Valentine's Day Feast

     Oh, that's right...this week was Valentine's Day! To be honest I didn't really think about it on the day, since the fiancee and I worked all day until nearly 10pm, and as Monday is our Friday we're pretty much on autopilot until our zombified bodies sink into blissful sleep, elated that unlike the other 6 days of the week the next morning will not be heralded by the bleating of our evil alarm clock. So forgive me if I this Valentine's post is a few days behind schedule!
     Even though we didn't do anything special on the actual holiday (well, on his lunch break the fiancee did run out to surprise me with a box of macarons from Theobroma, which was really sweet) we did celebrate it properly on Wednesday. Not only Valentine's day, which by itself is really nothing special, but the fact that Valentine's day was actually the day we first met 3 years ago. Seriously. My first day at our mutual workplace was February 14th. And as luck would have it, we started dating a year later in the week between my birthday and Valentine's day, so it's a very handy day to have as an anniversary!
     In the early afternoon we headed to the posh neighborhood of Ginza to hit up the Laduree cafe. We were very lucky to score a window table overlooking the intersection, which was a great spot for people watching. This time we tried some different deserts and bought some macarons to take home. I had the Isaphan (the famous rose/lychee/raspberry concoction) and C (my fiancee) had the Honorie (similar to the Isaphan, with a pistachio macaron base). The Isaphan was gorgeous and very tasty, but a bit too dry, and a wee bit too sweet (which is a very rare thing for me to admit)...the Honorie, however...WOW. I know what I'll be ordering next time!

It's a good thing for our waistlines and wallets that we don't live near this place!

     After that we walked around Ginza for a bit, and took advantage of the gourmet food basements and boutiques to pick up some goodies for the evening and the next few days. We got some macarons at Dalloyau and Chez Cima, which are rather famous (we'll be trying them this evening) and a few from Henri Charpentier, which, to be honest, were nothing special. We also got some real, honest-to-goodness English-style scones for breakfast, which were divine. And the one really outrageous splurge: albino strawberries.

I'll keep the price of the strawberries to myself, but the scones were cheap! Well, cheapish.

While we can get reasonably priced and tasty fruit at our local supermarkets and fruit sellers, if we really want some guaranteed taste payoff,  we'll make a trip to the department stores and fruit boutiques to browse the rarer, more expensive, and much more decadently packaged varieties. The albino strawberries are called Hatsukoinokaori (The Scent of First Love) and have a light subtle taste, a bit reminiscent of a good quality dragonfruit. Though I prefer the sweet lushness of Amaou, this year's most popular variety, they were quite incredible.
     In the evening we celebrated another type of love, true friendship. We met our two close friends and coworkers (aka "the boys") for soup curry, a spicy healthier version of the nationally loved dish of curry rice at Shanti in Harajuku. If you're ever in Tokyo, do check it out! You can order different levels of spiciness to suit any taste, 2 being the standard somewhat-spicy level. The scale goes all the way up to 40... which I would wager is pretty much inedible.

     I didn't have the chance to get a good picture of my casual OOTD, which is unfortunate since I really loved it. But I plan to wear it again next week or so, so it will make it onto the blog at some point. The main piece was an open-knit sweater shot through with metallic thread, which I found a month ago at Forever21 here in Japan. I have never seen it on the US site, and it has long disappeared from the Japanese one...I guess it was one of those fleeting beauties that are available for like a week before they fade back into the retail ether:

That is some crazy lighting.

Accessories by mayglobe Japan and Tiffany&Co., beige patent handbag by Louis Vuitton, Silver Screen nail polish by Revlon (love it).

Awesome Thing About Living in Tokyo: Laduree Macarons

My time in Japan has spanned 3 years that were filled with many new experiences: my first job (meh) my first experience paying my own rent and bills (MEH), my first time getting a fringe/bangs (LOVE IT). And the food experiences! Amazing...and I don't even like traditional Japanese food. Seriously, I actually hate it. Miso, sushi, osechi, natto, ochazuke...none for me, thanks. But the other side of Japanese food, the side that takes it's cue from the cuisine of other nations? I could live off of tempura, tonkatsu, soup curry, and okonomiyaki. Which of course I don't since it would wreck havoc on my wallet and waistline, but when I do indulge? Heavenly.
     Another great side of the Tokyo food scene is born from the fact that a fair number of Japanese (specifically the non-working wives both young and old who wield their husband's and/or parents' disposable income like a weapon) love all things European. If by Europe you mean the afternoon tea-swilling, Chanel-wearing, Wedgwood-collecting fantasy land version.
     Which, of course, they do.
     But hey, Japan's Japan, and at least the country's fascination with Europe has led to an influx of foods and brands that we'd never have the chance to sample unless we actually went to Europe. My personal favorite import? The macaron.

     Now, I've actually never had a macaron until recently, even while living in London. Partly because they weren't as trendy and widespread as they are now and partly because in my mind they were linked to the coconut macaroons and hard-baked meringues that I hate. My fiancee, however, loves them, and eventually he convinced me to try one. A classic pistachio one, from a Japanese patisserie called Theobroma. I cautiously bit into it, and as the chewy shell collapsed in a cloud of almond powder and perfume, I was hooked.
     Like most converts, I became a zealot. I was on a mission to find the best macaron available in Tokyo. Sadly, the other Japanese versions were too sweet, too creamy, or too oddly-flavored to impress. The best of the local offerings is most likely Theobroma, but this being Tokyo we had the chance to sample the wares of the most famous original macaron masters: Pierre Herme and Laduree.
     So this past Tuesday we headed out to Ginza, an older area of Tokyo famous for old ladies swaddled in fur and pearls and old-school salarymen marching around in three-piece bespoke suits. It's also the home of Japan's first Abercrombie and Fitch store. We actually went in, and were subsequently scarred for life. But that's a tale for another day... on to the sweets!

     Since it has been open for a few years and it was an early weekday afternoon there was practically no wait. We were seated in the fabulously opulent tea room that was designed to evoke visions of a rosy-cheeked Marie Antoinette feasting on delectable delights...before her subjects cut off her head, of course. The unappetizing fate of the doomed dauphine aside, it was an amazing experience, among the best I've had here in Tokyo. From the delicious cafe viennois to the jewel-like macarons (I had lemon, vanilla, pistachio, and rose), I felt like I had died and gone to girly heaven. Where Marie Antoinette resides, one would guess.

     Then of course we had to get a box of 8 to go...and we ate them all that night.