Jugemu Shimbashi
So I've been here 3 times, and I agree with online reviews that this is a hideously overpriced Japanese restaurant, but the food is so beautifully good that the cost is justified. I really like the fact that it's two restaurants in one as well. It's no ordinary noodle/ramen/sushi shop - instead they do soba and okonomiyaki. MmmmmmmPhoto spam inc!
Delicious tuna tataki with a really addictive honey mustardy type sauce! It was a little inconsistent though, this shot being taken from the first time I visited. When I went back today it wasn't as spectacular.
PONCAKE! I can't remember which Okonomiyaki this was but it was tasty.
I've found that asian style duck is always well done, as opposed to a medium to medium-rare that western style does. Still yummy regardless!
Bonito tataki. I was curious as to how this would turn out, since I don't associate raw with bonito. It was okay but not as great as the traditional sashimi fish.
Asparagus in bacon/pancetta. When I showed this to my brother he said it was rather french. But it seems that when japanese chooses to fuse with western, it chooses french!
Scallops in garlic butter and wasabi mayo. Turns out the mayo isn't very wasabi, which was good for me :)
One of their soba specials. It seems to be a rotation of different flavoured sobas, this being a lemon, orange and plain soba with chicken and mushroom broth. The one my dad had today was seven spice chilli, green tea and plain, but they ran out of green tea. However, I tried a little bit of the spicy one and it was surprising and impressive, it left a nice tingly sensation on my tongue which was really cool. Turns out the duck and mushroom soba just uses the duck entree so it was a little disappointing. My brother had a curry soba which was incredible, if I ever go back that's what I'm ordering!
My mum got something different, this was fried "bird's nest" soba. Very cool looking.
Anmitsu, a japanese fruit, red bean, jelly and mochi dessert in a sugar syrup. One of my favourites because of the variety in here, and how fruity and light it is.
This was cool, an ice cream tempura. Fried ice cream! In choux pastry! With berries and fruit and stuff!
This was simple but surprisingly tasty. A soba crepe with fuji applies, strawberries and chocolate, and a very nice vanilla and mint sorbet. That sorbet. SORBET YUMMY.
Aaaand there was also a plum "affogato" that I ordered. Wow plum wine is strong. I remember the first time I had a whole glass of plum wine, I promptly blacked out and had to crash at a friend's place. This time I only had a shot and I got woozy XD. It wasn't technically an affogato since it had no coffee, but it did have the vanilla ice cream. It also had plum wine jelly and some crunchy fried pastry chip things. Very nice.
I love it, but it's expensive. But oh so good.
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I think I will also go back to cheapo Palmolive body wash rather than Lush/Aesop. I think Lush is attracting ants in the bathroom, and Aesop is simply pushing my hygene budget limit.
Wooooooooozy
Encasa Deli (and tower defense)
So there's this relatively new place that opened up in the city called Encasa Deli. I reckon it's the little baby of the Encasa restaurant, which I've been to a few times. At first I didn't actually go in as I wasn't sure if they served food, and lunch breaks at work are too short (plus I eat super slow) for me to have investigated. However, I decided I had to go as I was getting more and more curious about the place. I love delis. It has a relatively small display cabinet full of stuff, but wow, olives, hams, sausages, cheese and fish! I really need to buy some stuff there. I've now bought their "Pa amb tomaquet" twice, which is basically a load of jamon slices on a tomato smeared baguette. That was sooooo delicious! I had to try it twice to make sure it wasn't a once-off the first time.In fact, I think I converted a work colleague as he went there and loved their Pepito, which was an eye fillet with egg and some other stuff. He said it was really good and also impressed that they served paella after 12pm. I should one day try some of that too! And maybe buy 2 slices of one of their jamons which sells for $346 per kilo or something. Oh, and also to see their mini-grocery place in the back.In other news, I love tower defense games. They break my brain, and I bought Robo Defense for my phone too. Wheeeeeeeeee!