Last week, I went through the flavorful finds we discovered in Osaka and Nara.
For this issue, here’s a quick narration of what we ate during our Kyoto and Tokyo stops:
Kyoto
Went back to Kyoto for some % Arabica before eating at a McDonald’s for our late night dinner near Pontocho Park (which is a very cool, narrow alley packed with restaurants and bars). The next day, we had O-SOBA AOI at Kyoto Station (where my wife embraced the concept of cold noodles for the very first time) for lunch. We then checked out Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) under the blistering heat, so the cafe break afterward (at GoGo Coffee) was a welcome stop.
For early dinner, we rushed to Nishiki Market. Left and right, we found a variety of local street food ranging from casual favorites to exotic delicacies. Food-wise, this was the highlight of my trip. I’ve had the opportunity to try the freshest oysters I’ve had in my life, served with salmon roe; a very satisfying take on prawn tempura; a little octopus stuffed with a quail egg; a wagyu beef skewer that was grilled and seasoned to perfection; and grilled unagi topped with uni and paired with draft beer. I highly recommend Nishiki Market for the foodies in the group.
Tokyo
Upon our arrival in Tokyo, we made time to check out the popular Tsukiji Market. We were pressed for time so we didn’t have the opportunity to explore the place but settled for a stick of corn fish cake (which was pretty good).
For late lunch, we had to go back to an old favorite — Katsudon-ya Zuicho. It’s a very simple eatery in Shibuya, and the queue could get crazy (it wasn’t this crazy back in 2019) where you could wait up to over an hour until your turn. Personally? I think it’s the best katsudon I’ve had. The tender pork, a hint of sweetness, laid on top of a fluffy egg that’s half-scrambled, half-fried. All this, over a bowl of steaming hot, white rice.
Is it something that’s impossible to recreate anywhere else? I don’t think so. But for what it’s worth, these guys know what they are doing and they do it well.
From here things got blurry so it’s going to get less chronological:
We tried Marion Crepes at fashion district Harajuku (which has a ton of brands serving crepes). We stopped by the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo, where its sheer size and variety of offerings wowed us. When it came to sushi and sashimi, I think we had a taste of what the local experience was really like when we stopped by Sushi no Midori in Akasaka. It was a restaurant on the second floor of a mall. Mostly locals ate and the servers barely spoke any English. The prices were affordable, the seafood was fresh, and the servings were huge. Can’t beat that.
We had bites here and there the rest of the trip. We stopped by Torikizoku and Katsudon-ya Zuicho twice. We’ve had our fair share of Spam musubi and instant ramen (try the Nakiryu instant ramen exclusively sold at 7-Eleven). Of course, we stacked up on Royce’ Chocolate before our flight!
The bottomline? Everything’s pretty much a hit in Japan. Just open up your appetite and embrace everything! Savor the moment. You’ll pretty much miss the entire experience once you’re back home. Cheers!