Melon-pan Ice Cream Sandwiches in Shibuya

Do you love ice cream sandwiches? Have you ever thought to yourself that the only thing that could make an ice cream sandwich better was if it were served on a freshly-baked still-warm sweet bun? If so, then have I got the answer for you: The Second Most Delicious Melon Bread Ice Cream in the World.

I first ran across this concept when trying to find ice cream with a friend one evening in Shibuya. Most of the google results were for this place, and while we were specifically on the hunt for soft serve the idea of a melon-pan ice cream sandwich stayed with me. Last week I finally checked it out, and it was fantastic!

So, what is melon-pan? If you haven't had it before you might be imagining that this is melon flavored bread, but instead it is bread that looks like a melon. The Japanese word for bread, pan, come from Portuguese by the way. A sugary paste (some people describe it more as a cookie dough) is spread over sweet buns, and then grid marks are cut into the surface before it's baked. The crumbly, crunchy texture with the grid pattern ends up looking a little like the outside of a cantaloupe. On occasion I have seen melon-pan tinted green or filled with melon flavored cream, but these are less typical interpretations.

Someone had the genius idea of splitting one open while it was still warm and filling it with ice cream. The reason this store is named the second most delicious, is to pay tribute to the master from whom the owner first learned to make melon-pan. The chain seems to have locations across Japan so hopefully you can try one too!

I went to the Shibuya location on a drizzly weekday and didn't have to wait in line but I've read reports of long lines sometimes. The guy who made mine was very friendly and chatty, making sure I new to eat quickly before the warm bread melted all the ice cream. The ice cream sandwich starts out a wonderful mixture of warm crunchy bread and cold ice cream. By the end the ice cream had melted into the bread making it soggy, but only in the best way possible. Luckily it comes wrapped in waxed paper so you won't make a mess.

You could probably make one at home with supplies from a convenience store, but if you're that interested in a melon-pan ice cream sandwich you should just go straight to the source.

Such a tiny shop front for something so delicious

The Ice Cream Sandwich Master

He made it look like Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch)!

Second Most Delicious Melon Bread Ice Cream in the World (Sekai de Nibanme ni Oishii Yakitate Melon Pan Aisu)
Locations
Shibuya Hours: 11:00 - 10:00
Shibuya Location: 1-15-9 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
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Home Again

It was an amazing month back in the US, but I'm finally home in Tokyo. I have to admit it feels good to be back. When we came back after Christmas I was pretty sad, but not this time. Being reunited with my wonderful husband (and my favorite pillow and my electric toothbrush) probably didn't hurt.

When I last posted I was just about to leave on my touristy part of the trip - visiting Chicago and Boston. I encountered a fair amount of rain but still managed to get in a good amount of sight seeing, and more importantly reunions with friends. Oh, and let's not forget about the food! Chicago style pizza, tacos, brunch, delicious coffee and blueberry scones, clam chowder, lobster rolls, cannolis! Yeah, it was all amazing.

In Chicago I stayed with a wonderful friend and was able to catch up with a couple other friends from undergrad. They all lived in the same neighborhood, Wicker Park, which was fun to explore. In between the rain I was also able to walk around Millennium Park, see the bean, and walk along the edge of Lake Michigan.

In Boston I went to the wedding of another great friend and was able to catch up with tons of people. I also managed to squeeze in several walks around the Public Garden, the Isabella Gardener Museum, walking the freedom trail which is a path of many of the historic sights of Boston, and lunch in the North End - the historic Italian neighborhood.

I think that living in Japan has really taught be how to be a better tourist. I used to visit places I was interested in, thinking that I would figure it all out once I got there and just see what happened, but without knowing what the highlights I shouldn't miss were. Now I've gotten used to looking up what the historical significance of places are, what foods they are known for, and what sights I will be disappointed if I miss.  I felt so much more relaxed having an idea of what I want to do before arriving, and even though I wish I had seen more, I had an amazing time in each place.

Chicago

Yum!

Boston

Sister Time Is The Best Time

This is my first trip back to the US where I've gotten to act like a tourist instead of just visiting my family. Tomorrow I'm flying up to Chicago to visit a friend and then we'll be heading to Boston together for another friend's wedding. By this time next week I'll be on a plane back to Tokyo. It's hard to believe my trip is coming to an end since there is still so much planned, but I will be glad to be back.

As much as I've missed John, and our apartment, and Tokyo I've been having such a great time with my sister. We've eaten way too much delicious food, gone on picnics, boat rides, and spent time at the beach. There's also been plenty of time just sitting around laughing and playing card games and hanging around the house.

We stopped at a roadside farm stand

And tried pumpkin spice lattes for the first time 

Beaufort is adorable

And boating is the best

Seriously, the best

The beach is pretty great too

Gone to Carolina

It's hard to believe I've been back in the US for more than two weeks. By now John is already back in Tokyo, and my trip is more than halfway over. I've really been enjoying my time in North Carolina. I didn't appreciate it at all when I was a kid. But wow, what a beautiful place to grow up. At the height of summer it is just so green and wonderful.

After some time with John's family and a lovely wedding I went out east to my mom's and now I'm hanging out with my sister. Over the weekend we went down to the beach and we'll be going again this weekend. Man am I lucky!

We're not in Tokyo anymore

That's right, NC has mountains and beaches

Wild horses on Carrot Island

My beautiful family

Ellie teaching me how to be cool

Sembikiya Fruit Parlor

Japan has some of the highest quality fruit in the world. It is grown with incredible attention in order to produce both exceptionally beautiful and exceptionally delicious fruit. Sembikiya is a famous gift fruit store with a number of branches in Tokyo. They sell these exquisite fruits and fruit products (for quite a hefty price) but some locations also have a fruit parlor.

Just before my trip to the US Raku and I decided to treat ourselves to desserts at the fruit parlor since we wouldn't see each other for six weeks! It's been two weeks already - I don't know how we'll make it another four.

We went to the Sembikiya in the Kitte building near Tokyo Station, and waited in line for fifteen or twenty minutes before being seated because they don't take reservations. We poured over the menu which is filled with different fruit desserts, and even fruit sandwiches and a curry made with fruit. Eventually I decided on the classic fruit parfait.

The parfait was composed of layers of different fruit ice creams and sorbets, whipped cream, and then topped with slices of many different fruits. I'm not usually a fan of whipped cream, but this cream was amazing, it was sweetened and flavored with vanilla, and wonderfully heavy and thick - not the normal fluffy milkiness I dislike. The ice cream was wonderful too. I particularly remember the banana ice cream and the raspberry sorbet. But to my surprise the fruit was not incredible. It wasn't bad, but it seemed distinctly average, which was really disappointing considering the store's reputation. Raku agreed with my assessment, and while we definitely enjoyed our time and the desserts we were not left with the feeling that we needed to come back.

I hope that our experience was atypical, but based on my one visit I think you can find plenty of more delicious desserts for less money in Tokyo. Unless you're deeply interested in Japan's fruit culture this probably isn't a must-do.

Six Fun Japanese Convenience Store Ice Creams

It has been so hot this summer, and you better believe I've been using that as an excuse to eat a lot of ice cream! In fact, I decided that my blog gave me the perfect excuse to "research" and try all the different ice creams I've seen over the years but never bothered to try. I tried to narrow it down to five because that seemed like a nice round number, but I really couldn't pick one to kick off the list, so here my list of six ice creams I've most enjoyed this summer.

6. Coolish

Ever heard of prepackaged soft-serve ice cream before? Before buying this I had no idea what it was, though I guess it's pretty obvious from the packaging. It's a little pouch of soft-serve with a spout at the top to suck the ice cream out of. It wins points for uniqueness and creativity, and they are constantly rotating new flavors. The quality is a little lacking, it's not the richest ice cream and the consistency is a little icy. (In fact, cheaper ice creams are often not true ice creams but ice milk - you'll see them labeled lacto ice　"ラクトアイス") But it works in a pinch, and doesn't make a mess.

5. Zakrich (ゼクリッチ)

Ice cream sandwiches are sadly lacking in Tokyo, but there are a number of different ice creams that come wrapped up in a cone, but in a more sandwich-y shape. The Zakrich is a triangle shape, in a sugar cone, basically a choco taco. They come in assorted flavors - I chose vanilla with a layer of chocolate on top. It was pretty decent quality and very satisfying, even though this is also lacto ice. If you're more of a wafer cone person, there are also ice cream bars that are sandwiched up in that.

4. Pino

Pino gets on the list for it's adorable factor. It's a tray of six little balls of ice cream dipped in a coating - I chose chocolate, but there are often other flavors like raspberry or caramel, that you can eat with a little plastic skewer. This is a true ice cream, not a lacto ice, and you can tell it's better quality.

3. Shiro Kuma (しろくま)

Shiro kuma means white bear, and this ice cream is represented by a polar bear. This one is actually a lacto ice again, and it's noticeable thinner than ice cream, but because it has a mild yogurt flavor and is topped with fruits the texture works. I think it was genuinely meant to be a lighter dessert not just a cost saving effort, and it's very refreshing. I really enjoyed the fruit toppings, and the fact that the serving size is bigger than a lot of the other options even though the calorie count isn't significantly higher.

2. ChocoBari

I only discovered this ice cream over the past weekend, but wow is it good! From the wrapper I thought it would be like a good humor bar, but it turns out I don't know my Japanese. Baribari is the onomatopoeia word that means crunchy, and this mint chocolate ice cream bar, technically lacto ice, was coated in a a crunchy chocolate and toffee layer. The texture and flavor go together so well, and seem wonderfully summer-y. I found it in a Family Mart, and it's possible that's the only place they're sold as I haven't noticed them before.

1. Godiva Ice Cream

These are harder to find in the conbinis, 7-Eleven is probably the best shot but you're more likely to get them at a grocery store, and they're by far the most expensive at 400 yen for a single cup. But, they are oh-so-good! The ice cream is so rich and creamy, there's definitely no skimping here. And the flavors are so intensely chocolately. Definitely worth the indulgence.

Luke's Lobster Rolls in Omotesando

Earlier in the summer Raku and I tried out Luke's Lobster Rolls in Omotesando. On most weekends you'll see a line of people stretching down the street, but on a weekday we were able to walk right up and order at lunchtime. 

Even though it's right in the middle of Tokyo it has a really adorable New England feel, and the food was delicious. I'd never had a lobster roll before, but Raku has had many and she assured me these were good. They offer a "US" and a "regular" lobster roll - that refers to size, and specifically the amount of filling because the bread is the same size for each. I ordered the regular and thought it was very generous. Raku ordered the US for comparison and said she was able to pick several big chunks of lobster off to eat first and still have a nicely full lobster roll to eat afterwards. We got the sets for an additional 400 yen which includes kettle chips and a drink. I had a really good ginger ale, but they also serve beer.

The rolls are sold from a window, and service is quick. There's a little seating outside with umbrellas shading wooden benches, but you'll also see people standing around in the street eating theirs. We were able to snag seats, but we were there on a week day and the weather was a little drizzly. 

Luke's Lobster in Omotesando

Pretending I'm in Maine

I love how they say where the lobster is from each day

Luke's Lobster Tokyo Menu

Luke's Lobster
Hours: 11:00-8:00
Phone: 03-5778-3757
Location: 6-7-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
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