January

January is an amazing month. I've experienced things that I could only dream of. I've seen and enjoyed the very best things in life. 19th Jan - us together, 16th Jan - Muse "Live" and 13th Jan - Eric Clapton "Live". All these were things that I only visualise in my head. But it has taken place and I feel so blessed. =)

 

Today was the celebration of our birthday. Thanks for letting me treat you this year! Hehe. I owe you so so much, so you really deserve this meal!!

I was really quite excited about Akane. And when we reached there, I couldn't wait to go in! Haha.. It was quite agonising to wait for you - that was how enthusiastic I was about going in!

 

Look at that! It still looks exciting to me. Haha. After all the great food that we ate!

 

 

First dish was the Angelfish liver, or sth like that. It was mouth watering good, and left us wondering what other great food lies ahead. After a while, the people along the counter passed us a stick of giant crab each. It was very chewy and nice! Like what you said, maybe the sashimi wasn't as great at Shiro, but it was still good. The tuna belly was very unique and really melts in the mouth. And the highlight gotta be the prawn. It was so sweet and it leaves the "prawn" after taste.. Really like nothing I have ever tasted before. That is one prawn which I will not say I've eaten too much of it. I know you like the fish which we asked the name. Haha. We are so lame, ask the name yet we still cant remember it.

Then they serve us their two excellent soups. The crab soup and their famous tuna belly soup. Yeah, you found the tuna belly very unique but it fell flat on me. And the crab soup was like WOAH the first time I put it in my mouth. Japanese are still Japanese la.. Their food are always salty. Haha. I know that suits your palate. But one thing's for sure, I will not mind drinking any one of them again.

We had pork after that, which I found it to be a very refreshing change. It looks like boiled pork meat, but it tasted so much different. Every bite was just so wonderful for me. And it was sprinkled with black pepper some more.

And we had more soup after that. This looked amazing the first time it came.

 

 

It was a sea shell in a plate and it was lighted up by the waitress. So beautiful. After a while, the soup inside will boil! But unfortunately, it didn't taste as good as it looks. But its ok. Still a new experience.

I like the one below a lot, but you still prefer the first two. And yeah, maybe like you what you said, its not as salty! I could taste the sweetness of the soup and the shell fish meat was quite nice too!

 

Yum! Damn! This picture looks so tempting! You know why? Because I was the one who took it. Haha. Just kidding. The presentation was great for this too. I wonder if they reuse the shell. Haha.

After knowing that the soup was going to be our last dish, I was a bit disappointed and buay song. So little food! (Even though I was already 80% full.. I was determined to spend more money!) And having seen the unagi sushi on someone's blog before, I wanted to try that. But in the end we ordered sea eel sushi (recommended by the sushi people), tuna maki and sea urchin sushi. All were GREAT! But the one standing out was the tuna maki and the sea urchin sushi too. The tuna maki was wrapped with the best seaweed ever! When placed into our mouth, even before closing it or letting it rest on our tongue, we could SMELL the seaweed. And the freshness just mix so well with the rice and tuna and green spring onion thing. The tuna was mashed up like what you said, and everything just melts in your mouth. Woah. And even the amount was just right for our mouth size. It wasn't like too big or anything. The sea urchin sushi just dissolves in our mouth. It just became one soft, heavenly stuff and oh man, it was good. But the tuna maki was still the best sushi I had ever tasted. You remember the sea weed? Oooh! The minced tuna meat with spring onion and rice? Woah. I really like that. One happy smile for that =)

And while you went to the "toilet" which looked like this...

 

I found out from the waitress that they don't accept cash and they have home made black sesame ice cream! Haha! A true Japanese restaurant for you huh? =P Do you know when you first put that first mouth of black sasame ice cream in, I was a bit scared. Haha. What if it doesn't live up to Shiro? (Damn, I must be haunted by that place. Haha.) So I quickly put one spoonful of it in and thankfully you said it was good. Haha. It IS good. I agree with you. And don't insult Frutta La Viva la. Their ice cream are different! And I bet my ex boss can make it as good. If not, even thicker that this one we ate. After all, they are very insistent on using more than 90% fruit for their gelato! Just imagine their durian! Hehe.

So it was with a heavy heart, lighter pocket, wonderful future thoughts that we left the place. The legendary Chef Nogawa was very nice and even paid attention to us "young" folks. He seems to enjoy his life a lot! Making friends with his customers, joking around with them, laughing with them. The service there was swift and attentive, and the place was nice looking. And they use charcoal to bbq their food! What more can we ask for? =)

So the beautiful night was not about to end just yet... We went to botanical gardens and you brought me to see Halia restaurant. The trees and plants were really looking good in the soft light, and the renovated place looks like a nice place to have a stroll in the future too! While going back with you, I really felt very relaxed with you. Like I could just lie on your shoulder and fall asleep without having to worry about anything because I have you. You're a great boyfriend do you know that? And I really love you a lot.

And for my birthday (our birthday), you even took the time and effort to bake a cake for me!!!! *screams in joyful anticipation* Even right down to learning how to bake from Rose, to how to make the letterings from her friend. And even using melted chocolate to spread on top of the cake and cutting the cake surface evenly. I could feel so much of your love. And your cake looks great!!

 

It's really really pretty. And the container thing you even took the time to go to supermarket and find. Awww! So sweet of you! And there's even flower on the cake. You're incredible, darling. I hope our birthday wishes come true!

See.. you look like blur sotong while eating YOUR cake. Haha. Don't like it is it? Or were you thinking about the sugar and butter that went in?

 

Hehe. It was a super memorable day for me. Everything was fantastic and of course that couldn't be so without you! Thank you!!!  I wished I could stay overnight... That will be damn nice. And so sorry had to drag you out of bed to send me home.

 

*Muack! Thank you! I love you!! =)

And a super Happy birthday to you! =)