Hakkoku

Last dinner before flying out in Tokyo, and this restaurant did not disappoint.

This restaurant is located in Ginza, and it was a 25 course omakase meal (first one I’ve ever had that had 25 courses)!

The menu below describes what we had. Pictures are sort of in order of the menu. I think my call outs are the hairy crab, sweet shrimp, toro (had both a very lean and very fatty ones), and the uni. Didn’t have any salmon, but honestly that was ok. Also everything in general was great. No bad call outs. And the egg at the end was basically like a flan.

Also tried two different Sakes. Both amazing. They seemed light and didn’t have that after taste you usually get with Sake (and the last picture below is a $500 bottle of sake, which was from a person that owns 22 restaurants and invests heavily in start ups). And of course had a few Yamazaki whiskies.

Google map link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/T3gDskWu6Uk6fXm66?g_st=ic

Imakatsu Ginza

Ok, this place has by far had the best katsu I’ve had. Would 100% go back and recommend if in the Ginza area.

They started us off with a giant amount of coleslaw (and the dressing with it was great, which is basically your usual Japanese peanut dressing).

I got the assorted cutlet meat set so I could try the variety of meats (like pork and shrimp, in addition to chicken). Will say the chicken and shrimp were obviously the best ones (others were good too).

For drinks got myself a highball.

Herringbone

We checked out this resistant for our last dinner in Waikiki… it definitely did not disappoint.

We were after a seafood platter, and that they did have. We got what they called the sailboat, which came with oysters, shrimp, and lobsters. What I was very impressed about is that the lobster was very minimal work to eat. They had prepared it perfectly (ie cracked everything up) for us, but still maintained enough of the shell for excellent presentation.

We also wanted some steak, so got a 10oz steak medium. Also very good.

And since I wanted some carbs, we got the seafood pasta that had calamari, octopus, and uni. Also a great dish.

For drinks, got an espresso martini (asked for no sweetener), and tried their Mai Tai. I would get the former again, but could get something else other than the Mai Tai.

Overall would definitely come back to this restaurant.

Monkeypod

Went to this place for dinner at Waikiki beach resort area. I would definitely come back, but I think we thought it was a more upscale place. Felt more like a Moxy restaurant feeling.

For drinks got their cucumber lychee martini. Was fairly refreshing and would get again. Also tried their Mai tai which seemed too strong in my opinion.

For dinner, got the shrimp for appetizers (sauce was great). Then shared a pulled pork pizza and the fish and lobster pasta . All great choices.

Sole Seafood & Grill

Last dinner in Dublin, and got this recommendation from our Guinness Storehouse tour guide.

For food, got the scallops (would get them again), the burrata (I might not get this one again since the tomato it came with was dried tomatoes, instead of what I was expecting which was fresh tomatoes), and the seafood platter (yes yes and yes would obviously get this one again), with a side of fries. Also one of the bread they have is was soda bread which is popular in Ireland (since it is made out of Guinness). not my first choice, but when in Ireland would get it, and it was good dipping into the butter sauce of the lobster.

For drinks, got prosecco, whisky sour and pisco sour. All but the pisco sour were good (Limon has wayyy better pisco sours).

Overall great experience and vibe. Would recommend this place.

Savor Thai

Went to this pretty upscale Thai restaurant in Toronto (more northern part, like St Clair W).

For food, we ended up getting a fixed course. None of it was pad Thai, but definitely there were hints of the Thai curry flavor in a lot of the food.

Also, drink presentations were interesting. There was a traditional smoked presentation in a covered class, but also one drink came in an aquarium.

Miss Tess

We tried this Asian fusion restaurant for lunch, which was conveniently located in our hotel in Dubai (Taj Hotel). Service here was excellent.

For drinks got the whisky sour and the Mulin Rouge. Didn’t really like their whisky sour (it wasn’t sweet at all). A friend got a drink with ube infused vodka, which I though my actually tasted good.

For appetizers, they served some Asian chips with some dips (best one was the plum sauce one). We also ordered the shrimp Cheung fun dimsum and the chicken Sui Mai. The former was great, the latter, well let’s just say I prefer it with pork.

For main, got the black cod and the pad Thai. Both were excellent (pad Thai had a bit too much sauce, but didn’t mind it).

The Parlour Room

We went here on a night we landed in New York City. We were staying near Penn Station, and wanted a place with some seafood, steak, and a full bar. Their whisky selection was awesome (see the pic below).

It is recommended to get a reservation beforehand since it does get full easily (although you can also eat at the bar).

For main courses got the crab dip, the seafood tagliatelle (had shrimp, clams and mussels), and the filet mignon. I would get all of them again.

For drinks, did a Japanese flight (note you can only get 1 flight for your whole visit). They have a cool placemat for the flight glasses (see below), and they tell you the background of each one. Two things that stood out. First is that the Shibui wishing was a pure malt, (which is different from a single malt since that whisky comes from two distilleries, but the families are related). For the Kaiyo whisky, apparently their requirements is that the oak tree is 350 years old (partly due to the fact it is endangered).

I also did get a whisky sour, which was also good.

Oh, and we finished off with a crème brûlée.

Byblos

Found this place on yelp. It is a highly rated place with four dollar signs.

Food here was great for the most part. Started off with Macallan 12, then got the crispy shrimp to start, as well as the beef tar tar. For mains, got the Wagyu beef kofta (very good), and the fried chicken (probably would get something else next time). Also had a side of their sweet jeweled rice, which was really good.

Lisboa Tu & Es

Translated to You and Me Lisbon, this place was a great find. Had lots of local foods, and it’s in Alfama area of Lisbon which I enjoyed.

We had a bunch of (what seems to be local seafood) dishes to share. For alcohol, it’s mainly beer and Sangria only. The local cheap beer around here seems to be called Superbock. The sangria was good, since it seemed to be a bit carbonated.

For food, got the fried chicken (lol which was not fried at all), sardines, this sweet rice with shrimp, fish cake, octopus salad, some other things pictured below (not sure of the name), and pastel de nata.

Would recommend this place and come back in a heart beat (it takes cash only though). Would also order everything again.