Want Some Tea & Creme Brule With Your Lotion? Try L'Occitane Cafe In Shibuya

As I mentioned in the prevoius blog about ramen, I was in Shibuya a few weeks ago with some friends who were visiting.  My friend Ryan had printed out some travel information, including a list of things that one should check out while in Shibuya.  One of the things on the list was the L'Occitane Cafe. Perhaps you're thinking that L'Occitane is a store that sells body/skin care products and that you've never heard of L'Occitane having a restaurant or serving food?  Well, that's because the L'Occitane Cafe in Shibuya is their only cafe worldwide.  According to the travel guide's description, it's known for its convenient, spacious and relaxing atmosphere and for its "safe" dishes which are made with organic ingredients.  After walking around Shibuya, we had worked back up an appetite (well to be honest, even if I'm full, I can usually always make room for dessert) so we decided to see what all the hype was about.

L'Occitane Cafe occupies the 2nd and 3rd floors directly above the L'Occitane Store which is located at the famed Shibuya Crossing (across from the equally famous Starbucks).  It was definitely a little weird walking through a shop with skincare/beauty products in order to get to a cafe, but whatever, I went with it.  In order to access the stairs to the Cafe, you have to walk through the shop - but now that I'm thinking about it, perhaps that was intentional to get you to stop and look at their products, in which case it's brilliant (and in fact, as we were leaving, someone in our group ended up buying stuff from the shop). 

I will say, the atmosphere really was relaxing and quite spacious (well, for as far as Tokyo establishments go anyway), and it had a great view of the crossing. We had no trouble getting a table (and actually, the entire 3rd floor was empty) but this probably had something to do with the fact that it was during the week and not at a peak eating time. I was under the impression that they only served desserts, but they also serve breakfast (mostly sandwich type things) and lunch.  People at tables around us had ordered real food and everything I saw looked really good.  But we were there for dessert so I didn't bother to look at the food menu too carefully.  Now, the drink/dessert menu was a different story....

The special of the month was creme brule with fruits and ice cream (strawberry) and from the picture it looked delicious, so I knew that's what I was having.  Since I was already having an actual dessert, I decided to go with tea as my drink rather than one of the dessert drinks. No matter though, Ryan ordered the cocounut drink so I got to taste it.  I wouldn't go out of my way to order something coconut, but I have to say, that drink/dessert was really good.  It had coconut ice cream, ice and milk tea, and the combination was delicious (it got better as the ice melted into smaller chunks).  The creme brule was perfect and exactly how I like it; the presentation was impeccable and looked exactly as it did in the picture, which is something I have become accustomed to here in Japan (I'll probably be in for a rude awakening when we move).  I certainly wasn't blown away by this Cafe, but if you're in the area it's a cool spot to chill, grab some dessert and watch all the craziness down below at the crossing.

Adventures in Ramen: Ichiran Ramen in Shibuya

Ramen eating is serious business here in Japan.  It is one of Japan's most well known and popular foods - perhaps even more so than sushi. I love them both, so living in Japan is a dream for me. Before I moved here, one of my besties and I would eat dinner at Goma Tei in Honolulu every chance we got.  I realize now that I was fairly ignorant about ramen and the fact that there are so many different types and different aspects to it.  I'm still no expert, but I feel like I know a little more than I did before.  For example, the different regions in Japan have their own unique ramen style based on the type of soup/broth used (e.g., miso, shoyu, shio).  There's even a whole museum dedicated to ramen in Yokohama, but that's a post for another day (if you're interested, here's the website: Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. There are a few things about ramen consumption in Japan that are common to most places: (1) you order by machine: (2) ramen restaurants are generally not meant for socializing; (3) it is perfectly acceptable to slurp your ramen (sometimes it seems like the louder the better). 

I met some friends visiting in Tokyo earlier in the week and the first thing on their list of things they wanted to do was check out Shibuya.  None of us had eaten as of yet so that was our priority upon getting to Shibuya.  Someone found Ichiran Ramen on Tripadvisor and since it had good ratings, we headed there.  However, we almost had a totally different experience because initially we walked into the wrong place (both places had "ichi" in the name) but after looking at the menu above the vending machine, we were pretty sure we were in the wrong spot - this place was very fast foody looking and served what appeared to be more donburi type dishes.  So, after all 5 of us turned around and walked out, I saw another sign with "ichi" in the name and promptly led us down the stairs (I should've known it was downstairs - underground restaurants usually end up being the best ones).

As I mentioned, ordering at ramen establishments takes place by way of a vending machine. Basically you select and pay for all the things you want - i.e., your ramen, extra condiments for your ramen, gyoza perhaps, a drink if they offer them.  Some places will have their menu items listed in Japanese AND English AND/OR will at least have a picture of the item (if not, then you pretty much just guess and hope for the best).  Once you put the correct amount of Yen in the machine, it spits out a ticket which you present when you sit down.  When I first looked at the choices on the machine, I was a little skeptical because there was only one option for ramen (usually, there are at least 2-3 different options), so I wasn't really sure what I was going to get.  As I waited for the rest of the group to finish ordering, I took a peek around the corner to look at the seating area.  What I saw was a row of cubicle looking seating - I had heard about ramen establishments like this where you don't talk to anyone and it's really all about just eating your ramen.  This was clearly a serious ramen joint, so I was excited.

Everything you would need to enjoy this meal is right there in your cubicle area - water dispenser, a pen to complete the customization form and a buzzer to let them know you need something or when you are finished.  As soon as I sat down, I was instructed by the guy on the other side of the counter to complete the form so they could prepare my ramen according to how I wanted it.  The form was pretty intense (thankfully it was in English); it was almost like taking a test except there were really no wrong answers.  Ichiran allows you to customize your ramen based on the following  (1) flavor strength; (2) richness (fat content); (3) amount of garlic; (4) amount of green onions; (5) whether I wanted roast pork in it; (6) how spicy I wanted it; and (7) how hard/soft I wanted the noodles.  Also, I had the option of whether I wanted to add egg,  mushrooms and a variety of other condiments.  After I completed the form, the bamboo shade was dropped to ensure maximum privacy - like I said, this was a serious ramen joint.

As per usual, it only took 10 minutes before my steaming bowl of ramen was put in front of my face. Although we were talking to each other up to this point (and not really abiding by the "don't talk" policy), once our food came, you could hear crickets. So how was it?  I thought it was really yummy and I loved the fact that you could customize the ramen to your specifically tastes (and now I know why there was only one option on the vending machine), BUT I prefer my ramen to have a bigger/thicker piece of pork in it.  Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to ramen and in fact some people that I know (I'm not going to name names ) are very adamant about which restaurant/establishment has the best ramen.  Anyway, back to what I was saying, people have their own preferences based generally on one or more of these : (1) broth; (2) noodles; and (3) meat. Some people may not think the meat is an important part, but I am not one of them. While Ichiran was definitely a winner, unless I happen to be in Tokyo, I'll stick with my hubby's fave down here in Kamakura (we don't know the name because we can't read the kanji).

Ichiro And The Seattle Mariners Come To Tokyo

Baseball is huge in Japan...I mean HUGE.  Sometimes when I'm watching Japanese cable, baseball games are on like 5 channels (and there aren't even that many baseball teams here).  I definitely wouldn't call myself a baseball fan (unlike my hubby who has the Boston B tattooed on his leg), but I've been known to go to a game or two when I lived in Seattle and The Bay Area because in my opinion, baseball is a sport better watched live.  So when Rich asked if I wanted to go to the Mariners/A's game (which also happened to be MLB Opening Day for the 2012 season) at the Tokyo Dome with some friends, I said I was in!

We left Yokosuka around 4:00 in the afternoon and really lucked out with all of our train rides by getting seats (seriously, getting a seat on a train between here and Tokyo is a really big thing for me since it can really change the whole mood of the trip for me).  We arrived in the Tokyo Dome vicinity about an hour and a half before the game and instead of going right in, we decided to grub at Bubba Gump's.  The food was good and my shrimpin dippin broth hit the spot, but eating at U.S. chains here can be very pricey.  So, a lot of shrimp and A LOT less money later, we headed for the Tokyo Dome.

I had been to the Tokyo Dome before (for the Orchid Festival), so I knew that it was nice a place.  Personally, I am a fan of any indoor arena, particularly in the winter or summer.  I am not so sure whether I will be accompanying Rich to baseball games in Yokohama, especially during the summer (the stadium is outdoors and I've heard the seats are really small).  Tokyo Dome was Japan's first indoor stadium and is home to the Yomiuri Giants baseball team.  It is part of Tokyo Dome City which I discussed in a bit more detail in a previous blog post, Orchids, Orchids and More Orchids.

We got to our seats right before the game started, so we missed the opening/pre-game ceremony which was somewhat special because it featured the U.S. Army band and a video tribute to three heroes of the March 11 tragedy.  This was also a special game for the Japanese because their own Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners was coming home (I'll come back to this issue in a bit).  Once we were seated, I was able to take everything in.  Thanks to our friend Andy who got the tickets for us, our seats were amazing - I think that was the closest I've ever been at any sporting event (I even saw myself on the big screen).  Getting tickets to big sporting events like this in Japan can be a somewhat painful experience for foreigners, but luckily we have friends that speak/read Japanese.  For this game, Andy had to go to the convenience store and enter some sort of a lottery to get tickets (max was 4 tickets). 

As the game began, the beer girls entered the arena from various locations.  You can always see them from wherever you are in the arena, because most of them wear fluorescent colored uniforms.  As one girl passed me (I was sitting on the aisle), I asked Rich if he thought I could be a beer girl - his response to me was "I'm not really sure, that keg looks really heavy; didn't you see her sweating?"  Anyway, all in all it was a great time (very different from sporting events in the U.S.) - everything was just so much orderly than I was used to and the fans are so respectful.  I think that if Ichiro weren't there, there would've been a lot less cheering (at some points you would think you were at the symphony rather than a baseball game cause it was so quiet). I also couldn't believe it when I didn't have to wait in line to go to the bathroom OR to get something from the concession stand.

The game itself was overall not that exciting (although apparently it got good after we left), but each and every time Ichiro was at bat, a billion flashes went off and as the night went on (and the beer girls came around more), the cheering got louder. I know that there has been some criticism about having Opening Day in Tokyo (for a variety of reasons) but I thought it was awesome.  I could be saying that just because I live in Japan now, but I also thought it was really great for the Japanese people to be able to see Ichiro play at home (he's seriously like a god here).  I don't know if this is how all games are in Japan, but no one left early.  It was tied at the bottom of the 9th and we still had a long train ride home, so Rich and I took off and it was a good decision on our part because getting home was a breeze.  Getting home at midnight and having to wake up early the next morning for work, not so much fun - for Rich that is (not me since I'm still playing the part of housewife), but in the end it was worth it. :)

Out And About In Roppongi

Every big city has an area (or areas) that's known for it's nightlife - in Honolulu it's Waikiki, in San Francisco it's North Beach (or SoMA or the Marina or...), and in Tokyo, it's Roppongi.  Everyone that lives in or near Tokyo has heard of Roppongi and it's repuation for being a somewhat risque area.  Roppongi is interesting because it is home to several foreign embassies, the swanky Roppongi Hills "city" and a ton of nightclubs and bars. With respect to the nightlife aspect, Wikipedia describes it this way: "'[t]he area features numerous bars, night clubs, strip clubs, restaurants, hostess clubs, cabarets, and other forms of entertainment.  Among the expatriate community, the area tends to be favored by business people, students, and off-duty US military personnel" (so basically what you're saying Wikipedia, is that you'll always find a lot of foreigners in this area). 

This Wikipedia image is from the user Chris 73 and is freely available
at //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roppongi_Area_from_Tokyo_Tower.jpg
under the creative commons cc-by-sa 3.0 license.

After living in Japan for seven months, I can FINALLY say I've been to Roppongi...well, sort of.  Since I live about a 70 minute train ride away from Tokyo, anytime I go out at night I have to be mindful of the train schedule and make sure I don't miss the last train(s) back to Yokosuka, including the transfers I have to make.  The alternatives to this are to either get a hotel room OR stay out all night and catch the first train in the morning, which is at around 5:00 a.m. (apparently this second option is a really common thing to do).  I've heard that people who who miss the last train will hang out at an all night internet cafe until the first train (and by hang out I mean pay for internet time and take a nap at the computer).  Well on this outing, I didn't have a hotel room and since I actually had to be awake at a decent hour the next day, I already knew it was going to be an early night for me.

Two of my friends that grew up in Tokyo were in town for the weekend for a bachelorette/birthday party, and the plan was for me to meet up with them at Zara in Roppongi Hills.  Since I was going without Rich, I was a little nervous about the whole train situation but I managed to make it to Roppongi with plenty of time to spare.  Everytime I visit a new area in Tokyo, I always feel like a kid in a candy shop.  My arrival in Roppongi was particularly memorable - after taking what seemed like five different escalators up, I finally emerged from the underground subway to bright lights, tall buildings and tons of people out and about (heading to who knows where).  I didn't really know where I was or what direction I was supposed to head in, so as discreetly as possible, I pulled out my iphone, clicked on the map and walked a little bit to see where I was on the map (I have no idea how people got around before iphones and gps).  I ended up getting to Roppongi Hills early because I had given myself lots of time just in case I missed a connecting train (which luckily I didn't), so I decided to walk around Roppongi Hills to kill some time.  It is literally a city within a city, and it has it all- offices, theater, apartments, restaurants, a shopping center, an art museum, the Grand Hyatt Tokyo.  As I made my way back to Zara, I made a mental note that I must come back soon and fully explore it. 

From Zara we headed to our dinner destination, which was a lounge/restaurant/bar called Console. It was a quaint little spot with a loungey vibe.  There was one actual table that I saw in the place, but otherwise it was all couches and comfy chairs.  They seated us in a room off to the side that could be closed off from the rest of the space if need be but which still allowed you to see what was going on in the other areas.  It worked out well because there was no one else in the entire place while we were there and the area that we had was conducive to an intimate gathering (in this case, old friends catching up).  Our reservation included a set menu and all you can drink for 2 hours (for 5000 Yen).  The food was good (or I could've just been really hungry); we had a cru de te followed by a salad, french fries, and then pasta.  Dessert was a birthday cake, and rather than cut it up and serve on plates, we ended up just digging into the whole cake with our forks and passing it around to each other (not very classy, but it definitely made it more fun).  Overall I think everyone liked the place except for the fact that they didn't have ketchup, tobasco or crown royal (which is what the bachelorette/birthday girl wanted to drink).

As it got later and later, I kept my eye on the time and eventually I said goodnight to the girls (who were off to do the real celebrating), giving me lots of time to find my way back to the train station.  The train was totally packed from Tokyo all the way to Yokosuka (anyone who knows Japanese trains at rush hour knows that packed really means packed), but luckily I had gotten on at the very first stop and was able to get a seat.  Funny that in addition to before work and after work during the week, midnight on the weekends is also considered rush hour on the Tokyo trains!  All in all it was a great time - I successfully made it to/from Tokyo at night by myself, I got to see a new part of Tokyo, I got to try a new restaurant, AND I got to see old friends and meet new ones.

Orchids, Orchids and More Orchids

A few weeks ago my friend messaged me and asked if I liked orchids and was interested in going to the orchid festival in Tokyo.  I pondered the first question for a few moments - do I like orchids?  I definitely enjoy flowers but I never really thought of myself as an orchid lover (or of any other flower for that matter), but I suppose that of all the flowers out there, orchids would probably be one of my favorites since it was by far the dominant flower at my wedding (see pictures to the right - hey, any chance I get to reminisce about that day, I'm taking it).  In any case, I am always up for new things and I love going to Tokyo, so I said I would go.  It was supposed to be a group of guys and girls on this outing, but the night before when we were all at dinner, the guys found out that Rich and his friends were going to UFC 144 at the Saitama Super Arena the next day and promptly informed us they were ditching the orchid festival for UFC (guess I can't really blame them). To our delight, it ended up being a girls' day out.

We arrived at Tokyo Dome City around 11:00 a.m. and since none of us had really eaten, we decided to eat before taking on the Orchid Festival.  Tokyo Dome City has it all - Tokyo Dome (home of the Tokyo Giants), an amusement park, a hotel (Tokyo Dome Hotel), a skate arena, a bowling center, a shopping mall, restaurants and the LaQua natural hot spring complex.  We walked around LaQua to check out our dining options - we considered eating at Bubba Gump, but once we saw The City Buffet and the sample selections in the plastic case, we were sold (it was also the best choice price-wise).  The buffet had a salad bar, Chinese and Japanese dishes, pizza (Japanese style), and an ice cream bar. By the time we were done, we were stuffed and sleepy.  Hmm...I think I see a pattern developing (buffet followed by some activity that involves a lot of walking), which is ironic considering that on Edo-Tokyo Museum day, we thought it was ridiculous to pig out at a buffet and then go sightseeing.

The official name of the festival is the Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival and it's an annual event which was started in 1991.  This year the festival was held from February 18 - 26 at the Tokyo Dome.  We really had no idea what to expect but once we entered the arena, we realized that this festival was a lot bigger than we had anticipated.  I'm not sure if it was because it was the last day of the festival, but there were tons of people (mostly older Japanese women, I'm not gonna lie) and by the time we were ready to leave, it was a struggle just to make it to the exit.

The festival had a little bit of everything.  There was an area to view the orchids which had been submitted for display/viewing, an area for the orchid competition (there were different divisions for the different species of orchid), there were massive orchid displays, orchid flower arrangements, orchid gardens and orchid-related crafts on display.  In addition, there were food vendors, a wine garden, and booths where you could buy orchids and other orchid-related products (one of the popular booths seemed to be the Shiseido booth where you could buy orchid perfume).   I had absolutely no idea there were so many different types of orchids or that they came in so many different colors, and I can honestly say that I now have a new appreciation for this flower (I was tempted to buy a plant but then I remembered that I've never been able to grow anything and decided against it).  According to the Daily Yomiuri, this year's festival featured 100,000 plants from over 21 different countries.  There was a special display where you could view a blue orchid from Borneo, but when we saw that the wait time to get in was at least 45 minutes, we agreed that it wasn't really necessary for us to see the blue Borneo orchid.  After we saw everything there was to see, we headed back to Yokosuka and ended our fabulous girls' day with tea and scones at Afternoon Tea. 

Here are some pictures from the festival:

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea is one of my favorite things to do.  When I lived in The Bay Area and I was in charge of throwing a birthday party, a shower or a plain ole girls' get together, you could always count on me to host afternoon tea at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco.  There's something so relaxing about enjoying a cup of tea and scones with clotted cream (you can't forget the clotted cream) with your girlfriends.  And of course you can't find a more elegant atmosphere than The Ritz.  Ah but I digress...thoughts of San Francisco are thoughts for another day.  Truly though, I really do love tea.  I once went through a phase where I was obsesed with loose leaf tea. I'd get different types and flavors, I got metal cannisters to store the different flavors and I got every tea-related accessory I could find.  These days I'm back to regular tea bags, and I even gave away tea sachets from my favorite tea maker Harney & Sons Fine Tea as favors at my wedding.  Moral of the story = I really like tea.

Afternoon Tea at the shopping plaza where I frequent quite often has a tearoom/restaurant, a small bakery where you can get fresh pastries/desserts to go, and a shop across the way that sells a lot of cute tea, lunch/bento and kitchen-related merchandise.  I constantly have to restrain myself from buying everything in sight at the shop.  I would absolutely love to buy a lunch set from Afternoon Tea (food containers, thermos, chopsticks, musubi holder, ice pack - depicted in the picture to the left), but for one thing I don't have anywhere to take it and for another, the containers really don't hold much food at all (that's probably a good thing).  Although, my new favorite website is a site "dedicated to the subject of simple bento lunches," both traditional and not so traditional.  I've already found some recipes I want to try and I really think I need to get some cute bento containers to put my creations in.

Given that I like tea, it is a little strange that it's taken me 6 months to visit Afternoon Tea.  Recently, my friend and I were arranging to meet up for coffee and although I suggested Starbucks for lack of something better, in the back of my head I knew there was somewhere I wanted to try but I couldn't think of it.  To my delight, she responded "how about Afternoon Tea?"  We met at Afternoon Tea and both got the Cream Tea Set which comes with a pot of tea and two scones (complete with fruit preserves and cream).  I ordered chai tea which was perfect.  I have since been back and tried their signature Afternoon Tea blend which I also really liked.  Since it was lunchtime, people around us were ordering actual meals (pasta and salads) which, as is customary here, looked delicious and impeccable.  On my next visit, I plan to try one of their meal sets and I'll report back.

Lunch Date in Yokohama

Even though Monday was President's Day and a holiday, it wasn't really a holiday because Rich had to work for part of the day.  But since it was a week day, we wanted to take advantage of the fact that it was not a Japanese holiday, which we figured might mean less crowds and congestion at places.  I suggested we catch the train to Yokohama, which is always a great option because it's closer to us than Tokyo, but yet there's still a lot to do there.  Yokohama is approximately 20 miles south of Tokyo and is the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo.

After a short 30 minute train ride (including one transfer), we arrived at Landmark Tower/Queen's Square Tower in the Minato Mirai area.  The Landmark Tower, which is the largest building in Japan, houses offices, a hotel, tons of restaurants and a shopping mall.  The hotel is on the 52 - 67th floors of the Landmark Tower, there is an observatory on the 69th floor and the Sky Lounge Sirius (whose amazing view I hope to enjoy for myself one day, hint hint) is on the 70th floor.  At lunchtime during the week, the business people from the various offices come downstairs to the mall area to eat at one of the many restaurants.  Seeing so many suits always reminds me of and makes me miss the hustle and bustle of San Francisco.  Landmark Tower is awesome because it has Cold Stone, H&M, Gap, and Krispy Kreme, among others.....basically all the essentials. 

We were starving so we headed straight for Hard Rock Cafe. Even though we definitely love to eat at local restaurants, there's something comforting about going to a place with a name you recognize.  Plus, I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I just feel like a big ole burger.  However, the thing about U.S. restaurants in Japan is that you never know how closely the Japanese location will resemble the U.S. one in terms of menu offerings and what the food actually tastes like. In my opinion, Hard Rock Yokohama remained true to its roots and did not disappoint. 

I had the bbq bacon cheeseburger and Rich had the pulled pork sandwich, both of which were delicious.  Rich is pretty picky about his bbq, so if he says it's good, it must be good (he asked me to make it clear that he's a North Carolina vinegar bbq sauce person).  We were both stuffed so we didn't get anything for dessert even though the apple crumble was calling my name quite loudly (oh well, there's always next time).  I will caution readers though, you definitely don't want to go here if you plan on drinking a lot because drinks will run you about $12.00 a piece, $20 for the ones that come with a signature glass.

 After lunch we headed back to Landmark Tower and walked around for a bit.  I only window shopped though because we are heading back to the States in a few weeks, at which point my husband knows I plan to do a TON of shopping (so he understandably had me on a short leash while we were in Yokohama).  Since I didn't have dessert at Hard Rock, I stopped in at Mrs. Elizabeth Muffin for some yummy mini muffins for later. All in all, it was a great day and the best part was that I got to spend it with my husband!!

Pine Sour Anyone?

So as not to confuse anyone, "pine" in the context of this post refers to the Japanese short form of the word pineapple and not the tree.  As you may or may not have guessed, Pine Sour is an alcoholic beverage and it is absolutely delicious (or de-ri-cious as we like to say here), which is why I was compelled to blog about it.  But let me back up.  Shortly after we got to Japan, I found a Gyu-Kaku Restaurant in one of the popular shopping plazas near base.  Having eaten at Gyu-Kaku back home, I was excited to see a familiar name/business, so of course I HAD to find out if it was like the one back in Hawaii.

I later learned that Gyu-Kaku is actually a franchise that started in Japan, and that there are over 1,200 Gyu-Kaku restaurants located in the U.S. and various parts of Asia.  If you've never been, and you like yakiniku, you should definitely check it out.  Although the concept is the same at the various restaurants, the menu in different geographic regions is different.  For example, I was really hoping that the Gyu-Kaku here in Japan was going to have cheesy broccoli (like the restaurants in Hawaii), but I was out of luck.  On the other hand, the Japanese beef here really is top notch.

We had the good fortune of discovering the Pine Sour on our first trip to Gyu-Kaku (or rather, Rich discovered it - hey, I'll give credit where credit is due).  I of course ordered some stupid peach drink while Rich went straight for the good stuff.  When the waitress returned with our drinks, I watched in awe and a little bit of jealousy as the waitress juiced a half pineapple at our table by hand and poured the juice and all the pulpy goodness into a glass filled with Chu-Hi. If you're not familiar, Chu-Hi is basically shochu and carbonated water flavored with lemon.  That's all I'm going to say on the matter for now, because I'm sure it will be the topic of some later post, as it's very popular here. 

Anyway, after trying Rich's Pine Sour, I was hooked and couldn't stand to take one more sip of my peach drink so I immediately ordered myself a Pine Sour.  The combination of pineapple and Chu Hi is amazing and you can hardly taste any alcohol, which can be quite dangerous (something you don't realize until you wake up the next day with a nasty hangover). Since that first visit, Gyu-Kaku has become a favorite spot of ours and we do our best not to let too many weeks pass in between visits.  In fact, on many a vist, our group has ordered so many Pine Sours that they actually run out.  So this morning, when I got a text at 8:30 a.m. asking if Rich and I were up for Pine Sours and dinner at Gyu-Kaku, I knew it was going to be a good day (we ordered all the Pine Sours they had in stock).