Pegasus' Travel Experience

Weekday Escape to Macau - Robuchon au Dôme

2015-07-06T20:00:00.000+08:00

Fine dining with friends is a good way to enjoy life. This time, my friend picked Robuchon au Dome, a 3-Michelin-starred restaurant to pamper ourselves.

The renowned crystal light chandelier beautifully cascading from the dome creates an elegant ambience.

Welcome appetizer. The right one contained tomato and tasted slightly sour. But I forgot what the left one like.

A big basket of delicious bread. Pity that I couldn't tried all as there's a rich dinner ahead.

Cherry gazpacho with frozen ricotta and pistachio flakes
This cold soup with cherry and ricotta was refreshing and the slightly sour flavor brought us good appetite. Simply like it.

Mille-feuille of tomato with crabmeat
The sour flavor was too similar to the L’Amuse-bouche though the major ingredient was tomato rather than cherry. It's a good dish and the baby tomatoes on the side were fresh and sweet anyway.

Steamed foie gras and root vegetables wrapped in green cabbage, warm truffle emulsion
A very beautifully presented dish. Pity it didn't taste as good as it looked because the bitterness of the radish ruin the whole dish.

Roasted turbot, confit shallots condiment and lettuce velouté with lemon vinegar emulsion
The fish was perfectly cooked in terms of texture and taste. And it matched well with the lemon vinegar emulsion. It's my number 2 of the entire dinner.

Racan pigeon, confit leg, green peas, spring onion and country bacon ‘ragoût
This dish is was French! All its ingredients made me recall the memory of my French trip. The tender and tasteful pigeon plus fresh green peas and silky mashed potato created my favorite dish of the night. I felt content after having this and the previous dishes.

Peach “Melba” on light raspberry jelly with vanilla cream and sherbet
This dessert was delicious and pretty. Yet, it's also sour in taste.

Dessert trolley time. It's difficult to choose what to have as the restaurant is famous for its dessert. Lucky the waiter and waitress were so generous to allow us to taste many of their signature dishes. I felt like we were having dessert buffet.

The floating island is my top recommendation as not many restaurants serve this traditional French dessert now. The silky egg white was unforgettable.

Also, you shouldn't miss its super crispy mille feuille and lemon tart. Other desserts were yummy as well.

Our choices of petit four which were also good in taste.

This lemon cake was a compliment. Nevertheless, it's super yummy.

Overall, the food was delicious but too many dishes were sour in taste which made the entire dinner lack of variation.

The staff were very responsive to my online booking request and enquiries. During the dinner, they were very attentive and friendly, which brought my friend and me a very enjoyable dining experience.

Last but not the least, here's the magnificent view of Macau from the restaurant.

Weekday Escape to Macau - All about Food

2015-07-06T13:00:00.000+08:00

Tam Kah Shark's Fin Trading - shark's fin and fish maw soup which is good for skin.

Mok Yee Kei - the serradura was very yummy and I preferred it to the mango ice-cream.

Gosto - this complimentary bread was large in size. And it had a crispy shell but a soft heart.

The deep fried codfish balls were bit salty as they are in many restaurants.

In addition to chicken, this Macanese chicken with chourico and coconut milk sauce came with many ingredients, say chourico, egg, carrot, olive. More importantly, it was yummy and opened my appetite.

Weekday Escape to Macau - Snapshots

2015-07-06T12:30:00.000+08:00

Taipa old village is where you can find the history of Macau.

A touch of Chinese element.

A touch of western influence.

Lotus at the wetland outside the Taipa House Museum

Located in Macau, Kun Iam Tong (觀音堂) is a temple dedicated to the goddess of mercy (觀音). Some renovation work will help this temple to reclaim its beauty at young.

Weekday Escape - JW Marriott Hotel Macau

2015-07-06T12:00:00.000+08:00

In celebration of the grand opening, JW Marriott Hotel Macau launches a very tempting package with one night of hotel room, breakfast and Hong Kong to Macau return ferry ticket. Let's have a weekday escape!

Similar to many new hotels in Macau, JW Marriott offers late check-in, ie. 3pm and early check-out, ie. 11am. Yet, you can still check-in if you arrive early as the front desk will provide you a number to pick up your room later.

The twin room is so large that I think it can cater additional 2 people. The bed is comfortable, however, the pillows are too soft to me.

In addition to bath tub, the bathroom also comes with a shower and toilet.

View of Galaxy Macau and Grand Resort Deck from the room.

Grand Resort Deck is a water park shared by the 6 hotels of Galaxy Macau. It features river rider, water slides, swimming pools and kids area. Remember to bring your swimming suits when you go.

These ladies were very professional as they posed beautifully once they found my camera.

The night view of Galaxy Macau from my view.

The buffet breakfast offered a wide range of choices from cold-cuts to hot dishes, juices to teas and tasted not bad.

Lost in Tokyo - すし家一柳

2015-06-15T19:30:00.000+08:00

I planned to have omakase for my last dinner of my trip and picked すし家一柳, a sushi restaurant because it has acquired many good responses online.

Though the Japanese chef's English is very limited and I haven't learn Japanese, he still tried his best to tell me what's what and how to have them.

The appetizer was a glass of mushroom. There was a touch of wine in the sauce but I was not sure what it was made of. The chef suggested me to drink it.

Not sure if it was sea bream (鯛). Yet, from the color and the serving sequence, you can tell it was relatively light in taste.

The second sashimi course was bonito (鰹). Both the taste and texture were more impressive. It was served with sauce with ginger and bunching onion which made the sashimi more tasteful.

This clam was cooked with sake was fresh and yummy.

I liked this soft yet chewy octopus in light sweet taste.

Meaty crab legs with vinegar. The legs were yummy even without the vinegar. I appreciated the restaurant broke the legs in advance so the customers could finish them easily.

The best of the best - Uni. The left one from Hokkaido was creamy, soft and tasteful. In a word, delicious. Well, the best is yet to come. The right one was super fantastic and beyond expectation. I just felt I had an ocean in my mouth as the uni was full of freshness and sweetness. It's certainly the best uni I have had in life. I love both kinds of uni though.

Abalone sashimi. It was also very fresh and delicious, far much better than the one I had at Enoshima. Another impressive dish.

Forgot it's goose liver or liver of a fish. Anyway, it's yummuy.

This deliciously grilled kinmedai (金目鯛) was full of fish oil, the meat was soft whereas the skin was crispy.

The chef asked if I would have more sashimi or try sushi. I chose sushi to make my dinner to be more complete, . The chef had already added seasoning to almost every sushi. To experience the real taste of the sushi prepared by the chef, I just had the sushi as they were served without adding extra soy sauce or wasabi.

The sushi version of kinmedai (金目鯛) was also good. Yet, the grilled one was better.

Sea bream (鯛) sushi tasted better than sashimi.

Akami (赤身), or back of tuna. Happy to have such fresh and quality tuna which is not so common nowadays.

Chu toro (中卜口), or medium fatty tuna belly. In comparison with akami, this chu toro contained more fish fat and tender in texture.

Toro (大卜口) or fatty tuna belly is usually the most expensive part of a tuna. I could feel the fat melting in my mouth. Meanwhile, the toro was strong in flavor. I felt very content to have 3 kinds of quality tuna in a row.

Squid sushi. The chef made the texture just right to taste. You know, badly cooked squid tasted tough.

The seasoned kohada（小鰭）was delicious.

Horse Mackerel (鰺) was also a good try.

Though the kuruma ebi (車海老) was cooked, the sweetness of the pawn was still well kept.

Yeah, uni again! Bet the chef could see my smile when this was served. The uni was still excellent even in sushi form.

Also, the scallop was fresh and sweet.

It's my first time to have geoduck as sushi. The chewy texture was fun to taste.

Similar to other ingredients, this oriental clam was fresh. The soy sauce further enhanced its flavor..

Miso soup made of many small clams. Yummy.

Eel sushi with its unique flavor. I simply like it.

Unlike the usual egg roll, this tasted more like egg pudding with bit sweet taste. The surface was slightly grilled which enhanced the smell.

My big dinner was concluded with my favorite tuna. The chef added leek in the tuna roll which made that less fatty. Felt so full.

Points to note:
I tried to make a reservation through the concierge service of my Master card. Yet, the restaurant told the concierge to ask my hotel to do so. Lucky, both the staff from the concierge and hotel were very helpful, thus, I finally got a seat. In fact, many Japanese restaurants would ensure foreign customers will really go to Japan with hotel booked before confirm their reservation. This is because some foreign customers didn't show up without prior notice and this made the restaurants very frustrated. To show your respect, please be punctual for your booking or notify the restaurant as early as possible (at least one day in advance) in case you really can't make it.

Lost in Tokyo - Kamakura

2015-06-15T11:30:00.000+08:00

Enoshima Electric Railway is a light rail system running across Kamakura. Besides of the traditional green outfit, some trains are in kawaii outlook which highlights it was once a political centre during the Kamakura period.

A little gentleman was having a portrait in an beautiful kimono at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the most important Shinto shrine in town.

The Great Buddha in Kotoku-in. One can go inside the Buddha to have a look with a small fee.

Hasedera Temple is famous for hydrangea in summer time. Pity that I underestimated the crowd on weekday and failed to visit its hydrangea path due to I have to catch a train back to hotel. Nevertheless, I still could appreciate the beautiful hydrangea in full bloom in Kamakura.

Lost in Tokyo - Enoshima

2015-06-15T09:30:00.001+08:00

After an hour train ride from Tokyo, I was received by this unique station, looks like the palace of King of Sea Dragon (Sea Dragon here refers to a dragon-head god ruling the ocean in the myths of China and Japan, not a marine creature).

A signage showing the director to a shelter in case there is an earthquake or tsunami.

Common birdies in Enoshima. Be aware of the big bird.

Enoshima Shrine is dedicated to three goddess, land, sea and fishery.

Instead of walking up, you can choose to visit the shrine and other attractions through escalator by paying a small fee.

Chinese noodlefish is probably the representative food in Enoshima for it can be found in everywhere, no matter cooked or not.

However, I'm not a fans of the fish. Thus, I felt thankful that the waitress understand I'd get rid of the noodlefish from my body language. The assorted sashimi set and the extra abalone shashimi were not bad.

There were many kitties in Enoshima and here are 2. The left one was enjoying massage while the right one was enjoy meal. Not sure they if they noodlefish.

Hardly take a real kitty to home. How about to buy a small bag? There are so many kitties on it. In fact, there is a number of small shops along the only road towards the shrine and you may spend some time to appreciate their goods.

Fresh seafood awaiting to become delicious dishes. Pity I was full after lunch.

Some beautiful decorations on the ground.

Lost in Tokyo - あさひ本店

2015-06-15T09:30:00.000+08:00

あさひ本店 (Murasaki-imo) is almost a must-go snack shop in Enoshima.

It is famous for a chip made of the entire octopus. Generally, the chip was super thin and crispy. Yet, the part with octopus was more chewy. I tried a dried one when I back home. The taste and the texture are almost the same as the fresh one I had at the shop.

Riding on the success of octopus chip, the shop launches news flavor, crayfish and jellyfish. Here is the making of crayfish chip. The finished product is even larger than a human face (the eyes part look very terrible however).

Lost in Tokyo - Fujiko·F·Fujio Museum

2015-06-14T10:30:00.000+08:00

Even you are not a big magna fans, you may know Doraemon, a robot cat from the future to aid a primary school boy as instructed by the boy's grandson. Fujiko·F·Fujio is one of the authors of this renowned magna series (another one is named Fujiko Fujio A).

In the Fujiko·F·Fujio Museum, you can also appreciate the other works of the author in addition to Doraemon. To visit the museum, you have to purchase a ticket in advance. For forefingers who don't know Japanese like me, the easiest way is to purchase it at Lawson with the assistance of a staff. I feel thankful that the staff offered help was very patient and helpful as we had to wait the lady to finish several businesses at the ticket machine before our turn.

Since the museum is not close to train station and it encourages visitors to take public transport (no car park around), it offers a pay shuttle bus service between the Noborito station and the museum.

Every shuttle bus is painted with characters of Fujiko·F·Fujio.

The characters even appear in the buses and on the shopping bags.

Can you find Doraemon?

Welcome to Fujiko·F·Fujio Museum. What's you mood now?

Hello, my friend! I have watched Doraemon TV series from very young.

What's inside the pipes?

Anywhere Door, my wish is simple. I just wanna travel around the world at any time.

I remember the movie with this dino is very touching.

Happy birthday, Gian! You look awesome in your birthday month.

Dorami (younger sister of Doraemon), you seems enjoy being surrounded by visitors.

Q-taro and O-jiro are probably the only characters I know besides of those in Doraemon characters.

Unknown characters enjoy sun bath.

Gashapon macine in the shape of Doraemon.

Numbers of comics books are free to read.

A purple container hanging on a tree outside the museum. Not sure what it is and its purpose.

What can you associate this traffic cone with?

Dorayaki, the sweetness of red bean paste is just right and the bun is soft. No wonder it is Doraemon's favorite snack.

Lost in Tokyo - Snapshots

2015-06-13T18:00:00.000+08:00

There's nothing is impossible. Just like Godzilla has been granted citizenship of Shinjuku. If you wanna go closer to Godzilla, you can try to stay its hotel.

Godzilla: "This new building taste yummy" .

Finally can see the entire look of Tokyo Station. It was under renovation when I visited Tokyo several years ago.

Interesting to know how the vendor machine is refilled.

Lost in Tokyo - Tsukiji Hongan-ji (築地本願寺)

2015-06-13T17:30:00.000+08:00

Besides of Shinto, Buddism is also a dominated religion on Japan.

As one of the most important temple in Tokyo, Tsukiji Hongan-ji often organizes a wide variety of events and talks to spread Buddhism. The architectural development of the temple was borrowed from India, the origin of Buddhism, making it further standouts from other temples. In 2011, Tsukiji Hongan-ji is registered as a tangible cultural asset of Japan

Different animal sculptures can be found in the temple. I like this little peacock.

Colorful stained glass with lotus pattern on a door. Stained glass is common among churches whereas lotus is common in Buddhism which represents the purity of body, speech and mind. This is another foreign architectural element of the temple.

Inside of the temple.

A beautiful taiko or a drum made in metal is located on the right side of the hall.

I was surprised to see a pipe organ in this temple as I never seen this western musical instrument in a Buddhism temple before. Tsukiji Hongan-ji is a very unique and special temple in my eyes.

Lost in Tokyo - More about Tsukiji Market

2015-06-13T14:30:00.000+08:00

A busy Saturday morning in the inner Tsukiji Market, long queues can be found outside of most eateries.

In addition to fishes, other ingredients, say veggies can also be found in the market.

Even clothing is available.

Welcome to the outer Tsukiji Market! Yes, you are welcome even the office is closed.

Seafood stalls targets retail customers.

hmm.... should I grab a box of cooked crab legs?

Or.....

Certainly I picked my favorite uni (sea urchin). The freshness, sweetness, and tastefulness of this whole uni definitely made my day.

In comparison, this big oyster was so so. The sauce was probably Japanese fish sauce.

It's the time to have cooked food. This freshly grilled scallop was yummy. Happy to have nice seafood for lunch.

Not sure if you have arrived Tsukiji? This big fish painting on a hotel probably can be one of your check points.

Lost in Tokyo - Yummy or Not?

2015-06-13T14:00:00.000+08:00

With this lovely drawing, a normal green tea latte became super delicious.

Getting bored of ramen in soup? I tried this ramen with pork, egg, spring onion, onion and special sauce. The shop also suggested to add some vinegar and chili oil to further the flavor. This ramen tasted good but just a bit oily to me.

This ice-cream did taste like banana milk, yummy (and fatty).

Some people commented this pasta house is not bad. But I think it's just so so.

和幸 - this restaurant is famous for deep friend pork chop in Japanese style. My lunch set with pork chop, cheese in pork chop and pawn, rice and soup was value for money.

Sweet cherries from Japan. Different from the common type, this kind is lighter in color, more or orange than red.

A good way to take some fiber.

Wine is not for me. I failed to finish this.

Mos burger is ok to satisfy the biological needs of a tired soul.

Kawaii! But I have no idea about the taste as the long queue stopped me to try it out.

Lost in Tokyo - Sanno Matsuri (山王祭) @ Hie Shrine (日枝神社)

2015-06-13T11:30:00.000+08:00

Similar to Tsukiji Shishi-Matsur, Sanno Matsuri has a long history dating back to the Edo Period (1603-1867). More importantly, Sanno Matsuri is one of the three major Edo Matsuri and the three major Matsuri in Japan.

This significant festival is scheduled with various events for 11 consecutive days at Hie Shrine in mid-Jun annually. Among the events, I was attracted to go for the children blessing ceremony because it is not common in other festivals.

When the religious music started, all visitors automatically walked aside to allow the Shinto staff and participants going towards the giant hey ring in front of the main hall.

With a wish that their children can grow up healthily, a number of parents enrolled into the ceremony for their beloved of 3 to 6 years. The children in ancient costumes were accompanied by their parents and even grandparents received blessing from the religious staff.

Then, the children walked through the giant hey ring and went into the main hall.

The main hall was where the major part of the blessing ceremony took place.

A little girl hang up her wooden wish board in the Hie Shrine before the blessing ceremony. Sweetie, may I know what is your wish?

It is said walking through the hay ring can make your sins made in the first half year to be forgiven and then you can live happily with your loved ones.

A good time to savor the tradition Japanese tea.

Tributes from different companies and individuals.

In the evening, you can appreciate dancing and music performance. I planned to go but my sour legs didn't let me go.

Stalls for the festival.

Hie Shrine, the venue of Sanno Matsuri was once the first rank of government supported shrines. Nowadays, it remains as one of the most popular shrine in Tokyo. (There are escalators at the side for people who can't really manage the stairs).

The shrine is the house for a sword which is a national treasure.

2 of 3 portable shrines which will be carried in a parade held in even-number of years. The parade will visit the palace for blessing the royal family and Tokyo citizens.

A decoration dedicated for blessing in the year of sheep.

A female religious staff.

Beautiful decorations of hte shrine.

Great to see this counter which dedicated to support the northeastern part of Japan. The unfortunate area is still suffering from the impact due to earthquake happened in 2011.

Lost in Tokyo - Tsukiji Shishi-Matsuri (築地獅子祭) @ Namiyoke Inari Shrine (波除神社)

2015-06-13T09:00:00.001+08:00

As stated in the preface, life is full of uncertainties. I planned to visit Japan after 13 June but I was forced to depart on 12 June because of package availability. This unexpected schedule forced me to give up a concert ticket of a rising pianist and even had to pay a bit more for the package. Luckily, I found out there were 2 festivals I could enjoy during my trip later.

The first festival was Tsukiji Shishi-Matsuri held at Namiyoke Inari Shrine, Tsukiji Market. Tsukiji Shishi-Matsuri has a long history is a 5-day event takes place around mid June every year.

According to the official website, an 8-hour parade would be held in Tsukiji area on 13 Jun 2015. Sounds fun!

Let's check out the Namiyoke Inari Shrine, the start point of the parade first. The shrine is dedicated to pray for protection from disasters and bad luck, business prosperity, and the safety of construction work.

There are tombs for popular sashimi and sushi ingredients, say egg, pawn and angler fish, etc.

Beautiful flowers.

On the special day, religious staff and participants showed up early for preparation.

It is said participants will carry 3 portable shrines in the parade. Here's one of the beautiful shrines.

A shrine in form of a lion-head. Pity I couldn't find the black lion-head shrine.

A hay ring probably used for a ceremony.

The portable shrine looks very heavy. Great that the representatives from the fish market dealers worked closely together to carry it throughout the Tsukiji area. It's notable that the participants counted beats while walking. The parade attracted numerous number of people to witness the highlight of the festival.

This ancient fire-engine like stuff followed the portable shrine during the parade.

On another side, there were many food stalls welcome the visitors of the festival.

I had this grilled catfish. The whole fish is eatable but the tail part tasted too salty while the head part tasted bitter.

Game stalls for kids.

In celebration of the festival, many dealers and their families shared food and drinks, chatting, laughing. This happy moments were probably the best program to them.

Behind the scene, disciplined services were stand by.

Lost in Tokyo - 高はし

2015-06-13T07:30:00.000+08:00

Talking about the Tsukiji Market (the largest wholesale fish market in Japan), most people will associate it to sashimi and sushi for this wholesale market is an ideal place to have an array of fresh seafood at reasonable price. However, I wanted to try kinki fish, one of Japanese's favorites in its home country this time.

After conducting online research, I decided to visit 高はし at the inner market of the Tsukiji Market (the market is divided into inner and outer). Unlike some eateries, most people queuing up for 高はし are Japaneses rather than visitors.

This eatery is pretty small with a capacity of around 10 people only. It took me more than an hour to get a seat in the shop and another 10 minutes to have my simmered kinki fish set (exclude the dish on the top right). In addition to kinki fish, the set also comes with a dish of appetizer, a big bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup.

Close up for my ruby in the deep sea, the nickname of kinki fish. The meat is full of tenderness and freshness. Also, the whole fish is full of colleague. I tried to taste every part of the fish of my best. The sauce is the best companion with the Japanese rice. Just the sauce is a bit too salty to me for I prefer lighter diet in the recent years. In fact, winter is the best season to have kinki fish and bet it will be more fatty and delicious at the time. Hope I can try kinki fish again at its peak.

A taro ball and some unknown food. Male customers had an additional piece of punkin.

I feel very satisfied with my rich and delicious breakfast.

Points to note:
1) The eatery requires customers to queue up 4 in a row, from the left to right.
2) Just take photo of the food you order.
3) Since the chef and the helper just can understand Japanese, it is better to do some homework before your visit. I jotted down kinki fish's Japanese name and photo for my order this time.

Lost in Tokyo - L'Effervescence

2015-06-12T20:00:00.000+08:00

The first meal of my trip took place at L'Effervescence, a modern French restaurant in Tokyo. Hei, having French rather than Japanese cuisine in Japan, are you kidding? Let's decide again after this post.

Shinobu Namae, the chef and the key person of L'Effervescence received training from reputable restaurants, namely Michael Bras and The Fact Duck. In 2010, Namae opened L'Effervescence. The restaurant is honored with 2 Michelin stars and ranked no. 12 of Asian's 50 Best Restaurants in 2015, just in 5 years from its inception. L'Effervescence is certainly on a fast track to become a star restaurant in Japan as well as in Asia. Sounds like a great choice, right? Remember to check its rest days and make a reservation early. I did my dinner booking online a month in advance. And I am happy that they accept 1 person booking.

There is only one dinner menu - A Prayer and the Light. My favorite dishes are highlighted in yellow for easy reference.

The dinner began with a plate of pickled olives.

corn, basket clam, sea urchin, tarragon, tomato
I was advised to taste all the layers in the glass on the left together first. The rich ocean flavor from the basket clam and sea urchin together with the sweetness of corn in such a small glass did impress me. When I tried the glass on the right, I was impressed again but this time was by the refreshing taste of tomato and tarragon granita melting in my mouth which helped to cleanse the strong taste of the previous glass. I would say this strong and refreshing couple was a perfect match. And this official first course marked a good start of the dinner.

From an idea of apple pie #20
Dessert time? Seems too early. Actually, this apple pie was made of eel, paprika and red miso which made it savory with a touch of spicy. The note stated the Namae's philosophy of cooking. Read it thoroughly while having the freshly baked apple-free apple pie.

from spring to summer
Different from common arrangements, spring onion rather than sea bass was the main character of this dish. The sauted spring onion tasted fresh and sweet did surprisingly well. In addition, the sliced sea bass "Furikake" and wasabi emulsion delivered a touch of soft texture and spicy flavor respectively. The hazelnut, summer truffle and wild rocket leaf further enriched the texture of the dish.

A fixed point
As suggested by its name, this dish is served for both lunch and dinner throughout the year. Yet, the taste of turnip varies between seasons. Mine was very juicy because it rained a lot in Tokyo before my arrival (June is the rainy season). The round turnip was roasted slowly for 4 hours which made it concentrated in flavor. Meanwhile, the parsley oil emulsion, Kinto Basque ham and brioche added different textures and tastes to the fresh turnip. Though I am not a fan to turnip, I could finish the whole dish without hassle.

the flame
The rice hay grilled Bonito was tender in texture and strong in taste with a light smoky flavor. On the other hand, the “Gassan Dake” bamboo shoots was crunchy and light. The contrast of these 2 ingredients complemented each and created a well balanced dish. Besides of morel, shiso sauce and flower were special enhancer of the dish. Yes, the beautiful purple shiso flowers are eatable and yummy.

Spring temperature
Unlike the traditional French cuisine, the foie gras cooked naturally tasted relatively light but still of its silky and delicate texture. Moreover, the mashed and baked carrot, St. Maure & semi dried tomatoes together with Japanese parsley gave the foie gras a refreshing taste which I had never tried before. It is notable that the Shotsurru caramel was made of Japanese fish sauce which delivered savory and sweet elements. I love this wonderful twist of the traditional and common ingredient.

Right and left - Taiwanese tea
Right & left refers how to drink this cup of oolong tea with ordinary look. When I swished the tea inside my mouth, I could feel the hot mixed with the cold helping to refresh my taste buds for the main course. What a surprise!

Wait, this knife is not a dish. Just the customers at L'Effervescence can choose a knife from a collection for their main course. I picked a blink blink one.

Bite
The main course was pure-bred pork "Nakijin-agoo" (a famous pork from Okinawaw) sirloin roast on open fire. The pork sirloin was very beautifully cooked with attractive light pink color and a bit chewy texture. I enjoyed the rich flavor from the pork together with grilled lardo oil, cucumber, homemade sour cream and wild pepper. For a touch of ocean, I simply swapped the grilled lardo oil with gaper clam and added dandelion leaves.

Our selection of cheese
I chose cheese between it and vegetables after the main course. It came with 4 kinds of cheese: the bottle right one was the easiest to taste; the bottom left one carried chewy texture and strong taste of diary product; the upper left one was a light version of blue cheese and is made in Japan; the top left was blue cheese paired up with spicy jam (the spicy feeling came as after taste), an unconventional combination.

"Haruyo-koi" - fallen for spring
This pleasant dessert consisted of various ingredients, say Sachinoka strawberries & crepe of black sesame wheat, marshmallow and cherry leaves ice cream, dill flowers and a hint of Shochu (a kind of Japanese liquor). I was advised to mix all the elements before tasting it. Among all the ingredients, I love the crepe most for it delivered the good smell of black sesame and mochi-like texture.

Terada and Fujimaru
Jelly and ice-cream made of different Japanese liquor invented by Terada and Fujimaru. Though the dessert was made of liquor, it was easy to taste and didn't make me feel drunk. Haha.

nibbles
The dinner was concluded with a cup of coffee and an interesting set of nibbles. The toothpaste was actually lemon jam to fill in the mini tart on the left and then put the meringue onto it. In case you are offered this chocolate ball in this restaurant, you better put the whole thing into your mouth. Otherwise, you will be shocked. Hei hei.

I was happy to meet (handsome) Namae in person at the end of the meal and expressed my appreciation to him. Last but not the least, I received a piece of pound cake as a compliment. The restaurant did try to deliver customer delights from the beginning to the end.

L'Effervescence delivers amazing culinary experience with fresh local ingredients, outstanding cooking techniques, artistic presentation and innovative ideas. Also, I was impressed by their attentive and friendly services, especially from Zacchari Touchane and Kazuki. In short, I highly recommend this restaurant.

Points to note:
1) Same day cancellation and no show fee which is equivalent to the cost of lunch / dinner is incured.
2) If you are from overseas like me, it's suggested to leave them your hotel contacts and the contact details before arrival in case there is any change.
3) The restaurant sent me an email to confirm the booking the day before the dinner. As a respect, I confirmed the booking shortly after i received it.

Lost in Tokyo - Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro

2015-06-12T18:00:00.000+08:00

I picked Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro because of its location and environment. The hotel is accessible by airport bus and only a few minutes away from JR and metro stations. In addition, the hotel room looks neat and quite new in its official website.

How is the hotel in real? It is surrounded by shopping malls, convenient stores and restaurants so that you can grab what you want easily.

The room size of standard single room is pretty generous in a packed city like Tokyo and the bed is big enough for 2 people.

I enjoyed taking a bath to pamper my sour legs after long walk almost every night.

A small closet.

The city view in a cloudy day from the room.

Besides of the location and environment, the friendly and helpful staff also add certain marks to the hotel. The hotel helped me to make a reservation at a sushi shop before my arrival. When I checked-in, they provided me a note of the reservation which was very considerate. Overall, this hotel is pretty comfortable and convenient.

Lost in Tokyo - Preface

2015-06-12T13:00:00.000+08:00

Life is full of uncertainties. These words also apply to leisure trip planning. During the rounds of discussions with friends, destination changes between Europe and Asia, dates changes between June and July. Finally, I decided to have a trip on my own for we failed to make a compromise on time. For the sake of safety, I choose Japan and later fix my base in Tokyo. To be honest, traveling alone can be fun for you have to do and everything on your own. I feel thankful that most people I met during the trip were nice and thus my adventure was definitely enjoyable.

White cotton like clouds over farms.

About sunset

The longest distance - the planes seems are next each other but actually one has taken off while another is waiting to take off.

A big piece of greenery.

A big group of lambs going home at sun set.

The renowned Hong Kong night scenes from plane.

Okinawa, the Beautiful Island - Dining @ Ryukyu Onsen - Senagajima Hotel, Okinawa

2014-10-24T18:00:00.000+08:00

What can you have if you order a sushi set in the hotel?

Sushi of course. Right, here are the delicious sushi made with fresh sashimi. In addition to food quality, tableware presentation is another important element in Japanese cuisine. Just like the sushi is nicely presented on a beautiful leaf shaped plate. The orange maple shaped plate reminds the customers fall has arrived.

The set also comes with a number of dishes, including:

salad and appetizer; yummy fish and egg roll with sweet potato;

healthy steamed veggie; delicious tempura (note that the sweet potato on the left and the bitter melon on the right are both significant ingredients in Okinawa; salt is a famous local ingredient as well, the green color is from green tea powder;

miso soup; and ends with common tropical fruits in Okinawa, pineapple and orange; the yummy biscuits on the bottom left are salt-flavored.

The complimentary buffet breakfast provides a wide variety of options from local picks, traditional Japanese and Western style.

Okinawa, the Beautiful Island - Ryukyu Onsen - Senagajima Hotel, Okinawa

2014-10-24T15:00:00.000+08:00

I love to enjoy onsen (hot spring) in Japan because it's authentic and Japaneses have high standard of personal hygiene. Unlike sunshine and beach, onsen is not very common in Okinawa. Luckily, I found the Ryukyu Onsen - Senagajima Hotel, Okinawa when I conducted research. The hotel features 2 public onsen which is free to guests who stay over. For other guests, a small fee is applied.

A pair of shisa protects the hotel and its people. The left one keeps good spirit in while the right one scare the bad ones away.

The hotel is very close to the Okinawa airport (it takes around 15mins to travel between the points by car) and locates on a hill, making it an ideal location to watch plane landing. It's very exciting to see and hear planes flying over and next to you. Besides of commercial aircrafts, military aircrafts can also be found.

A shrine outside the hotel.

The hotel also serves as a good host to several kawai kitties. Paparazzi awoke this little thing from sweet dream. It tried to hide its face but the paparazzi's cameras were still attracted to it.

Okimawa, the Beautiful Island - ラーメン暖暮 (Danbo)

2014-10-24T12:00:00.000+08:00

Danbo is the No. 1 ramen in Kyushu. Given the honor, how can we not to give it a try?

To place your order, simply pick your choice via this vending machine. Then circle your preferred hardness of ramen, etc. and pass it to a staff. The chef will prepare the ramen accordingly.

Here's the sesame ramen with Japanese bbq pork. The sesame certainly enhances the smell and flavor of the pig bone made soup base. Strong taste but not salty. Together with the chewing ramen and tender pork, no wonder it is named as the best.

The onsen tamago set comes with a bowl of rice with an onsen egg and a bowl of ramen in mini size. It's recommended to mix the half-cooked egg with the rice before tasting it. Onsen tamago looks and tastes like poached egg. In the past, it was cooked slowly in onsen.

Okinawa, the Beautiful Island - Guest Room @ Ryukyu Onsen - Senagajima Hotel, Okinawa

2014-10-24T09:30:00.000+08:00

Guest rooms in hot spring hotels usually are more spacious, and those in this hotel is not an exception.

Sleeping area in western style. There are 2 sets of evening gowns on the left corner of the bed. One is for in room use, another one is for in hotel use. Don't mix them up.

Sitting area in Japanese style.

And the area is connected to an outdoor balcony,

where you can appreciate the sunset and blue sky over the Pacific Ocean.

Or you can appreciate the view while relaxing in this private outdoor onsen.

It's connected to the bath room and washing room.

Where is the toilet? It's close to the entrance. Note that water will come out from the tape on the top of the toilet automatically during flushing.

Okinawa, the Beautiful Island - Takoyaki

2014-10-22T22:30:00.000+08:00

Imagine that you have just stepped out from a warm shopping mall after a big and hot dinner, the chill urges you to go back to your hotel as soon as possible. Suddenly, something catch your attention, what can it be?

Our answer for the night is the Simplified Chinese message (well, Traditional Chinese is the authentic Chinese) on the white paper. It said "it's a pity if you don't try (takoyaki) as you have arrived Japan." According to the owner, the message was taught by a Taiwan customer (but why a Taiwanese wrote in Simplified Chinese?) To show our appreciation for this brilliant marketing message, we order a box of takoyaki or octopus ball, a typical Japanese street food.

The chef wore a smile when we taking pictures. What a professional model! In addition, he can speak some English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

We also took pictures of the food truck and read the messages on it while waiting our takoyaki. Does it look like a member of transformer?

Finally, we got our fresh and hot cook to order Takoyaki. It tasted yummy!

The food truck is located at the opposite side of Naha Main Place. Well, it's better to try its takoyaki at night. It was closed when we passed by around 12pm on the next day.

Okinawa, the Beautiful Island - Enjoy Authentic Okinawa Gourmet in a Sophisticated Garden @ Ahibuna

2014-10-22T13:00:00.000+08:00

The entrance of Ahibuna looks like an ordinary house which quietly sitting on a road. It took us several minutes to recognize it's the restaurant we were looking for.

It's so relaxing to appreciate the greenery Japanese-style garden while having a meal.

Okinawa soba is a signature dish of Okinawa. Unlike the soba in the rest of Japan, the texture of Okinawa soba is relatively chewy, tastes like ramen more. The standard toppings as shown in the picture including stewed pork belly is influenced by China , kamaboko (fish cake) and sliced scallion. The rice at the bottom right corner mixed with various sliced veggies which is more attractive than the Okinawa soba to me.

Simmered pork leg is another local dish I highly recommend. After long hour of stewing, all the skin, meat and fat are so soft to melt in your mouth. The sauce tastes bit sweet which is good to add into rice. Yummy yummy!