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This morning I woke up to a birthday surprise from Lin. :) Well it wasn't much of a surprise as she has prepared me for it. *.* Weeks prior to this big day, she had warned me not to check her emails. Otherwise I wouldn't have any surprise on my b'day... :))))
Here's what I got. A basket of pink flowers and pink Hello Kitty. I wasn't elated as they weren't what I like... *.*
Breakfast at Komeda's was more uplifting! :D
Ogura (red bean) with toast and hard boiled eggs. I love their toasts! :D
Chicken sandwiches were delish too. :)
Soft serve ice cream atop flaky soft pastry. :) Thumbs up for this mini Shiro-noir.
In need of sweetness..:)
Coffee and juice :)
A simple but fabulous breakfast to start our birthday! :)
Details of Komeda's Coffee:
W:http://www.komeda.co.jp/
Komeda's Coffee is everywhere. Ask the hotel concierge for the nearest one.
Horaiken was established in 1873 and today it boasts 4 branches. It is famous for Hitsumabushi (gilled eel served in traditional Nagoya style).
Leaving mom & Beanie at Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel, Mitsue and us headed straight to its main branch Atsuta Horaiken to get a table.
We were prepared to wait... :)
The restaurant has a little courtyard and it eludes a traditional charm. :)
To make the wait worth, we had a wholesome Hitsumabushi set each. :)))
There are 3 ways to savor Hitsumabushi:
1) Scooping some grilled fish and rice from the wooden tub into a smaller bowl and eating them as it is. :)
2) Adding seaweed and wasabi gave it extra crunch and kick. :)
3) Adding tea to the grilled eel & rice and it became a bowl of comforting "porridge". :)
Our dinner was completed with a bowl of soup. :)
After days of fine Japanese cuisine, a simple but flavourful Hitsumabushi was greatly welcomed.
Let's rewind to what we did before our dinner at Horaiken. :) There isn't anything much in the neighbourhood and we were delighted to stumble upon this old school coffee shop. :)
The coffee counter caught our attention! We didn't expect to find drip coffee in the neighbourhood. :)
Black coffee and nuts?
This coffee house isn't fanciful, in fact it's unpretentious. But we weren't complaining. We were contented with a cup of hot black coffee, safe away from the rain and chill. :)
Besides, coffee is really cheap here. :D
Affordable coffee... friendly barista... it's no wonder this coffee house has quite a number of loyal customers. :D
Details of Horaiken (あつた蓬莱軒 本店):
503 Godo-cho, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya
T: +81-52-671-8686
W: http://www.houraiken.com/
Directions: 7 minutes walk from No.4 exit of Tenma-cho sta.,Subway Meijo line
or take a cab (SGD 45 from Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel)
It's difficult not to marvel at Japanese's creativeness. :) They made railway meals taste just as good as dining in. ;)
We got to try the railway meals on our way back to Nagoya.
We bought 5 bentos from the convenience store at the station. :) The perception of such food is often cold & unappetising.
This string worked like magic. :) Simply pull it...do not be alarm by the smoke emitting from the box! :)))
After a few minutes, a pipping hot meal was ready for us to savor! :D
Beef with mushroom, sides and rice. :)
Enjoy!
Drinks we brought along with us. :)
All senses were satisfied. :)
Sweet & juicy strawberries on the go too :)
We snacked all the way back to Nagoya. :)))
Mitsue and her warabimochi. :)
Wobbly dessert :)
This has to be the most tasteful train ride ever. :)))
We spent our last nite in Takayama at Ryokan Tanabe. This ryokan has a history of over 70 years.
Mitsue and us were allocated room 23. Our fav number. :)
The room is spacious. But it doesn't have a view. It overlooks the next building and a carpark. :(
The "turtle" beds... :)))
Dinner at Tanabe was mediocre. Nothing quite excites us.
Beef was cooked over butter in an aluminium tray. The butter overpowered the flavours of Hida beef.
Soba
Fish & pickles
Crab & daikon
Fresh from the sea
Erm....
Chawamushi
Sides
Pickles & soup
Strawberry mousse for dessert, which we left untouched.
Breakfast at Tanabe was really simple, unlike the fancy fare we had at Hoshokaku.
Miso on Hoba leaf
It went well with rice.
Seaweed
More side dishes
Ham & salad
Tamago
Saba fish
Miso soup
Yakult
Perhaps the positive reviews from other guests had heighten our expectations of Ryokan Tanabe. Perhaps our earlier stay at Ryokan Hoshokaku had raised our expectations of what a good ryokan should be.
Our experience at Ryokan Tanabe had been average, peppered with a couple of unpleasant hiccups.
Firstly, our luggages were not handled in a safe manner. They were simply left outside our room. Secondly, there isn't any system of keeping guests' footwear. Mom's boots were mixed up with another guest's.
We feedback to the ryokan's in-charge...in return for two pairs of chopsticks each. Hopefully constructive improvement efforts will be taken so as not to waste its long heritage.
Details of Ryokan Tanabe:
W:www.tanabe-ryokan.jp
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