Wrapping Up 2016

My short trip to Penang, Malaysia was over as of December 30th in time for me to be back in Tokyo for the new year celebration, the most important of the holidays and very much a family event in Japan.  The Penang report will continue later but here is a post to wrap up the year 2016 with scenes from my monthly “eating around the world” get-together with a couple of very good friends.  The rule we try to keep is that we go to a place managed by someone from the region (not always possible but we manage for the most part) and we try not to repeat the same region.

Here we go.

January:  Paraguay

February, nao’s birthday month:  Hong Kong

March:  Moldova

April:  Afghanistan

May:  Kenya

June:  Palestine

July:  Spain, the first time to repeat a country though in a good way to celebrate taka’s birthday

August:  Pakistan

September:  Tibet

October:  Basque Country, my birthday month

November:  As with every year, this month is saved for “Beaujolais Nouveau”

December:  Christmas which we save for French or Italian dining every year and try to choose a restaurant where we are not forced to eat a Christmas menu.  Italian it was for 2016 managed by a chef from the south of Italy.

Happy new year’s eve!!

 

One More Birthday Bash

For the October version of “eating around the world” my friends and I chose the “Basque Country“, one of the areas I really want to visit for real as do my friends.  We talked about going next summer over my birthday celebration.  🙂

Both of my friends got me the same cookware, only in different sizes!! LOL

Saint-Jean-Pied-Port

Pakistani Dining in Tokyo

For the September edition of the “eating around the world in Tokyo” project, my two pals and I focused on the Pakistani cuisine.  It was great.

No Pakistani beer?! But OK, we made do.

Rahi Punjabi Kitchen

A Tibetan Night Out in Tokyo

A belated report about my eat-the-world-in-Tokyo event from August when we tried a Tibetan restaurant which was full of good food and pleasant service.

A Spanish Birthday Night Out

One of my besties had her birthday in July and the three of us in our little “club” that explores a new regional cuisine every month got together for her birthday. Spain was the theme as we have pretty much exhausted new regions to visit amongst Tokyo restaurants and decided that though it would be somewhat repetitious in the choice of region it was the appropriate country because of our friend’s love for Spain and the Spanish language so much so that she lived and studied in Spain twice on language programs.

We chose just the right resto in Daikanyama for the occasion.

The best Spanish omelette ever

Very nice seafood and chicken paellja

Happy happy