A Quest for Ramen - Ebisu / Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

With the abundance of ramen on offer in Tokyo, I gotta tell you its hard to find one that satisfies my taste buds.

First stop, Kiraku ramen.

I have read quite a few reviews about this place so I'm on a mission to try it out.

One of Tokyo's oldest ramen joints, Taiwanese owned Kiraku located in Dogenzaka, situated in a pretty run down part of Shibuya (5 min walk from women's109).

Chashumen ramen - ¥850

Not your usual japanese ramen, the broth here was a little more on the salty side, I could defininetly taste more of a taiwanese flavour with extra fried onions maybe too much fried onions.

Accompanied by a thicker flat egg noodle, some shallots to freshen it up would have tied it all together. 

My verdict - average.

Don't expect any customer service here, the waitress will hand you the picture menu and stare you in the face waiting for your order (I felt like I was in a stare off). 

Check them out 

Kiraku Ramen - 2-17-8 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Some days after my last ramen bowl left me dissatisfied I ventured out to Ebisu and found Ippudo! We have this back home but I was curious to see how it compared to the Sydney branch so don't judge me!

Shiromaru ramen - ¥780

This was their standard tonkotsu ramen, the broth was on point, the noodles...  a tad thinner than what I like, but I decided to brush that a side cause they also allow you to choose the firmness of your ramen and this was the bowl of ramen I've been looking for. 

Akamaru ramen - ¥830

Tonkotsu both enhanced with miso paste, black sesame/ garlic oil and black mushrooms. Both hit the spot and I'm sure if you end up at Ippudo you will leave with a smile on your tummy :).

Check out these ramen spots and share yours with me!

[Ippudo]

Betty Jane x

Bánh Xèo Saigon - Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

I haven't been in Japan for that long but I've already got major cravings for south east asian flavours, boy do I miss the easy access to vietnamese food.

I hope to satisfy my cravings at Bánh Xèo Saigon in Shinjuku. Let me give you a heads up, I'm gonna be super critical because this is one of my all time favourite dishes.

Pork & shrimp bánh xèo - ¥800

This is supposed to be their specialty dish here and it fell flat! The pancake batter was bland and was only crispy on the outer edges, the filling was a majority of bean sprouts (I hate anywhere that does this), I probably got like 3 pieces of pork and 2 pieces of shrimp had I actually counted, the nuoc cham was unbalanced and bland it was also missing mung beans which I think could have made such a difference.

Vietnamese chicken curry

I was suprised when I tried this dish, it definitely hit the spot for me, a big bowl of chicken curry with potatoes, though it was served with rice noodles instead of vermicelli noodles I actually didn't mind. 

All I know is it tasted how vietnamese chicken curry should taste. I mean it's not as good as mum's but I got my satisfaction. I would definitely return just to eat this.

On a good note, the staff are vietnamese which to me means it is an authentic vietnamese restaurant and the prices are reasonable for Tokyo.

So I say ditch the bánh xèo and go for the chicken curry.

Check them out [here]

Betty Jane x

Moja in the House - Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

First night in Tokyo, such an amazing international city and super excited to try something I've never eaten before, which brings me to this place.

Moja is one of Tokyo's newest restaurants, though they only opened in March they are already known for their chicken & waffles. 

I have always been curious about this dish yet scared, but tonight is the night I give it a try. Out of all places to finally eat this I do it in Japan of all places, ironic. I know.

Chicken & waffle

Here it is! 

The chicken had was so flavoursome and crispy, the waffle.. well it was a waffle, don't forget to douse this baby with maple syrup and voila! (Would be even better if it came with a side of slaw or something to freshen it up.)

Who ever thought these flavours would work together is a genius! So If you're in Tokyo, do yourself a favour and try it. 

Finished the night off with a drink downstairs at The Guinguette and yes there was a table charge but its worth going to. 

The Guinguette by Moja

Overall Moja has super cool interior and great food, you won't be disappointed. It's also pretty big so we didn't need a reservation.

Check them out [here]

Betty Jane x

Elk Pancake Cafe - Shinsaibashi (Osaka) + Sanjo & Kawaramachi(Kyoto),Japan

Ok so I've been on break for quite some time now. My apologies but I'm back and am travelling so I am super excited to try whats on offer.

First up is Osaka, Japan! Japan seems to be experiencing  a pancake craze at the moment all I see is pancakes and Aloha Hawaii everywhere, so I jump on the band wagon and get some for dessert. I mean how good can a pancake be?

Pretty good cause I got hooked and tried out all three branches of this joint.

Please excuse my food porn as I can't be bothered carrying my SLR around all the time so I've been using le iphone.

Banana brulee, chocolate & nuts - ¥980

I highly recommend! It was a plate full of 3 pancakes, topped with half a banana which was covered in a thin toffee, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, nuts and chocolate sauce. It was pancake bliss...

Caramel buckwheat galette - ¥680

Get this if you are trying to opt for a "healthier option" it was nice and light and not too sweet.

Honey, apple and pistachio - ¥920

Unfortunately a little dry as it came without any sauce but the flavours had potential.

Totoro latte art - ¥550

Did I mention the Shinsaibashi branch also does super kawaii 3D latte art? Unfortunately I arrived too late and they had stopped doing the 3D art, but they were still accommodating and brought me this. Totoro isn't about to crawl out of my mug but it still did the trick.

Overall cute interior, great coffee and pancakes. The Shinsaibashi branch tasted the best and had the best presentation in my opinion.

Check them out [here]

Betty Jane x