Today we stepped foot in the infamous Tsukiji Market (Outer) in seek of the freshest seafood. It was also an eye-opener for me as i finally get a taste of uni (sea urchin).
An abundance of seafood to select from!
This uni cost JPY 1000 (approx RM 38) and every tiny mouthful of this feels like the ocean bursting in my mouth, minus the fishy smell. It was simply heaven.
So much variety to choose from, i wanted to try them all if it wasn't for the tingling sense of my cholesterol levels. lol.
So we just settled for some crab legs for now.
Meaty and sweet.
The sooner you arrive in Tsukiji the better, to avoid the growing lunch crowd. Aim for an early lunch or brunch and select from the many available restaurants with the most cosy place being Sushizanmai. Expect to wait in line at their very crowded entrance. Nevertheless, it's a very organised queuing system and the wait is actually not that long as it is a 3-storey restaurant.
What's on the menu !
So much unheard of variety, i had a hard time choosing. I also just learnt that the local Japanese apparently fancies tuna over salmon.
You're more likely to find a Tuna Nigiri platter than a salmon platter.
Other side orders from their menu
A plate of heaven! The fattiness of that otoro and toro sushi are to die for!
I've never eaten such white eel in Msia before so this looked a bit naked to me.
It ain't easy to find such bowl of freshness in Msia.
Seaweed rolls for the kids
Cute Miffy cutlery to complement a perfect lunch outing
A must-order for Mark!
This normal-looking miso soup is the best ever with sweet meaty clams.
"We meet again Otoro!"
Blocks of happiness
Some other noticeable stalls worth a try at Tsukiji market such as this coffee place,
Warabimochi is this damn good chewy, mochi-like snack which is like the best i've ever tasted!
The texture was shockingly soft and fluffy - they had 3 flavours of soybean, matcha and black sesame all on a stick for easy consumption. This is seriously good, so good you can finish 1 stick in 30 secs. I immediately craved for more after walking away from the stall but the swarm of human traffic left me no choice but to move forward. bummer.
Next, don't get me started on this melon! As much as one can salivate just by looking at this photo, it's the sweetest juiciest melon i've ever tasted in my life! I swore i gave myself a diabetic scare for a bit there.
This next stall was packed with people,
Get your face powdered with this strawberry-topped mochi! For me, i was still thinking about that melon i just had
The hustle and bustle of Tsukiji.
Partly due to people just standing around snacking on whatever they just bought.
Another stall with a constant flow of customers
Tamago on skewers in preparation
One can have it in its sweet or savoury form; both of which are in a light and fluffy texture.
The hot day was perfect for a visit to Hoshino Coffee, which coincidentally has opened an outlet in Boulevard, Mid Valley City!
Heard the matcha ice cream was fantastic,
but I opted for the Tiramisu shaved ice instead and it was amazing too, with a rich coffee flavour.
After so much of eating, its time to let our tummies do their work whilst we explored the Sompo Insurance office in Shinjuku, just to appease my 3 other travel buddies who are Sompo Malaysia employees. LOL.
Interestingly enough, there is an art museum attached to the office.
My entry ticket into the art museum as my buddies got to go in foc.
Regret to inform that no photography allowed in the gallery and below were just about the only 'art pieces' that we could take.
Kristy got to view her beloved original 'Sunflower' piece by Van Gogh. The below is just a much tinier mock version of it.
Shinjuku is a city buzzing with excitement and entertainment in every corner.
We stumbled across Teppan Baby and decided to try their Okonomiyaki.
There was a cute lil baby waiting for each of us at the table.
time to order!
Beef Tongue was a first for me :)
Grilled chicken
You can tell by looking at this Garlic Rice that it is soft and bursting with flavour!
Here comes the star dishes ...The Original version
and the Seafood! Refer their prices in my snapshot of the menu above.
Cool memorabilia on the walls of the underground restaurant
After our 'tea time break' (a heavy one that is), we took a quick stroll along the streets of Shinjuku with an aim to wear off the calories.
Someone with naughty thoughts having second thoughts looking at the price..
One for the album!
'Someone's terrorizing the city!
When darkness falls, its something we look forward to again - DINNERTIME!
Yet another MUST-GO ... Ichiran Ramen Shop
Eat first and be tempted to buy their pre-packed ramen (with sauces and all) to bring home. Must buy!
I was oober-excited to try out their noodles
Read and be stoked about having your noodles in individual booths (like polling booths)
Ordering from the vendor machine is such a norm in Japan
Insanely delicious, and i don't lie!
The last activity of the night was truly an eye-opener for me. Japan's video arcades are something i've never seen before.
Everything here is in super mega-scale, my jaw dropped the entire time i was exploring floors and floors of them.
I'm surprised how much time and passion the locals spend displaying their skills at these games.
By the end of the day, i was happy for the extremely eventful day for me. As i retire to bed with a happy belly, i knew i'd have sweet dreams of my food endearments of the day, despite waking up to slight tremors that morning (as proven below)
I bet someone else also had the same sweet dreams.
