Salmon Steak

Stopped by the department store after work today, and I got Salmon fillets. It's from Norway, and it was sold at half price.(Yes!) I started cooking after I came back home. I tried to remember the taste of the salmon steak I ate in Copenhagen last fall. Baked Salmon in a butter and olive oil combo, and steamed carrots and bell peppers in a microwave. Also, microwaved mushed potatoes(I always keep it in the freezer)

I used the ranch dressing as sauce this time. Directions says combine milk and mayo with the ranch dressing mix, but I combine yogurt and a small amount of mayo instead. Taste is a little bit sour, but it could be healthier. :)

It took 1 hour to cook everything.

I'm so full now, and it was really good. Happy!

Memphis Sweets

My boss came back from Memphis, US this Monday and he brought us back "Moon Pie" as a souvenir.  I really like "Moon Pie," but I just realized it says "Only 110 Calories!" on the box... Only 110 calories?!! The size is mini.... I think the calorie is sort of high..  Keep them for tomorrow :)

Measuring Cup

I don't remember when I got the Marow's measuring cup from my friend, but I always used it when I needed to measure something during the cooking. Actually, the cup is used for pudding cup that was selling at the shop "Marow."
Last week, the cup was broken right after I washed it... "Oh, no..." I was thinking to order the pudding thru their online shop just for the measuring cup.(The shop is far from where I live, so I don't think I will go to the shop just for the measuring cup)  While I was checking their website, I found they are selling their puddings at the department store in Shibuya until today.

I woke up early and I went to Shibuya to get the puddings. I got the custard pudding and pumpkin pudding, and I ate pumpkin one after I got back home. Taste?  I felt like I am eating only pumpkin paste, not pudding. :P It's pretty heavy and I became so full. The pudding is OK... (I don't know the taste of the custard one yet) The purpose that I got them is to get the measuring cup, so the mission is completed.

Annular Solar Eclipse

"Should I buy the eclipse glasses ?" I kept asking myself yesterday, but I didn't get it. While I was watching TV this morning, a man on TV said it's OK to see it with sunglasses. I grabbed my sunglasses and left my home ealier than usual. I saw a few people were looking up the sky with the eclipse glasses near my apt.  I also stopped at the place where I found many people. I could see it with my sun glasseses, and it was totally OK. I saw many poeple were taking a picture with their cell phone. I didn't think it is possible to take the picture with it, but I also tried it. Here is the annular solar eclipse I saw this morning... I still don't get it how they could take a picture with their cell phone. Do they have any special tool???

Just before I checked the website "National Astronomical Observatory of Japan," and it said " DO NOT see the solar eclipse with sunglasses!"..Oops...

Space Needle in a soup

"Space Needle" always pop up in my mind when I think about Seattle, but I've never been up there. While I was living in Seattle, it didn't get my attention much. Funny thing that I realized is I really like it since I came back to Japan for good. My friend brought me back "Space Noodle" when she traveled to Seattle. I cooked the last "Space Noodle" in a soup last night, and ate them all. Now I am living in Tokyo, and I really like to see Tokyo Tower. Everyday I see it, I feel I am in Tokyo. "Sky Tree" will open tomorrow, and it will be one of my favorite icon in Tokyo, too.

New Tea shop

I planned to have a lunch with my friend at "Joe Shanghai New York" this afternoon, and I met her in front of the restrurant 13:30 PM. Since the resturant has opened, I have been thinking to have a meal there. We thought we could have a lunch there without waiting in a line, but a woman at the resturant told us we have to wait at least 40 min. I really don't like to waste my time for waiting something.
We gave up to eat there and left. We had "Omu-rice(Omelet Rice) instead.

Few weeks ago, I could know the new tea shop "Betjeman & Barton" opened at Marunouchi, Tokyo while I was reading the magazine. It's from France. The magazine says " At last, No.1 French tea shop openes in Japan!" I just feel Japanse likes the words, "No.1 in XXX county", "Famous", " So popular/boom in XXX country" I guess I'm one of them. I usually doubt the words, but I still wanna try the thing at least one time.

I asked her to go to the shop after the lunch. The magazine says the shop has a "Salon de thé", so we thought we could drink a tea there....... Yes, there is the table and chairs...but there is no space for drinking a tea inside. Well, we found three tables outside... Outdide?!!  Fortunately, the weather was really nice today, so we decided to take a rest at outside "Salon de thé" (hahaha...) Tea was OK, but I don't think I will go back there just for drinking a (paper)cup of tea.

After we had the lunch and tea, we went to shopping and walked a lot. Before we go home, we took a rest again. I tooke her to "Joël Durand." She, of course, ordered a chocolate parfait, and I ordered the orange chocolate ice cream this time. The ice cream was good, but I like the parfait more. :)

My first visit to Kappabashi-dori

I noticed my espresso maker needs to be replaced the gasket when I make an espresso. I looked for a shop which sells a gasket, and I found the one in Kappabashi-dori.

Since I moved to Tokyo, I wanted to visit Kappabashi-dori, and today is the first time to visit there . Kappabashi-dori is a kitchen street and I can find every types of kitchen supplies there. I love cooking and also love just the kitchen supplies. It was so much fun to walk on this street.

I brought the old gasket to the coffee supply stor. But the shop staff told me he needs to see the espresso maker, not only gasket. They don't sell the same espresso maker that I have, so he can't say the gasket they sell can be used to mine or not. If it will not fit mine, I can't use it and waste of my money. 

After I came back home, I found a stamp" TRACANZAN" at the bottom of my espresso maker. My espresso maker is from Italy.(I didn't know it...) Anyway I will bring my espresso maker and go back to the store again.

Again, it was so much fun to be there and I stayed there more than two hours. I stopped many shops and got some at a few shops.

Hand Coffee Grinder - I have an electric grinder, but I wanted to get a hand coffee grinder when I want to drink a fresh coffee.
Also, I got a butter knife, glass canister and the Cassis(black currant) flavor essence. 
Cassis essence was on sale, because it was expired the expiration date. :P  Original price was 495 JPY, but it is sold for 100 JPY now.

I added the Cassis essence to Pepsi. It tastes like Cherry Coke.

After I left Kappabashi-dori, I hang around near there. I noticed the "SKY TREE"(It's a world's tallest tower) near the station while I was walking. It's so BIG!

Baby Shower

                  

One of my co-worker will be in maternity leave from next week. Our company allows a woman having a baby to take one year off, so she will not be back to the office until next May. She is a good friend of mine at my company, so I definately gonna miss her a lot.

Yesterday, my team had a sort of farewell party and baby shower party for her. I arranged the restaurant. It seems everybody liked the resturant a lot.

"37 Steakhouse & Bar"

It is located Roppongi Hills, Tokyo.

The big wall art is welcoming us when we entered the building.

I made a course dinner reservation for the night.

First, chips came our table. I wanted to take a photo before eat it. But...Minako-san was hungry(today's party girl) , and she wanted to eat it...Please wait for a second. :)

Sorry, Minako-san! :P

I took a photo without her hand, again.

 Onion ring was also an appetizer.

 Shrimp cactail.

 Tuna cake and sausage with sauerkraut. 

Ceaser salad with creamy parmesan dressing.

Pasta with Gorgonzola sauce.

Grilled Pork Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatos.

I prepared a very small event for her. I made a cartoon callout and pasted on her belly. It says " Mammy" and " Can't wait to see you!"

Also, I ordered the message dessert plate when I made a reservation to the restaurnat.

I hope she liked it. 

Well, rest of us got a very simple dessart, but the taste of the ice cream was excellent. I felt like I am eating a chocolate.

The restaurant atomosphere and thier service was very satisfactory.

 We could see th kitchen when we entered the resturant.

 The bar is near the entrance.

We all felt full and got back home right after the party. :) 

Joël Durand

SOOOOO GOOD!

AMAZING!

BREATHTAKING!

and so on♥

These are the first impression when I ate it. I think I kept saying "So Good!" for 3 to 5 min every time I eat it. It was the best parfait I ever had. 

I wrote about the new chocolate shop "Blondel"opened near my apt this year. Today I went to the another chocolate shop with my friend after work. "Joël Durand" is from France. It also opened in Ginza this year. The first floor is the chocolate shop and the second floor is a cafe. Their offical website introduces the chocolate parfait, and it looked really good when I saw the pic on the website.(I decided to order it before I go.)

Obviously, we ordered the parfait. Our parfait is dark chocolate, but they also have seasonal taste, too. According to the shop staff, it's orange now.

The parfait made me happy and I could get rid of all my stress.

"Hirsinger" is the chocolate shop next to Joël Durand which opened in Ginza this year on the same day as Joël Durand. Unfortunately, they only has the boutique.If they open a cafe, I wanna try something there, too.

Amayuba

A few months ago, I met "Amayuba(Sweet Bean Curd Skin)" at the department store(Left one in the photo). A Tofu shop from Kyoto was selling Tofu, Yuba, Amayuba at the department store as a temporally shop. I really like Tofu and Yuba(Bean Curd Skin), but I never had "Amayuba" before. It is known Yuba is highly nutritious food and Amayuba is more. 

I almost finished the one I got at the deparment store, so I was looking for an online shop which sells "Amayuba." Luckily, my friend told me she would travel to Kyoto, so I asked her to get me one if she could find it at the Tofu Shop. She was back in Tokyo last Sunday and she got it for me(Right one in the above photo)! It looks a little bit different from the one I got. 

Also, she got me Japanese confectionary "Shiborimame" (black bean) which is cooked with sugar. It is sweet but not too sweet. I think it is very Japanese. It was really good and I've already finished them all...

Fun Lunch

I am back in my home town during the Golden week(It is a collection of four national holidays within a week). I saw couple old friends during my stay. Yesterday, my friend took me to Galette restaurant "Creprie Klesalart" for lunch.

They have four types of lunch special. We ordered "Galette lunch with desert crape" (It comes with small salad, small bowl of fruit yorgurt and drink).Here is my freind's galette "Complete"

I ordered "Salmon Galette"

Before we ordered our lunch, waitress explained us the lunch special we ordered. She said the dessert crape comes with the special and its size is sort of small.

Here is our dessert crapes...Do you think the size is small? I was a bit surprised when she brought my crape...I didn't expect I could get this size as a dessert...big!

After the lunch, my friend drove me to the shop "Cuoca" where sells the confectionery supplies as my request.

↑Someday I wanna buy a stand mixer．

Madeleine!

It was from my friend. I like the package. Cute, isn't it?

"Sunny Madeleine(おひさまマドレーヌ)"

Thank you, Mika!