Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Tasty homemade curry, but it could use more chicken chunks~ Have you been to Inokashira Park in the western part of Tokyo, Japan? I didn't go to Ghibli Museum there, which requires reservation at least 10 days in advance, but I had a splendid time exploring the park. At close to 2.00pm, my BFF and I finally had lunch at Isentei located to the west of the pond at the park.

Quite a lovely sliced beef rice box! I love going to the basement floor of a Japanese department store, where there are typically lots of eye-catching stalls selling multifarious food items that never fail make my mouth water. For dinner on one of the evenings, my BFF and I decided to get something from Sourié at Takashimaya Times Square that's just a stone's throwaway from Shinjuku railway station.

One of the few times I had snow crab on vinegared rice! Daiwa Sushi and Sushi Dai are arguably two of the most famous sushi eateries at the former Tsukiji Market, the largest wholefish and seafood market not only in Tokyo, Japan, but also in the world before it closed down. Both have since moved to Toyosu Market. It was a pity that my BFF and I reached too late to join the last queue for Sushi Dai, so off we went to Iwasa Sushi nearby.

Not a fan of the local 'chee cheong fun', but the ice cream was good! I shall take the opportunity to write about something local today. Singapore celebrated its 55th birthday on 9 August 2020. In conjunction with our National Day, an ice cream stall named Butterknife Folk, which has been around since 2016, is offering a total of 43 local flavours for the entire month of August.

For all Pokémon fans out there! Dessert was good! Even though the main aim of going to Tokyo, Japan in mid-March last year was to catch a glimpse of the early-blooming sakura (lit. cherry blossom), I also took the opportunity to visit Pokémon Café in the Nihonbashi district. Prior reservation is a must, and I was so lucky to be able to get a slot for that trip.

Having sardine 'sashimi' for the first time in my life! Nakajima in Shinjuku is probably the restaurant where you can get the cheapest Michelin-starred lunch in the bustling metropolitan Tokyo, Japan. Having been awarded One Michelin Star for a few years now, it dishes out affordable sardine-themed lunch sets. My BFF and I queued for close to 45 minutes to get a table shared with three other diners.

Virgin experience with Acerola Mild! During that trip in Tokyo, Japan, my BFF and I stayed at Hotel Listel Shinjuku (3*). Reachable by foot within 15 minutes or so, the hotel is located to the north of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, one of the places where we saw early-blooming sakura (lit. cherry blossom). Let's take a look at the buffet breakfast served at the hotel.

Plot twist: the non-Japanese dishes were more delicious! Prior to that trip to Tokyo, Japan last year in a bid to catch early-blooming sakura (lit. cherry blossom), I'd never stepped into Haneda Airport. The opportunity came when I redeemed some miles to fly in style with Japan Airlines. After relaxing at British Airways Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1, my BFF and I boarded the aircraft at 10.00pm.

Ask for a secret drink if you wish! Not being able to travel in June this year has given me the opportunity to catch up on my two blogs. Now that I've completed the short series of food hunt in Penang, Malaysia, let's move on to one of my past trips to Tokyo, Japan. As I'd be flying with Japan Airlines in the Business Class, I had access to British Airways Lounge as a Oneworld partner at Changi Airport Terminal 1.