mmm-yoso – Page 234

Yakitori Story Part 4: Yakyudori versus Taisho

February 17, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I guess this post was inevitable. Back in 2012, I did a series of posts comparing Yakyudori to Koubou. It was pretty much no contest. Now, over two years later, there's Yakitori Taisho. In spite of my impressions eating there, I just had to see. Which would I prefer, Yakyudori or Taisho. In spite of having the same owner, the two places are quite different. Taisho is rather quiet and sedate, if you have reservations, you'll have it basically for the whole night until you leave….Yakyudori is an elbow to elbow zoo, which starts serving yakitori at 530pm. They also do ramen an lunch.

That said, it's all protein on a stick, right? Not so as I recently did a couple of visits…..for research purposes of course, just to compare. Here's what we found……

So let's start with he Butashiso….pork rolled with shiso leaf.

Taisho on top, Yakyudori below. It's kind of easy to see; Taisho's version was more moist and nicely grilled over bincho. Yakyudori gave you more, but was drier, tougher, and more salty.

Taisho 1 Yakyudori 0

Up next, Tsukune, once one of Yakyudori's strong points. However, some time in the last year or two, the recipe seems to have changed and it's now rather tasteless and not as tender.

Good lord, the version at Yakyudori was almost incinerated, it was quite bitter. What happened here?

Taisho 2, Yakyudori 0

The teba, chicken wings are a Yakyudori signature item in my opinion. Here it's a wash.

The wings at Taisho are more moist. Both places have a nice crisp skin.

The wings at Yakyudori is more salty, which I really like with a nice cold Sapporo.

Taisho 2, Yakyudori 0, even 1

The Missus loves Her chicken livers.

It's gotten to the point where Taka-san just puts two on the grill when we arrive…..he doesn't need to ask. And yet, while the version at Taisho is more refined and meaty, what Yakyudori serves seems much more smoky, though dry.

So again it's a wash.

Taisho 2 Yakyudori 0 even 2

So let's move on to those Nagoya Wings…..I love them both, but the Missus has a preference.

She preferred the version at Yakyudori because it wasn't as sweet as Taisho and in spite of the looks, the black pepper flavor wasn't as prominent.

Taisho 2 Yakyudori 1, even 2

And then there's chicken karaage.

Here's where it's interesting again. The version at Taisho, on this visit, had a nice savory flavor.

The version we had at Yakyudori, was more crisp and light.

Taisho 2, Yakyudori 1, even 3

You can see, it pretty close….I will say that as a whole, the standard non-chicken proteins (other than the buta shiso) would probably be better at Yakyudori. Taisho is a bit more refined, less salty, but also not quite the busy scene of Yakyudori.

There are, of course the items that Yakyudori has that Taisho doesn't and the menu is larger.

The Kawasu – chicken skin salad is a favorite.

The natto gohan – natto rice bowl, used to be until it just became a ton of rice and just a bit of natto, which threw the ratio off.

At Tasiho, the kawa – chicken skin is grilled, it often takes a while and the tare gives it a nice sweetness. The texture is crisp around the edges and melt in your mouth in the exterior. We often call it our "dessert".

There's also some interesting specials. Though the Babylon Snails I had the last time weren't nearly as sweet as what I had on a previous visit. The menu is also more limited.

So there you go….I think it's all about what you prefer….the atmosphere and such. Still, it was fun to compare…..

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

So maybe you should check them both out and see which suites you the best!

Chef Zhu revisited

February 16, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Chef Zhu is now a location of Chin's

With the Lunar New Year quickly approaching, my coworker "YZ" decided that we should go out and grab some lunch. I knew she had been missing dishes from her hometown of Shanghai, so I suggested Chef Zhu, since it had been a while since I last visited. Since YZ has been in san Diego for a while, she had also eaten at the owner's previous restaurant, Shanghai City, and was curious as to how the dishes would compare.

As I mentioned before, the previous "ABCDE" (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) menu is in place and folks come in calling the place "Double Happiness", so it's an interesting crowd.

"YZ" let me do the ordering, just like when we were in Madison for business.

We ended up ordering three dishes, all of which I've had before and thought were the three strongest on the menu. They did not disappoint.

Starting with the Yin Doo Xin, which is my favorite item on the menu.

A deceptively simple pork + (preserved) pork based broth. Clean, just salty enough, satisfying.

With the New Year on the way, I thought we should order the Chao Nian Gao.

Nicely texture, not too chewy or soft. I thought it could have a bit more saltiness….but YZ and SJP who joined us for lunch sure enjoyed it. SJP who is Korean seemed surprised to see that nian gao was essentially "dduk"….or perhaps visa versa.

We needed a bit of meat……well, just because. I went with the steamed pork with preserved vegetable which was better than I recalled.

Not too salty, balanced sweetness which cut the richness of the pork, this was pretty good overall.

In the end, we all had a nice meal, and even better conversation. I wish our busy work schedules allowed for more lunches like this..

Chef Zhu
1011 Camino Del Mar
Del Mar, CA 92014

A short stop in Kobe at Mouriya – you know why, right? Plus, Nankinmachi (Chinatown) and other stuffs…like do you want to pet an owl?

February 15, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kobe, Travel

We left Hiroshima for Osaka fairly early in the morning. Somewhere along the line, the Missus said, "Kobe is on the way, right? Why don't we stop in Kobe……." I took little convincing (you know why, right?). Admittedly, we had done no research (on sights) in Kobe, so we just winged it. Japan is one of the most convenient countries we've visited. We got off at Shin-Kobe Station, found the information booth, were recommended a couple of sites, got directions to storage lockers and were off.

Now, it was explained that we should catch the subway to Sannomiya, where Kobe's city center. But if you've read enough travel posts, you know the Missus….."it doesn't look too far on the map, we can walk there." And it really wasn't. We wandered about, taking some time to check out the Kobe location of Tokyu Hands…no it's not what you think. Tokyu Hands is a chain of Department Stores. You haven't lived until you visit a couple of department stores in Japan, it's quite an experience….and if you're a guy, shopping in one of those packed by the square inch places will make you wish you were dead…like Matsumoto Kiyoshi in Shinsaibashi, but that's for later.

A short way up the street from Tokyu Hands was this shrine, Ikuta Jinja.

Here's the sign with the history and story.

Soon enough we started getting hungry. Because of the rather impromptu nature of this stop, I had to dig through by ever fading memory and come up with something. Along the way, I saw a sign, and I knew we were covered.

We'd lucked out, this, along with Wakkoqu were the only two places I could remember.

This location of Mouriya had just opened for lunch and we were the first customers of the day. The place is obviously aimed at tourists, but I was fairly certain we'd be able to get what I wanted here…..

There was a brief discussion….well not so much a discussion, as I explained to the Missus that it was "A-5, or we might just as well leave." After all, when would we be back in Kobe? Here's more information on Kobe/Wagyu Beef than I could ever hope to include in a post.

I thought a 150 grams, about 5 ounces or so per person would be more than enough….it's rich stuff, not "all you can eat prime rib."

While the chef prepped the teppan, we had a Kabocha Bisque…

And a green salad, which the Missus, missing green salads inhaled.

And then it was the star of the show.

We selected one sirloin(the Missus) and one rib (Me).

Good lord, look at all that marbling. When asked about doneness we queried the chef. He said for A5 medium is preferred, except for certain parts of the sirloin….too rare would be like eating "all fat". So we left it up to him.

Each piece is divided up by section, leaner pieces get trated a certain way, the fat another, the mega-marbled yet another.

Watching $100 pieces of meat being cooked in front of you is quite mesmerizing……

Sauces were provided, but I can't tell you what they were since I never used them. The Missus and I swapped as we saw fit; the very rare pieces of the sirloin came to me…..just buttery, beefy, and almost sweet. The Missus also gave me the seared fat cap, telling me, "you can't say I don't love you now, can you?" Oh my…..oh my…..the term melts in your mouth is over used in my opinion, except in this case. That wonderful flavor of beef fat as it melted on my tongue is unforgettable.

As we left, the place started filling up……mostly tourists as far as I could tell. I hope they appreciated the treat that was in store.

I couldn't help but think that this is why the Missus and I work so hard…..for these 3-5 weeks of the year, when we get to explore and enjoy what the rest of the world has to offer.

Mouriya
2-1-17 Shimoyamatedori
Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan

As we left the restaurant, the Missus told me, "okay fat boy, let's burn off some of those calories….."

I'd seen "Nankin-machi" on the map…..Chinatown. I have fascination with Chinatown's across the world, so of course we had to go and check it out.

We found people in Japan to be ever so polite if not especially warm. Folks in Hiroshima and Osaka were even more so to us. Twice when we stopped to look at our map, folks came up to us to point us in the right direction. One of the people who stopped to help us, smiled, pointed, and said, "Daimaru…..Daimaru". And yes, it right across the street from Daimaru.

It was quite fascinating……that Baozi place above was doing some major business. There were street hawkers inviting you into their restaurants.

It was also a heck of a lot cleaner than just anout any Chinatown we've visited.

The Missus enjoyed checking out the various menus……though I don't think we'd want to partake.

The most interesting business we saw was this one.

Love the section under system:

– You can touch owls and take pictures in our cafe

Ok, so this might be really cool for you….for me….not so much.

Well, I think this was a sign that we needed to head back.

So we walked back to Shin-Kobe.

I was surprised to see a Honolulu Coffee location in Kobe!

We had a fun time in Kobe, but it was time to head to Osaka….and take a nap!

Antwerp Day 2: Restaurant A La Ville and the views from MAS (Museum aan de Stroom)

February 14, 2015 mmm-yoso Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Travel

After our stop at The Chocolate Line, we did a short backtrack. We stopped at Wapper Sqaure and took a look at the Rubens House, the former residence of Peter Paul Rubens. In the end, the Missus really wasn't feeling much like visiting places like these so we headed back to the Grote Markt area.

We were getting hungry, it was time for lunch. We headed past the square, near the old meat hall…..I had thoughts of stopping at Hofstraat 24, but the Missus decided to try somewhere else.

On the street named Zirkstraat, the Missus found the place where She wanted to have lunch. It was named A La Ville. When the Missus asked me what that special was; Parmentier de Carnard, I told Her it was like a duck shepherd's pie…..She was sold. The Missus wanted a break from the hearty, somewhat heavy food we'd been having, so this Mediterranean – French Bistro just seemed to fit the bill.

The menu seemed very French, the hostess was quite nice, not overly friendly, but quite accommodating. The interior is the basic white and black, with concrete walls. Behind those black curtains is quite a large dining area; I guess for dinner and such.

The Missus of course, got the Parmentier de Carnard, which started with quite a sizeable salad. Dressed simply, topped with a quail egg, after days of hearty, hefty, meals in the Czech Republic and Antwerp, was something She really enjoyed.

The parmentier was without a doubt the highlite of the meal. Nicely flavored shredded duck confit, quite a bit of it actually, mixed with nicely seasoned mashed potatoes, It was the exterior was nicely browned and crisp.

It was quite rich and filling.

I ordered a couple of items, starting first with Bone Marrow and Escargot.

The sauce, which was beef based was nice and light, the bone marrow rich and buttery, and the snails were much more tender than I expected.

I also ordered the Leek with Duck Bacon and Quail Egg.

This was probably our least favorite dish; the cured duck was quite bland and dry, the leek was fine, but this is like something I'd make at home and really didn't seem to be worth 14 Euros.

As we ate, we noticed several older couples arriving. The Servers seemed to know them all, I guess they're regulars. It was kind of nice……something we don't do here in the States. Enjoying a nice leisurely lunch is a lost art it seems.

Overall, a nice meal and good counter-point to all the Czech and Flemish meals we'd been having.

A La Ville
Zirkstraat 37
Antwerp, Belgium

After lunch, the Missus wanted to check out the view from MAS, the Museum aan de Stroom – "Museum on the River" for the views of Antwerp. Thing was, She wanted to walk through the short Red Light District…..a strangely quiet, kind of seedy couple of blocks on a pedestrian street. The Missus didn't even know we were passing through when I told Her to check out the, ahem, "window displays". Some of those women looked pretty tough…..like they could probably body slam me if I made a wrong move. The Missus suddenly realized that all the other folks walking were men……and a few, rather scantily clad women….. For some reason, the vibe just gave me the creeps.

Located on the site of the old dockyards, the Museum aan de Stroom is quite impressive looking. It celebrates Antwerp's history as a major maritime center. For more about MAS, check this out.

We had come to check out the views. Just take the 10 story escalator ride up to the viewing deck.

You can see Cathedral of Our Lady in this one…..

And here's one of the Scheldt River. That castle is called t'Steen and is the oldest building in the city.

We were having a very relaxing time in Antwerp…..

84 Degrees in February – Getting my Liang Mian and Liang Cai fix from Fu An

February 12, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Fu An has closed

I get to work pretty early in the morning. It's still dark out. The day had been busy and I didn't step outside my little molehill/bunker/office until 1pm. Holy smokes! I check the temperature and good lord it's 84 degrees! Like what is this, Yuma? Just kidding Ed!

It's strange, but for whatever reason, I crave Sichuan Liang Mian and Liang Cai (cold dishes) when it starts getting warm. Were this before February of 2012, the choice would be easy; it would be Ba Ren. And while the assistant chef from Ba Ren now resides at Fu An, things have been inconsistent to say the least.

Still, I needed my fix, so that's where I headed.

The cold dishes weren't bad…..but there's still something missing…the amount of spice, the amount of vinegar, the slight touches that make all the difference. Still, it's not terrible.

Same can be said of the Sichuan Liang Mian. The flavor is almost there….there's even a bit of that Sichuan Peppercorn tingle….but it too is missing those last pieces of the puzzle. And the noodles are hard, stiff, almost like they needed to be cooked ever so slightly more.

However, we beggar's can't be choosers. I got my fix in…….

Fu An Garden
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Looking at that temp…..I wonder, if it was another degree hotter, would I have thought of going here?

COMC – Oahu: All those familiar places – Fresh Catch and Tanioka’s

February 11, 2015 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Oahu, Poke, Travel

Funny, the Missus says that my demeanor changes as soon as I get off that plane and the island humidity hits me. Something happens. I'm able to fall right back into my "old self", relaxed, laid back…and then the pidgin starts!

Of course, the next thing we're looking for is poke. Like I've mentioned before, I'm a "townie"….to me there's only one decent place to get poke in the Waipahu/Ewa Beach area and that would be a place i've posted on several times before….

Tanioka's Seafood and Catering:

We always visit a couple of times…….

Much has changed over the years….the question used to be, "limu or shoyu?"

Nowadays, it runs the gamut….

Not the prettiest presentation….Styrofoam and sauce "all ova' da' place."

But it hits the spot.

Tanioka's Seafood and Catering
94-903 Farrington Hwy
Waipahu, HI 96797

We also hit a place around my old neighborhood. Usually it's Ono Seafood, but the Missus wanted some smoked marlin, so here's another I've posted on before.

Fresh Catch:

Man, I remember when this was Pizza Hut!

We actually prefer the smoked seafood and stuffs like taegu tako to the poke here…..

Fresh Catch
3109 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816

Man, I'm craving some poke now…….

Artisan Bento

February 10, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

**** Artisan Bento is now Hachi Ramen

*** Update: Artisan Bento now opens at 11am. A short update here.

Before things got real crazy at work; we were having dinner with my good friend Candice. Usually the conversation goes from travel, to our friends, and of course to food. Somehow the conversation went to those places we had wished did well, but just seemed to miss the mark. The now defunct Bentowich immediately came up. Candice quickly mentioned Artisan Bento which was opening in Banker's Hill….Banker's Hill? She explained that this was a project of Shihomi Borillo, one of the managing partners of Azuki Sushi and the the ingredients will be mostly local and sustainable….. It sounded interesting, but I wasn't quite sure what the concept was going to translate into.

One evening when the Missus was working, I decided to drop by. There was just a minimal challenge in finding parking. At least it was after 6pm….no feeding the meter on the street. The shop is fairly small, the a couple of tables tucked into one corner, counter seating, and a few tables outside. The place looked more like your friendly neighborhood coffee shop. The glass case gives things away though……very well presented menu items, it would look perfectly fine in one of those basement depachikas, like we visited in Ginza and Kyoto, though the guys behind the counter looked more like your friendly neighborhood barista's than someone working in the bento shop……even a hipster bento shop. The guys working behind the counter on all my visits were really friendly, service oriented, and very nice.

There are of course bento's, a "bento box" with one main and one "side salad" for $9.95 and the delux ($13.95), with one main, two side salads, and even dessert, which is what I got. I ordered the Ginger Pork – basically Shogayaki, something my Mom used to make. Of course what we had at home looked nothing like this.

And yes, this might not look like much, but it was enough to fill me up. I really didn't know what to expect, but was very pleasantly surprised with the pork….it isn't super tender, but the texture is right. So is the flavor, not too sweet, some ginger, perhaps a bit too salty, but it was definitely that bento lunch special pork shogayaki alright. The lotus root was perfect in texture, but weak in flavor….the spinach on the other hand was perhaps my favorite item. Just enough flavor, with the sesame paste coming through without overwhelming the flavor of he spinach. The miso soup was very good in terms of what is usually a throw-away side, much better than many places I've eaten at. Perhaps the item I was most surprised at was the multigrain rice onigiri….I had visions of mushy versions I've had in the past, but the proportion of grains to rice was perfect and somehow, the onigiri itself just seemed fluffy and light. I really enjoyed it….and didn't feel like I needed to take up macrame or tie-dying after having this.

I even enjoyed the yogurt panna cotta, which was light and not too sweet. As to whether this was worth $15 (with tax), well, I'll leave that up to you.

A few night later I decided to drop by and check out some other items on the menu. Starting with "Mama's Pork" Bao Bun ($5.75). Somehow, I envisioned a nice steamed bun filled with rich and fatty pork. What I got was this.

The pork was basically the shogayaki, which I can understand. Not much in the way of kitchen facilities here, they've got to maximize product. It's that bread, which by the way was sliced, even though it looked folded…very ponderous, which reminded me of something like a very bad Da Bing/Laobing. The best part of this were the vegetables and the dressing which had some nice sweet and mint components.

I'm not sure why, but I also went for the Albacore Tataki ($7.50).

Which was pretty much by the book, on the dry and tough side, and unremarkable.

I should have tried the "Cold Ramen Bowl" like I had planned too. Oh well, lesson learned. There's one more lesson I learned as well. I had seen the hours as being Monday – Saturday 10 am to 9pm. When I'm between meetings, one of my favorite things to do is drop by Nijiya, Mitsuwa, or Marukai, and pick up a bento for lunch to take back to the office. So between meetings one day, I dropped by, found parking three blocks away, fed the meter, and walked on over to get a bento. It was 1015……no dice, unfortunately, food is not served until 11am….which I didn't see noted anywhere. I have menu open in front of me and it doesn't say a thing about that either.

Still, I wanted to give the place another shot…..so, working on a recent weekend I dropped by and ordered the Bento Delux with Chicken Skewers. It was put into a box, looking quite neat and all. Dessert separated from the hot items.

Things held together quite well, though this won't win any awards for looking like something from an Ekiben stand. There was some seepage as sauce from the chicken, which was basically tsukune, formed meat, onto the onigiri.

The chicken was kind of dry……I'll stick with the pork, or try something else next time. The other items, the onigiri, spinach, and miso soup all delivered.

I like the concept, the foundation of the menu items are solid, it's not hipster bento….not too sold on the artisan part though, more like boutique bento. There were quite a few questions I had to ask myself about this place. I work in Kearny Mesa which has several Japanese places that I like better and are a better value than AB….like Izakaya Sakura or even Yakuyudori, or Kayaba…. In terms of straight up bento, I could get 2 bento from Nijiya…or maybe three bowls from Marukai for the price of the Delux…. is what AB creates that much better? Was this place worth going out of my way for? I'm hoping they find a niche for themselves in the area. Perhaps the location will be a plus. Like say, grabbing a bento before or after hitting Balboa Park. And while I've had surly service at Yakyudori and even Sakura, the folks here are very nice.

As for the Bentowich comparison…this place is on a different level…and just like that place, I hope they do well. Time will tell and I'll probably be back, just to see……..

Artisan Bento
2505 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Monday – Saturday 10am – 9pm

Saturday Stuffs: Myung In Dumplings coming to Convoy, the Sab E Lee move is complete, and did you know the 29th is “meat day” at Nijiya?

February 7, 2015 mmm-yoso Blog

A quick post for a nice Saturday.

I saw this sign in the former Voltero's location.

Have to check with some of my sources and will update.

4344 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

According to Eater San Diego, the Sab E Lee move is complete.

I'll check it out sometime this week.

6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

I keep forgetting to mention. The 29th of every month is "meat day" at Nijiya. It's 20% off all meat. We've been taking advantage when the 29th falls during Thursday thru Sunday.

It's a good deal. I usually end up making something simple like this.

3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Antwerp Day 2: Chinatown, Antwerp Train Station, Stadsfeestzaal and the Chocolate Line

February 5, 2015 mmm-yoso Belgium, Chocolate, Desserts, French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Antwerp was proving to be quite interesting…..relaxed, laid back, even more so than Brussels. There were less tourists, it had more of a urban-local feel, even though we were staying close to the Grote Markt, there were businesses like a meat market, bakery, produce stands, that served the locals.

The Missus wanted to take a nice walk on our full day in Antwerp….to the train station, which I wanted to see anyway, then back. So we set off from Grote Markt, taking some of the back streets.

We stopped at places the interested us along the way, like the very Baroque looking St Charles Borromeo Church. The most popular local citizen, the famous Baroque Painter, Peter Paul Rubens, was raised in Antwerp and spent a good part of his career in Antwerpen. Even this Jesuit Church displays the influence of Rubens who supposedly designed the decorative façade. In fact, there were 39 ceiling paintings by Rubens that were destroyed in 1718 when the church was struck by lightning.

There are wisps of Rubens everywhere, even on this plate. From what I can find, Dr Lazarus Marcquis was on of the physicians who treated Rubens, who died of heart failure due in part to chronic gout.

We eventually found ourselves in front of the beautiful train station….but first, I was distracted by this.

I have a thing about Chinatown's, whether in Lima, SF, Portland, Toronto, Kobe, or even pseudo-Chinatown's like Brussels, I just can't help myself. So I just had to check it out.

And of course, I could not resist the temptation to check out the at least one Asian Market….just to see what was being sold. Markets like this one stocked everything from Sriracha to Datu Puti and Silver Swan. And some of the prices were no joke….sheesh.

We also checked out the various menus; here are a few in case you're interested.

Chinatown is barely a street or two in Antwerp, but it's all interesting to me.

We took a turn and walked back toward the train station. At one of the streets parallel to those of Chinatown I saw one of my favorite signs. Folks, don't even think about "wildplassen" here, ok?

The Antwerpen-Centraal railway station itself is probably the grandest, most impressive train station I've ever seen. Hard to believe that this structure, finished in 1905 was once considered for demolition.

A look inside and it's quite easy to see why they call this structure the "Railway Cathedral". The restoration job on the place was completed in 2007 at a cost of 2.7 billions dollars. The glass ceilings, intricate work, marble, and stone makes a truly impressive sight.

There's actually a level which links the place to the "Diamond District" and 30 diamond shops.

It's easily my favorite site in Antwerp. I've never seen anything quite like it. When looking at my photos I still stop at the one's we took at the train station…..

We walked down the Boulevard named De Keyserlei, arriving at a large street named Frankrijklei. This was where the city walls of Antwerp once stood. Across the way you could see the beginning of the "Meir", the major shopping street of Antwerp. Here you'll run into a statue of another of Antwerp's favorite son's, the Artist Anthony van Dyck, who was a favorite of England's Charles I.

You'll pass many….well, let's just say shops we know quite well on the Meir…… H&M, Forever 21…..H&M and Zara are everywhere in case you need something in a pinch.

But it's this ornate, but rather discreet portal that caught our attention. Through this passageway is Stadsfeestzaal, which is one heck of shopping mall…..let's just say it makes South Coast Plaza look like a trailer park…. Tons of gold inlay….there's actually a champagne bar! Yikes. I understand that this was originally built as an exhibition hall completed in 1906. It was destroyed by fire in 2000. Being a historic monument, it was rebuilt using the original plans and reopened in 2007. It is something to behold…..not sure about the shops in the place, the Missus wasn't moved; but with a grand staircase and such you can't help but admire the beauty of the place.

We our way through the place until the Missus became bored (I was already there) and walked back out into the sunshine of the Meir.

Back out on the street we quickly noticed a place whose name I recalled. Dominique Persoone is a Belgian Chocolatier, whose rather audacious approach to chocolate, along with his self coined handle as the "Shock-o-latier" has earned him quite a following and reputation. He owns The Chocolate Line with shops in Bruge and Antwerp.

You really couldn't help but be impressed with the upscale boutique look of the place….my goodness.

And when the Missus saw the play on upscale shoes….well we just had to take our time in the place.

And while it's easy enough for me to dismiss the rather seemingly kitschy chocolate lipstick and edible chocolate facepaint, along with his nomme de guerre. The chocolate "snort" made me stop and reassess.

And while some of the creations like the various chocolate sculptures and such, were obviously done to impress in the name of commerce.

A snort of chocolate, hmmmm…..what would that do to my already ravaged grey matter? Perhaps I'd change my name to Cadbury? Or perhaps start a campaign to save the "chocolate bunnies"? Who knows, as my train of thought was interrupted with the Missus telling me; "ok, I've got some chocolate, let's get going. Aaaand, I didn't buy any of those chocolate shoes…….can you imagine, shoes of chocolate, like feet and eat them, ick…." And so my Chocolate Gandhi moment was permanently interrupted.

We had bought some to add to the collection for my MIL and had a few that seemed interesting ourselves.