NAGOYA: Atsuta Horaiken あつた蓬莱軒 松坂屋店

I actually thought long and hard whether I should do another review of Atsuta Horaiken.

• Firstly because I actually don't think it value adds alot blogging about the same place and you're going to order the same food. 
• Secondly, I had a really bad bad bad experience here this time o the extent I don't think I could bring myself back to eat here next year because of fear. I'll elaborate further in this post
• Thirdly, I STILL HAVE 12 MORE PLACES TO BLOG ABOUT FROM THIS JAPAN TRIP! 

And Nick said to me last night " Ya... your posts are 1 year late, and you have the Korea trip posts lined up next and the New Zealand trip, and in Dec this year you have another Japan, Taiwan and HK trip to blog about wtf you are dead."

Wah, sometimes Nick really stresses me. And if you don't know me, I'm actually a very lazy person. So I got 2 days off ( yesterday and today) because I worked 7 days in a row for 13 hours daily. I'm actually quite tired because Nick made me get up at 8am to send him to work because he didn't want to drive.

And then a text message came in advertising for a locum crisis job today, and I hesitated for 5 mins. It was really good pay, if I did it today I would have earned 2k. So I texed Nick and he was like " Ayy, you're so lazy. If I were you I'll do it" so I said okay fine, and I texted the agency back but someone had already filled the position.

Am I upset by the fact that 2k just flew away? Nope, To be honest, I don't even care. I'm the kind who really hates doing unnecessary work. I actually am feeling REALLY REALLY TIRED and I just want to relax again today before work again tomorrow for 10 hours. Then Nick reiterated again " see, you're just so lazy"

YUP. I'M LAZY and I DISLIKE WORK. SO? SUCK IT UP LA, COMPLAIN SO MUCH FOR WHAT, you only have yourself to blame for not realising this early before the deal was sealed with a 1carat lol.

Anyway, so perhaps I should make good use of my laze at home day today to churn out a couple of more posts. And then I thought, okay, fine whatever, I'll just do another review of this restaurant because the last time I did a review on the  main shop ( read here) , but this time we were just feeling too lazy to go down to the main shop so we ate at their Matsuzakaya branch.

Nick really loves Unagi; this meal was probably the highlight of the Nagoya stopover.

There's 2 sizes, regular 3600yen

 and large 5100yen.

You can see that the diameter of the bowl is perhaps 1.5x bigger. I stacked them up after we finished for comparison ( top is regular, bottom is large)

NOBODY in the restaurant ordered the large except for Nick; the waitress was like " HONTONI? Large? ( Really?)

4 steps to eating Hitsumabushi ( please refer to my previous blogpost for clear instructions) 

But briefly, youre supposed to divide the rice into 4 parts 

1) Eat 1/4 just as it is 

2)Eat the other 1/4 with condiments 

3) Eat the next 1/4 with condiments and broth

Mix everything in 

4) Eat it in your favourite style 

Mine was the soupy way ( I love everything soupy) 

This time other than  just the hitsumabushi, I decided to order the Umaki ( Unagi in Tamago) as well  ( because I really love eggs right) Nick didn't eat any of it because he was too full from his large serve of unagi rice

 And I reckon this is root of my night terror.

4 hours after dinner, I started getting really bad abdominal cramps and projectile vomitting.
Up till midnight I was just in and out of the bed every 15-30 mins rushing to the toilet, clenching my abdomen, and every time I would have a diarrhoea episode + vomit. After midnight I got so tired of getting in and out of bed + I was getting really dizzy on standing so I just stayed in the toilet the whole night. I practically was on the floor, hugging the toilet bowl the whole night.

While Nick was soundly asleep ( I remember telling him I think I'm not going to make it and he asked me to just go to sleep. WTF, HOW TO SLEEP?! ) , I was just getting more and more hypovolaemic. I actually really had a thought of going to the hospital for a drip as I really couldn't keep anything down orally but I just couldn't move because of the bad crampy pain. And I actually wondered whether I was going to be so depleted of electrolytes and just have an arrest and die lol

Thankfully the frequency of diarrhoea + vomits sorta got lesser by 7am.
BACTERIA 0 VERA 1:D
And Nick woke up then, took my pulse ( I was so tachycardic. Heart rate >100 ) Nick got worried and rushed down to Lawson and bought heaps of Pocari Sweat ( Electrolyte drink) and just pumped me with it.

Moral of the story: Always bring a bag of 1L 0.9% NACL with 30mmol KCL + jelco kit to holidays.

Atsuta Horaiken あつた蓬莱軒  松坂屋店

3 Chome-30-8 Sakae

Open everyday

lunch: 11am-2.30pm

Dinner: 6.30-8.30pm

Sat & Sun open from 11am-8.30pm with no break time in between

NAGOYA: Miya Kishimen Jingu Shop 宮きしめん 神宮店

I'm fan of all things noodles. My favourite kind of noodles is noodles in clear broth, things like Udon, Pho, Mee tai mak.
I previously blogged about Kishimen ( read here) being one of Nagoya's specialties and it was seriously one of the most unfortunate thing and I have so much regret that I was not able to go down to the best Kishimen shop in Nagoya.
I blame this on Nick because he kept telling me the shop opens until 6pm when actually they close at 4.30pm everyday. I actually specially made a trip to the shop and I got there at 4.45pm and it wasn't opened anymore ! ):

This restaurant is a venerable old restaurant located beside the Minamishinike pond on the grounds of Atsuta Jingu shrine, which is one of Japan's 3 major shrines.
So to be honest, actually its  a very wise choice to eat here, because, how often do you get to eat at restaurant + get protected from Japanese Gods from their dwelling place? Choking statistics probably close to zero !

Prices start from 650yen ( has spinach, shitake mushroom and a slice of fishcake), but we decided to go for the most expensive I THINK it was slightly above 1000yen, which came with prawn tempura as well.

It was such a satisfying meal! I love how the kishimen noodle ( flat udon) was SO SMOOTH, and broth was SO CLEAR AND SWEET.

Definitely one of the best noodles dish I've ever tasted. 

Miya Kishimen Jingu Shop 宮きしめん 神宮店

9am - 4.30pm on weekdays; 9.30am - 5pm on weekends

Atsuta Shrine grounds

Nagoya: Kishimen

Okay, first up. Kishimen at this place is not my first choice. 

I know I know I know, I had 1 month in Nagoya but I didn't make it to where I wanted to go for kishimen, I ought to be shot.

Actually! I did travel down to Atsuta Shrine for kishimen BUT THEY CLOSE AT 4PM!!!!!

And given how I travelled out of Nagoya for all of my weekends, and my weekdays mornings were spent in Nagoya University Hospital.... I just.. couldn't...

Thankfully! As previous mentioned, this foodcourt in Lucent Towers also serves kishimen!

Beef Kishimen.

I also ordered another of Nagoya's specialties the Tenmusu ( Not my favourite)

Definitely one of my favourite meals, I think I had it on 3 occasions.

More than any of the other food items. But that's partially because I really REALLY REALLY love soupy noodles.
plus it was winter when I was in Nagoya.

PERFECT for warming up the tummy (:

Lucent tower
Nagoya Station

NAGOYA: oyakodon

Kobe is known for its beef, Oma known for its tuna, Nagoya is known for Cochin chicken.

What is cochin chicken you may ask? I honestly had no idea that Nagoya was so well known for its poultry until google told me. Anyway, it's a a type of chicken produced at the beginning of the Meiji Era by crossing a buff cochin breed imported from china and the native breed of owari. 

The reddish meat is rich in flavour and has good chewing texture. 

There are many places in nagoya to enjoy the cochin chicken, I was a little lazy googling where the good places are. So I decided to just try the cochin oyako don at this food court in Lucent Towers.

I really love this foodcourt. It's a gathering of all Nagoya's specialties from popular restaurants - pork cutlet (yamachan), hitsumabushi, kishimen, cochin chicken.

Oyako don

Cochin chicken tebasaki

I feel really bad saying this, because cochin chicken is known as a delicacy and even a treat for Nagoya residents. But... I really don't think the taste suits me. It's definitely more chewy than normal chicken. And I'm really lazy, I dislike chewing too much haha.

But nonetheless, GOOD EXPERIENCE!

Lucent Towers

B1

NAGOYA: Shabu Shabu Onyasai しゃぶしゃぶ温野菜

I was in Nagoya over Winter where the temperature everyday was below 15degrees.

Growing up in a tropical country, and despite living in Adelaide for more than 5 years, the cold still scares me.

There's so little things to like about winter. But what I like best is

ITS THE PERFECT TIME TO HAVE SHABU SHABU!

and STEAMBOAT/HOTPOT

and SUKIYAKI.

There are many different restaurants to have shabu shabu ( Shabu-shabu is a Japanese variant of hot pot. The dish is prepared by submerging a very thin slice of meat or a piece of vegetable in a pot of boiling water.)

 in Nagoya.

But I'm very greedy, so I love going to all you can eat shabu shabu places.

Did my research online and found that there's this particular chain restaurant with pretty good ratings for Shabu Shabu. And the best is THERE IS ENGLISH MENU! ( Click to view)

If you've been reading, you'll probably know by now. I always go for the most expensive and the best.

So I chose the 5480yen Shimofuri Kuroge wagyu option.

SUCH A SATISFYING MEAL

Totally warmed my body up!

I ate until I was so full I almost exploded.

P.S: This would be a perfect meal to warm your body up after you take a side trip to Nabana no Sato: Winter illumination ( click to view)

It's so pretty !!!! Really worth all the travel time. I highly recommend you to bring your partner on this lovely outing.

Shabu Shabu Onyasai しゃぶしゃぶ温野菜
They have many outlet shops all over Japan
http://www.onyasai.com/shp/index.html

NAGOYA: Cafe du Ciel カフェ ド シエル

A typical weekday in Nagoya for me would be 

730am - 5.30pm: Operating theatre

occasionally I'll be in clinic doing stuff like (see below)

And for an hour everyday, I'll be doing these virtual operations in the training room. 

By the end of the day, I'm so tired, my body is just in need of sweets! 

And the best way to end the day, is to be spoilt by an array of desserts in a cafe overlooking Nagoya !

Oh, did I say, I've loved skyscrapers ever since i was a little girl. I told myself that when i grow up, I wanted to work in the CBD where all the tall skyscrapers are.

Then I got into medical school, and graduated. 

But there's no hospitals built as skyscrapers. 

So my dreams are shattered.

View of Nagoya from 51st Floor

Definitely definitely choose the window seat ! Despite the fact that this is not a cheap cafe, there was still a large crowd, mostly comprising of Japanese ladies of higher social status. Well, I guess this is not unexpected since this cafe is located just above Takashimaya haha.
 I had to wait an hour before I got this seating !

Which dessert should i choose hmmmm...

YOU WILL NEVER GO WRONG WITH CHEZ SHIBATA. 

Matcha Green Tea cake

By the way, they do not only serve desserts. They also have a lunch/tea time/dinner menu.

It's really a perfect place to have a light meal and a fancy drink or one of the many delicious sweets while enjoying the splendid view of the city

I highly recommend this cafe if you want to spoil yourself after a hard day at work or your partner (:

Cafe du Ciel カフェ ド シエル

JR towers Nagoya Station 

51 Floor

NAGOYA: Yamachan

So I previously blogged about Furaibo's chicken wings.

As promised, the other popular chain store is Yamachan.

While my Japanese friends seem to prefer furaibo over Yamachan, I beg to differ. 

YAMACHAN IS AMAZING.

IT'S SALTY, IT'S SLIGHTLY SPICY, IT'S YUMMY!

Similar to Furaibo, there's mulitple Yamachan shops all around Nagoya. And it's very easy to spot. They always hang a figurine of this guy ( pictured in the box) outside their shop.

NAGOYA: Furaibo

Before I went to Nagoya, my cousin and Nick have been saying 

YOU GOTTA TRY THE TEBASAKI (deep fried chicken wing) IN NAGOYA! 

THERE'S 2 FAMOUS SHOPS. YOU GOTTA TRY BOTH AND TELL ME WHICH ONE YOU LIKE !

I love chicken wings. In fact, Nicholas and I both love chicken wings so much, there's times when we just buy 30 chicken wings and have them for dinner.

Anyway, the chain shop I'm introducing to you today is FURAIBO

The other popular chain store is yamachan (click to redirect to post)

So the reason why I'm recommending furaibo first is because, ALL my Japanese colleagues in the hospital rave about Furaibo. They say it caters more to their taste than Yamachan.

 Furaibo (click for website) have branches all over Nagoya and at several locations around Nagoya Station, but the easiest location to find is in the Esca underground shopping center. You can access Esca from outside the Taiko-Dori Exit on the west side of the station building

NAGOYA: Yabaton

Before I got to Nagoya, Nick was telling me, YOU NEED TO GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. You'll definitely like it ! hmmm, why leh? And then he said because there's a huge picture of a pig just outside the shop.

Nick knows I share a very special connection with pigs. 

As I previously mentioned in other posts, I was bullied in school last time. The (mean) girls, they called me pigface, pig nose etc. And after I wasn't bullied anymore, my good friends then used to call me vehpig ( tribute to my bullied days hey haha) 

If you like tonkatsu, you should definitely pay this restaurant a visit.

This tonkatsu is not like any ordinary katsu. I'm starting to feel like miso is a specialty of Nagoya lol. What's special about this tonkatsu is that it's Misokatsu (pork cutlet with miso sauce)

Introducing the chain's recommend: Teppan Tonkatsu (1836yen)

This is the other time where I just ordered regular katsu (1728yen)

I'm not really a fan of pork cutlets so.... it was alright for me. It was good, but it wasn't amazing. But again, I emphasize it's because I'm not really a tonkatsu person. But Nick lovessssss it. He says its the best! so, there you go!

Yabaton ( click to view menu and various locations) 

NAGOYA: Yamamotoya Honten

Another of Nagoya's food specialities is misonikomi udon, which is basically udon simmered in red miso soup. I love Udon !!!!

I would only only recommend you try this dish IF you're a huge fan of miso. Because, the taste/smell of miso is really overpowering haha

So if that hasn't turned you off already, the best and only place to try misonikomi would be the founder of misonikomi itself -- YAMAMOTOYA !

There's a variety of choices re: what type of meat you would like to have in your misonikomi. There's beef, cochin chicken (nagoya specialty chicken) there's vegetarian etc. I chose to go for the prawn tempura (1417yen)

LOOK PERFECT EGGS!

Don't worry if you're unable to read the japanese menu. There's english menu available

Yamamotoya

http://yamamotoya.co.jp/shoplist/ (Click to view their multiple shop branches) 

NAGOYA: Salon de Mon Cher

I was recommended by some of the medical students at Nagoya University Hospital that since I love sweets so much, I have to get myself down to this place. I was told that the dojima roll (swiss roll) is the best !

I remember buying a hello kitty cake from one of their booth at a department store, and it was the best character cake I've ever had. You know how such character cakes work, they look nice but they don't taste good. But I don't know if its Japan or Mon Cher, THE CAKES ARE KAWAII AND OIISHIIIIII!!!!

Very very grand interior

As you can see, almost everybody there were ladies with other ladies, or ladies with husband. I was the only.. table for one. haha oh wells.

You know, I love desserts so much, I've been telling everybody that my dream guy is someone who loves sweets as much as me. But somehow all the guys I've met,known, been with, are all not fans of sweets.
Tsk, Nick is not too bad now. He's been trained by me for 6 years. At least tho he's not a fan of sweets, he doesn't restrict me from visiting these desserts places. And he always give in to me whenever I say I need desserts after a meal :D ( he's a keeper! )

Menu!

I opted for the dojima roll + gateaux set (1380yen)

Perfect for afternoon tea !

Some of the gateaux selections

Chose the strawberry shortcake because it's so pretty! Look at the crown! Just befitting for a princess like me ( hahahahahahaha. joking not joking ) 

SO SO SO GOOD. THIS IS THE BEST SWISSROLL I'VE EVER HAD. Strawberry shortcake was good but definitely overshadowed by the swissroll.

I AM DEFINITELY GONNA GO BACK WHEN IM BACK IN NAGOYA NEXT YEAR :D

Salon de Mon Cher
Midland Square, Nagoya
opening hours: 10am-8pm (last order 7.30pm)
Fri, Sat and public holiday: 10am-9pm (last order 8.30pm)