I’ve been meaning to visit Kawagoe 川越市 for awhile now, and with the beautiful weather yesterday morning, I thought it’d be the day. By the time we got to Ikebukuro Station, the wind picked up so all of the trains stopped until they could travel more safely. Not wanting to wait around indefinitely, I strolled around Ikebukuro instead, where I spotted this small taiyaki shop (pronounced: tie-yah-key).
Taiyaki is a Japanese sweet snack made from pancake batter, cooked in a fish-shaped mold, and stuffed with red bean paste. It can be filled with other things such as chocolate, custard, or cheese, but red bean paste is the most common and traditional.
Shinjuku Tsubakian is owned by a sweet woman, who is nothing but smiles and polite words. She cooks everything to order so your taiyaki is fresh, hot, and crunchy! Everything is homemade, and her shop specializes in thick crust teriyaki for 150 yen.
新宿椿庵 池袋店 Shinjuku Tsubakian
３丁目-１３-９ Minamiikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan
+81 3-5950-7887
http://tubakian.jp
Red bean paste filling would be my favorite followed by chocolate.
I’ve never tried it before, but I would be inclined towards the custard! Although it might be a bit messy :)
Yum! Have you been to the taiyaki shop in Juban? http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130702/13002775/ It’s quite famous, and rumored to be the inspiration for the popular children’s song 泳げたいやきくん http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNC1SpEqcxw. I went so often the adorable owner knew me by name. Only a *bit* embarrassing. :)
How have I not seen this? Or maybe I passed by none the wiser. It’s so close to my place – I’ll go there this weekend! *nom nom nom* :) No need to be embarassed. I swear the people at the convini by my house probably know me as the ‘ice cream girl’!
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