It’s a long way to the top, if you wanna eat it all.
Day 2, Tokyo: Brunch @ Sarabeth’s, Yodobashi, Shinjuku Ramen, Takoyaki & Golden Gai
BACKGROUND: It was our first official full day in Japan and because we were staying so close, we chose to explore the Shinjuku area and surrounds for the day as well as visit the Mega Tokyo Pokemon Center at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro. Waking up at around 7:30–8:00am , we figured we’d get ready and find ourselves something to eat. Naturally.
MEAL: Sarabeth’s in Lumine 2 (Breakfast….Bordering on Brunch)
With a quick Google for ‘Best Breakfasts in Shinjuku’, Google showed us the breakfast candidates listed in TripAdvisor. There we found, ranked #32 out of 5,580 restaurants in Shinjuku, Sarabeth’s. Hailing from the Upper West Side of Manhattan and affectionately known as the ‘Breakfast Queen of New York’, Sarabeth’s prides itself on cute, European kitchen interior decor and even higher quality food to match.
My friend ordered the Lemon and Ricotta pancakes with an iced chocolate while I opted for the Classic Eggs Benedict (above) and the hot chocolate. Other reviewers have said that amongst all the other breakfast options conveniently available in Shinjuku, Sarabeth’s is quite pricey. But hey, it is OH so worth it- especially if you’re not looking to travel to New York any time soon. The hot chocolate was decadent and rich, leaving my friend and I to shoot each other ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter’-esque glances across the table. Was this for real? The Eggs Benedict, beautifully presented with a generous pouring of Hollandaise sauce did not leave me unsatisfied. It was unsuspectingly difficult to finish despite only being placed on top of a couple of scone/muffin pieces. Damn, must have been that delectable hot chocolate that consumed my tummy. Totally worth it.
Rating: 4/5 Slightly pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for. Top quality brunch destination. Get the Eggs Benedict and if you have a buddy, get them to order one of the specials available in-store! Make sure you get there near opening time to avoid disappointment as it starts to form a waiting line by 9:30am.
Stomach Status: ‘Oooh! Fancily full and delighted!’
DESTINATION: Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo, Sunshine City, Ikebukuro
This was a little bit of a challenge to navigate, perhaps because we just weren’t used to the orientation of how the Metro Station maps are displayed. Anyway, long story short, if you’re travelling from Shinjuku, make sure you take the train to Higashi- Ikebukuro and you should be fine to go from there.
The actual Pokemon Center itself is not a standalone store, in fact it is located on one of the higher levels within the Sunshine City Shopping Mall. Hop on a few escalators and you’ll find it, in all its bright white lights and larger-than-life Pikachu, Charizard and Mewtwo statues. THIS IS EVERY POKEMON FAN’S DREAM.
Disclaimer: No many how many times you tell yourself you’re only going to buy the rare stuff you can’t get anywhere else, you’ll realise most of the store’s merchandise is exactly that. So if you’re a fan, you’re pretty much guaranteed to spend a lot here. But don’t worry, the super happy Pokemon Center employees are more than happy to supply you with extra bags for all those ‘gifts’ you bought for your friends back home. Yeah sure, ‘gifts for friends’.
MEAL: Ramen around the corner from Yadobashi/Yodobashi, Shinkjuku (afternoon lunch?)
Unfortunately we never really knew what this place was called, but luckily we were able to remember how the exterior looked like. I doubt they’ll be giving the place a face lift anytime soon since the signage is MASSIVE. Anywho, thanks to the power of Google Street View, I can show you what you need to look for:
…and where you should go to find this place.
This place is literally around the corner from Yadobashi (Yodobashi/新宿西口本店), a massive camera/electrical goods store in West Shinjuku. There are multiple levels, where some levels allow smoking. Once you enter, you’ll immediately notice that its vast exterior turns into a narrow passageway of eatery space. Call me crazy, but I really like this dining style, and it’s commonly found everywhere in Japan. Tall, narrow/many level buildings for restaurants- so cosy! You’ll also notice a white kind of vending machine to your right which has a whole lot of buttons covered with different kinds of ramen images. You guessed it, you’ll be ordering your ramen from this bad boy and it will be delivered by a human!
My friend and I were quick to scan the pictures for the ramen that remotely resembled a Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen. I don’t remember whether we put our Yen in or selected the type of ramen we wanted to order first, but either way, make sure you place your order through this machine. This machine will then print you out a ticket which you hand over to the waiter. He/she will then ask you where you’ll be sitting. All we had to do was point up and he understood that we’d be dining on one of the upper levels. Don’t forget to smile, say thank-you and bow!
…BE STILL MY TONKOTSU COVERED HEART. Or at least one of my arteries. This was our first ramen in Japan and boy was it glorious. Thick, slick, black garlic broth with generous amounts of chashu (slices of pork), bamboo and nori sheets, oh man. It was ramen for approximately ¥700-¥1000, which equates to approximately $7-$10 dollarydoos. What a BARGAIN. My friend and I were determined to finish it, no matter how difficult the conquest. But I am afraid we only got as far as finishing the noodles, truth be told, there was some broth left. We just couldn’t run the risk of our arteries hardening with all the pork collagen, we still had almost 3 weeks of travel ahead!
Rating: 4.5/5. I don’t care if this establishment is considered the poor man’s/working classmen’s ramen by the locals, it was awesome. Every slurp felt devilish because of its decadence and the value for money, my Yen definitely went the distance here. Make it a go to place when you’re at that point in walking around the multiple camera/electrical good stores in the area and realise, “Whoah crap. We haven’t eaten. We should eat.”
Stomach Status: ‘Truly Satisfied. Comfort, warmth, greasy, heart palpitations imminent.’
MEAL: Takoyaki @ Gindaco near Seibu-Shinjuku (night time snack)
Considered a quality staple street food in Japan, Takoyaki remains the popular choice of food to eat on the go (even though in Japan, you can’t actually eat while you walk because it’s disrespectful and a big no-no in social norms). Recommended by many through TripAdvisor and other eating blogs online, Gindaco is the place to get a hit of the little delicious ball of Octopus.
As we were still exploring (now the east side of Shinjuku), we located a Gindaco near the Seibu-Shinjuku station. HANDY HINT: This also happens to be closely located to the Toho Cinema Theatre which have fantastic toilets should you need to go!
No fancy plating found here, it was served in half rectangular cardboard box and drizzled with the infamous dark takoyaki sauce and bonito flakes. We are pleased to report that it tasted delicious and despite being made in a ‘stall’/takeaway-type of establishment, its consistency was better than any Takoyaki we’d had back in Aus. Mmm, fresh Takoyaki straight from the Takoyaki plate.
SNEAKY DESSERT: Uji Cake from Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki, Isetan Main Building, B1F
Being avid Matcha lovers, my friend and I were really keen on sampling some Matcha desserts in Japan. We went with our old mate Google on this one and found out about a little Patisserie boutique called ‘Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki’. This guy’s an epic, critically acclaimed Japanese pastry chef that currently heads a patisserie in Paris- so you know his stuff is gonna be great.
Located in the basement level of Shinjuku Isetan (3 minutes away from the Shinjuku-Sanchome metro station), we were quick to pick up a multi-layered matcha opera-type cake slice. Even up to the packaging, the attention to detail and delicate treatment of each cake/dessert was outstanding. All shop attendants were asking customers if they were consuming their purchase now or later. Should you have said, ‘Later on’, they provided a small cool pack to ensure that your dessert was still in its correct form and consistency upon consumption. INCROYABLE!
Drinks: Shinjuku Golden Gai
Golden Gai is a collection of over 200 mini bars. Each with a max person capacity of roughly 6–10 people, it’s a great way to end your day or start your night partying. Some of these bars are known not to be too foreigner friendly, so if you’re Japanese is a little rusty, or you don’t know how to speak any Japanese, you may want to research which bars are foreigner-friendly.
So we did just that, and with a quick search in Google for the best bar to hit in Golden Gai, according to CNN, ‘Albatross G’ was the place to go. Should this citing be trusted? We gave it a go anyway!
It was like stepping onto a micro set of Moulin Rouge. Gold items (real or fake, we couldn’t tell), an overly large chandelier, it’s luxurious but grunge at the same time. The bartender was friendly and was happy to strike a conversation with us. He even took the time to teach us some Japanese words useful in dating…ha!
Drinks/Cocktails consumed:
House Made Plum TequilaDark Yeisu BeerTequila SunriseSakura Sweet RoseMatcha Oolong
Rating: 3.5/5. Give it a go if you’re in the area. At the end of the day it’s a tiny bar, the rest of the experience is determined by what you make of it!