Thursday, June 14, 2018

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Farmers Cafe Fudo ファーマーズカフェ風土

Visited 03.11.2017 (Fri) 


Luck. During my stay in Higashikawa-cho for a month, I stayed out on most weekends to visit nearby places such as Furano and Biei. At the back of my mind, there was one food in this quaint countryside which I longed to eat - the famous omu rice from Farmer's Cafe Fudo. However, to accomplish this mission, some luck is required. What makes it difficult for me to visit Fudo is its operating hours. It is only and usually opened on weekends; infrequently on Fridays and Mondays. When I decided to stay put in Higashikawa-cho on my second Sunday in, Fudo was coincidentally not opened for business that weekend. And when I came to terms that I would most likely not be able to relish this before I depart from Hokkaido on a Saturday morning, I leapt for joy after finding out from their blog that it was opened on Friday (the day before I leave)! On that particular day, I pulled along a classmate and we cycled to our destination which was about 2 km away from our dormitory. I even timed it such that we were first in the queue and to beat the lunch crowd. When the clock struck 11 am, there were already three groups of diners including ourselves waiting eagerly to "bash" into the cafe.



Background. Cafe Fudo opened 1 year after Mr and Mrs Nitta-san 新田さん shifted from Wakkanai to Higashikawa-cho in 2007. Mr Nitta-san decided to settle down here to carry out organic cultivation of rice. On the other hand, as their kid is allergic to chemical additives in food, they wanted to foster natural style of living and it started with rearing their own chickens, using carefully chosen poultry feed which comprised of Higashikawa's rice fragments and wheat produced from nearby areas. Chickens reared here are not subjected to any form of hormonal or antibiotics injection, therefore the harvested eggs are not only safe for consumption, it also eliminates body burden. There is even an exclusive name given to the eggs produced by Farm Rera ファームレア (the farm owned by Mr and Mrs Nitta-san) called “Daisetsu na tamago 大雪なたまご” and the best way to savour these eggs is to pay a visit to Fudo to eat the omu rice prepared by Mrs Nitta-san herself.


Best omu rice. As Mrs Nitta-san handles everything in the restaurant, from taking the orders, cooking to serving, all by herself, the seating capacity in Fudo is limited to only 9 people. Waiting time could be longer than expected since each plate of omu rice is cooked upon order. There are two types of omu rice to choose from the menu (Fuwatoro Omu Rice or Fuwatoro Omu Curry). Apart from omu rice, patrons can also wrap up their meals with pudding made from Daisetsu no tamago as well.

- Fuwatoro Omu Rice ふわとろオムラス [950 yen]: The term "fuwatoro" is actually made up of two words "fuwafuwa ふわふわ" and "torotoro とろとろ". The former means fluffy/airy, while the latter means lava like; and the combination describes how an excellent omelette should look and taste like. The soft and fluffy omelette is laid over fried tomato rice and the dish is completed with a ladle of lightly flavoured homemade sauce poured on top of it. I have to exclaim that this is the best omu rice I have ever eaten to date; it was so delicious that I could not bear to finish the very last bit. The aromatic eggy flavour and smooth texture felt so satisfying to my tastebuds and this is truly a soul food which will win the hearts of many, regardless of age.

- Fuwatoro Omu Curry ふわとろオムカレー [980 yen]: The tomato rice is replaced with normal white rice and this omu rice is eaten with curry cooked using spices, vegetables and beans (the colour resembles that of dhal curry). Both set meals are served together with soup and salad. My classmate had the omu curry and he like it very much too. 


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Farmer's Cafe Fudo ファーマーズカフェ風土
北海道上川郡東川町東4号北2
* Normally opens on weekends, infrequently on Fridays and Mondays (if it happens to be a public holiday). Please check their blog to find out the days of operation. Usually the owner will post relevant information 1 or 2 weeks before its actual days of operation.
Operating hours: 1100 - 1600 hrs; last order at 1530 hrs
https://blog.goo.ne.jp/miyuki_rera

More about Daisetsu no tamago from Farm Rera: http://farmrera.com/




How to get there?

(1) Bus 66 from Asahikawa Station Bus Terminal 旭川駅バスターミナル Platform 9 or from Michikusakan 道草間, heading for Asahidake 旭岳. Alight at Higashi-4-go 東4号.

* Instead of taking Bus 66 from Asahikawa Station Bus Terminal which will make a detour to Asahikawa Airport before arriving at Michikusakan, you can take Bus 60 and 67 (which have more regular services) from Asahikawa Station Bus Terminal (Platform 10) to Michikusakan, followed by transferring to Bus 66 here.

Bus 66 schedule: http://www.asahikawa-denkikidou.jp/manage/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/d9af3c4bfbbd86979b52b2d278d7cd34-2.pdf

(2) By rental bicycle from Michikusakan.
For greater flexibility (and if you can ride a bicycle), you can rent a bicycle from Michikusakan for 500 yen/hour. From Michikusakan, turn left and cycle along the main road towards direction of Asahidake (National Route 1160). Takes approx. 10 - 15 mins. Keep a lookout for Farmer's Cafe Fudo on the left side of the road when you arrive at Higashi-4-go 東4号.
http://www.welcome-higashikawa.jp/michikusa/

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - cafe Tati sweets カフェタチスイーツ

Visited 14.11.2017 (Tue)


Lunch. Wrapped up my day trip at Ito with lunch and dessert at cafe Tati sweets. Reached the cafe slightly just before it was opened for the day and was surprised to see another person who did the same too. Tati has been featured in several travelogues that I have read and being a person with a sweet tooth, I was definitely looking forward to this visit. While standing outside to wait for the clock to struck 11:30 am, I was already attracted to this 2 storey, white coloured and cute looking building which Tati is housed within. Upon entering the shop, I was immediately dazzled by the beautiful and delicious looking sweets arranged neatly in the display fridge.



Cafe Tati sweets is a family operated cafe and patisserie, located near Matsukawa Yuhodou 松川遊歩道. While the husband is in charge of the shop front, the wife, who is a pastry chef, handmade all her creations wholeheartedly. The interior of the cafe is also nicely done, with a modern country style outlook. Found a corner seat and sat down to read the menu. There are two set lunches available on the menu - (1) Saba fish, harvested in Ito, minced and cooked in miso, served with onsen tamago and rice, (2) homemade sandwiches with three different fillings to choose from (egg, curry and pork). Chose the latter because I had something similar like the former (but in ochasuke style) during breakfast in Kai Ito.


Sweets rule! The set lunch comprised of egg sandwich タマゴサンドイッチ as the main and accompanied by soy milk and vegetable soup, salad with pasta, dried fruit, biscuit and coffee/tea. When my meal was served, I was slightly disappointed by the outlook of the egg sandwich which was prepared beforehand (rather than upon order), wrapped with a plastic sheet and kept in the cooler until it is served. The egg sauce filling was actually quite delectable and tasted better than it looked. However, it still fell short of my expectation as I would have preferred it to be served warm. Made my way to the front counter to choose a dessert from a good variety available to make up for the slightly mediocre lunch. Glad that I did not give up on their sweets - had a maccha cream puff and it was so good that I wanted to order another! The cream was smooth, rich and aromatic, with a subtle bitter aftertaste that is distinct to maccha which I like alot. In fact, there are many other sweets (that are very photogenic as well) which I hoped I could savour, especially after the excellent impression derived from the maccha cream puff. This totally brightened up my day again!

For the delicious sweets, I am quite sure I will make a return visit to cafe Tati sweets again.


- Egg sandwich: 280 yen + 600 yen to upgrade into set lunch
- Maccha cream puff: 230 yen

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cafe Tati sweets カフェタチスイーツ
 〒414-0023 静岡県伊東市渚町2-6
Operating hours: 1130 - 1830 hrs; closed on Mondays
http://cafetati.sakura.ne.jp/

How to get there?

(1) By foot. Approx. 12 mins walk from Ito JR Station 伊東駅.

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Cafe Kichi カフェキチ

Visited 12.11.2017 (Sun)


Flagship. Ever since the pleasant dining experience at Kichi+ on my first visit to Atami, I have been thinking of visiting Cafe Kichi, the original flagship store. On my two weeks stay in Japan, I managed to drop by Atami again to tick off this item from my to-do list. After enjoying a satisfying Sanshoku don (three coloured don comprised of raw and boiled whitebait and boiled sakura shrimp) at Kichi+, I extended my stay in Cafe Kichi to savour some dessert and drink before heading back to the train station.







Cosy. Cafe Kichi occupies a refurbished 2 storey wooden shophouse situated in an alley connecting Nakamise-dori 仲見世通り to Heiwa-dori 平和通り, two of the busiest sheltered shopping streets in the vicinity of the train station. The emergence of Cafe Kichi appealed to a younger and inquisitive audience and this fueled the revitalisation of the long established shopping streets. Upon stepping into Cafe Kichi, I felt that I have entered into a completely different space from the outside world. I was immediately engulfed by the calming and peaceful ambience in the cafe when I pulled open the wooden door of its entrance.

The open concept kitchen and a wooden bench table took up most of the space on the ground floor. I was brought to a table on the second floor and the interior decor was very much to my liking. Since it was still early and there were no other customers on the second floor, I had the entire space to myself for most part of my stay in the cafe. The usage of wooden furnishing and warm lighting generated a cosy dining environment. The ceiling was decorated by tree branches and I love its natural silhouette cast onto the walls - creating this dining-in-the-woods atmosphere. Here, I also got to know Takagi Masakatsu (高木正勝), a talented Japanese musician who was born in Kyoto, from his soothing musical compositions/arrangement played over the audio system in Cafe Kichi. 



Sweets. As there is a limited number of items available on the sweets menu - chiffon, no-bake cheesecake, chocolate cake, pumpkin pudding and scones, I did not take long to decide what to have Ordered a no-bake cheesecake (レアチーズケーキ) and a cup of their coffee blend to go with my dessert. The cheesecake was delectable - the cream cheese was rich but not overpowering and I love its overall consistency in terms of texture. The sweet blueberry jam also helped to cut the saltiness inherent of cream cheese. Their coffee was delicious; having a strong captivating aroma and not too acidic for my liking. After eating the no-bake cheesecake, I was very tempted to try the rest of the sweets on the menu! It is always during such occasions I wish for some companions who will be able to indulge into a variety of food together with me...

I can finally resonate to why Cafe Kichi is so popular and I hope it will continue to stay here in Atami city. In conclusion, Cafe Kichi is such a pleasant and comfortable place to hang out in, whether you are alone or with a group of friends, with the company of their delicious sweets and coffee.


- No-bake cheesecake: 410 yen

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Cafe Kichi カフェキチ
静岡県熱海市田原本町5-9
Operating hours: 1100 - 1900 hrs; closed on Wednesdays
http://www.cafe-kichi.com/cafekichi/index.html
Approx. 3 minutes walk from Atami JR Station.