On the work table are two large mixing bowls, one with plain white rice and one with rice dyed blue with bunga telang (blue pea pea flowers). The dumpling makers first fold the pre-soaked bamboo leaves into a cone before spooning in some blue and … Continue readingA dumpling called home
Fuunji is acclaimed as one of the best tsukemen (dipping ramen) shops, not only in Tokyo, but the whole of Japan. Located close to the south exit of busy Shinjuku Station, the shop always has a line but it’s well worth the wait. Once you … Continue readingFate and Fuunji
Smoke gets in your eyes. You can’t help it. The smoke is everywhere. Only this isn’t ordinary smoke but something more sacred. Beyond the majestic gates and giant lanterns, it’s these clouds of incense enveloping us – the two of us in a sea of … Continue readingThe sacred smoke of Senso-ji
Wandering around Senso-ji, we find ourselves hungry again. For a quick meal without leaving the area, for there is still so much to see and explore, we decide on Yoroiya, a noodle shop not far from the Hozomon Gate. Asakusa is the birthplace of shoyu … Continue readingYolks at Yoroiya
We begin with a trio of starters: venison tartare, laced with kohlrabi, on lotus root chips; crackers of tapioca with linseed hummus; and macarons the colour of snow, filled with a decadent truffle and foie gras cream. Then an amuse bouche to delight even the … Continue readingJaan
My friends have opened their new café today. It’s named after a Haruki Murakami novel, A Wild Sheep Chase. There is a lustre of the surreal here amidst the minmalism. It’s very Japanese, I guess. Their milk coffee lights up my day: I’ve been looking … Continue readingNo latte art