Omotesando Koffee

This is the eight post in the series titled Tasting Tour of Tokyo detailing my recent trip to Japan. Other posts include Kikunoi Akasaka, Rokurinsha, Mikawa Zezankyo, Kaoriya, Sushi Sawada, Sushi Aoki, and Street Foods in Tokyo.

Is there really such thing as a "best kept secret"?

After all, good secrets in the food world are hard to keep, and hidden gems quickly gain cult status through word-of-mouth, blog posts, and social media.

But it's hard to keep track of it all. And frankly, even though this tiny coffee shop has gained quite a following in the past year, I had no idea it existed. It's only because of my lunch and subsequent conversation with Shirley of Lovely Lanvin during our ethereal  tempura lunch that I even found out about this place.

Welcome to Omotesando Koffee, one of the most unusual coffee shops I've ever visited.

Omotesando Koffee is most definitely "hidden". The tiny cube of a shop is quite difficult to find. Bryan and I meandered around this ritzy neighborhood in Omotesando quite a few times before we saw this tiny little sign.

Omotesando Koffee is probably unlike any coffee shop you've ever seen. Once you get past the traditional Japanese fence, beyond the lush green plants, you stumble upon this old, tatami-style Japanese home.

Except that it's anything but traditional.

The inside of this Japanese "home" is completely empty except for a large, single cube stuck right in the middle of the house. A lone barista stands inside the cube with his La Cimbali coffee machine and a few snacks.

The menu is simple - variations of iced "koffee", hot "koffee", and some snacks.

One of their most well known snacks or "kashi" is the Baked Custard, tiny cubes that remind me of French canelé (which I love).

I love the Baked Custard, which has a nice, hefty crust yet is gorgeously chewy on the inside. It goes perfectly with my cup of cappuccino. I think it's cute how they serve all of their desserts inside coffee filters. The coffee filters are also printed with the shop name as well as a map of the surrounding area.

The cappuccino is excellent. It's on par with my favorite coffee shops in Cambridge.

Off to the side you can buy other fun coffee related items, such as metal filters, insulated mugs, and even a "cup of coffee" literally made out of coffee beans. Of course, the cube-esque theme is quite pronounced here as well.

As I look around, I realize that I'm very lucky to be able to even visit this place.

You see, Omotesando Koffee was intended to just be a temporary pop-up. In fact, the old Japanese house was slated for destruction sometime in 2012. The original lease was only 12-months long. Owner Eichii Kunitomo's went with this box-like design because it could easily be disassembled and reassembled as it "popped up" around the world.

Things have changed since those original plans. The pop-up became so popular that people didn't really want it to leave the neighborhood. The 12-month lease has since been extended, which means Omotesando Koffee isn't going anywhere anytime soon.


Who knows how long it will be before the shop is able to go where it dreams of going, reflected by the long list of destinations on its website? When will it get to actually disassemble and reassemble in a new location, the way it was designed to move?

I guess we'll have to wait and see, though it seems perfectly happy at Omotesando for the moment.



The Facts
This place is not far at all from all the wonderful places to shop in Omotesando (my favorite being Kiddie Land, which I think has one of the best selections of Ghibli & Totoro themed stuff in Tokyo). You can easily walk from Harajuku (another really fun neighborhood to visit) to Omotesando. They are right next to each other.  If you really like walking, you can do what Bryan and I like to do, which is to walk all the way from Shibuya to Harajuku to Omotesando.

One of the most famous tonkatsu restaurants in Tokyo, Maisen, is located just around the corner from this coffee shop. You can easily visit both in one day, maybe grab a coffee here after a meal at Maisen?

This place is cash only. If you need to get cash, there is a 7-11 right around the corner which accepts international debit cards.

This is a fun place to visit, though if you're short on time, I think it's also OK to skip it, especially if your goal is to experience things that are uniquely Japanese. The coffee is good, but not better than the best artisanal coffee shops in the US. Instead, I like to think that it's offering a wonderful opportunity for the Japanese to experience really good coffee, something we're blessed to have in abundance here on this side of the globe. 

Halloween in Japan

Happy Halloween!

I just returned from Tokyo (thankfully right before Hurricane Sandy hit), and was floored by how much they have embraced Halloween. From what I've heard, this is a more recent phenomenon.

One thing that surprised me the most was how many high end bakeries have gone crazy with the Halloween theme. It's something you see less of here in America.

Enjoy some fun photos from my exploration of the high end bakeries at the "depa-chika" (department store basement food halls) at Isetan in Shinjuku, a vibrant area of Tokyo.   
Yes, that's a $10 cookie (exchange rates are horrible right now - the US dollar is so weak abroad!)

These have got to be the most elegant witch hats I've ever seen.
Custards, called "pudin" in Japanese, are immensely popular in Japan. Right now pumpkin flavored puddings are all the rage.

This one particular "pudin" shop brings in custards from all over Japan.

Fall foliage hits a bit later in Japan, so it was just starting to turn when I was there. I'm sure it will be gorgeous in a couple weeks.

Not exactly pumpkins, but I thought these were gorgeous and a nice way to end this post with a teaser to one of the most incredible dessert carts I encountered in a Japanese restaurant. I'll post a proper teaser for Japan next week. For now, enjoy the Halloween sweets, and happy trick-or-treating!

Sportello

Ask anyone to name the best chefs in Boston, and undoubted you'll hear Barbara Lynch's name in the mix. After all, this "rags-to-riches" local Bostonian female chef has climbed through so much to get to where she is today.

Her achievements are numerous. She and her restaurants have won multiple James Beard Awards over the years. Her highest-end restaurant, Menton  is the first (and only) restaurant in Boston to receive the prestigious Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux award. No. 9 Park  her original flagship restaurant, is still is one of the most highly regarded restaurants in Boston today.

But no one eats at these restaurants on a daily basis. These are places that are reserved from special occasions, celebrations, and expense account dinners.

That's the beauty of Sportello, Chef Lynch's neighborhood answer for the local Bostonian looking for excellent, Italian food in a casual yet trendy atmosphere.

When given the opportunity to build something in a converted warehouse in the Fort Point neighborhood, Barbara Lynch looked at Boston and thought about what was missing.

She sought to build "the next level of fine dining" that Boston hadn't seen with the opening of Menton.  She thought Boston could use some really good drinks, and built up Drink in the adjacent space.

Finally, she reminisced about the days when she was a child, and her mom used to take her to Woolworth's for a simple grilled cheese and a pie.

"The last thing is a cool sort of counter. . . .  grab and go but sleek and stylish with my food."

That's exactly what Sportello is.

Two U-shaped counters essentially take up the entire dining area. There are a couple tables, but most of the seating consists of bar stools, many of which have views of the semi-open kitchen.

A lot of the prep work is done downstairs in the large kitchen that's shared with Chef Lynch's other restaurants (Menton and Drink are also in the immediate vicinity). However, you can still watch some of the cooking from your bar stool seat.

Bryan and I visited Sportello after watching the Red Bull Diving Competition at Fan Pier in Boston's waterfront area.  Crazy divers jump off the top of the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) building, which is many, many stories high. Admittedly, it may seem like nothing compared to jumping from the edge of space, but it was still pretty awe-inspiring to watch.
Because it was August when we went, we sampled the fresh, seasonal ingredients in the Heirloom Tomato Salad ($12), which was served simply with crumbled pecorino, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar "dots". If the ingredients are top notch, you can't really go wrong with this salad, and this one was great.
All of their pastas are homemade, and you can order any pasta as a half size appetizer portion for half the price. We decided to order two half-sized pastas as starters and share one entree. Our first pasta was a seasonal offering: Pappardelle with Tuna Belly, San Marzano Tomatoes, and Eggplant. We both loved the perfect al dente texture of these wide ribbon-like noodles.
The Tagliatelle Bolognese, on the other hand, is a staple menu item that stays on all year long. We both liked it a lot, and would definitely be happy to order it again. I probably preferred the bolognese to the tuna belly pasta, though both were good.

Entrees vary a lot depending on the season, but there's always a "Market Fish" on the menu. In late summer when we went, we enjoyed a lovely grilled white fish which was served with grilled Japanese eggplant, summer squash, and an edamame puree.

I did want to mention that I loved the wine we got, a little find from a young winemaker in Sicily. We learned about this wine, Occhipinti Il Frappato Sicilia 2010, because we just happened to be sitting right next to a person from Central Bottle, who instantly recognized the wine we got (they sell this wine at Central Bottle as well).

True to Chef Lynch's promise, Sportello offers the opportunity for one to come and just "grab and go." You can walk up to a bakery/cafe counter inside the restaurant and order sandwiches or bakery items to take away.

Dessert is sort of a fun affair because you can either order off of the normal dessert menu or walk over to the counter and pick out whatever bakery items you might want for dessert.

Bryan and I decided to try both (!!). We ordered the Blueberry Cheesecake off of the normal menu, which was great. I especially loved those fresh, Maine blueberries.
We also got a Kit Kat Cupcake from the bakery, which, honestly, I thought was pretty average. The cupcake was a tad dry and not nearly as interesting as I had hoped.

General Thoughts
In general, we both thought Sportello offered high quality food and wine in a fun, casual, yet sleek environment. Pastas were especially tasty, and I really loved the wine.

It's still a bit of a trek from Cambridge, and not quite "destination-worthy" for us to make the trip out to Fort Point just to eat at Sportello. We have plenty of excellent restaurants close to home. However, if we're in the neighborhood (or, when my company moves there next year), I will happily stop by often, either to try their lunch take-away sandwiches or for the excellent pasta dishes.

As a cool side note, Sportello is currently offering a three course Sunday meal, including all-you-can-eat pasta, for $45. Sounds awesome yet dangerous at the same time!

Sportello
348 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210

St. Viateur Bagels

This is the first post in the Oh Canada series, summarizing some of the great eats I had when visiting various Canadian cities this past year

There's truly something irresistible about a fresh, piping hot bagel.

When my Canadian-Boston transplant friend found out I was going to Montreal, the first thing she requested was that I bring back some sesame bagels. For her, the memories from college (when she was at McGill) were priceless.

"It's super fun to go in the middle of the night and grab a fresh piping hot bagel as it rolls down the wooden chute."

"sooooo good."

Yes, exact words from her email. She really wanted these bagels.

What could I do? I had to make the special trip.

In Montreal, you typically hear about two bagel places: St. Viateur and Fairmont. The two are only a few blocks from each other (one on St. Viateur Street, the other on Fairmont Street), so you could really visit both if you wanted. I had a tight schedule (a flight to catch!), so I could only choose one.

I hailed a cab and told the driver my plans. I only had about 15 minutes to head to a bagel place before I had to rush over to Schwartz's to beat the lines.

The driver assured me that St. Viateur was the better place. He thought the bagels were different at the two places, and he much preferred St. Viateur.

"Everybody who is visiting Montreal always wants to go to St. Viateur. Trust me, that's where you want to go."

I guess I decided to trust him. He seemed to be telling the truth. In fact, he even stopped and picked up some bagels himself when he took me there.

St. Viateur is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. You can really stop by at any time and "grab a fresh piping hot bagel as it rolls down the wooden chute."

It was quite clear that sesame was the most popular flavor. They were making HUGE batches of sesame bagels compared to all the rest. It just so happens that sesame bagels are amongst my favorite as well, so I ended up ordering eighteen (!) sesame bagels, and 6 others (assorted flavors).

It's also fun to visit St. Viateur because you get to watch all the bagel making action.

Check out that huge slab of dough, ready to be cut into bagel sized strips.

Montreal bagels are a little smaller than American bagels. The hole is bigger and the overall bagel is "thinner."

It's really cool to see the rows of bagels going into the huge wood-fired oven.

Though there's no way you can eat them all, I would highly recommend eating one bagel fresh on the spot. They are definitely hot when you get them, and that's by far the best time to enjoy them. The exterior is crispy (I love how the sesame seeds toast a bit and become super fragrant), and the inside is just a hair sweet and chewy.

Soooo good.

Once you take them home, try to freeze them as soon as possible. According to my Canadian friend (who apparently has some experience doing this), if you freeze it the day you buy it, it tastes almost as good as fresh when you re-toast it.

If you have a vacuum sealer, you can vacuum seal them, which will keep them from drying out. Any remaining bagels that you don't finish within a day or two can be sliced up, toasted, and made into fantastic bagel chips.

I ended up liking all the other flavors I bought as well. The 9-grain and flaxseed were both nutty, fragrant, and sweet. I had really wanted the "All-dressed" (everything), but it was still baking in the oven when I arrived. Because I was short on time, I had to forego it this time around.

Are they as good as New York bagels?
Oooh, hard to say - they are different, and I think it's a matter of preference.  Any fresh bagel out of the oven beats a non-fresh one, so in that sense they are both fantastic. If I had to compare them, I would say that Montreal bagels are smaller, less dense, and are just a tad sweet (which I like). Both are delicious, especially if eaten fresh. Gosh, I really can't choose between them.

In any event, all I'm saying is that St. Viateur is most definitely worth a visit.

St. Viateur
158 St-Viateur
West Montreal, QC
H2T2L4

Bouchon Bistro (lunch)

Bryan goes to Vegas several times a year. I guess when you're in the tech industry, Vegas is a popular location for conferences. Whenever he goes, he always stays at the Venetian. Why?

"I come down the elevator and Bouchon is right there. Every morning, I get a pastry and cappuccino for breakfast."

And this is a guy who usually never eats breakfeast!

Alas, this post is not about those pastries, as much as we all love them. I've written about them plenty on this site. You can go here, here, or even here (geez, it really seems like I've visited every single Bouchon Bakery in the world  . . . )

Nor is it about the lovely dinner that the bistro offers (which I already talked about earlier this year here).

Instead, we visited Bouchon twice this trip in the middle of the day - once for lunch and once for brunch. Clearly, the convenience of having the bistro right down the hall (yes, it was even closer than the bakery was to our hotel room), was yet another reason to stay at the Venetian.
QUICK LUNCH

Our first visit was a quick lunch the day I arrived in Las Vegas. Prices were surprisingly reasonable considering we were on the Strip. For example, the beautiful oven-roasted turkey sandwich shown below was only $12. It came with a pickle and house-made potato chips, which were delicious.
Not bad at all for a simple but delicious sandwich made with Bouchon bakery challah (yum!) and fresh oven roasted turkey.

I had already eaten on the airplane, so I just enjoyed a simple plate of butter cookies along with a cappuccino. These cookies keep really well, so I took half of them home and snacked on them in the hotel whenever I got a bit hungry.

BRUNCH

Bouchon French Toast 
Bread pudding style with warm layers of brioche, custard & apples. Served with maple syrup $12.00 

We next stopped by for brunch our last day in the city. Because we were staying in the Venetian (on the 10th floor no less - same floor as Bouchon!), it was way too convenient to just walk down the hall for some scrumptious brunch.

I love bread pudding, so I went with the Bouchon French Toast (which, the server warned me again, was more like bread pudding than traditional French toast). Unfortunately, I was really not a huge fan of this "French toast." Yes, it was like bread pudding, but the ratio of apples to bread was about 1:1, which, in my mind, made the whole thing way too sweet. It tasted more like dessert than breakfast. I think (sadly) I left about half of it on the plate. Those of you with a sweet tooth may still love this. I just couldn't eat much of it at all.

Chicken & Waffles 
Roasted chicken, bacon and chive waffle, Tahitian vanilla bean butter, sauce chasseur $25.00

I was curious how the king of fried chicken (I still have yet to try Thomas Keller's famous Ad Hoc fried chicken!) would make this well-known Southern dish. Imagine our surprise when we found out that the Bouchon chicken and waffles are actually made with roasted chicken!

To his credit, the chicken was perfectly cooked.  It was succulent, juicy, yet flavorful and slightly crispy on the outside. The savory waffles were fantastic - buttery, airy, with the perfect, crispy edges. The meal was delicious, though we both agreed it wasn't the best chicken and waffles we'd ever had. At the end of the day, it was good, but we both agreed the dish inherently tastes better with fried chicken!

Overall, Bouchon is a perfectly fine place to enjoy lunch or brunch. Most of their offerings are solid and made with excellent ingredients. I wouldn't say every single dish will blow you away, but most are pretty good if you happen to be close by (ahem, like down the hall) and don't feel like walking too far in the heat!

This is part 1 of a larger Series The Vegas Anniversary. Other posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro (lunch)
Aureole
Lee's Sandwiches

Bouchon Bistro
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Bouchon Bakery (New York)

We end our New York series with a place I always visit every time I come.

Yes, I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point, especially considering that I've already written posts about its sister bakeries, both in Napa Valley and Las Vegas. But I really really like this bakery!

And, for the sake of completeness, I really should have all three on my blog, right?

Besides, who doesn't want to look at pictures of more lovely and delicious baked goods? ;)

This Bouchon Bakery is located up on the third floor of the Time Warner Building one floor down from its famous cousin. Sound familiar? The original Bouchon Bakery is also located just down the street from its super famous cousin.

The lines are long, but manageable and move quickly!

It's hard to decide what to get, but I like their TKOs (Thomas Keller Oreos), macarons (I'm boring but vanilla is actually my favorite!), and their bouchons (mini-chocolate cork shaped brownies).

Bryan likes the nutter butter (two peanut butter cookies with peanut butter cream in the center!) , chocolate croissant (excellent chocolate inside!), and the maple bacon scone (sweet and salty - soooo good!). Though I've hardly come close to trying all that they sell, everything I've had so far has been excellent. You wouldn't expect anything less from Thomas Keller.

On the other side, you can order sandwiches and sit down for a casual lunch.

If you've already eaten (which I usually have),you can grab a baked good, a coffee, and wander the rest of the Time Warner Building. There always seems to be some sort of art exhibit going on, which is fun to explore. The last time we were there, they had a bunch of cool Dali art on display (and for sale!!! Does anyone want to spend $50k on a tree?).

I think this tree costs several hundreds of thousands of dollars . . . .

If you can't finish everything while at the bakery, you can always take some to go.

Update: A NEWEST Bouchon Bakery just opened up at One Rockefeller Plaza! Looks like my trio of Bouchon posts is not complete! I must visit the fourth one the next time I'm in New York!

Other posts in this series

Momofuku Milk Bar
Momofuku Ko
Eleven Madison Park
Marea (lunch)
Marea (dinner)
Eataly

Peter Luger Steak House
Eating in New York (again)

Bouchon Bakery
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019