Café Aaliya
The first time I was planning my trip to Tokyo, I did stumble upon this on Google Maps. It had a really good rating on Trip Advisor and Google and a decent one on Tablelog (the local guide).
On my second trip to Tokyo I made sure I went to this place on the afternoon I landed! I realised that it could be a bit difficult to find this place – it seems there is another outlet across a road on the street level. However this outlet has a tiny stairs leading to the basement. Thankfully at 2.40pm there wasn’t a long queue and managed to get a seat for 1! As I was pretty full from my lunch at the Viral Salmon Katsu Seafood Bar Ermitage, I had the one piece of toast and the taurus fruit tea.
Taste : This was one of the memorable food experience I can recall. The french toast was just fluffy very similar to the texture of the Japanese soufflé pancakes. However it was french toast. Like someone had mentioned in the google review “This puts all other french toast and pancakes to shame.” Yes I attest to that claim.
Cost : 1 pc French Toast (400 Yen)
Suzukien Asakusa
Fancy matcha ice cream? Then here is trying 7 levels of matcha flavours
Chacha Futatsume
Happy Pancakes
Fluffy Delights That Bring Joy! Standing true to its name, Happy Pancakes was a delight that left me with a smile for the rest of my day. The soufflé pancakes are freshly made and you can see the chefs whipping up this wonderful delight through the glass panels.
Taste : I really liked the light and airy texture. Almost melts in your mouth. I opted for Original Pancakes that comes with cream and raspberry jam which goes along well.
Cost : ~1200 Yen
Crowd : It gets pretty crowded with locals and foreigners, and they have a reservation system at the Lobby of the building. Key in your details and a email notification will be sent when its your turn. It wasn’t the most easiest to spot, as the lobby was at the back of a shopping mall, take the lift to the level and enjoy your pancakes!
Why I went back : It was one of the few pancake places that had a better rating, and was open till later in the evening (7pm/8pm). They have other outlets but Ginza was a place on my itinerary that day and I was all dressed up for a posh evening. There are some cool bars, restaurants nearby so you should check them out.
Maison Creperie
A Parisian charm in the heart of Shibuya. This café sits at the edge of a sloping narrow lane, specializing French crepes. They offer a variety of sweet and savory crepes although admittedly may be less than what you may find at Harajuku.
Cost : 900 Yen
Crowd : There are no seats, you have to stand nearby and have your crepe. Not to worry about the crowds as the turnaround is fast ~20min after you order if there is a long queue before you.
Taste : The crepe was light – soft and tender, the toppings were pretty generous and there was an ice cream sitting between the layers.
Why I didn’t go back (and regretted it) : On my second visit I was staying 3 stops away from Shibuya (compared to my first visit I was 500m away from this cafe!). I tried another one at Harajuku (Angel Crepes) blinded by the long queue and affordable price (~400 Yen), the toppings were minimal and the strawberries were sour.
Starbucks
Turret Coffee
Arabica
Yes the % sign coffee. I was queuing up at Kichi Kichi Omurice and a couple of people recommended me to visit the Fujii Daimaru Shopping Centre outlet at Kyoto. Well I’m not a fan of popular global chains since they can be found pretty much anywhere around the globe.
Taste : Boy was I wrong after I tried the Kyoto Latte – creamy, full-bodied flavour with hints of nuttiness and It was addictive that I came back on my second trip and had 3 cups of iced Kyoto Latte. After the trip, I gave it a shot in Singapore, but the there were subtle differences in the flavour.
Ippudo Tea
Malebranche
CAFE REISSUE
This is a place for where coffee meets arts.
Maccha House
Melon Pan – Dontonburi
