Overall taste: 8/10 | 2016 | 5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
If you visit Tokyo, you must go to Tsukiji Fish Market. We only went to the outside market of Tsukiji; it was really crowded even on a weekday. There were lots of small restaurants and stalls selling mouth-watering food (sushi, ramen, snacks, desserts). Definitely come on an empty stomach!
Note: This Tsukiji location will close and be moved to Toyosu sometime in 2017/2018.
For some of the food we got, we attached a picture of the stall next to it since we can’t read Japanese.
Tuna, ikura and uni don (900 yen) [The portion was smaller than we expected. We really loved the sushi rice and the freshness of their ingredients]
Sushi shaped candy [We didn’t try this but we thought they were incredibly cute!]
Giant tamago
Lineup for this stall!
Tamago (100 yen) [Look at the size of that tamago! This was on the sweet side but we liked that it was incredibly fluffy.]
Matcha soft-serve (300 to 400 yen) [It was summer when we visited and this was perfect for a hot day! Good matcha flavour and not too sweet]Grilled scallops topped with crab and uni, then torched [We don’t remember the price of this. This was pretty good, all the ingredients were fresh but the uni tasted a little fishy]Grilled unagi (600 yen) [This tasted quite similar to regular frozen unagi]
Overall Taste: 8/10 | 2017 | 425 W Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127
+++ = highly recommend | – – – = do not recommend
We were invited to Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant for a complementary meal, but we try to stay as objective as possible.
Pictured above (anti-clockwise):
Fruit bowl ($6) [Not something we would personally order in a restaurant.]
+++ Breakfast burger – maple sausage patty, hash browns, over easy egg, pepper jelly, hollandaise, portuguese muffin, served with fries ($13) [We highly recommend this! The patty was sweet, fragrant, and juicy. The egg was runny and their pepper jelly gave it a good kick.]
Apple cinnamon waffles – apple pie filling, maple pecan crumble, vanilla bean whipped cream ($12) [We liked the taste but found it to be too sweet.]
– – – Fruity pebble pancakes – stack of pancakes, cereal milk anglaise ($12) [This was extremely sweet as well, and we’re not a fan of their fruity pebbles, which were artificial-tasting]
Steak and potato wood fired pizza – mashed potato, smoked prime rib, caramelized onion, fontina cheese, arugula, truffle oil ($16) [This was pretty good but on the salty side]
+++[We could not find this in their menu but we really liked it. Perhaps you can show this picture to their server. The cake is very moist and the sweetness compliments the sourness from the berries.]+++ Lincoln sliders – bacon aioli, muenster cheese, sunny-side up quail egg, potato bun ($10) [This was one of our favourite dish here. Not only do they look so cute, they’re absolutely delicious. The quail eggs were all runny, and the patty was really juicy and meaty.]+++ Steak burrito – coffee rubbed wood grilled hanger steak, over easy eggs, hashbrowns, pico de gallo, avocado ($16) [The hanger steak was on the chewy side, but the overall taste was really good, especially with their guacamole.]Short rib poutine – rosemary truffle fries, bone marrow gravy, smoked short rib, sunny-side up egg, crumbled bacon, shaved truffle ($16) [This was good but the topping was on the salty side. We would also have preferred it if the fries were less burnt.]
Dig Inn takes pride in buying food from local farms/suppliers, which may explain why their food is pricey. The taste of their food is above average, but we found that they’re very heavy-handed on butter, oil, and cream. Also, it would be so helpful if they had labels indicating what each dish was.
If you’re looking to support local suppliers, or looking for a place that is vegan or vegetarian friendly, this would be a place for you. However, we don’t find Dig Inn to be a healthy restaurant choice.
Iced matcha latte ($4.67) [This was unsweetened and we requested to have it with almond milk. It’s pretty good, especially if you add a little syrup found at the counter]– – – Organic dark hot chocolate ($4.67) [We both hated their hot chocolate. There were spices mixed into the chocolate. We wished they told us ahead of time or indicate it in the menu.]Marketbowl. Protein – short ribs. Base – toasted farro w/ butternut squash & celery. Sides – upstate mac & cheese, brussel sprouts w/ maple & sriracha. Sauce – garlic tofu aioli (Total: $15.5) [Lynn really liked the short ribs. The meat was on the fatty side and was pretty greasy (which may be good or bad depending on your preference). The mac & cheese was one of the creamiest we’ve had. The 1st few bites were good, but it got sickening after a while. The brussel sprouts were charred and was pretty dry. As for the sauce, pretty sure they put lemon in it; not a fan of the sourness.]Marketbowl. Protein – herb grilled steak. Base – classic brown rice. Sides – broccoli w/ meyer lemon, avocado (+$1.5), eggplant. Sauce – pesto (Total price: $13.88) [The steak was chewy and a little dry. The broccoli was too burned for us; it was bitter and sour. The eggplant was good, but extremely oily. Again, their pesto sauce was too sour for us.]
We’ve really like Taiwanese food, but there doesn’t seem to be that many Taiwanese restaurants in Boston. We’d really appreciate recommendations!
– – – Taiwanese sausages ($4.5) [This is very dry and a little tough. We had really good ones in Taiwan night markets, so we’re a little disappointed.]Spicy wontons ($6.5) [Jeff is not a fan of the chilli oil but Lynn loves it. It’s hard to describe but it’s a little spicy and a little vinegary.]Popcorn chicken ($4.5) [We had this at 3 separate occasions. It was great at the 1st two occasions, but the last time we ordered it, it was dry and wasn’t well-fried. Overall, we really like Taiwanese-style fried chicken; we haven’t KFC since we’ve tried this.]Beef shank stew ($6.5) [this was served cold, and we thought it’s going to be a stew, not drizzled with chilli oil. When we tried it in the restaurant, it was tough and dry. When we heat it up and tried it at home, it was sooooooooo good. The meat became tender and juicy. This is just our preference but we think this dish tasted much better warm]+++ Small pork rice ($3.5) [we really like this, plus the serving is pretty generous for the price. There are 2 sizes for this dish and we recommend getting the appetiser portion.]Oyster pancake ($6.5) [We felt there wasn’t enough oysters and it’s way too greasy.]+++ Shaved ice – toppings: ice cream, pineapple, milk pudding, egg pudding($9.99 for 4 toppings) [Some people just come in for their desserts. The picture doesn’t show it but this can definitely be shared among 4 people]
Overall taste: 6/10 | 2016 | Terminal 3, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Tangerang 15126 Jakarta, Indonesia
Originally called Bakmi Gajah Mada (I assume it was because the first store, which opened in 1959, was in the Gajah Mada area), Now, it is a franchise with branches all over Jakarta. This was Jeff’s childhood equivalent of McDonalds.
Bakmi Special GM – GM Special Noodles (Rp. 25,909 ~ $2 USD) [Jeff used to like it when he was young, but found it lacking after trying it 12 years later. This is probably because he has tried a lot of delicious food since then. Lynn is not a fan of it either. It’s basically salty noodles with a little bit of oil without any other flavour.]
Bakso Kuah – 5 pieces of meatballs in soup (Rp. 21,364 ~ $1.6 USD) [average]
Pangsit Goreng – 5 pieces of fried wontons (Rp. 15,455 ~ $1.16 USD) [this is good, but nothing spectacular]
Overall taste: 7.75/10 | 2017 | 14 John F. Kennedy St, Cambridge, MA 02138
+++ = highly recommend | – – – = do not recommend
Pictured above:Lobster slider – pickled watermelon rind, arugula, buttered old bay brioche ($6) [lobster salad was good, but the buns could be more toasted and have more butter]
Torchon of foie gras – boston brown bread, pickled sour cherries ($14) [we really liked the foie gras itself, but not a fan of the brown bread and pickled sour cherries]+++Steak tartare – crispy-fried egg, black garlic, truffle oil ($12) [The crispy-fried egg is really good. We recommend eating it by itself. We read a yelp review about the beef chunks being too chewy and we agree. It’s the chewiest beef tartare we had. While Lynn find this average, Jeff really likes it because there wasn’t much seasoning that would distract you from the taste of the beef.– – – Leek and mushroom pizza – melted leek, vermont goat cheese, wild mushroom, white truffle oil ($13) [This was extremely salty and greasy, and could definitely use more leek and mushrooms]+++Red wine-braised shortrib – oxtail pot au feu, roasted bone marrow ($28) [The shortrib was extremely tender. The oxtail was on the salty side, but it’s fine if you eat it with the potatoes and carrots. Overall, this is a very heavy dish. Jeff found it average but Lynn really liked it]Chocolate ganache tart – kumquat marmalade ($8) [this is probably one of the heaviest chocolate dessert out there; it was so chocolatey that it’s difficult to cut through it. We both really liked it but we recommend one portion for 2 people since it’s so thick]
Overall taste: 7.5/10 | 2016 | 신촌역로 39 (창천동 4-96), 4-96 Changcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
+++ = highly recommend | – – – = do not recommend
If you are trying to get around Seoul with Google maps, just be aware that it was last updated in 2009 due to Government restriction. There is Naver maps that Koreans use, but everything is in Korean. You might want to download the app to ensure it is the same location that google shows. We personally found it hard to get around in Seoul (compared to Tokyo and Taiwan) because the English address does not work all the time.
Pictured above: +++ Melon bingsu (13,900 won) [The milk ice is mixed with condensed milk and is topped with raspberry ice cream. The flavor is very light and not too sweet. The melon is just ripe and goes perfectly with the ice. The price is a bit steep but I like the refreshing and light taste]
This is our favourite restaurant is Boston so far!
+++ Pineapple – elyx, yuzu, lemongrass, citrus soda (for two, $21) [We thought lemongrass would give it a weird taste, but it’s extremely subtle. We really like it but if you prefer your alcohol strong, this is not for you]Ahi tuna poke – soy / sesame / ginger / togarashi / coconut rice ($22) [It’s good, but it’s something we can make ourselves at home]+++ Uni benedict toast – sunny side up quail egg / hollandaise / brioche ($18) [This is really good; everything from the brioche, hollandaise sauce, quail egg to uni. If would have been better if they use Santa Barbara uni (which they sell separately) instead of Maine uni. I wonder if we could request that and pay more for it]– – – Tuna carpaccio – pickled hon-shimeji mushrooms / house ponzu / fresh herbs ($18) [This is okay, but it’s something you can get in a lot of Japanese restaurants. We also found the ponzu sauce to be overpowering.]Torched salmon belly – avocado / cucumber / green apple / miso glaze ($16) [We actually couldn’t taste the miso glaze. The sauce they used tasted more like unagi sauce. They burnt the salmon skin and the top layer of avocado intentionally to give it a smokey taste. Jeff really likes it but Lynn is not a fan of the charcoal taste.] +++ Hand-chopped dry aged steak tartare – truffle aioli / buttered brioche / quail egg / parmesan ($16) [We mentioned before that we’re big fans of steak tartare and this is the best we’ve had in Boston. This dish is the main reason we gave such a high rating to this restaurant]
Overall taste: 7.5/10 | 2016 | 1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118
+++ = highly recommend | – – – = do not recommend
Toro is a hit and miss for us. There are some dishes we really like, and some we dislike.
Pictured above: Paella valenciana – mussels, shrimp, spanish pork sausage, chicken and calasparra rice (half portion for $26)
– – – Erizos con caviar – caviar, uni, quail egg spoon with iberico ($15) [expensive spoonful, yet not that tasty. The caviar completely overwhelms the taste of uni.]+++ Asado de huesos – roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade ($14) [love everything about this dish! The oxtail marmalade goes so well with the bone marrow underneath. It’s so fatty, yet sooooo good. It’s one of those dish you’d feel guilty eating]– – – Lengua de cordero – seared lamb tongue,muhammara, seville orange marmalade and puffed quinoa ($14) [They still have this dish, but they have modified it slightly since we last visited. We felt that the lamb tongue lacked flavour. It almost tasted like it was boiled in water]– – – Corazon – grilled archer angus beef heart and romesco ($9) [We ordered this because we wanted to try beef heart, but we didn’t know it will be smoked and sliced thinly. It tasted just like regular ham.]+++ Foie gras a la plancha – seared foie gras, roasted beets, plum-rhubarb compote, za’atar spiced cracker ($14) [Current dish has changed since we last visited, it uses more orange flavours. Foie gras is one of our favourite foods and the foie gras here is definitely well-seared!]
This bakery is located in the basement level of Isetan Shinjuku. There are so many good food there! Unfortunately, there is no seating area. There are even “no eating” signs everywhere. It’s meant for you to buy it there and bring it home to eat. Luckily, we found out that Isetan has a beautiful rooftop garden with seats.
Strawberry tart (648 yen) [The best strawberries we’ve ever had were the ones in Tokyo. Even random strawberries we bought in convenient stores were extremely sweet. The cream had a milky taste to it with a small touch of sweetness.]Chocolate mousse cake[We forgot to keep track of the price, but it’s about the price as the strawberry tart. We really liked the chocolate cake as well. It’s definitely on the lighter side compared to American cakes.]
Yummy Ventures 