MIki's Birthday!!

We went to have eel for lunch.

Eel on my birthday??!

I know.

It's Nick's favorite, not mine.

But I always wanted to go back to the eel restaurant "Kaneyo", and it was a good opportunity for me.

Of course, Nick wasn't against the idea at all!!!





This is "Kinshi Don".

Kinshi is Egg, Don means one bowl.



Look at the size of the Kinshi!!



When I was at Kaneyo last time (quite a long time ago), it was only for Nick. But when I had this, I didn't hate it and I could eat 1/3. If I wasn't full, I could have eaten more I thought.



So I wanted to try it again!!


Nick had a Big eel Don, after having a trouble deciding between Kinshi Don and Big eel Don.
It was settled with a deal in which I gave my half egg!



He looked very happy, and even happier when I asked him to eat my leftovers...

Yes, I couldn't finish mine, even starting with a half egg...



But I was happy!

And I promised myself that....

I Will Be Baaaaaaaaaaccccccck!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quite some progress, isn't it?

Kaneyo is 100 years old, and has 100-year-old eel sauce.

The eel sauce is the key for an eel restaurant, Kaneyo keeps adding to the same sauce day after day, year after year, and there is a very famous story about them, which is that, before the war, when a fire broke out, the owner took the pot of sauce and ran.

Oh, G...............!!

(That's how they have kept the sauce for 100 years.. Don't you think it's a bit yukky?!...)

Went for a full-stomach-easing walk and found this Budda on Shinkyougoku street, which I don't remember seeing before.

Deep Kyoto.........

Back to Mariage Freres!

This time, I had my favourite, Earl Grey French Blue.

Nick tried a new flavor of tea, Maharaja. It left a tiny bit of the scent of Vanila when you swallowed it, and even for me who is usually not a big fan of Vanila flavor, it was refleshing and summer-like. And above all, there was something very nostalgic about the taste...

I tried really hard to figure out what it was, but I couldn't tell why I felt that.

Well, that's what being nostalgic is all about, isn't it?!

I didn't want to have a big cake, so ordered petit gateaux.

Scone with raisin and muffin with baked coconut flakes on top.

Scones in Japan are nothing special,
And not in Mariage freres either...

But the set was served with 2 different kinds of tea jam, and they made everything tastier!!

One is Tea "Eros", the other is....... something or other.

The shop sells many kinds of tea jam and I been wondering about the taste for a while, but it cost a fortune.

So it was worth ordering the petit gateaux set!

From Shijo bridge.

Don't know why, but this year, for the first time, Kyoto is all of a sudden holding Tanabata festival, which supposed to be on the July 7th, right now.

WHY??

Not too hot, and a much better day.

This is from Shijo bridge too, but looking south.

Decorative Japanese sweets.

They show Daimonji fire festival, which coming this week.

It is said that when Daimonji comes, summer ends in Kyoto.

At Hamamura for dinner.

Nick reserved the very expensive restaurant "OLD Hong Kong", but I didn't feel like spending big money .

So I suggested Hamamura.

Because I had always thought I wanted to order many things at once there and eat little bit of everything, and this was a chance to do it.

We had,,,

Simple Ramen,

Spring roll of shrimp and bamboo shoot,

Deep fried noodle with vegetable,

Wang Tang,

Chicken with sour sweet sauce and long onion,

Steamed rice.

And desert.

Today's highlight, "Annin Tofu"!

It's made from apricot, and this one was sooooooo tasty with apricot liqueur syrup!

The restaurant's owner said he made it.

The way I look at him totally changed before and after!

RESPECT!!! (Ali-G)

Anyway, my dream came true!!

I had everything I wanted to eat there, and it cost 4550en, only!!!

Less than a quarter of what Nick had planned to spend...

Big smile...