Tokyo Dòujiāng Life (東京豆漿生活)

It is 8 am in the morning and we are already out, for soymilk!

We arrived before 9am at Tokyo Dòujiāng Life (東京豆漿生活) and there is already a long queue outside.

Website: http://tokyomamehana.com/

We took a number and waited opposite the shop with all the other people who were waiting to enter. It was super cold that day and it was windy, which was why I was all covered up.

As it got too cold, we decided to warm up at a nearby cafe, if we could find one.

It was good that they had an electronic system, so we can actually walk off and come back.

I was super happy to be finally be in the queue right in front of the store, that we took a picture.

Inside the very packed store. Probably not a good move as it was March 2020 and COVID-19 cases were slowly increasing in Tokyo.

There was only 1 last fried fritter left and it was not even noon yet!

Here is the little menu board.

I ordered the hot black sesame soy milk while J got the normal soy milk.

We also ordered some extra baked pastries to go along with the soy milk.

They were all soo good. The baked pastries were flaky and fragrant. The fillings were also really good. We had one with meat in it and it was mind blowing. I wanted to pack some home, but I do not want to get back into the queue.

I will definitely want to revisit when things calm down a bit.

Kyotofu Fujino Restaurant at JR Kyoto Isetan (京豆富 不二乃（京とうふ藤野）JR京都伊勢丹店)

After checking out of the hotel, we head to Kyoto Station for our last lunch at Kyoto for this trip.

For lunch, we decided on Kyotofu Fujino Restaurant at JR Kyoto Isetan (京豆富 不二乃（京とうふ藤野）JR京都伊勢丹店), which was located on the top floor of the building, with a nice view of the city.

Website: https://www.kyotofu.co.jp/shoplist/isetan/isetan-menu

We could also spot our hotel from where we were seated.

We ordered a tofu lunch course (2,200 yen) which came with all you can eat tofu.

First up was soy milk.

Then we we were served a variety of appetisers which were all items made from tofu, e.g. different kinds of tofu and bean curd. While I am not a fan of tofu, it was nice to experience the different kinds of soy made food items in this meal.

The while bowl on the right is a bowl of freshly made tofu, which is refillable if required. The tofu itself is tasteless, except for the mild soy flavour. So you have to add togarashi and soy sauce to it. But it is warm and nice, somehow like a comfort food. As it is tofu, you cannot eat a lot of it because it fills you up quickly.

Dessert was also tofu based. The green tea one is so good. I really enjoyed the cheese flavour with the cookie base that has black sesame in it. The black sesame added a nice aroma to the cheesecake.

We had some time to kill before our train ride, so we looked around for a bit and found Malaysian dessert being sold at Seijo Ishi.

This here is "bubur chacha" which is a Malay dessert with pearled sago, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas and coconut milk.

 

This here is made into a pudding version, which you have to mix well before consuming.

Not sure how it will taste as I did not buy one.

 

麺匠 たか松 本店 (Noodle Takumi Takamatsu Main Store)

For our last dinner in Kyoto, we took a bus to near Karasuma station and then walked to 麺匠 たか松 本店 (Noodle Takumi Takamatsu Main Store). I noticed that this area of the town has a young crowd . I think on my next trip, I would like to revisit to explore this area more.

J ordered the miso ramen (780 yen) with the broiled duck meat bowl (390 yen).

Meanwhile, I had the tsukemen with the chicken and fish based soup broth (870 yen). I am usually not a fan of tsukemen because of the thick noodles, but the noodles here are thinner. Also, one thing I do not like is that soup gets cold quickly, due to the cold noodles. This place here has a microwave and you can request for your bowl of soup to be reheated half-way through the meal. :D

I also ordered extra toppings for 280 yen, which came with chicken, char siew, bamboo shoots, egg and leeks.

It was a filling and satisfying early dinner.

After that, we walked to LIBERTÉ PÂTISSERIE BOULANGERIE (リベルテ・パティスリー・ブーランジェリー 京都), with hopes to get dessert but many of the cakes were already sold out.

So I bought some macarons from Pâtisserie S Salon (パティスリーS サロン) instead.

After that, we took the bus back to Kyoto station and managed to catch the illumination, as it was starting to turn dark.

Richmond Hotel Premier Kyoto Ekimae (リッチモンドホテルプレミア京都駅前)

For our last night at Kyoto Station, we transferred to

Website: https://richmondhotel.jp/kyoto-ekimae/

I found stayed at this hotel for work once and feel in love with it. Simple and beautiful, and their service is superb.

After checking in, we went to their premier lounge for tea break. This is served from 2-4pm at the lounge.

We get serve some Japanese sweets to go along with either tea, juice or coffee.

Right in the middle of the hotel is this small Japanese Garden, which is viewable from the rooms above too, if you have a garden facing room.

This is our room. The rooms have a 山紫水明 (San Shi Sui Mei) concept, which makes use of the scenic natural sights.

This is a twin room. I like that the sink is separate from the bath.

Ample space for storage.

There is also a small couch and table at the end of the room.

Coffe/tea maker and an air purifier. We were also provided with 2 free bottles of mineral water.

With the TV on the wall, there is no need for an additional table.

As you can see here, his is a good hair dryer and not the cheap, lousy ones. Females with long hair will know what I mean. If it is not a proper hair dryer, it takes forever to dry your hair.

Nice big bath that is separated from the toilet.

The clean toilet.

We left the hotel for early dinner that evening and when we returned at 6.30pm, the lounge was still serving aperitif (Usually served from 5-7pm).

We can choose from a selection of wine, sake and beer, which served along with some nuts.

I had a small glass of wine, while J had the sake.

After a nice bath that evening, we enjoyed some desserts that we bought on the way back.

Some macarons from Pâtisserie S Salon. When I walked past, there was already no more cakes, so I bought their macarons to try instead. Here, we got the salted caramel and chocolate, which were both yummy.

Website: https://patisserie-s.com/

I also bought a pack of roasted linseed with bitter chocolate from Natural Lawson. 

Didn't know that linseed was another name for flaxseed. I really liked the roasted flavour.

Between 9-11pm, the lounge serves ochazuke, but I have never tried that here before as during that time, I am just chilling in my room.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the lounge.

There is an omelet station, where you can order eggs.

There is a good selection of kyo vegetables, all served in a small little dish at the buffet table, so that it is easy for you to grab and go.

Fresh tempura is also available, which is brought straight to your table for you.

Even though it is breakfast, there is also a small selection of desserts available.

I am very satisfied with the meal because everything was delicious and I got to end breakfast with desserts.

As I am a member, check out wasn't until 12pm, we had time to just chill in the room.

At that time, COVID-19 was all over the news. And here we were watching a program which compared the actions taken by South Korea and Japan.

There is a huge difference at the beginning as South Korea had experience with SARS and they have many things set in place and ready for action.

One thing that I wasn't happy about was the mask as the sale of mask or stock for mask wasn't controlled, mask wasn't available for a few months! Price sky rocketed and those who hoarded the masks early on were selling them at ridiculous prices online.

After watching the blood-pressure increasing news, we checked-out and headed to Kyoto Station for lunch before heading home.