yamaya and neko shokupan

V gave us these cans of smoked salmon and scallops that are supposed to be eaten as pupu 

I heated them up in the fish grill

They were delicious! (Thank you!) 

Since we needed coffee, I also looked for different cans at Yamaya for us to try and purchased this pork with honey mustard and chicken that is prepared yakitori style

Changing the subject, back in May I had written that the price of coffee went up, well it went up again!

Now 1 kilo of Mocha Blend or Special Blend is 1980 yen (plus tax) and the Kilimanjaro Blend is 2000 yen (plus tax)...eep!

Across the street of Yamaya is Neko Shokupan, the Christmas versions of Neko (cat) bread are cute!

What are you enjoying?

covering all sorts of cravings

Most times whenever I make something, I get greedy and want to be able to cover all sorts of cravings all at once.

Like making this garlic cheese boule, I also wanted to try "Korean garlic bread"

According to what I've seen online since I’d never tried it before, "korean garlic bread" has a sweet cream cheese filling in it.

So, I bought a boule, sliced it to make it a "pull apart", stuffed it with 2 cloves minced garlic, some butter (couple of dabs), some olive oil (1 tablespoon) and shredded cheese (about 50 grams).

My bread knife sucks, so it was hard to cut this boule without smooshing it.

I baked it in a 350F (180C) oven for 30 minutes covered, then took the foil off and toasted it for 5 minutes.

Online I also saw how someone blended cottage cheese with some sugar and lemon to make a "sweetened cream cheese".

I thought this was interesting plus you can apparently get more protein from this concoction than actual cream cheese...

So I blended cottage cheese (200 grams) with 2 tablespoons sugar, zest of 1/2 a lemon and the juice.

It was my first time buying cottage cheese in Japan. 

I had envisioned the cottage cheese to be more liquidy when I opened it, but it wasn't, so when I tried to blend it, it took a while and didn't get smooth like cream cheese.

I think I need to add a little milk next time.

Instead of putting the sweet cream cheese into the garlic bread, we just used it as a spread while eating the garlic bread.

Overall though, Satoshi loved this, it was definitely worth trying.

I'll make this again adding a little more shredded cheese next time.

pesto and cheese milk bread

It is really too hot and humid these days to be baking, but it is probably the only time of year for yeast to proof, so I baked.

I love this milk bread recipe, you don't need to weigh ingredients nor knead the dough and it comes together rather quickly and easily.

I've made pizza with the dough and also fried it as savory doughnuts.

This time around I stuffed half of the dough with pesto and the other half with cheese.

Both were delicious but my favorite was the cheese version because the cheese gets a little burnt.

We had this with canned sardines which I always jazz up with some sliced garlic then put it under the broiler/in the fish grill.

I timed it so that the bread would come out just as we are about to eat.

So good!

saturday

Saturday I made some mac nut pesto using the carrot tops that I had kept in the freezer from that time we ordered veggies from Suzunari Farm.

The carrot tops are bitter but delicious in this pesto. (afterwards, an IG friend mentioned that I should blanche the tops before using to cut the bitterness, thank you!)
 

Am thinking to use the rest of this pesto with some pasta.
 

I made the same dough that I used for pizza back in May.

Since the dough was really wet and sticky the last time, I added the water in a little at a time, and ended up using less than what the recipe had listed.

In Elle Gourmet, besides pizza, they also suggest that you use the milk bread dough to make beignets.  So instead of filling them with jam like they suggest, I just fried them up plain and we ate them like savory doughnuts with the pesto and oil sardines.

And since I was frying, I fried up some shrimp chips that I have had in my pantry for ages.

These were so light and fluffy!

We saved two to dip into dark chocolate for dessert...so ono!

 

Since the weather is so hot, will definitely think of another way to use this milk bread recipe.

p.s. Yesterday, most of the Kanto (East Japan) areas hit 40C (104F)...the humidity brings the temps up 10 degrees!

We've been sleeping with the a/c on...can you believe July only had 1 day of sun? Looks like Mother Nature is trying to play catch-up in August.

Stay cool, stay hydrated and stay safe!

sunday

Sunday, I went to check out the Aoyama Pan Matsuri (bread festival).

I'm not sure how many vendors they had but the crowd was definitely larger than the chocolate festival I checked out in October.

I purchased a walnut scone and walnut fig bread from Noraya, a bakery from Nagano.

Apparently the walnuts grow in the woods near the bakery!

I also bought a hojicha (roasted green tea) cinnamon roll from Ulucus, a bakery from Kyoto...I didn't realize this until afterwards, but they are located really close to MIL's!

I ate this on Sunday...so delicious and pretty with the dried rose petals.

Some campagne (country bread) and chocolate pan (like anpan but filled with chocolate) from Kibiya Bakery...a bakery from Kamakura, Kanagawa.

The lines were krazy for most of these bakeries and the prices were "nice" too...still I'm glad I got to check out this event and look forward to trying the other items I purchased.

Lunch was at Maya Luz.

My lunch started out with some consomme based bean and veg soup.

And a salad.

Their taco rice was tangy and spicy.

Very filling with all the rice too.

I look forward to trying other items on their menu, I'll be back.

Maya Luz
Shibuya Hikarie 7F
Shibuya, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6803.8977
Hours: 11:30-23:30
Closed when Hikarie is

guru guru bakery

Guru Guru Bakery is located one train station away from us, about a 25 minute walk.

Their baked items seemed like French style and I love that you need to communicate with the people behind the counter as to what you want instead of taking things with a tray and tongs.

Everything looked so good that I bought 4 different things...

caramel nut danish...this was good, though the caramel oozed out of the container they had put it in and went all over the plastic bag that the rest of the items I bought were in...

chocolate walnut scone (square)...a bit dry but flaky

meat gratin pie (bottom right)...flaky pastry lots of italian seasoned tomato, meat and cheese filling...delicious.

sakusaku apuri...flaky crispy pastry mixed with walnuts and apricot jam...so good!

I am glad I tried these and that they are not too close to where we are...I'll be back.

Guru Guru Bakery
1-3-8 Chidori-cho
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6410.5962
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays
Hours: 7:00-19:00

yashi pan

About 10 minutes from where we live is Yashi Pan, a tiny bakery.

On my first visit I tried their tuna and corn bread, this was filled with lots of tuna, corn, black pepper and some mayo.

The other thing I tried was their baked curry pan (left).

The curry was more Asian with hints of coconut milk.

I liked that this wasn't fried and that it was filled to the gills with curry.

The other day I tried their Chicken Panini which had lots of grainy mustard in it.

Their frank roll had grainy mustard in it too, but to me the chicken panini had a little more flavor.

There are other items I am looking forward to trying and I like that you need to communicate with the people behind the counter as to what you want to purchase.

I'll be back.

Yashi Pan
4-23-9 Ikegami
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6312.9101
Hours: 8:00-18:00
Closed Wednesdays & the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays

boulangerie corse

About 6 minutes from where we live is Boulangerie Corse, a tiny bakery that is open rather early in the morning until rather late at night.

The first time I tried their fish burger.

The bun was nice and fluffy and the fish nicely seasoned.

On my second visit, I had their lasagna pie...the outside was on the sweet side and the inside had lots of sauce and some veggies.

I liked the flakiness of the puff pastry.

And their curry cheese pan was a nice rich curry with lots of cheese.

Looking forward to trying other items.

I'll be back.

Boulangerie Corse
6-16-4 Nishi Kamata
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3735.0878
Hours: 9:00-20:00
Closed Wednesdays

panya focaccia

I'm not sure how I found out about this place, but I finally got to check Panya Focaccia out the other day.

Apparently the owner used to own an Italian restaurant, but the star of his restaurant was his house made focaccia.

So, he closed up his restaurant and started selling focaccia topped with all sorts of toppings...like keema curry.

Filled with sweet bean paste and butter.

Apple and gorgonzola.

I loved how the bottom had a nice crisp crust and the focaccia itself was soft and kinda fluffy.

I don't always come to this area, but will be back when I am.

Panya Focaccia
1-2-4 Higashiobase
Higashinari, Osaka
Phone: 06.7505.9919
Hours: 11:00-17:00 (earlier if they run out)
Closed Sundays

lebresso

I've had LeBresso on my "to try" list for some time now, the thing about this place is that they are only a coffee/tea and toast type of place, more of a "morning place" in my books, not a place where you could get a sandwich or something else for lunch.

So on Saturday, while I waited for Satoshi to finish his German class, I went to check them out for a late breakfast.

The place is small, only 7 seats along a counter.

When I got there, all the seats were taken and another customer was waiting in line for a seat as well.

After sitting and waiting for a bit, a group of 4 came and wanted to take out some toasts...they were told that they needed to wait until AFTER me and the other guy got our order in, then they could order take out?! WT?!

I was thinking, "you guys should just wait to be seated too" since they weren't gonna get served their "take-out" until after our orders went in...

Then a couple of seats opened up.

I ordered the peanut butter and honey toast...260 yen

With an iced coffee...330 yen

Their bread doesn't use eggs, I think this is the type of bread that is trending these days, instead of eggs, they use heavy cream.

Not toasted the bread is super soft.

When toasted, the texture of the bread is fluffy on the inside and the crust crisps up.

Overall, the flow of service here seemed a bit off.

I'm glad I tried this place but I probably won't be back.

LeBresso
1-1 Ajihara-cho
Tennoji, Osaka
Phone: 06.6765.8005
Monday-Friday 9:00-19:00
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays 8:00-19:00

boulanger s kagawa

There is a tiny bakery in the Nakazaki-cho area of Osaka called Boulanger S Kagawa.

I picked up a few things to try...the milk france (a baguette filled with a milky buttercream).

Loved this but I should have scraped out the buttercream before heating this up in the toaster oven...what a mess it made!

The chocolate bagel...meh! I'll stick to Happy Camper's bagels.

Fig rustic, packed with so many dried figs! love.

I love how you need to tell the people behind the counter what items you want and I love their "hard type" breads....I'll be back!

Boulanger S Kagawa
1-10-10 Nakazaki, Soleil Nakazaki 1F
Kita-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6374.0181
Hours: 7:30-19:00
Closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays

paris h

I recently checked out Paris H.

They are located in this building near the National Museum of Art Osaka.

The shop used to be called "Four de H" and used to be located in Honmachi. I thought I posted about them but maybe it was pre-blog that I tried them.

Anyway, the shop is brightly lit and I like how you have to tell the person working behind the counter what you want.

I picked up this dried fruit bread and this fig bread...both 380 yen each plus tax.

I liked how these breads were packed with fruits.

The one on the left had dried fruits and nuts and the base was strawberries.

Not sure if this is what made it bright pink (I think they used a food coloring).

The fig bread was really moist and figgy...so good with a schmear of cream cheese.

We had these with some wine and salad.

I'll be back.

Paris H
3-6-32 Nakanoshima, Nakanoshima Dai-Bldg 1F
Kita, Osaka
Phone: 06.6479.3577
Closed Sundays & Mondays
Hours: 10:00-19:00, Take-out only

eat this...

Dave's Killer 21 Grain Bread.

I think we got this at Sam's Club.

Lots of fiber, low calorie and organic...love it!

boulangerie p & b

It had been awhile since I checked out Boulangerie P & B, luckily the day I went, they were open.

I tried their olive foccacia which was studded with green and black olives.

And their cumin cheese bread.

Heated in the oven, both were very tasty.

biscoff spread

Am finally jumping on the biscoff spread wagon.

I've seen so many people posting on biscoff spread that I finally picked up a jar when I was in Hawaii.

It is good, creamy with that "spicy" flavor that the cookies have.

But you know what is even better?

When you crumble some biscoff cookies on top. (There is actually a crunchy version of the spread, but none to be found here in Japan.)

I think it gives the flavor a little more "oomph" and a nice crunch.

grand marble

When I'm on the computer, I often also listen to the radio.

This particular station often advertises Grand Marble's danish breads, which sounded really delicious.

The main store is in Kyoto, but they also have a little shop in Osaka.

I picked up their fig and chocolate...1260 yen.

I sliced the bread into 8 slices and froze 4.

We had a toasted slice for breakfast with tea yesterday.

Lots of chocolate and figs in there.

This is definitely not for everyday though it would really make a great gift.

Grand Marble Dojima store
1-1-13 Dojima
Kita, Osaka
Phone: 06.6345.5166
Open weekdays 11:00-24:00

p.s. It's Friday! Hope you have a great weekend.

sammy pooh!

After lunch, I felt like I needed a walk, so I went to check out this bakery, Sammy Pooh! (what a name, yeah?!)

I tried their pain au chocolat, this needed more chocolate...

Their apple custard danish was delicious.

The custard was very thick and rich.

Their walnut bread had lots of walnuts.

We shared all of these for breakfast the other day, they are kind of on the pricey side, but I wouldn't mind trying some of their other items.

Sammy Pooh! (UPDATE: 2024 no longer in business)
4-9-11 Minami-senba
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6282.0058
Hours: 11:00-21:00

It's Friday here, we're headed for a cold snap next week, hope you have a great weekend!

jizoya

I think I've told you that my host-brother's wife is a foodie. I'm so glad "all of my family members" are foodies...she gave us this loaf of bread on Friday made by a shop in her neighborhood called Jizoya.

They don't use egg because many children in Japan have allergies to eggs. They do use flour, heavy cream, butter, sugar, salt and water.

The results...a very light almost airy bread.

The texture is like a brioche, rich and delicious. It was delicious toasted with a slather of butter. (Thank you!)

Jizoya
3-2-12 Yuminoki-cho
Nada, Kobe
Phone: 078.841.6230
Open from 11:00 until sold out
Closed Sundays

p.s. you may have noticed a "prove you are not a robot" thingy when you comment, at first I had turned it off because I moderate (look over) the comments before it is published. Then, I noticed many "anonymous" comments started spamming, so I put it back AND will no longer allow "Anonymous" comments, please sign in with an appropriate ID...Thanks in advance for understanding.

l-o-n-g

Lately I've been buying baguette from Bigot (bee-go). Most places charge between 240 and 260 yen, the size of the baguette range too.

Some charge the higher of the price range and give you a teeny baguette...boo!

I like the fact that Bigot's baguette is about 60 centimeters (that is nearly 2 feet) and only 241 yen (tax included)...yeah, I measured it.

When you toast it, the outside gets crispy and the inside kinda chewy.

I know in France most people keep their baguette in a cloth bag, but in Japan, they give you a plastic one.

I usually re-use the plastic bag I receive and put other breads into it afterwards.

This was the view of our mountains yesterday with a sprinkling of snow.

p.s. I've added a QR code for this blog (in the Buttons Galore section), just scan the code with your reader and bookmark us.

It's Friday here, hope you have a great weekend!

tommy's

Got a chance to meet up with my host-brother's wife, Kazumi the other day for lunch. She has 3 children all under 10 so for her to get some time for herself is very rare.

Now that her littlest one is in pre-school, she said that she wanted to get together for lunch.

We met up in Kobe and tried an Indian restaurant called Sonarupa. They don't take reservations for lunch so we tried to get there as soon as the place opened.

We both ordered the "Bombay" set 1000 yen (about US$10). This started off with a really flavorful curry soup.

Next came a salad with some chicken tikka (which reminded me of tandoori chicken) and chicken seekh kebab. Everything had just enough spices and was so delicious.

A little dish of their vegetable curry and some freshly made naan.

We had a nice time chatting and enjoying the food. (sorry no photos, was too busy chatting and eating).

Then we walked over to Green House Silva, a cafe near the station.

I visited this cafe back in 2007, and I was surprised I remembered where it was.

We both had decadent chocolatey treats and coffees...and did lots more chatting.

Before Kazumi rushed off to pick up her children from school, she gave me this loaf of bread.

It was from a bakery in Kobe called Tommy's.

This particular loaf had "an" (ahn/sweet bean paste) in it. It was HEAVY!

When cut open, there are many pockets where the sweet bean paste was. The crust was very hard but the inside very soft, fluffy.

The first morning we had this, I sliced this bread thick and toasted it then spread a smidge of cream cheese....yum!

The next morning we had it again with a pat of butter...oh my!

Both ways were definitely delicious. I think the bread itself is a brioche type because it was kind of buttery.

They have various types of this loaf, matcha with sweet bean paste as well as plain.

I heard these loaves are quite popular, next time I'm in Kobe, I think I'll pick up a loaf, if they have any left.

Sonarupa
2-2-9 Shimoyamatedori, Light House 3F
Chuo, Kobe
Phone: 078.322.0252
Closed Wednesdays
Lunch: 11:30-14:00, Dinner: 17:30-21:30

Tommy's Sannomiya
1-31 Kitanagasadori, Kokashita (shopping arcade) 35
Chuo, Kobe
Phone: 078.333.8820
Open: 8:00-20:00 : take-out only