Morsels of Délice

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Shops and Streets of Shibuya

Shibuya is a shopping paradise for the unique, quaint, artisan, rare items. I like the unique indie vibe here where smalls shops rule the place along side the chain giants. I only intended to walk a bit just to see what the famous Shibuya is like, but I end up buying quite a number of stuff because of the uniqueness or great price of the items sold there. It is very crowded though.

Hachiko Statue

As a dog lover, I naturally want to get a glimpse of the famous Hachiko Statue and so Hachiko Square is the first place I head to when I arrive at Shibuya station. And I happen to see a political rally in progress. There is a long queue waiting to take picture with the statue. Not my kind of thing to queue to take picture with a statue. So I just stand nearby, trying to take the photo, without anyone beside it. Anyway, I take a nice photo of the statue, during the spilt second someone moves away from the statue, and then go on my way.

Monday, December 1, 2025

Beef Cutlet AONA Seibu Shinjuku Station Store

I’m actually in Shinjuku to just feel the vibe and not actually actively looking for any specific restaurant to dine in. Little did I know that I can uncover a gem here, in the form of Beef Cutlet AONA, the best gyukatsu with the best price.

Made with premium wagyu beef, gyukatsu, which is deep fried beef cutlet coated with breadcrumbs, is so good that it is worth multiple special visits. Not to mention the price is incredibly awesome too!

The gyukatsu here is the best for a good reason. The beautifully marbled meat is tender, juicy and amazingly tastes buttery when grilled a bit on the stove. The crispy deep fried exterior highlights the tenderness and juiciness of the meat.

And the gyukatsu is evenly cut to ensure awesome texture, even grilling and good mouthfeel from biting into it. I realise what huge difference an evenly cut gyukatsu makes in the texture and doneness after comparison with another Gyukatsu restaurant, a famous one, where the gyukatsu is unevenly cut. Yes, I prefer AONA’s gyukatsu.

The pepper oil goes so well with the meat, it is pungent and spicy, introducing the excitement to the taste. I actually go, “Wow!” at first bite with this sauce. After trying gyukatsu with different sauces, I say this is definitely the best sauce to pair with.

The dashi sauce is mild and nice, surprisingly going pretty well with the gyukatsu. For stronger taste, the katsu sauce is a good choice, since it is savoury, balanced by the refreshing spiciness of grated wasabi.

Recommend to get 霜降和牛かつセットset menu since the beef tastes the most buttery and is the most tender among the options.

Thoughts: Incredibly Delicious Gyukatsu, the Best!

Japan, 160-0021 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Kabukicho, 1 Chome-24-3, 新居ビル 1F

Metal Concert by Psychic Fes at Shinjuku

I thought my Fourth day of Japan Trip will relatively easy and uneventful since I will be just hanging around Shinjuku and taking some photos of the place as I’m not looking to buy anything nor down for queuing to get my lunch at one of the popular restaurants.

And chancing upon an open metal concert turns out to be one of the highlights of the day and makes this day an absolutely exciting one.

The performing band, Psychic Fes, really put their all into playing smashing hits full of growls and grunts, hyping up the crowd and interacting with their fans. It’s moving to see the fans rocking passionately to the music.

The lead vocals has such powerful voice and a commanding presence. It is so fun and funny to see him repeatedly falling into the crowd’s arms to do crowd surfing. At one point, he is hanging onto his dear life koala-hugging a fan so that he will not drop onto the floor. I have such a blast watching the concert 🤟

Shops and Streets of Shinjuku

East Shinjuku has a certain charm and uniqueness despite being filled with primarily high-rise buildings. While this place doesn’t have the old world charm, it features a different “Dawn of the new World” vibe. The buildings are dated but well-maintained, with huge signboards, quaint restaurants populating their first floors, exuding a different kind of charm.

Queues are a regular sights here, due to the young crowds queuing for meals at restaurants, concerts or specialty snacks.

Kabuki-cho, the seedier side of Shinjuku, with lots of huge advertisements, features a chaotic, dazzling, decadent charm.

Symphony Tokyo Bay Cruise

I’m excited about my dinner on board Symphony Tokyo Bay Cruise and so are the other patrons all dressed up for the occasion with a look of anticipation on their faces.

And yes, the dining experience out on sea is magical. From the moment we step on board the ship, we are greeted by the ship crew and a place of splendour, with red carpets, intricate florid curtains and crystal chandeliers. Then we are ushered into a splendid, grand European style ballroom where there is live piano performance on a grand piano. It feels so surreal when the ship sets off to move out to the sea, cutting through gentle sea waves, going below the illuminated Tokyo Gate Bridge, venturing out into the unknown (sort of) and leaving behind the bustling city.

On top of impressive space and exclusivity of dining out on the sea, the great, professional and thoughtful service makes us feel like royalty.

Going up to the open deck is a must-do because it is such an awesome experience to look out at the vast open sea, see from afar the beautiful lights of Tokyo and feel the cool sea breeze.

There is also live saxophone performance to chill and relax to after the exciting time at the open deck.

Food wise, we are treated to a European style set dinner. The soup and bread with Butter are very good.

Appetiser, made up of raw fishes and salad, is quite okay.

The beef here is quite decent, but lack the buttery or creamy texture that I love in meat.

I can’t finish the fish. It just tastes off. To be fair, I’m very particular about eating fishes being perfectly prepared. And I do finish up the prawn.

The dessert is very nice.

Nonetheless, I still enjoy myself a lot. This cruise dinner is absolutely great for that special night or personal indulgence or simply to admire the landscape of Tokyo Bay.