<rant>Its an unimaginable hell living in a place where I have NO access to the food that define me as a Tam-Brahm..dosa-idli-sambar-vada-pongal. Everywhere I see, there's only ramen/yaki-soba/whatevs. None of which I can eat </rant>
Hi my pretties, so you all know that feeling when you just have to have that one.specific.food. And you just have to have it. And you can't find/make it. And you just want to rip somebody's head off. Yeah, that happens.
It was in this desperate state of mind that I embarked on a quest. To find dosa in Japan. Its actually as dramatic as it sounds.
So I reached Tokyo after a not-so-good night's sleep (night buses suck) and my friend, lets call him YD, was the self-appointed tour guide. Tokyo! Finally!! Woot!!! We walked over to the Emperor's Palace, the Government buildings and a wonderfully huge park right in the middle of the city. All this at 7 am.
I had a few places on my agenda, one of which was the Kitkat Chocolatory (see this link for the amazing Kitkat flavours you can get in Japan, opens in a new tab-because, hey, I'm so considerate). But the most important, dosa. First things first, though. I had to get a bit of sleep.
So after some lunch, YD showed me around the University of Tokyo (I'm a nerd. That's how I got here in the first place). Its such a gorgeous campus with a wonderful history. Some of the buildings are pre-WWII and we can see the amazing Victorian influences in the buildings. The hallways have stories to tell and I would have stuck around all day to listen to them. But..we're in Tokyo. And there are things to do.
With the nerd in me finally at peace, we went in search of this mystery Kitkat store. We did manage to find it, but were let down by the lack of variety. They had only Chilli and Green Tea-Sakura. Though I was apprehensive of the Chilli, it was..unexpected! When you bite into it, it tastes just like any regular kitkat. But as the taste of chocolate fades away, it replaced by a hint of heat. It doesn't overpower, it just stays there for a few seconds as you're wondering what's going on. Brilliant stuff.
Being the chocolate-fanatic that I am, the basement of the Ikebukuro department store was a psychedelic heaven. Teeming with chocolatier kiosks from all over the world, I would have definitely carried out a heist..had I the resources.
After the Kitkat chocolatory (that's what its called), YD and I decided to drop by and say hi to Japan's rich and famous at Roppongi Hills. In the midst of all this, we realized that we might not have enough time to have dosas and make it to the bus that would take me back to Kyoto.
But hell naw! I'm eating that dosa or I'll take the next bus.
And what's a sunday without drama? We took the wrong subway, ran through the streets of Tokyo like crazy-demented-foreigner peeps and finally ended up at the restaurant which turned out to be a few minutes away from Roppongi, where we started. And there it was!! Beautiful, fluffy vadas. Crisp, melt-in-the-mouth dosas. Sambar to drown your sorrows in. It made everything worth the while.
This country is insane in every way. But moments like these, make me value the good times more.
I took so.long to type out this post! Sowee. More Japan stories coming soon!
Cheers!!!
Hi my pretties, so you all know that feeling when you just have to have that one.specific.food. And you just have to have it. And you can't find/make it. And you just want to rip somebody's head off. Yeah, that happens.
It was in this desperate state of mind that I embarked on a quest. To find dosa in Japan. Its actually as dramatic as it sounds.
So I reached Tokyo after a not-so-good night's sleep (night buses suck) and my friend, lets call him YD, was the self-appointed tour guide. Tokyo! Finally!! Woot!!! We walked over to the Emperor's Palace, the Government buildings and a wonderfully huge park right in the middle of the city. All this at 7 am.
Good morning, Tokyo!
I had a few places on my agenda, one of which was the Kitkat Chocolatory (see this link for the amazing Kitkat flavours you can get in Japan, opens in a new tab-because, hey, I'm so considerate). But the most important, dosa. First things first, though. I had to get a bit of sleep.
So after some lunch, YD showed me around the University of Tokyo (I'm a nerd. That's how I got here in the first place). Its such a gorgeous campus with a wonderful history. Some of the buildings are pre-WWII and we can see the amazing Victorian influences in the buildings. The hallways have stories to tell and I would have stuck around all day to listen to them. But..we're in Tokyo. And there are things to do.
With the nerd in me finally at peace, we went in search of this mystery Kitkat store. We did manage to find it, but were let down by the lack of variety. They had only Chilli and Green Tea-Sakura. Though I was apprehensive of the Chilli, it was..unexpected! When you bite into it, it tastes just like any regular kitkat. But as the taste of chocolate fades away, it replaced by a hint of heat. It doesn't overpower, it just stays there for a few seconds as you're wondering what's going on. Brilliant stuff.
Being the chocolate-fanatic that I am, the basement of the Ikebukuro department store was a psychedelic heaven. Teeming with chocolatier kiosks from all over the world, I would have definitely carried out a heist..had I the resources.
Macaroons, fondants, truffles..OHMYGOD So.Much.Chocolate!!!
After the Kitkat chocolatory (that's what its called), YD and I decided to drop by and say hi to Japan's rich and famous at Roppongi Hills. In the midst of all this, we realized that we might not have enough time to have dosas and make it to the bus that would take me back to Kyoto.
But hell naw! I'm eating that dosa or I'll take the next bus.
And what's a sunday without drama? We took the wrong subway, ran through the streets of Tokyo like crazy-demented-foreigner peeps and finally ended up at the restaurant which turned out to be a few minutes away from Roppongi, where we started. And there it was!! Beautiful, fluffy vadas. Crisp, melt-in-the-mouth dosas. Sambar to drown your sorrows in. It made everything worth the while.
This. This is what I live for.
This country is insane in every way. But moments like these, make me value the good times more.
I took so.long to type out this post! Sowee. More Japan stories coming soon!
Cheers!!!
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