Tokyu Plaza Shibuya

Hachiko

Hachiko, my hero akita dog.  When you are nearby
Shibuya crossing, why don't you say hello, yes?

That was all I need to know about Shibuya, nothing else. I needed to pay tribute to this hero dog. I had to queue among travelers who wanted their photo to be taken with Hachiko's statue. I tried hard not to go all cheesy and just take a shot... but the force in Hachi was strong. I had to hug him and hold him. I tried hard not to cry. Every animal lover knows who this tough guy is. If you don't, I suggest you watch any films about him and cry your hearts out. 

So you see, I only had Hachi on my checklist in Shibuya and I can move along. He said otherwise. He wanted me to stay and see what were in store for me. 

The Food Show

Facing Hachi, you have the Tokyu Plaza Shibuya on your left and what lies beneath is a happy place for all you food lovers. The Food Show on Basement 1 was a gem of a place! I can tell you that we had one of our best meals there. What I can't tell you on the other hand is if it is an economical place or a pricey one because it differs from one food stall to another.

The first one we tried was a smaller sit-down resto, tucked in one corner of the Food Show basement (once again everything was in Japanese, sorry I can't share with you the name. Even the receipt is in Japanese. Hopefully the logo on the stuff below is a clue?). My sister ordered a rice topping meal set while I got a sushi platter. Our meals were fresh and smells of the sea. Haha. The good kind.

(Update: Found out the name of the place! Uoriki Kaisen Sushi, B1 Tokyu Department Store)

A tip an elderly Japanese lady we met there, shared with us this: during the summer season, if you can, don't try the sushi restaurants found on street level. The quality is less good. Unless of course you end up in a fine dine resto.

Seafood Rice Toppings for Y1000. This was fine with me but
not a fan of the baby fishies. 

My sushi platter for Y1100. My favorite is the white finfish (2nd on top).
The taste and texture was grade A. Win.

Japanese Cuisine Delica (Soup Bowl)

Rice Toppings + Soup for Y770.

Because one trip to Tokyu Plaza Shibuya's Food Show wasn't enough. We had to go back in and enjoy our time there. The Japanese Cuisine Delica has other branches in Japan (I know I've seen one in Tokyo or Kyoto). To be served, you use a vending machine to print your order and then you hand it over to the wait staff.

I had fish and shrimp toppings while my sister got the beef topping. Everything is served as a set meal composed of: a tofu dipped in soy sauce, boiled lotus root, pickles and your own tea pot of soup broth. For about Php400, this meal was beyond okay. The broth was clear and really tasty. I can just imagine it being boiled with crushed fish bones, those secret herbs and locked in with prayers! I don't know but it was really good.


On the floor

(Update: Also found out that in Japan this haven of mine is called DEPACHIKA)

Imagine one whole floor filled with assortment of food from cooked  to uncooked dishes, salads, appetizers, main meals, bento boxes, desserts of cakes and gelatos... man that floor was crazy.

Showcase at La Terre Saison.

Strawberry Sorbet from La Terre Saison for Y400. I tried asking the lady in the
counter what flavors they have but it was difficult for her to speak to me in English,
in the end, I selected via color preference. I hoped for this sorbet to be
raspberry flavored but it wasn't.

Clockwise from top: 1) Tako stall, 2) a stall that sells traditional Japanese snacks where 3) Kat bought her Japanese cakes, green tea flavor. The red bean filled, fish shaped cake is a taiyaki.

We didn't know at that time that Tokyo was training us to  be ice cream connoisseurs for our trip across Japan. Ice creams are a big deal in Japan apparently, lol. No really, they love their ice creams! And what can we do but try of course.

Luckily, without any research, we were able to try the best one among those sold in the Food Show. That is according to the same lady who shared us her info on where to eat summertime sushi, hehe.

Friends, ogle on this:

PARIYA Gelato. I tasted as much as I could but the Tiramisu x Raspberry won me over. A scoop is about Y400...
filled to the tip! 

Yeah I know we do have fancy looking gelato in Manila but the exotic flavors we crave for are food items that are readily available and common to them. But don't hate on me because I would still rally for our Philippine Mangoes! Ours is definitely the best, no doubt. But for other fancy flavors, PARIYA wins.

To sum it up my dear friends, when in Shibuya, swing by Tokyu Plaza Shibuya and dive in.