Cooking
When I read about the food theme parks and museums of Japan I was determined to check them out on my next trip. In Tokyo I made a side trip out to a pretty goofy amusement park because it also was also the home of Gyoza Stadium and Ice Cream City. After having my fill at the first two stops, I had no room for trying anything at the Dessert Forest.
Ice Cream City is pretty much heaven for an ice cream lover. Although, it can be a bit frustrating in some ways because the number of choices are completely overwhelming. There are a series of rooms and kiosks, each featuring a different style of ice cream with lots of flavors to choose from. I spent the most of my time in a gallery called "Cup Ice Museum" where the wall-to-wall freezer cases were filed with individual cups of ice cream from all over Japan. Here I was completely frustrated with my lack of Japanese because I could only read a fraction of the labels. Dracula, deep sea water, Nikka whisky and Hokkaido salty ice cream were just a few of the intriguing labels I could read. I also saw labels with what looked like cheese, bell peppers, a chicken, chestnuts and melons.
All over Japan I found soft ice cream, sometimes called "soft cream" to be particularly popular. I enjoyed it because like so many Japanese sweets it wasn't very sweet and the flavors shined through. At the Soft Cream Bar, you couldn't get two flavors swirled together, but you could get four flavors in one dish. Heaven for the indecisive! I chose pumpkin, green tea, salty vanilla and custard which I think was really butterscotch. It was the first time in a long time that I could not finish my ice cream. The green tea was fabulous but my favorite was actually the salty vanilla. Please. Someone open up an Ice Cream City theme park near me. I promise I will go very often. I will even order four flavors again, really. I will.
- Eating In Japan
While I was away I posted about the food in Japan over at Epicurious. I will have some more posts soon, but in the meantime feel free to check out bits and bites: Eat Like Monk About yodofu and shojin ryori food in Kyoto Japanese Take on Chinese Food...
- Free Häagen-dazs Ice Cream Tomorrow!
When it comes to ice cream I can be pretty fussy. I like creamy versus chunky and I have a weakness for rich decadent flavors. So a few years ago when Häagen-Dazs introduced Dulce de Leche ice cream I was in heaven. I'd describe it as deliciously...
- In Search Of My Perfect Scoop...
I have ice cream on the brain. And it's not that headache you get from eating too much of the stuff, it's the feeling that everywhere I turn, there it is again. Symptoms include a combination of the publication of The Perfect Scoop by David...
- Favorite Things: Beard Papa Cream Puffs
They're here! Beard Papa opened up their first retail location in San Francisco today. For the uninitiated, Beard Papa specializes in cream puffs, but no ordinary cream puffs. These super-fresh, crunchy, creamy and not-too-sweet treats have taken...
- Beard Papa:shop
As an intrepid culinary adventurer, I am always pleasantly surprised to discover new gourmet specialty shops. While in New York last week, I stumbled on a most "Japanese" style pastry shop. I say this because the brand name makes no sense in English...
Cooking
Ice Cream City
When I read about the food theme parks and museums of Japan I was determined to check them out on my next trip. In Tokyo I made a side trip out to a pretty goofy amusement park because it also was also the home of Gyoza Stadium and Ice Cream City. After having my fill at the first two stops, I had no room for trying anything at the Dessert Forest.
Ice Cream City is pretty much heaven for an ice cream lover. Although, it can be a bit frustrating in some ways because the number of choices are completely overwhelming. There are a series of rooms and kiosks, each featuring a different style of ice cream with lots of flavors to choose from. I spent the most of my time in a gallery called "Cup Ice Museum" where the wall-to-wall freezer cases were filed with individual cups of ice cream from all over Japan. Here I was completely frustrated with my lack of Japanese because I could only read a fraction of the labels. Dracula, deep sea water, Nikka whisky and Hokkaido salty ice cream were just a few of the intriguing labels I could read. I also saw labels with what looked like cheese, bell peppers, a chicken, chestnuts and melons.
All over Japan I found soft ice cream, sometimes called "soft cream" to be particularly popular. I enjoyed it because like so many Japanese sweets it wasn't very sweet and the flavors shined through. At the Soft Cream Bar, you couldn't get two flavors swirled together, but you could get four flavors in one dish. Heaven for the indecisive! I chose pumpkin, green tea, salty vanilla and custard which I think was really butterscotch. It was the first time in a long time that I could not finish my ice cream. The green tea was fabulous but my favorite was actually the salty vanilla. Please. Someone open up an Ice Cream City theme park near me. I promise I will go very often. I will even order four flavors again, really. I will.
| READ MORE Over at Bay Area Bites is my post on Gyoza Stadium |
- Eating In Japan
While I was away I posted about the food in Japan over at Epicurious. I will have some more posts soon, but in the meantime feel free to check out bits and bites: Eat Like Monk About yodofu and shojin ryori food in Kyoto Japanese Take on Chinese Food...
- Free Häagen-dazs Ice Cream Tomorrow!
When it comes to ice cream I can be pretty fussy. I like creamy versus chunky and I have a weakness for rich decadent flavors. So a few years ago when Häagen-Dazs introduced Dulce de Leche ice cream I was in heaven. I'd describe it as deliciously...
- In Search Of My Perfect Scoop...
I have ice cream on the brain. And it's not that headache you get from eating too much of the stuff, it's the feeling that everywhere I turn, there it is again. Symptoms include a combination of the publication of The Perfect Scoop by David...
- Favorite Things: Beard Papa Cream Puffs
They're here! Beard Papa opened up their first retail location in San Francisco today. For the uninitiated, Beard Papa specializes in cream puffs, but no ordinary cream puffs. These super-fresh, crunchy, creamy and not-too-sweet treats have taken...
- Beard Papa:shop
As an intrepid culinary adventurer, I am always pleasantly surprised to discover new gourmet specialty shops. While in New York last week, I stumbled on a most "Japanese" style pastry shop. I say this because the brand name makes no sense in English...