Food from Hiroshima and More

I couldn't leave Japan without stopping to get something good to eat. And with the Yurakucho Line being the train I took from Ikebukuro Station to Gokoku-ji, Ginza-itchome Station was not a problem to get to. Once again I bought a few things at TAU Hiroshima.

Walking back through Ikebukuro Station, I had to enjoy the flowers.

Very pretty but that price, and I don't know if customs in the US would allow it.

I actually enjoyed a couple MR. waffles on another day. This Belgian Liege waffle was almond.

And this unusual Belgian Liege waffle was not green tea. It was mung beans and a springtime Japanese vegetable that I do not remember. Nanohana maybe?

I did enjoy on my last day a couple of the treats I bought at the local market, when I went there during the snow day. I found a little Mont Blanc pudding!

This was a nice find since a lot of the food shops were closed due to the virus. I couldn't resist enjoying one of the really big strawberries with it.

Yes someone inspired me to try this. And it was delicious.

I was also really happy to find little fresh tomatoes.

I enjoyed them on a 7-Eleven Caesar salad. They were sweet, acidic and juicy. So good!

Remembering the oysters I ate at TAU Hiroshima last year. What a wonderful meal that was. Canned oysters are not quite the same, but these drenched in Setouchi lemon were really good.

One last izakaya moment, enjoying the oysters with that nice sake that I always get.

Just a few things that made it home with me. I saw this and wanted to try it. Hiroshima Oyster flavored yakisoba. Along with a bottle of Setoda Lemon Ale from Yamaguchi Narutaki Kogen Brewery. This was a really good pairing.

I love how Japanese instant foods have drawing so you know how to prepare it.

Fun feature is this little steam vent grate that you open up after you put hot water in.

Of course always make sure to take out the seasoning packet before putting the water in.

I added a little cabbage. This was actually tasty and made me wish I had bought more. Having this to eat after my long flights home was a really good idea. And those flights are the subject of my next blog post. Because it was definitely different this trip.

Ikebukuro Eats

Since I mentioned eating at Ikebukuro Station in my last post, here's a few more things I tried while in Ikebukuro. First is a little cream puff chick that FamilyMART offered for Easter. It was actually pretty good.

Believe it or not, I've never eaten Japanese pudding. They don't sell it in the US. Given it's iconic status as an anime and manga staple, I'd thought about trying it for a few years now. 

So I finally did eat a Glico pudding. It was okay. But not something I'd eat often. Made me wishful for crème brûlée.

Something they do sell in America is Beard Papa's. The smell of freshly baked cream puffs permeated this part of Ikebukuro Station so I had to stop at least one time.  

Sorry my photos are not that great. Fun of trying to take them in a little Tokyo hotel room with not much light. But the packaging is cute. 

I ended up choosing the special which was cookies and cream. And it was good! 

I stopped at Vie en France bakery one evening. When I lived in Arcadia, California, I worked near a mall so would stop in at Vie en France for lunch occasionally. They didn't have pizza there. This was not bad for a non-pizzeria place.

Chocolate chip pastry from Vie en France. Since I didn't take up the breakfast option at the hotel. 

Another Ikebukuro Station bakery I checked out was Andersens. I've eaten pastry from them before. This was an orange pastry. Another nice choice for breakfast.

My next post will either be the bakery I went to more than the others, or a new area in Tokyo that I visited. I haven't decided yet.