30...into my tummy

Things have been slow here with all the cleaning up that was needed to be done, but now my sister's here, things should get more hectic so before i get caught up in that all, i just wanted to post the food ver. of my 'looking back on 2013' series.
Warning before you scroll ahead - don't look at this with an empty stomach!

1. A whiff of coffee beans

i'm not particularly fond of coffee in the sense that i need to drink it every morning to feel 'awake',

but i do enjoy the bitter taste now and then, especially when i'm reading a book.

(it makes me feel like i'm travelling and stopping by a cafe somewhere)

↑ This coffee was from '24/7 Coffee & Roaster' in Shibuya (only, it's not open 24/7), 

and as most coffee stores in Japan, they had delicious looking pancakes on their menu as well. 

↑ Aren't these lovely?

This is a place in Akishima in Tokyo called 'Chet', which a darling friend took me to

because she's friends with the owner and many of his usual customers. 

It was lovely sipping coffee, listening to Chet Baker and looking at her wonderful artwork.

2. Lunches or dinners (or even inbetween)

For those who are frequent visitors of Omotesando in Tokyo, 'Bills' is probably one place they've all been to.
And have lined up and waited at least 20 minutes to get into. And goodness this restaurant (that's on the top floor of the Tokyu Plaza) was worth the wait. The Australian based (i'm not sure about this, but the chef is apparently Australian) cuisine is delicious, and hard to find anywhere else.
↓ The rasberry and strawberry frappe is something i would especially recommend.

I think i should through 'eggs n things' in here too since they were definitely worth the wait too.

Now, this is something that i would say was the best of this category this year.

In Kyoto, there is a restaurant that combined Japanese ramen (noodles) with Italian sauces,

and aiaiai, i could go to Kyoto just to eat this again.

There were several イタ麺 itamen restaurants in Kyoto, but 'Policromo' was a neat, quiet place

away from the city center, where you can go by taking the bus to kamigamo shrine.

i love food in general and could eat or talk about it all day,

and of course, i enjoy eating Japanese food too. Soba and sashimi are two of my favourites!

 There was a lot of pizza during this year too. Mostly mozzarella. 

 Another yummy shot from when i was in Kyoto:

This karaage/fried chicken was so good - i think these kind of side 'common' food that you don't see

at restaurants are the best kind of food out there. It's practical, inexpensive, yet delicious. 

(This one was from a tiny karaage stall outside Yasaka jinjya)

3. Time for something sweet

i always do but i think i ate a lot of pancakes this year. Part of this is because of the growing

amount of pancake related cafes in Japan  - wherever you go, there seems to always be at least

one cafe/restaurant that has 'must-try' pancakes.

↑ This was in a small Hawaiian themed cafe in Yokosuka, 

but sadly i've forgotten what it was called...all i remember is the richness of that berry topping...

↓ Panda danish treats! at Ueno station.

To add on to the pancakes, there were quite a few donuts too...

plain ones:

funny little ones with bears:

...and ones with Hello Kitty ribbons.

↑ These peko-chan treats were so fluffy and sweet (both in appearance + taste)

↑ Yuba (Tofu) flavoured ice-cream in Kyoto!

i tried it half expecting it was going to be quite blergh, but it turned out

to be one of the most tasteful ice-creams i've eaten.

Looking back at all these photos, i realise how lucky this stomach of mines been. But as good as food out there is, food at home is quite irreplaceable too.