Savoy @ Azabujuban, Tokyo (Dec 2019)

Do I really need to introduce this place? I mean after all, you're reading this because you already have an idea of who this pizza bar is. Straight to the point, I have to first qualify by saying that I haven't really explored many pizza bars in Tokyo. I've only been to the Pizza Bar on 38th at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and yes I have to say it was bloody amazing. For this recent trip, I came here because I've been keeping an eye out for this place for a long time and I finally decided to give Savoy a shot and boy oh boy, I kept wondering to myself, why on earth did I take so long to come here? Sigh...better late than never right? Come come let's have a look at the pictures.

Esquisse エスキス @ Ginza, Tokyo (Feb 2019)

Esquisse is a two Michelin star restaurant located in Royal Crystal Building in Ginza (just look out for the building with The Hour Glass shop). I've heard a lot about this restaurant and indeed it has a very impressive score on Tabelog. I decided to come here for lunch with a fellow foodie friend of mine and we both ordered the same 15,200 Yen lunch course. This course consisted of a glass of champagne, a bottle of water, four hors d'oeuvres, a fish main, a meat main, two desserts and coffee or tea (which also came with a surprise third dessert). 

Shall we have a look at the pictures?

The Pizza Bar on 38th @ Mandarin Oriental Tokyo (Feb 2019)

I kid you not, this might possibly be the best pizza restaurant in Tokyo. In fact, this one of the best pizza places I've ever eaten at, and yes I am a pizza junkie. My parents and I were served by a very friendly Chef Luigi who settled down in Tokyo and is one of the chefs tasked with making and serving these wonderful pizzas. I'm not sure how many chefs are appointed to be at the pizza bar but from what I see on Instagram, it seems like maybe two or three of them would alternate in between shifts or even days. In any case, during my visit, I've had one heck of a damn good meal as I gorged myself on pizza after pizza. The crust was light, chewy and had a great crispy texture when you bite into it. It wasn't paper thin like a biscuit and you could taste the sweetness of the dough as you sink your teeth into it. Frankly, in my opinion, it's so good you could eat it plain. The toppings and cheese weren't overpowering either as it didn't flood the pizza; it was very well balanced such that you can taste both the ingredients and the dough itself. As a pizza lover, this was simply amazing.

Let's have a look at pictures of the things my parents and I ate:

Tacubo タクボ @ Daikanyama, Tokyo (Feb 2019)

Instagram foodies and hardcore foodies alike would be familiar with this place. To say it's highly sought after is quite an understatement because it is indeed difficult to get a seat here. I suppose I got lucky (actually I consider this a blessing from God), it seems like the restaurant was experimenting with a new third party website and I happened to be using that third party website for the first time ever on that right day at the right time, I managed to secure lunch seats at the counter for me and my parents. However, a recent update to their reservation policy has now made it even more difficult to secure seats, and even more so if you're not a Japanese local. Will tell you all more about this later.

Anyway, having lunch here turned out to be one of the biggest hits of my Tokyo holiday and I consider myself extremely blessed by God to be given this opportunity to dine here, more so now that I have found out the changes to the reservation system. This lunch was eye opening as it showed just how good Japanese-Italian food can be. It's hard to describe so I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Cafe Y 喫茶Y @ Nakazakicho, Osaka (3rd Visit)

Looking for a breakfast place in Osaka that is cosy, friendly, serves big portions at a very affordable price then this is the place for you. Cafe Y is modeled like an American diner and is located near Nakazakicho station, which is one station away from Umeda. The owner, a very cheerful and friendly woman called Chiisato-san, is extremely generous with her food and makes sure you are feeling full and satisfied when you leave her restaurant. Looking at the many pictures that she hangs on her restaurant walls, it seems like she spent a period of her life in the US. You can see that she lived with an American family and her son became involved in musical and arts theatre productions like Les Miserables. Anyway, I'm sure she drew inspiration from her time in the US to setup her restaurant like that. Her most famous dish is her "half sandwich" which does not look like half at all lol, you'll see what I mean below:

Alto Tritone アルト トリトーネ @ Umeda, Osaka

Alto Tritone is a Japanese-Italian restaurant located near Westin Hotel Osaka and Umeda Sky Building. It is a family-owned restaurant with the father being the head chef, the mother mainly serving customers and the son who does some of the cooking and serves customers as well. They are very friendly and welcoming to all their patrons. The pasta here is all handmade using their guitar strings contraption which was built by the father.

Before I elaborate a little bit more, it's time to have a look at the pictures first:

In Piazza @ Novotel Scotts Road, Singapore

The dish to come back for

I decided to give this place a try after I came across a post on instagram that featured their pizza with a really nice charred and fluffy crust. After checking the prices online and some of the items on the menu, I convinced my parents to give this place a try since my Dad is a huge pizza fan. Anyway, if you couldn't already tell from the picture above, the dish that really stole the show wasn't the pizza but the Bistecca Alla Fiorentina. Before I explain why, lets have a look at the pictures shall we? By the way, these pictures were taken during dinner time and I had to brighten them quite abit because the lighting was really poor.

IL Cielo @ Hilton Hotel, Singapore

Ever since I read that a Japanese chef became the head chef of IL Cielo, I've been wanting to come here for the longest time especially since I'm a big fan of Japanese-Italian food (thanks to my adventures in Tokyo). Cut the long story short, I came here for dinner on a Friday evening and ordered from the Ala Carte menu. I was initially considering taking the set menu but thankfully the waiter warned me that the portions were a lot smaller than that of the Ala Carte menu. Anyway, I ordered 4 items - appetizer, pasta, meat and dessert - which added up to about $140 after GST and service charge. Apologies for the dark pictures, the lighting wasn't exactly the brightest.

Grill Ukai グリルうかい 丸の内店 @ Marunouchi, Tokyo

Akaushi Beef, Kuroge Wagyu and US beef

 Now this is an interesting place which may be for interest to you. My family and I came across this restaurant while we were checking out the building and we noticed the brand name, Ukai, which is a very reputable and somewhat powerful name in the Tokyo restaurant scene. We looked at the prices and the items that we would get and figured "ok, why not, this seems reasonably priced and we'll get a good meal". We made a reservation and this dinner turned out to be a great change of pace from the number of sushi meals we've been having and not to mention, a rather satisfying one too. This is the first time we patronized a Japanese grill restaurant (not to be mistaken as Teppanyaki) so we went in with our eyes wide open.

Dominique Ansel Bakery @ Omotesanda / Harajuku, Tokyo

This review is regarding the 2nd floor cafe in Dominique Ansel Bakery located at the street directly behind Tokyo Union Church in Omotesando / Harajuku. If you're a sweets person, I'd highly recommend the 1st floor dining area where you can eat a variety of cakes, smores and pastries. If you're a savory person, then head up to the 2nd floor and try the Grilled Cheese Sandwich and the Lobster Roll which I personally feel is much better than those in Luke's Lobster (also located nearby). Lets have a look at the pictures shall we:

Rigoletto Bar & Grill @ Roppongi Hills Building, Tokyo (3rd visit)

Ever walked around Roppongi Hills not knowing what to eat and at the same time not exactly craving any Japanese food? You may want to consider Rigoletto Bar & Grill. Located on the 5th floor of Roppongi Hills Building itself, this restaurant has a wide variety of the things available on the menu, ranging from Tapas to Pasta and even burgers. What I love about this restaurant is that even though restaurants in Japan generally only serve a limited set lunch menu, Rigoletto's lunch menu variety is still quite a lot as compared to many places that I know of. Anyway, this is my third visit here and for whatever reason, I really love the burgers here.

Kissawai 喫茶Y @ Nakazakicho, Osaka

 The breakfast place that you would want to go to in Osaka.

Kissawai  喫茶Y is a fantastic western breakfast place located in Nakazakicho (near Umeda), Osaka. The breakfast menu consist of mainly eggs, ham, bacon and a huge sandwich with its roots based on American breakfast. The owner and chef  herself、Chisato Kiji, seemed to have spent quite a significant portionof her life in America based on the many pictures of her displayed in her cafe. Anyway on to the food, I don't know where to start. The toast, the eggs and bacon, the sandwich, especially the sandwich, everything she served was fantastic. Have a look at the pictures and you'll know what I mean:

American 銀座喫茶アメリカン @ Ginza, Tokyo

Probably the best Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich in Tokyo (maybe Japan?)

Craving for a large sandwich with thick fluffy soft bread? Try this small cafe in Ginza behind the Kabuki Theatre. This cafe is called American and it serves only sandwiches. Before I continue with this review, do not at any point think that this is an American sandwich cafe that serves American style sandwich accompanied with french fries, coleslaw, Mayonnaise and ketchup condiments etc...NO! It is not like that.

If you are familiar with Japanese culture, you'd know that flexibility is not exactly a value which they believe in (from what I have been observing for the last 10 years and counting, no offense though), so don't expect the ability to customize your sandwich or ask for Mayonnaise, things like that. I don't see any of the customers do it and everyone seems to be happy chowing down on their sandwich. You can try asking for cheese to be melted with your pastrami sandwich, but if you get confused look or an X sign, remember "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".

Lets have a look at the 3 sandwiches that my parents and I ordered: