Kobe Motomachi Doria: Tokyo 2017

In our continuing attempt to try different Japanese dishes, we stopped by Kobe Motomachi Doria in the LaQua Shopping Centre near Tokyo Dome. Japanese seem to love their cheese (and I don’t blame them). It’s a bit interesting because Chinese and Japanese share a lot in common in terms of food yet you really don’t see cheese used in Chinese cooking (perhaps it’s because so many Chinese are lactose intolerant).

Advertisement

Shunpu Banri: Tokyo 2017

Tokyo Dome City (also known as “Big Egg City” due to the dome-shaped roof of the stadium located in Bunkyo) is also home of LaQua, a shopping mall and amusement centre. Located on the 9th floor of LaQua is Shunpu Banri, a higher-end Japanese restaurant that is both spacious and tourist-friendly.

Marusho Yakisoba Hongo: Tokyo 2017

On our trip to Japan in 2016, we made the mistake of not having enough yakisoba dishes. This time around, we made sure we had some yakisoba in Osaka and Tokyo. After spending most of the day visiting museums around the Ueno area, we decided to grab some eats at Marusho Yakisoba Hongo as I heard that they specialize in yakisoba.

Benitora Gyozabou (Hong Hu Jiao Fang): Tokyo 2017

I guess we were getting a bit homesick for Chinese food because we decided to try a Chinese restaurant in the LaQua shopping area near Tokyo Dome. The name of this restaurant is a bit confusing because it’s known both as Benitora Gyozabou and Hong Hu Jiao Fang – perhaps one is the Japanese name and the other is the Chinese name.

Chez Lui (Tokyo Dome): Tokyo 2017

Breakfast in Japan usually turned out to be some type of bakery item for us (mainly because these were the places that were open when we were heading out). Not too far from our hotel, in the Meets Port building in Tokyo Dome City, is a small bakery called Chez Lui serving up unique French/Japanese pastries.

Moomin Bakery & Café: Tokyo 2017

In a crowded city like Tokyo, which has a population of over 13.5 million people, it’s actually quite common for residents to feel alone and isolated. I suppose that’s why places like Moomin Bakery and Café are quite popular. It combines all of the things that Japanese people want (cute Finnish characters and Instagram worthy treats) with things that Japanese people need (staff here will bring large stuffed Moonmin characters to your table to keep you company).

Mensho Tokyo: Tokyo 2017

After initially missing our bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo, we finally made our way to Tokyo and were bushed by the time we made it to our hotel. While famished, we wanted something easy and close by so we decided to pick Mensho Tokyo located in Bunkyo, just north of the Tokyo Dome area.

McDonald’s – Bunkyō (Tokyo 2016): Breakfast

It’s hard to believe but the Land of the Rising Sun had their first taste of the Golden Arches back in 1971 when a McDonald’s opened in Ginza. Since then, McDonald’s has grown to become a staple in Japan. Staying near the Suidōbashi Station during our trip to Japan meant that it was easy to grab a quick breakfast at this particular McDonald’s located across from Tokyo Dome and on the outer portion of the Kanda River Aqueduct.

Hanbijae LaQua (Tokyo 2016): Dolsot Bibimbap in Japan

Okay, I know that we were in Japan… so you’re probably wondering why we wound up at a Korean restaurant… As it turns out, there’s wasn’t a lot of restaurant options near our hotel and, by the time we had returned, most of the other restaurants had big lineups.

Moomin Bakery & Cafe (Tokyo 2016): Feeling Lonely? Eat with a Moomin!

While we were in Tokyo this year, we headed out to the nearby Tokyo Dome/LaQua shopping area for some early morning breakfast. While there wasn’t much open at this time, we did come across this cute little spot called Moomin Bakery & Cafe.