Monocle Cafe Tokyo

If you like reading Monocle magazine, the global briefing magazine that provides useful information on business, lifestyle, travel, fashion, etc., then going to a Monocle cafe is a must.

During my recent trip to Tokyo, I was able to visit the Monocle Cafe located at B1 of Hankyu Men's department store in Tokyo.

The cafe is nice and cozy. It provides customers with a lot of Monocle Magazines and some Monocle books that they can read while they hangout and have their meal and coffee.

It is a cool stopover for a nice afternoon snack or a meal when you are in Tokyo.

My friends and I had some afternoon snack and tried the burger, coffee and the ice cream sandwich.

After having a meal, one can also opt to get some Monocle items at the shop area that is also attached to the cafe.

Next time I'm in Tokyo, Monocle cafe is still included in my stopover destinations for a good cup of coffee and a nice meal.

Yayoiken Vending Machine Restaurant in Japan

During my recent visit to Japan, my  Japan-based friend and her family brought me to a Yayoiken restaurant branch near their home. 

Yayoiken is one of the affordable restaurants in Japan where one can quickly choose a meal via a vending machine, pay for it  and get  the order at one's table after a few minutes.

My friend told me that normally when they feel like eating out before going home from work they normally stop by Yayoiken for dinner. It is convenient, affordable and offers various meal options.
 

The process of ordering one's meal at the restaurant is quite simple since they have a vending machine that features photos and prices of the various meals that are available.

The vending machine which is quite easy to use
 is located near the entrance of the restaurant.

One simply has to click on their meal choice using the machine and put it in some cash in the machine to pay. Once order is confirmed, the next step is just to wait for the order to be delivered to one's table.

I opted for the steak meal that comes with rice, salad and miso soup. 

Everything in Japan seems to be quite efficient. Our food was delivered to our table after 15 minutes and we also had some refillable hot tea to go with it.

Yayoiken is a good stopover for people who want to eat affordable and good quality food that can be ready in 15 minutes. 

So next time I go to Japan and would like a fast Japanese meal, Yayoiken is definitely a good stopover.

Dean & Deluca Tokyo

I still remember that years ago, my brother and I tried the Dean & Deluca branch in Bangkok and we both like the food and the store.

Dean & Deluca is a food store and restaurant that started in SoHo area in New York in the United States in 1977. It was started by Giorgio Deluca, a school teacher who turned cheese merchant and Joel Dean, a business manager at a publisher who dreamed of creating a place that would offer customers a sumptuous celebration of food and a venue to experience all of the pleasures that cooking and eating can bring.

Today, Dean & Deluca has branches in different countries. In Japan, they have more than 10 store locations. This simply shows that Japan is a good market for this well-known food emporium.

I was able to visit the Dean & Deluca store at Lumine department store in Tokyo. I love their extensive merchandise and they serve good quality food too. It is a good stopover for a foodie like me.

I was a bit peckish when I went there so I also got myself a nice healthy meal and a hot drink.

Prosciutto wrap with 3 types of salad and a cup of coffee

Dean & Deluca in Lumine branch offers lunch time specials from 11AM to 2PM every weekdays. The meal is value for money at JPY1,000(less than USD10) per meal.

Dean & Deluca's cafe counter where one can get a good cup
of coffee and pay for their meal.

They have a wide range of food items and ready-to-eat food in the store. One can choose from the different pastries and get freshly prepared sandwiches, quiche, wraps, pasta and salads too.

The store combines various food products and ready-to-eat
food like pastries and hot meals.

Dean & Deluca fruits in syrup

Dean & Deluca Balsamic with sweet sake soy sauce

  

Juices in nice packaging

Dean & Deluca goodies

You certainly know you are in Dean & Deluca store in Japan since they also offer some ready-to-eat sushi.

Assorted sushi at Dean & Deluca Tokyo

 I will definitely go back to Dean & Deluca when I am in Japan. I like the good service and the good quality meal. It is definitely a good place too for getting food products that are not normally available in other stores.

Rose Bakery at DSMG

Rose Bakery started in Paris in 2002 and was created by Rose Carrarini and her husband Jean Charles. It is an Anglo-French bakery, shop and restaurant whose aim is to serve, fresh, simple and healthy food.

Rose believes in offering good quality food since she was quoted to have said: "We wanted to create a place where people felt at home, somewhere that people came back to often and the quality of the food shone.” – Rose Carrarini.

My friend and I went to Rose Bakery which is located at the 7th floor of DSMG(Dover Street Market Ginza) for a late lunch a couple of weeks ago when I visited Japan. It is a nice place to go to since it is quiet and it provides customers with good service and delicious food. Plus, the place sells some interesting merchandise too.

We started with some hot tea, tried some sandwiches and tried a healthier option dessert that is not too sweet.

Rose Bakery serves tea in beautiful tea pots and serves
it with a star-shaped cookie too.

Simple and quiet dining area at Rose Bakery.

Rose Bakery sells plates, cups, tea pots, cook books, teas, cookies,etc.

They have a counter filled with pastries such as cakes and pies.

The Japanese diners seem to like the RB cheesecake since most
of the tables with locals ordered this with their tea.

RB also offers different salads.

Open face Chicken and vegetable sandwich with bacon and salad.

Chicken burger saandwich with salad

RB apple crumble is not too sweet but is definitely good

They also sell books written by Rose Carrarini. This one is bound to catch everyone's attention as the book is entitled "How to Boil an Egg". It is entirely about eggs and features recipes using eggs that one can easily prepare at home.

Rose Bakery at DSMG is a nice place to go to for tea and a snack especially after you have visited the interesting fashion displays at Dover Street Market.

Beautiful Chaos at Dover Street Market Ginza

Dover Street Market is owned by Comme des Garcons, the fashion brand that is linked to 

 Rei Kawakubo, the well-known Japanese fashion designer who incorporated the brand in 1973.

During my recent visit to Japan, I was able to visit Dover Street Market Ginza which is located behind the world's largest Uniqlo store in Ginza.

Rei Kawakubo, is the Creative Director of Comme des Garcons. Comme des Garcons means "like boys" in English. It is a brand that has changed the fashion world and has been known as "anti-fashion" since it made use of deconstructed garments, unfinished edges along with holes and a general asymmetrical shape. Comme des Garcons is also known to have androgynous looking models during fashion shows.

Rei Kawakubo created  ripples and changed the fashion industry as she expressed her creative ideas through her unique fashion creations. Although she was never formally trained as a fashion designer, Rei took up art and literature at Keio University. With her educational background, she was exposed in expressing herself through art which is shown in her work with her fashion creations. She simply considers her creations as an expression of what she thought were strong and beautiful.

Rei Kawakubo is the Creative Director
 of Comme des Garcons

Source: Business of Fashion website(www.businessoffashion.com)

Rei Kawakubo is also one of the six artists enlisted for the Louis Vuitton 160th Anniversary iconic mononogram bags collaboration. Together with Karl Lagerfeld, Frank Gehry, Cindy Sherman, Marc Newson, and Christian Louboutin, the ever-elusive Rei Kawakubo created a unique, modernized and limited edition version of the LV monogram bag.

Rei Kawakubo's limited edition monogram bag
designed for Louis Vuitton

Source: www.style.com (article on Rei Kawakubo)

Dover Street Market Ginza(DSMG) is a visually arresting store. It is definitely an edgy multi-brand retail store since it shows artistically curated and unique retail concepts from other brands in one store which in totality creates a  ‘beautiful chaos’ that truly captures one attention.

Rei Kawakubo is greatly involved in Dover Street Market's graphic design, advertising, and shop interiors since she believes that all of these things are part of one vision which are linked to each other.  Rei Kawakubo's husband, Adrian Joffe, CEO of Comme des Garcons, is in-charge of taking care of the business side while Rei focuses on the creative side.

For me, going to DSMG made me feel like I have been transported to a modern art museum. It is a store that has artistic installations that blends well with the modern and somewhat quirky fashion items from various designers.

Rei Kawakubo's fashiion/ art creation called Blood and Roses
featured at DSMG for Spring-Summer 2015.

Source DSMG website(ginza.doverstreetmarket.com)

Some of the interesting stuff you will see at Dover Street market includes a section featuring the distinct style of Junya Watanabe, who is a protege of Rei Kawakubo.

Junya Watanabe's quirky and beautiful clothes for
Spring-Summer 2015.

Source : DSMG website (www.ginza.doverstreetmarket.com)

Junya Watanabe's colourful and playful clothing line at DSMG.

Source : DSMG website (www.ginza.doverstreetmarket.com)

There is also a section of the store that features bags and clothes for Louis Vuitton by Nicholas Ghesquire.

LV at DSMG

Source: DSMG website (www.ginza.doverstreetmarket.com)

For those who love classic and simple elegance, the section featuring Celine is a must-see.

Celine collection for Spring-Summer 2015 available at DSMG'

Source: DSMG website (www.ginza.doverstreetmarket.com)

 For casual Comme des Garcons clothes, one can also get shirts from Comme des Garcons PLAY.

PLAY by Comme des Garcons shirts

Source: DSMG website (www.ginza.doverstreet.com)

Dover Street Market is certainly a must-go place to see for people who like fashion. It is a retail store that does not look like traditional retail stores today  since each section  and collaboration with designers look very unique and interesting.

You will definitely find something cool to buy at DSMG. I was happy that I was able to get a Comme des Garcons swim cap at DSMG. Just a little something to make me feel more motivated to swim... ha ha ha. By getting something fun to wear, one can surely have a more fun fashion sense.

To know more about Dover Street Market Ginza, visit their website: Dover Street Market website.

Breakfast at Sarabeth's Daikanyama

Having a delicious breakfast and talking to friends in a nice place is definitely a good way to start a lovely day.

During my recent visit to Tokyo, I was able to try Sarabeth's in Daikanyama.

Sarabeths's started as a tiny bakery-kitchen in 1981 in New York City in the United States. It was established by the husband and wife team of Sarabeth and Bill Levine. They started with a little store that sells Sarabeth's preserves and baked goods. Eventually, they also added a few tables and served breakfast and lunch there.

With the unique charm and wholesomely delicious products of Sarabeth's, it is not surprising that it captured the taste of many New Yorkers who love their food and products. They currently have around 5 stores in New York.

Sarabeth's first store in 1981 in  the United States.
It started as a tiny bakery-kitchen.

Source: Sarabeth website (www.sarabeth.com)

Sarabeth's quest is to provide every customer with an experience that reflects her devotion and passion to creating wholesome food. Their mission is to offer simplicity, perfection and classic tastes in her restaurants through her products.

Sarabeth Levine is an award-winning jam maker,
acclaimed pastry chef and restaurateur.

Source : Sarabeth website (www.sarabeth.com)

It is nice that Sarabeth has also opened their bakery-cafe in Japan. Both locals and tourists in Tokyo can now experience a nice New York Style meal.

Sarabeth's Daikanyama 

My brother recommended Sarabeth's in Daikanyama for breakfast or brunch. He told me that their Eggs Benedict is really good.

I went there with my friends who are based in Japan and we tried their breakfast set which comes with a half order of the Eggs Benedict with salad and a solo size serving of either French toast or pancakes with berries and a cup of coffee.

Sarabeth's pancakes with berries, Eggs Benedict with salad
and coffee breakfast set. You can opt for French toast if you
prefer it versus pancakes.

  After having your meal, you can also buy some Sarabeth products to bring home.

Sarabeth jam products in various flavours. and mugs

Sarabeth's granola.

Sarabeth's  eco-friendly bag

The customers at Sarabeth's  is a mix of locals and tourists who

enjoy having their NYC style breakfast.

 Their Eggs Benedict with salad is certainly very good.

Sarabeth's eggs Benedict with salad is certainly a must-try dish.

Sarabeth's pancakes are fluffy and served with fresh berries.

The restaurant has a homey and cozy feel to it as it seems that the interiors is quite simple but it makes you feel that you are dining at Sarabeth's home.

Sarabeth's photos are placed on the restaurant's walls.

Sarabeth's is certainly a cool place for breakast or brunch. To know more about Sarabeth's, here's a link to their website: Sarabeth's website.