Random Sunday

Check out this couple; the guy was in wedge heels, walking nonchalantly!!!

Blood red bruschetta

Cufflinks so colourful

Here comes the summer sales

Outdoor terrace for some all-you-can-drink bubbly happy hour

Interesting Sunday. For the places we visited were so random.

I came, I saw, I conquered.
- Julius Caesar

Nirvana

Bubbly with some complimentary cashew nut nibbles

Crabmeat masala with grapefruit; best of east meets west

Tandoori chicken and paneer that were too dry

Naan with eggplant curry

Available daily till end of this month, Nirvana New York in Midtown is offering a one and a half hour of all-you-can-drink champagne happy hour. Be sure to book early as all that free-flowing effervescence is best enjoyed on their outdoor terrace which offers unblocked view of the vast Hinoki Machi Park.

Was there over the weekend, nibbling and drinking to my heart's content as I sat watching the daylight fading. I enjoy this particular time of the day very much as the city seemed to recover from the searing heat, with people once again filling up the pavements, hurrying to get to their next destination.

With the night moving in and us getting more and more tipsy by the minute, we decided to go for some proper food. First up was an appetiser of crabmeat masala. Was uncertain with this choice initially as I was afraid that the spices would be overpowering. Turned out my fears were unfounded. The dish was nicely presented with the sweetness of the crabmeat coming through beautifully. The addition of grapefruit segments was ingenious as it gave the whole dish a tangy twist. The tandoori chicken and paneer on the otherhand were most disappointing, dry and tasteless. The last dish of naan and eggplant curry was decent enough though nothing to go ga-ga over.

To be honest, I think the pull factors for Nirvana are in their cushy outdoor terrace and happy hour. If judged purely on their food, I would say nay...

Nirvana New York

Address: 9-7-4 Akasaka, 1F Garden Terrace Tokyo Midtown, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: 03-5647-8305
Michelin: None

Julius

July's wishlist - A stylish Prada fabric sling bag in a neutral shade complete with an ostentatious crocodile leather toggle clasp

1 July

Light lunch of truffled mac and cheese given the uptown treatment

Growth of sunflowers hugely encouraged here to clean up the radioactive soil

Pretty flowers blooming in the church's courtyard

May God bless

Very innovative shirt fitted with a fan!

Still not used to the high level of humidity here. It has been just hot, hot, hot with Friday noon a sizzling 38 degrees!

Met a friend for a light lunch since the heat has been a dampener on my appetite. Thereafter, headed to Omotesando for some shade amongst the tree-lined streets.

Ichii

Trio of zensai

Very pleasing combo of lettuce with smelts and fried garlic bits

Cold corn potage

Sashimi so fresh and succulent

Flavourful fish soup with loads of exotic veges

Meltingly tender Wagyu steak accompanied by pickled red cabbage which serves as a palate cleanser

Refreshing thin noodles in sesame ごま sauce

Creme brulee

Tucked almost at the very end of a back alley, Ichii turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. As with most Japanese restaurants, the decor was very minimalist with lots of bamboo and lacquer accent. And save for a couple of soupy dishes, it was almost a one-man show with everything painstakingly prepared at the counter by that one chef whom we were speculating the whole evening if he was wearing a toupee. Poor chap.

Ichii

Address: 7-18-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032, Japan
Telephone: 03-3423-8260
Michelin: None

Puny

Still prefer the seedless variety

Sure, they come as perfect as any photoshopped celeb but am still a little apprehensive about paying an arm and leg for fruits in Japan. Take for instance, this watermelon. It is as puny as my stretched hand but still command a jaw dropping 700 yen or S$11 which is considered cheap by Japanese standards.

Natural Sunday

Beautifully sculpted boughs

Shinjuku Gyoen, 新宿御苑

Not so itsy-bitsy spider...shudders

Breed of rose called Playboy

Naturally followed by another breed called Playgirl

Gigantic Magnolia

Huge Magnolias in bloom

A walk in the park. Marvelling at Mother Nature in all its glory.

“Is this a time to be cloudy and sad,
When our mother Nature laughs around;
When even the deep blue heavens look glad,
And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground?”
-William Cullen Bryant