Cafe Bon Shinjuku (自家焙煎珈琲 凡) review

One of my ex-colleagues introduced this place to me and it has quickly become one of my favourite go-to cafes in Tokyo. 

The concept behind this cafe is the owner of the shop will choose a cup that matches what you are wearing or your personality. Every cup is different as he has traveled the world collecting teacups, so there is a story behind every cup. 

I love the ambiance of this cafe, it is perfect to go to on a cold or hot afternoon (it is both cozy and cooling). The place reminds me of the tea party from Alice in Wonderland. (I couldn't take pictures but managed to do an instagram story. (see youtube link or access below)

The tea/coffees are a bit on the pricey side (approximately ¥1500-2000 per cup). But you can stay as long as you want. On weekdays when the cafe is not busy, you can chat with the owner and learn about his adventures.

score: 8.9/10
website: https://cafebon.crayonsite.net/
address: 3 Chome-23-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan
自家焙煎珈琲 凡

Dolci Cafe SILKREAM Cafe review

Hey my lovely sugar plums!

I am so sorry for being M.I.A. for such a long time... don't worry, I haven't abandoned this blog... I have just been occupied :( if you miss me, please follow me on my FB where I update every day (after all... writing posts are much quicker than full reviews).

anywayz, here's my review of this place:

Dolci Cafe Silkream Soft Service Ice Cream

How many times do we past by gems only to discover them when we are being told? "ME!" ... I was introduced to Ice Cream place by a friend and it has been one of my favourite ice cream places in Shibuya... errr... in Tokyo ever since. 

The exterior is modest and easy to miss... how I remember this place is that it is right underneath T.G.I. Friday's (Shibuya). It's actually quite embarrassing to say that I pass by this place EVERY week... and dined at T.G.I. Friday's for... 1, 2, 3... err.... many times... but I didn't notice this place AT ALL!

interior of Dolci Cafe

The interior is really nice... I forgot to take a picture, but there are a lot of Moomin decorations placed around the cafe. The interior reminds me of a relaxing western cafe located in the outskirts of town. When I'm in here, I forget I am in the busy parts of Shibuya... it's the perfect place to relax and refresh yourself.

Besides, their main ingredients are from Hokkaido.

menu

They have an incredibly small menu selection... it was either coffee with ice cream or ice cream with difference sauces (e.g. strawberry sauce), drinks, crepes... they do have some pastas... but who wants that? :P (just kidding). We both decided on Cremia with Langue de Chat Cone. It is one of their (or rather, only) signature dishes! 

There is even a drink set (not written on the menu)... if you added ¥300 , you can choose a coffee, orange juice or tea (regular price is ¥500-600).

Their pastas are more reasonably priced.

we watched as our ice creams were being made and prepared

To be honest completely honest, this place is slightly pricey. If you are looking for a quick snack before dinner, I wouldn't recommend you to eat ice cream here. One of the reasons why it is a bit more pricier than most ice cream places is because of the relaxing environment it provides so you can relax.

¥820/ice cream

impressions:

• very creamy
• melts very fast
• very filling
• cone is so tasty!

The Ice Cream was SO GOOD!... it actually reminded me of the Ice Cream I had in Hong Kong at Sweet House Cha Cha.They both taste so similar... but this one melts faster than the one in HK... I don't know why.

After trying the cone, I can tell immediately that this cone was made (and not bought in bulks). It was very crispy (and luckily not warm). It slightly melted in your mouth. It had a crispiness of a waffle cone yet the taste of a sugar cone! (I really liked the cone). It was perfectly paired with the ice cream.

here's our Cremia ice cream!! 

I loved the atmosphere, you can even choose where to sit (during their less busy hours) and each place: Living Room, Dining Room and Terrace are all slightly unique. (I was sitting in the Living Room, if you were wondering). The living room was nice a cozy :).

Address: 東京都渋谷区神南1-19-3 ハイマンテン神南ビル1F

Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm

Score: 8/10 (really great ice cream but a bit on the pricey side)

Website: http://www.nissei-com.co.jp/silkream/sp/index.jsp

Hagiso Cafe review

Happy December!! I can't believe this year flew by just like that... it honestly feels like August... or something like that... how did we end up in December already?? (for those who are wondering... I went to this place all the way back in March... yeah... it took me THIS long to write the review... >___<) 

.

.

.

We were so fortunate it was such a lovely day when we decided to eat at this place. It was actually recommended by a friend of a friend of mine's. 

One word of caution, since the only place you can smoke in this cafe is in the patio area (called terrace, in Japan), if you plan to eat at their patio, be prepared to be interrupted by people who want to smoke beside you. The smoking area is right at the Patio/Terrace area... -______-.

We both ordered the same food... It was a fried mackerel sandwich. It came with drinks and a grapefruit sorbet slush dessert (I forgot to take a picture of the dessert). Our meals costed a total of ¥2600.

The mackerel sandwich tastes really good... I was trying to figure out how they got the mackerel piece to stay like that... And my friend's mackerel kept falling out xD 

The mackerel and the bread were both crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Score: 8/10

restaurant hours: 

12:00 - 21:00
定休日：月曜日（祝日の場合火曜）
※イベントによって臨時休業あり
Our holiday is Monday
(If a Monday is a national holiday, then the next day)

Address: Nippori station 3 Chome-10-25 Yanaka, Taito, Tokyo, Japan

Contact number: +81 3-5832-9808

Website: http://hagiso.jp/

Go For Tea Tea Room Review

Make a wish! There are stars in the sky! No, they are actually light bulbs hanging from the ceiling of Go For Tea at the Scarborough location. But seriously, it is pretty... and it is huge, it is located at the center of the cafe (with the size of this place, calling it a cafe is a bit of an understatement). The place can seem like a maze for those who are visiting the place for the first time because 1. it is dim inside (I think you get the picture... from this picture... XD) and 2. whenever you turn a corner you can expect to barge into one of their larger tables (in rooms).

Go For Tea has earned a reputation for having better choices and prices than other bubble tea places, with it's decorations and interior design, it certainly attracts a lot of bubble tea-ers (and people who just want to look for an environment to chill)

As a frequent goer to this place, I enjoy it's popcorn chicken, I think it is one of the best I have ever had.

One of my friends once said that if you want a better deal, you should pay the extra $1 to make your drink large, because their large sizes is almost double the size of their regular size drinks.

However, the downside of this place, due to its popularity, you would have to wait to get seats even on weeknights.

Destiny's Scarborough Location review

For those who are old enough to remember, in the past Destiny's Tea at Scarborough was known for its bad service and serving unhygienic Cockroach drinks. They ended up "renovating and reopening a few months later.

After visiting this place for the first time in 2 years. I have seen some improvement. The servers are a bit better and the .

I tried a lunch special which consists of 1 dish (with rice) with a basic bubble tea. I think their cooking hasn't improved much (or at all), I do find the price reasonable for the amount of food there is though.

I also like the environmental, they have put effort into making their cafe look better and chatting friendly.

I should also mention the mint toothpicks they had available at their concierge which is quite delightful to "taste".

Overall, I would give this place a 3.5/5 points deducted for their minimal cooking skills and minimal service.