Angela Erika Kubo - The Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Sep 30, 2014

Kabocha pumpkin treats in time for Halloween

One of the things I love best about fall is that it's the time to harvest kabocha, which are Japanese pumpkins. While kabocha can be found in soups, tempura or on top of salads, its sweet flesh is also used to make tasty desserts, and at this time of year, you'll find loads of kabocha-flavored goodies at the convenience store. Seven-Eleven's new cream puffs (¥130) come with a rich kabocha filling and Halloween-themed packaging. While the pastry is slightly soggy, the cream filling will leave you licking your fingers. Just be careful as you bite into the pastry: The filling is a bit runny, so it can get real messy.

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Sep 23, 2014

A waffly nice taste of Belgium

MR.waffle offers freshly made Belgian-style waffles in flavors such as almond (¥180), cinnamon (¥170) and Earl Grey tea (¥170), in addition to plain (¥160). You can enjoy your waffle with a side of Belgian chocolate soft serve (additional ¥280/medium, ¥390/regular), but with cold weather approaching it's best to take them home and eat them with a fresh pot of coffee or hot chocolate. You can find MR.waffle locations throughout Tokyo and Yokohama, including a small stand outside Lumine 2 in Shinjuku (3-38-2 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; 03-3345-5737; www.mr-waffle.com).

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE

Sep 16, 2014

Younger drinkers lured by bourbon cocktails

Up until recently, whisky was seen as a drink for ojisan (old men), enjoyed on the rocks or mizuwari style (heavily diluted with water). With the opening of the limited-edition Jim Beam Bar in Roppongi Hills, however, alcoholic-beverage giant Suntory Holdings proffers that whisky shouldn't be limited to old men and that it can be consumed in a variety of different ways.

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Sep 16, 2014

The cod-roe-and-cheese snack craze continues

While avocado-and-cheese Doritos and Jagarico were on konbini shelves last year, this year's unlikely savory flavor combination seems to be cheese and mentaiko, which is spicy cod roe.

LIFE / Food & Drink

Sep 9, 2014

Granola boom caters to the health and time conscious

Granola has come a long way in Japan, from a relatively unknown breakfast cereal five years ago to — along with pancakes and popcorn — a full-on fad food.

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Sep 9, 2014

Pancake sandwiches for sweet and savory tongues

It may take several wrong turns to find the eight turn crepe stand in the confusing maze of Ginza subway station, but if you go down the C2 Exit and take a left, it's not that difficult to find. The stand sells wrapped palm-sized "pancake sandwiches" stuffed with plenty of whipped cream and convenient enough to slip into your pocket or bag before you rush off to your next appointment. Sweet flavors come in strawberry vanilla custard (¥430), banana caramelisee (¥380), orange dark chocolate (¥410) and apple cinnamon (¥400), and there are savory options too. www.tables.jp.net/eightturncrepe (Angela Erika Kubo)

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE

Sep 2, 2014

Explore the many flavors of Belgian beer

While people comment on the increasing number of small-scale breweries and craft-beer bars in Japan, I can't help but notice that Belgian beer is also gaining a lot of attention — albeit on a lesser scale.

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Sep 2, 2014

Pretz's granola snacks: close enough to the real thing

Before you get too excited, the new Pretz Granola (¥140) by Glico, which went on sale last week, are nowhere close to the Nature Valley granola bars sold in the United States. While the treat contains bran, cornflakes and nuts, it has a texture less like granola and more like a cookie. It nonetheless packs a crunch and goes down well with a glass of cold milk. Two flavors are available: chocolate, if you want to satisfy your sweets cravings, or raisin, if you prefer to take the healthier route.

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Aug 26, 2014

Magnolia Bakery opens early for weekend breakfast muffins

Magnolia Bakery, which opened in Omotesando in June, will now open an hour earlier on weekends (10 a.m.) to serve freshly baked, moist muffins. The selection will include two or three out of six flavors, such as raisin bran (pictured), banana, and poppy-seed with lemon glaze (¥280 each), all baked to the same recipes used at Magnolia's New York branches. Be prepared to wake up early: The store attracts a long line on weekends, and once the muffins are gone, they're gone. B1F Gyre, 5-10-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; 03-6450-5800; www.magnoliabakery.co.jp.

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE

Aug 19, 2014

New social network helps visitors find a Tokyo drinking buddy

Moving away from the tourist spots and the expat nighttime hangouts such as Shibuya, Roppongi or Asakusa, it can be intimidating for a newcomer or visitor to decipher the Japanese-only izakaya menus in some of the less well-known areas of Tokyo.

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Aug 19, 2014

'Frozen' sweets taste better cold, of course

Even if you're sick of seeing and hearing about Disney's mega-hit movie "Frozen" everywhere you go, it's hard not to be a fan of these marshmallows produced by Eiwa (¥130) that come in a package with Elsa, Anna and Olaf on the front. Each marshmallow is filled with a tangy yogurt sauce that leaves a slightly sour aftertaste. For a light summer snack, try popping them in the refrigerator or freezer (guess which Elsa would prefer) for a couple of hours to chill the yogurt center. These limited-edition treats will only be around until December, when you'll be forced to "Let it Go."

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Aug 12, 2014

Why you should never judge a cupcake by its frosting

While the heavy dollop of bright frosting hints at an overwhelmingly sugary dessert reminiscent of those back in the United States, Ciappuccino New York's cupcakes are not too sweet. Flavors include Cookie Cream — which is topped with a mini Oreo-like cookie — Berry Go Round and S'More (¥324 each). The cupcakes can be found at Ciappuccino branches all over the Kanto area and in Dean & DeLuca shops, but if you're feeling lazy you can order them in bulk and have them delivered to your home. The shop also sells Whoopie Pies, a New England treat of cream sandwiched between two cookie-shaped pieces of cake. www.ciapshop.jp.

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE

Aug 5, 2014

Enjoy a heady cocktail of alcohol and fear

A frozen cocktail may quench your thirst and a serving of unagi (eel) will give you the energy you need to fight summer fatigue, but only a scary ghost story will bring a shiver down your spine and leave you cold for the rest of the evening.

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Aug 5, 2014

New Dars chocolate packs an acai punch

Japan's recent acai berry craze has led to the creation of smoothies, yogurts and juices that can be bought in convenience stores across the country. The latest to join the pack is this limited-edition acai-flavored Dars chocolate from Morinaga (¥163), which has a crunchy cereal center and bits of acai, pomegranate, blueberry and banana mixed in. Morinaga uses acai from Fruta Fruta (www.frutafruta.com), a vendor that imports the berry from Brazil and sells all the fixings you need if you ever want to make a real acai bowl yourself.

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Jul 29, 2014

A Cronut copy that's better than most

With all the convenience stores and bakeries coming up with their own variations on the famous Cronut from New York, there are too many to choose from, but the Croissant Donuts from the Heart Bread Antique stand outside of Seibu Shibuya department store in Tokyo, and indeed the chain's other branches nationwide, are worth trying. Each Croissant Donut is made with layers of crunchy pastry that you can peel away and is topped with green tea, strawberry, chocolate or lemon frosting. And they're a bargain, too: only ¥280 a piece. 21-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; www.heart-bread.com.

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Jul 22, 2014

Harajuku ice-cream shop adds a scoop of science with liquid nitrogen

Newly opened (and tiny) dessert counter 196° Ice Cream in Harajuku isn't making an empty boast when it says that it serves the freshest ice cream in the world. The staff blend raw mixture with cups of liquid nitrogen, and after a minute of whisking the two together, out from the billows of fog comes made-to-order ice cream that's so smooth it melts the moment it hits your tongue. You can choose between premium milk (¥480), sweet chocolate (¥530), creamy mango (¥580) or a seasonal limited-edition flavor, all of which are as fun to watch being made as they are to eat. You'll think twice about regular ice cream forever after. 1-13-21 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; 03-6447-4950; www.drepocke.com. (Angela Erika Kubo)

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE

Jul 15, 2014

Vinegar wine need not leave you sour

"Vinegar wine" sounds pretty much like what happens when wine goes bad — not exactly something you would want to drink with a steak. But when I discovered that a new place called Marni Baru in Shimokitazawa was serving what it called vinegar wine on its menu, I was curious to check it out.

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Jul 15, 2014

None more black: The new Doritos flavor rocks

The new Rock'n lineup from Doritos features coal-black tortilla chips flavored with pepper and rock salt (¥127), on sale in convenience stores until Aug. 11 with the name Rock'n'Black.

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Jul 8, 2014

Maple syrup goes with anything — even fried chicken

The staff at Soul Snacks in Ginza will politely recommend that you move the tiny chicken drumsticks out of the way before you cover your waffle with syrup and butter, but disregard that. As awful as it sounds, the chicken tastes best doused with sweet maple syrup. That combined with the thin waffle that almost melts in your mouth will have you moaning with delight — or maybe it's just an American thing. After your fried chicken and waffles (¥1,200), stop downstairs for a bag of fresh cookies, in flavors ranging from chocolate chip to oatmeal and raisin. (1-2F Ozio Bldg., 5-5-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; 03-6264-1527; www.soulsnacksjp.com).

LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE

Jul 1, 2014

Cupid aims his arrow at loveless Tokyo drinkers

While bars often use tactics such as offering healthy low-calorie food items or fruity cocktails on the menu to attract female customers, Aisekiya in Akabane resorts to an extreme that most sane businesses would not risk: Women can drink as much as they want — without paying a single yen. But the izakaya has been open for almost four months, and it doesn't look like it's on the verge of going out of business.

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