Category: Food

Posted in Feelings, Food, Japanese Food, Movie, Place, Tokyo

Japanese Movie Saturday

Posted on by sonokotchi

I watched a Japanese movie, Inori no Maku ga Oriru Toki (When Lower the Curtain of Prayer) at Toho Roppongi.

This movie is the last case of TV series, Shinzanmono (New Comer).

It’s a dramatic detective movie with great sadness, very touching story.

After the movie, I had nice okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pizza or pancake) for early dinner.

This okonomiyaki is sauce flavor with buta (pork), kyabetsu (cabbage), negi (leeks) and tamago (egg).

It might look the same; however, this okonomiyaki is called negiyaki: soy sauce flavor with a lots of negi, buta and tamago.

I opened Japanese design Coca-Cola for late dessert.

Posted in Feelings, Food, Friends, Japanese Food, Restaurants

Opening Goodies

Posted on by sonokotchi

I had a nice lunch at the Manhattan Fish Market, Shibuya today.

I had grilled mayonnaise shrimp, fried fish, French fries, rice and brownie.

I also had bites of fried chicken and mud pie. Yammy

Somehow, I’m lucky these days.

I received many goodies yesterday and today.

These are from different countries.

Lovely Japanese confectionery

Japanese traditional rice topping and seasoning.

Pineapple cakes from Taiwan

Water bottle from Malaysia.

These two days were early Valentine for me.

Thank you my friends for your thoughts!

Posted in Cooking, Feelings, Japanese Food

Cooking @ Home

Posted on by sonokotchi

I love to dine out with friends; but I cannot dine at a restaurant alone.

When I’m lazy to cook, I buy take out dinner.

Well, it’s not healthy and some are not welcomed such as rice or other carbohydrates.

Nowadays I cook at home.

Unfortunately, most of time, dishes that I cook are not photogenic enough to be posted and these are not my own recipe; I search from internet, mostly from COOKPAD.

I cooked Oyakodon (Family Rice Bowl: Chicken, Egg and Rice) tonight.

I made a minor modification by using chicken tenderloin and with brown rice.

I try to make it healthier.

2.8 million recipes are introduced at COOKPAD.

Posted in Exercise, Feelings, Food, Health, Japan Technology, Japanese Food, Shopping

My New Customs

Posted on by sonokotchi

About a month ago, I consulted how to lose weight with my physical therapist.

He advised me to cycle for 20 minutes 2 – 3 times in a week.

Before exercising or starting a day/waking up, I was advised to take amino acid to recover from muscle fatigue quickly or prevent from any muscle fatigue.

I searched for the product and started taking Ajinomoto’s Amino Vital Pro which contains 3600 mg of amino acid.

I regularly take one sachet in the morning and before exercise; sometimes even in the evening because I can take as many as three sachets in a day.

It is recommended to take amino acid because our body cannot produce it; we need to obtain it from food.

After exercise, I was advised to take a lot of protein.

The quickest way to obtain protein is by drinking a protein drink.

Again, I searched for it; then start taking Meiji’s SAVAS Whey Protein 100.

This is my first protein to try and image of protein wasn’t good then.

I picked Meiji brand because Meiji is a major confectionery manufacturer in Japan and good in making chocolates.

This SAVAS Whey Protein 100 is a chocolate flavor.

When I start going to gym regularly for 20 mins bicycle ride, I became very hungry, and I mean, VERY hungry.

I was scared about my huge appetite which I couldn’t control at that time.

Well, I found out about a week later that I need to make a protein drink with three scopes of protein powder.

Since a scope is big, I thought it requires only one scope to make a protein drink.

Actually, I was making a watery protein drink then.

Now I don’t mind to replace my breakfast with a protein drink and I am fine with it.

Today, I finished my first pack of protein.

There are some days that I had a difficulty to control the appetite, but now I’m doing better.

I bought a new package: Meiji’s SAVAS Soy Protein with a yogurt flavor.

According to the package, it states “Weight Down” and “for Losing Weight”.

It also contains Garcinia, a popular weight-loss supplement.

It supposed to help me controlling my appetite and prevent from making fat – sound absolutely great!

I hope I would experience these effects.

Posted in Exercise, Family, Feelings, Food, Japanese Culture, Restaurants, Shop, Shopping, Tokyo

Furniture Hunting with Mom

Posted on by sonokotchi

My parents plan to move to a new condo.

Mom is looking for new furniture and so as I.

We plan to go for furniture hunting today; that’s why Mom spent night at my place last night.

I excused myself to go to gym and quickly got ready to go out.

Of course, before we go for a good exercise, we went to get a nice brunch at my favorite Italian Restaurant: Il Ritrovo, Roppongi Hills.

This restaurant is famous for pizza.

The chef won the pizza contest in Italy.

Food is delicious; price is reasonable; staffs are nice.

I highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for an Italian.

We took enough fuel, then went to IDC Otsuka (International Design Center Otsuka) Ariake Show Room, Ariake, Tokyo.

Otsuka Kagu Ltd. is the first furniture retailer implementing direct import of furniture from overseas.

Yes, this company had an issue with furniture industrial people by breaking the Japanese tradition of multi-layered distribution system in Japan.

This is my favorite furniture store because I can find about 50,000 items in 75,000 sqm.

I can compare many styles, concepts and brands at once.

Yes, it is a good exercise because I walk back and forth to compare furniture.

Yes, this shop ables to see the actual products.

Mom found a dining table and chair set and lace.

I’m considering a bed and light.

We plan to visit few more shops.

I love furniture hunting!

Posted in Beauty, Cooking, Daily Life, Exercise, Family, Feelings, Food, Travel

Healthy Saturday

Posted on by sonokotchi

I woke up and went to gym for cycling.

Recently, I added a new routine: taking a bath after morning exercise.

It’s refreshing.

Then cooked a healthy brunch.

After brunch, I went to hair salon.

I had good time chatting with my favorite beautician: she is funny, sweet and good (skillful).

After finishing my hair, time to go for body therapy.

I asked for an advice how to further improve my health.

He encourages me to continue going to gym for cycling (warming up).

I don’t need to work out hard because objectives are enhancing blood circulation and increasing metabolism.

Instead of increasing volume of exercise, he advises me to control my appetite.

Yes, I love to eat and drink…this is my weakness.

It’s dinner time; I cooked simple dinner.

Then Mom who was in town today arrived my apartment.

We had Gluhwein (I made it with Gluhwein bouquet (spice bouquet)) together with a Gluhwein cup that I bought in Germany when we visited Christmas Markets in 2006.

Cheers!

Posted in Family, Feelings, Food, Restaurants, Tokyo

Family Dinner @ Aux Six Arbres, Roppongi

Posted on by sonokotchi

I’ve been looking for a French restaurant that my Dad wants to dine.

I had difficulty to locate it because he gave me the wrong area to look for…tonight, we locate it and went to Aux Six Arbres.

I’ve dined here before so I knew this restaurant, but I didn’t think this is the restaurant that he was looking for because he gave me the wrong area.

He dined here 20 years ago.

He followed his superior at that time so he couldn’t remember the location.

Well, it’s sweet of Dad that he thought of taking us (Mom and I) here.

All of us enjoyed nice French.

Desserts, we could select from these.

These all look nice, how could I resist them?

Therefore, I asked for a small piece for all together with a cup of Espresso!

There are more…we all brought them back.

Restaurant is cozy and food is nice so we smiled through out the dinner.

I think this restaurant becomes our family restaurant tonight♪

Posted in Cooking, Feelings, Japanese Culture, Japanese Food

Cooking Rice in a Pot

Posted on by sonokotchi

I cook rice and brown rice in a pot.

Cooking rice in a pot is very easy.

This time, I cook brown rice.

I wash two cups of brown rice and add 120% of rice of water.

First, cook with strong fire to bring it up to boiling, then lower the fire to the lowest to cook till all water is absorbed.

Add 120% of rice of water again; then cook brown rice the same way again.

Cook with strong fire till boiling; then lower the fire to the lowest to cook till all water is absorbed.

Turn on the fire to maximum for 10 seconds; then turn off the fire to steam it for 10 mins.

I cannot eat all at once so I quickly pack them individually to make a ready-to-eat instant rice pack.

You need to pack immediately after finishing steaming it for 10 mins.

If you leave it long, rice won’t be moist enough when you heat it up by microwave.

Now these are ready to be frozen.

I can easily heat it up by microwave to enjoy steaming brown rice anytime.

Posted in Beauty, Feelings, Food, Health, Japan Technology

Re Fa Collagen Enrich Drink

Posted on by sonokotchi

MTC supplies beauty products such as famous Re Fa Carat (face roller massage equipment).

Today, I try Re Fa Collagen Enrich drink.

This product is rich in Collagen which contains 160,000 mg in a bottle of 480 ml.

I need to take 15 ml per day.

This product is co-developed with Fuji Film.

Fuji Film used to be a major producer of films; however, the market for film has shrunk drastically due to shifting digitization.

To diversified their business activities, Fuji Film entered in beauty industry by developing cosmetics and health supplements utilizing their technologies which was developed for films.

ASTALIFT is Fuji Film’s cosmetic series that you might see in the market.

I look forward to seeing improvement on my beauty or health by taking Re Fa Collagen Enrich Drink.