Each time I travel to Japan, I make it a point to check off a few more items off my foodie list, as well as bring back my favourite snacks to last me till my next trip.
Thanks to globalisation, though, here are some foods, desserts and snacks we can now enjoy without having to fly out from Singapore (or rely on the goodwill of friends and family to buy for us)!
Lovers of fried chicken and Southern cuisine rejoice, for the James Beard nominated and award-winning Yardbird Southern Table & Bar is now open at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands as The Bird Southern Table & Bar.
Founded by Chef John Kunkel, The Bird is 50 Eggs’ first international venture, with Yardbird’s first two branches located in Miami and Las Vegas.
Towards the tail end of my Tokyo trip, I was craving for Western food badly enough that I decided to brave the queue at Luke’s Lobster, a seafood franchise located a stone’s throw away from Takeshita Dori in Harajuku.
Contrary to my initial belief, Luke’s Lobster did not originate in Japan; it was brought over from New York some time around 2015. The idea came about when founder Luke Holden and his father set out to make their idea of a perfect lobster roll: chock full of fresh, chunky lobster claws, minus the diluted coleslaw and mayonnaise mix that seemed to plague most restaurants in New York.
As luck would have it, the queue had pretty much dissipated when I joined, although it swelled to about 20 people by the time I reached the front counter. Good timing, or maybe I’m just incredibly lucky when it comes to queueing for food overseas (why the same luck doesn’t apply to my favourite stalls at Amoy during lunchtime is a mystery).
While Harajuku 原宿 is widely considered as one of the ultimate places for teenaged fashionistas to visit, especially on the weekend, the hipster haven is also host to a variety of foodie gems. Whether it’s a sugary treat or a belly busting bowl of ramen, here’s a rough guide of what to check out if you’re feeling anything between peckish to ravenous:
Catch up on the rest of my Tokyo trip here!
Mention the words “seafood” and “Japan”, and Tsukiji Fish Market 築地市場 comes to mind. Indeed, the world’s biggest wholesale fish and seafood market is host to a gamut of fresh catches, and more importantly – sushi restaurants.
There are a couple of options when it comes to having sushi at this time honoured market. Sushi Dai 寿司大 and Daiwa Sushi 大和寿司 are two massively popular choices, thanks to the dozens of recommendations on TripAdvisor. But if you don’t want to burn the better part of your day queueing for three to four hours minimum, you can also check out Ryu Sushi 竜寿司 – or Ryuzushi as it’s known among the locals.
Read my other Tokyo posts:
I’ve recently gotten into the habit of drinking tea – just taking 5 minutes off my morning to brew a cup, and taking in that sweet, sweet aroma has become my little sanity fix amidst busy days at work.
Kittea began in 2016 with an intention to combine its founder’s love of tea and cats (hehe geddit geddit?). The result is 12 unique brews, each with its own take on the breed it was named after.
Here’s a cafe that’s relatively off the grid – at least by today’s standards where information about any and every business is readily available online.
When it first opened its doors, RONIN Cafe was one of those “hidden finds” with little to no reviews, and no website or social media presence to inform customers of its opening hours or menu.
Not that they needed that kind of publicity, though, as the 30+ seater cafe remains thriving in its cosy corner on Hong Kong Street to this day; the lunchtime crowd didn’t die down till well after 3pm when I re-visited.
