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Shenzhen with MO day 1: tapas night
Believe it or not, after my delicioius lunch earlier today, I actually went to the gym at the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen for my usual quick run. I can't remember the last time I worked out in a hotel...
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Shenzhen with MO day 2: Up the Hill
Woke up to another beautiful day in Shenzhen, although I didn't get to sleep until very late while watching events unfold in Korea. I finally rolled down (or actually up) to breakfast at Bazaar, the...
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Shenzhen with MO day 2: elevation 388
After a much-needed and restorative massage at The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, the team took us on a tour of the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen to show off some of the facilities and fantastic views....
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Tokyo 2024 day 1: airline food
I'm taking my first overseas trip after the end of my self-imposed travel ban, and our first destination is Tokyo. As we were flying JAL today, we got access to the Qantas Lounge at the Hong Kong...
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Tokyo 2024 day 2: pizza day
After a night of insomnia, I really needed some coffee this morning. I had planned to hit a few Instagram-famous places on this trip, and it starts with a kissaten (喫茶店) famous for its crème caramel...
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Tokyo 2024 day 2: Takasaka chicken
I haven't seen Geruhage since my little detour to Kyoto earlier this year, and a lot has happened since then. We met up for dinner tonight at Yakitori Kyotanba (焼とり 京丹波), and I managed to rope in V for...
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Tokyo 2024 day 3: Instagram-famous tongue
In preparation for a heavy drinking session this afternoon, I have very wisely scheduled a very big lunch to make sure my stomach is full and can handle all the alcohol. 29 Terrace (29テラス) is a place I...
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Tokyo 2024 day 3: Isojiman, Mon Amour
The main reason for taking this trip to Tokyo was to see an old friend. My first visit to Tamanegiya (酒たまねぎや) came in the summer of 2010, and ever since that fateful night, I have made sure to visit...
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Tokyo 2024 day 4: Instagram-famous tonkatsu
Over the years, the core group of alumni from my high school in Tokyo living in Hong Kong has gradually shrunk, as friends move back home to be with family. A few guys have relocated back to Tokyo, and...
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Tokyo 2024 day 4: Bonneau and birdie
It's been more than a year and a half, and I'm back together with my Tokyo gang for another round of wines. This time around H-man booked us a private room at YAKITORI燃, which specializes in...
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Tokyo 2024 day 5: nigiri for lunch
Everything on our schedule is shifted a little early today, and we needed a quick and early lunch to fit into that schedule. It was fortuitous, then, that Geruhage very kindly offered me his 11 a.m....
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Tokyo 2024 day 5: the god of tempura
On a trip to Tokyo 10 years ago, one of the places we visited was Mikawa Zezankyo (みかわ 是山居). Saotome Tetsuya (早乙女哲哉) is sometimes referred to as "the god of tempura" in the same manner that Ono Jiro...
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Tokyo 2024 day 5: drunken onion, episode 10
Two days after the epic Isojiman Adagio tasting, I'm back at Tamanegiya (酒たまねぎや) to see Master. It's my obligatory visit when I come to Tokyo, and although I had already seen Master on this trip, I...
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Tokyo 2024 day 6: cats and the noodle
I needed coffee and breakfast this morning, and there happens to be a branch of Komeda's Coffee (コメダ珈琲店) not too far from our hotel, so we strolled over in the other direction towards Tokyo Dome so we...
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Tokyo 2024 day 6: Champagne and sushi again
We're meeting up with Geruhage for dinner in Roppongi, so I thought Foursheets and I could get there a little early and take in the Christmas lights at Roppongi Hills. The tree lights along...
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Tokyo 2024 day 7: cats and the noodle, part 2
We got ourselves up a little earlier this morning to grab our morning coffee, but rather than being lazy and go somewhere in our neighborhood, we returned to one of our favorite cafés in Tokyo. Reissue...
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Tokyo 2024 day 7: a date with Puchi Jr.
For a number of reasons - some of which I have shared with a handful of friends - I have never found myself sitting down for a meal at DEN (傳). I have had tastes of Chef Hasegawa Zaiyu (長谷川在佑)'s...
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Tokyo 2024 day 8: airline food again
We had a morning flight to catch this morning so we didn't have time for a proper breakfast. Instead Foursheets bought me a tamago sando (たまごサンド) from Family Mart. This was absolutely perfect and I...
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3-star Chave
This is a dinner I waited more than 10 months for. Not long after the epic dinner with Domaine Trimbach and Weingut Egon Müller, Hairy Legs told me that they were arranging a dinner with Domaine...
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Closing out the cycle
There hasn't been an official MNSC dinner in over 11 months. I had tried to close out our current cycle - which began in the middle of 2022 - unsuccessfully several times earlier in the year. But busy...
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