Cafe Mountain (喫茶 マウンテン) in Nagoya, Aichi

Mountain is a quaint cafe in a rather suburban area of Nagoya, Aichi. They are famous for serving all manner of seemingly strange pasta like Strawberry, Melon, or Kiwi spaghetti, but they also have a large menu offering more traditional cafe fare. Of course, I came here to try something unique, so I opted for their Apple Spaghetti for 1000￥ ($9 USD) along with their Strong Coffee at 400￥.

My expectation: savory, sweet, and strange. What came before me was this beautiful pasta with bits of apple and pineapple, whipped cream, and a cherry on top, dusted with cinnamon. The first bite was puzzling, since it had an initial smell of sweetness coupled with a chewy pasta texture, followed by tart fruit flavor, and finished with a hint of saltiness. I didn’t know what to make of it, but after the successive bites, I was in love.

It tasted like an amazing apple cobbler with the sweet flavors of apple and cinnamon, as long as I could get over the weirdness of having dessert pasta. The creaminess from the whip only added layers of flavor.

As for the coffee, it was very, very strong as advertised. It was a bit thick and very black, with just the right tinge of acidity.

I definitely recommend the visit here if you’re open to trying something deliciously unique.

 

E.Y.’s American Restaurant / Hamburger Land (アメリカンレストラン イーワイズ) in Fukui City, Fukui

Every couple months I visit Fukui City, a few of my friends always want to visit E.Y.'s American Restaurant (ie. "Hamburger Land") in search of a good burger. They offer up a variety of burgers and toppings, fries, burger plates, and creamy shakes. Their decor, too, is distinctly American-diner-inspired, with red and white colors, American posters, and music playing in the background.

I'm sure many of my friends will disagree with me here, but unfortunately, I'm not a particular fan of their burgers. While I feel their price point is marginally justified given the freshness and overall quality, the flavor in the meat is sorely lacking. Without the right seasonings, at least even a shot of pepper and salt, the patties do not have the right kick a really good burger joint has. Maybe its also extra char on the grill or grease on the pans, but any burger restaurant I like (fast food exempted) have that little something extra in their beef that really sets it apart.

Even after several visits here, I still mostly feel the same way. With the right toppings like this pineapple, the flavor profile of the burger does get a bit better. Though if I were to be honest, I always have a good time when I come because the company makes it worthwhile.

However, that meat is still missing that special something… sigh.

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Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe (ファイナルファンタジー エオルゼアカフェ) in Osaka

I usually don’t go to themed cafes unless I’m really interested in the theme… the last one I went to was the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo a year and a half ago. The theme and whole setup was super kawaii and perfectly used a “Super Effective!” attack on my wallet. However, while the food was visually appealing, it was a bit average.

So when my friends invited me to the Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe, I was intrigued, but somewhat reserved. The food certainly wouldn’t match the slick theme, could it?

In collaboration with Pasela, a chain of restaurants, resorts, and karaoke rooms across Japan, I am surprisingly pleased to say the food and drinks were great!

Among the four of us, we covered a pretty impressive spread of menu items. I was recommended the Azim plate which had some soft, juicy slices of beef atop some amazingly flavorful rice… it is something that I would order again at any restaurant!

I also ordered the Heaven-on-High, an impressive tower of real, deep-fried onion rings and fried fish.

Advanced reservations are required at 1000￥ ($9 USD) which also includes one drink selection. I opted for their limited Caramel Tea. Everything we ordered also was quite good, but everyone raved about the Minfilia Almond drink which tastes like liquid almond pudding.

There are plenty of yummy themed desserts to satisfy any fan.

Of course, the whole theme and exclusivity meant that nothing else was “cheap,” but the experience is worth going for any Final Fantasy XIV fan!

★★★★★ · Cafe · Dotonbori, 1 Chome−4−27 なんば 道頓堀 店 4F パセラ リゾーツ

Steak and Hamburg (ステーキ宮 ステーキ&ハンバーグレストラン) in Tsuruga, Fukui

Steak Miya (aka Steak & Hamburg) is a chain of meat restaurants all over Japan. I never stopped by the Tsuruga, Fukui, shop before, despite passing by hundreds of times. So finally some friends and I decided to check it out to see how it compares to other meat restaurants like Ikinari! Steak or other regular family restaurants like Coco’s or Tomato & Onion.

The whole menu seems a bit pricey, but nonetheless, it’s the norm here in Japan. For example, here is 225g (8 oz) of hamburg steak and 75g (2.6 oz) of grilled steak that go for 1890￥ ($17 USD). Honestly, I was a bit worried because Ikinari is a bit cheaper than that…

But since they also offer a rather cool salad, soup, and drink bar (not alcohol), we thought we’d try it anyway. I ordered ? and the salad and soup bar for ?. The hamburg patty was pretty juicy and the steak was surprisingly succulent, soft, and delicious. Unfortunately, it was tiny. The soup and salad bar had a solid selection of options and everything was fresh. The killers were the sauce options… especially the gravy. We were all surprised at how legitimately tasty and rich it was!

I definitely had a nice meal with my friends there. If this was my only option in town, I’d come back, but unfortunately, there are other choices in Tsuruga that might be better worth the visit.

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Pizzeria Braceria CESARI!! (ピッツェリアブラチェリアチェザリ‼) in Nagoya, Aichi

I’ve been mocked for my reviews and writing style, but I’m just going to own it…

On our second food stop in Nagoya, we went to Pizzeria Braceria CESARI!, an Italian restaurant among a shopping street full of other foreign shops. I was surprised to see this was a Michelin Guide restaurant. My friends definitely made a good choice to come here.

Their lunch special, consisting of an appetizer, main, and dessert, was very reasonable at 1500¥ ($14 USD) although a few alternate options add a bit to the cost.

They first brought us some lovely, freshly baked bread.

My friends ordered the day’s Yellowtail Carpaccio salad and Chezari Oyster appetizers for themselves.

I opted for the Prosciutto Salad with 12-month cured ham and it was absolutely deliciously soft, salty, and divine.

It’s a good thing I liked it because I ordered the Prosciutto pizza for 650¥ more. My friends also decided on the Margherita and Chisato (4 cheese and honey) pizzas. From our cool little outdoor seating, we could see the kitchen staff preparing our hand-tossed pizzas, the delicious smell wafting out from the open door. The Margherita was the first to arrive and it was the “lightest” taste of the three. The other two arrived shortly after. All three pizzas were thin, flavorful, and quite reasonably sized.

After trying all three, I’d say the Margherita pizza was more the appetizer since it had a lighter flavor profile. My savory, salty, rich ham would be more of a main dish with the sweet and salty 4-cheese pizza more akin to a dessert.

I was glad I was hungry because I had to finish the leftovers. Oh, what a shame I had to consume the majority of all this deliciousness!

To top it off, we were offered a range of desserts. My friends ordered the mango and berry gelato and I opted for lemon dessert. Without a doubt, they were extremely delicious and a great finish to our plentiful meal.

I also want to note the extremely pleasant service we got from the staff, particularly our awesome waiter who did his best to speak English to us whenever possible. The whole experience really justifies their inclusion in the coveted Michelin Guide.

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Texas Hands (テキサスハンズ 敦賀店) in Tsuruga, Fukui

Texas Hands is a chain of pizza shops around the Hokuriku region of Japan, including Fukui, Ishikawa, and Toyama.

Let’s take a second to look at their store logo…

They offer a range of typical pepperoni pizzas to outlandish toppings like crab, squid, corn, fish egg (tarako)… well, those are pretty normal here in Japan.

Regardless of what you choose, the pizzas and toppings here are delicious… for Japan. They are definitely smaller and more expensive than what you’d typically get stateside in America. Their Large sizes, around 2000￥ ($18 USD), are more akin to a Medium in the U.S. The sauce and cheese also have a lighter profile, more suited for Japanese tastes than the heavy, greasier stuff at many chain pizza restaurants I’m very familiar with.

Do they sell pineapple toppings for their pizza? Not that I know of, so we brought some in! And if you don’t like pineapple on pizza, well…

Regardless, I often visit the Tsuruga, Fukui, location with my friends whenever I’m craving a taste from home.

I’ll neither confirm nor deny my hand is in this photograph…

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