Wineshark Hotel Stay - Gyokusui 奈良偲の里 玉翠

Location:
39-1 Naramoto, Higashiizu-cho,
Kamo District, Shizuoka

〒413-0302
静岡県賀茂郡東伊豆町奈良本39-1


Phone:
(05) 5723-2171

https://www.gyokusui.jp/



This ryokan is located in Higashiizu 東伊豆, at the famous Atagawa Onsen 熱川温泉, inside the hills and enjoying a quiet and peaceful surroundings. After the staff helped us take the luggage from the car, we were seated comfortably at the lobby lounge, and enjoyed matcha and local confectionery while the staff completed our registration.

We booked the Japanese Style Modern Suite with Semi-open Bath (Type A), and the staff then led us to our room on the second floor (Room 205 高円). Along the way she told us to choose a fragrance oil for our relaxation in the room. This is the first time in my experience a ryokan offering such.

The room is very spacious, with a traditional Japanese living room which can turn in a bedroom with futon for two people. On the other side there is the western style section with two beds, and a living room with sofa and coffee table.

The room has a warm ambiance making us totally relaxed staying inside, and the nice choice of wood and fabric offers further comfort, with the large windows showing views of the trees and garden outside. And there were some snowflakes falling for a short while to make it even more beautiful.

Inside the room we have our own cypress semi-open bath, with the water temperature adjusted by the professional caretaker to the right temperature of 42 deg C for guests to soak in. Apart from enjoying the onsen in the room, we could reserve the open-air bath in a separate cottage surrounded by bamboo. Each group is allowed a 50 minute session.

The meal was another highlight for the ryokan. We had ordered the premium extra which included the additional local delicacies of lobster, abalone and splendid alfonso. The lobster is made into sashimi, while the lobster is grilled in front of us (a bit cruel looking at it writhing on fire) and the splendid alfonso made into sushi. The breakfast was equally impressive and no wonder this ryokan prides itself for the cuisine. All the different dishes were amazing in taste and beautifully presented.

The total cost for spending a night here including the additional charge for the premium extra on the dinner was around 89,000 yen. A good deal considering the quality of the room, the nice onsen in the room and private one in the cottage, plus the really wonderful meals and great service. I truly recommend this ryokan.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Little Bao

This small eatery has become a hot-spot in town, serving bao burgers and other sharing dishes, influenced by the international cuisines but with a twist in the recipe, leveraging traditional ingredients in a fun and interesting manner.

Located in Staunton Street in SOHO, it is tiny in size and even arriving early in the evening there were already many people waiting outside. After around 30 minutes we were seated at the back counter facing the wall. Everyone was sitting shoulder to shoulder so it was not a place you would expect to dine in good comfort, but the atmosphere is good.

Ordering a cocktail to start, I had Chris' Lemonade ($85) while Ivy had the Yuzu Soda ($58). Mixed with vodka, chrysanthemum, honey and ginger syrup, my cocktail was highly refreshing and demonstrated the interesting fusion of the traditional ingredients in preparing.

For starter we had the Sesame Caesar ($78). This salad has Indian lettuce, fried dace, black beans and panko. From the list of ingredients you might wonder whether you are having the Cantonese dish. Seasoned well, the fried dace and black beans provided the savory taste to the vegetable with a nice dressing, and the panko further enhanced the crunchy texture. A really nice concept of using the ingredients in a modern western dish.

The other dish we ordered was Drunken Clams ($138), with the huge clams steamed with Chinese Shaoxing wine, on top of potato puree and having some enoki mushroom. Before serving I could already smell the signature aromas of the wine. The clams were smartly fixed in position by the creamy potato puree underneath, and were fairly tender. The enoki had absorbed all the flavours so were great in taste too.

Proceeding to the bao, I decided to try the Szechuan Fried Chicken ($78). With the bun replaced by Chinese bao, the burger contained Chinese black vinegar glaze, Szechuan mayo and coleslaw. The chicken is deep-fried nicely, with crispy skin and seasoned well to give the spiciness without over-doing it. The shredded cabbage was also great in taste with the vinegar glaze and spicy mayo.

My wife had the Fish Tempura ($78) instead. The fish was Black Cod and after deep-fried with crispy skin, served along with tamarind palm sugar glaze and pickled lemongrass fennel salad.  Even though I did not try it myself, from her feedback this burger was nothing short of spectacular. I believe this would be even better than the fried chicken I had. Next time I would need to try it out.

Finishing with a dessert we had the Salt Ice-Cream Bao with Caramel ($38 each). The mini-bao was deep-fried to golden brown and then sandwiched with a thick piece of ice-cream of salt flavour, with some caramel drizzled on the side. Apart from the interesting contrast of the hot bao and cold ice-cream, the salt flavor of the ice-cream was another highlight. However the bao was just a bit too oily for me.

The service was good, with the staff very friendly and helpful. Overall the bill on the night was $650, quite reasonable considering the amount of food we ordered. No wonder this restaurant is so popular for locals and foreigners. 

Wineshark Vacation - Ichigo Land いちごらんど中西

Location:

1381-2 Naramoto, Higashiizu-cho, 

Kamo District, Shizuoka

〒413-0302　

静岡県賀茂郡東伊豆町奈良本1381-2

Phone:

(05) 3188-1515

http://ichigo-land.com/

Originally we planned to visit another strawberry farm but arriving there we found that it was closed. Fortunately the lady told us to go to another farm nearby and so we ended coming here: Ichigo Land いちごらんど中西.

Paying 1,600 yen per person and you would be able to enjoy 30 minutes of fun picking the strawberries in the farm, and eating all you can pick. However, the fruit could not be taken outside the farmhouse and the fee would change depend on the season so please take note.

Our family were assigned three rows for picking, and checking with the owner those were the Akihime (章姫) species. Quickly picking a few to try, I honestly confess those were the best strawberries I had tasted, very sweet and rich in flavors.

All of us were soon becoming young kids happily picking and eating them, and seeing the bright red colour of the strawberries also brought a great deal of joy too. I think I had picked about 20-25 strawberries and no even a single one I found did not taste perfect.

Compared with the various strawberry picking experiences I had elsewhere in Japan (Hokkaido, Fukuoka), the fruit here was the best in quality. No wonder Shizuoka is a renown producer of strawberry.

Wineshark Vacation - Izu Nishiki 伊豆の味処 錦

Location:
971-35 Naramoto, Higashiizu-cho, Kamo District, Shizuoka

〒413-0302
静岡県賀茂郡東伊豆町奈良本971-35

Phone:
(05) 5723-3279

http://www.izu-nishiki.com/




This small eatery is located at Atagawa Onsen 熱川温泉, and in fact just beside the restaurant you could see one of the hotspring outlet, with steam coming up profusely from one of the openings. It has a number of parking spaces right outside, very convenient for customers driving.

Seated at the tatami and having your lunch on the traditional Japanese low table (chabudai) might not be exactly comfortable for people not used to it, but fortunately both my parents could handle without difficulty.

Famous for its don, I ordered Umi no Sachi Don (2,940 yen), with ten different sashimi and shell-fish, seasoned well with soy sauce. There is generous amount of seafood in the bowl, each great in freshness, full of the original flavors of the respective seafood but also highlighted with the fragrant soy sauce. 

My wife went for the Ebi-Furai (1,155 yen), with three big pieces of shrimp deep-fried in tempura style. My parents decided to have the Kinme no Nitsuke (1,050 yen) with the Kinmedai braised in sweet soy sauce. All of these were very good in taste, and overall such high value for money.

A highly recommended restaurant if you are traveling to Atagawa Onsen.

Wineshark Go Hiking - Shek Mun Kap to Ngong Ping

Difficulty: 1/5

Total Distance: 5 km

Starting Point:
Shek Mun Kap Village

End Point:
Ngong Ping Village


Transportation:
Take NLB No. 34 from Tung Chung Town Centre Bus Terminus going to Shek Mun Kap, alight at Shek Mun Kap Village terminus.

Sharing:
Arriving at the Shek Mun Kap Village, taking the left route you would soon reach Lo Hon Monastery 羅漢寺. Along the way it is all well-paved concrete path so the hike is easy, but since it is all uphill so one would need good stamina or requiring multiple stops to rest.

There are a number of monasteries on this trail you would pass by, including Wah Yim Kok 華嚴閣, Fa Hong Monastery 法航精舍 and Po Lam Monastery 寶林禪寺. This is also the Fat Mun Ancient Path 法門古道, the path was built in the old days for the monks to travel between the monasteries.

Passing through Dong Shan Fa Mun 東山法門, one can continue towards Wisdom Path 心經簡林. One of the most popular spots, the 38 timber columns are inscribed in Chinese the Heart Sutra. Then you can turn towards the direction of Po Lin Monastery 寶蓮禪寺.

Soon you would arrive at the famous monastery and Tian Tan Buddha 天壇大佛, and continue walking further is the destination Ngong Ping Village 昂坪市集. The place is busy with tourists and you can either take the NLB bus No.23 or the cable car back to Tung Chung.