Hungry in Japan? No fear!

The next challenger

2010-08-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Pocky is one of the most popular snacks all over the world. So it's natural that people will try to copy it.

After Toppo this is the next entry from maker Meiji, the "Fran".

I must say this is the best biscuit stick snack out of all of them! First the biscuit is cocoa flavored giving it a little more depth. Then it is coated in white chocolate and coated AGAIN with milk chocolate with crunchy cookie biscuits bits mixed in. The combination of all 3 of these gives it a much more rich taste that makes it feel like a proper dessert rather than a store bought snack. Mos Def recommended.

Waking up in Shibuya

2010-08-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Shibuya is one of the main spots for party people in Tokyo. Lots of people stay all night to dance/drink/drug themsevles away. Alot of times these are the kind of things that happen the next morning.

Amazingly Japan is so safe that these people are usually unmolested in any way till they wake up. Well some unruly foreigners might take a picture of you and post em up on the internet.... but I wouldn't know of such people....

More Ramen!

2010-07-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

This is the same ramen shop that I wrote about a little while ago.

here are some "gyoza" or as they say it in the states, pot stickers. Never understood why its named that way....

Uses "ponzu" sauce which is like soy sauce but more citrus like.

Here's black sesame seed tantan noodles. Sorta spicy, but not too much so. The soup is very thick and has a very strong taste to it. My favorite choice at this particular ramen joint.

Food isnt the only specialty here

2010-07-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Japan makes some crazy food out here but that's not all! They've got crazy drinks too!

This is the watermelon soda. Tastes just like it tells it. Of course being a soda the "watermelon" flavor feels much more artificial but it tastes good enough for me!

Hopefully they keep this one!

Springroll fever!

2010-07-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Now I dont remember the restaurant that I went to but it had a bunch of spring rolls so we decided to order them.

Here's a combo platter of fresh spring rolls and fried spring rolls.

And this one is a more Arabic style pita bread spring roll.

My favorite has always been the fresh spring rolls. They just seem the most healthy. And since I eat a lot of junk, eating healthy whenever I can is a welcome.

Whoopieeeee!

2010-07-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

So today I would like to introduce you to a very special place.

Introducing this burger joint called "Whoopi Goldburger"
I think everybody would agree such a name is ingenious.

Their menu as shown on the picture have such gems such as "Sarah Jessica Burger" and "Steven Soderburger" in addition to the store name.

The burger's are very juicy and sort of spicy from lots of pepper put into the patty. I highly recommend you check it out.

It is near the Nakameguro station in Tokyo. Go down the Nakameguro Sho-tengai and about half way down the dead end road it will be on your left hand side.

Beef.... I mean cheese cake!

2010-07-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

This ones gonna be short and sweet.

Cheese cake Toppo! Cheese cake has a very strong taste. But this one doesn't have that strong taste associated with cheese cakes.

It is much more mild and not as tangy. Also to note is these Toppo arn't as thick as some of the previous ones featured here. As someone who likes to take big bites this is a little disappointing, so those in the same boat as me be wary.

Guns arnt the only things the Portuguese brought to Japan

2010-07-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

Japan back in the day was a very introverted little boy. Then came along the neighborhood rich kid, the Portuguese, who showed off his new toys which even the introverted loner had interest in. The biggest and best toy they had was the Gun. It would forever change the way warfare would be fought.

Another thing that was shown to Japan was a snack now called castella. Now there isnt really an American counterpart to it but a more dry pound cake would be the best description. It tastes mostly like sugar and syrup.

Now here is the Honey Castella flavored Toppo. You might think that having something taste mostly like sugar, syrup and honey be overpowering with sweetness flavor but it isn't. The biscuit around isnt really sweet at all and it helps to make the filling inside very soothing and appeasing.

Another recommendation for the Toppo family.

Ramen aint the only noodles in town!

2010-07-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

There are different types of noodles in Japan. The most popular and well known would be the ramen, which I've previously showcased in this blog. The next popular would be the soba. Usually served cold it is perfect during this extremely hot summer.

I was in Atami this past weekend and I was able to go to this very nice establishment.

Very good stuff!

I wonder if any of yall have had soba before?

Its time to get nutty~

2010-07-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

From the ultimate sweetness of the previous pocky, comes a more subtle take on our favorite chocolate covered biscuit friend.

Introducing the coconut pocky. As you can guess this one has coconut flakes sprinkled around the pocky. This gives this pocky a more soothing chocolaty flavor, which is getting lots of praise from my taste buds after they got blitzkrieged by the salty cookie empire.

Of course there are some people who don't like coconut, but if you do give this one a try!

Cookies and pocky the ultimate match?

2010-07-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

So here is pocky special salty cookie crunch encrusted version.

they are bigger so they come in these individual packs with 4 in them each.

take a bite... and WOW these things are friggin sweet! and I mean that in the literal sense. Whatever they laced these things with it could probably knock out a buffalo and give him diabetes at the same time.

Even my sweet tooth self had a hard time porking these down on the regular, so if you ever come across these.... beware!

Party in the kitkat!

2010-07-22T02:24:00.000-07:00

Here comes a rush of flavors! Introducing mixed fruit juice kitkat!

Just in time for the summer hotness!

As you can see the chocolate is now a creamy yellow-ish color. It tastes like citrus with a touch of smoothness from a banana. It feels a lot lighter on your stomach then the regular Kitkats. Good if you feel the heat is too much for regular chocolate.

Take a look at the kitkat now, it is now diamonds!!

Back for more snacks!

2010-07-21T07:41:00.001-07:00

All right after a short (long) hiatus, I'll be updating again!

So to keep in turn with the Toppo theme here is creme bruelle(?) flavored Toppo.

Here in Japan, the custard type jello aka "Purin" type of dessert is very popular. I am no exception. I love these types so I am very biased with these snacks.

As a Toppo lover as well, if we put these two together it is a match made in heaven!(I so wish for a angel smiley emoticon right now)

Grab this box if you ever find it!

Tonari no Totoro? no its the Toppo~

2010-04-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here is the counter to the pocky. Toppo!

As you can see, the difference with pocky here is that the chocolate is inside biscuit not coated on the outside. So in general these are more thicker than your usual pockys.

Of course being Japan they come with some extra nice flavors.

Heres one with strawberry shortcake chocolate on the inside. This one is once again less tangy than the pocky strawberry so if you like mild strawberry flavored chocolate, this one is definately for you!

So much food you cant see half of it!

2010-04-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here is some ramen from a local shop.

there so much stuff on top you cant even see the noodles!

... and thats the way it should be!

Waffles > Pancakes like seriously!

2010-04-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

I dont know about you, but I think waffles kick the crap out of pancakes. Their texture is more fulfilling to my teeth, because I like most of my food to have a little hardness to it.

Well I found the perfect snack for us fellow waffle lovers!

One side is coated with chocolate.

Of course these aren't real waffles, more like biscuit waffles, but they sure are tasty. These might be the next alternative to fresh baked waffles! Unless you belong to the pancake dark side >=(

I found another pocky yeah!!! virtual high five

2010-04-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

Well well, it wasnt long before I found another new pocky to digest and photograph.

Introducing the banana cake of chocolate dessert pocky. oh yeah~

This one is much more milder in the tanginess of the strawberry. The banana chocolate is very smooth and feels very much in tune with the regular chocolate. Unless you dont like banana, you owe it to try this one out!

Been busy like whoa!

2010-04-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Been quite busy these past few days... till tomorrow actually. So Im just gonna post up some random pics and you can make your own thoughts about em.

Tis the strawberry season around town.

2010-04-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

It was strawberry season recently around here. Usually many restaurants and candy makers will bring out strawberry styled desserts to commemorate. Now pocky already has a normal strawberry flavored version selling year-round. But this here is the special dessert pocky strawberry kind.

For this one, the biscuit is coated with white chocolate decorated with a slight tangy strawberry cream.

Now this one is a whole different pickle. It doesnt taste anything much like chocolate anymore. The tangy citrus like strawberry is very strong, so this one would be only recommended for anybody who likes a lot of zip in their dessert.

Would you like some wine with your pocky?

2010-04-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

Next in the dessert series is the Chocolate fromage pocky.

According to the back the stick is coated with a white chocolate mixture of mascalpone cheese and cakecrumbs, decorated with slight bitter chocolate.

Sounds like some fancy shit. and yes once again this series delivers a new taste of goodness. If you dont mind a little tang in your dessert, most likely from the cheese, this could go well with any high-end restaurant dessert menu. Imagine some of these stuck into a ball of ice cream! MMMmmmmmmm getting hungry.....

Pocky for the top hat and monicle you!

2010-04-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

So from last we move up a rank and we get some fancy shmancy dandy pocky. This here is the Dessert Pocky series. This one is double chocolate flavor.

They come in these 4 of these fancy packs which has 3 sticks inside each.

These sticks are like double the size of normal pockys.

Eating into one is a whole new world. This isnt really pocky anymore. Its almost like a cake on a stick. So much choclatey goodness! Definetly recommended! 8/10

Put some meat on her man! The anorexic pocky!

2010-04-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

Im sure most of you know about one of Japan's most famous candy, the pocky. The choclatey goodness with the biscuit in stick form makes for some nice chomping wherever, whenever. Of course like many things in Japan they have all kinds of these and I shall bring them to you in the pocky series!

Pictured here is the "Extreme Thin" pocky.

These pocky are about half the width of regular pockys.

Here is a comparison to the regular (bottom) and the thin (top)

Its kind of hard to tell in the picture but if you hold one you can really tell the difference. Of course since its thinner, they put alot more into one bag. So if you like to make your snacks last longer and dont mind losing a little volume in what you chew, the super thin pocky might be a good fit for you!

The cherry blossoms are blooming, time for some Sakura Kitkats!

2010-04-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

Currently the cherry blossoms around here in Tokyo are blooming nicely. In honor they have released the Sakura green tea kitkat.

There was a Green tea and azuki kitkat earlier but this one doesnt have the azuki in it. So it feels like the green tea is a little less bitter. All in all nothing to go crazy about 6/10

Crepes, bombing on America's junk candy! (except Reese's cups)

2010-03-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Crepes are quite the popular snack here in Japan. Especially with girls, and I cant argue with them. These things are money! Only if they had Reese's in them....

Here is one of the crepes from a crepe joint. This one has Green tea ice cream, mochi, kinako, cream, and covered in anmitsu sauce(like azuki but hint of sour). The green tea ice cream is bombtastic with the crepe and it sure beats the crap out of these types of snacks in the states. Like... cotton candy... I wanna go back and try more variations on the crepe's! This one 8/10

I miss Carl's Jr and Jack in Box and In'n'out but...

2010-03-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Here they have 2 main burger chains, McD and Mos Burger. They used to have Wendy's but they got shut down. They also have Burger King but there arnt alot of stores, plus it doesnt taste as good as in the states. I miss all the good american burger joints. However! they have a store called Qua'aina which apparently is a store from Hawaii. They got pretty sizable and tasty burger's and sandwiches, although they are more expensive.

They have 1 store in Shibuya, another one between Shibuya and Omotesando. And the last one I know is in Odaiba. If your searching for a good hamburger in Tokyo make sure to drop by this one.

Ramen, its what 60% of Japanese ppl eat at any given time(based on pure assumption).

2010-03-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

Man Japanese people love their ramen! I mean I dont hate it but they seem to eat it ALL the time. Theirs a street near my home that has many eateries and such but a good 60% of them are ramen shops. And they are usually pretty busy.

Someone has to explain this phenomenon to me!

annndddd heres some pics of ramen that I ate

Damn thats some good stuff! Hmmm.. what was I taking about before...

Ice ice baby! here comes the ice cream man!

2010-03-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Green tea, azuki, and frozen custard ice cream!

yum!yum!

they got all kinds of crazy ice cream here!

Is it a kitkat? or.....

2010-03-25T11:01:00.001-07:00

yes, that is real. no i did try it on. they got all kinds of weird rubber's here!

Parfait por favor? Brilliant!

2010-03-24T19:03:00.000-07:00

Oh shiz son! Fruit Parfait kitkat.

OMG!! Its like sex in yo mouth! This could be the saviour to humand kind! Imagine taking a handful of trix cereal, coating it in white chocolate and this is what you get. Im not simply bull shitting when I say that this is one of the best snacks Ive ever eaten. The bursting of different flavors inside your mouth is orgasmic. Ever heard of ambrosia? Well it aint no myth!

Needless to say this is totally deserving of 10/10!

Holy cosmos! Astromantic style for the future!

2010-03-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

Next we have Universal Studios Japan 5 year anniversary special kitkat. This kitkat is a milky way inspired duo of regular chocolate and white chocolate.

Hhmmmm this tastes exactly like it looks, a mixture of regular chocolate and white chocolate. Not to say that is a bad thing though. For chocolate lovers its a pretty sweet deal to get two kinds of chocolate at once. At least it looks cool! 7/10

Give me a break? no! more kitkats!

2010-03-23T03:21:00.001-07:00

Next we have Annin Tofu kitkat. Annin Tofu is not really Tofu, it is like Jello but a little softer and tastes like coconut. Your local tapioca or chinese restaurant most likely will have these as desserts.

The great thing about annin tofu is that it is very smooth and it goes through very nicely. Like in-between tapioca and jello. The mikly coconuty flavor goes well with the crunchy inside. 8/10

Continued Kitkatness: Azuki bean flavored kitkat

2010-03-22T00:17:00.000-07:00

The next kitkat is the series is azuki flavored Kitkat.

The azuki was very mildly flavored and it was very nice. It is like the azuki ice cream except in chocolate form. 7/10

BTW these special flavored kitkats are all special seasonal promotions, so they wont be sold all year long!

Rest in peace Nujabes aka Jun Seba RIP

2010-03-21T02:42:00.000-07:00

http://e22.com/nujabes/

Short version, renown hip-hop/jazz producer Nujabes has recently passed away. He died from a fatal accident.

Nujabes was one of the top echelon of REAL hip-hop producers with the likes of DJ Premier, RZA, DJ Krush, DJ Shadow, etc. He was a new bright light when the world of hiphop was getting stale. His music had real soul that was very distinct from anything before him.

This news is just... damn... the guy was such a talent. I hope somebody will come up to carry on the torch he lit.

One of my favorite tracks

RIP Nujabes

The kitkat series: Green tea and azuki

2010-03-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

Gonpachi the shakedown of Kill Bill

2010-03-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

This restaurant located in Ginza (I think) is said to be the inspiration for one of the Kill Bill sets. Photos are kind of blurry cuz they were taken with my old cell phone, plus bad lighting =/

The food is mostly yakitori style.

Cherry tomatoes wrapped in homemade bacon 320 yen

"Hijiki Ganmodoki" Deep-fried tofu burger 480 yen

Japanese fillet beef steak with garlic, tamari soy sauce & grated wasabi 2,300 yen

Heres the wasabi you grate by hand. Hella fresh!

"Toro" Bluefin tuna 1,100 yen per stick

Top one is "Wasabi Gamo" Duck breast with wasabi 630 yen per stick.
Bottom one is "Muneniku" chicken breast and shisito peppers 300 yen per stick

"Tanuki" Shiitake mushrooms stuffed with ground chicken 370 yen per stick

Shrimp "shinjyo-age" with sweet chili sauce & hint of Japanese orange 350 yen

Here come the desserts! Japanese style tiramisu 680 yen

Pumpkin & coconut-flavored zenzai topped with rice dumplings 630 yen

Milky baked pudding 580 yen

Kuzumochi & kinako ice-cream with black sugar sauce 470 yen

Whats for dessert?

2010-03-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

I dont think Ive eaten as many parfaits as I have since I came to Japan! So gooooood!

And this little snack will make you hellaz crunk!

Lets get it started in hea!

2010-03-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Just to things get started im gonna use some old stuff to write about.

A pizza from "Pizza La" Pizza La is the biggest delivery pizza service in Japan. Thye have all kinds of wacky pizzas and this one is no exception. Half of this is made with regular tomato sauce and the other half is made with.... Mayo! Japanese people love mayo. I personally... did not like the mayo part >_<