Itoh Dining by Nobu, Hakone

Itoh Dining is a Teppanyaki restaurant in Gora, Hakone. The restaurant’s website states that it is in collaboration with chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, a Japanese celebrity chef and restaurateur.

From the reviews I read about the restaurant, it seemed like a popular one. I wanted a counter seat, so I made reservations two weeks before. Upon entering, I was greeted with a warm welcome by a lady staff member. The same lady also served my food and introduced each dish to me.

The only downside was that the room was smokey from the cooking. I’m unsure if it was usually like that or if the ventilation system was not working well that day.

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There are lunch and dinner sets and a la carte available. I decided on the Kuroge Wagyu Steak Lunch for ¥ 3,780, including tax. The set includes a soup, seasonal salad, A4 Kuroge Wagyu Steak, bread or rice, pasta, dessert, and coffee. For those unfamiliar with the Wagyu beef, A4 is the highest grade, with A5 being the highest.

My meal started off with a mushroom soup followed by a seasonal salad with sweet potato. Next was the much anticipated Kuroge beef. Sitting at the counter, I watched the chef prepare the dish on the iron plate. The young chef smeared the steak on both sides, then took it to the non-heated area of the iron plate, cut it into cubes, and placed it back onto the heated area to further cook the beef, as I requested my steak to be well done. The meat was served nestled in black pepper sauce and garnished with thin garlic chips, accompanied by a bowl of rice (rice or bread). I now understand the hype about Wagyu beef. The beef was juicy, tender, and melted in your mouth! There is no other beef like it! The garlic chips added a nice pungent and nutty flavor to the meat.

Next, I was served pasta with leek, beansprout, and tiny cubes of beef cooked on an iron plate. The taste kind of reminds me of Aglio e Olio. Lastly, I had matcha pudding for dessert, followed by a cup of Earl Grey tea.

If you are in the area, this restaurant is definitely worth visiting!

Itoh Dining by Nobu

Website: http://itoh-dining.co.jp/hakone/index.html

Opening hours: 11:30AM – 15:00PM (Lunch), 17:00PM- 21:30PM (Dinner)

Telephone:+81 460-83-8209

Address: 1300-64 Gōra, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken 250-0408, Japan

Bakery & Table, Hakone

Lake Ashi

Bakery & Table

Bakery & Table is a cafe/ restaurant situated along the shores of the beautiful Lake Ashi. The ground floor is the take-out bakery. There are varieties of bread and cakes, jams, dips, sauces, and drinks. There are also chairs and tables both inside and outside available. The first floor is the cafe, where one can order drinks such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages. The restaurant is located on the second floor. You can order fancy sandwiches, crepes, beef dishes, and desserts here.

All three floors offer a beautiful view of the lake. In addition, there building has an elevator, which is excellent for people with luggage.

First floor bakery

3rd floor restaurant

I arrived at the lake around 2 pm and decided to have lunch, then head to the hotel. I thought I’d have coffee and a simple sandwich at the cafe. When I got to the cafe, it was packed. So I made my way up to the restaurant and plenty of seats were available. I was able to get a counter seat facing the lake. The view was stunning!

I ordered the beef tendon and seasonal vegetable baked curry rice with cheese topping (¥ 2,600). It was my first time tasting Japanese curry in Japan, and I have to say, this dish blew me away. It was absolutely delicious! The curry had a lovely aroma. It tastes kind of like an English stew with curry. It was creamy, buttery, cheesy, and savory. I liked that this dish had a variety of vegetables, which is hard to come by in Japan. There was shitake mushroom, avocado, broccoli, carrot, and capsicum, and The portion was quite big; I savored every bite.

Bakery & Table

Website: http://www.bthjapan.com/hakone.php

Opening hours: 8:30 am to 6 pm

Telephone: +81 460-85-1530

Address: Japan, 〒250-0522 Kanagawa-ken, Ashigarashimo-gun, Hakone-machi, 箱根町Motohakone, Goten−9−1

Italiannies @ The Gardens (permanently closed)

On our last day in the city (Kuala Lumpur), after shopping at The Gardens Mall, my siblings and I wanted to have a good western lunch. So we looked at the directory and decided on the Italian restaurant – Italiannies. The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor, on the same side as Robinsons. At first glance, the restaurant has a modern rustic yet inviting atmosphere.

There were only two waiters, and we had to wait quite some time for someone to take our orders. One was more professional and friendlier than the other. As we were hungry, it seemed like an eternity for our food to be served.

We ordered the Sicilian Chicken salad, which was marinated diced chicken breast, mango, red grapes, and walnuts, tossed in a Sicilian dressing on crisp romaine lettuce. The croutons could be more buttery and crispy; however, I liked that it had a light dressing as it allowed me to savor the sweetness of the fruits and lettuce. A refreshing salad dish.

The baked orecchiette with chicken sausage was amazing. The first mouthful I took instantly made me wanting more. The taste reminded me of Carbonara except less thick and more savory. And the baked cheese on top, mmm, love it!

What I liked about this dish was the fish. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I did not fancy the cioppino sauce; it tasted like store-bought pasta sauce. The rice had a nice Italian seasoning flavor to it.

The salmon took a really long time to be served. The mashed potatoes were palatable, it had a thicker and chewier consistency with a lovely coating of some kind of chicken gravy. I was disappointed to find that the salmon was overcooked, so I requested another. When I went over to the counter to pay, the “friendlier” waiter apologized again for the overcooked salmon.

All in all, this was not a great dining experience. The food was mediocre except for the baked orecchiette. The service was poor and there was even a 10 percent service charge. The food did not justify the price.

I don’t think I will dine at this restaurant again, neither would I recommend it.

Gaz, Persian nougat

I received a box of Shervin Gaz from a friend who had just returned from Iran. Gaz is a popular Persian nougat made with the white milky sap found on the angebin plant along with egg white, sugar, rose water and pistachios. It’s sweet, milky, soft and chewy with a subtle hint of rose water. It is one of my favorite sweets!

Horie Meijiken

image via https://tabelog.com/osaka/A2701/A270201/27001834/dtlrvwlst/B208949884/

Meijiken is a Western Japanese restaurant located in Shinsaibashi. This restaurant serves omu rice (omelet rice), cutlets, curry rice, soups, and steak. There are English menus available, but they do not include all the dishes on the Japanese menu, and they do not accept credit cards. There was a waiter who could speak sufficient English when we were there.

My sister ordered the omu rice with a chicken cutlet. She enjoyed it; she thought it was delicious. For me, it just tasted like tomato rice and egg. It was decent, but nothing special about it. That is just my personal opinion. The chicken cutlet was nice and crusty outside, but the inside was pretty flavorful.

I ordered the steak set with a soup (of your choice), salad, and bread/rice. I ordered the creamy corn soup, which was light and creamy. The salad came with a Thousand Island dressing. The bread was lightly toasted, fresh, and warm, with a hint of sweetness. I ordered my steak well done; it came with a brown sauce, which I was not too fond of; it did not agree with my taste buds. The steak, however, went really well with the two pastes served on the plate – mustard and pepper (I think).

Nearing the end of our meal, my sister was craving something more. So she ordered the beef stew. The stew was hearty and delicious! It was full of flavor. The potato, carrot, and beef pieces were tender. It would go lovely with rice.

The total was around 5300 yen. I would say this is a restaurant worth exploring.

Horie Meijiken

Website: https://meijiken.crayonsite.net/

Opening hours: Daily 11:30 p.m. – 21:00 p.m., closed on Wednesdays

Telephone: +81 0665398250

Address: 1 Chome-14-30 Minamihorie, Nishi Ward, Osaka, 550-0015, Japan

Wired Cafe

The Wired Cafe is located on the 7F of the Lucua mall at Osaka station. It is a vibrant, cozy, and work-friendly cafe, also a perfect place to chill and hang out. There are power sockets and free WIFI available. There is also an outdoor smoking dining area that overlooks the inside of the station.

The cafe offers a rich menu of rice bowls, pasta, soups, sandwiches, desserts, and various drinks. Set meals are also available.

The cappuccino was not how I liked it. It was somewhat bland, and the taste of the milk was overpowering. I am sorry to say I did not enjoy it.

The nachos came with beef sauce, sour cream, lime, corn, tomato, and lettuce. The nacho chips, paired with the beef sauce and sour cream, were delicious.

The clam chowder soup set came with bread, ham, and salad. The clam chowder was decent. I would say this was an average dish.

The cafe offers a variety of interesting rice bowls. I ordered the white gravy hamburger steak combo. I was impressed that it had a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. The potato chips were good; they had a natural potato sweetness to them. The vegetables were lightly sauteed and seasoned with salt. The white gravy wasn’t too rich; it went well with the rice, egg, and steak (that’s how I ate it).

Some dishes here are good; I would recommend the rice bowls. The atmosphere is definitely a plus.

Wired cafe

Website: https://www.cafecompany.co.jp/brands/wiredcafe/#shop8

Opening hours: Daily 11:00 a.m. – 20:00 p.m.

Telephone: +81 661511329

Address: Japan, 〒530-8217 Osaka, Kita Ward, Umeda, 3 Chome−1−3 7F LUCUA

St.Regis , Tianjin, China

I recently went to Tianjin for a weekend staycation. I highly recommend this hotel – great location, good service, and view.

Guests are given a complimentary drink (tea or coffee) for each day of their stay. I ordered a cheesecake to go with my coffee and relaxed on the chaise lounge. 🙂

The breakfast buffet at the Promenade had a good spread of Western and Asian dishes. There is a terrace where you can enjoy alfresco dining. One of the two German waiters was super friendly. He made an effort to ensure that everything went well. He made my breakfast experience an enjoyable and memorable one.

The St.Regis bar offers a wide selection of cocktails. The cocktails were good. There are cozy couches on the terrace, where you can enjoy your drink with the view of the river. SPG members get 1 complimentary drink. Do ask what the complimentary drinks are as it is not stated on the drink menu.

Malaysia Boleh – Singapore

On my recent trip to Singapore, I was craving for some Cendol, and someone suggested this Malaysian restaurant, located on the 2nd floor of the Jurong Point shopping center. I thought it would be a sit-down order kind of place, but much to my surprise, one had to queue up and order from “hawker stalls”, like you would if you were in Malaysia – creative concept.

I was overwhelmed by choices. Prawn noodle is one of my favorite dishes, so I decided to order one. It was decent, but hailing from Malaysia, there are better ones back home.

Ahh … nothing like a bowl of cendol on a hot day. In terms of flavor, it wasn’t up to my standard.However, it did satisfy the cendol craving I had. What I did like about it was the shaved ice. It wasn’t coarse but felt like eating fluffy snowflakes.

The Banana Leaf Apolo – Little India, Singapore

I visited Little India when I was in Singapore 2 weeks ago. I didn’t explore the place, I was just there for Indian food. 🙂 . The restaurant I found through google search, which had relatively good reviews, was The Banana Leaf Apolo. I was skeptical at first to go in, but when I saw two foreigners enter, I followed along. I think this restaurant has two entrances. The entrance I found is in an alleyway.

I am a big fan of banana leaf. I ordered the banana leaf biryani rice set lunch. It came with 2 vegetables, chicken masala, chicken curry sauce, and papadum – It cost about 10 SGD. The food was decent, the restaurant was really clean, but the service was a little slow.I wouldn’t exactly recommend this place, as it is little India, I am sure there are better options.