toothpick

do you use the toothpick that usually comes with wooden chopsticks?

apparently, not everyone does
 

so, recently, they have been making these "packets" without the toothpick

if you usually use the toothpick, you'll have to start bringing your own

ikedayama bread & coffee

I had an errand to run and also checked out another location for Ikedayama Bread & Coffee

This one is located near the JR Gotanda Station 

I got their saucisson and cinnamon roll

Loved the sausage, it was super flavorful with a snap

I would've preferred the sauerkraut to be "loose" and not stuck onto the sausage with cheese but I still enjoyed this

The cinnamon roll was a disappointment, I think it might have been overbaked

This shop seems to be a lot smaller than the one in Jiyugaoka and the one in Higashi Gotanda

I'll probably make the walk to the Higashi Gotanda shop in the future.

Ikedayama Bread & Coffee

1-2-10 Nishigotanda, Circles Gotanda 1F

Shinagawa, Tokyo

Open daily: 8:00-19:00

swicy

a television show here said that the food trend this year is “swicy”...sweet + spicy = swicy

I saw this at one of the supermarkets that I go to and bought one to try
 

I don't think I've ever tried Buldak, but have heard it is really spicy

This version comes with the spicy sauce packet and a sweet sprinkle packet

there are sugar crystals as well as brownish ones

even if this was level 1, it was too spicy for me...mouth.on.fire

should’ve added an egg, still I'm glad I tried it

penguin bakery

Been wanting to try Penguin Bakery for some time now.

They are originally from Hokkaido, and have franchises all over Japan

Earlier this year when they first opened in Motomachi, the lines were kinda krazy, so it was nice to just be able to "walk in" purchase things and "walk out"

I got their root vegetable curry pan, corn bread and cookie melon pan

The root vegetable curry pan was so ono! filled with lots of veggies and curry

The curry wasn't super spicy which was also nice

The corn bread was filled to the gills with corn! love!

Least favorite was the cookie style melon pan...there were crystal sugar pieces here and there to give a "crunch" but it was not even "cookie like"

Anyway, I wished they had more savory items.

I'm glad I tried this bakery, not sure I would go back though

Penguin Bakery

1-13 Ishikawa-cho

Naka ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Open daily: 10:00-19:00

gacha gacha no mori ribasuku

After lunch at Codie's, I walked to Yamashita Park to see the roses

so many furry people out and about

 

I wasn't too sure if I was early for rose season or if "this was it", still, it was nice to see

kochia

unusual colored coleus

found an interesting objet...zangiri, which commemorates the birthplace of Western style barbering in Japan during the late 19th century

caught these two talking story

found the statue of the girl with red shoes

blog friend, Kirk, also posted about the girl with red shoes in San Diego, which is Yokohama's sister city

Nearby is the Industry and Trade Center

And in the basement is the Gacha Gacha no Mori Ribasuku, which I learned about from social media

not sure what ribasuku stands for…

Entrance fee is 10 yen (or more) this money is given to charities

This shop is tiny but they let you see the toys from the gacha gacha machines, so you can buy the one you actually want at the price that the gacha machines sell them for

since BFF likes otters, I found one for her...300 yen (tax included)

I'm glad I checked this place out and it was a nice walk after eating such a big lunch

Gacha Gacha no Mori Ribasuku

2 Yamashitacho, Industry & Trade CenterB1

Naka ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Open daily: 11:00-17:00

codie's

Have had Codie's on my "to try" list for some time now

Went to check it out on Friday, since I had some time on my hands
 

The shop is tiny, seating only about 12?!

Burgers are cooked to order so be prepared to wait

Luckily, Kat was first to order...

Avocado cheeseburger with fries and an oolong tea...2013 yen (tax included)

This made up for that junk one I had the other week

The patty was juicy AND the fries were well seasoned even if they also had ketchup on the table.

Also appreciated that they had a knife and fork on the table because it got messy eating from that paper wrapper...

Since it was close to Halloween, they also let you take a piece of candy from their Jack 'o lantern near the register

I'm glad I tried this place and will be back whenever I'm nearby

Codie's

1-5-7 Shinyamashita

Naka ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Closed: Mondays

Hours: 11:00-22:00

this and that

Sunday we went to Sekiya Express Spaghetti and were in time for their breakfast service

for the price of your spaghetti, they give you a free salad!

the salad is so huge too! I loved the dressing, it was creamy, a little puckery but also a little sweet

I got the regular sized miso meat, which I've tried in the past...this is a huge portion too...300 grams of spaghetti!

Satoshi had the shoyu basilico (no photo), he said he enjoyed this
 

got a message that my ballot was received...whoo!

saw this on social media and really wanted to get it...hashi (chopstick) sized tongs...super thin!

these are made in Niigata and easy to use

found it at Seria, a 100 yen shop

while waiting at the train crossing, I noticed this in one of the vending machines...

this drink uses no coffee, only chicory AND chickpeas!

I've heard of using chicory, but not chickpeas...not sure how this would taste...

Satoshi had a tour recently and took his clients to Asakusa

While they were there, he took them past Kameya, a shop that makes ningyoyaki (sweets that are shaped like "dolls" (ningyo), masks, shapes and filled with smooth sweet bean paste)

He thought they might want to try them, but instead they bought him some and didn't try any!

Love the package!

They were delicious and we have six more in the freezer...thank you!

Omma's deluxe noriben...590 yen (tax included)...pumpkin croquette, hamburger, isobe chikuwa, fried chicken, tamagoyaki, kinpira, moyashi & spicy daikon...so filling but glad I was able to try this.

The kinpira and moyashi were super salty but everything else was delicious.

Cheap eats!

Typhoon 30 (Champi) is still going...it should finally come close to Japan in the coming days.

This week the weather was krazy...some days were blazing, I think we hit 30C (86F)!

some days were cool, some days were drizzly, and some were blustery!

Have a safe weekend!