This place has heaps of potential – prime spot and popular food but has to make some substantial changes to retain customers.
I’m staying with Kim this week so we thought we would go for a walk up the road to check it out.
The food itself was pretty good. We had prawn gyoza (can’t say it tasted prawn like), teriyaki chicken Gyoza, edamame, yakitori and pork Katsu.
They have a terrible operating system though. You walk in and it is a very narrow area where you sit by the bar – no issue there but you then have to get up again to go to the front of the store to order.
The staff weren’t particularly polite or pleasant. I ordered a lychee tea from their fridge but it turned out they had just sold the last one and offered me to purchase a creaming soda. No thank you. They should have additional stock ready, they only had a few cans left. We settled for water and was told there was a water station at the back.
After sitting down I dodged my way through people to the end where the water station is. I felt incredibly rude as there was someone eating in front of the cups and water jug due to lack of space so I had to interrupt them and ask for the 2 cups and jug.
Of course the jug was empty a I couldn’t get anyone’s attention so I took it back down to where we were (it’s a big open kitchen so there are chefs right in front of you) and advised that it was empty and could they please refill so we could fill our cups.
After a while I noticed that the jug had been returned to the spot at the back. I asked the lady serving food if we could have some water to which she replied ‘down back’ I tried to explain I had just given it back to be refilled and had given up when a chef requested her to fill it up for us. She was not happy and then only half filled our cups.
Half way through the meal I finished my water but we both felt too rude to go down and interrupt the lady in front again.
The other thing I noticed was the egg was still raw and runny in a lot of places on the Katsu.
If they can sort out their procedures it will be a good spot and I do recommend the yakitori!
Started with my alarm for work going off at 7.05am – not happy as I wanted to sleep in, and ended with me taking the wrong train, which just so happened to be an express, half an hour in the wrong direction. Considering home was only 4mins away from where I was I wasn’t too pleased. Another little adventure!
I just came from dinner with Seiji, as always he chose a funky little place I would never have found myself. I had raw tuna with rice and what looked like a raw egg. Seiji taught me that you break up the egg and mix it into the rice and tuna. Much better as raw egg and me ain’t good mates.
Prior to that Seiji took me to the best thing ever. A head spa! I’ll write about it in another post as it was so good it deserves one!
I spent the day at Ueno Zoo, where I met a Slow Lorris – also in need of its own post. Fell in love.
It’s only 600¥ to visit the zoo which is roughly 6$aud – imagine going to an Australian zoo for that! However… I must admit the cages weren’t fantastic. A few times I felt a bit sorry for the animal and carried on before I thought about it too much. Polar bears, pandas, giraffes, lemurs, gorillas, tigers and a whole heap of animals I’d never seen before were there. Settled on a pork Katsu curry for lunch, sat and people watched for some time.
I was delighted when a Japanese lady speaking English to a group turned to me and spoke in Japanese until I removed my glasses! Think it was the bow in my hair haha.
I found a shrine when I first arrived in Ueno, and all these beautiful wish boards. I read a few of them but thought I couldn’t do one as they all looked quite old. I found a little old man around a quiet corner selling them though so bought one for my family. Made me feel a bit homesick! One of the best things I have done here so far though.
A lovely man had a chat with me on the train, he wanted to practice his English and had visitors NZ. Made me laugh when he asked where my boyfriend was. Didn’t have the heart to tell him there wasn’t one so settled with ‘he’s at work.’ White lie.
Stopped off at a sushi station for a snack in Shinjuku.. No English. At all. You stand at the bar and order your sushi. I ordered by pointing at the fish I wanted and hoping for the best. It was delicious, such fresh fish with generous portions. 200¥ for two nigari pieces, I went for salmon, tuna and scallops mmmm.
Oh! Forgot about the markets in Ueno – they’re awesome! So bustling and crazy! Looked like a delicious place to eat, I was full however. Heaps of cool nic-nacks from clothes to toys to make up. I just walked around for about an hour getting lost in the side streets. Might go back there actually.
This place is just gorgeous. Located upstairs in QT hotel, you must go here for breakfast and I am sure that the other meals will be just as fantastic.
Set out as a market it is amazing just to look at the way the food is presented.
Imagine what you would like for breakfast… It’s there. HUGE variety.
I loved the way their juice section was set out, with daily juice bottles set out for you to choose. Fresh and full of flavour I could have sat there all day nibbling.
I had a few hot options – bacon, scrambled eggs, tomato, hash brown and then headed off for some museli with fresh berries and heaps of strawberries washed down with a daily juice. Was full and happy as can be. Perfect way to start the day!
The first night Alescha was here we wanted to go somewhere delicious for dinner. Sake was my first choice as I had snacked there but never had a full meal and I found it delicious.
We ordered a few smaller items between us:
Popcorn shrimp
Sashimi Taco’s (salmon & tuna)
Edamame (of course)
Prawn dumplings
Prawn tempura vegetables
They were all incredible and done to perfection.
We also shared between us a bottle of Umeshu – Choya (cherry wine) that was interesting. Very sweet adn I think would be best shared among three people. We found it a bit much but really enjoyed it. Although it is wine it is served on the rocks. Fun for something new to try!
Sake also have gorgeous private dining options hidden away that I would love to visit sometime.
Definitely a fab place, great atmosphere, great food, great beverages!
Well it wasn’t very Eastery really. I didn’t even get any eggs! I did buy hot crosses buns for Brekky though.
Anyway I’ve been slack as writing this and thought I should really eat on it as it is the weekend again already. Thank God for short weeks! Yeww!!
My Godsister* Alescha came to stay with me – we had a full on time!
Thursday dinner at Sakè, which was amazing. Devoured a bottle of Ume cherry plum wine with our meal which was really different. Took us forever to finish it actually and when Benny joined us and tried to order another bottle we were both arguing with him that we couldn’t do another! After that we headed to Limes hotel – was an awesome night. Lots of cocktails and laughing.
Friday saw Ben jump in my bed at 8am with music blaring. Not impressed sunshine. He got us up and out for brekky at Tuppy’s then head to the Goldy for our stay at QT Hotel – such a funky place! We ate at all the restaurants there – Yamagen for Teppenyaki dinner, Stingray lounge for cocktails and pizza and Bazaar for buffet breakfast.
Lauren joined us for drinks and due to the annoying rules in place for drinking on Easter Friday we retired back to our rooms at the hotel to lie in the amazing beds an some quiet drinks. Maybe not so quiet for Lauren who awoke at midday with a massive hangover. At the same time we were on our way back to Brisbane. Stopped at the mall for Alescha to have a looksie and go shopping + I bought a new suitcase for my impending trips (YAY.)
When we got home I had a quick nap (a sign of a great weekend is a nap each day) and got ready to go out. Ben, Ru & Lisa joined us but Ben dropped us in town and headed home instead of coming out to play. Pretty sure we killed him the first night.
Town was dead, no one in the Valley really we wondered from place to place before making the longer walk to Alfred & Constance, where of course there was a line. Drinks ensued and we danced away on the Tiki bar. Great venue. Alescha wanted to check out Brizzy Clubs so we ended back at the Met which had by now filled up. Fast forward 3 hours and the girls were well and truly tipsy, while I was ready for bed & Lisa had headed home at midnight.
Maccas was full as per usual but you must understand that it is imperative to a hangover and feeling better in the morning!
Sunday we relaxed and missed our Sunday sesh, I was exhausted and Alescha was hung. Movies and me cleaning out my wardrobe were about as far as we got! Ben came over and I did a platter for dinner with a huge bowl of guacamole mmmm.
Alescha flew out Monday arvo 🙁
We headed to the city and Valley for a look and my fave place to eat at the moment – Harajuku Gyoza for lunch before spending some time at DFO and time to say goodbye.
*definition of a God sister – my parents are her God parents.
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