I have always been a fan of D&Department Project and its “d design travel” publication. I first got the chance to visit its Okinawa store a few years ago and have been wanting to visit the other locations throughout Japan. This d47 Shokudo (cafeteria) concept featuring ingredients from the 47 prefectures of Japan was definitely intriguing to me and made the eater inside me gush with excitement.
Toronto // Farm to table, Pearl Morissette
Early this year, before all the chaos, I was able to dine at Pearl Morissette with a few of my food enthusiast friends. The restaurant, recently rate as No. 1 new restaurant in Canada, is located in a restored barn with rustic and minimalist decor. Braving the snow storm, we were excited to taste the winter season menu and to try some of the finest wine from the Niagara region.
Seattle // First Starbucks Reserve Roastery
In the fall of 2019, we did a quick road trip with my family down the coast of the Pacific northwest. It was somewhat of a pilgrimage to visit all the Starbucks Reserve Roastery locations ever since we visited the one in Tokyo. For our stop in Seattle there was absolutely no chance that we would pass up on visiting the first Starbucks Reserve Roastery.
Vienna // Greenhouse dining, Palmenhaus
Tokyo // Tokyo’s coffee/cafe culture: neighborhood joint – Sidewalk Stand, Bongen Coffee and Yanaka Coffee-ten
Vienna // Amador, dining in a 300 year old cellar
During our trip to Vienna last December, we wanted to have a nice meal in the magical city . To our surprise, there was not as many Michelin starred restaurants in Vienna as we thought there would be. We decided on enjoying a nice lunch at Amador, which was awarded two Michelin star in 2017 and a third in 2019.
2019 Top Five Eats
2019 is yet another incredible year full of delicious food and amazing adventures around the globe. It seems like this Top Five Eats list will become an annual tradition as I reflect on all the good things that I have eaten throughout the year. Below is a subjective list, in no particular order, my top five eats of 2019.
Tokyo // Tokyo’s coffee/cafe culture: overseas outpost – Fuglen Tokyo and Allpress Espresso
Over the past few years, many foreign coffee shops began opening their overseas outposts in major cities in Japan, including Tokyo. Perhaps it is because they found that there is a higher acceptance of unique coffee beans and roasts in the Japanese market. I was excited to be able to visit two of these amazing coffee shops without having to fly all the way to Norway or New Zealand.
Continue readingPittsburgh // Brunch spot 101 – Bitter Ends Garden & Luncheonette
A spontaneous road trip to Pittsburgh this past summer led me to visit this quaint local brunch spot. It was already packed with people at 9 am on the weekends. We were lucky to be able to find a seat for four right by the open kitchen.
Continue readingTokyo // Afuri, top of my ramen list
Afuri was one of the restaurants on my list to eat at when we decided to take a trip to Tokyo back in August. Since I have heard so many good things about it, I planned to hit up the location in Nakameguro as soon as it opened at 11 am to avoid line ups.
As per usual with ramen shops, we purchased the food from a machine. The vending machine, however, was more modern and featured a touchscreen with pictures of the menu items. I ordered Afuri’s signature dish – yuzu shio ramen and my boy ordered the yuzu tsukemen (dipped noodles). After we sat down, the chef took our tickets and provided us with bibs. I have to say, this was a nice touch since most customers here are office workers wearing dress shirts and you definitely don’t want to worry about slurping the noodles and splashing your shirt.
The yuzu tsukemen was super delicious; the noodles were thicker compared to my yuzu shio ramen. The chashu (pork) were diced into chunks rather than in slices. The dipping sauce had the aroma of yuzu mixed with some soy sauce and sesame and other well-balanced seasonings. It was definitely different from my yuzu shio ramen but also fantastic in its own way. After the tsukemen was done, the chef poured some soup stock into the left over dipping sauce so we could drink it as soup.
As soon as this bowl of goodness was brought to me, I could immediately smell the fresh citrus aroma. First I tasted the soup by itself; it was fresh, clean but also flavourful at the same time! The thin noodles were complimented by the delicious soup, the sliced and slightly charred chashu and veggies. The whole bowl of noodle was light, clean but full of umami at the same time. It was the perfect bowl of ramen for summer weather. I finished the whole darn thing including the soup even though it was 30 degrees outside. The fresh yuzu aftertaste lingered in my mouth for a long time afterwards. We were debating if we need to come back here again the next day!!
We both agreed that Afuri is probably on our top three for ramen. It was just so different from the other more common Hakata style ramen that we tried before. The yuzu soup was what made this bowl of noodles really special because it didn’t feel too heavy but had layers of satisfying flavor.
We loved Afuri so much that as soon as we left, we tried to find its instant noodle version in the convenience stores but had no luck. We were eventually able to find it online. I highly recommended going to Afuri if you are in Tokyo. It has other locations near Harajuku and Roppongi as well. For those people in North America, currently its only stores are located in Portland, Oregon. However, word on the street is that the first Canadian location will be opening soon in Vancouver. I can’t wait!!
Afuri Nakameguro – Japan, 〒153-0051 Tokyo, Meguro City, Kamimeguro, 1 Chome−23−1 中目黒アリーナ 1F
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