hello tokyo.

And hello blog.

So hey, hi, konnichiwa. I've missed this so much.

I never thought that, given the baking slump I was in before I left for Tokyo for my university studies, I would miss baking as much as I do right now. I thought that with the endless brilliant patisseries over here I could stave off the need to bake at least until I get my own apartment with my own kitchen space sometime in 2017 but it's barely three months in and something just feels so wrong. I caved in around the two-month mark and got myself a handy waffle-sandwich-donut maker but there wasn't a convenient time to use it until recently. I didn't even make the waffles from scratch - I chose to put my faith in a Japanese waffle mix because it saves me so much time I don't have - but the process was immensely satisfying and relaxing as it always is.

I'm not sure if it's apparent but these pictures were taken minutes before the sun set, which means around 4.30pm Japan time these wintry days - insanely early. On Sundays I get only around 5 hours of natural light. If you do the math you'll know what time I wake up (and I am not ashamed). Unfortunately the pictures are grainy but I'm lucky they turned out pretty acceptable with some editing.

Since I was putting up a post with no recipe, I thought that I would introduce some amazing cafes I've been to since I got here.

For some dang good tarts and pies with a homey cottage-y atmosphere I would definitely recommend Quil Fait Bon. I frequent the Aoyama branch but they have other outlets in and out of Tokyo.

For the most ethereal scrambled eggs, Bills is your go-to. Granted it's not local but for someone who has never eaten there until now i.e. me, it has set the unconquerable standard for this beloved breakfast (lunch? dinner?) dish and therefore stands as one of the top few cafes I would turn to for a good meal. Plus, the view is très magnifique.

For awesome French breads and pastries, Viron. If the quality of a croissant is determined by how flaky it is, judging from the mess my table and hair was in by the time I polished off my pain au chocolat, Viron does some mean croissants and I have reason to believe so of its other pastries. 

Garten is another establishment not to be missed. It's so tiny it's really more like a food stand but it has a couple of adorable benches and tables around. Garten mainly serves sandwiches and the menu changes according to season. The fruit sandwich I had was great and unique - they replaced the traditional whipped cream with a soy version and spread a mixture of what I believe to be almond and honey on the thick fluffy slices of white bread; but the most captivating aspect of this place is really its comforting picnic atmosphere.

Apart from checking out new cafes, I probably spend most of my weekends looking for tableware. I found it extremely challenging to look for affordable yet stylish props back in Singapore so I consider Tokyo's availability of a wide variety of inexpensive crockery and such one of the greatest things I love about living here. I got most of the items you see here from this place called Awesome Store which I swear I have got to stop just casually dropping by. I love Franc Franc as well but it's not the cheapest option. And of course, there's always Muji. The 100 yen shops also sell pretty decent tableware so my choices are practically limitless. If only my allowance was too.

So that's it for now. It's 3am and I gotta go. If you have any questions about the places I've just mentioned, leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Ciao!