Pubs and Pub Grub – Page 5

Vancouver/Richmond – The Alibi Room and the Richmond Night Market

June 10, 2017 mmm-yoso Beer, Canada, Chicken Wings, Desserts, Festivals & Events, Pubs and Pub Grub, Vancouver, Canada

After a nice afternoon nap, we headed off to the Gastown area.

It was a nice day to be out and about, if a bit on the warm side.

The Missus enjoyed window shopping and we stopped at a few places; like at Kit and Ace near the Steam Clock. Where this guy was hanging out.

It was indeed rather warm, so we headed down the street to a place named the Alibi Room. The place was pretty much full. But the nice Server told us that if we weren't eating anything and didn't mind not having table service, we could head on downstairs.

Which turned out to be a comfortable place to grab a few beers. There are over 50 pulls in this place. And they do half pours as well; which we appreciated.

What we had is lost to posterity, but I recall really enjoying the vibe.

A nice stop; we'll be back the next time we're in town.

Alibi Room
157 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1B8
Canada

We needed to first catch the bus; then the SkyTrain to get to our next stop. We had day metro passes and I had the bus stop indicated on my phone. We found our stop and a guy who looked homeless came up to us. I immediately thought he'd be asking for some cash….but instead he told me, "sir, this bus stop has been temporarily moved to the street above." Thanksful, I offered him some money, but he refused, saying "this one is on me." Only in Canada!

We got off at the Bridgeport SkyTrain Station and followed the well marked signs.

So, we followed this group of people who were having a great old time and got to what looked like ticket booths and a gate. A really nice young man came up to us and asked us if we were customers of 'xxx' and had our customer number. We explained that we are from out of town and have obviously found the wrong entrance. The young man pointed across the way to a line of what looked like 200-300 people. He told us "that's the general admission line; this line is for 'xxx' customers, 'xxx' is sponsoring tonight's night market and if you have either a zoom pass or are one of their customers you can come in this way." Now, if I recall a the passes were like $25 a book, good for so many entrances, so that would be a waste. So we thanked him and were headed to the line when he asked us where we were from. We told him San Diego. In a hushed, conspiratory tone he told us to "wait here". A minute later he returned with two tickets. You are now officially customers of 'xxx', if anyone asks you if you are customers of 'xxx', make sure to tell them yes. What a nice gesture….you gotta love Canada.

The Richmond Night Market claims to be the largest Night Market in North America and I don't doubt this claim as the choices, and crowds are staggering.

Now, if you read the blog quite often, you know I'm way behind on some of my travel posts and our visit was during early August of 2016. The Missus had seen a bunch of stuff posting to Instagram……about a dessert…..She just had to have it.

The dessert "du jour" of that period of time was the Raindrop Cake (you can see Kirbie's recipe here). It's based on Japanese Mizu Shingen Mochi. And kind of looks like a breast implant if you ask me.

The Missus got Her confection and we took a seat.

And soon folks started coming around asking what this stuff was….we actually offered them a taste if they wanted one….but most of them just looked kind of, well, puzzled. Anyway, this was "meh", sugar water and agar…..I prefer just straight up Warabimochi coating in kinako to this.

Our table was next to the Prehistoric Park area and while taking a look at the photo of the T-Rex below, it wasn't the replica of the dinosaur that caught my attention; but the sign to right that said, "FanTuan Delivery, Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere"…..I don't think San Diego is included in the "Anywhere" though.

While the Missus went for the sweets; I had one place in mind.

Little Phnom Penh is famous for their Chicken Wings with Lemon and Pepper sauce. So I placed my order and watched them make my wings.

Notice that container with the spoon; the wings are fried, then mixed in a wok with garlic, scallions, and a spoon full of that mysterious white substance….which I'm fairly certain isn't only salt.

The wings are light, though not as crisp as I prefer, the garlic could be cooked a bit more; it's still on the bitter side. The wings are tender and moist, but I'm not a big fan of the lemon sauce; which tastes like bottled lemon juice with black pepper. Still, this was good overall.

There sure was a huge variety of "stuffs" available…….some quite interesting.

This seemed more "County Fair – Carnival" than Night Market and the place was starting to get packed.

As we wove our way around people; we heard this guy……..voice like an old fashioned Carnival Barker, with a Chinese accent of course.

As we walked up; the smell of cumin danced in the air……we both love yang rou chuan and this guy cracked us up.

We got lamb and lamb kidney and while not great, this was pretty tender, though it could have used more cumin.

This "Chef James" had me wondering who he was. If you'd like to find out his story you can read it here.

Overall a fun time for us.

Richmond Night Market
May – October
8351 River Rd
Richmond, BC V6X 1Y4
Canada
Fri-Sat 7pm – MN
Sun 7pm – 11pm

By the time we got back to the apartment, the sun had set. It was a beautiful clear night. We finished the rest of the Roast Duck and Rice and I cracked open a brew…..

And sat in the Solarium of the apartment watching the weekend action on the Street below.

Life was good…..

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Toronado, Hess Brewing, And Tribute Pizza

June 9, 2017 mmm-yoso Beer, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub

The Missus's hairdresser now works in North Park. During the last two months, the Missus has asked me to drop Her off….lucky me! There's no shortage of places where I can, ahem, "pass the time" while waiting for the Missus. Like……

Toronado:

**** Toronado has closed

It's been a while.

Had a nice New Belgium Le Terrior. Perfect temperature…..

Toronado
4026 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

The most recent time, it was…..

Hess Brewing:

It had been a couple of years since I'd been here as well.

A nice 8 West on a rather warm day.

Hess Brewing Company North Park
3812 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

And in case the Missus is hungry after getting Her hair done. Well there are a lot of options here as well. Like a recent favorite of Hers….

Tribute Pizza:

On this day, the pizzas were much better than on previous visits……

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104

I think I'm going to make sure the Missus goes in for a trim on a regular basis!

Nagoya – Kaburaya (Main Store) and Kinshachi Nagoya Akamiso Beer

May 1, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Nagoya, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

We were feeling a bit tired after having a full day. So we decided to stay close to the apartment. With ESCA and whole bunch of other shopping centers the choice for dinner was endless. The Missus was fascinated with a place just a block away. Upon entering this place looked basically like an Izakaya……the day was finishing up for folks here in Nagoya. And folks were enjoying a beer (or two) and a bite (or more) to eat.

Looking at the menu cracked me up….along with a bunch of "obanzai" style dishes, there seemed to be every Nagoya specialty on the menu….from Nagoya Teba, to Miso Katsu, to Hitsumabushi, to Kishimen! And some of the menu translations were quite humorous as well…….

We ordered a random collection of dishes and were quite surprised at how good some of them was.

The Missus isn't a fan of Kushi Katsu; but She went for it ordering two Miso Kushi Katsu.

The miso here isn't overly salty, a tad sweet, a thick, hearty texture, the panko was still crisp, the pork surprisingly tender.

The Missus was totally in love with offal in Japan, so the "Gacchan"; pork stomach stew was a natural choice.

Again, with miso, this was very nicely sweet – miso umami, comforting, the pork stomach had a nice chew…….again, surprisingly not very salty.

Out of curiosity, I ordered the kishimen, Nagoya's signature noodle soup. Not expecting much, we, especially the Missus, was pleasantly surprised.

The broth had a nice, almost a condensed, dashi flavor, deep umami. The flat, udon like noodles, had a good stretch to them and the texture stood up for the entire bowl. The Missus enjoyed this so much, she asked me to find one other shop for this before we left…….that was going to be a bit of a challenge, but I did find a shop (stay tuned) in an interesting location.

We were really enjoying ourselves and decided to try some other items….including this.

Yep, local beer….made with red miso? Ohhhh-kay.

Interesting flavor; slightly sweet salty-caramel, mildly malty. Not something I'd crave….but nice to try once.

I just couldn't "not" order the Unagi Honsenbei…..but man, this was way too large a portion.

Crisp, crunchy, nicely salted……. the Missus got tired of this fairly quickly.

We decided to end with the Tori Nanban….it's usually chicken karaage, topped with vinegar and tartar sauce. What we got was a bit too over-the-top for us.

The flavor of the karaage itself was fairly neutral; decently fried, a bit of soy and some nice savory tones. That sauce was a bit too much……like a crazy thousand island dressing; mayo-ketchup, with green onions, celery……carrots! Overpowering the chicken. We'd obviously hit the wall after this one……..

Kaburaya was a pleasant surprise and the Missus really enjoyed Herself. In fact, She'd want another Izakaya during this trip.

The service here was quite friendly. We loved the young lady who Served us, "my English is pretty good, yes?" Yes, it was.

Kaburaya Main Store
15-8 Tsubakicho Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi, 453-0015
Chitose GL building B2 – 1F
Open Daily 11am – 1130pm

Kyoto – Catching up with one of my favorite Food Bloggers (and friends) at Okariba and Beer Komachi

March 10, 2017 mmm-yoso Beer, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kyoto, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

One of the great pleasures I've had over the years has been meeting up with other like-minded Food Bloggers….and at the top of my list is Kat from Our Adventures in Japan. We had met before in Osaka and on this trip, we wanted to make sure to touch bases again. This time, I chose the somewhat quirky; kinda country, rustic "Hunting Ground", Okariba which we really enjoyed the last time in Kyoto.

We had a nice walk over and met Kat and Satoshi. The place was much more busy than on our last visit.

And we spent a good deal of time catching up on things and just having a good time.

After all, places like this were made for friends gathering, sharing "pupus".

You can read all about this in Kat's post….and it also shows how far behind I'm at with my travel posts as well!

So from here on; it's most it's mostly photos.

Man, I love basashi…..

At the end of the meal, we gave the owner some Mac Nuts….even though we were sure he wouldn't remember us, he'd given us so much samples on our previous visit, we wanted to make sure to show him our appreciation…so of course he busted out the home made ume-shu……

Okariba
Okazaki Higashi-Tennocho 43-4, Residence Okazaki 1F
Kyoto

After dinner, we had a nice nightcap at another familiar place; Beer Komachi…….lot's of tourists and such….but with the San Diego beer connection menu….

It was a fun stop.

And I think it's a great reminder for Kat and Satoshi……….you can always come out here for a visit too!

Thanks for such a great time K&S!

The Bitter Brothers Annversary Family Dinner

January 23, 2017 mmm-yoso Beer, Fine Dining, Pubs and Pub Grub

*** Bitter Brothers has closed

I've been asked a couple of times why I don't give "more love" to my neighborhood? To be perfectly honest, I hadn't been too inspired by places in my neck of the woods. But over the last year and a half or so; things have changed for the better…who'd have thunk that we'd go out for a New Years dinner; a tasting menu even….right down the street. So when Candice mentioned that Bitter Brothers was having an Anniversary Dinner; I decided to go for it. And I'm glad I did as it was quite an enjoyable event. I'd been to Bitter Brothers a couple of times, but always regret not visiting more often. So this was a nice way for me to get reacquainted.

There were just 50 seats available at $70 a crack, and things started fairly promptly at 5pm. Though at first it was just folks mingling. I'm not really a super social kind of guy so I just kinda took things in; perhaps a bit too hard, because I missed my chance at the amuse; a version of Lumpia Shanghai. That's ok; I did enjoy the Czech Pilsner. Crisp and refreshing, it did remind me a bit of what we had during our time visiting the Czech Republic.

What might be my favorite dish of the night was the Porcini Dusted Cauliflower, I loved how all of the flavors went together so well; from the hazelnuts, to the celeriac, to the slightly acidic, yet very tasty homage to celery a la Grecque.

The Missus surely would have loved this dish by Tim Kolanko. This was served with one of my favorites here; the Brotherly Love Dunkelweiss.

Phillip Esteban's dish was an eye catching version of the rolled and tied chicken Ballotine. Instead of forcemeat, this was stuffed with a black garlic based mixture. I'm not a big fan of items on the plate without a purpose; and those dollops of what I'm assuming is sort of a Nasturtium pesto really had no flavor. And the buttermilk leche de tigre added no real acid to the dish. The chicken itself was a bit on the salty side; but the black garlic paste added a nice amount of sweet, complex tones, which really balanced things out. This was paired with the Black Sheep Coffee Porter on Nitro.

Ami Cisneros's dish was a beautiful version of….well, Carnitas.

Pressed and nicely seared; perhaps a bit too lean for my taste, it was nicely seasoned. The kabocha puree was quite rich, creamy, and slightly sweet. To be perfectly honest, I really loved the pear with chamoy and tajin. It went so well with the Prickly Pear Family Tart Berliner Weisse, which almost tasted like a version of agua de sandia (watermelon agua fresca) paired with this dish. I even enjoyed the slice of black radish which was so crisp and had some of the pepperiness toned down….I'm thinking it must have been soaked in ice water for a bit before being dried.

My next dish was a sentimental favorite; since it was created by the one and only Travis Clifford; remember Travis likes food? Anyway, it was nice to see him cooking again….it's been a while since I've tasted his cooking. Funny thing; I've made a career out of being quite non-descript. I'd been to BB a couple of times and had actually spoken to Travis, but I'm fairly certain he doesn't remember me. I kind of like it that way.

Nicely blackened prawns; loved the "Travis made" Andouille, great texture, good smoke. The flavor of the grits, while they had hardened by the time it hit the table had a nice rich and sweet flavor from the marscapone. All of these big flavors were tempered with the Big Brother Double IPA.

I'm not a big dessert/sweets guy and was worried about the Espresso Crème Brulee made by "Bitter Bill" Warnke. I shouldn't have, this was not too sweet, but very nicely balanced with mild coffee tones.

Paired with a nice bittersweet chocolate and espresso sable, which was just perfect. Very good, grown-up flavors. This was paired with the deceptively boozy (only 5.2 abv) Barrel Aged Little Sister Russian Imperial Stout which made it a nice way to end the meal.

The Barrel Aged Little Sister Russian Imperial Stout is BB's first ever bottle release; so I bought a couple. The Missus will love it. And I'm sure to be there the next time BB has another "Family Dinner".

Bitter Brothers Brewing
4170 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Happy New Year!

December 31, 2016 mmm-yoso Cooking, Pubs and Pub Grub

Whew, it's been quite a year. Work has been crazy and we managed to squeeze in four (if you count Vancouver) international trips as well. And suddenly, it's almost 2017.

Anyway, New Year's Eve started as things usually do for me, with last minute trips to Nijiya and Mitsuwa, giving me a chance to check out the Osechi, something that I've done since my first New Year post.

Then of course, I made Nishime.

This year we did something a bit different for New Year's Eve. We decided to go out and have a nice dinner. With the rainy weather we decided to stay close to home and check out the New Years Tasting Menu at Red Card Café. The price seemed quite reasonable at $46 per person and we were pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed our meal.

Red Card Café
4140 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

And we stopped for a drink on the way home at the High Dive.

The theme seemed to be Disco and the staff dressed appropriately for that theme. The Missus couldn't stop laughing and folks were having a great time.

High Dive Bar and Grill
1801 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

And when was the last time I heard this:

Or this…..

Now where did I put those Angel Flight Pants???

As the year comes to a close, everyone here at mmm-yoso would like to thank you for dropping by and extend best wishes for 2017!

Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

Breakfasts of Champions – El Borrego, Manila Fast Food and Desserts, and the “Moco Loco” at the High Dive

December 18, 2016 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants, Loco Mocos, Mexican Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

While I might grumble about the food and restaurants here in San Diego from time to time; I do realize that there is a nice variety available to you if you take the time to enjoy things. Take breakfast/brunch for example. Over the last couple of weeks, I found myself getting something different from the usual noodle soup while doing my Saturday morning errands.

El Borrego:

**** As of 12/28/2025 El Borrego has sadly closed

It’s easy to overlook El Borrego. The street parking is limited and it’s in sort of a no-man’s land right before the main City Heights shopping area. Heck; it’s been about four years since I’ve last visited.

But with temps now dipping into the 40’s at night, I just wanted some Lamb Consomme.

The lovely warm embrace of the gamey lamb broth ($2.25) was just the thing I needed to warm me up and get me going. As was the Mexican coffee.

Being a bit hungry, I also ordered two Quesadilla Rellenas ($2.75/ each); one with flor de calabasa and the other with; of course, huitlacoche….I’m thinking that Black Belt Jonez comment on huitlacoche had me craving it.

The huitlacoche here is fairly mild with just a bit of that fungi flavor; the squash blossom goes really well with the cheese; which adds in a slightly milky touch. That salsa roja is no joke either.

Nice and comforting, but not too much food; it was what I needed to get all systems ready for my errands.

El Borrego Restaurant
4280 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

Manila Fast Food and Desserts:

I was here just a few months back, but decided to get my Longsilog fix since I was in the neighborhood.

Manila Breakfast 02 The Garlic Rice was decent; miost and the garlic wasn’t too burnt and bitter. The steam table eggs weren’t bad; still soft and runny in the middle; though I do enjoy my eggs with crisp edges. The eggs weren’t seasoned, so adding your own salt is a must. The standard issue longanisa was fine; I’d prefer bit more char, but it had a nice snap, wasn’t dried out, and had that sweet longanisa hamonado flavor.

Manila Fast Food and Desserts
8979 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

The “Moco Loco” at the High Dive:

So, I’ve been going into the office during most weekends since we got back from vacation. Some were necessary; on other days, it was just to catch up on admin stuff. I ran to Birdrock on Morena to pick up some coffee beans for the Missus. I’d done my Sprouts – 99 Ranch Market – Nijiya – Costco shopping and was going to grab something quick and head off to the office when I decided to “F that”……I deserved a day off and maybe a nice long weekend nap.

The car took over and parked alongside the High Dive. And my 11am Ommegang Gnomegang clinched the deal.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of the food here, but hadn’t seen the Brunch menu before. THD opens at 8am on Saturday and Sunday and they had something called the “Moco Loco” ($15)….you know me and Loco Mocos.

This really was a mixed bag. The egg seemed kinda small, but was fine, the yolk still runny. The gravy was straight up mushroom gravy which had a decent texture; not overly gluey, and wasn’t too salty. It was just a tad over lukewarm though. The rice had an odd texture……not sure what was going on.

The best item was the burger; which, while being pretty lean and toothsome, had a really nice char with a good beefiness to it.

One word of warning; if you’re ordering this and can’t take something less than medium, I think you should let them know as what I got was pretty darn rare. Though it didn’t bother me.

High Dive Bar and Grill
1801 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Well, at least I actually did take a “day off”. And I got something other than noodle soup for my weekend breakfast.

Tokyo – Otakou Honten and a Visit to the Hitachino Brewing Lab

November 25, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

It was getting close to lunch hour by the time we finished our nice walk around the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and we were ready for something to eat. It was drizzly and a bit chilly. I'd heard about a Oden place with a fairly long history (opened in 1923). So after a bit of searching we found Otakou Honten. We'd actually walked pass here on our first night, but the line was so long that ended up having ramen instead.

There wasn't a line when we arrived and we were lead upstairs, where things did look rather busy. We got the last booth in the place and placed our orders.

It's quite simple; there were two Oden sets available for lunch, each about 680 yen and we ordered one of each.

Boy did this hit the spot.

That simmered daikon had really absorbed the flavor of the broth and was perfectly tender; not falling apart, but so easily cut with a chopstick. Our favorite item was the Toumeshi; indeed this is called the toumeshi set and I can see why. That tofu had absorbed the savory-sweet-dashi based flavor so well and rice was also a great vehicle for passing all of that. Simple, but just wonderful.

The Missus ordered the other Oden set which was quite good as well.

This was just the perfect thing for day like this. Then a kind of interesting thing happened….I'm guessing it's fairly common given the crowded nature of Tokyo.

The Missus and I were sitting across from each other in the booth. Two salarymen came in and sat down right next to us in the booth!

So now we were kinda trapped! The Missus and I looked at each other and cracked up. And we couldn't help but text each other our observations; especially when a couple of pieces of rice got stuck on one of the men's face….it kept moving around while he ate, but wouldn't fall off, and was quite mesmerizing!

Actually they were quite nice. When they noticed we were finished, they both stood up and waved us through. So, I guess this is fairly standard eating in Tokyo!

There was a line of people waiting outside in the rain as we left. I walked across the street to take a photo, and wouldn't you know; that line extended across the street!

It's easy to understand why folks would wait in the rain for this place. Good, comforting food at an inexpensive price. And it sure did hit the spot on a day like this.

Otakou Honten
2-2-3 Nihonbashi
Chuo, Tokyo

Feeling nice and warm, our bellies full, we headed off in the drizzle to our next destination. I really enjoy the beer that Hitachino produces and had read that they had opened a beer bar in the Akihabara. I recommended going on the Yamanote Line from Tokyo Station, it's like a 4-5 minute ride. But of course this is the Missus; so we walked.

It turned out to be about a 30 minute walk. The Brewing Lab is located right on the Kanda River.

It's a nice cozy little place and very quiet during this time of the day as there was only one customer the whole time we were there.

There were 8 pulls on this day and we ended up getting 4 beers; even Session IPA. We ended up with the Masters Selection, Nipponia, Weizen and the Nest Lager.

The Lager was my favorite; while the Missus enjoyed the Weizen. Man, Hitachino makes some really good stuff. If you're in the area; this might be a good stop.

Hitachino Brewing Lab
1-25-4 Kandasudacho
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Soon enough, it was time to go. And this time the Missus relented and we caught the train back to Nihonbashi. We had some time to do a little shopping; then head back to the apartment for a short nap before meeting Reiko for dinner.

What’s My Craving? The Blairsteak from Monkey Paw

June 25, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Cheesesteaks, Pubs and Pub Grub, Sandwiches

**** Monkey Paw has closed

It was about time for my Cheesesteak fix and the Missus wanted some waffle cut fries, so it was back to Monkey Paw.

The Missus loves waffle cut fries; I'm not such a big fan….so here She can get the "Stoner Fries with waffle cut fries"….basically waffle cut fries topped with cheesesteak fillings; beef, in this case provolone, peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

There's a reason they call it Stoner Fries…sheesh. She can never finish this, so we always tell them to drop off a box when they bring the food. The Missus will use the leftovers to make a hash the next day with eggs and some kale from the yard.

Of course I got the Blairsteak…..and got it with waffle cut fries for the Missus.

For years the Missus has told me how gross cheesesteaks were….but this one has made Her change Her tune. I think it's the combination of the soft Amoroso that has a bit of a gritty finish, combined with the milky provolone, the earthy mushrooms and the sautéed onions. I think She wouldn't even need any beef in this….but of course, I'd miss it. She now shares half the sandwich with me. This ain't cheap at about $16 with the upcharge for the waffle cut fries….but it's a nice treat every so often.

And then of course; there's the beer. On one of our visits I got a chance to taste the Ashes from The Grave, a smoked brown that won a Gold Medal at the 2016 World Cup of Beer.

Nutty Chocolate flavors, mild sweetness, and a good smokiness that gets you at the end.

The Missus's favorite here is the Monkey Gose Bananas with Tart and Black Cherry.

We've come to enjoy Monkey Paw as a guilty pleasure. Love the divey feel, friendly staff, and the temperature of the beer is always good. The neighborhood might be kind of terminally "in transition", but it kind of helps with the vibe, which we prefer to Hamilton's which was just way too "hipster" and quite unfriendly the three times we've tried the place.

Monkey Paw
805 16th St
San Diego, CA 92101

Otaru: A Stroll Down Sakaimachi Dori, Sampling Sweets at LeTAO, and a Stop at Otaru Brewery

June 18, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Hokkaido, Japan, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Leaving the Shako Festival and the Canal area behind us, we headed to Sakaimachi Dori, a lively streets with European/Western style buildings dating back to the days when Otaru was a major port city.

Full of historic buildings that are now glass and souvenir shops, tons of restaurant, and a little sweets kingdom known as LeTAO.

We loved the charming streets, the buildings just gave off a nice vibe, especially since things weren't especially busy.

We were getting a bit chilly, the warming effects of the umeshu was wearing off, so we decided to stop in at this charming little coffee and tea shop built in the former location of the Kubo Store, which was built in 1907.

The Missus got a nice cup of matcha and I a well made pour over, very smooth, but with enough of a nice kick for me.

The barista was a wonderfully dignified looking woman, who just rocked her lavender highlites perfectly. A study in aging well, gracefully, but with just the perfect amount of hipness and edge.

Refreshed and energized, we ended our little walk at LeTAO, which several folks told me I "had to" visit when going to Otaru.

This a multifloor deal, with a sweet shop upstairs, a very popular hot chocolate stand….but the item that LeTAO is known for is their cheesecake.

The cheesecake portion of the shop actually looks more like a jewelry store.

For some reason, I wasn't too keen on the stuff here, but of course, I don't have much of a sweet tooth.

LeTAO
7-16 Sakaimachi Dori
Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan

We headed back around and took Rinkosen Street back to the canal area. There was one last stop I wanted to check out before heading to lunch. I'd enjoyed the bottle of Otaru Weisse I had in Hokkaido. I also recalled Kat's post on Otaru Brewery, so I thought we'd give it a try. The place has quite the Bavarian Beer Garden look and makes some interesting claims on the English menu.

Hmmmm…..not hangover with the beer here, eh? Well, let me have at it! I ordered the Dunkel, which had quite a head. The finish reminded me of caramel-burnt sugar with a touch of stone fruit mixed with a bready yeasty fragrance. Not bad at 5.2 ABV….clean finish, sugary flavors lingering, not too bitter.

The place filled up pretty quickly as most folks were starting up on lunch. Several large parties; all Japanese came in, and a couple looked like they were doing some kind of brewery tour finished up as well.

For some reason, I just wasn't motivated to eat here…..we were in Otaru and I wanted to finish up with some seafood.

The Missus got the Weisse and like the bottle I had previously, it had that banana thing going on. I read that in addition to the classic Weisse wort used for the product, it's also sticking to the traditional brewing method and tightly controlling the 4 VG level (4-vinyl guaiacol), hence the increased banana flavor (iso-amyl acetate) and less of the spicy clove that I'm used too. It's quite a pleasant beer, easy to drink, light, high carbonation, very nice overall.