dear readers. if you’re planning to travel to Japan soon. you’re in luck =D. if you just came back, well, you might’ve missed some really good food!

#1. SUSHI.

no matter how expensive, you must at least try to fit this into your budget.

the sushi specials.

it costs about RM80 (2000yen) for a set of 10+ sushi’s. usually including Uni (sea urchin) and Salmon Fish Roe. and best to have it at restaurants at Tsukiji. =D. do try your best at the at least 30minutes queue shop, Sushi Dai in Tsukiji Market. and yes, it means that you’d have to go early.but really, any shop there serves sushi as fresh.

NOTE : Tsukiji Market closes on WEDNESDAYS.

#2. UNI.(oo-nee)

lets say, you’re sushi set doesn’t come with uni or you had some really bad experience eating the very disgusting and bad odoured UNI. don’t let your previous bad experiences get to you. I used to dislike Uni too. it’s like eating something that had already turned bad. but the thing is. perhaps the one I ate DID turn bad as it’s not as fresh.

even at a posh Japanese Restaurant here, their uni wouldn’t taste as good as the one you’d find in Tsukiji.

so, GO HAVE YOUR UNI!

#3. Shirako.

they are fish testicles. buttery and delicious. like a combination of mayo and foie gras. don’t let what it is scare you away. and it’s so heavenly I had to glow the picture. =3.

#4. Onigiri.

you might’ve seen it on anime’s before. but it isn’t just white rice with seaweed. there are a dozen flavours to choose from in Japan. and if you don’t want to spend a bomb on something that won’t fill you, you can always get the cheaper ones from any convenience store. =D.

I’ve eaten most of the onigiri’s in the convenience store because.. I pretty much bought them for supper. =P. AND LET ME WARN YOU.

DO NOT. I repeat, DO NOT choose PICKLED fillings. it sucks. T_T. though I don’t know how the rice is always so gummy and sweet. take the one with raw fish in it. I loved the raw Tuna one. it’s wrapped in paper. white paper. not like the one above, which is transparent.

#5. SOBA. (the one on top is tsukemen)

since I went on Winter, I had this with HOT dipping sauce. YUMMEH. if you’re there on a hot summer day, have Zaru Soba! the one with cold dipping sauce. always a favourite! and it really tastes more authentic in Japan. oh well.

I won’t include these on MUST EAT. but I have to say, they are incredulous.

there, you’re buying a WOODEN BENTO BOX. costs a lot. but well, worth a try?

and MORE. they are all packaged so well. I’ve never thought packed food could be this expensive U_U.

hello, it’s about 20ringgit for one small box. haha. but it DOES look delicious. do not look down on convenience store food/ packed food in Japan. they taste even better than food in proper Japanese restaurants here.

I REALLY WANTED TO TRY IT. but I was feeling a little stingy. RM50 for lunch in a box. and you’d have to find your own place to eat it. not so worth it T_T.

ah! sushis!

#6. CAKES!

confectioneries makes me smile on a tired day. how about you?

but really, cakes in Japan are really not something to be missed out. they are so good. SO SO SO SO SO GOOD.

of course, incredulously expensive as well. but you could always have the.. “cheaper” ones. which are about RM20 for one. that one above is about 30bucks. =S.

#7.  STRAWBERRIES!

did you know, stawberries in Japan are as huge as a fist?! a babies fist. but well, still a fist. they are so huge and juicy and sweet <3. awwwww.

#8. ICHIGO DAIFUKU!

Ichigo means strawberry. don’t ask me what’s daifuku.

and those are really good puddings below.

#9. PUDDING!

generally, puddings are packed into small bottles like that. costly. but yummy.

#10. COLD STONE!

okay, truth is, this is not only found in Japan. but it is so good you must try it.

banana caramel with almonds please! mmm.

as in, really a slice of banana with thick caramel and crushed almonds and ice cream all mixed right in front of you. =3.

and did I mention that customer service in Japan is SPLENDID? they will even sing songs while mixing your ice cream on the cold stone too!

very satisfied customer.

by the way, all those bento’s and cold stone are actually shops in Shinagawa subway station. the station’s so big, there are so many shops!

#11. MISTER DONUT.

I thought J Co’s were the best doughnuts on earth because it is much better than Krispy Kreme and.. Dunkin Donuts.

not until my friend studying in Japan told me about this phenomenal doughnut store.

the doughnuts were so chewy and tasty you’d go craving for more. best thing is. NOT TOO SWEET. how did they make the doughnuts so chewy really. imagine.. gummy bread. like that. D=. you’d really have to try it. it’s so good. take the ringed chocolate ones(their best seller). absolutely perfect.

#12. Umeishu.

what’s life without alcohol? teehee. good for health yo.

and when it tastes this good. I don’t mind drinking a bit more.

#13. finding soft chicken’s soft bones ain’t going to be easy for a tourist. but what I meant by putting on this picture is. the fried chicken in Japan. I hate fried food, to be honest. but I’d always break my barrier when it comes to JAPANESE fried food. it ain’t really oily. and you’d not feel sinful for eating it. =D.

#14. ITALIAN FOOD.

I know, eating Italian food in Japan is such a weird thing.

but to my surprise, it ain’t really expensive. in contrast, it’s pretty cheap! 390yen (RM15) for their recommended pasta. now ain’t that cheap! even cheaper than those in Malaysia!

AND believe it or not. but these are the most delicious pasta’s I’ve ever had. the recommended one(top) is especially good.

now here’s RM40 worth of cakes. haha.

I finished them all myself. initially I thought one is for my mom but my mom was too full. heck they are so good and EXPENSIVE. I ate them all by myself =D.

five stars!!

#15. Harajuku Crepes.

you just have to try what japanese girls crazes for. ain’t something I’ll crave for but still not bad. mine had ice cream and pudding… or was it cheesecake in it. very creamy and sweet. I felt so sinful T_T.

four stars. haha.

#16. YOSHINOYA!

if you had never eaten Yoshinoya’s beef bowls before (they previously had a branch in Midvalley. but it closed down =(..) then go have it. if you had it already. here’s something new.

KIMCHI SOUP BEEF BOWL!! so yummy. I had it EVERYDAY for breakfast. EVERYDAY. I had this as supper when I went to Tsukiji Market for breakfast.

Yoshinoya’s 24 hours.

#17. Asakusa’s STREET FOOD! <3.

so yummy, I did’t know what it was. I am still wondering what that chewy soy sauce flavoured sticky stick was. anyway, just have it. =D.

#18. SNACKS. please click here for my snacks post. =D.

good thing about having a friend your age overseas is that they know all the cool hang out spots and also, the most special places.

I was very keen on wanting to look for perhaps some maid cafe or a place with those sort of cutesy decoration. but my friend, Sherlyn had a better idea because those are pretty old school now. so she then asked me, would you like to dine in a haunted jail??

and that’s where we went hunting for the cafe. Shinjuku is pretty big and complex and getting there would probably be a problem if you don’t know the place well. because..

this is all you’d see on the streets. it’s at level 5. therefore…

yeap I know totally don’t look like an entry to a very weird jail restaurant/bistro.

also, getting to the place wouldn’t be a problem if you had found the red light district, Kabuki-cho’s entrance. say, you’re directly facing Kabuki-cho. right in front, face-to-face, then you’d have to go to your right. if you can, look up because you’d be able to find The Lock Up’s sign board too =D. but it wasn’t too obvious as I’ve remembered.

(a part of my pictures from the compact camera is gone because it got stolen T_T.)

stepping out of the lift, you’d find yourself in a whole new world. there’s a flight of stairs in this really dark place. it really brings the mood up. it looks far scarier without the flash hahaa.

and upon reaching I think you have to put your hand through that hole on the left. they’d do something to scare you but oh well, BRINGS OUT THE MOOD! then the door will be opened =D.

locking us up so that we could be brought to our “cells”.

the cells!!

really, it can only fit one fat person. just like the cells! but instead of making it really jail-like, they made it more like a fantasy jail. =D. which is much more special.

being locked up. it’s not spacious. at all. the cell doors open just for you to slip into your seats haha. but there are bigger rooms for the bigger group. ours were more special though =P.

and oh, when the neon lights were on, the drawing behind had neon paint on its hair! and what’s so crazy about it is they painted the transparent neon paint out of the frame as well! you get what I mean? it’s hair. elongated to the walls!  it’s really really witty!

too bad it couldn’t be caught on camera pfft. was really dark. read on to know about the neon lights =D.

the menu! each person MUST order one drink even if you do not eat. and the cheapest drink is about RM20 as well (around 500yen). and they serve a lot of mocktails. rather than cocktails. haha.

but I must admit, they have GREAT DRINKS. you know how usually cutesy/special looking restaurants in Malaysia always have DISGUSTING/TASTELESS food? this place, it’s totally different. it’s really really REALLY GOOD. in fact, it’s so addictive you kept wanting for more.

the soft bone chicken and.. was it cheese rice?

the soft bone chicken was THE BOMB. who knew they could turn something so simple into something SO DELICIOUS. I hate fried food but it wasn’t really oily! it is just right <3.

the awesome looking drinks! ALLLL of them tasted good. ALLLL of them. but the peach(?) one tastes particularly good. that pink one! it tasted like peach T_T. but they were all mocktails so..

AHH YUMMY!!! <3. each of us ordered something and we all shared. DELICIOUS~! <3.

note : the biscuit sticks with cheesy dips is a MUST ORDER. it is AWESOMEEEEE. THE BEST CHEESE DIP EVER. THE BEST I’VE EVER HAD! we had 2 of those and me and Sherlyn were literally eating it until not a slight stain was found!

and in the middle of having our meal, BAM! some loud music was played and the lights went off simultaneously and that’s where the NEON lights came out and you can see all the mysterious/scary/spooky drawings which looked rather ghostly on the walls. it’s ALL OVER THE WALLS.

at the mean time, this group of handsome guys in orange (haha!) created havoc in that narrow alley =D. they were shaking the bars and well, trying to scare us. but it was a rather fun experience!

camera wouldn’t focus when its pitch black pfft.

there were also tables for 2. but you’d be.. facing the walls. haha! every room have a different drawing though. really love their concept!

today I would like to introduce you to this sushi which is not very known outside Japan. as usual, I always try my best to look for some interesting food in a country that I am going to visit through google and I found Shirako.

it wasn’t available in the small-bar-type sushi shop so I went ahead and look for a conveyor belt sushi shop; or what some people will call sushi from a hole. hole in the wall sushi?

the prices could be seen above. just so if you can’t see, it is : 525yen, 399yen, 262yen, 210yen and 168yen. what odd prices. right?

unlike the bar-type ones, they serve sushi’s in pairs. I had always had my sushi’s in pairs ever since I first started eating sushi, but it wasn’t so much of a popular thing in Japan. in fact, they only have sushi in pairs when it’s on a conveyor belt. of course, sushi served this way are less fresh compared to those where the sushi professional makes it on the spot for you. but the prices are always more reasonable.

the prices of a plate of sushi can go up to 700+yen for a set of 3 pricey sushi (sea urchin, toro/tuna belly and salmon roe). and do you know how much is 1000yen? RM37. but it’s really cheap compared to what we can find here. the only sea urchin sushi I saw on the menu is in Hokkaido Ichiba which costs RM18 for ONE piece. T_T.

the plates there are really pretty. and in some places, there are GLITTER plates of gold or silver even. and also, I had my first sushi culture shock. SALMON sushi is the most famous sushi here in Malaysia. but in Japan? it’s about the same price with.. tamago sushi (egg omelette). or at some places, even cheaper.

and oh! these plates (at higher end restaurants) have some sort of chip in it? because the waiters does not count your plate. instead, he’ll use a machine to swab vertically along your plates to check the total of your bill. I get why it’s essential, though. because the plates are all so.. fancy and difficult to differentiate when it’s all stacked up.

back to Shirako. that sushi IS Shirako.

have you heard of it?

it is a VERY famous sushi in my opinion because the middle aged Japanese woman who sat beside me ate ONLY Shirako.

Shirako is DELICIOUS I have to say. I am pretty sure I ate the cooked version somewhere in China before and it tasted like.. smooth goose liver/foie gras. to have it raw, it’s very creamy. something like Mayo. but much more fragrant =D.

and you wouldn’t believe what that is.

guess?

peach ice cream is YUM. 200yen. RM8! U_______U. or was it 300yen. in Japan, you’d spend money without knowing because even a 500yen is a coin.

Shirako is the fish’s male organ.

yeap. fish testicle. would you like some fish testicle? seriously, it’s delicious. .

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HI! if you’re going to Japan, then this post will be useful to you. even if you’re not, some of it can be found here in M’sia. =D.

first off, TOKYO BANANA.

it’s a very famous snack for Japs from the other states to buy home as a souvenir. it’s very very famous because it’s sold almost.. everywhere. you can find it at most major train stations. it’s fresh and it can only last for two weeks.

for a box of eight. it costs 1000yen (about RM37). if you’re wanting to buy these home, get them at the airport . it’s cheaper and the duty free shop is always open.

as for the taste, I wouldn’t say it taste absolutely heavenly. but it’s really fresh. it’s quite delicious actually. it doesn’t taste as artificial as what I heard it’d be. ahaha.

rating : 7.5/10.

next, Jaga Pokkuru. this is Hokkaido’s most famous potato stick. or what I would call the french fries. it costs 800yen for a pack of 8. pretty pricey I’d say. one pack have more or less 10 sticks of  french fries haha. it is very very very famous in Hokkaido that these are limited to only 3 box per tourist at Hokkaido. what’s best is, you can find this in Tokyo’s Haneda Airport too! and they DON’T LIMIT YOU.

but I’m really not sure why there’s such a huge craze over this. it’s good but paying around RM4 for a small pack of crunchy french fries? no thanks. =X. but well, if you like potatoes.. you should really try it haha.

rating : 6/10

so now, let’s get to what’s less commercialized!

Meiji’s Rich Strawberry Chocolate. I bet you’ve seen this chocolate before. but don’t buy the wrong one. there’s the normal one where the strawberry part is much more creamy. this one, the strawberry is.. well, rich. and is absolutely HEAVENLYYYY. it melts in your mouth and it could be bought here too at those shops which are always stuck together with Zanmai outlets – Shojikiya. well, for almost twice the price. so if you’re going to Japan, GRAB MOREEE.

rating 10/10

BOURBONs costs a bomb here. but it’s so good. I don’t know how to express how delicious it is. I think it’s thin crepe (?) covered in creamy white choc.  but it’s sooooo soo soooo soooooo soooooo goooooodddd. U_U.

rating : 10/10

this can be bought here too =D. like it’s name, Meltykiss literally MELTS in your mouth. I like both. they both taste uber awesome.

rating : 9.5/10

I’ve seen something similar here but not this flavour. and it costs about RM12 here. can you believe it. you can buy Rocky for lesser than 2 bucks pfft. but this one is very good. T_T.

rating : 10/10

if you like sweet stuff. these are amazing. Kando’s Pure Peach flavoured sour chewy sweets are so addictive. so are those Grape gummys. <3. THEY ARE SOLD HERE TOOOOO! =D!

rating : 8/10

I don’t know what are these called but it’s very cheap. only found in Japan. these sticks have a mad selection of flavours. their website’s yaokin.com. =D. I like everything. just that the cheese one tastes too normal =X. I bought a huge pack of Tako flavoured back. I did not regret it at all. =P.

rating : 9/10

have you seen anything similar but choco top with normal biscuit bottom?

greentea products are madly expensive, I really wonder why. a small box of 8 kitkats (the mini one okay, those with only 2 sticks) costs like around RM35. mad a not? but this is really awesome. I can say all green tea products are worth paying for =X. but you’d get sick of it if you eat too much of these. so it’s a wiser choice to share it. even if it look like a small packet =D.

rating : 9/10

don’t this look very familiar? I’ve always wanted to try this. it ain’t cheap. approx RM6 for one? unlike Malaysian cup noodle ad’s where they show you all kind of beautiful prawns and other ingredients on the poster, Japan give you what you see.

REAL PRAWNS AITE! and it tastes good. very very good. wonderful noodles with some real good soup. I wonder how unhealthy it is to taste this good =X.

rating : 8/10

totally unrelated picture hahaha. I thought my hairstyle looked Jap but my mom called it the cow dung hairstyle and my sis gave me a weird stare while my grandma just laughed. =X.

well, I am just weird like that =D.

PS : it’s not dumb at all to carry snacks all the way back from Japan even if it can be bought here. you save at least 40%! it’s like mega sales without having to wait for sales to come. and yes you can carry dry sealed food in flight. don’t worry about having to check it in. =D.

the cutely decorated sign. <3.

not a very big place. therefore, you MUST book before you get there. if not, don’t think about it, it is impossible waahahahaa.

look at the number of good comments from famous people and the newspaper spread!

the cute miniatures haha!

the very cute tables! =D. they have a hole underneath, you don’t have to sit on your legs. =D.

=D. damn excited for the food to come.

you see, the menu’s pictures look great. and when they serve it, it doesn’t differ much from what you can see. REALLY!

Sashimi Moriawase. this really did put a static smile on my face. I LOVE sashimi. some people actually thinks raw food is disgusting. but HOW CAN?! well, I hope more of my friend’s are like that so I can have their share of SASHIMI! <3. mwahahhahaa.

the Lady Set at a rather reasonable price of RM55. WITH ICE CREAM. those little dishes changes every month I heard. but trust me, every little dish is just as addictive. YUM. and their sashimi is always damn damn damn thick. <3. which is good. not like the other kiamsiap japanese restaurants elsewhere =D.

that cheese thingy is salmon with cheese topping. it is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY nice. and, this is the first time I actually like fried food =3. I WANT MORE!

Poh Poh’s Salmon Chirashi set! it’s served with yummy salad and soup. looks very yummy eh? =3.

Black Sesame above and Wasabi on the bottom with red bean paste.

black sesame is always a wise choice as it is very special. and HEALTHY! apparently it helps hair growth and is good for the skin (according to Poh Poh).

and YES. that IS wasabi ice cream. not bad. pretty special but seriously, it’s quite hot. and I actually LOVE it like that <3. it’s a must try for those who have never had it before! =P.

the bill came at slightly above 200. definitely not a place for cheap food. but you will be guaranteed to leave with a satisfied feeling. =D. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. <3.

Hajime is located right next to Raffles College and opposite Caffeinees.

No. 64,
Jalan Damai Off Jalan Tun Razak,
55000 Kuala Lumpur

number : 03 2143 0073

now, WHO WANT TO SEE ZLWIN BEND SOME FORKS?! will blog SOON! really soon. won’t take long =D.

the restaurant’s name IS I Love U.

attractive name no? hehe. they serve dim sum there too. =D. and also set lunches for you working people at a very reasonable price =P.

if you know where is IOI Mall you’d definitely find this place. the yellow sign is really huge in my opinion. I had to go farther away (opposite road) just to take this picture. haha.

it’s practically full. if I am not mistaken, it is pretty new and their business is already very good. =D. and no doubt I’d go back there hahaha. if only it was a little nearer to me I’d go there often.

there are everything on the belt. EVERYTHING. except meat like perhaps, chicken and lamb? and seafood.

the few stuffs (they’re my top picks! =P)  I got from the belt. top left is one of my personal favourite, greentea tofu! <3 <3. it doesn’t look very delicious right, but it tastes extremely yummy. <3. except it doesn’t taste much like green tea. it’s nice anyway haha.

then we got our japanese mushroom! I am some mushroom freak really.

and.. vegetable mee, healthy choice. and it tastes great.

bottom left’s very delicious meatballs. I couldn’t really differentiate those meatballs but some of them have a combination of many stuff’s stuffing.

NEXT, the LUCKY STAR! they are fishballs. or should I call them, starballs. no, sqashed stars, it’s to entertain little girls like me. =D.

and the last but not least, everybody’s favourite. I don’t know how many we ate, but we just kept having this one! it’s tofu with CHEESE STUFFINGSSSSS. <3. VERY VERY CHEESY.

so delicious that I HAVE TO take a picture with it! just joking I am not so free @@. well maybe I am.

you see, there are small shabu shabu pots individually for each person =D. which is great, because nobody will object having tom yum soup no more <3.

I must be really dumb because I don’t know how to on this thing. but no worries, if you are normal enough you should be able to notice that there is a “small” and “big” word in chinese. (I quickly judged that I couldn’t read those simple chinese words and didn’t bother to look at it T_T.) and the red button’s to on it =D.

be sure to keep it on small fire though, if not your soup will become.. rather concentrated.

tadhaa! seafood corner. PUT THE SI HAM THE LAST! because it’ll turn your soup into.. salt soup. not that we didn’t put it in last, but it is because I forgot it is inside and I drank the soup. T_T. remember not to repeat my silly mistake. T____T.

the squid’s really special, it looks very normal and err, squid like. but when you throw it into the hotpot, the head becomes incredibly big and legs become tiny. superbly incredulous.

those on the top right are chicken by the way, they look like.. japanese ginger somehow in the picture.

and the BEST OF THE BEST. <3. lamb! <3 <3 <3. they are very addictive. + it needs to be ordered =D.

looking at it makes me salivate. nyum nyum.

it is definitely NOT only steamboat. there are fried food and  ICE CREAM! and expensive fish’s for sale =D.

3 types of chilli. one’s malaysian style, then chinese style and thai. all’s great.

hahahahahaha. I couldn’t stop laughing. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

after meal is always camwhore time. =D. silly camwhore time.

it’s my first time being at Puchong, but I still remember how to get there. =D teehee.

the price is reasonable enough at RM26.80 per adult and RM13.80 per child. kids 3 and below’s free =D.

ps : the GSC cinema there is VERY AVAILABLE. if you want to watch a new movie and you couldn’t book them anymore, try IOI mall =D.

byebye =D.