Tsujihan (つじ半 日本橋本店).

Brunch today is at Tsujihan (つじ半 日本橋本店).

Website: https://www.tsujihan-jp.com/

They serve this beautiful kaisen don.

We were there before they opened but there was already a queue outside. Luckily, the queue wasn't too long yet so we did not had to wait long.

While queueing, we were given these menu to decide on our orders. 

Of course, we went with the Tokujyo, which came with kani, uni and ikura!! The cost for a bowl is 3,600 JPY.

The entrance.

We were seated at the corner of the counter area and hence got a nice view of the kitchen.

Tada! Our Kaisen don. Just look at the amount of seafood!

And they also gave us some extra tai or sea bream in goma sauce on the side to be eaten with our kaisen don or with the ochazuke.

ITADAKIMASU!

There is even an instruction on the table to teach you how to enjoy the meal.

After enjoying 70% of my kaisendon, I asked the waitress for ochazuke. She will take you bowl and fill it with tai dashi for the ochazuke. Look at how creamy the broth is!

Finished everything to the last drop!

The queue has gotten very long by the time we were done eating. There at least 20 people in line. This is a very popular place despite the pandemic. I will definitely be back for more as the food was delicious!

 

Hotel Granvia Hiroshima (ホテルグランヴィア広島)

Another work trip stay at Hiroshima.

I arrived at Hiroshima and dropped by Ekie dining for some Hiroshimayaki again before checking into my hotel.

This time I chose to stay at Hotel Granvia Hiroshima (ホテルグランヴィア広島) because it is a lot nearer to the station compared to Daiwa Roynet.

Website: https://www.hgh.co.jp/

The view from the door.

The room is very spacious. And I like that they have a separate table and chair, other than just the work desk.

The bathroom here is smaller than Daiwa Roynet's, which has a separate bath and toilet. But this bathroom here is clean and I like the bathtub too, despite it being a shared bathroom and toilet.

The genkan area.

My view of the hotel on the opposite side. The station is on the right side.

After checking in, I dropped by BOSTON (Patissier KURISU) which is located on the same building, right outside the breakfast area. Got myself a little strawberry cake for dessert. The cake was lovely and while the size is small, it was quite pricey. I guess it is because of the location that I am in.

Here is breakfast the next morning. I chose the western set with eggs benedict. 

The eggs benedict was interesting because it came with rice instead of bread. Not sure if it was intentional because there is already a separate bread basket. Overall I am very happy with the breakfast. The portion is big and the food is good. My favourite is the egg custard pudding that you have to take yourself from near the drinks corner.

I will definitely stay here again. The only complaint is their that their breakfast do not start early enough. As I usually need to travel the next morning for work. I prefer if hotels start their breakfast early at 6am.

Nakameguro sakura

Visited Nakameguro for some sakura shots before the season passes.

We were there super early to avoid the crowd.

J just got a new phone so he wanted to test out his new phone's camera.

My hair is still slightly pink with a tinge of orange here.

While this place is pretty, it can get super packed later in the day, especially before the pandemic.

We initially wanted to grab breakfast at Starbucks Reserve, but it was super packed so we ended up at Tokyo Soup Stock instead.

Plus the place was pretty empty, which was good during this pandemic. I always enjoy their lobster bisque with focaccia.

 

Satoyama Garden (里山ガーデン)

Visiting Satoyama Garden (里山ガーデン) again.

This time we visited with T&I's family.

As usual, we arrived before the place opened and hence, we were able to get some nice pictures without anyone in the background.

Our little picnic area :)

Early in the morning, when there are not many people, you can pick a spot that you like. When it gets later, there are more and more people. When we left, the space around us were pretty busy.

Bakwa made by I. So happy to be able to have some Bakwa in Japan.

So happy that they are still ume left.

Not sure what these yellow ones are called but they look really good in pictures.

I really like this garden because the flowers are pretty and it is not as crowded as other places.

While this place is a bit far away from the station, the place is free and less crowded so you can snap lots of nice pictures here.

Look at this beautiful elephant.

After the garden, we went to Costco and had dinner at Sushi Ro. Thanks to T&I for fetching us around and sending us back home.