Travel Bite London - Amorino

Amorino is one of my favorite gelato shops - I first came across it in the Marais in Paris, but very happy to know that there are branches in London as well! I went to the Soho branch on a weeknight at about 10pm and there was a line.



Amorino store front in London's Soho

You choose your size at the cash register (or "till" as they call it here) and pay first. You can choose from cups ("coppa"), cones ("cornetto") or take-away tubs. After that, you give your receipt to the staff and they'll scoop your choice of flavors.

Inside the store

I was craving something creamy, so I didn't go for the sorbetti - but I do remember their raspberry and strawberry being really good, and I will try their coconut one next time! They had ran out of tiramsu gelato already, so I chose vanilla, hazelnut and dark chocolate (they do have a chocolate-hazelnut flavor called "L'inimitable").

Don't be deceived by the size of the small, £3.50 cornetto. They fill up the center with one flavor, and put the other flavors on in petals on the outside of the cone! Only the cones get this flower petal scooping treatment.


Flower-shaped gelato!



The gelato was dense, and smooth. Amorino only uses organic and natural ingredients in their gelato and sorbetti, and the flavors shine through so well. There were many flecks of vanilla bean in the vanilla gelato, and crunchy hazelnuts in the hazelnut gelato.

I'm already planning my next trip and the flavors I'm going to get. Lucky for me, Amorino is open till midnight, and till 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

 

Amorino

41 Old Compton Street, W1D 6HF (two other locations in London, others across Europe)

Tel: 0207 494 3300

http://www.amorino.com/en/

 



Mori Sushi

I heard about Mori Sushi a while back for fresh Japanese food at reasonable prices, but it didn't cross my mind until recently. It's tucked away on Graham Street, just off the top of Lyndhurst Terrace. It was not easy to book though - I called on a Monday for a Friday 1pm booking, but they were already full!

The shop is a bit of a tight fit, and has a selection of sushi, sashimi, and rice bowl sets for lunch ranging from $80 to $150. I had the negi-toro (minced tuna belly with green onion) rice bowl ($98), and my friend had the negi-toro uni rice bowl ($150). Each set comes with miso soup, a salad and appetizer, as well as a small dessert.

Negi-Toro Rice

Negi-Toro and Uni Rice

I was surprised by the freshness and portioning! They really pile on the negi-toro and uni, and as shown in the photo they use whole pieces of large uni. It goes without saying this is a lot better than what you'd pick up at Three Sixty or at the Citysuper Deli. There was also no service charge.

Book early to get your lunch spot!

Mori Sushi
G/F, 34 Graham Street, Central
Tel: 2854 1800

Travel Bite - Kyusyu Jangara Ramen in Tokyo

I usually go to Kyusyu Jangara when I'm in Harajuku - it's the two-storey shop near the top of Omotesando, with a lot of people lining up. It turns out they have a few more branches in Tokyo and this time I went to the one in Ginza. English, Chinese and Korean menus are available at all branches!

Kyusyu Jangara Ginza Storefront

The most popular ramen is the Kyusyu Jangara, which is ramen with a mixed soup base of pork bone stock, chicken stock and vegetable stock. I picked the Kobonshan, which is the Bonshan (pork bone stock) soup, but fired up with garlic.

Kobonshan Ramen with Egg

Thin white ramen noodles

Stewed pork belly

Soft boiled egg

All I can say is yum!! 

Kyusyu Jangara - Ginza 
Ginza 6-12-17, Chūō-ku, Tokyo
Other Tokyo locations available
http://www.kyusyujangara.co.jp/

Travel Bite - Totoro Cream Puffs in Tokyo

I saw a food magazine post a picture of Totoro cream puffs on their Facebook site, and I thought they were from a Hong Kong bakery, but I was wrong! They come from a small bakery called Shiro-Hige in a Tokyo suburb. So, I kept them in mind and a trip to Shiro-Hige was fixed into the trip itinerary! It's a must-do for any foodie x Totoro fan.

Totoro Cream Puffs from Shiro-Hige

They are seriously almost too cute to eat. I just wanted to stare at them. The ones with the green leaf are the custard and cream ones. The one with the white hat and blue ribbon are chocolate cream. These are available all year round. The one with the pink sakura flower is strawberry cream, which is available from January to May. They have a peach cream one from June to September, and a chestnut and chestnut cream one from October to December. They also sell some cookies.

Custard and Cream, Chocolate Cream and Strawberry Cream

Custard and Cream, Chocolate Cream and Strawberry Cream

All of these puffs are filled to the brim with cream! They were all good, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be the original custard and cream, being simply vanilla. The chocolate was really good too, not over-powering the cream, and you could feel the cocoa powder on your palate. The strawberry one tasted like fresh cream mixed with a strawberry jam. Not sure if the jam was home made though. I would probably prefer it if the cream was mixed with fresh strawberry puree, but that would mean that the cream would be less stable and could separate. The puffs must be consumed the day you buy them for maximum freshness.

For sure, I'll be making a trip out to Shiro-Hige just for their puffs the next time I'm in Tokyo. Call ahead and reserve them, because they sell out quick! 

Shiro-Hige storefront

Shiro-Hige
3-21-21 Takaidohigashi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03 3334 4689
www.shiro-hige.com

Quick Bite - Lab Made Ice Cream

Lab Made is a place I've wanted to try for a while, and I finally made it on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And yes, I eat ice-cream in all temperatures. Back in Chicago, when it was -30C out, I would go to Cold Stone with friends and we could eat our ice cream without any fear it was going to melt!

Ice Cream in progress

The selling point is that Lab Made makes the ice cream in really small batches with a Kitchenaid mixer, the ice cream base, and a dash of liquid nitrogen. 

Flavors in rotation

There are four flavors a rotation, and this time (January 4 - 20) it was Custard Bun, HK Crispy Toast (with PB Sauce), Super Lemon Meringue Pie, and Purple Rice. Purple Rice was $39, the rest were $44. We had Custard Bun and Super Lemon Meringue Pie.

Super Lemon Meringue Pie and Custard Bun Ice Cream

I think the highlight of both ice creams was the texture. It was very smooth, but it did melt quickly. The Custard Bun was very creamy, and had a nice custard flavor, but a bit too sweet for me. There were specks of hard egg yolk, which does show they used egg custard, but it detracts from the smooth texture. The Super Lemon Meringue Pie had a clean lemon flavor, not very heavy like Custard Bun. They added a sprinkle of small meringues, which were okay.

A bit of a gimmick, I know, but fun nonetheless. You can keep a track of what flavors they're featuring on their Facebook page. I think I'll stop by again when I see other interesting flavors.

Lab Made
No. 6 Brown Street, Tai Hang, 2670 0071

Quick Bite - Froyo at Smile Yogurt & Dessert Bar

Froyo with Honey Crumbs

I haven't had much froyo lately, but a friend suggested froyo after lunch and so why not! We were in Causeway Bay and it was between Agnes B (which I've had, but I found a bit watery for my taste), and trying a new place together!

Smile offers a handful of froyo sundae combinations, prices ranging from about $40+ to $60+. You can create your own froyo too - the froyo base plus one topping for $36, additional toppings from $5-$10 each. 

I stuck with the froyo and 1 topping (if you can call it a "topping", since it's sandwiched between the two mounds of froyo). I was pleasantly surprised by the froyo texture - it's creamy, soft, and no grainy ice crystals. It's not tart, so expect it to be more like soft-serve. 

Will definitely go back and try their cakes!

Smile Yogurt & Dessert Bar
Shop 509, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, 2811 8321

Tsukemen at Shugetsu

You know, I don't remember how I came across Shugetsu. I think I must have read about it in a magazine or newspaper, but I found my way to this small shop on Gough Street. Now, being a part of the Central workforce, I'm a brisk walk away from one of my ramen favorites in town. The wait time varies, but it's more likely you'll get a seat here than at Butao.

This is not the place for thick, tonkotsu stock ramen like at Butao. This place is for Tsuke-men (ramen dipped into a concentrated stock, like eating soba), and Abura Ramen ("oil noodles", ramen tossed in an oily soy sauce with toppings). They serve noodles in broth, but in my opinion, it's not as good as the Tsuke-men and Abura Ramen.

I think the thing that keeps bringing me back to Shugetsu is the fact that they make their noodles on site, and the thicker noodles used in the Tsukemen and Abura Ramen have an unbeatable al dente texture. For the Tsuke-men, you can choose between 100g, 200g and 300g servings, and they're all the same price ($85+10%)! 200g is about right for most people, 300g is good if you're starving. Once you're done with dipping and eating the noodles, they will come around with hot chicken stock to pour into your dipping sauce to turn it into a drinkable broth.

Abura Ramen

The Abura Ramen ($85+10%) is my favorite; despite the fact that I might be tempted by Shugetsu's seasonal noodle, I always end up getting the Abura Ramen. It's topped with Shugetsu's roasted kurobuta pork, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, spring onion and a raw egg. Think of it like a carbonara, where the heat of the pasta "cooks" the egg lightly and forms a sauce. You can add a bit more soy sauce and vinegar to your taste.
 

Kurobuta Roast Pork

If you can't get enough of the melt-in-your-mouth pork, you can always order a side of it ($48+10%)!

Shugetsu
G/F, 5 Gough Street, Central, 2850 6009

P.S. They do take-out too!