Shabu shabu at Zakuro in Ginza / 銀座のざくろでしゃぶしゃぶ

IMG_5070, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

I had some fantastic shabu shabu at Zakuro in Ginza when I was a tour guide.

初めて美味しいしゃぶしゃぶを銀座にあるざくろで食べた。

Their thinly sliced marble beef melted inside of my mouth as soon as I tasted it.

霜降りのお肉は口に入れたとたんに溶けてしまった。

Their appetizers were terrific as well.
I especially enjoyed their tomato salad.
Their tomatoes were SWEET!

どの前菜も美味しかった。
特にトマトサラダは甘くてペロリと食べてしまった。

I recommend Zakuro in Ginza when you need some good shabu shabu!

美味しいしゃぶしゃぶを食べるなら銀座のざくろさんをおすすめします。

Lunch with Makiko / 牧子とランチ

IMG_5055, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

Mia and I went to Meguro to see Makiko.
Makiko's belly was not that big when I saw her last time in January, but this time her belly was big because her baby is almost in full term.

久しぶりの牧子とのランチ。
妊婦の牧子のお腹は大きくなっていたのでびっくり！

We had some delicious Chinese lunch at the restaurant near Meguro station!

ランチは目黒駅の側にある中華レストランで美味しい中華を頂きました。

After that I had a slice of lemon chocolate tart from a la campagne!

その後で神戸発の a la campagneのレモンチョコレートタルト〜

I think I ate too much!

ちょっと食べ過ぎた。

I cannot believe that both of us are going to be a mum soon!

二十代の頃から振り返ってみて、二人そろってママになるのがちょっと不思議な気分。

Zocalo cafe / ゾカロカフェ

Eggs Benedict, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

I missed greasy American brunch!

日本にいた時に時々食べたくなったエッグズベネディクト。

Mia and I went to Zocalo cafe for brunch.

さっそくゾカロカフェで食してきた。

I love their eggs benedict because their biscuits are made by sweet potato and jalapeno. They are delicious!

ここのビスケットはスイートポテトとハラペーニョがでできているので甘辛くて最高！

Not only I like their eggs benedict, but also I love their interior with a lot of sun light.

カフェのインテリアも素敵。

Last time when Mia and I came here with Stephanie, Mia could not eat anything from here.

最後にここに友達のステファニーと来た時は娘は何も食べれななったなぁ。

I cannot believe now she can sit in a high chair by myself and enjoy eating some fruits with me.

でも今では一人でハイチェアーに座ってフルーツを食べるまで成長した。

She is growing fast!

娘の成長の早さにはとにかくびっくりする。

Harajuku / 原宿

ricotta hotcakes, fresh banana and honeycomb butter, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

After reading a lot about how popular pancakes are in Tokyo, I finally got to eat the famous pancakes at bills in Omotesando.

Their fluffy pancakes were delicious. A sliced banana looking honeycomb butter made these pancakes richer!

去年から気になっていた噂のパンケーキ。日本のヴォーグでもbillsは取り上げられていたので行けて嬉しかった〜

パンケーキはふかふかの生地で美味しかった。最初はバナナかと思って口に入れたハニーバター。パンケーキと一緒に食べたハニーのバターはパンケーキの味を一層リッチに。

They had many art books and some modern art on the wall.

中のインテリアはアートの本とモダンアートが店内の壁をおおっていた。

Because Takeshita street was on our way to bills, we walked through the crowded Takeshita street like a tourist.

billsに行く途中に竹下通りがあったので観光客のように普通ならさける竹下通りを通ったり。

When we went to bills, we were told the waiting was going to be about 2 hours and half, thus we visited Meiji shrine as Hatsumode.

I was hoping Meiji shrine won't be as crowded as bills since today was 4th of January, but still... there was a big line to visit the shrine!

お正月も三日を終えたから明治神宮はそんなに混んでないかなと期待してお参りに行ったらめちゃめちゃ混んでいた。

Although everywhere we went was crowded, Mia was a good baby, so we all enjoyed going out.

今回はどこも混んでいたので娘は期限が悪くなるかなと思ったけど、思ったよりもぐずらずに楽しくお出かけできて良かった〜

Nenohi / ねのひ

Mia(6 months week 2) & Leo, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

I had lunch with Leo at Nenohi again.

レオとの久しぶりのねのひでのランチ。

We ordered our usual fish plate.

いつもの魚のランチは美味しかった〜

Leo has a 6 month-old baby too.

レオも娘と同じ六ヶ月の赤ちゃんの子育て中。

He was good at playing with Mia.

いつもやっている事のせいか娘をあやすのが上手だった。

It is awesome that my friends are having babies!

最近は私の友達のほとんどが子育てを頑張っているような気がする。

Contigo / コンティゴ

@ Contigo, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

Steve, Mia and I went to Contigo for brunch.

I was happy to eat brunch there after hearing good things about it.

噂に聞いていたコンティゴでのブランチ。

I think outside seats are a trend in Austin right now because it got outside seats where you can bring your dog. I saw many cute small dogs. Contigo was cute and spacious; I liked it.

最近のオースチンは外のベンチとテーブルをやるレストランが多い。コンティゴもやっぱりそうだった。外だから犬もOK。

I ordered beef tongue hash because it was a dish that our waiter recommended.

Beef tongue was tender and hash was tasty. I kind of wished there was some green on my plate. Maybe I need to order some salad next time.

スタッフのおすすめのポーチトエッグののった牛の舌とハッシュドポテトのデイッシュをオーダ。美味しかったけど、ちょっと緑が欲しかったなぁ。今度オーダーする時はサラダもオーダーしなきゃだめかしら。

Mia got her Japanese passport / 娘が日本のパスポートを無事に取得

Finally... Mia's Japanese passport!, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

Mia and I took a bus to go to Japan consulate in Houston. It was about 3 hours ride, so it worked out okay.

娘と二人でバスに乗ってヒューストンにある日本領事館へ。そこで娘は日本のパスポートを無事に取得。

Last time when I was at Japan consulate was right after M9 earthquake in Japan. I was in a mess emotionally from what I remember.

領事館に着いたらそういえば最後にここに来た時は東北大震災の後で精神的に大変だったなぁ。

I went to the same Italian restaurant, Perbacco that an employee from Japan consulate told me to go to before.

お昼は以前に領事館のスタッフに紹介してもらったイタリアンのお店。

I ordered the same oil based clam pasta just like last time since it was Italian mama's recommendation.

オーダーしたのもママさんおすすめの同じオイルベースのあさりのパスタ。

Pasta there was delicious.

以前と同じで美味しかった♥

Lunch came with salad and some bread.

ちなみにランチはサラダとパン付き。

It is hard to find a good Italian restaurant in Texas!

テキサスで美味しいイタリアンのお店と見つけるのはなかなか大変なのでまたまた食べに行って良かったとちょっと感激した★

Katsukura / かつくら

蟹のクリームコロッケとヒレかつ膳, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

I had lunch with Sonoko-chan at Katsukura. Katsukura is my favorite Tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo. It is located on 14th floor of Takashimaya department in Shinjuku.

そのこちゃんと高島屋の14階にあるかつくらでランチ。東京にあるとんかつ屋さんではかつくらが一番好き。

I ordered my usual crab meat cream croquette and fillet cutlet set. Gush, I missed this dish very much. It was delicious like usual.

いつもの蟹のクリームコロッケとヒレかつ膳をオーダーした。３年ぶりくらいだったのでとっても嬉しかった～

I like how they let us grind sesame seeds at the table and put them in katsu sauce. Not only sesame seeds smell so good in katsu sauce, but also they are good for your body.

かつくらのソースは自分でその場で胡麻をすってソースとまぜるので胡麻の良い香りがテーブルに広がる。胡麻好きの私にはたまらない。

This time I tried tofu from Kyoto with my meal instead of Kyoto veggie pickles since Kyoto is famous for tofu because of their fresh and tasty water.

今回は京都のお漬物以外に京都のお豆腐のチョイスがあったのでお豆腐を頼んだ。やっぱり京都のお豆腐のせいか味がしっかりと付いていて美味しかった。

I was hoping Mia to be sleeping during our lunch, however she woke up as soon she heard Sonoko-chan's voice.

Babies do not like to stay at one place for long time because they get bored. Mia got tired of just watching us eat, so she started crying. I took her to outside; she stopped crying, but every time when I went back to the restaurant, she started to cry. She cried so hard that made her to cough. Mia got tired after crying hard, and she slept well in a stroller.

娘がランチ中は寝てくれる事を期待。でもそのこちゃんの声を聞いたら起きてしまいレストランに長くいたせいか大泣き。赤ちゃんって同じ場所に長くいるとあきるみたいなので、いったん外に出て泣き止んだらまたレストランに戻ってみたけど、また泣き始めた。大泣きして疲れた実愛はその後はベビーカーでぐっすり寝ていた。

I found another Baby Care Lounge on 14th floor of Takashimaya. It was smaller than the one on 9th floor, but I liked this one too because it was clean and it got individual breastfeeding rooms. Breastfeeding outside is hard, therefore I appreciate Takashimaya making individual breastfeeding rooms for mothers.

かつくらのすぐ側にも赤ちゃん休憩室を発見。９階の赤ちゃん休憩室よりも小さいけど、ここも個室の授乳室があったりキッチンなどもあって赤ちゃん連れのママやパパには便利ねと感心した。

I have been only breastfeeding my daughter, so I have never really got to use their kitchen to make milk except washing my hands. I think it is awesome that they have hot water to make milk for babies.

キッチンは完母なので手を洗うくらいしかした事がないけれど、ちゃんとミルク用の熱いお湯も出てGOOD！

Brunch at Zocalo Cafe / Zocalo Cafeでのブランチ

2 mums having brunch, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

Stephanie and I had brunch at Zocalo Cafe for the first time.

ステファニーとZocalo Cafeで初めてブランチした。

Zocalo Cafe got modern architecture and cute interior. A lot of daylight from outside, their white walls and white ceiling created a cozy atmosphere.

Zocalo Cafeはモダンなアーキテクチャーとキュートなインテリアのカフェだった。窓から入る外からの光と白く塗られた壁や天井は居心地の良い空間を造り出していた。

As soon as I saw the building, I knew they must have good food and I would definitely come back.

実を言うと外からカフェを見た時に、あっ絶対ここになら美味しい食べ物があるからまた戻ってきそうと感じた。

The cashier lady told me her favorite brunch is Egg Benedict, so I tried it today.

レジのお姉さんからはエッグベネディクトをおすすめされた。

It was delicious.

もちろんエッグベネディクトをオーダーしました。美味しかったです。

I liked how they put sweet potatoes in their biscuits. It made their biscuits to be bit sweet and flavorful. Also their grilled tomato was sweet and juicy!

ちょっと普通のエッグベネディクトと違う所は、ここのビスケットにはスイートポテトが入っている所。だから飽きずに美味しく食べれた。グリルされたトマトのスライスは甘くてジューシー。

Good baby, Mia slept through most of the time while we had brunch.

良い子の実愛ちゃんはほとんどブランチの時はグーグー寝ていました。

kome

kaki fry teishoku, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

I heard so much about this Japanese restaurant called kome in Austin. I finally got to go there today with my friend, Miyuki who is 39 weeks pregnant to have some lunch together. The restaurant was packed!

今日はうわさに聞いていたレストランkomeに友達の妊娠39週目のみゆきちゃんとランチを食べに行ってきました。レストランはめちゃくちゃ混んでた!

I realized they have many different teishoku in their lunch menu which is rare in Austin, so I decided to order Kaki fry teishoku (fried oyster lunch). I was excited to order it since last time I had fried oysters was in Japan!

komeのランチメニューはオースチンでは珍しく定食メニューが豊富。カキのフライ定食をオーダーしました。カキのフライなんて日本で食べたのが最後と感動。

We ordered Texas Surf and Turf Rolls to share. I was bit disappointed by their sushi rice because their sushi rice seemed to be too hard and dry.

komeのお寿司も食べてみたかったので巻物のテキサス サーフ & ターフ ロールをオーダした。巻物は酢飯が固くて期待はずれだった。

I think I would like to go back there for their lunch teishoku.

ランチ定食目的でまた来たいなぁと感じた。

The Dog and Duck Pub with Rachel/ レイチェルと一緒にThe Dog and Duck Pubでお昼

rachel and me, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

I had lunch with Rachel. We went to the Dog and Duck Pub near Women&Their Work.

レイチェルと彼女の仕事先の近くのパブ、The Dog and Duck Pubでお昼。

Rachel recommended me to get some BLT sandwich and it was huge!

彼女に進められてBLTサンドをオーダーした。BLTサンドは大きかったから半分食べて、持ち帰りにした。

I feel like I have been eating a lot of meat after i got pregnant.

妊婦になってからはいっぱいお肉を食べているような気がする。

Brunch at La Condesa / La Condesaでブランチ

Huevos Condesa, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

I wanted to eat some eggs today; I had brunch at La Condesa first time. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy the food and Austin weather.

無性に卵が今日は食べたくなった。大好きなLa Condesaで初めてのブランチ。外のテラスに座って食べたらとっても気持ちよかった。

I ordered some decaf coffee and Huevos Condesa. I liked how they gave me a pot and it was French press coffee. Their coffee was delicious. I got Huevos Condesa because my waiter recommended to me. It was bit spicy, but still I liked it.

ディカフェのコーヒーとHuevos Condesaをオーダー。嬉しい事にコーヒーはフレンチプレスでポットごとテーブルに来た。Huevos Condesaはちょっと辛かったけど美味しかったから完食。

I cannot wait to go back there again!

またLa Condesaに行くのが楽しみ♥

Chez Nous

salad with porched egg, a photo by fumika yamamoto on Flickr.

Chez Nous is one of my favorite restaurants in Austin, Texas. A French guy took me to the restaurant first time over 10 years ago. I remember how much liking their food when he took me there.

10年くらい前にフランス人の男友達に連れて行ってもらったフレンチビストロのChez Nousで久々にランチ。ここの料理、美味しいなぁと初めてChez Nousで食べた時に感動した事は今でも覚えている。

This is the place that I would actually order a fish dish in Texas without thinking too much.

魚料理をテキサスでオーダーする時はけっこう慎重になるけど、ここなら安心してオーダーできる。

I ordered a rainbow trout fillet sauteed with butter, parsley and lemon juice today.
I liked it a lot!

今日は鱒をオーダした。めちゃめちゃ美味しかった。

This is the link to Chez Nous

Chez Nousのサイトです。