If Only We Could be Blown Away at Loola's

Arrgh... we need to utilize Awfully Chocolate's dining voucher at either Nine Thirty or Loola by today.  It expires 30 April! *.* Off to Loola's at the esplanade we go. :)

Scramble eggs & mushrooms for Sheau Wen and egg benedict for Yahui. Both were mediocre. 

Excitement turned into disappointment with the souffle omelette. :(

The chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream was the only saving grace...

I guess Loola's a place for only desserts, tea & coffee. 

Details of Loola's:
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
8 Raffles Avenue #02-14 
Singapore 039802
T: +65 6336 9563
W: http://www.loolas.sg/

Day 3: Completing Our Tokyo Getaway with Shabu Shabu :)

I love Shabu Shabu! :) It's a must have dish whenever we are in Tokyo. Tonite, it's Shabu Shabu at Onyasai Shabu Shabu しゃぶしゃぶ 温野菜. :)

There are 8 soup bases to choose from and we opted for the collagen & kelp ones. :) 

There are also two types of dips to compliment our shabu shabu. One is a thick peanut & sesame sauce and the other mashed daikon with ponzu sauce. Each offer very distinct flavour to our meat. :)

Japanese home-grown vegs

Thinly sliced beef & pork and 

the premium cuts. See the pretty marbling on the beef & pork slices? :)

Bamboo filled with chicken & cheese paste

Sausages & chicken

Handmade noodles

Strawberry sorbet, strawberry almond tofu pudding and ice cream with brown sugar :)

I'm happy to have Onyasai Shabu Shabu しゃぶしゃぶ 温野菜 added to my fav list of restaurants in Tokyo. :D I'm loving it because the soups are tasty, the ingredients are very fresh, the service is fabulous and it's  doesn't burn a hole in our pockets. :)

Details of Onyasai Shabu Shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ 温野菜):

3^rd Floor Kondo Building

7-13-16 Roppongi

東京都港区六本木 ７－１３－６ コンドウビル２・３

T: 03-5775-5081

Open till 4am

W: http://www.onyasai.com/

Day 3: Quick Afternoon Tea at Laduree

We hopped over to Shinjuku Lumine for a quick afternoon tea at Laduree. :) Quick because the seating capacity is just too limited for a conducive tea session. Oh and there isn't any beverage available here other than some chocolate drinks. We much prefer Pierre Hermes...

The three of us are chocolaty beings but when faced with sweet & pretty stuff, it's rather difficult to resist. ;) I'm sure you understand. :)))

The only chocolaty stuff we had...

Details of Laduree:
Shinjuku Lumine 2, 1F
3-38-2 Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku
Tokyo 160-0022
T : +81 (0)3 6380 5981

Day 3: A Bowl of Tori Soba at Daiki 大喜

To satisfy Lin's craving for chicken soba, we headed to Daiki for lunch. :) The menu has changed from our last visit. But here's what we had. Lots more ingredient: Grilled chicken, eggs, minced pork, dumplings, seaweed and sprouts. :D That's a really huge bowl! :)

Re-energized & ready to do some last min shopping. :)

Details of Daiki 大喜:
3-47-2 Yushima
Bunkyo
Tokyo Prefecture 113-0034
T: +813 3834 0348
W: http://www.daiki1999.com/eng/index.html

Day 3: Saturday Brunch at Lauderdale :)

Sat brunch at Lauderdale. :) Lin has been raving about the place (one of her most frequented cafe at Roppongi Hills) and wanted Wendy & I to do brunch here with her. :) It's conveniently located, right opposite Grand Hyatt. :)

Lauderdale has a loft cum 1930s charm to it. :) And dogs are allowed to the cafe. Envy envy envy...where's Koka & Junior?

Lauderdale is famed for their souffles. You're bound to find something you like. Sweet or savory. :)

Salmon souffle with spinach & cream :) 
The spinach enhanced the flavour of the salmon souffle and I had them with no cream.

Mushroom omelette with bacon

4 pieces of buttermilk pancakes were too much for us! *.*

Besides the mains, the brunch set came with a bowl of cream soup & a side of your choice. We chose fries, baked beans & potatoes with herbs. :)

And there was free flow of ice lemon tea. ;) 

A fantastic start to our 3rd day in this city. :D

Details of Lauderdale:
6-15-1 Roppongi
1F Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka Dori
Minato
Tokyo Prefecture
Japan
T: +81 3-3405-5533

Day 2: 3 Bowls of Honmarumen at Mutekiya Ramen 麺創房無敵家

Finally arrived back in Tokyo for Honmarumen at Mutekiya Ramen. :) It's one of the top 3 ramen places in Tokyo and queuing for at least 30mins is inevitable! 

I can't remember how long we waited but we were relieved to be seated. :) 

For starter, we had some juicy Gyozas! :)

We had a bowl of Mutekiya Ramen's Honmarumen (本丸麺) each. Each bowl consisted of Men (noodles), Menma (bamboo shoots), Negi (shallots), Chasu (pork), Tamago (egg), Nanohana (vegetables) and Tokotsu Soup. FYI, the broth has been prepared for 20 hours a batch!

So so good... :)

Satisfying dinner to end our second day in Tokyo! Hm... :)

Details of Mutekiya Ramen:

1-17-1 Minami Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

東京都豊島区南池袋1-17-1 崎本ビル

T: +82-3-3982-7656      

Operating Hours: 10:30am to 4.00am

W: http://www.mutekiya.com/

Note: Turn right out of the south-east exit of Ikebukuro station, walk along Meiji Dori (pass Seibu Departmental Store) & Mutekiya Ramen is at the first major intersection.

Day 2: Partially Bloomed Beauties at Chichibu Muse Park

Poppies, Snapdragons & Kerria bloomed partially at Chichibu Muse Park. :(

It's no wonder the entrance fee is half the stipulated rate. :(

The place would be bursting with colors when the flowers are in full bloom.

Snapdragons

Kerria

As the place closes at 5pm, we took a cab from Oomaru and the fare came up to JPY 2,000. This amount would have been justifiable if we saw the full works. We were at the park for only 15 mins.

Chichibu Muse Park looked worn...and it was almost deserted with few visitors. There wasn't any vibrancy at all. Such a shame.



The entrance to the floral garden

Few cars in the carpark. 

Because we spent quite a bit to get up here, we decided to take a bus back to the Chichibu Station. The arrival intervals between the buses were at least an hour! :O It didn't help it began to pour with strong chilly wind. We had to hide near the toilet. : I Miserable & exhausted...

Details of Chichibu Muse Park:
http://www.hana.la/index.html