2012 New Year in Japan Part 1: Kyoto

I don't deny it: I love going to Japan.
Really, it's hard not to like the place. Great food, awesome service, beautiful scenery, reliable transport system. Ticks all my boxes as a perfect travel destination. Needless to say, spending a week in the Kansai region with onsen chucked in it was hard to resist. Even if it meant completely altering my original plans (solo, Osaka only) and not seeing my favourite Japanese boy band in live concert action.  Was it worth the sacrifice? Well...
But on with the trip.
Kyoto. Once the capital of Japan, home of the Gion geishas, loaded with temples. I won't go into the rich history and culture - plenty of experts out there on that. It's also one of the few places where I'm happy to do all the touristy things. Like going to Kinkakuji (aka The Golden Pavillion) as soon as we're off the train from Osaka.

Kinkakuji 金閤寺


We really couldn't have picked a worse (or better?) time to visit Kyoto. It was 3rd January, and Kinkakuji was packed compared with our last trip 3 years ago. Despite the crowds, it was still unbelievably orderly. Typical Japan.

Still managed some photos sans crowds.

By the time we got out of Kinkakuji it was just before lunch time, and the group was hungry. We walked into the first restaurant within sight, Itadaki, and thankfully they had room for all 7 of us. Unfortunately for the people who arrived right after us, they had to wait a good 20 minutes for a table.

Pork Ginger set, 1470 yen

Daily Special: Kobe beef steak donburi set, 1050 yen

House specialty hamburger with demiglace sauce set, 1260 yen

Previous trips were somewhat marred by the steep prices for, well, everything. 1000 yen for ramen had, in my mind, become the norm. So when I saw the prices for a teishoku set lunch at Itadaki, it came as a nice surprise. My pork ginger came as a juicy cutlet of pork pan-fried with onions and ginger sauce, almost gravy-like in consistency, balanced by mizuna on top. I'm told the beef steak donburi was just as good, and great value too. Unfortunately the hamburger turned out to be a slight disappointment, lacking sweetness and slightly overdone.

Second stop: Gion. We went intending to do a bit of geisha-spotting, but the place was packed with not the slightest trace of geishas or maiko in sight. Still, great spot for a bit of traditional architecture.

Last stop was Kiyomizutera, which turned out to be a mistake. The place was packed! We got in around 4pm, and couldn't get out until well past 5, despite taking the shortest route possible. Okay, we did make a detour and had a snack of yudofu (blanched tofu), udon and zenzai...

The yudofu (湯豆腐) was well worth it. Vegan, flavoured by konbu tsuyu, blanched in konbu dashi, it's vegan, without sacrificing taste. It lives up to all expectations of Kyoto tofu, renowned for its silky but firm texture and slight nutty flavour.

Next stop: Arima Onsen.

Itadaki
京都府京都市北区衣笠馬場町３０−５

So much for sticking to promises

Clearly, when it comes to meeting my own expectations, I fail. A million times over.

Ah well, better late than never.

So, holidays. After over a year of no flying (can you believe that?!) it was nice to be back at the airport again. Even nicer is getting into lounges despite having my membership downgraded just a month earlier (thanks anyway, Cathay!). Until it dawned on me that these visits to airports will become a near weekly event...

Enough complaints about airports and air travel. On with the main event.

It's funny how a solo trip can turn into a group tour almost overnight. Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe had been on my itinerary for years (mainly non-food related reasons, actually). Not complaining, because traveling with this particular group meant that my wallet would bleed a lot less than doing it solo. Not to mention, added bonus of going to Arima Onsen for a very relaxing 2 nights...

I'm still living in the memories. There are photos everywhere, and sorting them out on the Mac is proving to be more of a nightmare than first thought.

So here's a photo preview of the Kyoto post, which will be Part 1 of Series Japan, 2012.

Melbourne 2011

The long overdue Melbourne visit - this trip somehow managed to be delayed and rescheduled three times, and blew out to double my original budget. Ah well, first true solo trip - momentous occasion and a minor triumph.

The trip started with lunch at Southgate, a new shopping and entertainment complex across the river from Flinders Street Station. It felt rather like venturing into Harbourside, but newer. With touchscreen tables for information stands. Fun.

Soup of the day at Blue Train Cafe - $12.80

Carbs. And fat. Just the sustenance I needed for an afternoon of walking around the city. Not that it ended up being that way - decided that the free City Circle trams would be a better idea.

Day 2 started wonderfully with breakfast at Cumulus Inc. 

Menu

Lyonnaise sausage, pork hock, beans and sourdough toast, with 65/65 egg

Best breakfast of 2011, undoubtedly. After 5 years of Canberra quality, the price was a pleasant surprise. I'm just sorry for not trying the lemon curd madelines - it felt weird to order only one, when other tables were getting at least 3. Something for next time.

Next stop: the Sensory Lab at David Jones. 

Hario siphon coffee.

Loved the single cubicles, didn't enjoy the coffee as much. It was good - don't get me wrong - but at $8 a pop it was a bit steep. Then again, I have been treated to the best coffee in Canberra almost every day for the past 2 years (3-cup for $5, a bargain compared to SL); and I'm much too used to their richer, less fruity blends and so the high acidity was something to get used to.

After coffee, it was time for cake. Having read about Lux Bites, a trip down to Toorak Road was in order. Any excuse for a tram ride. 

And it didn't disappoint. Perfect salted caramel macaron atop a caramel chocolate slice. Delish. Service was warm, friendly and spot on, too. Delightful.

The best decision was to go with daily metcards. $7 for Zone 1 only (Monday - Saturday) and $3.20 for the Sunday Saver (Zones 1-2) saved so much unnecessary walking around. Also saved me from becoming drenched - it started pouring halfway through breakfast at Cumulus Inc and didn't really stop until I stepped out of Lux Bites.

Dinner was with a good friend at Shoya, a teppanyaki-ryotei-sushi restaurant opposite Hutong on Little Bourke Street. 

It was delightful - the sashimi in ice bowls was definitely the stand out. Ultra fresh, with fantastic knife work, it comes a close second to Japan.

Saikyo miso cod - silky, sweet, packed with umami, perfectly balanced. 

Sake was wonderful too - it was a try before you order affair (something I will get used to!). The glasses were also beautiful - I'm told they're traditional Satsuma kiriko cut glass from Japan. 

Dessert - uni (sea urchin) cheesecake. Yes I did order it because it was "out there". It didn't look or taste of uni at all, just a pleasant egginess and creaminess which was pleasant with the slight savoury taste from the cheese.

Day 3 started at Auction Rooms. Quirky, bare brick walls, sugar in old soup tins, coffee was a joy and breakfast delightful. 

French toast with vanilla custard and poached pears

Second stop was Queen Victoria Markets, which unfortunately didn't get as many photos because we were in a rush and well, I was lazy. Second coffee of the day from Market Lane - wonderful.

Third stop - early lunch at St Ali. Yes, J, I did make it! Thanks for the recommendation. 

There was a small crowd outside the place, which didn't diminish at all while I was there. Eccentricity seemed to rule, the menu was filled with hilarious names. The salmon on quinoa salad was tangy, zingy and refreshing - really needed the greens after 2 days of fiberless meals.

Breakfast on day 4 was my last meal in Melbourne. Discovering Cafe Vue was about 5 blocks away from my hotel, there was really no excuse to not go and try it out. 

Croque Monsieur came piping hot, it was crunchy, with the right amount of seeded mustard, melted cheese, and the best ham I had ever tasted for a long while.

4 days, 3 nights, definitely not enough time to try everything I wanted. Until next time, Melbourne!

I am back!

After a year of blogging hiatus, I'm back!

It's been a long and hard year, juggling a demanding job and even more demanding year of classes. But now it's all over, just waiting for the final notice, one more trip back to pack the rest of my stuff and it will be goodbye, Canberra, and hello, holidays.

The next three months will be hectic but interesting. Hopefully it won't be too rushed or people packed. So far my solo plans have all fallen through, and now there are parties of people following my escapades. Not all unwelcome, but there are a few which are rather... annoying. (And J, if you're reading, you are definitely NOT on the annoying list!)

In any case, expect more regular posts, lots of complaints about becoming fat, and heaps of crappy photos of food that appears on my table. I have returned!

Hiatus no more

School's out, work's over, I really have no excuse to not blog now.
Will soon be embarking on a long overdue holiday, and special foodie project with a good friend.
Not to mention the Melbourne weekend... expect a post in the next week.
In the meanwhile, check out my twitter: /yygall
See you soon!