Saturday, September 20, 2014

Izumi Marché 2014: A Round-Up 泉マルシェ


Please click HERE for my previous announcement on this event.
Goodies, grub, and edibles all around!  Everything looked scrumptious!  It was soooo difficult to decide on what to eat!
But this is what we devoured today…
First off, we ran into the Spica booth (click on the name to see my review of their store) where I purchased a wonderful brownie (I think it was 190 yen).  Soft, moist, sweet, and chocolaty!  What more could you ask for?  Well, maybe a little bit bigger size.


A Brownie done right!

Someone (not me) still had a sweet tooth, so the ふわふわ Waffle Booth was our next stop for a whipped cream with chocolate sauce waffle (350 yen).  Someone (still not me) loved it, but I found it not sweet enough for my palate.



A waffle made for the Japanese palate

Next, was a visit to one of my Favorites, Café de Mieux, to try the Thai shrimp green curry (640 yen), penne pasta with tomato sauce (640 yen), and the broccoli quiche (380 yen).
My wife and I have dined at Café de Mieux countless times, yet this was the first time to see them prepare these dishes, so I was quite excited to see how they tasted.  The green curry was savory!  Spicy, but not too spicy.  The penne pasta was quite good, too.   The quiche, well, my better half enjoyed it.  I thought, “Not bad,” but I really don’t like quiches, so this was actually a compliment.



Thai Green Curry


Penne Pasta in Tomato Sauce


Broccoli Quiche

But I felt I needed a little more substance, so we headed to another Favorite,  Bistro Ampoule, for their homemade bacon (400 yen) that I love so much.  The serving was quite big, and the taste … mouthwatering!

The Bistro Ampoule Staff


Juicy, mouthwatering bacon!

After this, I was hankering for something sweet, so we ventured over to the 札幌北のドーナツ花 stand, where we had to wait in a looong line and watched them make the donuts on the spot.  But the wait was well worth it!  We purchased a few plain donuts, one salt donut, and one sugar donut (all were 120 yen each).  We gobbled up the plain donut right away, and were amazed at it’s crispy outside and soft, fluffy middle.  We haven’t tried the salt or sugar donut yet, but I’m imaging they’re tasty, too.



Making Doughnuts

To quench our thirst, we imbibed on a blood red orange juice (350 yen) that was quite rich and sweet.

Blood Red Orange Juice

For our last treat, we chowed down on some Neumarkt Southern German Sausages:  herb, curry, and garlic (500 yen).   These were all very good, and came with some sauerkraut hidden underneath the sausages.



A great selection of sausages!

Despite feeling completely stuffed, I was still disappointed that another one of my Favorites, Daily’s Muffins, had sold out of their delectable desserts in the first three hours.
Oh, and during a bathroom break, we happened upon this classical quartet of lovely ladies rehearsing Beatles songs for a paid concert later that afternoon.  What luck!

Beautiful Beatles Band

Also, it was quite a treat to see a number of stalls selling antique Americana goods.  I was able to relive my childhood seeing Lil Sprout (Green Giant), the California Raisins, the Campbell Soup twins, and Snap-Crackle-N'-Pop memorabilia on display.
This was my first time at the Izumi Marché, and it was a fantastic experience!  I can’t wait till next year, already!

Friday, September 19, 2014

Izumi Marché 2014 泉マルシェ

Website:  http://www.izumimarche.com/index.html





Located at Izumi-chuo Station.
Map:  Scroll down below.
Saturday, September 20, 2014 from 11 am to 5 pm.
Apologies for the very late notice.  I have never been to this event, but luckily I was alerted this morning while perusing a Sendai message board.  And since I have never been, I cannot give a first-hand account, but the reviews I read gave it a thumbs-up.
It appears as if this is the sixth year for this annual grubfest, hosting 150 food/drink/boutique stalls, as well as two stages with live performances throughout the day and a wine festival (advanced ticket purchased required-so that’s probably not going to happen).
What I found notable were four restaurants that I have reviewed previously on this blog, three of them being in my Favorites List:  Bistro Ampoule, Café de Mieux, and Daily’s Muffin.  The fourth, Spica, is listed under my Recommended Eateries.
According to the reviews, it’s best to get there early, as the food stalls do sell out.
I can’t wait till tomorrow to try these tempting treats!  
Hope to see you there!


View Larger Map

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Happy Happy Melon Pan - This Weekend!



To read a previous post, please click HERE.

I'm happy to report that the Happy Happy Melon Pan truck returns after a three-month absence and will be in front of Daiei Department Store starting  Friday, September 5th till Sunday, September 7th.

Maybe I'll see you there!