If you’ve been following this site or my Twitter, you’d probably heard these glorious waffles mentioned many a time already. But we’ve have yet to feature Manneken on its own post that it so deserves. Simply put Manneken’s waffles are possibly the best you’ll find in Japan.

Manneken’s waffles boasts a 26 year old history, with the first store opening in Umeda, Osaka back in 1986. The waffles soon proven popular with the locals, spreading throughout Osaka and to other parts of Japan too. Today, there are 12 stores in Osaka alone with another 14 stores around Japan.

Thanks to a recommendation by Wilson, I had the chance to give the wonderful Manneken waffles a try last year in Osaka. I’ve been hooked ever since then.

Manneken shop in Ginza.

Thankfully, you don’t have to go as far as Osaka to get the waffles. There are two stores in Tokyo, one appropriately located at the crossroads of Ginza and another strangely in Akihabara. The Ginza shop is especially easy to spot as it almost always attracts a queue.

The Manneken logo.

Manneken is of course named after the famous landmark in Brussels. The Manneken logo is the literal likeness of the urinating sculpture. Even if it was their first thing to come to mind when thinking of Belgium, only Japanese craziness could have justified its use. Be reassured, their waffles taste nothing like piss.

Lovely chocolate coated waffles.

Manneken’s Belgian waffles come in a small selection of staple flavors, with an occasional seasonal special like their reason Fromage or Sweet Potato flavors. Plain waffles cost 126 yen each while the flavored ones cost 147 yen.

Having tried quite a few flavors, I would have to say that their safest bets, the plain and chocolate ones are the best. The others, with their flavors baked directly into the waffle, tend to distract from enjoying the original waffle’s taste. All of the waffles have a plain crust of sugar already that provide enough sweetness, while at the same time helping to keep the crunchy texture.

Gift packs.

All of Mannkene’s freshly baked waffles are intended to be consumed on the day of purchase itself. For those who want to take home the waffles, there are gift packs available at the stores. They contain individually sealed waffles that can be kept for up to a month.

We’ve also found these packed versions selling at certain supermarkets. While they won’t be able to compare with those fresh out the iron, they’re still darn good as far as waffles are concerned.

Inside.

If you’ve haven’t already. You’ve definitely got to give the Manneken waffles a try. For more information, check out the Manneken website. I’ve also marked the locations for the two Tokyo outlets below.

Manneken Ginza

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Manneken Akihabara
The Akihabara Store is located at the North-Eastern Showadori exit of Akihabara Station.

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While the sparsity of Krispy Kremes often attracts long queues to the cafe during lunchtime hours, Mister Donut shops are rarely packed. I used to be an avid Krispy Kreme supporter too but when comparing the two now, Mister Donut takes the cake for being my preferred doughnut place.

Mister Donut was originally an American brand but almost all of the stores back there have been converted to Dunkin’ Donut chains. A company in Japan acquired the rights a long time ago and has expanded the business to over 1,300 stores spread around the country, making Mister Donut the largest doughnut chain in Japan. Osaka is the home of Mister Donut but you’ll have a hard time not being able to find one with dozens scattered around every city.

Mister Donut Ameyoko.

Mister Donut at Shinsaibashi Osaka.

Mister Donut at Odawara Kanagawa.

Mr Donuts offers an admirable amount of choices at discount prices (at least when compared to other cafes). Mr Donut holds promotions all year round, with a point card system that lets you claim free doughnuts or stationery of their brand mascots. Prices start slashing near closing hour too despite fresh ones being made throughout the day.

Great variety, at least before everything sells out.

I seem to have found a fave in their “pon de ring” lineup though. The light eggy pastries maintain their bounce for long stretches of time and the amazing springy texture is accented by its small beaded shape. Would definitely recommend these.

Pon de rings are my regular faves.

They remain springy for long enough to enjoy on the go or at home too.

Many of their menu staples mirror those found at other doughnut places but are less sweet especially when compared to Krispy Kreme, something that I appreciate since you can eat a lot more without being sick of it. Not too fond of their “old fashion” doughnuts though, which are cookie like blocks that are kind of dry.

A interesting thing to note is that there are always unique seasonal offerings at any point of time, such as the teddy bear ones in the title image above.

Just some of the many types available.

In more recent times, Mister Donut opened Cafe Andonand, which positions itself as a more up-classed doughnut cafe. Prices are twice the original but they offer more fancy varieties here. The coffee is also Rainforest Alliance certified, something that might resonate those who liken themselves hipsters. Cafe Andonand has been around for more than a couple of years now but only runs two outlets, at Yokohama and Namba Osaka.

Donuts from Cafe Andonand.

It has always been a struggle to find food that agrees with the rest of the crowd while not breaking the wallet, especially when one is in town over the weekends. I’m happy to announce that with the recent addition of Yomenya Goemon in town, it could really be a good option to dine at. After all, how many people can say no to both Western and Japanese food?

While a relative newcomer to the Singaporean culinary scene, Goemon is a long established restaurant in Japan. Consider them as the Pastamania of Japan. You can find them in just about area in Tokyo and major cities in Japan. With their success, they’ve managed to break into the China market in Shanghai and more recently, Singapore.

Yomeonya Goemon, 313 Somerset branch.

Before you make any wild guesses, Goemon serves up Italian spaghetti, with a Japanese touch. Well you could consider it Japanese-Western fusion food. But if it’s delicious, no one would be complaining anyway. With 34 years of experience under their belt, there should be no way that they would mess up by serving highly experimental pasta dishes that will shock the diners.

Cook on order spaghetti is the way to go.

While still on the variety topic, diners will definitely be overwhelmed by the sheer variety of flavors offered at Goemon. Aside from the usual 3 styles of tomato, cream and olive oil & garlic, there’s also the more experimental Asian and Japanese styles like butter & soy sauce and cod roe flavors. For those opting for even more unusual stuff, there are a few soup and cold pastas offerings.

Spoiled for choice.

It is also good to know that instead of serving par-cooked pastas, Goemon only start cooking individual servings after the order is place. It ensures that el dente pastas are served every time to the diners’ delight.

Another twist that goes on when dining at Goemon is that everyone is given chopsticks instead of the usual fork and spoons to eat their pastas with. A funky Japanese gimmick to remind one that they are eating fusion pasta? Maybe.

Fork and spoons can still be requested from the staff if diners find it a hassle to eat their pasta with chopsticks. But I’d stick with the interesting chopsticks way of eating.

Tomato based seafood pasta. Regular set meal.

Pastas in Goemon come in 2 sizes, regular and “oomori” size which is an extra 250g serving on top of the regular size. Unless you are really very hungry, I would recommend against ordering the larger size since most would have trouble finishing it.

I once had a few friends with me who all ordered an oomori size each, but only one managed to finish his plate. Yomenya’s regular servings are already ample and are served with a plentiful amount of sauce, filling one’s stomach quite easily.

Cream based four cheese smoked chicken pasta. Alar carte.

For those who want to try more varieties of their pasta at one go, Goemon serves up a half-half set meal, which consist of two half portions of different pasta styles of your choice. There’s also the option of a regular set meal and the oomori set meal to choose from if you desire to have your salad, drink, pasta and dessert all in one sitting.

Or plain fried with olive oil and garlic, with a Japanese twist.

Being spoiled for choice is one sin that we humans desire for, and Goemon serves that up in abundance. So if you’re up for either some great made to order pasta or trying out experimental flavors, Goemon will be the place to hit up in town. Either way, Goemon serves up affordability, fullness and variety in one good package. Just try to perfect your chopstick holding skills before visiting.

If you’re walking in the middle of Kyoto taking in the cool atmosphere while the yellow autumn leaves wavering with each caress of the wind, you’ve had that craving for soba. Honke Owariya is one soba shop that is worth a try. The restaurant has been making buckwheat soba since the Edo period. Their soba noodles have served the Japanese Imperial family since then.

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Located near the Subway Karasuma-Oike Station, the restaurant is about a 10 minutes walk. Nearby attractions include the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijyo Castle, making this a well located place for a meal after much sightseeing. Honke Owariya originally opened as a confectionery shop about 540 years ago but it moved on to serve soba dishes prepared in a wide variety.

Honke Owariya.

The restaurant itself is a very old building. The rooms are traditional Japanese design with tatami mats, sliding paper doors and Japanese dolls as decorations. And yes, you will be sitting on your knees and smelling the pleasantries from your socks. The lights were rather dim, yet it gave a very cosy feeling that complemented the colors of the room.

They continue to dabble in buckwheat snacks.

Customers are served with tea and confectioneries when seated. They do sell them over at the counter by the main entrance, or locate their confectionery outlet a few blocks away if you want more.

English friendly.

For the non-Japanese folks, the restaurant might look old, but they do cater for the international crowd with an English menu.

Their original Hourai Soba.

If you are spoiled for choices, we do recommend the Hourai Soba under the “Honke Owariya” Specialties menu. It has a spread of 8 toppings – mushroom, sliced egg, sesame horse-radish, seaweed, leek, deep-fried shrimps, grated white radish and grated red pepper.

For the uninitiated, who have only tried eating cold soba dipped into sauce, they do provide a slip of instructions in English to enjoy the dish the correct way.

Each level of the dish tower contains some servings of soba, seemingly catered perfectly for each topping. The buckwheat soba noodles were delicious, and the Hourai gave an interesting and refreshing way to enjoy soba.

Mixed tempura sides.

Also do have a try of their Tempura Chirashi Hors d’oeuvre

Hope you have the chance to drop by this traditional soba restaurant and enjoy the flavors of their noodles. Do check out their English website for the menu.

Another bubble tea post again? I have no excuse for delivering yet another drink post. But this time it’s a standalone shop located in Tanjong Pagar, yet another local entrepreneur setting up to join in the fierce bubble tea competition currently ongoing in Singapore.

Like Artease Cafe, Woobbee is another homegrown bubble tea shop that is attempting to conquer the taste buds of the working crowd here in our CBD area. What’s more, the two are located in very close vicinity of each other.

Artease, being a fierce competitor who can serve up an excellent cup of bubble tea could reasonably be called the crowd’s favorite spot. And yet, if Woobbee manages to stand firmly on its own and attract a good amount of followers that would mean that they do serve a comparable drink.

Office workers getting their daily dose of drinks.

Like my ramen adventures, sometimes I happen to pass by a new shop that I have never seen before and impulsively go ahead to try it out. Woobbee was another such find, when I was in town trying to locate Artease instead. A score for them, too bad for Artease. Lets just say that I’m sometimes still torn between which of the two shops to patronize when I’m in the vicinity.

If there's a waiting line for your drinks, you will be given this instead.

When it comes to its drinks, Woobbee will not disappoint. Since they boast of using natural raw sugar for their drinks, it’s definitely a boost for the health conscious who also can’t get enough of their bubble tea fix. Rest assured that they do use premium Taiwan tea leaves and creamer for their bubble teas too.

While their bubble teas are definitely on top of the game, what gives them the edge over the competition would be their fruity teas. Not many places serve up a lychee fruit tea now and their fruity yogurt spins are definitely the drink of choice on a sweltering hot afternoon.

Also their pudding would sure to be a bestseller if they were to start selling them by the box instead of just offering it with their bubble teas. Although I’ve tried it and it has a more chewy jelly0like texture than how I would like my pudding, they are still pretty decent.

Drink comes either in a 500cc regular or 700cc large.

Dedicated? Might have just the thing for you.

To give it a try against Artease? Please do. Both are excellent homegrown bubble tea shops that deserve your support. Woobee even has an excellent website to wow online viewers before deciding. My good friend will always say that all the new bubble tea shops are about branding and making a visual impact to attract customers, but if they can do both while still holding up a good job in making their bubble teas, I’m not one to complain.

Woobbee
1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza
#01-18
Singapore 082001

Tel: 62208220
Open Monday to Saturday, 10.30 AM – 7.30 PM (Closed Sundays)

A household name, Fujiya has been in the confectionery business in Japan for more than 100 years. You’ve probably come across their mascot, Peko-chan a cheeky looking child with her tongue stuck out. All of Fujiya Milky’s treats are decorated with the iconic symbol and occasionally her male counterpart Poko. The company is well known for their various pastries and confectioneries, often featuring their namesake flavor.

Milky’s candies can be found in stores globally. Their classic “Milky” candy the original Japanese equivalent of the more prevalent (at least in in Singapore) White Rabbit candy. But like the Chinese brand and their Melamine scare, Fujiya Milky was involved in scandal involving expired ingredients in 2008.

Now, as much as people want to deny it the use of expired ingredients is a fairly common occurrence in the F&B industry. It’s something that is often swept under the rug. But when such an issue is brought to light, it can mean devastating results for a company. Especially in Japan, where competition is fierce and quality is a major issue. The previous president of Fujiya was made to step down, and till now the company has had to steadily rebuild their lost trust with the public.

Fujiya Milky.

But perhaps enough people have grown up with fond memories of Milky products to make this an easier task. When a brand has such an extensive history, they would also surely attract customers occasionally yearning for its familiar taste.

Ignoring the scandal, Milky still brings us some of the most delectable deserts and stores are located around every part of Japan. The prices of their pastries aren’t exactly cheap, but customers can be assured that the quality (and quantity) does not disappoint. Here’s a picture of one of their more common items, the Milky Cream Puff (Shu Cream).

The giant puff still remains incredibly light despite its large size and is filled with a generous amount of sweet filling. There’s even an ice cream equivalent available now.

Famous for their cream and milk pastries.

More information about Fujiya, Milky and an extensive list of their products is available at their official site.

Perhaps it’s all that walking, but sometimes it amazing me how most Japanese manage to sustain their slim physiques when there are so many tempting confectionery shops all over the place. Departmental stores beside subway stations are filled with entire levels selling all manner of classy desserts and residential streets often have their own loved patisseries around the corner too. One of the shops that caught my attention was the colorful Ginza Cozy Corner.

Like Milky, Ginza Cozy Corner (銀座コージーコーナー) is a franchise of patisseries (their color schemes are even similar) but this doesn’t mean that it isn’t very good. On the contrary, as the fact that the chain has spread to every corner of Japan could be seen as a testament to its popularity.

One of the Ginza Cozy Corner outlets.

Though we passed by a number of other outlets, this particular store was found along the main path at Nakano. It stood out for genuinely being located at the cross section of the street. The bright red signage and colorful contents shouted out to this sweets lover.

Colorful visuals to entice.

The cakes here were average priced (at least in yen). Slightly lower than similar pastries in the departmental stores and well worth their cost.

To go.

Whenever you purchase cakes and such in Japan, the shops tend to include chilling packs in the box and are pretty meticulous about you eating them within their “best before” period, which is usually just an hour or two.

This leads me to believe that such pastries are usually purchased on your way home, fitting for a nice dessert after dinner or perhaps it wouldn’t be too sinful to sneak off during office hours to get one for a tea time snack.

Cozy indeed.

When it comes to pastries, their presentation are almost always as important as its taste. Exquisite effort must had been put in to make each slice of their cake picture perfect, while still satisfying the taste test.

Strawberry Shortcake.

I must admit though, even for someone with a sweet tooth, the Strawberry Shortcake might had been a little too sweet for my liking (which usually tends to be the case for many Japanese desserts). The Gateau au chocolat cake was fine though.

Gateau au chocolat.

More information and delightful pictures of all their available pastries at Cozy Corner’s official website (Japanese only). You shouldn’t have problem finding one when roaming around Japan.

Endo Sushi is a tiny restaurant located within Osaka Chuo Oroshiuri Shijo, the city’s humble equivalent of the Tsukiji Fish Market. Unlike the Tokyo counterpart that is ridden with bustling streets of tourists and locals alike, Endo Sushi is one of only 5 or 6 restaurants here. I’d like to think it’s because not many eateries can survive in the competitiveness of Japan’s food capital. The fact that Endo Sushi has till now, speaks for itself.

Osaka Chuo Oroshiuri Shijo is the wet market complex which Osakan businesses come to to purchase their fresh produce and the latest catch. The wholesale market is located at the fringe of central Osaka and slightly upstream from Osaka port. To get there, you would have to walk over from Noda but a more likely option is to cross over the river from Awaza. Either is a 15 minute distance on foot. Any more, and it’d mean that you’re probably lost in the quaint residential district.

Osaka's humble equivalent of the Tsukiji Fish Market.

Endo Sushi opens from as early as 5 AM in the morning, staying open only until 2 in the afternoon. The combination of being located just beside the main complex and without many surviving competitors means that you will be getting the freshest fish served every day. It’s a popular spot for people to drop by in the morning to get their sushi fix before heading to work.

Perhaps Osakans are really spoiled for choice or (more likely) we had already beaten the morning crowds. For by 10, we were the only other people within other than a couple of ladies. A stark contrast to the ridiculous queues you would have to endure at Tsukiji at any hour.

Located to ensure maximum freshness.

The restaurant’s tiny interior made for a comfortable and quiet meal. There were a total of three tables only, with the tiny counter fitting another four customers if necessary. Yet despite its humble appearances, Endo Sushi has been graced by famous customers from all around Japan (and beyond), including many popular actors, entertainers and some mangaka. Their autographs plastered along what little wall space within.

The inside, plastered with autographs by famous celebrities.

The boss, Endo hardly has to lift a finger these days, with not one but a number of apprentices to his name. But the sushi remains top notch as he continues to oversea all kitchen activity closely while chatting friendlily to his staff and customers.

The main highlight here is of course the house’s choice, “omakase” or literally “leaving it up to you” is something you’d hear quite often in exquisite Japanese dining. Exquisite, but not necessarily pricey.

お任せします！

For 1000 yen, you will get 5 pieces of sushi, left up to the discretion of the boss. But be relieved that these are the best cuts you could possibly get.

One piece will always be ootoro, the highest grade of fatty tuna, while others are selected from premium cuts of other delectable meats.

Generous portions of the freshest catches.

Sushi of the same ingredients would cost you many times over in Singapore, without reaching anywhere near the freshness or quantity that you would get at Endo Sushi. Eating here is definitely an eye opener. This is what sushi really is. And nothing quite matches up after.

Thanks to the generous quantity, two plates should more than suffice in most cases.  Other things to look forward to include their own specialty Seafood Miso Soup chocked full of clams and of course their Tamagoyaki.

Sushi the way it should be.

Kudos for authentic sushi without any of the wait associated with Tsukiji. In fact, some might even consider Endo a superior choice but Osaka and Tokyo couldn’t be two more different cities. If you happen to be in Osaka though, Endo Sushi is not something you’d want to miss.

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Increasingly, many are seeking healthier food options when dining out. Cedele Cafe comes to mind when looking outside for what I consider organic, nutritious and delicious food, without having to pay an arm or an leg.

I’m pretty sure with it being in business for more than a decade in Singapore, people should be slightly familiar with the Cedele name even if you had not tried their stuff before. With a combination of several cafe, dine in restaurant and bakeries littered mainly around the town and east side area, Cedele is a mainstay homegrown brand that serves up healthy organic food.

This time round I’ll be focusing on just Cedele Cafe, to give everyone a introduction to what their cafes can offer.

Cedele Cafe, most of the information you need is well labeled on the boards.

If anything, Cedele Cafe is rather well known for their soups. The reason is clear. I know people to regularly drop by Celede Cafe and order nothing but a large bowl of their soup offering for the day. Coupled with the free flow of their tasty bread (now it cost a dollar for free blow breads) it pretty much makes for a healthy and satisfying full meal without breaking much of the wallet.

Soups, free flow of bread with a token sum.

But of course, if one has some cash to spare then their sandwiches are definitely recommended. When it comes to variety and the quality of the sandwiches,  Cedele is one tough opponent to beat. Not many places do manage to serve such a wide range of toppings from meat/seafood/vegetarian and still do it properly.

With your choice of bread, desired toppings, condiment pairings and a generous helping of lettuce and sliced tomatoes, Cedele’s sandwiches make for a really simple yet satisfying meal that you can enjoy everyday without getting sick of it. In fact, they have so many toppings to choose from that one will be able to eat a different kind for every meal in a week.

Well made sandwiches.

One has to try out to believe.

Alternatively, getting their soup & sandwich combo will be the best option since it gives you the best of both worlds of what Cedele cafe can offer. For a lighter option, they also offer a soup & salad combo for those who might find sandwiches a little heavy.

Soup & sandwich set or soup & salad set.

If a full meal is not what you’re looking for, Cedele Cafe also has a wide array of desserts to choose from. Like all their other offerings, their cakes are made to be healthy, yet do not lose any richness and flavor associated with desserts. It’s a mystery to me how the cakes be healthy and tasty at the same time.

And also, like all their other shops, one can buy their artisan breads to go instead of opting to dine in.

Desserts for the sweet tooth.

Cedele Cafe serves as an inexpensive option for a meal when one is around town, since unlike their all day dining restaurant counterparts the cafe does not have any extra taxes and surcharges to worry about. Coupled with their belief in serving great tasting, healthy food, it’s a no brainer why Cedele Cafe has been well received with the working crowds.

If you’ve had reservations about trying them out, think no further. You’d be pleased by the quality of the food served in Cedele Cafe. As quoted by the people at Cedele – Our philosophy is to eat good, live well. Healthy food that tastes great. You will be surprised!

Before you wonder why there’s another bubble tea post, it’s good to know that just like 10 odd years ago, bubble tea is all the rage in Singapore again. Bubble tea shops are sprouting like crazy in every corner of this little red dot and if you ever wandered around town, chances are you’d find a bubble tea shop every hundred steps or so. This time I’m going to introduce one of our homegrown shops, Artease Cafe.

For readers who had not realized yet, Artease Cafe is one of those bubble shops that is entirely managed by one of our own local bloods. Despite operations running shy of a year, they have been enjoying tremendous success and now have a couple branches around town.

Ice cream milk tea (large cup).

Grapefruit green tea (regular cup).

To some, Artease might just be another convenient bubble tea shop to get their fix of drinks. But on second look, their drinks are a notch pricier than those offered by other shops. So what gives them the edge over the rest of the shops?

I’d definitely say it’s the drinks themselves. Having tried out most of their offerings, I can also say that their drinks are also a small notch tastier than what the rest offers. Versus the stiff competition from popular franchises from Taiwan like Gong Cha and KOI Cafe, Artease definitely stands up on its own ground without any difficulty.

It also helps that Artease offers not only customizable drinks (like varying sugar levels and ice), even their pearls are offered in both large and small versions (hence the reason why I do see a lot of people insist to have their pearls small now). Their well trained and attractive staff likely have a impact in drawing lines to their shops too.

Who doesn’t appreciate someone who can prepare your drink on the spot skillfully and also some eye candy on the side?
But just maybe, some will just support them because it’s right to support homegrown brands? I’m leaning towards that direction.

One can rest their legs inside the cafe and enjoy a nice bubble tea and some snacks at the same time.

Fish mayo burger.

Unlike other shops that offer strictly drinks only, Artease itself is also a small cafe that offers set meals and small bites to accompany their beverages if desired. It might not be big enough to house a party, but it definitely is small and cozy enough to house a few groups of four comfortably.

I gave their burgers a try and was quite surprised that it was pretty well done and tasty. Pity that I didn’t have the chance to try out more of their snacks but I know I’ll be back for more another day. Not many places in town does offer above average food without all the prevailing taxes and surcharges now so it’s definitely a draw point.

Life without some tea, is just arse.

So why love Artease? I’ll just quote from the shop themselves. “We also think that life without tea is just plain arse… You’re a smart fella, you can figure the rest out.” Give them a try, and you might find yourself supporting this homegrown bubble tea shop too.

With the newly opened esplanade branch, Artease Cafe now has a grand total of 3 stores littered around town awaiting to be savored. For those who are interested, one can find their webpage over here.

Artease Cafe Tanjong Pagar
1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza
#01-35 Singapore 082001

Artease Cafe Cineleisure
8 Grange Rd
#01-03 Singapore 239695

Artease Cafe Esplanade
8 Raffles Avenue
#01-13C Singapore 039802

Tomorrow will mark the grand opening of the brand new AKB48 themed cafe and shop in Akihabara, and grand it is indeed. The new cafe occupies a large area underneath Akihabara Station and is located just beside the existing Akihabara Gundam Cafe and Bar.

These days, images of the popular Japanese idol group are plastered all over Tokyo. Their foothold in the city’s otaku haven is so strong that shops have sprung out seemingly just to accommodate AKB48 merchandise. Through the dominance of the radio waves, AKB48 have captured the hearts of Japan’s youth. But now, they are eying your stomach too.

As explained before, this is hardly a new concept. But thought the company has experimented with the cafe concept in the giant sandbox that is Singapore, this first time that AKB48 will be reviving the idea in Japan after the previous cafe closed its doors in 2009.

The new AKB48 Cafe and Shop Akihabara occupies 4 shop spaces underneath the North exit of the JR Akihabara Station. The Gundam Cafe beside occupies only 3. As seen from the cafe’s official site, the four spaces will be used to host a 4-in-1 concept, where each area will provide a different function.

Fans will be able to enjoy a buffet meal while watching videos on the large 136 inch screen at the cafe’s Theater Area. Videos of the latest AKB48 Theater performances (LODs) from the past week will be shown here. Tickets for the Theater Area buffet costs 2,700 yen (approximately SGD$45).

The Cafe Area will function more like a regular cafe. For 2,000 yen (SGD$34), visitors will be able to choose a main meal with free flow of drinks and sides. In a move more similar to Akihabara’s maid cafes, tickets for the Cafe Area also include a commemorative photograph.

The third section is a 16 person Private Area. This is a private function room that can be booked in 2 hour blocks for 10,000 yen (SGD$170). It will provide visitors a place to hold parties and celebrations. But like the Singapore AKB48 Cafe, it will also probably serve as a place for the management to hold events too.

Finally, as the title suggest the new cafe will also feature a Shop Area where AKB48 related goods will be put up for sale. The shop promises to sell original cafe themed goods that are not available anywhere else.

In Japan, AKB48 have expanded far larger than what their tiny theater in Donki can accommodate. To handle the problem, entry to the Theater has been much more restricted in recent years. If executed well, the emergence of their new cafe will hopefully provide like-minded fans a nice place to hang out and mingle, at least until the theater finds its rumored new home.

Reservations for the different areas are available online but the cafe area has already been completely booked out for the next 3 weeks! If you happen to be visiting Japan soon or have plans to, do drop by to take a look. But be sure to place your reservations early.

Mostly everyone ought to be familiar with regular ol’ Takoyaki. The Osakan snack has long spread across the globe as a signature Japanese dish. But surely this soup takoyaki has got to be one of the lesser known variants.

Takoyaki, the savory fried octopus balls most enjoy with a generous topping of crispy bonito flakes is probably the last thing you’d expect to find served soggy. But we found this street side vendor outside Osakako Station serving bowls of soup takoyaki.

The elderly store owner must have seen her fair share of foreigners passing by these streets. She chatted up all stray tourists who had curiously stopped by her shop this evening.

Road side stall.

It’s kind of hard to imagine it being a regular choice, but soup takoyaki can be found and appreciated over in its city of origin. Perhaps it was cold rainy days like this that give it its purpose?

Soup Takoyaki.

In fact, the soup takoyaki was actually a pretty nice snack. Considering that most of Osaka’s specialties tend to be deep fried, a more hearty dish like this makes for a welcome change.

We can always leave it to Japan to create wacky snacks like this. Chip! Chop (チップチョップ) is a combination of chocolate chip cookies with potato chips. The zany commercials advertise the snack’s salty taste, which goes surprisingly well with the chocolate.

At some point of time, someone must had notice the common word in both snacks’ names and decided to get witty. But there aren’t any actual potatoes used in this chips. Instead each chip is a thinly sliced chocolate cookie, which is salted and further filled with a milk chocolate center. Somehow the snack manages to combine the light and salty addictiveness of regular chips with the sinfulness of chocolate chip cookies.

Literally chocolate chips.

Also, Chip! Chop’s commercial below, in typical Japanese fashion.

Members from AKB48 were back in town last weekend for their 4th Stage performance in Singapore on Saturday. The following day, three of the local fan favorites stayed around to to make another appearance at the AKB48 Cafe Singapore. New changes were made to the event to keep things exciting and fresh.

Did everyone get to enjoy themselves during the concert? We got the chance to make some new acquaintances and even met up with an old friend from Japan who had specially come down over the weekend to join in the events.

The three members paying the cafe a visit this time were Abe Maria, Maeda Ami and Yamauchi Suzuran. Abe and Maeda were the first AKB48 members to hold a cafe event, while Yamauchi Suzuran was one of the members at the AKB48 Cafe Special Visit just two weeks ago.

Once again, tickets were sold at $35 each and including a meal during the event. There were two sessions this afternoon, the first at 12.30 and a second at 3 PM which we participated in. First, an apology for the poorer pictures this time round.

Side.

Main.

Fans didn’t let the lazy weather and exhaustion from the previous day’s concerts stop them from turning up for this cafe event. Energy levels of definitely lower as apparent from the quieter visitors but that didn’t mean they didn’t enjoy themselves. Some new changes to the event format helped keep things interesting.

Kanojo ni naremasu ka?

Beginner.

The AKB48 members made their appearance at the start of the event as the local cafe staff took to the stage to perform a couple of songs this afternoon for the benefit of the AKB48 guests and cafe patrons. They danced to Beginner and a new song, Kanojo ni naremasu ka? from Team K’s 6th Stage set list. The staff have been practicing after hours and have been improving consistently since they first started.

After the dances, the AKB48 members were asked for their impressions.

Abe stated that you wouldn’t usually pay notice to the staff serving your food but after the effort they put in she hoped the cafe patrons would notice them more and appreciate the performances.

Maeda asked how long the girls took to learn the dances and when she found out that they took two weeks, offered her praise for being able to learn the songs in such a short time.

Yamauchi mentioned that both Abe and herself were particularly impressed by Riyo, who performed Beginner.

No Q&A this time round.

The previous question and answer session was replaced by a drawing quiz between the AKB48 members. Kai, the AKB48 Singapore Shop manager and MC, asked the girls various questions about Singapore, which they had to answer through their illustrations. Mr Miyano Haru, the Dentsu manager for AKB48 Singapore decided upon the winning answers.

Drawing contest between the three members.

For the first question, the girls were asked to draw food that they had in Singapore. Maeda Ami drew pasta from the cafe. Yamauchi Suzuran drew a paper chicken and a cup of tapioca (which is Japanese English for Bubble Tea) while Abe Maria drew a bunch of bananas. Yamauchi attracted the loudest cheers from fans and won the round.

They were asked to draw their ideal man next. Maeda noted that she wanted someone who was at least 175cm tall. The bluntly humorous Abe drew a man surrounded by money with an added note that being tall would be nice. Yamauchi drew a cartoonish 2 and a half meter tall figure spotting a pompadour. The round went to Yamauchi again.

Amusing pictures and answers.

For the third and final question, the AKB48 members had to draw their view from the stage ideally of Singapore’s theater. In typical Japanese variety humor, this ended up being only the round that mattered as the winner was to be awarded 10 points.

Abe showed off her usual tsukkomi character by drawing a bunch of potatoes, which she likened the fans to. Maeda drew a sea of smiling faces while Yamauchi drew a mishmash of caricatures, even pointing out a couple of fans from the previous day’s concert.

No clear consensus could be reached for the winner so Mr Miyano invited three fans, one of each of the individual girls to compete in rock-paper-scissors to determine the winner. Yamauchi’s fan was eliminated in the first round and an epic battle between the two remaining fans ensured.

When Maeda’s fan was asked what he’d do should he lose, he apologized in advanced to his idol. To up the stakes, Miyano subsequently convinced the two fans that the loser ought to shave his head, the crowd laughed.

Two fans face off.

After two tense draws, Maeda’s fan representative, Guo Dong won, making her the resultant winner. As a present, she received a plush featuring the Singapore Merlion mascot. The two other members did not walk away empty handed though as they each received a souvenir picture frame too.

The girls win prizes of their own.

Visitors to the cafe were given the chance to win some prizes of their own too. Instead of the previous mass janken competition, visitors who had purchased the tickets for the event were handed sheets of paper on which they were supposed to test their artistic talents by drawing their favorite AKB48 members.

The three visiting AKB48 members would each pick their favorite submission and the artist would win a prize. A total of 6 copies (three per session) of AKB48′s latest release, Flying Get was autographed and given away by the visiting AKB48 members.

Choose the winning submissions.

This editor was lucky enough to have Yamauchi Suzuran pick the submission featuring Ichikawa Miori and such walked away with one of the copies of the said CD. Alas, I was too preoccupied to take a picture of the piece beforehand and would be too embarrassed to upload it here anyway.

Flying Get CD.

Like before, the event ended with a handshake session between the three AKB48 members and visitors. Fans no doubt left with smiling faces.

Handshake session.

It’s nice to see many new faces popping up, as AKB48 slowly works toward establishing their fan base in Singapore. It’s also interesting to see fans of all types coming to such events. But as soon as the theater lights turn off, all are united unanimously in their efforts to support their idols.

Well, fans will have many more chances lined up to show their support. Look forward to more of such cafe events in the (near) future. And surprises, in typical AKB48 fashion.

Photos by Maliciel.

While Singapore will have to wait until the 27th of August for the next concert, AKB48 continue to keep fan spirits high with yet another special cafe visit last Sunday. Three members of the popular pop idol group, Kuramochi Asuka, Sato Sumire and Yamauchi Suzuran met and entertained fans, some of whom had flown in to especially for this event at the AKB48 Singapore Cafe.

AKB48 are of course, currently Japan’s most popular music artists, having finally found superstar status since their debut almost 6 years ago. Their success, a result of high production values and the unique effort to break out of traditional celebrity preconceptions, by holding frequent events where the idols can interact casually with fans and vice versa.

The group has been routinely holding theater styled performances in Singapore since May this year. And this is the second time members from AKB48 have visited the AKB48 Singapore Cafe as part of their “AKB48 Summer Holiday Special Visit” campaign.

Singapore's AKB48 themed cafe.

The three visiting members Kuramochi Asuka (Team A), Sato Sumire (Team B) and Yamauchi Suzuran (Team 4) held a total of 4 sessions throughout the day. Tickets for each session were sold in advance at $35 and included a meal.

Refreshments were served promptly and fans dug into their meals quickly, no doubt to focus on the happenings on the mini-stage. Appropriately, a video showing AKB48 members sampling the cafe food during their previous visit was aired simultaneously.

Katsu curry was served for the 1st and 4th sessions.

Fried chicken.

While parfait and a light snack were served during the tea time sessions.

Fans turned up from Singapore as well as Japan, Malaysia, China and Indonesia. It’s nice to note that despite the misconception where such an event would be filled by male otaku, that it wasn’t the case (that would be left for the “Summer Festival” held by Haru House upstairs).

Instead, AKB48 attracted visitors from all walks of life, including many expats, young children accompanied by their parents and a significant number of female fans.

I had the opportunity to talk to one young woman, who was visiting an AKB48 event for her first time and learned that her fascination with the group stemmed from seeing the members in Japanese television dramas (which they now frequent) such as Majisuka Gakuen.

The cafe staff introduce themselves.

The afternoon event opened up with introductions from each of our own AKB48 Cafe staff members on the mini-stage. But it wasn’t long before the guests-of-honor would make their grand entrance.

Fans cheered excitedly as the three AKB48 members made their way to the stage, where they too would introduce themselves in turn.

AKB48 members take to the stage.

From left to right: Kuramochi Asuka, Sato Sumire and Yamauchi Suzuran.

No AKB48 event would be complete without live performances. But it was our local talents that wowed the audience with their moves on stage today. The AKB48 members were invited to sit aside while the cafe staff took to the stage to perform their own renditions of popular AKB48 songs.

Live performances by the cafe staff.

Sakura no Ki ni Narou.

GAGAGA.

The girls watch on excitedly.

Two songs were rotated each session, from a total of four new songs: Beginner, Blue Rose, Sakura no Ki ni Narou and SDN48′s GAGAGA. Fans and AKB48 members joined in cheering the cafe staff on as they danced energetically on stage.

AKB48 members give their review.

After each performance, the AKB48 girls were asked to voice out their impressions. Kuramochi commented on how accurately the cafe girls were able to pull off the songs without any guidance. Sato complimented the staffs’ performances too, while noting the difficulty of the dances and adding that she found them cute.

The hyperactive Yamauchi expressed her excitement in being able to occasionally sneak peeks at the performers’ short pants as they danced, also complementing the girls on their legs and exclaiming that they were cool.

They enjoyed the performance too.

The AKB48 Cafe Special Visit followed an almost identical format to the last, with a Q&A session with the three guests. Lucky visitors were given the chance to learn more about the AKB48 members by having their questions answered personally.

Compared to past visits, today’s AKB48 guests were refreshingly open, answering all sorts of demanding or embarrassing questions in good fun.

Question and answer session.

Once again our MC for the day was Kai, the AKB48 Singapore Shop manager. He’s loosened up considerably too since the previous sessions, which allowed for some amusing conversations with the members. Needless to say, the AKB48 members entertained the crowd with their upbeat personalities.

Lots of interesting requests.

One interesting request was for Kuramochi Asuka to assess the other attending members’ ears, since the former is well known for her ear fetish, something that has been publicized on television before. When questioned on who had the best ears in AKB48, Kuramochi nominated fellow French Kiss team mate, Takajo Aki. Even going into great detail in elaborating its texture and shape.

Just one of the many young Sato Sumire fans this afternoon.

Sato Sumire attracted a surprisingly number of young guests today, who no doubt looked up to her as a role model. One young guest, upon having her lot picked out of the box, voiced her support and requested if Sato could perform her catchphrase which she liked. Sato complied shyly.

Another young Sato Sumire fan, a diminutive 4 year old girl, panicked and broke into tears when chosen, resulting in an adoring exclamation from the crowd.

Complying.

At the suggestion of a fan, Yamauchi Suzuran demonstrated her golf swing. The young AKB48 member is well known for her interest in golf, having picked it up when she was 8. She had joined a pro-am tournament earlier this year too.

Suzuran showing off her golf swing, at the bequest of fans.

Next up was another mass rock-paper-scissors contest held between the AKB48 members and cafe patrons where visitors had the chance to win exciting prizes.

Mass janken contest.

Fans competing directly with the members.

The AKB48 members took turns playing with the crowd and all but the winning throws were eliminated until only one lucky person remained each round.

Winners received original posters of the event, signed personally by the member that they bested. 3 posters were given out each session for a total of 12.

Autographed personally.

Winners walked away with original AKB48 Singapore autographed posters .

A total of 12 lucky winners were rewarded over the day.

The event was wrapped up with a meet-and-greet session with the three visiting AKB48 members. AKB48 had popularized such events in Japan where fans could meet their idols up close. While increasingly common, visitors cherished the opportunity to interact personally with the AKB48 members.

The highlight of the visit for many.

A handshake session with the AKB48 members.

Fans could interact directly with their idols.

Fans of all sorts.

Events like this leave an inexplicable atmosphere, where it is difficult for even non-fans witnessing not to smile. Thrilled fans left with wide grins from being able to meet their idols, while the idols appreciated the encouragement from fans. It is with these positive feelings, that the AKB48 members continue to shine in the performances that the fans so love.

Fortunately AKB48 buffs will not need to wait long to meet them again, with members coming down again next Saturday for their 4th stage performance. Visitors to the cafe event were also the first to learn of the 16 members coming for the subsequent concert at the end of the month. The list being as follows.

Team A
Ota Aika
Katayama Haruka
Nakata Chisato
Maeda Ami
Matsubara Natsumi
Nakaya Sayaka

Team K
Umeda Ayaka
Fujie Reina
Matsui Sakiko
Yonezawa Rumi

Team B
Ishida Haruka
Sato Sumire
Sato Natsuki
Hirajima Natsumi

Team 4
Abe Maria
Yamauchi Suzuran

The chances are that once you hang out on a place long enough, you’ll start finding more chill out options at the vicinity. Summer Frost is one such find, after numerous occasions of visiting *SCAPE for that reason. Frozen dessert, reasonably priced and a great place to hang out. What’s there not to like about having an addition spot to chill?

Signature flavors.

Other options available.

As their shop name suggests, their signature frost items are the stuff that shouldn’t be missed. In case anyone can’t really catch the idea from the pictures, the frozen desserts are basically flavored shaved ice/sorbets. If frost desserts are not to your liking, they also have a range of hot and cold beverages and small bites for order.

Playing mix and match, one can choose any single type of ice flavor and add any toppings that they fancy from the list. Thus creating their own personal flavor. But if you belong to the more laid back kind, they also offer combo frost sets with frost and toppings pre-selected. Trust me, nothing can go wrong with their suggested sets since the combinations are usually very safe options.

Grape rape. Fresh grapes, grape frost and more grape sauce.

Red velvet. Milk and strawberry is an unbeatable combo.

Red bean matcha. As the red bean toppings are unavailable, the staff gave us nata de coco instead.

Granted, I went safe mode and ordered a couple frost combo sets to try out. As most of the pairings suggests, they matched their flavors perfectly. But if in any case where the combo sets toppings are not available, the staff at summer frost are still happy to mix in other available toppings to cover up. In this case the red bean matcha combo set, the red beans that are not available was substituted with the nata de coco topping instead.

Happy customers of summer frost.

Despite changing their place of operation from the NTU campus to the current *SCAPE outlet, Summer Frost’s target audience has hardly changed. Now providing the same delectable frost desserts for the teens hanging out at SCAPE. Still finding that elusive place to chill out in town? Maybe you can give Summer Frost a try for their decent location and soothing frost desserts.

SKE48, the Nagoya based spin-off to Japan’s top idol group AKB48 were in town this Wednesday, 27th July 2011. Fans from Singapore and a surprising many who had come from as far as the United States were treated to a day of exciting activities that culminated in their first ever high energy concert performance in Singapore

Formed in 2008, SKE48 (or Sakae48) is the first variant of the 48 concept idol group by acclaimed lyricist and producer Akimoto Yasushi. In the same manner as their Akihabara counterpart, SKE48 is split into three teams of 16 members which rotate to perform live “stage shows” almost daily from their theater at the Sunshine Sakae building in Nagoya.

The group is now part of the avex trax label and have had 6 major CD releases to date, the latest of which coincided with their visit to Singapore. Like AKB48, SKE48 top the CD sales charts thanks to their catchy feel good tunes and energetic dances.

This afternoon, three members took part in a SKE48 Special Visit at the AKB48 Singapore Cafe. Ono Haruka (24) and Nakanishi Yuka (22) were part of SKE48′s founding Team S while Abiru Riho (18) was one of the second generation members that make up Team KII.

Similar to the AKB48 Summer Holiday Special Visit held last week, tickets for SKE48′s visit sold for $35 each and covered the cost of a meal at the cafe.

Introductions by the cafe staff.

The event began with introductions from the AKB48 Singapore Cafe’s staff. And after serving lunch, fans were screened a video of SKE48′s latest song Pareo wa Emerald. This was quickly followed by the appearance of the day’s guests.

Nakanishi Yuka, Haruka Ono and Riho Abiru introduced themselves in turn. The SKE48 members were pleasantly surprised by the cafe visitors’ familiarity with them despite it being their first time here.

From left to right. Abiru Riho, Ono Haruka, Nakanishi Yuka.

The cafe staff perform on the mini-stage.

The SKE48 members watch on excitedly.

Like the previous event, the guests did not perform this afternoon. Instead, they watched as the cafe staff took to the stage once again for their own renditions of popular AKB48 singles. They then offered their comments on our local talents.

Nakanishi expressed her urge to join in. Commenting that it’d be nice if they would be able to dance together in the future. Ono shrieked with excitement, exclaiming that the staff’s fluttering skirts when they spun around had made her heart beat faster. While Abiru remarked that she may had found her favorite cafe girl.

The girls talk a little about themselves.

As the stage was prepped for a short question and answer session, the SKE48 members revealed their initial impressions of Singapore and mentioned that they had enjoyed their visits to both the Merlion and Singapore Flyer earlier in the day.

While the previous AKB48 visitors often resorted to careful, by the book answers, the members of SKE48 were noticeably more open and lighthearted in their replies. When asked by Kai, the event’s MC to describe the draw of SKE48, Nakanishi Yuka remarked that they weren’t particularly well mannered, idol-like or skilled.

Followed by a quick Q&A session with the fans.

Attendees were also given the chance to personally ask the girls questions. And we’d learn that many of the fans this day had come all the way from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States.

When Nakanishi, who is often teased for her boyish looks was posed with the question of which fellow member she would most like to date, she answered Akaeda Ririna, on account of her cute and polite demeanor.

Finally, a Japanese fan asked where did they go for dinner last night, to which Ono revealed that they had ther dinner at the cafe last night with the rest of the other SKE48 members. Like their AKB48 peers before, Nakanishi mentioned that they had autographed some of the chairs in the cafe too.

They had signed some of the chairs the evening before.

Next, cafe patrons were pitted against the SKE48 members in turn in a series of mass rock-paper-scissors matches. The final winner of each bout was to walk away with a copy of their latest single, autographed on the spot by the three members present.

Thanks to Abiru, I ended up walking away with the last of the three. This ended up being the highlight of the day, as this editor is quite the fan of Ono Haruka.

Autographed copy of their latest single.

Amusingly, while Abiru and Ono were busying themselves in the signing, Nakanishi asked if I was familiar with her. Flipping the CD around she pointed out that they were on the back instead. Hopefully she was relieved when I let her know that I did indeed knew her and had actually seen them live in concert last year.

On the back.

Ended with their trademark meet and greet opportunity.

As customary of such events, the SKE48 cafe visit ended with a handshake session where all the fans present were allowed to meet their three idols up close and perhaps sneak in a few words.

Off to the media interviews.

At the same time as the cafe visit, two other events involving the SKE48 members occurred simultaneously that day.

Three members of the group, SKE48 Team S captain Hirata Rikako, Takada Shiori and Matsumoto Rina held interviews with the local tabloids while the remaining ten took to the streets of Orchard Road to promote their concert later in the evening.

The remaining ten members tour Orchard Road.

Handing out flyers for their concert in the evening personally.

It was their first time visiting Singapore.

The few lucky fans who had opted to give the cafe event a miss mingled around freely with the 10 members of SKE48 as they toured the streets of Singapore, handing out flyers personally to members of the public. A special thanks to Kenneth Ong, for providing these pictures of their walk around Orchard.

But that didn't stop them from greeting fans and strangers alike warmly.

Stopping to take some touristy photos.

Not your usual celebrities.

Those who witnessed the event commented that they were taken by surprise by the SKE48 members openness as compared to the previous visits by AKB48 and SDN48. The girls actively engaged passersby, showcasing their friendly attitude.

Daryl Song, another reader contributor to this site, was particularly ecstatic when the staff and girls asked if they could use a poster board that he had made for their tour through the city.

Posing with a fan's board.

Staying true to the AKB48 concept.

Braving the local weather.

Posing outside Ion Orchard.

That evening, SKE48 held a rather successful first concert in Singapore. Visitors arranged to surprise member Yamada Reika with a secret birthday celebration. Heralded by Jam Translation’s Malciel, fans even chipped in to provide all the concertgoers with free glow sticks in the birthday girl’s favorite color.

With the 48 girls coming on a frequent basis to Singapore now and their repeated attempts to win over new fans, perhaps the public will slowly come to recognize and even appreciate the concept. At the same time, we hope the members from SKE48 have walked away with a favorable impression of this little country called Singapore.

A group photo to remember their visit by.

Images courtesy of Malciel and Kohilist.

This Tuesday, AKB48 fans from Singapore were given a treat when two members of the popular pop group visited the AKB48 Singapore Cafe at *SCAPE. Team A’s Maeda Ami and fast rising research member Abe Maria visited for a Summer Holiday Special Visit to interact with fans personally. Here’s our coverage of the day’s events.

AKB48 2011 Singapore Summer Holiday Special Visit.

Tickets for the event were sold over the weekend. A $35 coupon ensured attendance and included a set meal prepared exclusively for the event. A total of 3 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes were held over the course of the day. Fans grabbed up all of each session’s 50 seats.

The staff spared no time in serving the food.

The special menu this afternoon was a set consisting of a choice of curry rice, soup, salad and a drink. Visitors were given the option of selecting between chicken katsu or tonkatsu for their curry. As an added touch, meals at the cafe are now accompanied by a miniature flag featuring a random AKB48 member.

Chicken curry.

Pork curry.

Sides.

Exclusive videos of the AKB48 Senbatsu members greeting Singapore were shown for the first time at the cafe this afternoon. Messages shown included those from Maeda Atsuko, Shinoda Mariko and the ever popular Kashiwagi Yuki among others.

Video messages from the group's top ranking members.

The guests appear.

The AKB48 members introduce themselves.

The guests eventually made their grand entrance, emerging from behind the kitchen. They casually introduced themselves before answering some interesting questions pose by the AKB48 Singapore Shop Manager Kai, who served as the MC of the day. During, the afternoon’s event the girls appeared after the cafe girls’ acts but in the evening, Abe Maria and Maeda Ami were invited to witness the performances.

Dance performances were held on the mini-stage where the cafe’s staff performed two popular AKB48 singles. The first group danced to Heavy Rotation, while the second choreographed with their own unit version of Ponytail to Shushu. The cafe staff have been practicing earnestly and the performances were met with much fanfare from the cafe patrons, who eagerly cheered during the girls’ performances. As an added bonus, it was revealed that the staff would be performing regularly every Friday and Saturday at the cafe from now on.

The cafe staff dance to Heavy Rotation.

Mini-unit version of Ponytail to Shushu.

The two AKB48 members had kind words when asked what they thought about the cafe staffs’ performances. They were particularly impressed to see the songs’ dances (which were intended for a large group) successfully pulled off by such a small number.

Q&A session with Abe Maria and Maeda Ami.

Next, lucky fans were given the chance to have their own questions answered. While man of the questions gave little room for anything but politically correct answers, the girls did their best to keep things interesting.

One interesting question posed by the local Japanese press was what the girls most wanted now and what was their favorite thing that they got from fans. Maeda revealed that she most wanted a new cellphone as her current phone was unable to take photographs. She revealed that her favorite gift had been a blanket from a fans and takes it wherever she goes.

Abe Maria in particular surprised the audience with her blunt sense of humor. When asked what she most wanted too, Abe spontaneously replied that she wanted a house in Singapore. When asked what her current cellphone ringtone was, she revealed that she used a clip of AKB48 Team 4′s Ichikawa Miori’s catchphrase from the song Team B oshi. Similarly showing off her mastery of comedic timing, at the suggestion of the MC to give Miori’s catchphrase a try, Abe harshly replied “But I’m not Fresh Lemon”.

Mass game of Jankenpon.

Winner walked away with an autographed copy of their recent single.

As a surprise present to the day’s visitors, a short round of Jankenpon (rock-paper-scissors) was held between the AKB48 representatives and the cafe patrons. One lucky winner at each of the three sessions walked away with a copy of AKB48′s latest single, autographed on the spot by the two AKB48 members.

As customary of many other AKB48 events, all fans (and staff) in attendance were given the opportunity to shake hands with their idols at the end of the session. After having visited Singapore such numerous times, the girls seem to have recognized many of their fans by now.

The girls showed their appreciation for those who came to support the day’s events. And at the same time, fans took the opportunity to pass along words of encouragement.

The local fans collaborated to make scrapbooks for the two visiting members.

Handshaking opportunity with the idols.

At the same time, the girls could meet their treasured fans.

Do look forward to more similar events as well as the AKB48 Singapore Cafe’s official launch celebration in the near future.

Despite being Japan’s top selling artists, the idols aim to convert fans the tough way, with their down to earth personality and apparent hard work. The group hopes that while the concept may still be foreign to the public, Singapore as well as other countries around the region will eventually warm up to the idea of idols you can meet. The AKB48 2011 Summer Holiday Special Visit was just one of the many planned events to raise the local awareness of AKB48.

Look forward to more fun and exciting events lined up!

One of the first things that visitors always notice about Japan is the sheer number of vending machines all over the country. In fact, Japan is home to more than 5,260,000 vending machines at last count. Numerous machines litter the corner of every street, dispensing all sorts of things you’d least expect. But drink vending machines still remain the most common. These simple steel boxes often hold an amusing assortment of brightly labeled beverages that seem especially attractive when lined up in the manner. Dozens of photos of Japanese vending machines and their drinks inside.

When it comes to packing, you’ve got to hand it to the Japanese for their alluring designs. The colorful, bold and often simplistic graphics tell you little more than the contents of the can but somehow, it works. I once traveled with someone who couldn’t resist stopping at every machine to pick up a drink. This despite having spent years in Japan already, so it wasn’t just a tourist thing.

Drinks often cost between 100 to 150 yen and seem like a great way to get rid of spare coins. It’s particularly tempting when you need a soda to quench the hot summer heat or something to keep you warm in the winter. Or so the advertisements featuring your favorite celebrities would lead you believe. But a dollar here and there quickly adds up.

But how can you resist Mizukawa Asami.

Most machines are branded. So you have to go around looking for a particular machine.

Amino Supli.

Fanta!

Aquarius.

Attaka Lemon C. A warm lemon drink.

Georgia Cafe Au Lait. Warm cans are useful in the cold temperature.

Interesting choices at different machines.

I guess many will be weakened by the illusion of choice. And you can’t help but seek out the most desirable option among those presented to you and suddenly, that bottle or can starts to look like a rather good buy. Give in and hope for the best.

Sometimes you’ll end up with a genuinely delicious drink. At other times, a disappointing dud. Yet most machines here are owned by the individual companies so regardless of what you choose, the machine wins.

The trick is to never settle though and always wait till you find a machine with something you actually want to drink, since it is seldom far away. Or better yet, just bring along some water next time.

Kochakaden (Coca-Cola) Royal Milk Tea. Probably the best choice among all the brands.

Strawberry Flavored Version. Tastes overwhelmingly like strawberry milk.

Asahi Milk Tea. The similar packing is confusing.

Always amusing names.

Yet when I come across an interesting buy myself, I often end up succumbing (and regretting after). Such as in this case. Fortunately, you won’t see this often. It’s one of those strange prefecture drinks that are probably an acquired taste. The Miyazaki equivalent of Sarsi or Kickappo.

Skal Melon. Fizzy, milky melon flavored drink. Do not try.

A lot of tourist traps sell overpriced attraction themed bottled water.

But I guess there is a market if they are selling it.

Often find strange experimental drinks.

Pancake Milk Shake...

The thing is, I often find that most Japanese drinks end up being kind of inept at their obvious purpose of quenching thirst. You’ll find that many of their original drinks contain ridiculous amounts of sugar when compared to say, foreign colas. In fact, even their “juice drinks” are sickening sweet. Which is probably why they are required to put their actual fruit content in percentage. You’d be surprised by how low the numbers are.

Kirin Lemon Tea. Drinks are required to state the actual amount of juice on their packing.

Itoen Fruit Mix. One of the rare 100% juice.

Otsuka Match. Another vitamin drink.

Many vending machines serve more than drinks...will have to feature those some other time.

Milk vending machine.

Got to love the attractive visuals.

Nacchan Party. Emoticon drink.

Kirin Loves Sports. Interesting use of the label's edge.

Around every corner.

One of the drinks that I can regularly rely on though is Calpis. The yoghurt drink is light enough to enjoy anytime. I’ve compiled photos from an attempt to try out ever flavor possible but have fallen short.

Premium Calpis. A more expensive, thicker version. I actually prefer the normal one.

Calpis Soda. Lighter carbonated version.

Peach Calpis.

Mango Calpis.

Some of the unusual Calpis flavors I missed.

Gokuri. Yan wrote about this in an older article.

Nice detail on the bottles.

Here’s a quick link to Yan’s older share on Suntory Gokuri.

Ultra Cola.

Seems that there was a whole series of Ultraman themed drinks.

After having introduced the general concept of Ramen Champion Singapore in the previous post, I’ll slowly be covering the six different stalls one by one. Out of all 6 stalls, one particular stall stands out for being very unique among the other more commonly seen Ramen styles that have been brought over to Singapore and that is Bario Ramen.

For those who are not familiar with what kind of Ramen Bario serves, Jiro-style noodles is the only choice here. Essentially that is, a bowl of porky shoyu soup, paired with extremely thick noodles, topped with bean sprouts and chunky char siew. For added flavor, there is also one inch of suspended fats covering the whole bowl. Sounds rather overpowering? That’s because this style of Ramen is meant to be like this.

Bario Ramen, Jiro-style Ramen.

As mentioned before, the bowl Bario serves is Jiro-style noodles. This is derived from the immensely popular Jiro Ramen back in Japan. Jiro Ramen, which once was a cult phenomenon capturing the hearts and bellies of its loyal supporters had managed to catch on with the general public. From then on this style of Ramen boomed, and a numbers of imitators started appearing, each doing their best to copy Jiro’s massive bowl of goodness.

Among all of the other imitators, Bario had become rather successful in creating the Jiro-style noodles. In a few short years, they managed to open 3 chain shops to their name, spreading the love of Jiro-style noodles in Tokyo itself. Singapore is their first overseas venture.

Interestingly, the name “Bario” seems to be a word play of sorts. But one thing is certain, バリ男 with the Kanji word “men” written on is definitely warning that anyone attempting their bowl of noodles should be manly enough. Even to be as manly as the Bario staff themselves, who don on a Bario version of the superman T-shirt. Wished that I could buy one of those tees.

Expect to see the Bario beeper every time due to the large crowds trying out of curiosity.

To be frank, out of the six Ramen stalls, Bario is considered my favorite of the lot. Yet I usually don’t recommend it to due to the fact that those with a weaker stomach will suffer from its after effects the day after. The thick cut bread flour noodles can easily cause indigestion and the huge amounts of pork fats only contributes to an upset stomach. Not good.

Also, the sheer volume from a bowl of their Ramen is enough for the average person to be full for 1 or 2 meals. It is a tough bowl to tackle. In fact, some pride themselves in being able to handle this kind of Ramen with ease.

Regular sized Bario Ramen, a is Small size available.

So what constitutes a bowl of Bario Ramen?

A familiar tonkotsu based soup is used, but since there’s also huge amount of pork parts used aside from the usual bones, I’ll just call it the porkiest soup ever. See the deep brown soup with the suspended white pork fats? A specially chosen shoyu (soy sauce) gives the soup its characteristically overpowering flavor. Definitely not your usual store bought shoyu.

The noodles are made with bread flour, and sculpted into an udon sized thickness. Considering that a regular bowl of their noodles should consist of around 350g of noodles, that equates to enjoying a whole baguette in compressed noodle form. Even for those who opt for a smaller bowl of Bario Ramen, know that there should be at least 200g of noodles in there too.

To top it off, large amounts of boiled veggies (usually bean sprouts and cabbage) are piled on top of the almost overflowing bowl of Ramen and paired with some chunky Japanese char siew. I’d try not to give the veggies a miss, since they are the only stuff in the bowl that cleanses your palette while tackling this bowl of noodles.

Some say that among everything that is within the Bario bowl, the hardest thing to tackle would be the char siew itself. True? You’ll have to be the judge.

If you look closely, the thick layer of suspended pork fats should be pretty evident from the photos itself. It acts as added flavor for the already very sinful bowl of noodles and also helps keep the bowl of Ramen hot while eating. Be careful not to get scorched by the soup.

Bario Ramen 2nd attempt, with max garlic and chilies.

As recommended by boss himself, a bowl of his Bario Ramen is best enjoyed with some raw minced garlic, chilies optional.

Like the idea of fighting poison with poison, one can add copious amounts of garlic to their bowl to make the usually porky soup slightly less overpowering. Dried chili flakes are of course provided, knowing that the Singaporeans must have their fix of spiciness in everything they consume.

Interestingly, there is a scale written for the different amount of garlic and chilies added to one’s bowl. Probably a way to taunt diners to eat the way the boss feels that his noodles should meant to be eaten. To become the most manly as you can be, 3 large spoonfuls of mince garlic is required. 1 or 2 spoonful of garlic respectively dictates that one is manly or slightly manly (but all are still respected for simply attempting this feat).

In English, "For being a man, thank you".

Bario is now the hottest bowl of Ramen to be savored by diners visiting the Ramen Champion, as it seems to draw the longest queues in each of the several times that I have visited. This is of course fueled by its novelty among of the other bowls of Ramen served, this is the most unique of the lot. Will it really win over the taste buds and stomachs of the Ramen loving Singaporean community? Only time will tell.

During each of my visits, there was no lack of brave friends trying out Bario Ramen. This allowed me a chance to gauge the consistency of the bowls they served. And to be frank, little details start to get missed out once the crowds gets insane.

One evident difference was that for the bean sprouts during my first visit, the head and the tails were picked out but that wasn’t the case in subsequent visits. Yes, the taste and other stuff mainly stays consistent but those who like to nick-pick will be able to draw out these small details without any difficulty.

For now Bario Ramen remains the top bowl to try, if only because of its sheer uniqueness and novelty. For those looking for a challenge in a bowl of Ramen, this is it. For the rest who don’t adore queue times or simply want a more familiar fix of Ramen, I’ll also be covering the other 5 stores at Ramen Champion once I have the chance, so stay tuned.

PS: For people who are manly enough to finish the bowl till the last drop (no cheating), there’s a little added surprise written on the bottom of the bowl.