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| Zzz in scary red light |
In the end, I had to contact the apartment holder for help and confess my booboo to RJ who was awake. Thank goodness she took it in stride, and set off to Saga-Arashiyama station to visit the Bamboo Forest and to have a boombastic lunch at Shoraian!
There was an option to take the scenic railway but we decided to skip it and walk over to the Bamboo Forest via Google Map.
Saw this decorated notice board for the area and just had to take this picture because it is sooo cuutteee. It really makes a difference when effort is put into beautifying / kawaii-fying the surroundings. I think Japan is really good at that!
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| So cute! |
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| On the way to Bamboo Forest |
And with cheeriness, we entered Bamboo Forest!! I wonder if it was because the sky was overcast that the forest was not as green as it seemed on various blogs and websites! It was still 'Waaaah' and felt tranquil. I could imagine people flying around the bamboo with their 'Qing Gong' HAHA.
By then, it was 2plus pm, and we had to make sure we were on time for our 3pm meal at Shoraian. Shoraian is a tofu restaurant. OK, sorry for making Shoraian sound normal, because it is NOT. So Kyoto is famous for tofu right? And Shoraian is highly rated for its tofu so we decided that Shoraian is a Must Eat. I did not do much research on the geography of Shoraian's surroundings, else I would have realised that it involved some stair climbing down a pebbled / stoned slope beyond this path below. You see that dark dark area? Yesp, that's the slope.
So I hurried down while RJ waited for me to confirm that it was indeed the right way. I eventually met a bunch of girls coming out of a very old-school looking place who confirmed that I was on the right route before I went back to get RJ. By then she was too bored up there, and had started making her way down with her sprained foot. That's her being shocked with her willingness to endanger herself for tofu. the slope looks like nothing, but that's just cos my skill in photography is shit.
Once we entered Shoraian, it was like we were transported to another place, a peaceful, zen and tranquil place where no one made noise above 30 db. The staff led us into the room where our table was, and there were two other ladies dining there. I thought one of them was meditating, until I realised that she was munching, with her eyes closed. So, RJ and I settled down quietly, and waited in great anticipation for our Shofu Set. YAY!
Appetiser - Cold Silky Tofu with a very sour pink pickled thing on top
Assorted Specialties Plate - loved them all, though I had to chew the mini squid really fast
Special Item - Layered Tofu Skin. It felt like eating the grandmother of all 'Fu Zhu' HAHA.
Kyo Ryori Seasonal Selection - the staff informed us that this dish was inspired by the design of the postcard below it. I accepted this dish with great pleasure because it was really nice to be served a beautiful dish with so much thought put into it.
Toyuba tempura - Sorry that I was a noob, I didnt realise I ate a Toyuba tempura. I called it a 'Fried Tofu Skin'
Tofu Gratin - It was yummy! Soft, creamy and not gelat. I'm not a cream fan but RJ is and she called this dish 'Heavenly'
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Happy Me |
This is the Yudofu - a super duper soft silky tofu that slides down your throat. The taste was very simple and for lack of better words - very high quality HAHA
Mini Wagyu Beef Steak - So. Good. I love you Mini Wagyu Beef Steak. I love RJ for giving me hers.
Agedashi Tofu, Rice, Pickles - The agedashi tofu was excellent, and the rice so good. Why!? Why does the rice taste so soft and fluffy and make my heart feel warm and nice?? I would have loved to finish it, but I really could not... thank goodness the staff said to me 'You do not have to finish it! As long as you are happy, we are happy!' Thank you for saying that to me because the food was going to come out of my nose.
Last but not least, a tofu ice cream with a super cute looking mochi on top. The tofu taste came out strong and I really liked the whole combination of the ice cream, sauce and mochi. XOXO.
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It was a great lunch at Shoraian and the highlight of the day. I experienced great hospitality, and each dish was presented beautifully. Yum for my eyes and yummy for my tummy. |
Knowing that RJ sprained her foot, the staff led us to a shortcut through the kitchen and back exit of the restaurant. On her advice, we walked along the river towards the train station.
We passed by several nice looking residences and hotels and had wanted to fool our friends into believing that our airbnb apartment looked like that. The attempt failed. HAHA.
We crossed the bridge while moving towards the Hankyu Arashiyama train station and I had to stop in the middle to capture a shot of this charming place. It was VERY COLD when I was attempting the shot. My fingers had almost no sensation in them.
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| Even the train platform looks niceeeeeeee |
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| Train Station, connector? |
Found it!!! It was raining and we were glad that it was a short wait to get into the restuarant! We both had wanted to try this Burnt Miso Ramen that seemed so darn gooooood. Lard is heated up and then ignited, BOOOOOMMSSSS!! The charred residue is then added to the bowl of ramen that RJ and I were going to demolish.
I ordered a sake and i was abit confounded when the staff placed the sake cup in a box and poured till it overflowed into the box. He only stopped pouring when the box was full. I was like... Oooooo?! And not wanting to appear like the noob I was, I smiled nicely, said thank you and started googling furiously. According to Google, it is not unheard of for restaurants to overflow your sake into a box called a masu. There are all kinds of explanations I found on the internet for this, but I appreciate the one that explains the overflow as an act of kindness and generosity by the restaurant, in allowing you to enjoy two sakes for the price of one!
And the star of the night!! The Burnt Miso Ramen that we ordered. ^_^
The taste was quite special, there was an earthy slightly bitter taste when I first tasted the soup, but there was no bitter aftertaste. In fact there was an addictive aftertaste which I can only describe as Umami!! !! RJ who is not a ramen fan didnt think it was anything special. I told her it's like a super duper wok hei-ed char kway teow and I think she understood. After the meal, we went off back to the apartment. Some train stations do not have elevators or escalators so poor RJ had to manage as best as she could...
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| Step by Step.... |
We purchased strawberries from the supermarket because we loved the ones from Kuromon Ichiba back in Osaka so much. So we ended off the day with a cupful of strawberries!
