Nestled among Oahu’s suburbia is the rainforest Manoa Falls.
You will experience many ecosystems in this arborous rainforest. It rained on and off throughout the 0.8 mile hike to the waterfall. Note: Bring an umbrella and wear appropriate clothes.
Despite the stairs, the incline is gradual and the hike is an easy one.
The trail does get muddy so wear appropriate shoes.
It took about 45 minutes to reach the 150 feet waterfall.
Maisen Tonkatsu, owned by the Suntory group, is an upscale dining version of tonkatsu. Is it worth it? Yes! Never had I had pork so tender and juicy that it reminded of filet mignon. The pigs they use comes from different regions of Japan and are raised with special conditions i.e. being fed a special diet of green tea or yams or raised for seven years. The menu goes into detail about each pig. Be sure to ask for an English menu to truly know what you are selecting.
Above on the left is the Chamiton fillet with curry. It was the only curry option they had. They probably frown upon dousing the rich meat in curry but I was really craving curry that day. The Chamiton pig is raised with a diet of green tea. I wanted to try their specialty Kurobuta black pig so I ordered a small fillet on the side. It is juicer and meatier than the Chamiton. They also offer a special apple flavored sauce for the Kurobuta. If you want their Kurobuta meal set, go early as they only sell five sets a day. The Chamiton was about 1950 yen while the Kurobuta was about 3950 yen.
Like all good things in Japan, Maisen is a chain and can be found all around Tokyo even in the food halls in the basements of department stores.
The location I went to was Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 4-8-5.
Served at Ippudo is the Akamaru Modern (pictured above). It has a tonkotsu pork broth with handmade thin noodles with a splash black garlic oil. It’s topped with three slices of pork, scallions, fungi, and bean sprouts.
The broth was intensely rich in flavor. The noodles were firm and the chasu was delicious!!!
They serve a strong barley tea to compliment the ramen. On the table are pickled bean sprouts, veggies, and ginger to snack on while waiting. They also have garlic and a garlic mincer at the table if you want your soup to be more garlicky.
Ippudo is a chain restaurant and can be found all over Japan. However, the stores are discreetly hidden and hard to recognize. Be on the lookout! You don’t want to miss out on their decadent broth.
Below is a map of Ippudos in Japan and New York.
Clinton St. Baking Company is my favorite NY brunch spot. When I discovered, they had branched out to Japan, I did a happy dance and ran straight to deliciousness.
Smoked salmon potato pancake– This was okay. The quality wasn’t what I expected maybe due to the difference in the potato? The salmon had a hint of fishy smell. I did enjoy the lemon creme fraiche.
Blueberry Pancakes- These were my favorite in NY, and they were as good as I remembered them to be. Light and fluffy with a dunk in the maple butter sauce. Happiness in one bite. A must try when going here.
The Tokyo location is located at:5-17-1, Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, (“kotto street”) Tokyo 107-0062. New York is the original location.
YUMTRAVELS 