Out and About in Tokyo
Tokyo is a fantastic place for any food lover. The city is swarming with a range of delicacies, ranging from sweets shops, charming little cafes, and bustling restaurants boasting food from all around the world. Being a food lover myself, I'll review various cafes, sweets shops, and restaurants around Tokyo so you'll know where to go on your next food outing!
Max Brenner Chocolate Bar in Hiroo
You’ve all seen the long queue of chocolate lovers lining the streets of Omotesando, waiting for their chance to experience the first Max Brenner Chocolater Bar in Tokyo. Luckily for the chocolate lovers not willing to make the trek to Omotesando, on December 13, Max Brenner opened a brand new chocolate bar five minutes from ISSH in Hiroo Plaza. Even better, there is no long queue; I only had to wait 2 minutes to be seated.
The shop is spacious and infused with the smells of roasting marshmallows and milky chocolate. As I walked in, I felt like I was entering some sort of chocolate heaven. The menu offers an array of fondues, chocolate chunk pizza, crepes, waffles, “choc-tails”, and hot drinks sure to please every type of chocolate lover. On my first visit, I chose to have a slice of their signature chocolate chunk pizza, which cost 420 yen. It might seem a little pricey, but this isn’t any ordinary chocolate pizza. The fluffy crust is first glazed with a layer of milk chocolate and then coated with white chocolate. Finally, roasted marshmallows are sprinkled all over the pizza. When I returned to Max Brenner for the second time, I had the “Banana Crepe Brulee”, which is a banana-filled crepe topped with a crunchy creme brulee outer layer. The dish comes with hot chocolate sauce, small crunchy chocolate balls, and ice cream to decorate your crepe with.
In addition to the food, Max Brenner’s hot chocolate drinks are the perfect cure for winter chilliness, charging 550 yen for a cup of decadent hot chocolate. The Hiroo Max Brenner also offers a Tutti Frutti Pizza (the signature chocolate pizza topped with fresh fruit and berries) not found at the Omotesando location. This item is only available for a limited time , so be sure to check it out soon! I promise you, the only problem you’ll have at Max Brenner is deciding what to order.
The shop is spacious and infused with the smells of roasting marshmallows and milky chocolate. As I walked in, I felt like I was entering some sort of chocolate heaven. The menu offers an array of fondues, chocolate chunk pizza, crepes, waffles, “choc-tails”, and hot drinks sure to please every type of chocolate lover. On my first visit, I chose to have a slice of their signature chocolate chunk pizza, which cost 420 yen. It might seem a little pricey, but this isn’t any ordinary chocolate pizza. The fluffy crust is first glazed with a layer of milk chocolate and then coated with white chocolate. Finally, roasted marshmallows are sprinkled all over the pizza. When I returned to Max Brenner for the second time, I had the “Banana Crepe Brulee”, which is a banana-filled crepe topped with a crunchy creme brulee outer layer. The dish comes with hot chocolate sauce, small crunchy chocolate balls, and ice cream to decorate your crepe with.
In addition to the food, Max Brenner’s hot chocolate drinks are the perfect cure for winter chilliness, charging 550 yen for a cup of decadent hot chocolate. The Hiroo Max Brenner also offers a Tutti Frutti Pizza (the signature chocolate pizza topped with fresh fruit and berries) not found at the Omotesando location. This item is only available for a limited time , so be sure to check it out soon! I promise you, the only problem you’ll have at Max Brenner is deciding what to order.
Magnolia Bakery in Omotesando
Open: Monday – Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Magnolia Bakery in New York City rose to fame when the shop was featured on an episode of “Sex and the City”. Lucky for us, Magnolia Bakery opened in Omotesando in June 2014. Located next to the Chanel shop on the classy Omotesando street, Magnolia Bakery is a prime location for queuing customers.
When I visited Magnolia Bakery, I was overwhelmed by the multitude of cupcakes. As you walk into the store, you can see the bakers whipping up their famous buttercream frosting (a secret recipe). Cupcake flavors range from the signature vanilla, to caramel, chocolate, peanut butter, s’mores, and lemon. Aside from cupcakes, Magnolia Bakery sells brownies, blondies, lemon bars, cookies, and full size cakes. They also sell a variety of hot drinks to enjoy with your baked treats. After struggling to choose a cupcake from the range of baked goodness that lay in front of me, I finally chose to purchase a caramel cupcake. At 480 yen, it was a little pricey, but it was definitely worth it. I now understand the hype behind the creamy frosting. Bella’s Cupcakes in Hiroo has nothing on Magnolia.
Magnolia Bakery in New York City rose to fame when the shop was featured on an episode of “Sex and the City”. Lucky for us, Magnolia Bakery opened in Omotesando in June 2014. Located next to the Chanel shop on the classy Omotesando street, Magnolia Bakery is a prime location for queuing customers.
When I visited Magnolia Bakery, I was overwhelmed by the multitude of cupcakes. As you walk into the store, you can see the bakers whipping up their famous buttercream frosting (a secret recipe). Cupcake flavors range from the signature vanilla, to caramel, chocolate, peanut butter, s’mores, and lemon. Aside from cupcakes, Magnolia Bakery sells brownies, blondies, lemon bars, cookies, and full size cakes. They also sell a variety of hot drinks to enjoy with your baked treats. After struggling to choose a cupcake from the range of baked goodness that lay in front of me, I finally chose to purchase a caramel cupcake. At 480 yen, it was a little pricey, but it was definitely worth it. I now understand the hype behind the creamy frosting. Bella’s Cupcakes in Hiroo has nothing on Magnolia.
Milk Cow Soft-cream in Hiroo
New shops are always popping up in the backstreets of Hiroo, so it’s important to keep your eye out for the latest sweets craze. The other day when I was walking around Hiroo, I discovered “Milk Cow”, a brand new soft serve ice cream shop located across the street from Homework’s. The cute little store boasts a variety of interesting soft serve ice cream flavors. Milk Cow’s speciality is its honeycomb ice cream which is made of 90% organic milk and glazed with honey. Other flavors include Cookies & Cream, Sweet Red Bean, Green Light (mint syrup and almond), and Golden Angel (white chocolate syrup and white chocolate).
The price of a cup of Milk Cow ice cream varies depending on if its “organic” or “regular.” Organic ice cream is made from organic dairy products which keep the harmful antibiotics, hormones, and chemicals given to non-organic cows out of your system. Although the ice cream is a bit pricey for its small portion (490 yen for the regular option), it was extremely delicious. I ordered the Cookies and Cream soft cream, which was a perfect consistency, and was not too milky or sweet. The toppings balanced the sweetness and added a nice crunch to the ice cream. My sister ordered Milk Cow’s signature honeycomb ice cream, which looked phenomenal. I’m looking forward to going back to Milk Cow and trying out all their unique flavors.
The price of a cup of Milk Cow ice cream varies depending on if its “organic” or “regular.” Organic ice cream is made from organic dairy products which keep the harmful antibiotics, hormones, and chemicals given to non-organic cows out of your system. Although the ice cream is a bit pricey for its small portion (490 yen for the regular option), it was extremely delicious. I ordered the Cookies and Cream soft cream, which was a perfect consistency, and was not too milky or sweet. The toppings balanced the sweetness and added a nice crunch to the ice cream. My sister ordered Milk Cow’s signature honeycomb ice cream, which looked phenomenal. I’m looking forward to going back to Milk Cow and trying out all their unique flavors.
Little Pie Factory in Hiroo
On 7 November, the “Little Pie Factory” opened up across the street from National Azabu Supermarket in Hiroo. Although you can easily find pies in the various bakeries located throughout Tokyo, there aren’t many shops that specialize specifically in pies. On its opening day, the store was surrounded by a line of people waiting to taste the hand-sized pies. I was hoping to buy one on my way home from school, but by 3pm, the pies were sold out.
This only fueled my excitement. The Little Pie Factory sells a wide variety of pies including chocolate, apple, meat, blueberry, and banana. Each pie costs around 380-480 yen, and is small enough for one person to finish. Customers have the option of taking out the pies or eating them in the store. I was pleasantly surprised the other day when my mom came home with a bag of pies from the Little Pie Factory. However, I am unhappy to report that the chocolate pie tasted bland and lacked sweetness. The crust was not nearly crisp enough and tasted soggy, even though I heated the pie up in the toaster. My sister tried the blueberry pie and also said that the pie tasted bland, and was missing the delicious crunch that usually accompanies pie crusts. We were both very disappointed.
Instead of going to the Little Pie Factory, you should go to the Burdigala–the French bakery across the street. Their chocolate croissants never disappoint.
This only fueled my excitement. The Little Pie Factory sells a wide variety of pies including chocolate, apple, meat, blueberry, and banana. Each pie costs around 380-480 yen, and is small enough for one person to finish. Customers have the option of taking out the pies or eating them in the store. I was pleasantly surprised the other day when my mom came home with a bag of pies from the Little Pie Factory. However, I am unhappy to report that the chocolate pie tasted bland and lacked sweetness. The crust was not nearly crisp enough and tasted soggy, even though I heated the pie up in the toaster. My sister tried the blueberry pie and also said that the pie tasted bland, and was missing the delicious crunch that usually accompanies pie crusts. We were both very disappointed.
Instead of going to the Little Pie Factory, you should go to the Burdigala–the French bakery across the street. Their chocolate croissants never disappoint.