Day 3 - Mount Fuji

If there's one place you have to go in Japan, I guess it would be Mount Fuji. Honestly, I have no idea what the mountain really looks like, even though I went up to the fourth station. I'm not even sure if the fourth station is ON the mountain. Compared to Jungfraujoch in Switzerland, Mt Fuji has nothing much to offer. At the base of the mountain, however, was this crazy theme park called Fuji-Q Highland which has what looks like the scariest roller coasters in the world. If you are looking for thrill, this is the place. It has at least 5 REAL rides that will require you to throw your guts out. Later we took a ride on the Shinkansen a.k.a bullet train (can't really feel the speed when you're inside) and spent the night at Toyohashi city. Stayed at Nikko Toyohashi - my fav hotel of all. It's huge and there's a mall next to it. Awesome.


At Mount Fuji


Fuji-Q Madness


One of the few rides that we went on, not cheap cuz it was a pay-per-ride thing


Go-karting


This ride I went on called the Mad Mouse. I thought it was some stupid ride but when I got off I couldn't speak for 30secs.. haha.. there's a reason for the name


Yakiniku lunch at Fuji-Q


It's something like Yakitori..you dip the meat and veg into the sauce before bbq-ing or you can dip after it's cooked


one last look at the scary roller coaster which was under renovation that day


Shinkansen (bullet train)


Hamamatsu Station



Buffet dinner at Nikko Toyohashi..the blueberry mousse, mango mousse and japanese curry were good.


check out this Bentley outside Hotel Nikko!


still prefer the ford mustang '05, but this backside is hottt too ;)

Sakana Express

One of my new fav hunts.. Sakana Express. It just opened on 1 Jan 2007 and is located just outside Tampines MRT station. I like it cuz you can go in, grab a couple of temaki handrolls and satisfy any temaki or soft shell crab cravings that come along. I've tried the ebi prawn, soft shell crab and unagi handrolls ($1.90 each) - the ebi prawn is the best although it's usually my least fav. Also had the soft shell crab bento ($6.90). The soft shell crab is great and I like the rice too, esp since I accompanied it with this japanese condiment that I bought in Japan (the pink box). I'm not sure about the name, but it goes fantastic with rice. also, my all time fav 唐幸子(jap chili powder)to go along with it =)


Soft Shell Crab Bento Set

Day 2 - Lake Kawaguchi

Went to Disneysea today. It was quite good actually since we managed to go on most of the rides. We didn't choose Disneyland cuz we've already been to the one in Anaheim, LA. I really love anything Disney man..I even took photos with Chip and Dale! call me childish but seriously, it's a great feeling. At night, we stayed at a traditional Japanese hotel which had it's own area for us to try out the Onsen bath. We wore yukatas and slept on mattresses - all in all, a great experience (although it took a bit of courage for us conservative Singaporeans to try out the Onsen bath).

the hotel room












Dinner was, as usual, fulfilling (haha, apparently I've run out of adjectives)



Spring rolls, meat balls and rice


Ebi fry, chawanmushi and a side dish


Egg miso soup and yes...our very own pot of Sukiyaki ;)

- End of Day 2 -

Most recent trip - Japan (Tokyo, Nara, Toyohashi, Kyoto, Osaka)

I should really start blogging about my trips before some memories fade. So the first travel blog will be about JAPAN and japanese cuisine, one of the best in the world (apart from mexican, italian, thai, etc..haha). The Japanese really put in a lot of effort into each meal, some of which so painfully prepared that it almost looks too good to eat.

For starters, a Japanese snack - jap sweet cake

the white one is the original flavor, and the green one is green tea.


My first meal here: the only thing missing from the pic is the rice (i love jap rice) but this is what a typical japanese meal looks like.






And for dinner, one of my favorite meals - SUKIYAKI
It's kinda like the steamboat we have here, but instead of chicken stock, japanese soy sauce (Shōyu) is used. The way to eat is as such: you crack a raw egg into a bowl and leave it as a side dish. The meat is then swiped (in our case, pork) and once cooked, it's dipped into the bowl of raw egg. Then you eat it. It's great, but if you are afraid of eating raw eggs, you can actually crack the egg into the steamboat and dip the pork into the semi cooked egg.



here's what it looks like before cooking starts


warming up...



nothing beats a good meal of sukiyaki during winter

Looks like I have to blog about the trip according to each day. It's too long for one entry =)

Miss Clarity Cafe

Many people have blogged about this place, although it's relatively new. Went to try the food with Daniel. The cafe has a very cutesy theme going - the main color is PINK. The unique color choice for the decor does not overshadow the quality of the food, though. There are a lot of choices on the menu, many of which are worth a shot. I tried the Chicken Cordon Bleu, which is part of French Cuisine - ham and cheese stuffed in deep fried chicken. SINFUL, but nevertheless enjoyable. Served with roast potatoes and german sauerkraut, the portion was big and value for money ($8). daniel had the roasted chicken leg with mushrooms, also served with roast potatoes. I'm beginning to think that anything with a good mushroom gravy gives it a good name...and taste. Will definitely be going back for more. Wanna try that Chicken Ballotine (oven-baked chicken thigh with fresh shitake mushroom stuffing served with mushroom sauce) - is it just me or does that make you drool?


Chicken Cordon Bleu


Chicken with mushrooms

http://www.missclaritycafe.com/index.php?page=home

KimGary

The only reason I am blogging about this restaurant is because my favorite HK actor, Wong Chung Chak, is endorsing the place. KimGary is a cantonese restaurant which serves local cuisine from Hong Kong. Went there last Thursday, the branch in City Square, JB for dinner. Food was just average but price is cheap for us. There's one branch in Singapore at VivoCity. I would expect the prices here to be steeper. Good for a late dinner when you have no place to go in JB (last order at 10pm), just before coming back to Singapore.


Stone Rice @ KimGary's

Kolo Mee @ Jia Xiang Sarawak, VivoCity

Went out with my dear friend Lydea last week and had a chance to try the Kolo Mee that everyone's been talking about. Verdict: What's the fuss about? It's not bad, but definitely nothing to rave about. $5.90 for the basic Kolo Mee - definitely can't be compared to those $1.50 authentic Kuching noodles. The noodles are bouncy and QQ (i think it means chewy) and the prawns are fresh. Good for one try, after which the price should come into consideration ;) Reminds me of Fei Fei Wanton Mee at Joo Chiat Road, but Fei Fei is much better.


Kolo Mee, Jia Xiang Sarawak

My favorite dessert

Two months ago, I went to two formal dinners with my family on two consecutive days. Talk about too much good food. To my delight, the dessert on the second day happens to be my favorite - glutinous rice balls in red bean paste. Absolute heaven. Not that I know exactly what Heaven is like...yet. The sesame tang yuan in red bean paste at bedok central are FANTASTIC, in my opinion. I don't know any other stall that serves such good cantonese desserts/pastes. The yam paste with gingko nuts are good too. I've tried the sesame paste, almond paste and also the peanut paste. They also have different flavors of glutinous rice balls, but the best is still the sesame rice balls and red bean paste =)


Tang yuan in red bean paste

A few more posts coming up.. before school gets me really busy ;) been wanting to blog about the different eating places I've been to for quite some time. Perhaps I'll get down to the traveling part of this blog in summer..haha

Baba King Nonya Deli

There's this nonya restaurant at Singapore Expo that I went to the other day with my parents. It's called Baba King. The owner is very friendly, giving me the impression that he wishes to network with his customers and trying to remember everyone who enters the place. Anyway, their sambal fish spaghetti should really be commended. It's really spicy (coming from me, it would be considered hot since my tolerance for spicy food is VERY HIGH). but its great. the sambal fish and italian noodles make such a great combi. the beef rendang spaghetti, on the other hand, pales in comparision. Both are priced @ $8.90, but while the pieces of fish were substantial, there were only 3-4 tiny pieces of beef rendang (which makes me wonder why the price is as such), although the rendang, I must admit, tasted quite good. We also had the chicken wrapped in Roti Jala, which is rather creative. Roti Jala is something like roti prata, a Malay/Indian pancake. However, Baba King's version is too starchy for me. The chicken can hardly be tasted too. For the price, it is not exactly a place to visit often. Perhaps once in awhile, when that craving for nonya delights surface =)


Beef Rendang Spaghetti


Roti Jala and Chap Chye

cafe le claire

one of my all time favorite dining place - cafe le claire - a middle eastern cafe which serves good and simple fare. at reasonable prices too. my personal recommendation: the hummus with pita bread. at only $3.90, its a gem. order their basket of wedges to go with the hummus and this can easily be supper for 4 ppl.

went with cuifen and daniel the other time --> cuifen and I shared the Crispy Chicken
served with mushroom sauce, wedges or rice. daniel had the mixed sausages. the hibiscus tea is worth trying, it's rather special. and some other great things to try on the menu - shish kebab (the rice is great, but the wedges are the best i've had, so its kinda hard to choose - go for the rice, then order the basket of wedges.. haha best of both worlds..won't be able to finish though)and Ba’mia (which is okra and lamb stew with rice or bread). if you just want to fill your tummy without spending too much, the sharwama (lamb and beef rolled in Arabic Bread)is worth taking a whack at. Priced at $6.50, it's cheap and makes up for a filling meal.


Mixed sausages


from L to R: Hibiscus tea, Crispy Chicken and Hummus

http://www.cafelecaire.com/index.php