ESCAPADES | Sugared & Spiced

[Kyoto] Tsujirihei Matcha Castella 辻利兵衛本店抹茶かすてら

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Tsujirihei Honten 辻利兵衛本店

Add: 611-0021 京都府宇治市宇治若森４１
Tel: 0774-23-1111
Hours: 9am~5pm (closed on weekends)
Website: www.tsujirihei.co.jp
Tasted on: 2012-04

Here’s something to brighten up this rainy day: a beautiful and delicious packet of matcha castella from Kyoto’s famous green tea shop, Tsujirihei 辻利兵衛本店. I’ve previously blogged about castella from Nagasaki’s Fukusaya, and I’m happy to present to you the green tea variation on this simple Japanese sponge cake. If you have read my Kyoto travel posts, you might remember Uji, a tranquil little town that’s especially famous for its green tea. Tsujirihei is one of the most historical and well-respected green tea specialty shops in Uji (along with Nakamura Tokichi 中村藤吉 which I also adore), and its green tea desserts are naturally meticulously created.

The Japanese are true masters at packaging design, and the encasing of Tsujirihei’s matcha castella is no exception. Each layer is designed for a specific purpose, and all together they keep the cake fresh until it’s ready to be eaten. If you want to see what each layer is meant for, click here to see my previous post on Fukusaya castella.

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2012/03/242015/08/31

[Tokyo] Hiranoya Sweet Beans 平野屋甘納豆

tokyo

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平野屋

Address: 東京都墨田区東駒形3-22-7
Tel: 03-3622-5244
Hours: 9:00am~7:00pm (~6:00pm on Sunday)
Tasted on: 2012-03-23

I know, I know, these are not the prettiest thing you’ve seen all week, but these little beans are quite delicious! If you can read Japanese, scroll to the bottom of this page for an introduction on Hiranoya, the shop where I got these Japanese sweet beans from. If you can’t read Japanese, here’s the gist: Hiranoya is a sweet bean specialty store in Tokyo, originally started by the father of current shop owner Takashiba-san. Through trial-and-error, Takashiba-san has improved his father’s creations, and developed tailored cooking methods for each type of bean to produce the perfect taste and texture. All colors are natural, no additives are used.

Without further ado, here are the beans.

The packaging I got included two types of beans: お多福甘納豆 made from broad beans, and 大納言甘納豆 made from adzuki beans. Different textures, both very sweet, definitely need a cup of tea with these.

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2012/03/242015/08/31

[Tokyo] Toraya Yokan 虎屋羊羹

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Toraya 虎屋

Address*: Galleria B1F, Tokyo Midtown, D-B117, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Tel: +81-3-5413-3541
Hours: 11:00am-9:00pm
Website: www.toraya-group.co.jp
Tasted on: 2011-03-23

I love Toraya yokan for its meticulous packaging and meticulous taste. What is yokan? A thick jellied dessert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar. Very sweet, perfect with a cup of Japanese tea. The particular variety I had was named 夜の梅 (night plum), though there are other yokan varities available in store and on Toraya website. For more information on Toraya, read my post on Toraya monaka.

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2012/02/082015/08/31

[Tokyo] Le Chocolat de H

tokyo

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博! Le Chocolat de H Add: Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs B2F, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 2-21-1 / 東京都渋谷区渋谷 2-21-1 渋谷ヒカリエ ShinQs B2F Tel: (03) 54683167 Hours: 10am~9pm Website: www.lcdh.jp Price: Coffret du Chocolat ¥2,700~10,368 Visited on: Feb 2012 Hironobu Tsujiguchi, the youngest pâtissier to ever win La Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie (a.k.a. the World Cup of Desserts), has a small but very…Continue Reading “[Tokyo] Le Chocolat de H” →

2012/02/022015/08/31

[Taipei] Wellspring Spa 沐蘭 Spa

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Wellspring Spa 沐蘭 Spa at The Regent Taipei

Address: 20/F The Regent Taipei, 41 Chungshang N. Road, Section 2, Taipei
. 台北市中山南路2段41號晶華酒店20樓
Tel: (02) 2523 2828
Hours: 10:00am~10:00pm
Website: http://www.grandformosa.com.tw/EN/SPA
Price: Traveler’s Perk (1 hr 45 min) 4,200 NTD
Visited on: 2012-01-25

I discovered Wellspring Spa at The Regent Taipei on a recent trip to Taiwan, and I was thoroughly impressed. Take a look at the pictures below and you’ll understand. Then, do yourself a favor and book a treatment right away. Thank me later ;)

Wellspring Spa at The Regent Taipei

Waiting area

The spacious reception area, with the sound of trickling water, is instantly calming.

Reception

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2012/02/012015/08/31

[Taipei] DN innovación

taipei

DN innovación 鼎恩創意料理

Add: 93 Songren Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei / 台北市信義區110松仁路93號
Tel: (02) 8780 1155
Hours: 12:00pm~2:30pm, 6:00pm~10:30pm
Website: www.dn-asia.com
Price: [lunch] 550~980 NTD/set [dinner] 1,380~3,288 + 10% NTD/set
Vist Date: Jan 2012

My first visit to DN innovación, a Spanish restaurant specializing in creative molecular cuisine.

Crispy breadsticks accompanied by three varieties of Spanish olive oil – Picual, Hojiblanca, and Arbequina.

A basket of warm house made bread with truffle butter, cumin butter, and spiced olive oil.

Also served with extra virgin olive oil and Modena vinegar.

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2012/01/312015/08/31

[Taipei] James Kitchen 大隱酒食

taipei

James Kitchen 大隱酒食

Address: 65 Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei / 台北市大安區永康街65號
Tel: (02) 2343 2275
Hours: 11:00am~2:00pm, 5:30pm~12:00am
Price: 300~400 NTD/person
Visited on: Jan 2012

In times like these, nothing feels quite so comforting as a little piece of the past. That’s the charm of restaurants like James Kitchen 大隱酒食 (Da Yin Jiu Shi). Despite the fact that it opened only 4 years ago, the restaurant looks as if it’s been there forever. The refurbished interior and down-to-earth service foster this illusion, as does the familiar, unthreatening menu with its nostalgic lineup of 扁魚白菜滷 braised cabbage with flat fish, 菜脯蛋 fried eggs with dried turnips, 炸蚵酥 fried oysters, and 蔥香豬油飯 scallion lard rice.

大隱酒食 James Kitchen

Storefront

Sign

The restaurant is small, so book ahead. They do have a second location on the same street in case the space fills up. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the address and phone number.

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2012/01/302015/08/31

[Taipei] Cafe Flat White

taipei

Cafe Flat White

Add: 12, Alley 41, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei / 台北市大安區永康街41巷12號
Tel: (02) 3393 8872
Hours 12:00pm~10:00pm
Price: [drinks] 90~220 NTD, [food] 160~200 NTD
Visited on: Jan 2012

Update: cafe now rebranded as KIOSK.

The small alleys of Yongkang Street hide a good number of stylish cafes, Cafe Flat White being one of them. If you are lucky enough to find yourself a seat here (they don’t take reservations), it’s a perfectly comfortable spot to spend the afternoon.

Cafe Flat White

Front yard

Signage

Plenty of heart has been poured into the making of Cafe Flat White, and it shows.

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2012/01/292015/08/31

[Taipei] Diary

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Diary

Address: 53 Dong Feng Street, Taipei / 台北市東豐街53號
Tel: (02) 2706 3553
Hours: 3:30pm~1:00am
Price: 600~1,000 NTD/person
Visited on: 2012-01-28

There is no signage outside of Diary, but the warm glow that exudes from its floor-to-ceiling glass storefront easily attract passerby. Walk in, and the buzz instantly envelopes you. It’s a stylish place filled with good-looking people having a very good time. They are sipping beautiful cocktails and nibbling off a menu that offers a snapshot of what young people in Taipei crave right now. The decor is industrial chic, with exposed concrete walls and roof beams, softened by the warmths of antique wooden tables and subdued lighting. Open kitchen, but of course.

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2012/01/292015/08/31

[Taipei] Joël Robuchon Macarons & Canelés

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SALON DE THE de Joël Robuchon

Address: 3/F, Bellavita, No. 28 Song Ren Road, Taipei / 台北市信義區松仁路28號 BELLAVITA 3樓
Tel: (02) 8729 2626
Hours: 10:00am~10:00pm
Website: www.joel-robuchon.net
Price: [macarons] 80 NTD, [afternoon tea set] 1,040~1,200 NTD
Visited on: 2012-01-27

A little angel showered me with some macarons and canelés from SALON DE THE de Joël Robuchon. Thank you! These cuties made my day :)

The packaging was simple and considerate. There was an ice pack attached to the plastic box to keep the macarons cool, and inside the plastic box there was a pack of desiccants to keep the macarons dry. Each macaron rests snuggly within its own square, and none were bruised (before they met my teeth).

The traffic light trio: lemon, rose, and pistachio.

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