TOKYO: Nanaya Aoyama in Shibuya has the Best Matcha Gelato in Matcha No. 7

TOKYO: Nanaya Aoyama in Shibuya has the Best Matcha Gelato in Matcha No. 7

Matcha in my mind tonight! In all my travels where I try find the best matcha ice cream in town, Nanaya Aoyama in Shibuya, Tokyo still remains the best. Nanaya Aoyama has matcha levels 1-7. Of course, I got matcha no. 7. I wasn't disappointed. Its the full-bodied, intense matcha flavor that I like. We visited the gelato shop in 2018. As Google maps will show, it's still open. So, for matcha lovers who are visiting Tokyo. Make sure to visit Nanaya Aoyama. It's a one-of-a-kind matcha gelato shop.

Nanaya Aoyama

+81 3-6427-9008

https://maps.app.goo.gl/M8ZeZ4JRDUsf6WkG6

 

My matcha No. 7 gelato

Matcha No. 1 to Matcha No. 7

Matcha No. 2, 5, 7

This is the 2018 price list. 

The current price is 620 yen for matcha no. 7 

and 400 yen for others. 

Google maps photo showing photos uploaded 8 days ago. 

YOSHINOYA EASTWOOD: MY REVIEW

Photo courtesy of Grab

YOSHINOYA EASTWOOD: 

MY REVIEW

Craving some Gyudon today and remembering the meals we had at Yoshinoya Japan. Our first meal upon arrival at Tokyo in 2018 was at the Yoshinoya Narita Airport branch. 

The newly opened branch of Yoshinoya Eastwood where we ordered our meal today didn't disappoint. It brings back memories of meals we had when we visited Japan before the pandemic. We ordered Gyudon and Gyudon with cheese via grab food. We also had red ginger and togarashi/7 spice as condiments. I usually get Gyudon with cheese and it's as flavorful as the one I ate in Japan.

Photos below show what we ordered in Yoshinoya Eastwood in Manila today and Yoshinoya in Narita Airport, Japan in 2018. Check it out.

Gyudon in Yoshinoya Eastwood

Gyudon (right photo): Thin strips of tender beef, slowly simmered in our signature Gyudon sauce served over Japanese rice

Regular: 205 pesos , Large: 251 pesos

Gyudon with cheese (left photo): Thin strips of tender beef, slowly simmered in our signature Gyudon sauce served over Japanese rice topped with melted cheese
Regular: 239 pesos, Large: 299 pesos

With togarashi/7 spice and red ginger as condiments

Gyudon with cheese

Dimensions of Large Gyudon

 Gyudon at Yoshinoya in Narita Airport, Japan in 2018

My gyudon with cheese

My tip: If grab food does not deliver Yoshinoya in your area, put an address that is near the branch location and choose self-pickup. This branch allows purchase by self-pickup via grab food. Then use grab express to pick up the food to deliver to your place.

OSAKA: Must Try Food at Kuromon Market (What We Liked)

OSAKA: Must Try Food at Kuromon Market (What We Liked)

There are a lot of fresh seafood and meat to try in Kuromon market. But these are the food we liked and would recommend you to try. As shown in the map below, these merchants can be found in just one street. 

CLICK TO ENLARGE MAP
www.kuromon.com

1. MARUZEN BUTCHER

Open 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM, 7 days a week

What to eat: Kobe beef

Melt-in-your mouth Kobe beef
Price: 2000 yen

Maruzen butcher stall
There are seats where you can enjoy eating the beef they cook for you.

We chose Kobe beef diced steak.

They cook the beef in front of you.

They give a certificate of authenticity that they served you Kobe beef.

MY TIP: Avoid meal time hours. This stall is very popular. We went there meal time hours and lines are long. There were less people when we went there 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. 

2. KITAO SENGYOTEN

Open 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Closed Sundays and holidays

What to eat: Fresh Uni, Grilled Giant Scallops

Fresh and newly opened uni eaten straight from the shell is heavenly.
There is an aroma that fills your mouth that you won't experience tasting unless you eat it out of the shell.
Price: 1500 yen

The grilled giant scallops is so juicy.
Price: 1500 yen

The front of the stall
You can identify it through the green sign and the no.59 sign

You choose your scallops.

They cook it in front of you.

You choose your uni.

This is how they open it.

3. PRODUCE MARKET YASUI

Open 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM

Sundays and public holidays until 3:00 PM only

What to eat: Cremia ice cream

Soft serve Cremia ice cream

The front of the stall where you can buy the ice cream

You can see this sign in front of the stall.

4. SENNARIYA

Open 9:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Closed New Year's day

What to eat: Sushi, eel, etc

Front of the stall
(Photo taken from the Kuromon market site)

There are seats and a variety of food stalls inside Sennariya.
(Photo taken from the Kuromon market site.)

MY TIP: They slash down prices of sushi at 2:00 PM. Apparently, the fish is no longer "fresh" by their high standards starting at 2:00 PM. My daughter bought sushi before 2:00 PM and noticed a few minutes after she bought her sushi, the vendor slashed down prices.

OSAKA: Must Try Food at Dotonbori (What we liked)

OSAKA: Must Try Food at Dotonbori
(What we liked)

There's a great variety of food you can try in Dotonbori. But I'm sharing with you the food we really liked. We recommend the following ramen, takoyaki, okonomiyaki and melon pan brands. This is where you can find them.

CLICK MAP TO ENLARGE

1. ICHIRAN RAMEN

    Open 24 hours

Entrance of Ichiran Ramen

People lining up to enter Ichiran Ramen

We lined up to enter the restaurant but the wait is not long.

You use this terminal to place your order.

The instructions were:

1. Insert bills

2. Press the ramen button.

3. Remove the meal ticket.

4. Retrieve the change. 

Basic ramen is 890 yen.

Seats inside Ichiran Ramen

The waiter checks your order.

They deliver your ramen through this hole.

Ramen with additional order of tamago and seaweed.

2. TAKOYAKI KUKURU

Takoyaki Kukuru is the restaurant on the right with the giant octopus figure on top.

8 pieces is 650 yen, 10 pcs is 750 yen

You can sit inside the restaurant to eat the takoyaki

3. CHIBO OKONOMIYAKI

11:00 AM - 1:00 AM

My tip: Best time to go is during off hours. At meal times, the line is long. We ate at this restaurant 4:30 PM.

Entrance of Chibo
There's usually a line at the front door during lunchtime and dinnertime.

Inside Chibo

While cooking okonomiyaki

We ordered Dotonbori Okonomiyaki.
It has pork, beef tendon and konjac, shrimp, squid and cheese.
Price is 1674 yen.

This okonomiyaki is large and  is good for 2-3 persons.
It is so delicious. We vow to return and eat at this place when we return to Osaka.
It is no wonder that the place always has a long line during meal times. 

We also tried Chibo Yakisoba Noodles.
It's made of pork, prawn, octopus and squid.
The price is 1796 yen. It's also very delicious.

4. MELON PAN ICE CREAM

My tip: The line is always long when we pass by this food truck during meal times. I recommend you buy Melon Pan when it's off-hours. Line was short when we went there at 4:00 PM.

Melon Pan food truck 

Average price of Melon Pan is 500 yen.
You can buy melon bread without the ice cream for 200 yen.

The line is long because only the lady owner is dispensing the ice cream.

Warning: Make sure to have the right amount of money with you. They only accept 100 and 1000 yen. They do not accept 5000 and 10,000 yen, as well as coins. That's the warning written on the sign with the red border.

Melon Pan is ice cream placed inside melon bread.
It is so delicious and the texture of the melon bread is quite unique.