tachikawa

From where we live it took me several trains and about an hour and a half to get to Tachikawa.

Tachikawa is still part of Tokyo, but on the very west side of Tokyo.

I had lunch at the station at a bakery called Sesto, before checking out Showa Kinen Koen (Showa Memorial Park).

Hot dog with sauerkraut, olives, cheese and a little ketchup.

I love that this bakery heated up my hot dog and even cut it in half.

I'll be back!

After lunch, I walked to the park in search of the poppies that I had seen on someone's Instagram.

I found out the hard way that there was admission (450 yen)...and that from the entrance I needed to walk 30-40 minutes to the poppy hill!

Apparently Showa Memorial Park is a little smaller than Hitachi Seaside Park (Ibaraki Prefecture)....and almost twice the size of Shinjuku Gyoen (Tokyo)...HUGE!

And with the temps blazing at 34C (93F) it made walking 30-40 minutes kind of painful...

But, look at all these poppies...beautiful yeah?!

Last Tuesday, we had major wind and rain (almost typhoon-ish) and lots of these poppies were "knocked" flat...luckily they revived with the blazing temps.

There was also a bouquet garden which I went through on my way out of the park.

I hope to come back to check out their tulips and cherry blossoms (early Spring) and maybe their autumn colors in the Fall...

Hot, perspiry and just plain gross...I stood in line for these berry puree and custard filled hand pies by Ringo.

Ringo is known for their custard apple pies (which we've tried and love) but for 4 days, they were only selling these...so delicious! glad we tried them.

Despite the heat, it was nice to check out this park and another part of Tokyo.

If you'd like to see some of the other photos/videos I took, please look here.

Sesto
Gran Duo Tachikawa 1F
Tachikawa, Tokyo
Phone: 042.540.2235
Hours: 10:00-21:00
Closed when Gran Duo is

Showa Memorial Park
3173 Midori-cho
Tachikawa, Tokyo
Phone: 042.528.1751
*check site for hours and days closed

Ringo
JR Tachikawa Station
Tachikawa, Tokyo
Phone: 042.548.9585
Hours: 10:00-22:00 (Mondays-Fridays), 10:00-21:00 (Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays)

ringo

While I was in Hawaii during the summer, BAKE, opened up a new shop called Ringo, which means "apple" in Japanese.

These hand held apple pies are filled with apple and custard cream.

The crust is buttery and flaky.

The limit when buying is only four and the lines can be krazy.

But, I think the lines aren't as krazy as when BAKE opened just because they limit how many you can buy.

Anyway, we were lucky to be first ones in line the other day.

We'll be back.

Ringo
Lucua B1F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1284
Hours: 10:00-21:00
Open when Lucua is

hawaiian pie company

Went to Hawaiian Pie Company, since I saw that they had bread pudding as their special.

The guy working behind the counter wasn't too informed and didn't even know what I was talking about when I asked him.

Then when I told him I wanted to get the coconut mini pie...he didn't even know that they had them in their showcase...dude!

Anyway, the pie is filled with lots of coconut...love!

I'm glad I tried this, I'll be back.

back to hawaiian pie company

I recently saw that Hawaiian Pie Company had custard tarts as their special of the day, so since I happened to be in the area, I stopped in and picked up one.

Looking at the size of the container, I am pretty sure that their tarts are the same size as their mini pies.

The difference is that the tarts are a short crust (shortening) and the mini pies have a flaky crust (butter).

Whenever I pass through Chinatown, I pick up a Lee's custard tart $1.25 tax included.

The Hawaiian Pie Company's is larger and costs a little more too...$3.66 (tax included).

Straight out of the fridge is how I like custard pie...this one was so good!

I'll be back!

hawaiian pie company

Hawaiian Pie Company is a tiny shop located at the corner of Waiakamilo and Colburn in Kalihi.

Apparently they are related to Holy Bakery Manoa & Big Island.

My brother and I recently tried their Mini Caramel Apple Pie...$6 plus tax.

I halved my half and tried one half cold, straight out of the refrig and one half heated up.

When I worked at Lion Coffee, my supervisor once told me that most foods taste good hot, but the test is if they taste just as good cold.

Which is why I tried the pie cold too.

The crust is super buttery, so heated up is the way to go.

I hope to try their mini coconut pie next time I'm home...I'll be back.

Hawaiian Pie Company
508 Waiakamilo Road
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone:808.988.7828
Open: Tuesday-Friday 7:00-16:00, Saturday 9:00-16:00 (or sooner if sold out

cheap eats

I think I've told you about Lee's custard pie...well, the other day while I was in Chinatown, I went to see if they had something smaller than a whole pie.

And they did!

Custard tarts and only $1 each!

Ice cold from the fridge, this was nice for breakfast, though I wish I had bought a couple more...

ted's

A generous slice of Ted's chocolate haupia pie.

Reduced for whatever reason from US$2.79 to US$1.

Add on Mom's senior discount...pay US$.95

Even though the crust wasn't crisp or flaky, it was still delicious and a really cheap eats...

lee's bakery & kitchen

Yesterday, my cousin P and her family, brought over this custard pie along with lunch from Tanioka's.

The custard pie was from Lee's Bakery in Chinatown. I think this might be the place that Kirk said makes awesome doughnuts...

Anyway, the pie was eggy and rich, like custard pies should be. Plus, it was still warm, I think it had just come out of the oven...mmm!

The crust was flaky but not "the best", the filling on the other hand was delish!

Thank you P!

Lee's Bakery & Kitchen
126 North King Street (Chinatown)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.521.6261
Mondays-Saturdays 5:00-17:00, Sundays 5:00-16:00

hawaii plays tourist

Satoshi was here for about 5 days and we got to play tourist a bit.

On Tuesday, we headed to Haleiwa, he really likes this area.

We checked out Ted's Bakery, which is known for their chocolate haupia pie.

I had heard that they also served plate lunches, so I figured we could pick something up then eat it at the beach.

Well, I didn't know that they only serve breakfast in the mornings (your website should note that somewhere!)

So, we ordered a Loco Moco for Satoshi...$9-something.

He said he enjoyed it.

Portuguese Sausage & Eggs for me...$8-something.

I liked this but thought these weren't really hash browns...

And their chocolate macadamia cream pie...$3-something.

I didn't quite read the label when I took it from their refrigerator, so that is why we missed the one with haupia.

Um, the food is decent here, BUT it took over 30 minutes for us to get our food!

If anything, I would go back for the pie, but probably for nothing else.

It was nice eating under the trees at Sunset Beach though...

After brunch, we headed back to Haleiwa town and spent some time at Coffee Gallery.

An iced French Roast (cold brewed) for me and a Haleiwa Blend for Satoshi...$3-something for both.

Free Wi-Fi was a plus...overcharging me for this coconut macaroon (which I didn't realize until afterwards...not cool!) was a double minus.

I purchased the macaroon for my mom because she loves coconut and she enjoyed this, I'd probably go back for the Wi-Fi and coffee though...

Then as we drove through Waialua, a sign caught my eye... "coconut peanut butter".

We checked it out and I found that North Shore Goodies also makes a chocolate coconut peanut butter.

Chocolate, peanuts and coconut, that's it. How can you go wrong with that?! No sugar added too...$7-something

We got to sample both and they were delicious, can't wait to slather this on a bagel or melt some to drizzle on vanilla ice cream!

Despite the minuses, the weather was wonderful, we contributed a little to the economy and Satoshi got to see some of his favorites sights in Hawaii, in essence it was a good day.

Ted's Bakery
59-024 Kamehameha Highway
Sunset Beach, Hawaii
Phone: 808.638.8207

Coffee Gallery
66-250 Kamehameha Highway
Haleiwa, Hawaii
Phone: 808.637.5571

North Shore Goodies
67-292 Goodale Avenue
Waialua, Hawaii
Phone: 808.637.5415

hawaii gathers

One of my mom's cousins had come over from the Big Island, so my Aunty M put together a gathering for all that could come for dinner.

Since no one wants to be slaving over a stove in these times, my Aunty M1 ordered some bento from Natsunoya Tea House.

I've never been to the tea house, but hear it is a great place for parties/gatherings up in Alewa Heights and is one of the last remaining Japanese tea houses in Hawaii.

The bento was filled with teriyaki beef, shrimp tempura, purple sweet potato tempura, fried chicken, curry croquette, namasu, nishime, tamagoyaki, rice and pickled ginger.

Way too much food, but most everything (except the nishime (too salty) and chicken (too bland) was delicious. (UPDATE: reheated the chicken for dinner next night and it was hard but tasted a little better)

We also had some 2009 A to Z Pinot Noir, light bodied and spicy.

For dessert my mom made an orange-pineapple cake, a very moist and refreshing cake topped with vanilla pudding, crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges.

And one of Mom's cousins brought a Ted's Bakery Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cream Pie, not as good as their Chocolate Haupia Pie but still delicious.

It was a great gathering, great conversation, lots of laughs and lots of food.

hawaii eats and shops

Tuesday met my friend Gaye for some lunch and shopping. One of the places I checked out was Blue Hawaii Lifestyle at Ala Moana. They are supposed to have an awesome acai bowl, but I didn't get a chance to check that out.

I did pick up a little package of spice rub (I know I just bought some but...) there made by Aloha Spice Company, which I saw in "Honolulu" magazine. They are actually from Hanapepe Kauai (do you know them Rowena??) and make all organic spice rubs...can't wait to try this one out too.

On the way home, I stopped by Ward Centre and checked out Honolulu Chocolate Company only to be disappointed. Almost all their shelves were sparse. I don't know if it was because of the season (middle of summer) and I am hoping it wasn't because of the economy.

I did find something I had not tried and picked up a 75% Ivory Coast bar by Theo. I have been seeing their chocolates on various sites and have been wanting to try them, I hope they are good.

Wednesday, took my mom and grandma to Marukai. It was the start of their weekly sale and there were things they needed.

As I waited for them, I noticed this display...(Nate, thought of you when I saw it and took a pic (secretly))...US$5.99 +tax for the tebichi (pig's feet) soup.

There was also a demo by Walaka Gourmet Products...they had peach, banana and apricot pies. They also had sweet bread and other goodies too. My mom said, "here" and shoved a sample of peach pie into my mouth as I waited in line at the cashier.

We bought their personal sized (6-inch) peach and banana...real fruit filling...crusts made of shortening...delicious! each US$4.99 + tax. The banana was filled more than the peach but both were good.

And here was my lunch...teri beef don...US$4.79...lots of teri beef (a little too sweet for me), lots of rice, choi sum, a piece of tamagoyaki (rolled egg) and two mandoo (fried dumplings)...filling!

Aloha Spice Company
3865 Hanapepe Road
P.O. Box 950
Hanapepe, Kauai
Phone: toll free (800) 914-5944

Blue Hawaii Lifestyle
Ala Moana Shopping Center near Nordstrom
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.949.0808

what would you do?

What would you do if you had an apple that was kind of chalky tasting? Would you throw it out? Eat it as is?

We recently had an apple like that. I had cut it in half and had one of the halves with our breakfast. But because the apple was so chalky and not very sweet, I used the other half to make...apple pie.

With one puff pastry sheet, I used a cyclinder to cut out 4 circles, 2 were nice, the other 2 were made from the scraps, so they weren't too round.

I cut and heated the apple with some butter, sugar and cinnamon and cooked it down until it was almost like a jam.

After filling each circle, I baked it in a 200C (400F) oven for 20 minutes. You could hear it pooffing in the oven too, "poof" "poof"... the results were a delicious, flaky pie perfect for two afternoon teas and two snacks for Satoshi.

Gosh, it is the weekend already...hope yours is a good one!

pumpkin "pie"

Saturday's dinner was inspired from this book. In it, I found a recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Garlic.

I ended up not following the recipe and did my own thing.

Roasted Pumpkin, Onion and Garlic Soup inspired by "Little Book of Soup"

1/4 pumpkin, seeded with skin on
3 tablepoons olive oil
1 onion, halved
salt
1 clove garlic, leave skin on
1 cube consomme
300 ml water
pepper

Put foil onto pan and lay pumpkin, onion and garlic. Drizzle olive oil over the veggies. Sprinkle some salt.
Put into 200C (400F) oven and roast for 30-40 minutes.
In a pot, put together the consomme with the water, heat.
Use a spoon to scrape out the pumpkin after roasting and throw all veggies into a food processor.
Add some of the consomme to the food processor to help liquidize the veggies.
Add some salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a 1/2 teaspoon of cream.

As the veggies roasted the aroma that filled the room was delicious. This soup wasn't thick, but it sure hit the spot.

In Japan, they call puff pastry sheets, pie sheets. I made some "pies" for us, using cubes of Monbana 70% chocolate with nibs and a squeeze of chestnut paste....delicious gooey-ness!