akutagawa seika

Back in November, when I met up with Greg's sisters, I also checked out Akutagawa Seika

They apparently have been in business since 1886 and used to have a shop in the Komagome area, but now mainly have shops in Saitama prefecture and a teeny outlet shop at the bottom of JR Ikebukuro station

I bought their 70% pure chocolate

And their Omikuji chocolate

Similar to the omikuji that you see at shrines 

You shake out a chocolate wrapped with your fortune

This was fun to do while we had our coffee during the New Year break

I'm glad we got to try these and would go back to buy chocolate from them again

Akutagawa Seika

Ikebukuro Shopping Park, B1

Hours: 10:00-19:30 (Sundays & Holidays), 10:00-21:00 (Weekdays)

*closed when Ikebukuro Shopping Park is

i‘m donut

After lunch I went in search of i'm donut

They have several locations around Japan even one in New York?! and other overseas shops

Their brioche type doughnuts are all the rage

I'd heard that some times the wait in line is hours...

Since Satoshi didn't need dinner, and I had a late lunch, I decided to get some doughnuts to try...

The line wasn't too krazy...

Fill out the order form

Pay when you get inside...cashless only

I tried their grilled tomato keema curry which is an exclusive "flavor" at this shop.

The filling is the tomato keema curry which is a little spicy 

I was surprised that even with the sugar on the outside it wasn't overly sweet

The thing holding the tomato on top was cheese (I think)

I also tried the i'm donut chocolate...this was just a fried chocolate brioche covered with powdered sugar...still good, but I should've chose one with cream in it.

Everything was so light and airy I think I could've easily eaten a couple more...

I can see what the hype is about...I'll be back.

i'm donut

1-17-4 Higashi Ikebukuro

Hours: 10:00-20:00

*cashless only

komeraku

Friend Greg‘s sisters are in Japan and invited me to meet up for lunch

Before meeting them, I explored Ikebukuro a bit.

Points if you see Mount Fuji...taken from the 15F of Tobu Department Store

also loved the rounded windows on the 15F of the Tobu Department Store..

On the 6th floor of the Tobu Department Store is the largest Daiso.

So big that you need a map!

This area combines Daiso with its other brands Threeepy & Standard Products, apparently it opened this past February.

I also recently learned that Daiso is now a Korean company! so be prepared to find more Korean snacks and stuff here...

H & J wanted to eat ochazuke, so we met up at Lumine's Komeraku

Choose your side dish...I chose chicken with black vinegar sauce

And choose two toppings for your chazuke...I chose ume & shio kombu.

The other topping choices were mentaiko (spicy pollack roe), salmon flakes, shirasu (whitebait)

They actually have more toppings to choose from but they will cost extra

When you are ready to make your chazuke, add the rice to the bowl, your topping, add the dashi...

On the table, are wooden boxes with nori, katsuobushi, ceramic containers with bubu arare & spicy green togarashi paste

Bummed I forgot to photograph my first round of chazuke...ume, bubu arare & nori

Cute note thanking you for ordering your lunch and tells you the health benefits of it.

I should've asked for a little less rice, it was too much for me to finish...

I hope they had enough to eat and it was nice catching up with both of them 

and we appreciate the omiyage! 

I am planning to share this with my friend in Tokushima who sent us the shine muscat a few months ago as well as other friends we plan to see soon.

Thanks for today H & J, I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!

Komeraku (Tappuri Yasai & Ochazuke)

Lumine Ikebukuro 8F

Hours: 11:00-22:00

Closed when Lumine Ikebukuro is

ahodori bento

Been wanting to try Ahodori Bento after seeing them on "7 rules", a television show about females in various business genre and their "7 rules in life", not sure when it was broadcast, maybe during the pandemic?

Anyway, this bento shop does catering for television/magazine shoots and other events. But if you go to the shop you can usually buy their other types of bento.

They are closer to Ikebukuro, so I was happy to hear that they would be selling two types of their bento at Shinjuku Takashimaya on Wednesdays.

This is a limited time pop up, so I made sure to try to go during the dates.

We tried their maru (circular) wappa bento...1815 yen each  (tax included) (the other bento had less veggies and only a piece of fish)

this is the roughly translated menu: 

salmon saikyoyaki (grilled miso)

ninjin shirishiri (cooked grated carrots)

eggplant miso

myoga su (vinegary myoga)

grilled watermelon radish 

grilled chicken (cumin & pink pepper)
su gobo (vinegary burdock)

shishito okaka itame (shishito stir fried with bonito flakes)

pumpkin cranberry croquette

shiitake umani (simmered shiitake)

pickled lotus root

simmered sweet potato

turnip namul

ume tempura

nitamago (seasoned egg)

So delicious (hefty) and colorful! I'm glad we got to try this and hope to get to their shop to try other bento in the future

Ahodori Bento

1-10-7 Kanamecho

Toshima, Tokyo

Closed: Saturdays & Sundays

Hours: 11:00-14:00

thanks for today

Saturday, V invited us to dinner for her birthday at Hanamusashi, a Japanese restaurant in the Metropolitan Ikebukuro 

I started off with a glass of Yamagata toro umeshu (thick plum wine) diluted with soda water...delicious

Satoshi and V shared a bottle of sake...it'll show up later in these photos...

the apertif for the meal was a tiny glass of ice cold umeshu...this one delicious too, a little sweeter than the one I had above

The course was all delicacies from the Hokuriku area (Fukui, Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures)

Kobakogani (female snow crab with eggs and innards) eaten with a vinegary sauce : probably my first time eating the crab eggs and innards, I ate those areas first then saved the sweet flesh for last

Koun (good luck) sake : Junmai Ginjo by Yahiko Sake in Niigata

The bottle of sake V and Satoshi shared

The menu

Appetizers: kaki cheese shiroae (Persimmon with white cheese dressing) : we ate the persimmon too! V said she eats the peel too!

momiji yorodofu (Autumn leaf yorodofu)(square container) : soft "tofu" made with grated yam, this was vinegary and topped with zuwaigani (snow crab)

komochiayu arimani (sweet fish with roe simmered with shoyu and Japanese pepper)

Kaki tamago (seasoned egg yolk made to look like kaki (persimmon))

Fu no Karashiae (wheat gluten mixed with mustard)(leaf like container)

saba Hoshozushi (mackerel pressed sushi)(sudachi(lime) on top)

momiji renkon (marinated lotus root)

ebi ginnan mochi (shrimp fried with ginkgo nut mochi)

shiroebi shinjo daimon somen (white shrimp fishcake) with daimon somen (a type of somen from Toyama) in a clear soup…getting full

keeping the sake cool in a katakuchi (lipped bowl)

Assorted sashimi: maguro (tuna), trout, fresh sweet shrimp and hotaru ika (firefly squid) : first time eating raw hotaru ika, crunchy, super fishy

konowata tororomushi (salted entrails of sea cucumber) steamed with chinese yam : sometimes it is best not to know the english version...this actually tasted more yam then sea cucumber entrails…

amadai (tile fish) 

wakasayaki (grilled with scales then topped with sauce so that the scales do not "stand up") topped with shaved tororo kelp

cooked satoimo (dasheen) made to look like acorn

kikuhana daikon (long radish cut to look like chrysanthemum)

toyama pork harihari nabe (hari hari is the onomatopeoia of the sound when eating mizuna (potherb mustard))

heshiko chazuke (heshiko is a fermented mackerel) : satoshi ate this

echizen oroshi soba (cold soba served with oroshi daikon (grated long radish) : V & I had this

Happy Birthday V!

Tomitsu kintoki mont blanc (sweet potato cake topped with chestnut cream and chestnuts)

Persimmon and Fig Gelee

Sencha in Choju Giga cups 

Choju Giga was the first "manga" in Japan

So full and thankful that V shared her birthday celebration with us

We walked around Ikebukuro before heading home

And along Meguro River...we've done this before.

Thanks for today V, we hope you enjoy the rest of your trip! and have many more birthdays

Hanamusashi

inside Metropolitan Ikebukuro

1-6-1 Nishiikebukuro

Toshima, Tokyo

7796

Wanted to check out the roses at Otsuka, but went a little too late, most were a little past their peak.
 

Apparently they had a rose festival May 12 until May 26.

These roses run along side the Toden Arakawa tram line from Otsuka to Mukohara

Apparently there are other streets nearby with roses too, but I didn’t have time to check them all, especially since it was supposed to rain

Even though most of the roses were past their peak, this was nice to see

Hope to try again next year.

takase

There is a bakery with a restaurant on the 3rd floor and coffee shop on the 2nd floor called Takase.

Their building is located in front of the JR Ikebukuro station and has been in business since 1920

While researching this, I learned they also have a coffee lounge on the 9th floor of their building as well as an annex with a coffee shop in it as well.

I actually wanted to check out the restaurant but since we were too early, we just picked up some of their baked goods.

It's a good thing I snapped this photo, because after it was in Satoshi's bag, they did not look like this...960 yen (tax included)

I had their teriyaki chicken and anpan...Satoshi had their mega sandwich and curry pan.

Everything was delicious, I'll be back.

Takase

1-1-4 Higashi Ikebukuro

Toshima, Tokyo

Bakery: 9:00-21:00

Coffee Shop: 9:00-20:00

Restaurant: 11:00-16:00 (lunch), 17:00-21:00 (dinner)

Coffee Lounge (9th floor): 11:00-19:30 (+300 yen per person on weekends and holidays)

Annex coffee salon: 8:00-19:00

kura

Satoshi wanted to check out Ikebukuro for guests he will be taking around soon.

After checking out this and that, we stopped in to Kura.

I've been wanting to check it out for some time and had it marked on my "to try" list.

Bummer they allow smoking.

Iced coffee for me, hot coffee for Satoshi and we shared this purin (caramel flan)...2400 yen (tax included)

Super expensive but the coffee was so good!

I'm sure we'd be back if they didn't allow smoking.

Still, I'm glad we got to try this place.

Kura

1-39-1 Nishiikebukuro

Toshima, Tokyo

Hours: 9:30am-5:30am Mondays-Saturdays, 9:30am-23:00 Sundays

oto oto

Met up with friend Greg from Hawaii who is visiting with his sisters.

It was our first time to meet his sisters, H & J, and they are so nice!

We had dinner at Izakaya Oto Oto.

Because Blogger uploaded my photos all wonky, what we ordered is not in sequence.

Matsutake & Autumn mushroom tempura

Chicken thigh yakitori

Tsukune, Seseri Yakitori

Gyu-tan (beef tongue)

Kani (crab) cream croquette

Gyu suji nikomi (simmered beef tendon)

Sashimi (assorted 5 types)

Dashimaki tamago

Afterwards we went to fulfill a long time dream of Greg's sister, H, to eat anime style crepes, and went to Marion Crepes.

Delicious!

Thank you for all the goodies, we hope you had enough to eat.

Enjoy the rest of your trip and take care!

Oto Oto

1-19-5 Minami Ikebukuro, MI Plaza 5F

Toshima, Tokyo

Hours: 11:30-15:00 (lunch), 17:00-23:00 (dinner)

Marion Crepes

1-11-3 Higashi Ikebukuro, Big Echo 1F

Toshima, Tokyo

Hours: 12:00-21:00

ps forgot to link the other photos of Tsukiji to my post yesterday, so if you are interested, please go check here.