Limited edition burgers in Tokyo

Limited edition. Limited period. Limited time. Anything which is branded as limited is always popular among consumers. This must be the best Marketing gimmick one can ever do. 

In Japan, limited is known as 期間限定. Anything branded 期間限定 will always sell well. Fast food chains too frequently use  期間限定 to promote their limited period burgers. As they are specially created, out of the normal menu, they tend to sell well upon launching.

The Japanese brands of fast food include Lotteria, MOS Burger, First Kitchen and Freshness Burger. 

McDonalds on the other hand still has a dominant position over the local brands, together with other brands such as Wendy's, KFC and Burger King. 

I happened to come across some 期間限定 burgers while on my recent trip to Tokyo. Below are the listing:

McDonalds Chicken Tartar burger. 

Launched in 1991 as a limited period burger and made it to the regular menu from 1992 to 2004, the Chicken Tartar burger makes it's comeback as a limited period burger from the popular requests of McDonald's customers.

Burger King Ringo Burger。

Ringo actually means apple in Japanese. The BK Ringo burger is actually a Whopper Junior sized burger topped with a slice of flame-grilled apple coupled with lettuce and honey-mustard sauce.  

Lotteria's super ebi burger (prawn burger)

The shrimp patty has increased by 20%, coupled by Lotteria's special tartar sauce consisting of diced onion, egg mayonnaise and scallop extract, this burger looks so tempting just from the picture!

There is one more burger which I have to include - it's not a limited burger, but launched under their premium category of burgers. 

Wendy's Premium category burger - Foie Gras Rossini Burger, priced at JPY1280 (approx SGD20)

Wendy's has relaunched in upmarket Omotesando Hills Tokyo, two years after leaving the Japanese market in February 2010. Tapping on their premium burgers such as the foie gras burger, or the truffle and porcini grilled chicken burger, Wendy's looks like it's here to stay in Japan!

If you happen to be in Japan, do give these limited burgers a try too! They are, in fact also Japanese food as well!

Tokyo Sky Tree at Sumida, Asakusa

The most talked about topic in Tokyo recently is the soon to be opened Tokyo Sky Tree located at Sumida Ward, which replaces the old Tokyo Tower role to relay tv and radio broadcast signals, as Tokyo Tower, with a height of 333m can no longer provide complete digital terrestrial broadcasting coverage as it is surrounded by many high rise buildings. 

Reaching a full height of 634m, Tokyo Sky Tree also becomes the tallest tower in the world. The figures 6(mu), 3(sa), 4(shi) stand for "Musashi" which is an old name of the region where the Tokyo Sky Tree stands. 

A good place to catch a great view of Tokyo Sky Tree is at the Sumida Park, where you can take a leisurely stroll along the park while soaking in this magnificent view. 

There were some late bloomer sakura trees when I was there. What a beautiful sight! 

This is why I like Japan so much! The beautiful scenery, coupled by the cool weather - I can come to take my leisure strolls here everyday!

A picture cannot describe Tokyo Sky Tree's magnificence! If you see how low the highrise building is just beside it, you can roughly gauge how tall the tower is! You must really come and experience it yourself!

On the way back to Asakusa, I caught sight of a few sakura trees. Lucky me! Aren't they just so beautiful! 

Flowers still budding and in full bloom, all from the same tree.

Asakusa is a place where you can still find rickshaws (人力車) and the rickshaw puller actually acts as a guide, explaining the history of Asakusa to guests. 

There are even female rickshaw pullers nowadays. 

Sensoji Temple (浅草寺) or also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple is Tokyo's most famous and oldest temple built in the 7th century. It is a must visit for every visitor going to Asakusa. 

On the left is Hozomon (宝蔵門) or Treasure House Gate, which provides the entrance to the inner complex and within it's precincts stands the five storey pagoda (五重塔)

You can also catch a glimpse of Tokyo Sky Tree from Sensoji precinct. 

Tokyo Sky Tree

Advanced reservations must be made for entrance between 22 May'12 - 10 Jul'12. Click here for more details. 

Ticket prices (Adult): 

Tembo Deck (350m) - 2000yen

Tembo Galleria (450m) - 1000yen

Business Hours - 8am - 10pm

Sin Street Gourmet 新街

Sin Street Gourmet restaurant is opened by our ex-colleague, and I didn't have the chance to visit the restaurant since opening. So finally one day we managed to gather a few ex-colleagues to have dinner at Sin Street Gourmet.

The restaurant, located at South Bridge Road just opposite Sri Mariamman Indian Temple is easily accessible. You can also park at the Maxwell food centre and walk over as well.

The interior decor is done up with a black and white theme elegant feel. 


This is the appetizer - very unique combination of fried beancurd skin with thai style salad dressing. 

Crispy fried spicy chicken - it's a good food to go with beer, and the chicken still remained crispy even after a while. 

Mr W must have meat, so we ordered the sweet and sour pork ribs. Very nicely done!

Stir fried nai bai vegetables in superior stock. 

As usual, we must have tofu. The homemade tofu is very soft, together with shijimei mushroom is a wonderful combination.

Finally came the main dish of our dinner - steamed fish (I forgot what fish we ordered, i think we left it to boss to decide). I liked the abundant fried garlic sprinkled separately on the fish. 

No we did not order this dish, but as we met many acquaintance in the restaurant, I popped over to take a photo of their crab bee hoon dish. 

Ms K wasn't feeling satisfied, so we ordered another noodle dish recommended by boss wife - fried la mien. 

Overall we had a very satisfying dinner - with nice friends, nice ambience and nice food. Furthermore, Sin Street Gourmet serves some unique dishes, different from what you find from the normal chinese restaurant. Hey friends, when is our next gathering again?

Sin Street Gourmet 新街 (closed)
Telok Ayer Shophouse, 241 South Bridge Road
(opposite Sri Mariamman Temple) 
Nearest MRT station: Chinatown 

jones the grocer at Dempsey Hill

Enjoying a lazy Saturday morning brunch is the best way to spend a great weekend morning with some friends, and what better place to do it at jones the grocer at Dempsey Hill.

Having their flagship store in Sydney in 1996, jones the grocer has now expanded overseas to Singapore, New Zealand even Qatar and United Arab Emirates! 

There was already quite a crowd when we arrived at 11 in the morning. 

Besides their ever so popular breakfast menu, jones the grocer also carries a variety of grocery items, freshly baked breads, wines and cheeses in the store. 

Spices beautifully packed in silver tins will surely brighten up your kitchen. 

Olive oil is also a must have for western foods. 

You don't have to be a big chef to be able to cook some nice pasta. Just buy the readily made sauces and fresh dried pasta here!

They also carry quite a variety of beers. 

Yes, and of course everybody's favourite - chocolates!

They even carry cacao for food! This particular brand is called Willie's Supreme Cacao , which produces 100% pure cacao and is not only great for desserts but for savoury food as well! I love their tagline which summaries their cacao: Grate in food, Great on food. 

Need I say more - breakfast goes best with a piping hot cuppa!

You can even make your own coffee blend here too!

For non coffee drinkers, they also offer a variety of interesting tea and infusions as well.  

Not to mention the huge selection of biscuits to go with your tea or coffee. 

They even have a cheese room which overwhelms you with what Ms M calls "cheese perfume" once you step in. Step in at your own risk... not for the faint hearted. 

Being a cheese lover myself, I couldn't help but taking more pictures of these wonderful cheeses. 

Some varieties even have tasting samples available. And of course I had to try them out. 

Do you know the benefits of eating Goats Cheese or Sheeps Cheese? 



There is also a bread section just outside the Cheese room, very convenient for customers who have just bought their cheeses.

After purchasing your cheeses and bread, you may proceed to the olives and salami section to complete your shopping experience. 

Do not know what to cook after buying all the ingredients? don't worry, they even have a cookbook section. 


We finally settled down to get ready for ordering of our food. 

This is the breakfast menu, available from 9am to midday on weekdays and 9am - 3pm on weekends. 

There is also a brunch special available only on weekends from 12 - 5pm.

You can also order from the cheese menu, which I will definitely do so the next time I visit. 

Ms A ordered a latte, or is it a piccolo latte? it's quite small a cup... 

This is my blue hawaii tea infusion - comprising of a range of tropical fruits in black tea. 

Our jones traditional english breakfast, with extra serving of sauteed mushrooms. 

This is the spanish eggs "en cocotte". en cocotte means cooked individually in cream or butter in a ramekin, but jones' version looks more like a baking dish instead. It's quite easy to make, maybe I should try it at home sometime. 

Ms A wants to eat some pancakes, but we should have had it served last, as the ice cream had all melted by the time we devoured into it. 

Spicy wings with cucumber and mint yoghurt sauce - something too Indian tasting which did not really blend in to our wonderful English breakfast. 

Total damage came out to be SGD125. If you see the receipt - there are 2 glasses of wine ordered... that's so typical of Ms A and Ms M. Even during morning brunch they still can enjoy their wines. 

Step out for some good weather! Blue skies and greenery. Today's definitely a great day for a great meal at jones the grocer.


jones the grocer at Dempsey Hill


Block 9 #01-12 Dempsey Road, Dempsey Hill, Singapore
Open daily: 9am - 11pm