Sunday 5 November 2017

The Japanese Food Adventure Chapter 3 - Day 18. Last stop Tokyo



The rain in Nagoya had finally stopped, the cloud was really low in places though covering the tops of some taller buildings. We were really feeling exhausted today, over two weeks of being on the go must have finally been catching up on us. We both felt quite light headed and on occasions I wondered if I was going to faint. 




Perhaps food was the answer? We went in search of somewhere to have breakfast.




I was tempted to try the eggslut plate but opted instead for bacon and eggs on toast.




The price of the breakfast was ¥650 (£4.35) and it included a much needed iced coffee.




The eggs and bacon on toast also included potato wedges and salad. There was a packet of butter but I couldn't be bothered to dismantle everything to spread it over the toast.




The bacon was very thin but tasted pretty good and the egg was nicely cooked with an intact runny yolk. 




Still feeling quite light headed I drank a Pocari Sweat, it didn't make a difference though.




At least we had 2 hours to relax on the shinkansen journey back to our final destination on the trip, Tokyo.




A friend had recommended that I try some savoury potato sticks by Calbee. I found these ones but they were not the same type so the search continued. The type to try were called Jagabee by Calbee, the ones I'd bought were a mixed vegetable flavoured stick, a bit like chipsticks. I also bought some Chip Star, not quite as nice as Pringles though.




This onigiri looked interesting so I bought it to find out what was underneath the nori seaweed.




A delicious thick layer of chicken and prawn in a spicy sauce was revealed when I opened it.




By 4pm we were in Koenji, a few stops away from Shinjuku. This was our third time of staying in Koenji, we love this place! Our home for the next 3 nights was at Koenji Guesthouse, it cost us just ¥3900 (£26) per night to stay in a double room here.




Koenji has so many shops selling kitsch and vintage stuff it's always a joy to explore.




It has it's fair share of restaurants and bars too, all on the doorstep of the guesthouse.




Many small bars and restaurants can be found tucked away in small alleyways and underneath the railway tracks.




The guesthouse has a shared kitchen and roof terrace, the ideal spot to enjoy a beer.
Over a beer we dithered over whether to eat at a favourite yakitori restaurant of ours or Hanbey.




We opted for the yakitori restaurant but it was closed when we arrived so Hanbey it was then.




We hadn't eaten in this Hanbey before, the tables were tiny!




I was feeling experimental so I ordered something called "Cat Food" from the menu. It turned out to be rice topped with a raw egg, fish flakes and nori seaweed flakes. The heat of the rice cooked the egg gently and having added some sweet miso sauce it tasted great.




I also ordered some chicken yakitori, only ¥60 (40p) each!




The takoyaki here were really nice and only ¥300 (£2) for 4. Fried octopus balls covered in fish flakes and sauce in case you're not familiar with them. 




Before returning to the guesthouse I wanted to track down the Jagabee snack I was trying to find earlier in the day. I found them in 7 Eleven, it was just a case of choosing a flavour.




These were amazing, just like french fries but crunchier. I'd been told to look out for the lemon flavoured ones, I couldn't find them anywhere though so tried butter soy sauce flavour instead.




Finally some tiny chocolate cookies about the size of a 50p coin. 


Click here for Day 19
Ghibli Museum and a night out in Nakano

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