Yoku Moku Cookies Part II

More Yoku Moku Cookies, and probably the last of them. It seems we've gotten bored of these and moved on to other goodies. Plus these are difficult to get a hold of, and expensive, and the selections are always the same because LE flavors are out of reach for us :(

These Double Chocolat Blancs were from a Japanese grocery store downtown, and for $18/tin too which I thought was pretty reasonable. However, when I went back for more, I was told they could no longer restock these. No reasons were given :(

Snack Time Part III

This Snack Time post has gotten way too long so I thought I'd better get it out there before it gets lost in my draft folder.

 

In May of 2019, I received an amazing care package from Julia, stuffed full of yummies. Thank you, Julia! With the exception of the Hanamizuki teas I'm savoring slowly, the rest didn't last very long ^.^

Tea Time Part VII

More teas, more Tea Time posts! ^.^

***Disclaimer: I'm *not affiliated* with any of these vendors. Just sharing the goodies I enjoy is all.

Bought a bunch of these Gen-matcha (Matcha-Genmaicha) from David's Tea to pair with my ochazuke. Pretty good, and really they'd have to be pretty bad to screw up Gen-matcha.

Spices & Seasonings Part II

This Spices & Seasonings post is 2+ years in the making. I kept pushing it off because I wanted to catch up on the skincare and makeup (what makeup?) posts. But alas, I won't ever catch up so here's this post, finally ^.^"

For the past couple of years, I've been obsessed with this Yuzu Marmalade from Yakami Orchard. So, so, sooo good and not too sweet. That crisp yuzu fragrance and taste is just addicting. It pretty much replaced all other jams and preserves for me even if I'm the only one in the family who eats it (hubby and the boys still prefer raspberry and strawberry jams). It's just delicious on buttered toasts, to sweeten teas, and even on pizza crusts ^.^ There are 2 sizes available, a smaller 300g jar which lasts me about 1-2 weeks, so now I only buy the big 580g jar which lasts a good deal longer. Oh, did I mention it's available through Amazon? Yeah. That makes it super easy. I usually buy 2-3 big jars at a time. 

This is the smaller 300g jar next to Momoya Chili Oil with Fried Garlic.

Lupicia Tea Part III

Long time no Lupicia, not because I don't like or don't drink teas anymore, but rather because I'm limited to non-caffeinated teas until my littlest one weans, which means this post is rather old having been stuck in my draft folder for almost a year now :(

First up was a restock of Lupicia's take of the Golden Osmanthus which hubby and I had been enjoying steadily over the year since I first tried it in 2017. Since I'd already posted about this tea, I won't repeat here again.

There was another restock of the flavored mugicha I love so much, especially now when I can't drink caffeinated stuff. In addition to the usual Anzu (apricot), Pineapple, and Ume (plum) flavors, Lupicia added three new flavors: Lychee, Ringo (apple), and Suica (watermelon).

- Lychee, Ringo (apple), and Suica (watermelon): of the three I like Ringo best, Lychee second, and Suica last. Basically, Ringo and Lychee over Suica. I love fresh watermelon, but to be honest I think it's not really a great flavor for drinks or candy, much less tea. This Suica Mugicha isn't bad. It's actually better than expected, but I still would rather drink cold press watermelon juice :P

Afternoon Tea at the Brown Palace Hotel, Denver, Part II

One midday Sunday last fall, hubby and I were nostalgic for those spectacular afternoon tea sessions in Tokyo, so we dragged ourselves downtown Denver to find something close to make do with. We first stopped by a small tea room near his old company's office. Of course, of all the days we picked there was a demonstration downtown that day and the small tea room was totally full with an hour wait time. So off to the Brown Palace Hotel we went, and we got the last table too!

Sakana Sushi Ramen, Westminster

Update Sunday, May 31, 2020.

More food pics from Sakana, including this yummy peach chuhai they served.

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Original post Monday, May 11, 2020.

Sakana is also relatively new. They opened in 2014, I think. We had no idea the place existed until we moved out of our apartment in Boulder and into our current permanent home. Our first time dining there was in the spring of 2018--we were looking at open houses in the surrounding area. Boy were we pleasantly surprised! The food was great, and we'd miss Japan every time we go.

Sushi Zanmai, Boulder

Here's yet another long-time local favorite: Sushi Zanmai in Boulder. In fact, hubby and I have a longer history with Zanmai than with its sister shop Izakaya Amu. We ate here a few years before we tried Amu for the first time, so all around we must have been eating at Zanmai for 20 years now!

Izakaya Amu, Boulder

Third update Wednesday, May 27, 2020.

Just checked Amu's website and they're open again for takeout and delivery! WOOT!

Takeout time, here I come!

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Second update Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

Adding even more food pics from Izakaya Amu.

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Update Saturday, May 2, 2020.


Adding more food pics from Izakaya Amu.

Starters, seafood salads, and sashimi.

Grilled and fried small plates.

Entrees.

Desserts.

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Original post Thursday, April 30, 2020.

Izakaya Amu is another long-time local favorite in Boulder. I believe the first time hubby and I dined here was back in 2003. Yep, 17 years. Back then, being young (read: stupid) college students we didn't know crap about Japanese food. We just went along with our classmates, grad students, and professors, and we ate what they ate. It wasn't until our return from the two years in Yokohama that we started to appreciate the food at Amu.

As soon as hubby and I sat down, the chef always started us out with a small plate on the house while we peruse the menu and order drinks.