inquisitive eating | little yams bakery

Naruto Taiyaki Honpo 鳴門鯛焼本舗: Delicious & Affordable Taiyaki | Japan

In the U.S., chain restaurants are usually meh and left you with no particular impression, but Naruto Taiyaki Honpo in Japan is a different story. During my cross-cities trip in Japan, pretty much everywhere I go, I somehow randomly stumbled upon a Naruto Taiyaki Honpo shop. Taiyaki, aka sea bream fish-shaped "stuffed waffle if you'd like to call it, is a classic Japanese dessert that is enjoyed by many. I had read about this taiyaki place from Taiwanese bloggers so when I saw it in Asakusa, Tokyo, I decided to get a sweet potato one to try.

What makes this taiyaki so special is that each taiyaki is made in their own individual metal mold, which requires additional techniques and precision to cook unlike most places. The texture and taste of taiyaki from Naruto Taiyaki Honpo are also very distinct: Thin-skinned but almost like mochi soft skin, lightly crispy exterior especially around the edges, and a hearty filling of your choice. I was attracted to the natural sweet potato taste at first bite...all for just 280 YEN aka around $2 USD!

I continued to see Naruto Taiyaki Honpo when I was in Kyoto and Osaka (around the touristy areas) so I decided to try the other flavors. First, I got an azuki red beans taiyaki late night at 10PM (they open until like 11PM at least). The taiyaki was still super fresh and hot in hand. The azuki red beans filling was just as hearty as the sweet potato one and you can truly tell it's made with high grade red beans.

Lastly, I tried the custard filling taiyaki in Osaka and boy I was hooked: I got another one the next day! Japanese custard is so different than American custard: Japanese custard filling is extra creamy and made with more egg yolk, plus the custard is less sweet so you can truly enjoy the custard itself more. Each bite of the custard taiyaki was perfect and warming to your heart and belly.

Overall Rating: 😋😋😋😋

I definitely would like to revisit them next time in Japan. This taiyaki place is quite everywhere so you'd always see them around. They also open until late night.

Notes & Tips:

Cash only
Service is fast
They open late

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In Japan, Ramen

Ramen-Ya Shima らぁ麺や嶋: Number One and Worth the Wait | Shinjuku, Tokyo

Ramen Ya Shima らぁ麺や嶋 has gained significant recognition since it opened in 2020 due to its quality and also its long wait. While waiting in line is annoying if you have a tight schedule, I highly recommend you set aside some time to visit this number one Tokyo ramen (via Tabelog) when you're in Tokyo (ranked number one in 2023 and still in 2024).

How to Reserve

The trick to guarantee your spot for this highly rated Tokyo ramen: Be there by 8:30AM the latest to line up for the sign up sheet if you want to eat within the first and second rounds. The shop only has six counter seats so customers eat in multiple rounds. You're expected to wait in line before opening to SIGN UP to eat. There is a sign up board outside the door and the owner will come out around 9:00-9:30AM to give the ok for people to put their names down on the sheet.

Each round is 30-minutes and it accommodates six people. Please note: If you're eating with other people, put each of their names on each row; only one name per row. Once you've put your name down, remember the time you should return and that's it (the time is on the sheet). The system is efficient because you don't have to wait at the shop until it's your time. Feel free to roam around the neighborhood, which has a beautiful park about 10-minutes away.

I only had to kill time for one hour before returning to the ramen shop. Once I've returned, I waited outside until the shop owner came out to verify my name. Like all ramen shops in Japan, make sure you bring cash to order via the ticket machine. In addition, the machines usually don't have English menu translation, so I strongly suggest that you do some Googling on the names of the menu so you know which button to press on the machine when ordering.

I ordered the Special Shoyu Tsukemen (dipping noodles) after seeing the beautiful presentation online. There are several ways to enjoy tsukemen here at Ramen Ya Shima: The suggestions are on a card for guests to follow. I particularly like eating it the cold way somehow because it's so refreshing. It was a cool experience to alternate different ways to eat this tsukemen.

Overall Rating: 😋😋😋😋😋

Shima elevates shoyu ramen and makes its bowls unforgettable for guests. Overall, I got a quality bowl of ramen with the finest ingredients and presentation. This is now a Tokyo ramen I won't forget alongside with another top Tokyo ramen, Homemade Ramen Muginae, which is still ranked in the top three of Tokyo's best Tabelog ramen since 2020.

Notes & Tips:

Be the earliest bird if you can. Arriving after 9-9:30AM is likely too late already aka sold out
Google Translate what you'd like to eat in advance
Close Saturdays and Sundays

Location:

3 Chome-41-11 Honmachi, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0071, Japan

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In Trends,

8 Viral Croissant Hybrid Creations

How many of these viral croissant creations have you tried? Let's start off the list with the latest viral sensation in New York City:

1. Croissant Onigiri

This new croissant hybrid was first introduced in Singapore in Fall of 2023 and now became the newest viral croissant item in the New York City food scene. It's a triangular croissant shaped in the form of an onigiri (Japanese rice balls) with actual seaweed to mimic the traditional rice balls. You can currently find it in Queens' Cafe W, but do note that this new viral item is likely to sell out quickly. The eye-catching croissant is crisp, buttery, filled with chive bacon cream cheese or mentaiko (mayonnaise with roe). New filling flavors to be coming soon.

(Original Photo from Eater NY)

2. Flat Croissant

Flat croissant has been trending in Asia and across social media. These flattened creations are crisp on the outside, and often dipped and/or topped with various toppings like chocolate, matcha and strawberry. It's essentially a huge, thin croissant cookie!

(Original Photo from What She Just Said)

3. Crookie

If Flat Croissant is like a huge croissant thin cookie, then Crookie is the opposite: It's a regular croissant in its puffed form topped with cookie dough. The whole thing is baked to achieve absolute crispiness. Oftentimes, Crookie is also filled with even more cookie dough or cookie-flavored fillings! You can taste both the flaky buttery croissant and an actual cookie at the same time. Multiple textures in every bite! Be warned: It's likely very sweet.

(Original Photo from Patisserie Cle)

4. Crossaint Cone

These may not be as popular in New York City yet but it certainly is in Asia! This particular croissant soft serve cone is very popular in Bangkok, Thailand. Created by one of the Iron Chef Thailand winners, Chef James-Pachara Tengkiat, this big, shiny, crispy croissant is filled with a fragrant soft serve and it certainly is worth a visit. You can spot this inside the popular Iconsiam mall on the 6th floor.

(Original Photo from James Boulangerie)

5. Croissant Wheel

These circular, crème-filled croissant from Lafayette Grand Café & Bakery went viral in Summer of 2022 and visitors have since spotted them in different bakeries elsewhere. It's a croissant in a pin wheel shape, stuffed with various sweet filling and dipped again in a sweet glaze or topped with themed toppings. Be ready to share with a plus one: They are quite big for one to eat!

(Original Photo from Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery)

6. Croffle

Popularized in South Korea, Croffle is a perfect combination of croissant and waffle. It's crisp on the edges, slightly chewy in the middle and also buttery flaky. It's usually topped with various sweet toppings and fresh fruits but it can be savory as well, just like a regular waffle! It's now available in a lot of Asian sweet shops and Croffle House in Queens started the trend in New York City.

(Original Photo from Time Out New York)

7. Cruffin

Cruffin has slowly lost its media attention over the years, but let's not forget it was one of the early croissant hybrid products. A hybrid of croissant and muffin, this pastry is tall and filled with sweet fillings; almost like a upscaled version of cupcakes! You can still find Cruffin in New York City in bakeries like Supermoon Bake House. A Danish Bakery called Ole & Steen is also offering a Lemon Meringue Cruffin in Upper East Side every Friday until end of October 2024.

(Original Photo from Supermoon Bake House)

8. Cronut

When it comes to viral croissant creations, Dominique Ansel's Cronut is the OG of them all. Cronut kickstarted a croissant hybrid sensation in 2013 and its popularity continues until today. It's one of the iconic must-haves when you visit New York City! Flavors are rotated monthly and you can place your in-person pick up order via this pre-order site two weeks in advance.

(Original Photo from Conde Nast Traveler)

Honorable Mentions

Tacro: Taco + Croissant

Created by Vive La Tarte bakey in San Francisco, Tacro gained media attention with its crispy croissant with savory fillings (currently with pulled pork). It's a perfect savory and savory combination for any day of the week. You can still try this once viral creation in your next visit to San Francisco.

(Original Photo from Vive La Tarte)

Crogg: Croissant Egg Tart

This croissant hybrid was introduced in Osaka, Japan in 2022, featuring a 27-layered croissant base with a egg cream custard. Crogg is now closed for business, but you may find similar egg tarts in Hong Kong, where bakeries like Bakehouse, Hashtag B and Puff Bake reimagine egg tarts with sour dough or thin Napoleon crust.

(Original Photo from Time Out)

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In New York, Reviews

Korean Street Foods at Shingane | Manhattan, NY

Who doesn't like a captivating food picture? One of the viral foods since last year is the coin waffle with a cheesy filling. Shingane was one of the first restaurants to bring this phenomenon over to New York City, if not the first.

Shingane's version is called a "Goddess Bun" --- A cheesy coin waffle in the shape of the New York penny coin (Goddess because the liberty goddess). It's the biggest waffle coin I've had so far (compared to the coin waffles I had in Japan). Although it felt good to have a waffle this big for $7, but there are some drawbacks:

1. The waffle kept sliding off because it's so wide and it doesn't hold up well on the wooden stick. The waffle itself was towards the softer side which may also explain why it didn't stay well on the stick.

2. Not enough cheese to have an amazing cheese pull. It took me a couple bites, eating almost half of the waffle, to actually reach into the cheese, which was quite disappointing as I was actively looking for that cheese effect. Maybe an extra slice of cheese would help.

I also tried another Korean classic food at Shingane: The gimbap aka Korean sushi roll. I picked the fish cake filling one (o-mok gimbap) as that sounded the most interesting to me at the time. The gimbap roll was freshly made to order and contained a lot of vegetables as usual. I liked the lightly pickled carrots the most: It tasted so homemade with a light, vinegar dressing that won't overpower the rest of the ingredients. It was a nice light dinner to share.

Shingane has also expanded its menu to include shaved ice, small salads, mandoo dumplings and drinks. They had two little tables for outdoor eating though it's a mostly take-out restaurant. Owners/staff were very friendly when I visited and happy to answer any question. It's a great place for lunch or for a quick bite.