In the previous episode, we introduced the latest trendy shops and iconic old establishments in Shibuya. If you haven't watched it yet, you can check out the previous video. In today's episode, I will be exploring the deeper side of Shibuya, to see this area that Tokyoites love to visit on their holidays. If you're still not subscribed to my channel, please remember to subscribe and turn on notifications, so you won't miss my future travel videos. Today, I'm at a station called Yoyogi-Hachiman. This area, located near Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine, is known as "Oku-Shibuya" or "Ura-Shibuya", a slightly more off-the-beaten-path part of Shibuya. Here, you'll find a gathering of unique small shops and restaurants, as well as a fierce competition among Tokyo's coffee shops. As soon as you arrive, you'll notice that it has a different vibe from the busy hustle and bustle of central Shibuya. It has a special relaxed atmosphere. This place has become a popular spot for Tokyoites to take leisurely walks on weekends in recent years. The first place I'm going to visit is a French-style countryside restaurant. It is planned by a tableware brand based in Aichi Prefecture. The ground floor, DISHES, is a store that sells the brand's tableware. Going up the stairs to the second floor, you'll find Meals, their own restaurant. As for the top floor, the third floor, it's the Food Research Institute, where they hold cooking classes and lectures. Both the restaurant, Meals, and the tableware store downstairs have a vintage European-style decor. Meals is open for dining from 11:30 AM to 6:30 PM and offers two set meal options. Each set meal includes a main dish, soup, rice, and three side dishes. The menu content changes monthly according to the season. Since the restaurant is operated by a tableware brand, they serve the dishes using their own brand's tableware, all of which can be purchased at DISHES on the first floor. Meals serves the traditional Japanese "ichiju-sansai" style, which typically consists of a bowl of soup, a bowl of rice, a main dish, and three small side dishes. Every day, they offer two set meals in the "ichiju-sansai" style. Besides the three side dishes, the soup, rice, and main dish are different for each set meal. So today, I will try both set meals. The three appetizers in both set meals are the same. They consist of shrimp, lotus root, and yam mixed with ginger paste. The square-shaped shrimp, lotus root, and yam have a slightly elastic texture, similar to fish balls. The second appetizer is steamed pumpkin with green peas, sprinkled with homemade pistachio miso. Since it is an autumn-winter set meal, they specifically include more root vegetables. The last appetizer has a subtle aroma of beer hops. It is beer-marinated radish. The main dish of Set B is the restaurant's homemade salmon cream croquette with sauce. The filling includes overnight marinated salmon slices and stir-fried scallions. It doesn't have a strong onion flavor but instead has a hint of sweetness. The set meals here pay attention to the soup and rice. They are not your ordinary miso soup and white rice. Set B is served with fragrant grilled three-leaf rice And a slightly tangy flavor mushroom clear soup. The three side dishes of Set A are the same as the ones in Set B, but they are presented with different tableware and plating styles. The main dish has changed to black vinegar-braised pork shoulder with semi-dried apple. Although it is cooked with black vinegar, it is not too sour. The pork is juicy and has a hint of sweetness from the onions. The rice is ginger-flavored grilled apricot mushroom rice, and the soup is a rich cabbage white miso soup. Finally, the set meal comes with a dessert. It is an ice cream with soybean powder and homemade black sugar syrup. As the Year of the Dragon approaches, do you want to welcome the new year with abundance and share blessings with those around you? We have selected a range of items suitable for Chinese New Year at our Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui branches. We have our own designed red envelopes, as well as various New Year decorations in different styles, such as the well-known beckoning cat. We also have traditional Japanese New Year essentials like Kagami mochi. Come and see if there's anything that catches your eye! After lunch, I went back to DISHES on the ground floor to browse around. Inside the store, you can find the tableware that was used in the restaurant earlier, as well as many newly launched seasonal styles. The interior of the store is decorated in a vintage European style, and they have set up many tables with the tableware, allowing customers to experience the feeling of using them firsthand. Although the tableware here is not cheap compared to other chain lifestyle stores, it is considered mid-priced. However, the tableware here is really beautiful, and I can't resist indulging myself by buying a few pieces to take home. Although after buying them, I might find it hard to actually use them. Many of the tableware here come with a small note that has a dish name written on it, indicating which dish the particular tableware is used for. Next to MEALS ARE DELIGHTFUL, there is THE MONOCLE SHOP. This store is operated directly by Monocle magazine and offers various limited edition products in collaboration with Japanese brands. Most of the products are related to outdoor leisure or travel. If you walk a bit further, you will reach SPBS. In the previous episode, I visited their selection shop in Shibuya Scramble Square. Today, this branch is their headquarters. In addition to being a bookstore operated directly by their publishing company, there is also their editorial office located behind the store. The next place I'm going to try is this Portuguese egg tart specialty store. I've heard that their manufacturing method is very authentic, making it a popular shop with long queues. In addition to selling regular Portuguese egg tarts, they also have a variety of authentic Portuguese desserts. For example, this Queijada, which is essentially a traditional cheese tart. However, the pastry crust is very thin and crispy, similar to crispy spring roll wrappers. The cheese filling inside is enhanced with cinnamon, and I find it very delicious. Next up is their signature Portuguese egg tart. Just by looking at its appearance, you can see that the pastry crust is flaky and crispy. The egg custard filling inside is rich and smooth, with a distinct egg flavor. However, this particular shopping experience made me feel like they deliberately made the purchasing process complicated, leading to longer queues outside the shop. So, after trying it this time, I'm not sure if I would try it again. After finishing the Portuguese egg tart, I wanted to grab a drink, so I walked back to a tea shop called ics TEA. They are not the typical bubble tea kind of tea shop but rather a place that focuses on the quality of tea brewing. Inside the shop, they have a wide selection of different tea leaves. This time, I ordered a cup of honey lemon black tea. The base tea is Ceylon black tea, and the staff starts brewing the tea right after you place the order. You can witness the entire preparation process. This tea shop only offers takeaway service and does not have seating available. After trying it, I found the tea to be fragrant and a delicious cup of lemon tea. On the way, I passed by this CACAO STORE, which is also a famous chocolate dessert shop in Oku-Shibuya. Upon entering the store, you can see a variety of colorful packaged chocolates. Most of them are "Bean to Bar" chocolates from Madagascar or Peru. In addition to imported chocolates, they also have other desserts such as pudding. For my last stop, I'm going to a French dessert shop called Horn. It's a hidden gem located in a residential area, the kind of place you have to go out of your way to find. It's primarily a cake shop that specializes in French pastries. When you first step inside, you might think they mainly sell cakes and cookies, but they also offer made-to-order crepes. I don't know why, but I always find Japanese crepes particularly delicious, especially when I watch the staff make them right in front of me, freshly prepared to order. I prefer crepes with a moderate amount of filling, and I like being able to taste the delicate pancake flavor. Not every crepe shop in Japan meets my criteria, but Horn's crepes are exactly what I'm looking for. I ordered a simple lemon-flavored crepe with a filling made of butter, sugar, and lemon juice. The pancake itself is thin and crispy, with a fragrant buttery taste, and the addition of lemon juice makes it incredibly delicious. Today, we have an exclusive promotion for our channel. It's a coupon for Ginza Lotte Duty-Free Shop. This Ginza Lotte Duty-Free Shop is the largest airport-style duty-free shop in Tokyo. Not only is it exempt from consumption tax, but it also offers exemptions from customs duties and tobacco and alcohol taxes. This means that their products can be discounted just like at the airport. Now, with our exclusive coupon, you can get a 1,000 yen discount for purchases over 10,000 yen and a 2,000 yen discount for purchases over 20,000 yen. The Ginza Lotte Duty-Free Shop is located on the 8th and 9th floors of Tokyo Plaza, right next to Ginza Station. Inside, you'll find many international brands. If you're traveling to Tokyo, we recommend you visit and remember to show our coupon to the staff before checking out. I will post the coupon on our IG and Facebook page. The link will be in the description box, so you can save the coupon in advance. This concludes our Shibuya stroll for this episode. You definitely don't want to miss the next one. I will be introducing several delicious food establishments in the Shinjuku area. Each one is very enticing. If you want to continue watching my travel videos, be sure to subscribe to my channel. If you enjoy my content, please give it a thumbs up and leave a comment to let me know. Also, don't forget to follow me on Instagram. See you in the next episode!
