Tag Archives: Cafe

BUN COFFEE SHOP

by Bianca

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I am not exactly a big coffee enthusiast. I drink 2 cups of lattes a day and its usually from my nespresso machine, but this little vintage coffee shop deserves a place in my blog. You feel like you step back in time upon entering this shop on the first floor of the Isetan Shinjuku building. Please note that it is not in the main Isetan department store but if you exit the department store it is the building to your right.

The tables are all in the smoking section so if you don’t smoke, the only option is the bar.

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This coffee shop definitely has the best ice coffee ever !. They have various choices of coffee to choose from in a variety of strengths. Coffee costs around 500 yen a cup.

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And I always order a simple toast to accompany my coffee.

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Price : $

BUN COFFEE. Shinjuku 3-15-17, Isetan Bl.1F, ☎ +81 03-3354-7226

Alluring Qu’il Fait Bon

by Bianca

Like a dangerous sirens serenade, I was lured into this pastry shop/cafe in a Ginza back alley one afternoon by its enchanting display of colorful tarts illuminated in a soothing yellow light. I simply could not resist the temptation and allowed myself to be shipwrecked into their cosy basement cafe, even enduring the 30 minute wait.

Their extensive menu made it difficult to decide what to get.

But I finally decided on the banana choco tart which looked absolutely mouth-watering, while my friends chose the nut caramel tart and the cream cheese cake.

The banana choco tart

The nut caramel tart

At the end, we ended up adding a 4th slice which was the pear fruit tart, and let me tell you, all those slices were definitely worth the calories I will have to burn off tomorrow.

Address/phone : 2-4-5 Ginza/ 03-51590605

Price : $

Cafe Lindt, A chocolate lovers heaven

by Bianca

If you happen to be in Tokyo and love chocolate, it would be a very good idea to head over to Cafe Lindt in Ginza to feast on everything chocolate.

Located on the fashionable Namiki dori, Cafe Lindt serves a heavenly range of chocolate cakes and desert, hot and iced chocolates and ice creams. My favorite is their profiteroles which are to-die-for. The crispy cream puff filled with ice cream swims in a pool of delicious warm chocolate. The combination of warm and cold and the added crispness of the puffs in your mouth is absolutely heavenly.

Cafe Lindt Profiteroles

Cafe Lindt also serves a wide assortment of delicious chocolate cakes. The opera and st moritz are really good.

St moritz cake

If you are not in the mood for some cakes, then order their chocolate milkshakes (milk or dark), or if you are on a diet then order their mini chocolate mousse. Cafe Lindt has something for everybody.

Just to let you know, cafe Lindt has a branch in Aoyama but they do not serve the profiteroles or the waffles, only cakes. So I suggest you head to the Ginza branch to end up in chocolate heaven.

Lindt Chocolat Café :

#5 PoleStar Building 7-6-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Ph: 03 5537-3777

A Brooklyn Parlor in Tokyo

by Bianca

Once in a blue moon, I’d walk into a place and immediately fall in love with it. Then I’d sit down and fall in love with it even more. Such was the case with Brooklyn Parlor, a cafe and bar located in the basement of the Marui Annex in Shinjuku.

People say it is supposed to be a bar because of their famous Brooklyn Lager beer. To me it feels more like a cozy cafe. The interior is spacious and warm with brick walls, high ceilings for Japanese standards and lines of bookshelves. You really feel like you are in a cafe somewhere in New York, or Brooklyn for that matter. The waiters speak english and there is an english menu.

We were given seats at a set of outworn leather sofas in the middle of the establishment. Nice and comfy.

It was in the middle of the afternoon when we visited, but I was hungry so we ordered some buffalo wings, the sandwich of the day which they called the French dip sandwich and the Quiche. The food was really good and I will definitely come back to try their more extensive dinner menu.

What I loved was their coffee menu. I’m a latte girl and the more options in the coffee menu, the happier I am. I tried their coconut latte which tasted unique and was simply delightful.

What I found most pleasant about Brooklyn Parlor was the room temperature. Most restaurants and cafes in Tokyo have the heat blasting so high you feel you’re in a sauna after 15 minutes and can’t wait to leave. Here, the temperature was just right, I could have sat there for hours ( which I did ).

I would definitely recommend this cafe to anyone who needed a place to chill in Shinjuku.

Brooklyn Parlor : B1 Shinjuku Marui Annex, 3-1-26 Shinjuku. Tel: 03-6457-7763

 

 

Paper Moon

by Bianca

No, it’s not a branch of the famous Milan Italian restaurant, it’s a pastry shop and the pastries in this cute cozy cake shop will definitely take you over the moon.

As you enter, you will find a small non smoking section with an array of rattan chairs and a wonderful display of pastries to choose from. Everything looks delicious.

Unfortunately, it is the large smoking section in the back that is most comfortable to sit in. A variety of sofa sets adorn the dark interior and this pastry shop suddenly looks more like a bar. A huge baccarat crystal lamp hangs inside a glass box as decoration in the middle of the cafe. This would definitely be the best way to display a very expensive baccarat lamp when you don’t have a high ceiling.

Paper moon also has some simple lunch menus like lasagna and pasta, but we were there for the pastries. We chose five different kinds from the wonderful display : the famous mille feuille (absolutely and undeniably heavenly), the strawberry shortcake (delicious), the chocolate sponge cake (so-so), the cream roll cake (delicious) and the thin apple pie (to die for).

The mille feuille and strawberry cake

The apple pie

The cream roll cake

There you go, some of the best pastries in Tokyo. You should give it a try ….

Paper Moon
3448-1676
Minami-Azabu 4-12-26. Open 11:30am-1:30am (LO) daily.

 

Coffee and pastries at Cafe&Meal Muji, Aoyama

by Bianca

I have meant to drop by this cafe since like forever but somehow only made it today. I’ve always wondered what the mega brand’s cafe would be like. It definitely did not disappoint.

The interior of the cafe did not wander far from the brand’s simple aesthetics. Warm wood was chosen to line its floor and tables. The walls were full with rows of jars filled with condiments of various hues and colors.

What surprised me the most was how inexpensive the cafe was. Two sorts of pastries and two glasses of coffee cost 980 yen.

And the pastries were delicious. For the coffee, they didn’t really have much choices. Only black coffee and cafe au lait, but it tasted alright. They also have a choice of salads to munch on if you are planning to have a healthy lunch. I totally loved the vibe of this place and will definitely be coming back for more.

Cafe and Meal Muji Aoyama : Lexington Aoyama 1F 5-11-9 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Telephone : 03-5468-2368

 

HEART BREAD ANTIQUE bakery

by Bianca

While strolling through Ginza yesterday, I stumbled upon this cute little bakery in an alley behind the Paul Start store.

By the time I wrote this post, the name of the place became lost to me. I just could not place it. Something with bread? With heart ? But I remember there being something antique involved ?

So I ruffled through my receipt, and sure enough, it was Heart Bread Antique. At first I thought it was a doughnut store since most of the bread on sale were made to look like one.

There is a cafe on the second floor. You purchase your bread in the bakery and eat it upstairs. The choice of beverages were limited and the coffee they served was simple black coffee. Two breads and a coffee will cost you about 2000 yen.

The bread tasted good. Not too sweet. And later on I found out they were very well-known for their “Angel’s Chocolate Rings”. Basically bread with chocolate fillings.

If ever you find yourself strolling through Ginza and suddenly feel a craving for some bread rings, this would be the place to visit. This is their address :

3-4-17, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo OPTICAI 1F.2F
03-6228 -6806
10:00 -21:00
cafe :30 seats , non-smoking
http://www.heart-bread.com/

Pics : my own and courtesy of tenkai-japan