Brunch at Toast, The Orchid

My friend and I had brunch at this lovely rustic boutique hotel restaurant tucked away in a hutong located in the ‘old city’ part of Beijing (Gulou). This hotel is pretty hidden, so I had to use a map on my phone to locate it. The hotel also has a pickup service for a fee if needed.

I’m used to dining in a more contemporary setting at the more modern busy part of the city, so dining at the toast was a refreshing experience. There is an indoor and terrace dining area. There is a warm, cozy feel to the restaurant. Most of the waiters are foreigners, so one does not have to worry about language. Since it was a lovely day, we opted for the terrace. I could see the bell tower from the terrace along with the rooftops of the Chinese-style houses. I liked that the surrounding was adorned with greenery. Shortly after we placed our order, it started to get windy, so we had to go indoor.

The brunch menu is a tight menu of Mediterranean and Western inspired dishes. I ordered a Cappuccino and The Full Chinglish (seared spinach, a poached egg, Andy’s homemade maple sausages, flatbread, potato, and seasonal fruits). My friend ordered the Cake for Breakfast (organic rye flour buttermilk pancakes served with homemade cinnamon syrup and seasonal fruits) and cookies with roasted almonds. The ingredients were fresh. Both the Full Chinglish and pancakes were delicious. The only issue I had was that the spinach had a little too much salt on it. The cookies were a little disappointing. They were average.

Overall, we had an enjoyable brunch, and I am looking forward to my next trip!

The Orchid

#65 Baochao Hutong

Guloudong road

Dongcheng District

Beijing

北京市东城区鼓楼东大街宝钞胡同65号

+(86) 10-85659295

http://www.theorchidbeijing.com/

Marufuku coffee (Sennichimae branch)

Marufuku Coffee is one of the oldest coffee shops in Osaka. I found this place by chance. I was getting some groceries the night before at Life Foods Market near Namba Walk. Before heading to the cashier, I stopped by the pudding section to pick up some. A particular one stood out – Marufuku coffee pudding. What caught my attention was “since 1934”, and I thought, “Let’s see how good this pudding is.”

I tried the coffee pudding the next day after lunch and absolutely loved it. It was creamy and sweet, with a hint of bitterness from the coffee. I looked up more information about the brand and discovered that it has a long history, and they have coffee shops in Osaka. My sister suggested we try it, and I quote, “We’d be a fool not to try it.” We went to the main branch in Sennichimae.

Marufuku Coffee Shop is a short walk from Dotonbori and Namba station. When we entered, we were greeted by a strong presence of cigarette smoke. There is no non-smoking area in the shop. I would have walked straight out if I weren’t adamant about trying the coffee. The interior was old French cafe style.

My sister ordered a set with a cup of blended coffee, coffee pudding, and two kinds of cake. I ordered the Ice Cafe au lait (milk coffee) and the cheese toast (Marufuku’s specialty). The blended coffee was sharp and strong. It had a kick to it. The iced cafe au lait had a well-balanced flavor – smooth, fragrant, and bittersweet. The cheese toast was a delight! The bread was ultra-soft and fluffy. It had the right amount of cheese that did not overpower the natural flavor of the bread. The bill came to slightly over 3,000 yen.

If you enjoy coffee and want to try something different, visit this cafe. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Marufuku coffee

Website: https://marufukucoffeeten.com/store/sennichimae/

Opening hours: Daily 8:00 a.m. – 23:00 p.m.

Telephone: +81 0662113474

Address: 1 Chome-9-1 Sennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0074, Japan

Tsuruhashi Koreatown

Tsuruhashi Koreatown in Osaka is the largest Koreatown in Japan. You can pretty much find anything Korean there. It was not part of my itinerary to visit this place because there are many Korean shops and restaurants in the city where I currently work (Beijing) due to the large population of Koreans working and residing there. I would prefer to explore more local places. My sister, who currently lives in Malaysia, craved Korean food. So I said I will take her there for dinner. We got to Koreatown around 6:30 pm, and many shops (except the restaurants) were already closed. It was raining, so we couldn’t really explore either. We just found a random restaurant to have dinner. We also got to sample various Korean pickles. My favorite is kimchi, and there was a store with pretty good and spicy kimchi, so I bought some to take home.

For those unfamiliar with or enjoying Korean food, this is a good area to visit.

Kaiseki, Negiya Ryofukaku, Kobe

One of Japan’s specialties is Kaiseki, a traditional multi-course meal known as Japanese haute cuisine. The prices vary depending on where you dine. Lunch is cheaper, ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 yen, and dinner from 10,000 yen onward. I had my first Kaiseki experience at a Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Kobe. I initially planned to have a Kaiseki meal in Kyoto, but I decided to try it since it was part of the Ryokan package.

The Ryokan I stayed at was the Negiya Ryofukaku at the famous hot spring town – of Arima Onsen in Kobe. The Kaiseki dinner is served in the room, and breakfast is at the public dining hall. The Ryokan provided a set of yukata for my sister and me to wear during our stay. It was so comfortable and wearing the yukata while dining made the experience extra special. The staff who served us our dinner was amiable and warm. She introduced every dish to us. The presentation of the food was simple yet enticing. The ingredients used were fresh. Some dishes were an acquired taste for us, and some were delicious. My favorite was the tempura and matcha jelly with cream. The shrimp tempura was scrumptious! The shrimp was cooked perfectly; the outer layer was crusty and crispy. The outer layer of the tempura was different from what I usually have. It was flaky and reminded me of deep-fried wontons. The baby eggplants were so cute!

The kaiseki dinner was truly a unique culinary experience for my sister and me.

This is the public dining area where we had our Japanese breakfast.

Negiya Ryofukaku

Website: https://www.negiya.jp/

Telephone: +81 789040675

Address: 1537-2 Arimacho, Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1401, Japan

Nishiki market, Kyoto

Nishiki Market is a four-hundred-year-old market. It has modern and traditional shops selling fresh seafood, vegetables, souvenirs, local sweets, pickled vegetables, popular local food, etc. The market is very clean and packed with locals and tourists. It is a great place to explore local produce and savor Kyoto specialties. It is definitely worth visiting.

One of my favorite stores at the market is the Aritsugu knife shop. They are one of the oldest and most famous knife makers in Japan. The knife selection was impressive and had amazing handiwork. You can even have your initials carved onto the knife. A household kitchen knife would cost around 10,000 yen. They also sell other cutting tools, such as scissors, pots, and pans. I regretted not buying a knife when I was there. I will put that on my list of things to buy on my next trip.

Tofu Manju, Kyoto

There is a little steam bun stand next to Okutan iKyomizu (one of the oldest tofu restaurants in Kyoto) right on the top of Ninenzaka, on the way to the Kiyomizu temple.

The steam bun has a sweet stuffing of okara (soy pulp). The bun is delicately soft and fluffy. Complimentary tea is given with each order. The perfect snack on a cold day. Benches are available where one can sit and people-watch while enjoying the steam bun and tea.

Kagizen Yoshifusa, Gion, Kyoto

image via http://www.kagizen.co.jp/en/store/

Kagizen Yoshifusa is a long-established sweet shop making Kyogashi (Kyoto sweets) in Kyoto. The interior is furnished with old-style furniture and wood panels –
very vintage. All confectioneries are beautifully handcrafted.

There is also a cafe at the Gion branch offering a simple menu consisting of Matcha, mochi, Japanese cake, and their house specialty, “Kuzukiri,” which are noodles made from kudzu starch served with brown sugar syrup.

Kagizen Yoshifusa

Website: https://www.kagizen.co.jp/en/

Opening hours: Daily 9:30 a.m. – 18:00 p.m., close on Mondays

Telephone: +81 0755611818

Address: 264 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0073, Japan

Pontoiru (Japanese- Italian cuisine), Kyoto station

Pontoiru is a modern Kyoto fusion pasta restaurant located on the 11th floor of The Cube shopping mall at the Kyoto station.

The menu is seasonal, and the English menu is available. There is a special set menu where you can have two different pasta (obviously at a smaller amount each), a drink, and a dessert for 1340yen. I ordered the Pollock roe & shrimp with cream sauce pasta, duck pasta with cream sauce, matcha latte, and pudding with taro ice cream. My sister decided to go with the a la carte menu and ordered the oyster with leek and scallion pasta in ginger butter sauce. The pasta was all delicious, each with its unique Japanese flavor. The ingredients were very fresh.

The matcha latte was smooth and rich. The pudding was refreshing. It had a jello-like texture. It was not too sweet, and the matcha sauce gave it a nice tea flavor.

If you want something a little different from the traditional Japanese dishes, this is a good alternative.

Pontoiru

Website: https://www.pontoiru.com/

Opening hours: Daily 11:00 a.m. – 22:00 p.m.

Telephone: +81 0753658740

Address: Japan, 〒600-8216 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, 塩小路下ル東塩小路町901 京都駅ビルThe Cube 11F

Tully’s coffee, Kyoto

I have never been a fan of Matcha. I never understood how people could like it until I went to Japan during my Christmas break. I had my first Matcha drink in Kyoto at Tully’s coffee and instantly fell in love with it. My sister and I were looking for a cafe to have breakfast near the Yasaka Shrine, and we came across Tully’s coffee.

Continue reading “Tully’s coffee, Kyoto” →

PAULANER BRÄUHAUS

Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center

The German restaurant, Paulaner Brauhaus, at the Kempinski Hotel is my go-to place for good German food. The restaurant has an expansive beer garden and a large indoor Bavarian decorated dining area. It also has its own microbrewery.

Complimentary bread basket

The bread basket I was served consists of three types of bread – Pretzels, rye bread, and oatmeal bread, accompanied by three different spreads. The liverwurst and the homemade butter was absolutely divine with the bread.

Altdeutsche Tomatensuppe
Traditional German tomato soup with rice and meat dumplings

A nice hearty bowl of soup for a chilly day! The tomato soup was thick and tangy. I don’t think I’ve ever had a tomato soup as rich as this.

Halbes Wiesnhendl
Roasted half chicken

The roasted chicken was a disappointment. The chicken was dry and somewhat bland.

The potato salad was decent, however, in my opinion, there was too much lemon juice in the dressing that it overpowered all other flavors.

Schnitzel von der Poulardenbrust
Vienna style Chicken schnitzel

Schnitzel perfection! The chicken was tender and juicy, the crust was flavorful and crunchy. The lemon juice gives the chicken a nice tangy flavor. The Schnitzel comes with tomato salad, cranberries and pan-fried potatoes with bacon and onions.

Cheesecake

Rich and moist! Lovely!

The prices of the dishes are little high compared to other German restaurants in Beijing. It would cost around RMB500 ( $75 ) for two people. However, if you love German food, this is the place to be!