Eating Japan - Snack series 9

1. Caramelito Belgian caramelised biscuit

I like these because they are packed individually and hence, easy to store in my handbags as quick snacks whenever I need them. Besides tasting good, they also smell amazing!

2. Milk shio caramel popcorn

Not a fan of this. I didn't like the texture of the popcorn or the flavour. I threw the entire bag away after trying a few pieces.

3. Coconut popcorn

This one actually tasted decent. The flavour reminded of Garett's coconut flavoured popcorn, but of course....not as good. 

4. Calbee Black Consomme flavored chips

This is their Halloween special edition. The chips are flavoured with this black consomme powder. It tasted like their usual non-black ones but these definitely make a nice impact for Halloween parties.

5. Glico Wa pudding - Kyushu sweet potato pudding with a chestnut caramel

This is the perfect autumn dessert! I really enjoyed the combination of flavours! Hopefully, they will produce this again next Autumn.

6. Milky Hello Kitty chocolate

While I don't enjoy plain milk chocolates, the Hello Kitty design looks cute~ hahaha.....

7. Nissin coconut sable

Love this! Bought this over and over again because it makes for an amazing snack at work!

8. Style One apple juice and Nissin Vitamin Lemon Water

My colleague loves these juices and but them often. The apple one was refreshing and not too sweet. As for the lemon water, it's not as sour as a real lemon. I would be happy if I could get all the different Vitamins from it.

9. AEON mikan jelly

Love all these fruit jellies,. They make for a great snack and they're my cheat method of getting more fruits in my diet~ 

10. Pokka Sapporo Butter chicken curry

This is a very convenient soup snack. Just add hot water and stir for 10 minutes.

While it smelled great, I didn't really enjoy the flavour too much. So I don't think I will be buying this flavour again. Next time, I will take out the bread from the cup before adding in hot water to prevent them from becoming soggy.

Shake shack Gaien

From Yoyohi-Uehara, Moon and  I walked to Aoyama for Shake Shack.

Website: http://www.shakeshack.jp/

I ordered he original shack burger which costs 680 yen. Honestly, when I first saw the burger, I thought that it was the ugliest burger I've ever seen because the bun was super compressed and out of shaped. That's the reason why I pushed the bun behind in this picture to make the burger look prettier.

While the beef patty was juicy, the bun was a let down. It was compressed, soaked with the sauce and hence super flat. Besides that, it stuck to my teeth. If only it was a different bun, the burger would taste so much better.

A small lemonade for 250 yen.

Our first time at Shake Shack.

I guess it was a good choice to come at night as there was no queue.

Even though it was already dark, we can still see the beautiful yellow ginko leaves at Gaienmae.

I really enjoyed the walk here because of the ginko trees. And because of them, I was determined to come back again in the morning.

アステリスク (ASTERISQUE)

Tagged along with Moon on her hunt for Tokyo's best pastry~

First stop, アステリスク (ASTERISQUE) in Yoyogi Uehara.

Website: http://asterisque-izumi.com/

https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1318/A131811/13140735/

Their display of cakes was definitely amazing. Other than cakes, they also sell various baked items such as cakes, cookies and even chocolates, that could be packed nicely to be presented as gifts.

From the number of customers that kept walking into collect their cake orders, I could tell that this is a really popular bakery!

Unfortunately, there are only 3 tables there so if you want to dine in like us, you would have to find a spot to stand and wait till your name gets called. Kinda awkward actually as the store is not very big and you feel like no matter where you stand, you're in someone's way. Most of the guests waiting are just standing in the corner where their packaged items are.

サバラン オ マロン (520 yen)

This is a chestnut savarin, which is a crown-shaped cake served with liqueur-laced syrup.

I'm not a fan of alcohol but the shape of this cake rally caught my attention! That dropper there is filled with rum which tasted bitter to me but it went well with my sweet cake.

サントノーレ (Santnore or St. Honore)

Moon's maron dessert, which was one of their chef recommended items. The cream is coffee flavoured and there are 3 caramelised choux pastry that's filled with custard.

After that we walked from Yoyogi-Uehara to Omotesando. Along the way, Moon made like at least 5 stops at various bakeries!

Xmas deco at Omotesando Hills when we were there.

Moon shopping for more chocolate pastries~

I ate this cute little クロッカンショコラ (crocan chocolate) the next morning and it was good. We bought this from the night before from 365日. This is a sweet bun that's filled with chocolate ganache cream and crispy chocolate confectionery. The shape is super cute~ you can't help but want to hold it in your palm as you admire it.

Website: http://www.365jours.jp/

https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1318/A131811/13020931/

白髭のシュークリーム工房 (Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory)

Moon and I visited 白髭のシュークリーム工房 (Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory) in Setagaya for their famous Totoro cream puffs.

Website: http://www.shiro-hige.com/

I was super excited to be there because I've seen so many pictures of their cream puffs online but have never tried one.

Look at them~ staring at you. Don't you just wanna bring them home?

They don't just sell cream puffs, they sell Ghibli characters cookies too.

A really homey bakery that's packed with customers. When we were there, we had to wait about an hour for seats. Instead of waiting, we just packed and left for a nearby park.

I like how they included a cute Totoro sticker with the cream puffs~

heehee....they look like 4 friends chit-chatting at a park~

If you look closely, they're not all the same. Some have leaves on them and some have hats. This is because they're all of different flavours.

If not mistaken, we bought chocolate, green tea, strawberry and chestnut. They were all delicious! Plus they're super cute!!!! I don't know if I should attack their head first or their body first! hahaha.....

Freshness burger

November was an amazing month for me because I got to meet up with so many friends who are important to me.

This time, I met up with Moon who came to Tokyo on a food hunt!

We met up at Freshness burger in Shinjuku for late breakfast. It was my first time at freshness burger, so I was excited to see what they had to offer.

Moon :) after her morning walk at Shinjuku Koen.

My onion rings~

My chicken burger which was crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I haven't had a chicken burger in a long time as I'm not really a fan and I'm so glad that this one tasted good! I would love to go back to try other burgers the next time.

Wefie~

Last day with the girls at Osaka

Spotted a restaurant near Osaka station that served ochazuke and decided to grab out super late lunch there~

The one above was the luxurious kaisen set~

As you can see the there are various condiments for ochazuke and you get to enjoy the meal 3 ways: 1. by itself, 2. with the condiments and 3. with the soup.

This one here is the salmon set with 4 different kinds of salmon - broiled salmon, fresh salmon, ikura and salmon skin! Super good, especially that salmon skin!

Of course ochazuke is not limited to just raw fish, there are also sets like this with fried pork.

Ochazuke makes for such a good comfort food because you get to enjoy the same dish in several ways and it keeps your tummy warm~!

After that, we went to grab some snacks for dinner and Chong went for the infamous Rikuro cheesecake!! They looked and smelled amazing when freshly baked!

It's my first time and trying this famous cheesecake and true to it's fame, it was good!

Lol, so many firsts for cheesecakes this trip~

Japan -Beauty series 4

Was super excited to try these interesting Japanese products that I've never seen nor heard before.

1. Apagard M-plus standard type by Sangi (Left)

So this product here is a tooth paste that used for whitening the enamel. Apagard M-plus contain a pearl ingredient, liquid conchiolin, that adds luster and gloss.

I love using this in the morning because it helps to keep my teeth white! hahaha....anyways, this toothpaste didn't have the very strong minty flavour but it leaves you with a fresh breath, which is good especially in the morning!

2. クリーンデンタル (Clean dental) by 第一三共ヘルスケア (Right)

This one here is very different from other toothpastes that I have tried because of it's salty flavour! This toothpaste is pinkish in colour and contains 10 different medicated ingredients.

I'm using this at night because it is advertised for being good for fighting tooth decay.

3. Homare Sake with Lavender Oil Lotion (Middle)

Homare contains 60% sake, a lavender extract and essential oil.There is no coloring, synthetic fragrance, mineral oil or paraben free so that was good. I like to use this as a toner after I shower. It leaves a nice cooling effect on the skin while keeping it moisturised.

4. Muo foaming face wash

A light and gentle cleansing foam that remove make up too.

5. Liese hair styling foam

A simple foam for styling hair on busy mornings. I love side braids and this could help keep all the baby hairs in the right place. I like that this product helps to tame my fringe too.

6. Primavista Sofina compact face powder case

Love this case because it's sooo pretty. I've been eyeing it for a month before I actually bought it.

7. Media moisturising face powder

I've been using this face powder for a year now and I really like them. I bought this one for winter because it could help maintain moisture. This one here is SPF20+ and PA+++ too.