Hopping from Asia to San Francisco and Back to Asia to my Favorite Food Cities

The second quarter of the year brought me back to some of my favorite food cities in the world: Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, San Francisco. The beauty of these cities is that you can never tire of the cuisine and the city themselves. You will always want to come back again and again.

Two Times to Tokyo

Tokyo is so amazing, I traveled there in both April and May (and actually I made a third visit to the city later in the year). While the prices peak in April for cherry blossom season, it is so worth it once you walk under the thick clusters of the most gorgeous sakura trees. Then, its always about the food when it comes to visiting Tokyo. I find myself constantly hungry for more when I’m breathing in that Tokyo air.

Read more about this past spring’s cherry blossoms here

And read more about my first visit to Shake Shack Japan at the Tokyo International Forum here

Cherry Blossoms Tokyo Station
The gorgeous sights of Tokyo’s cherry blossoms at night. The country overflows with cherry blossom parks and streets within the city. This street is just a simple side street next to Tokyo Station that blossoms and transforms once a year
Shake Shack Japan
While I have to have Japanese cuisine when visiting Tokyo, I must also go to Shake Shack at least once every trip because it is my favorite fast casual burger in the world. It somehow tastes even better than in New York and creates that same comfort and satisfaction

 

Osaka Central Fish Market and Endo Sushi

One of our family friends is a wholesale trader from Japan. He flies between Japan and Manila on a weekly basis. We coordinated our visit to Osaka to coincide with one of his fish market visits to get an insider’s tour of the wholesale market. Best of all, we had some amazing sushi at Endo Sushi.

Read more about Osaka Central Fish Market and Endo Sushi here

Watch the video below of my morning at Osaka Central Fish Market and Endo Sushi. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for my latest videos

 

Celebrations in Hong Kong

Hong Kong holds a special place in my family, as that is where my grandparents would frequently travel with my mom, it where my parents got married, it is where my parents took our family on vacations, and it is now where my parents take their grandchildren on vacations. So for short getaways and big family celebrations, we honor four generations of tradition and book a stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.

Read more about my family’s celebrations in Hong Kong here

And read about one of the celebrations dinners at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong here

Watch the video below of our dinner at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for my latest videos

 

Hometown Visit & Nostalgic Favorites

While the city of San Francisco has all the trendy, fun, new restaurants, I always find myself back at my favorite restaurant down in the Peninsula. Sumika Grill transports to the most authentic yakitori joints in Japan with their oyakodon, karaage, and yakitori skewers. This is the real deal, and something I always crave for when I’m back in the Bay Area.

Read more about my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area here

Karaage Sumika Los Altos
While everything on the menu will surely taste delicious, the karaage, or Japanese-style fried chicken, is a must-order. This is great on its own or as an appetizer to share with the whole table. The marinade and batter is as great as the best fried chickens in Japan

 
 
 
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