dessert: The Bavarian Cream itself originating from somewhere in Europe (Wikipedia seems conflicted whether it's of German or French origin), and the Matcha (green tea) and Anko (Red Bean Paste) originating from Japan.
If you don't want to ask for an English menu, the Japanese name of the dessert is "Matcha Babaroa" (抹茶ババロア). There's also a Chestnut Bavarian Cream ("Kuri Babaroa," 栗ババロア), which was unfortunately not in season when we visited in the winter.
As is somewhat standard with most (all?) Japanese dessert shops, the waitresses give you hot green tea and sometimes some small snacks once you're seated; Here at Kinozen (紀の善) the snack is a somewhat vaguely cat-shaped Senbei (rice cracker).
We asked for two orders of the Bavarian Matcha Cream / Matcha Babaroa / 抹茶ババロア. The dessert was really good: The green tea flavour profile accompanying perfectly the red bean paste. We weren't so sure about the whipped cream, though - Bavarian Cream is after all primarily a thickened milk-and-cream mixture, and adding more whipped cream on top of that was a tad bit much on the dairy. In hindsight perhaps we should have shared two different desserts.
👥 Crowd: We visited on a Friday afternoon, and the two-storey shop was around 80-90% full. If you visit on a weekend, it's probably pretty likely that there'll be a queue.
🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then take exit B3 or B2a of the Iidabashi Station (JR Chuo-Sobu Line; Tokyo Metro Tozai, Yurakucho, Namboku and Oedo Lines); Kinozen is a a minute or two walk away.
Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations not accepted.
If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Mamekan at Akasaka Sagamiya (赤坂 相模屋) from episode 3 of the show!
Yes, we're nerdy like that
Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.
In episode 3, Kantaro tried to execute the "Mamekan Triathlon," eating three bowls of Mamekan from three different shops. We didn't have the time (or the stamina) to do the same, so we picked Akasaka Sagamiya, the third shop, as it was the most conveniently located for us. If you recall, however, Kantaro actually had take out, and ate the Mamekan at home, because ...
... except that he didn't, really. We ended being a casualty of the non-literal translation, because what Kantaro actually said - "赤坂相模屋には、残念だがら、イートインのコーナーはない" - literally means "Unfortunately, Akasaka Sagamiya does not have any eat-in corner (area)," i.e. you have no choice but to order take out. Oh well. Anyway ...
🍨 Mamekan is a Japanese traditional dessert not too unlike Anmitsu (which we blogged about a few days ago). It has the same base of Kanten (Agar Jelly Cubes) and Kuromitsu (Dark Syrup), but instead of having red beans and fruits, it concentrates on Kuromame (Sweet Black Soybeans).
Before we continue, apologies in advance for the aesthetically-challenged presentation. If you are a resident in Tokyo I'm sure you'll have no problem, but as visitors to the city staying in a business hotel, we had to improvise by using coffee mugs in place of bowls, and crudely chopping up the Kanten with a plastic coffee stirrer borrowed from a Family Mart downstairs. Aesthetics doesn't change the taste (much) though, we hope!
Oh by the way, the two mugs pictured below make up half of the "three person portion take-out pack" (¥1200).
The dessert ended up to be quite delicious, if perhaps a little one-dimensional. Unlike Anmitsu's variety of flavours, Mamekan really is all about the sweet soy beans, so your enjoyment of the bowl will probably depend a lot on how much you like (or don't like) them.
👥 Crowd: As mentioned, this shop is take-out only so there shouldn't be any problem with crowds.
🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then Akasaka Sagamiya (赤坂 相模屋) is within walking distance of either the Akasaka (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda line) or Akasaka-Mitsuke (Tokyo Metro Ginza, Marunouchi Line) stations. It's also a short walk from Esse Due (episode 10), which has decent Italian food and a killer Creme Caramel Cake.
Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations and credit cards not applicable.
If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Fruits Parfait at Kajitsuen Libre (果実園 リーベル) i.e. the fruity peach ice cream that appeared on episode 4 of the show ...
... except not really. We went to Kajitsuen Tokyo Station (果実園 東京駅). And we had Strawberry and Musk Melon parfaits instead of Peach 🤷🏻
Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.
We did try to go to the actual Libre (リーベル) outlet in Shinjuku, but we sort of forgot that it was a Sunday afternoon, and lo and behold a 29 table, 76 person waiting list greeted us at arrival ...
... so we hopped back on the train to try our luck at the Tokyo Station (東京駅) outlet instead. The queue here is way more manageable, and we thankfully were seated after about 20 minutes of waiting.
🍦 At Kajitsuen, the Parfaits really have their fruits firmly entrenched as the stars of the show. Peaches are only in season in the summer, unfortunately, so we settle for the winter specialties of Amaou Strawberry Parfait and Musk Melon Parfait (¥3900 for both). As you might notice in the photographs below, the parfaits are really almost all fruit, with the ice cream and whipped cream seemingly there only to serve as putty to hold the fruits in place.
The Amaou Strawberry parfait was divine (Amaou is a type/brand of Strawberry from Fukuoka which is known for being sweet, large, and delicious), each bite of strawberry being moist, juicy, and sweet (with just a hint of tartness). The melon on the other hand was just so-so, having none of the overwhelming juice, sweetness, nor hint of musk that you normally expect from Musk Melon.
👥 Crowd: As we mentioned above, the Libre (リーベル) outlet in Shinjuku has a really long queue on weekends, so either turn up early (close to opening time), or visit any of the other outlets most convenient to you. I mean, the fruits should be all sourced from the same central kitchen/supplier, so each parfait should be the same at any of the locations, no?
🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then the Libre (リーベル) outlet is a few minutes walk from the Shinjuku station, across the main street from Shinjuku Lumine 1 (not Lumine est, which is the opposite direction!), whereas the Tokyo Station (東京駅) outlet is somewhere in the Kitchen Street.
Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations not accepted.
When you do your research for ski areas in Japan, Zao Onsen doesn't normally headline the list - that honour typically goes to the mountains in Hokkaido, followed closely by those in Nagano. But for the beginner / intermediate skiier/snowboarder who doesn't yet have the stamina to pull off week-long ski trips, Zao Onsen really does have a lot to offer.
The mountain has lots of variety, it snows a decent amount (5 to 7 meters a season), and the powder's relatively dry. But it's proximity to both Tokyo and a few other amazing attractions make it a perfect ski destination for a short trip away from the capital city. Before we proceed with our detailed itinerary / guide, though, check out our video from the 2017/2018 season!
Without further ado, here's the breakdown:
Day 1: Miyagi Zao Fox Village and Mount Zao Juhyo (snow monsters) night viewing. Day 2-3: Explore the Zao Onsen Ski Resort, recovering with visits to the local village onsens. Day 4: Stop by Kaminoyama Onsen's best ryokan/hotel for day-use Onsen at Koyo Hotel.
🚄 Travel: Buy the JR East Tohoku-area Pass (¥19000). On Day 1, take an early morning Tohoku Shinkansen to the Shiroishi-Zao station, and then grab a taxi to the Fox Village (¥4500). Spend an hour or two in the village (ok, it should more accurately be called a large zoo), buy ¥100 bags of feed to throw to the foxes, and pay ¥600 to get your photo taken cuddling them.
Once done, ask the nice ladies in the souvenir shop to call you another ¥4500 cab back to the station, and reverse course on the Tohoku Shinkansen to Fukushima. If you time it right you can free up just over an hour for lunch - we had delicious Tsukemen at the nearby Kuon (くおん).
From Fukushima, we need to switch to the Yamagata Shinkansen and head to ... wait for it ... Yamagata. From there it's a ¥1000 bus ride to the Zao Onsen Bus Terminal (Buses run around once every hour; check their website for exact timings).
Drop your bags at your ryokan / hotel of choice, before walking over to the Zao Ropeway (it's the South-most of the three "base areas" in the village) to catch a ¥2600 Gondola ride up to catch the illuminated night Juhyo viewing. Word of warning: it's cold and windy on the top of the mountain (-14°C when we visited; -29°C with windchill), so be properly dressed.
On the morning of Day 4, or after you're done with all the skiing or snowboarding you want, take the shuttle bus back down to Yamagata (another ¥1000), and backtrack one station to Kaminoyama Onsen. There's quite a bit of sightseeing to be done here as well, but if like us your legs aren't up to the task, grab a ¥750 taxi to the amazing Koyo Hotel (full name: Nippon no Yado Koyo) nearby. The hotel has two grand onsens on the 1st and 8th floor, with the 8th floor rotenburo (outdoor onsen) having an amazing view over the entire onsen village and the mountain range behind.
When you're all refreshed, get the receptionist to call you a taxi (¥750) for your shinkansen journey back to Tokyo via the Kaminoyama Onsen station.
🛌 Sleep: Try to get a hotel, ryokan or inn fairly close to either of the three base areas. There are also a few ski-in/ski-out locations on the slopes, but these are a bit iffy because of how far away they are from the center of the village (which is where the convenience stores and other shops are).
Booking.com, agoda.com and the other usual suspects are serviceable, but in our search we found that Rakuten Travel had the widest variety of properties available. We ended up booking breakfast and dinner plans in Suzunoya Ryokan, which had pretty good food and warm service, but was also quite past its prime and a little behind on the maintenance and upkeep.
🍛 Eat: Japanese Onsen/Ski Villages tend to have few nightlife options, and Zao Onsen is no exception. In fact, I'd go so far as to say you should almost definitely book a dinner plan with the Ryokan of your choice, because there are very few restaurants scattered around town, and you probably don't want to refuel your body with convenience store pot/cup noodles and crisps after a whole day on the slopes.
For lunch, the Uwodanai area has two cafes - if you're based here, the ramen option on the lower floor is vastly superior to the swill served upstairs.
On the way back to Tokyo, I highly recommend stopping by Kaminoyama Onsen / Koyo Hotel. Uniquely, Koyo doesn't allow day use of their Onsen: You have to book a higaeri plan, which involves checking you into one of their delightful rooms for about 5 hours, serving you a delicious multi-course shabu-shabu (¥11000) or sukiyaki meal (¥10000), and then letting you enjoy their amazing onsen. Note that day-use requires pre-reservations: The easiest way for us gaijins is probably via email initiated via their website.
So there you have it, ~2 full days of ski'ing with two amazing side trips! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask us in the comments section; and do let us know if this post was useful for you!
If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Shiratama Anmitsu at Hatsune (初音) i.e. the dessert that appeared on the very first episode of the show!
Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.
🍨 Anmitsu is a Japanese traditional dessert with red bean paste and other ingredients heaped on to kanten (agar jelly) cubes. Pictured below is the Shiratama Anmitsu at Hatsune (初音)(¥900), which includes ...
Shiratama: Glutinous Rice Flour dumplings Kanten: Agar Jelly Cubes Anko: Sweet Bean Paste (normally Azuki beans) Gyuuhi: Delicate, chewy sweets made of glutinous rice or glutinous rice flour Kuromame: Sweet Black Soybeans
... plus seasonal fruits, and your choice of shiroi mitsu or kuro mitsu (clear and dark syrup respectively). We personally preferred the additional earthiness of the kuro mitsu over the plain sugary sweetness of the white.
👥 Crowd: We visited on a weekend afternoon and the shop was only about 2/3'rds full, so there shouldn't be any problem getting a seat here for couples or small groups.
🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then you should head either to the Ningyocho (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and Toei Asakusa Line) or Suitengu-Mae (Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line) stations.
Hatsune is facing a decently large street, and it's quite easy to spot from a distance.
Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations and credit cards not accepted.
