R-Burger

By using steamed bread instead of the usual, this burger turned out extraordinary...and also smaller. I guess that was my only complaint for this one. The salad wrap that came with it was delicious and it was perfect with the chili dip. This was a shrimp tofu burger set and it cost 750JPY. A little too much for just a few bites but then again, you get what you pay for especially in Roppongi. R-Burger is in Roppongi near exit 4a.

Tantan Ramen

From some shop right outside exit 2 of Azabujuban. Cost me 870JPY. Comes with a free kimchi side dish. Serving was huge but too pricey for its value.

Manrikiya, Azabujuban

Goma (sesame seed) Ramen. Spicy and hot. Sprinkled with a lot of herbs to tease your tongue. It was love at first bite for me. I found myself going back for the other items in the menu and I wasn't disappointed.Braised beef with garlic and egg. My new favorite!! It costs 880JPY. Average I say but the serving is huge and you can share it. It might be too spicy for Japanese tongues though. Manrikiya is in Azabujuuban, Minato-ku Tokyo.

Moyashi/Bean Sprouts

Only 180JPY at Harajuku Gyoza. Love it to bits.

Seiren's Mabu Tofu

I used to come to this restaurant a lot with the Jazz Ken. Those kids never get tired of the menu here. It's good anyway. Chinese fare for under 1000 yen. Good enough to warm your heart.

Oatmeal Choco-chip Muffins

And finally, I learned how to do it right. The taste was great and they looked fabulous. My previous muffins looked like flying saucers because I placed them too close to each other in the oven. The trick was to spread them out evenly and fill them up to 2/3 of the muffin cup. I also took care not to overmix the final batter. It was my first time to use whole wheat flour or 全粒粉. I used a 3:1 ratio for it and all purpose flour. I also reduced the oil to a quarter and added apple jam (I couldn't find apple sauce). This was an attempt to make the muffin "healthier" and easy on my diet. My next step is to completely replace the sugar with artificial sweetener. I have a feeling making this is going to get more and more expensive...

Ampalaya; Bitter Gourd; ゴーヤ Dish

I was never a fan of ampalaya. There's something about its taste that I find a bit off. But now I have come to love it. I guess sometimes one just needs a bit of bitterness once in a while. One piece of goya ゴーヤ cost me about 150JPY. I just soaked it in salt and squeezed it to get rid of the bitter taste. Then I sauteed it with tofu, eggs, some salsa, and bell peppers. Filling and healthy! Loved it. Perfect for my low-carb diet.

Nutella Muffins

I made these babies for a friend's birthday.  I used a full recipe and ended up with 7 large muffins.  Everybody fought for it and seemed to have enjoyed it.  They also looked pretty and according to one of my friends I got really lucky because they turned out great.  I think I'm getting better at baking!

White Chocolate Vanilla Muffins

So after my success with some coconut-banana muffins, I decided to try another flavor.  I asked my friends what they wanted and the majority chose vanilla.  I found a recipe that had white chocolate and lemon.  I almost always believe that recipes with lemon rock.  And apparently it did.  My friends loved the muffins.  Or they just love me too much they can't say I failed badly.

Tacos from Hirosaki

I took a trip to Aomori prefecture a while back.  It was the farthest I've been from Tokyo.  We dropped into a Mexican restaurant near the station for dinner one night and we were quite glad we did.  I can't seem to find a lot of those here in Japan.  I think it was called Jalapeno.  What you can see here is a tuna taco, which wasn't actually that good.   We had beef tacos before this and it was extremely delicious we had to sacrifice 700 more yens so we can try another one.  We wish we had just ordered another beef one though.