Panic kicked in… T ran around trying to sort things out while I stayed with the luggages. We ended up buying a Suica Pass (turned out to be a good thing) and the Narita Express to go to Tokyo. We left the big suitcase at the airport (500 yen per day) and headed off with the smaller ones.

We thought we’d have to carry all our luggage all the way to the train platform but we were pleasantly surprised to find out that all trolleys in the airport works with all escalators (not travelators mind you). This was the first of “why-can’t-we-have-this-in-sydney” moments we often experienced in Japan.

We went straight to our hotel (Akasaka Hotel Monterey) and had to walk 3 blocks from the station to the hotel in the pouring rain while dragging our luggage. It felt like a miserable start to the holiday, but we didn’t let it ruin our honeymoon. It’s all part of an interesting holiday!

Another interesting sight we encountered was a locker for umbrellas which was strategically placed outside the hotel. The locker allows you to place your umbrella and lock it in position by using a combination number you choose yourself so you can have the peace of mind knowing that someone won’t steal your umbrella whilst it was unattended

We arrived at the hotel 2 hours prior to their normal check-in time, but thank God we were told that our room is ready. We took a shower, change into complimentary pyjamas provided by the hotel, and went to sleep until around 6pm. Nothing feels better than a hot shower after hours of travelling. After the nap, we still felt exhausted but were eager to go out and explore the area, and satisfy our hunger.

It was cold and windy and we weren’t sure what to have for dinner and decided to stroll around Akasaka area. To our surprise, we found a Jangara Ramen shop which specialises in Kyushu style ramen and was on our “to-try” list. Apparently they just opened another shop here in Akasaka. Ramen was good… the broth was good and it was a very satisfying experience for our first day in Japan. We’ll write a separate post about this one

We then walked around Akasaka area on the way back to the hotel. We stopped over at the Kinokuniya supermarket and bought some goodies just because they looked good!

Photos

12:30 PM – Lunch

We had lunch at Cafe XXII. I ordered my usual Calamari and while Y had the grilled fish and chips. Kenneth then joined us and he ordered the same calamari dish. He tried mine last time and I think it left a good impression on him . We also noticed that they’ve improved the quality of the coffee served in this cafe. I highly recommend to drop by if you happen to be around Pyrmont area.

2:00 PM – Shop

We then headed to Birkenhead Point factory outlet to buy some gifts and ended up buying some stuff from Oroton and Kathmandu. It’s been a while since the last time we went there however, it still is a good place to shop for bargain items. We also went to David Jones food hall at Bondi Junction and browse around in search of chilli-infused olive oil like the one we recently had at at A Tavola restaurant. We didn’t find it but I bought Simon Johnson Olive Bruschetta for our Accapella practice this Wednesday.

8:00 PM – Earth Hour

We took part in this year’s Earth Hour by turning off all lights and most of electric appliance (exception was made for the fridge – everything else was off). Had a rather romantic candle-lit dinner

Bills is located at Darlinghurst with very modest victorian exterior without trying to look glamourous. In fact, less informed passer-by might simply think that this is just a small suburban cafe with plenty of regulars. (although ocassionaly the waiting line kinda give away the clue that this is not your ordinary establishment).

Fortunately we arrived at the better time and immediately seated at a table for two. I ordered the scrambled egg (duh!) served with bacon and sourdough bread. On top of that I added some sauteed mushrooms too. Yoan had the Ricotta Hotcakes – also one of their specialty.

It is true that the scrambled egg has a very smooth and soft texture. It is also true that they use a third of a cup of cream for every 2 eggs which explains the creamy feel to it. Bacon is also good. It doesn’t seem that they like to do crispy bacon here, so if crispy bacon is your thing make sure you ask for it when you order. My sourdough bread is also great.

Yoan commented that her ricotta hotcakes is ‘airy’ but this is only for the one on top of the stacks. By the time she gets to the third one, it has already absorbed a lot of the syrup that she poured earlier.

Coffee is also good. Definitely better than most cafe.

We really enjoyed the breakfast and would recommend it to everyone. However I should warn you that sometimes the good reviews creates a very high expectations for first-comers. No matter how good it is, it’s still scrambled egg!

A couple of weeks ago Y tried this recipe from SMH by Steve Manfredi. It’s pretty easy and quite tasty too. Straying away from the original recipe we used Blue Eye Cod instead of Barramundi. Just make sure that the fish that you use is fresh and bought on the day (bonus point if you get buy, drive home and start cooking immediately)

We don’t have much experience in cooking seafood but we’re working on it

Why don’t you give it a try? It’ll save you money because you don’t have to go to fancy seafood restaurants for this.

BTW, that image you see above is actual photo of the dish.

Total cost: $15 for 2 people

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