food diary

emotional eater on what i ate, how i prepared it (sometimes) and how i felt while eating it


✮2025年09月02日✮

food

this is from a spot called Burgers Tokyo in Shimokitazawa. i took the "Valen" burger, added extra cheese on it. it comes with fries and i took a large drink. this is a super tasty burger. it had avocado in it which i didn't expect. the bread is one of those burger breads where the crust has integrity but the crumb is really soft, and the taste is a subtle dough-richness combined with an ever-so-slightly sweetness that only homemade burger bread can do for you!! the condiments were fresh, and it had a few fried things in it. lotus chips was one of them but there were some long, thin and crispy flat sticks that i could not identify. the "meat" was actually quite tasty and the addition of cheese really brought everything together with the cheesy flavour

burgers_tokyo_sept_25

the ice cold coke zero was like water in the middle of the desert. they gave us some sauces for the whole meal. the green one was a pseudo-pesto like sauce, with what i felt was cilantro in it too. the pink-ish one was some kind of garlic and paprika mayo, and the red one i felt like was some kind of chipotle sauce. they were all pretty original and distinct, never tried sauces like that. they gave the burger a marvelous floral component that i really enjoyed. the fries there are McDonald's style fries, but they cook them a bit higher temperature and they get crispier than usual, quite delicious

burgers_tokyo_melon_soda_sept_25

for dessert i took a melon soda. these kinds of drinks here just look nuts don't they? the soda is just melon flavoured soda, so it's sweet and acidic, and very fruity. the soft serve is McDonald's style too, which is great because i love it. it had the typical milky richness and soft texture. the combination is a bit funky because the melon soda is quite acidic, so it can give some quirky notes to the soft serve, but i think that's a good thing too


feelings


✮2025年08月22日✮

food

this is a great little hidden spot that i'm going to gatekeep in Shimokitazawa because i loved the not so full vibe on a friday night. i got the honey cheese naan menu, which comes with, you guessed it-a honey cheese nan, a salad, and two curries to choose from. the salad had coleslaw vibes, it serves its function, the cabbage was decently fresh and crispy and the sauce was subtly sour. my first curry was a green vegetable hariyo curry. it was slightly sweet, spiced and rich. the vegetables were soft but retained a crunch. the second curry was a dal. it was spiced, tomato-y and savory. the nan had a great undercarriage, the cheese was tasty and the sweet honey gave a nutty-ness that complemented the final product perfectly. the lassi had an intense dairy taste, strong on the sourness and with a delicious mango sweetness kick. so good i'm still thinking about it!

shimo_curry

feelings


✮2025年08月16日✮

food

this was a lawson frozen gratin. the cheese was creamy, the pasta was soft and the browning was tasty. i wasn't paying enough attention i feel. i was too distressed

gratin

as a snack i had edamame chips. the bag was too much, only ate half. the aroma was good, some of them were browned. like i said today was not my most mindful day


feelings


✮2025年08月14日✮

food

this is a miso soup with black, white and green soybeans. the soup has onion, garlic, small green chillies green onion and a bit of soy sauce and mirin. as you can see there's also some letter pasta on it. the end result was very comforting. this started as a japanese meal with japanese ingredients, but as i was almost done cooking the beans i realised it could very easily be turned into italian pasta and beans. i got sick, so i needed something like this

pasta_e_fagioli

i might have gone overboard with some habanero pepper powder, but it did clear my sinuses. the soup was flavorful and very well seasoned. the soybeans were ever so slightly al dente, i would have preferred for them to be creamier, but they were still soft and good. the miso aroma came through. the vegetables were not so noticeable. i will make this again


feelings


✮2025年08月12日✮

food

this might possibly be the best tofu pad thai in Tokyo. hell, as far as i have tried it's the best one i have ever encoutered. this pad thai was so perfectly cooked it's hard to believe. the vegetables were perfectly al dente, the tofu was fried to perfection while retaining a soft texture, the sauce was light, rich, mild and tasty all at the same time, and the noodle texture was just right. this is Titchai's pad thai, made by the lovely Miyuki who operates the whole spot all by herself. what a hero!! definitely worth a shot if you're ever around Setagaya. i think it's worth the trip even if you're anywhere in Tokyo..

miyuki_pad_thai

feelings


✮2025年08月06日✮

food

this is a pasta salad with pulled mushroom in the style of pulled pork. the mushroom was prepared by shredding it with a fork by hand, and then was cooked with soy sauce, mirin and agave syrup. i tried using the trick where you first boil them to draw out moisture, and then you pour oil in to brown them. it worked well. as for the veggies, we have peppers, green onion, some poached tomatoes and some cooked down eggplant. it turned out pretty delicious!! the pasta was well cooked since i think that's best for salads. the peppers were soft but had a very good crunch to them. the mushrooms did not emulate chicken as much, and i found out after making this meal that mushrooms in fact do not have much protein, so this dish is slightly unbalanced

mushroom_salad

and just as i was about to leave the kitchen, my friend took care of me by pouring me a portion of homemade lentil dal, basmati and some spicy potatoes. the dal was creamy and rich, but had an acid kick too to balance out the spicyness. the potatoes were perfectly soft, with hints of cumin coming out. this was so spicy, and i loved it like that!!

rakesh_dal

i was absolutely stuffed after that!


feelings


✮2025年08月04日✮

food

before we headed out, i had been waiting for a while so as a snack before leaving i had some cashews and a blue monster energy. the cashews were intense, flavorful and just the slightest bit rich. the texture was soft-crunchy as one can imagine chashews to be

IMG_0264

outside i had the seven eleven special: egg salad roll, some apple bits, a white chocolate and strawberry mouse pastry and sparkling water. the egg salad roll was very delicious as everyone knows. the roll bread was slightly sweet and salty, and i loved the texture when the crumb collapsed with every bite. the creamy egg is always on point. the flavor is so intense, the first time it hit me like a truck but this time i noticed the richness fully coming through. you can't go wrong with a seven eleven egg salad roll

the apple bites were fresh, sweet, crisp and fragrant, but at the same time they felt a bit sterile. it's hard to explain. i noticed everything much more but at the same time i could tell it was just a very regular apple, nothing special

the pastry was too decadent for me. the white chocolate was really sweet, as always i love the chocolate-y aroma. the crumb was too dense, almost imperceptibly buttery, and the strawberry mouse was way too sweet with the white chocolate being already more than sweet enough. i just don't enjoy these types of desserts. next time i will look for something lighter

the sparkling water brought back some memories. the carbonic acid was almost a bit too strong, i prefer lighter and softer sparkling water

IMG_0265

feelings


✮2025年08月04日✮

food

this is a vegan thai green curry with okra, green onions, eggplant and green chillies. the main protein is edamame tofu, which i had never tried before. since it was fairly silky and soft, i set it to brown in a medium to low heat until i could sort of turn it around. i managed to get some pretty good browning, which gave it more structural integrity, and it turned out delicious. the eggplant was added at the beginning so it cooked a bit more, and the rest of the veggies were added at the end when the pan was still hot, to cook for a bit but mantain the crunch. the okra made the curry a bit goopy, which was weird at first but i'm neutral about, and the mucilage fiber is a net positive. the actual okra bites were fresh and good, and so were the small green chillies. unfortunately it was not spicy at all! the curry had a very mild taste, almost underseasoned, which allowed the fragance of the paste and vegetables to shine through. would have loved some lime with it

IMG_0255

the rice was golden koshihikari rice. i cooked it with coconut milk, and i added dried wakame to it. it was absolutely delicious, the small bits of wakame provided salty sparkles in the mouth and the texture was just right. i will use this method again for sure!

to drink i had a blue monster energy. i picked up some fruity aromas i had never noticed before

IMG_0258

for dessert i had a super ripe banana. i did not pay enough attention to pick up anything special about it


feelings


clover forever 🙥♪♡🌣🙦