Pancakes, gardens, and BBQ

This morning, we decided we would go for the famous soufflé pancakes. The place we wanted to go did not open until 10 AM, so we did a bit of shopping once we got to the downtown area. At Cafe Soo, we sat down and Brad ordered the original soufflé pancakes while I got the strawberry soufflé pancakes. They take 15 to 20 minutes to make, probably because they are so thick but light and fluffy at the same time!

We took our first bites and we were not disappointed! They were so airy and I’m not even a fan of pancakes, but these were also not like any pancake I’ve ever had. Delicious!

After breakfast, we explored the department stores a little bit more before deciding to head to the gardens. We attempted to take the bus, but we could not find the place where the bus was supposed to be, so we finally decided to walk. I should mention it was 44°C here today with a UV index of 11, but nonetheless, we made it there.

The Shukkenien Garden was constructed in 1620. It features a pond in the middle, but also 10 islets. The stone bridges help you get from one area to another, and there are several small tea-cottage structures as well. The garden was destroyed by the a-bomb in 1945, but was reconstructed shortly after. We thought the garden was beautiful and was very much what one might think of when you think of a Japanese garden. The carp were also quite something to see!

Needing to cool off, we headed to the museum after the gardens. Although the museum was small, it had a number of interesting artworks and an exhibit about animals in art from A to Z. The showstopper was a huge Salvador Dali piece that he exhibited in 1939 in New York City as part of the World’s Fair.

Ready for a coffee, we headed to a little spot for a matcha before taking the bus to the central shopping area we visited yesterday. There, we went to a little bakery and deli for lunch and ate the most delicious tea sandwiches as well as a roast beef sandwich. We checked out some shops while we were there including a huge store that just sold stickers - they were very cool!

Back at our hotel, we had to take a few minutes to freshen up before heading out to our dinner reservation. Tonight, we were trying our hand at Japanese BBQ where they give you the meat and you grill it at your table.

We ordered a set menu, so we started with salad and a plate of two things that we can recognize as cuts of meat (both were excellent!) and then something that translated to “washing salt hormone” which we think was intestine (also really good!). Next was a barely seared beef nigiri. We also got kimchi and rice as sides for the meal. A plate of grey tripe was given to us and while this isn’t our first tripe experience, it also wasn’t our favorite tripe experience.

Then came the beautiful beef plate! It had skirt steak, waygu, and short rib. The short rib was our favorite! We thought that was a nice end to the meal… until they gave us one last plate of offal! The offal included liver (not big fans of it), stomach lining (we think! It was quite good!), and something we think was maybe diaphragm? The meal was really delicious, minus a couple things, and we felt we did a good job manning the BBQ!

On our way back, we stopped at a real grocery store to buy a few things for home. Then, it was time to do a bit of laundry and get ready for tomorrow!Read more