First, lunch at an exotic Indonesian restaurant. Kuramae is not far from Asakusa, and is an area that can be said to be almost adjacent to the city. Kaminarimon, a sightseeing spot in Asakusa, is only a 10-minute walk away, and it is certainly the best location for foreign tourists to stay. This is the reason why many hostels and guesthouses for foreigners have been built in Asakusa, and fashionable cafes and interesting stores have been increasing along with them. We arrived in Kuramae in a drizzling rain and decided to have lunch first, so we decided to walk around and go to a restaurant that looked nice. I found an Indonesian restaurant called SUKA, which also had an Indonesian food store on the first floor, which also caught my attention. After thinking about it, neither of us had been to an Indonesian specialty restaurant before, so my husband and I decided to go here. As part of Asian cuisine, we have had Indonesian satay and nasi goreng, but this was our first time to try “just Indonesian food. There were many other lunch places that looked interesting, but we, a couple of people who like unusual food, decided to go here in search of an authentic taste. I ordered the “Siomai Complete,” a slightly spicy special menu item, and my husband ordered the “Mee Ayam Bakso,” a standard chicken noodle dish without soup. In the exotic atmosphere of the restaurant, my husband and I were the only two Japanese customers. Yes, this kind of atmosphere is the best. I love this kind of restaurant with an atmosphere close to that of the local area. The siomai complete that was brought to us was a very Indonesian dish. The peanut sauce and chili sauce are sweet and spicy, and the flavor is similar to that of Thai food. The spicy chili sauce is served with deep-fried fried tofu, potatoes, and boiled cabbage, providing a good balance of rich and crispy flavors. I was thinking of having this with rice, but with the potatoes and the carbohydrates in the yakisoba skin, one of these was enough to fill me up. I also got to sample a little of my husband’s Mee Ayam Bakso, and it was very easy to eat, like mazesoba, and I didn’t find it to be particularly spicy or peculiar. Unless you don’t like spicy food, any Japanese person would probably find it delicious. When you try food from a foreign country, you may feel a little uneasy about what it is like. However, the food at this restaurant may have tasted similar to the local cuisine, but I felt that it was seasoned in a way that suited the Japanese palate as well. After the meal, we went shopping at the grocery store on the first floor. My husband’s specialty is green curry, so we bought coconut milk and Indonesian fried chicken stock. There were ingredients that are hard to find in Japan, so it was a fun shopping experience just looking around.
Shopping at will at a cute American sundries store, a retro confectionery shop, etc. After a relaxing café time after dinner, we went into a cute American sundries store called “Gakkara Boeki” (Junk Trade). All of the goods are cute and playful with a playful spirit. There were many interesting items such as sponges in the shape of musical instruments and bottle openers to tickle the hearts of music lovers. My favorite incense was on sale, so I bought some incense this time. I bought it because it smelled exactly like the good-smelling eraser I used to use in elementary school. Thinking about it, there used to be a lot of American grocery stores like this in the past, but I don’t see many of them these days. I remember when I was in junior high school, I used to go to Harajuku a lot because I loved these kinds of stores. It was such a nostalgic shopping experience. Next, I went into a cute retro sweets shop, “Confectionery Shinome. This is the sister store of the “Hanzuki” coffee shop, and the interior is old-fashioned and very cute. The interior is a perfect example of Taisho Romanticism, and Kuramae has many stores with this kind of atmosphere. My husband and I, who love old and vintage things, love this kind of store, so just shopping for sweets is like riding on an attraction. This time we bought a florentine and a Stollen-style biscotti. The biscotti is cinnamon flavored and filled with dried fruits. The biscotti is not too hard to eat as it is, so if you like hard things, you can enjoy it. The cookie part of the florentine is thicker, and while the almond nougat is nettlesome, the cookie part is buttery and crispy, allowing you to enjoy the contrast of the two textures. A short walk away from here was the Nakamura tea life store, a tea shop in Shizuoka Prefecture. This is a tea shop in Shizuoka Prefecture that sells organically grown tea. The retro store interior and atmosphere are very nice, and the sweet aroma of tea is irresistible. The hojicha and green tea were especially fragrant, and just smelling the tea was relaxing. Then, we found a sandwich shop, Marcelino Mori, near there. They also have an eat-in restaurant, but on this day, I bought a “shrimp steak sandwich” to take home. It was not very well behaved, but I really enjoyed it while walking around eating. I would like to try other fruit sandwiches next time.
A break to warm up with hot chocolate and sweets, which is a good thing on a cold day. And since it was a very cold day, we went to the Dandelion Chocolate Factory & Cafe for a warm drink. We also stood in line for a while before entering the store. There is also seating on the second floor, which is spacious and relaxing. We ordered the orthodox “House Hot Chocolate” for me and the spicy “Mission Hot Chocolate” with a little spice in it for my husband. We also ordered the seasonal “Stollen” and the H2O Chocolate Mousse, which seems to be synonymous with this store. This chocolate mousse had a truly rich cacao aroma and a smooth texture that even made me feel noble. The entire restaurant was filled with the aroma of cacao, and that alone had a very relaxing effect. Once upon a time, I had undergone a cacao ceremony. It is a mysterious ceremony in which you inhale cacao powder through your nose and are enveloped in a tremendous feeling of euphoria, from which you receive inspiration for your life and body. Cacao has the power to make people happy. The house hot chocolate I ordered had a slightly sour and refreshing taste, and I could feel the true flavor of cacao. The Mission hot chocolate with spices that my husband ordered was a little spicy and stimulated not only the aroma but also the taste buds. I had already imagined that cacao and spices would go well together, but it turned out to be a much better match than I had expected. The stollen was also very tasty and moist with plenty of dried fruits.
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