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... >___<) 

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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/

Tony Wong Patisserie review Kowloon City Location

outside of Patisserie

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Let's finish the year off with one of my favourite desserts!

For those who haven't heard of Tony Wong, he is one of the 甜心先生 (Mr. Sweet) on TVB's show 甜心先生 (Sweet Corner)... I have been to his Wan Chai location... and I really liked it... one of the most unfortunate things was while I was at their Wan Chai location, I was too excited that I forgot to take pictures. So, when I visited their Kowloon City location, I made sure I took a lot of pictures... maybe too many... (be warned!)...

"Street view" of shop

To be honest, it wasn't really easy to find. The store was a little hidden... and because the sidewalk and road was really narrow, it was hard to tell what the name of the store was. (not only for this store but all stores in general on this street).

"Window Display"

I think they can do a better job with their window display. It does not serve justice for the cake inside with such a messy store window.

AND HERE WE ARE!! *oops, finger on lenses.... don't worry, more images below! See how pretty the cakes are! Not to mention the variety they have. I'm sure there will be a cake for you. What is unfortunate though is, they randomly select from their various cakes, and since their cakes are made daily, the cake you want to eat might not be available. (but that's ok... since most of them taste good ;) )

This was what I got: Mango Delight and Chocolate Truffle.

Mango Delight

1. Mango Delight:

Main Ingredients:

• Mango Delight
• Mango Mousse 
• Panna Cotta 
• Mango Jelly

The name "Mango Delight" is a perfect fit for this item. It is like a nice mango party in your mouth. All layers (except for the Panna Cotta layer) had some form of authentically mango taste to it (authentic = not artificial mango). Yet they all tasted different giving you "mango delight". I highly recommend this to all mango lovers!

Chocolate Truffle

2. Chocolate Truffle
main ingredients:

• Chocolate Truffle
• Chocolate Glazing 
• Truffle Cream 
• Hazelnut crunchy Flake 
• Cocoa Sponge

I ordered this at their Wan Chai location and I couldn't resist when I saw it at their Kowloon City location... the quality is perfectly the same and the taste is perfect.

This was what I wrote:

This Chocolate Truffle was really delicious. You haven't had Chocolate Truffle till you have tried this cake. I'm serious! Besides tasting really "chocolatey", and being very creamy and literally melting in your mouth, it adds surprises as you work your way though the cake.  In the core of the cake there are Hazelnut crunchy flakes, this was definitely a surprise for my taste buds and mouth. The crunchiness made the cake so much more interesting and the rich hazelnut taste made my taste buds really happy.  The bottom of the cake is held by a cocoa sponge cake.

mmm!! lots of cakes!!

Eating There:

The patisserie's eating area was not much better than their Wan Chai location, but I was impressed that they provided plates and utensils (which their Wan Chai location did not). The eating area was very narrow (it was in a hallway). 

yum! ;) look at all these delicious cakes!

other delicious cakes!

when you are in front of the store and you look up

I highly recommend this place for all cake/dessert fans... actually... to anyone... they have one of the best tasting cakes in the world (I'm not exaggerating!)

ratings:
cakes: 10/10
shop environment: 7/10

location:
address: 74 Fuk Lo Tsun Road, Kowloon City, Kowloon (九龍城福佬村道74號)

website: http://www.patisserietonywong.com/
phone #: 2382 6639 (Kowloon City)

Tony Wong Patisserie review Wan Chai Location

1. Tiramisu 2. Chocolate Truffle

Who here has heard of or watched the popular dessert show called "Sweet Corner", "Mr. Sweet" (in Chinese 甜心先生) on TVB's 為食台? If you have and are a big fan, you cannot miss this place...

Tony Wong's Patisserie is own by their original "Mr Sweet". You can watch the first episode here--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFdCyt8CLTw

Now after watching it, what do you think? Do you want some? well.... you can,

Shown in the picture, I got a Tiramisu and Chocolate Truffle

I liked this place so much that I actually went to their Kowloon City place too...  (will do a separate review)

Wan Chai Location: Atmosphere:

• Nice, drop in environment
• service can be quicker
• needs better seating
• needs MORE seating

Not good if you plan to eat there, the chairs were extremely uncomfortable and it was extremely difficult to find a place to put my purse. The seats were all tall chairs, so it was extremely hard to move over. We had to eat next to a garbage can, which ruined our experience. There needs to be more seating too, going back to my earlier point of "hard to move over" I find that when people are eating then leaving, we needed to make room for others. with the tall chairs, it was hard to do that. I suggest they get cafe style tables and chairs to replace their

1. Tiramisu:

main ingredients:

• Mascarpone Cream 
• Lady Finger Soaked With Coffee Syrup

I am sure at one point or another, we have all tried Tiramisu. But you can't say you have had Tiramisu without trying this one. There were 5 layers and each layer was different, the layers were stacked wet, dry, wet dry, etc. One layer consisted of a creamy hazelnut filling, another with a heavily wine drenched biscuit filling, another with a creamy chocolate, etc. .... It is just good!


2. Chocolate Truffle
main ingredients:

• Chocolate Truffle
• Chocolate Glazing 
• Truffle Cream 
• Hazelnut crunchy Flake 
• Cocoa Sponge

This Chocolate Truffle was really delicious. You haven't had Chocolate Truffle till you have tried this cake. I'm serious! Besides tasting really "chocolatey", and being very creamy and literally melting in your mouth, it adds surprises as you work your way though the cake.  In the core of the cake there are Hazelnut crunchy flakes, this was definitely a surprise for my taste buds and mouth. The crunchiness made the cake so much more interesting and the rich hazelnut taste made my taste buds really happy.  The bottom of the cake is held by a cocoa sponge cake.

ratings:
cakes: 10/10
shop environment: 6/10

location:
399 G/F., Lockhart Road, Golden Jubilee, Wai Chai, Hong Kong. (灣仔駱克道399號)

website: http://www.patisserietonywong.com/
phone #: 2575-8993 (Wan Chai)

日出茶太 Chatime review

Brewed Oolong Milk Tea with Pudding

Chatime... Global Brand with Local Flavour

Recently, the talk of town is "Chatime"!
Whenever it's after dinner... "let's go Chatime"
or After a movie "let's go to Chatime"
or to talk "let's talk at Chatime"

How can I ignore such a significant place? I have learned that they have already opened 2 tearooms in Toronto and from what I heard, there will be more coming.

Upon arriving to the store, you will notice that there is a line... there is always a line, I passed by this place at least 5 times already and every time there is a line... the line moves quite quick, so don't be scared. Once you enter the shop, you will be invited by their sweet milk tea flavor scent. The atmosphere is very casual I would not recommend coming to this place if you are a party of more than 5, as there aren't a lot of seats. This place is not designed for you to stay for more than one hour, it is a drink and go place. (wait time is not too bad)

photo credits: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/chatime-toronto#HsBHP3qunw96PhFP4spueA


Their drinks are more on the pricey side (approximately $5/bubble tea), it is worth it, but still considered pricey (especially when you aren't served, you just get a take out cup, and there is  but they can be quite pricey due to the uniqueness of their drinks menu. You can click here for their updated drink's menu. Quality is also a factor in their pricing, they do put powder in their drinks but you can taste a difference between their drinks compared to other places who fully rely on powder and other chemicals. The drinks here taste much more "natural" and "real"

I find it interesting how they have unusual additives to their drinks such as: Red Bean, Coffee Jelly, Grass Jelly, Aloe Vera and Pudding.  I was interested in the pudding and coffee Jelly... I chose pudding in the end.

Another very interesting feature of this place is that you can choose how much "Sugar", "Ice" and "Topping" you would like to add to your drink. There is a range for example:

100% - normal sugar dose
70% - less sugar dose
0%  -  no sugar at all

(the same applies to their ice and topping)

I assume because it is located in downtown, they only service "take out" so you can only get your drinks in a take away/out cup.

Additional information:
if you would like to access their free WiFi, the password is their phone number

Overall, I like this place, not so much the atmosphere (it is too loud and not "comfortable" enough, since they call themselves a tearoom I would expect a more "tearoom" environment (unless of course there is a lost in translation? I'll give them the benefit of the doubt)). I like their unique drinks and quality so I guess I will be coming here again.

rating: 4.5/5

website: http://www.ichatime.com.tw/index.php

Green Grotto Tea Room at McNicoll - hot tea edition review

To see the review of this cafe in general please click here. 

After my good experiences at Green Grotto at McNicoll, I have became a frequent visitor of this place. At this particular visit, I was going to stay a bit longer than usual because I had some translation work to do with a friend, we both agreed that getting hot teas was a better choice on a cold Spring day, and we wanted something that was healthier. We ended up getting two pots of hot teas. What was good is that they also offered us complimentary popcorn (I guess you can tell I am a big fan of popcorn).

So for a little recap, Green Grotto is a relaxing tea room which offers a variety of drinks and some snacks. Similar to "traditional" cafes they have Asian magazines and their space is the perfect environment to sit, chat, complimentary wifi. You can just go there to chill after a long days work.

Due to bad experiences at other bubble tea places, I tend to avoid getting "hot" drinks because even with the unlimited refills they offer, the tea is not worth it, as they put so little "dry leaves/flowers" so the tea doesn't even have taste after the 3rd refill. HOWEVER, I was almost shocked and am so glad it is not the case for Green Grotto, they literally load up your teapot filter with the dry stuff... so after filling up my teapot for the 5th time, my tea still tasted as rich as the first cup. I highly recommend you getting teas which are mixed with different things rather than just one basic thing. My friend got Longan + Osmanthus and I got plain Osmanthus. I was actually quite happy with my tea till I tried my friend's, since it was much tastier and sweeter.

As you can imagine, we were there for quite a while (when you translate stuff, time literally flies). So after staying there for almost 5 hours, we were hungry! We ordered a Sesame filled pancake (at first we thought it would be like crepes or PANCAKES but turns out it was the Chinese dessert "pancake" type). It was quite tasty, and the filling was good!

If you are looking for a place to do some "simple work" (don't abuse it by staying there for 10 hours cramming for an exam ;P, just kidding), I highly recommend this place, the people there are friendly, the customers are polite and aren't distracting.

EDIT
my friend asked me about hours of this place, so I thought I would post them here (forgot to ask them about opening time... I think it is around 1PM each day):
closing time:
Sunday - Thursday: 12:00AM
Friday - Saturday: 1:00AM

Green Grotto at McNicoll review - cold drinks edition

I have always been a fan of bubble tea cafes because you can enjoy various types of drinks (which range from green teas, black teas, red teas, coffee, fruit juices, etc) and like most "traditional" cafes they usually provide magazines and a perfect environment to sit, chat, surf web (most places provide free wifi) and just relax.

I have recently been acquainted to Green Grotto which is located at McNicoll and Midland Road. Like most Green Grotto's I have been to, the place is small and cozy. But unlike most Green Grotto's I have been to (and thank goodness!) it is not packed, so it is a lovely environment to hang out with friends and chat and relax.

One thing I like about Green Grotto is that they provide complementary free popcorn, it's nice to chew on something light while you are at a bubble tea place. Usually I am a fan of popcorn chicken, but sometimes, that can be too heavy if you just want to chill-ax with some friends after a heavy meal.

Overall, I think Green Grotto's drinks are well made, at this particular visit, I ordered Fuji Apple Yogurt while my friend ordered Green Apple Yogurt (a frequent visitor of this place recommended their yogurt drinks so we decided to order that). It tasted quite good, it wasn't too sweet or sour just easy to drink.

If you are looking for a place to go for your next friend reunion or simply just a place to sit down and chat, this is the place for you!

To see the review for "hot tea drinks" at Green Grotto please click here

EDIT
my friend asked me about hours of this place, so I thought I would post them here (forgot to ask them about opening time... I think it is around 1PM each day):
closing time:
Sunday - Thursday: 12:00AM
Friday - Saturday: 1:00AM

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.