Natu-Lino Gelateria ナチュリノ・ジェラート 022-397-8235

Website:  http://www.natu-lino.jp

Address:  宮城県名取市飯野坂字南沖93-1.   Located just off of Route 4 just before the AEON Town in Natori.  Or about a 15-minute walk from the Morisekinoshita JR Station (taking the Sendai Airport Access Line).

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open everyday except Thursdays from 10 am to 6 pm.

I found a bit of heaven today, and in Natori of all places!   I may be exaggerating a bit, but it always pleases me when I find a new place that I love from first bite (first lick, in this case), and I was certainly tickled pink today.

My dear friend, Michael Martin, recommended Natu-Lino Gelateria to me last July when it first opened.  Michael had the inside scoop on this joint as he was instrumental in the interior designing of the shop, as his photographs grace the walls of the restaurant.

Today’s featured flavors were as follows…

Matcha

Milk

Rice

Fig

Mushroom

Zunda

Chocolate

Vanilla

Cappuccino

Strawberry Rare Cheesecake

Sweet Potato with Black Sesame

Melon

Banana Milk Chocolate

Burnt Caramel

Yuzu Sherbet

Strawberry Sherbet

Kiwi Sherbet

Apple Sherbet

Wow!  What a selection to choose from!

Picky me had to go with the basics, a double scoop of chocolate and vanilla (420 plus 30 yen for the cone), while my better half decided upon a single banana milk chocolate cone (380 yen in total).  
The chocolate was exquisite!  
Rich, creamy, sweet, with strips of chocolate mixed in!  
The vanilla was also creamy and quite nice, but I preferred the much sweeter chocolate.  
I stole a spoonful of my wife’s gelato to find that the banana milk chocolate was bursting with banana flavor which she really enjoyed!  
I recommend going with the cone, as it was also quite sweet and flavorful.

Vanilla and Chocolate cone

I can’t recall a better gelato I’ve had in Japan.

The gelateria has a nice little patio with sofas that was covered for today’s blustery winter weather.   They also sell coffee for 150 yen and offer a free hot tea service which is a nice plus.   Take out is also available with an additional cost to cover for packaging.

The gelateria is not located on a main street, but it is just off of Route 4 and somewhat near the Aeon Mall in Natori.   I Googled the address and came up with accurate directions that made it easy to find.  There are ten parking spaces available and it was nice to see that business seemed to be doing well as people were coming and going with quiet regularity.

Today was my first visit to Natu-Lino, but if it were a bit closer to home I could easily see this Italian ice cream parlor having a permanent setting on my Favorites list.  I can’t wait till my next opportunity to delight in this dairy nirvana!

Oh, and by the way, if you’re ever in need of a top-notch professional photographer like the good people at Natu-Lino, drop my friend Michael a line at friedtoast@gmail.com.   

A sampling of my friend's work

TOKYO: Shake Shack シェイクシャック

Website:  http://www.shakeshack.jp

Address:  東京港区北青山２丁目１−１５.  Located about an eight-minute walk from Aoyama-icchome Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  11 am to 10 pm.

Last year while visiting my sister in the Washington, D.C. area, I happened upon a crowded burger/hot dog joint that I had never heard of, but I was starving at the time and decided to give it a try.  The restaurant was called Shake Shack, and little did I know that it was a favored eatery along the east coast of America.

Picky as I am, I ordered a regular hamburger, fries, and a chocolate shake.

My life changed from that time on! 

(Overly exaggerated, but you get the point.)

The burger was amazingly delicious, so much so that I started feeling confused over which was the better burger, this savory Shack Burger or my beloved In-n-Out Burgers back home in Southern California.  

But it was the Shake Shack shake, that glorious, chocolaty cream of heaven on earth, that rocked my world!

Alas, that was the one and only time that I had the opportunity to enjoy this bit of scrumptiousness.

That is, until they opened the new Shake Shack in Kita-Aoyama on November 13^th!

Last weekend, my wife and I went down to Tokyo for a quick getaway and made a visit to the Tokyo Shake Shack our top priority.  Apparently, numerous others had it on their To-Do lists as well, as we arrived at around noontime to a loooong line of people, so long that we were told that it would be a three-hour wait.

It was a gorgeous, autumn day and I didn't feel like wasting it standing in a line with a few hundred hungry humans, even if it was for a piece of hamburger heaven.

We asked the kind attendant holding the “end-of-the-line” sign when might be a better time to come and he informed us that at around 9 pm the line had been much shorter during their first week, so we decided to try again later that evening and instead spent the day exploring the fall leaves of Tokyo.

But our tummies couldn't hold out that long, and we returned at 7:30 pm to happily find a much shorter line.  We asked the new kind attendant how long the wait would be, and he notified us that it should only take an hour or less, which made us even happier.

I timed it and it took us exactly thirty minutes to get to the counter and place our order.  Considering the three-hour wait we could have endured, this didn't seem so bad.  I was so close, my mouth began to water.  

I decided upon a double ShackBurger sans cheese (980 yen), a regular order of crinkle cut fries (420 yen), and a regular size chocolate shake (650 yen).  

My wife went with a single ShackBurger (680 yen) and a small iced tea (230 yen).

I liked the little sumo guy!  I didn't like that I still had to wait 20  more minutes.

Well, my mouth watered, … dripped, … and dripped some more, and then started to dry up little by little as the wait for our meal became longer and longer.

Twenty-six minutes after placing our order is when the little beeper that we were given upon ordering began to beep.  In total it took fifty-six minutes from the point of getting in line to receiving our food. The kind attendant guy knew his stuff.

But as soon as I saw the burgers my mouth started salivating all over again as the tempting aroma of the beef wafted around me.

I tore off a small portion of the beef to test it; peppery, flavorful, juicy but not greasy.  

I took a few bites and found it oh-so-good!  BUT, … not exactly the way I remembered the burger in the U.S.  Something was just a touch off.   Perhaps it was that the beef wasn’t pippin’ hot.  It was warm, but it didn’t have that “fresh-off-the-grill” taste.  Still, it was one of the best burgers I’ve had in Japan.

Next I tried the crinkle cut fries.  They were crispy, as they should be.  Salty, as they should be.  But warm at best.  Not hot.   Which really depreciated its overall flavor. 

My wife shared my opinions over her burger and the fries, and she also commented that the wait for the food was very poor customer service, especially according to Japanese standards.

But the saving grace for me was the chocolate shake!

It was the best shake I’ve ever had in Japan or California!  

BUT, … not quite the same as what I remember from the Shake Shack in D.C.  Perhaps, I’ve been romanticizing my previous shake love affair and placing it on an unattainable altar, but still, this shake wasn’t the same as the other shake.  It was a very close second place.

That being said, this smooth, luscious, chocolate shake was terrific!  This was the reason I came, and I was satisfied!

My wife decided to order a ShackMeister Ale beer (830 yen/18 oz.) from a roaming waitress.  We noticed that a man sitting at the next table had also ordered something some time before us, as he called the same waitress over asking to change his order to take-out as he was in a hurry and no longer had time to wait.

My wife patiently waited, and waited, and waited.  After the sixteen-minute mark she said to me, “This isn’t right” and called the waitress over again to politely ask why it was taking so long for just a beer.  In less than a minute the waitress brought the beer over.  My civil-tongued spouse then explained in detail to the waitress about the sub-par temperature of the hamburger and fries, and the extrodinary un-Japanese customer service that caused the unnecessary wait.  

Apparently, the waitress conveyed this information to the manager, who humbly accosted me on my way to the restroom and apologized profusely.  As I returned to our table I found him on one knee apologizing to my wife.  He told us both the same thing; they have been overwhelmed by the amount of customers and that they haven’t worked out all the problems yet, but that it was his fault as manager and to please come back again and he would work hard to resolve those issues.  

He guided us out as we left the restaurant, and my wife whispered to me, “Now that was Japanese customer service.”  I said, “Yeah, but I would’ve preferred a discount coupon.”

I will definitely be back, in the late evening, to delight in a delectable dinner at the Shake Shake.   

I’m hoping that like other American franchises, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Cinnabons, etc., that the novelty will wear out and the lines will become shorter. 

I do highly recommend a visit, but you just might want to wait a while, or not mind the wait.

IKEA Restaurant イケアレストラン 050-5833-9000

Website:  http://www.ikea.com/jp/ja/store/sendai/

Address:  仙台市太白区あすと長町 2-1-1.   Located across the street and to the side of Nagamachi JR Train Station.  Also easily accessible from the Nagamachi Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  Not yet, but the Grand Opening will be on Thursday, July 17, 2014.  Until September 30, 2014, the store will be open from 10 am – 9 pm.  But after that the store hours are as follows:  

Sunday – Friday: 10 am – 7 pm.  Saturdays and Holidays:  10 am – 9 pm.

Today, I got a special sneak-peek inside the brand-spanking new IKEA Store thanks to my friends, Tony, who gave me his “invitation only” Family Day at IKEA ticket, and Yvonne, who works there and provided the ticket.

I don’t remember visiting my local IKEA back in the States very often, and I never ate at their restaurant, so I can’t do a comparison, but I was quite impressed with the number of foods available at this Sendai IKEA restaurant, which included salmon, tandoori chicken, and roast beef among its many entrées .

My wife went with the Salmon Lasagna for 616 yen, with a slice of Arctic Bread for 60 yen.  It was the first time for her to ever try a salmon lasagna, and she really liked it, especially the salmon taste.  She also stated that the Arctic Bread didn’t have a lot of flavor by itself but that it went well with the lasagna.

サーモンラザニヤ・アークティックブレット

I chose the Swedish Meatballs for 599 yen, a Mini Bread for 90 yen to accompany it, and a butter packet for 20 yen.  The ten meatballs came with gravy, cranberry dressing, and mashed potatoes.  The meatballs were not extraordinary, but quite good, and the cranberry dressing added a nice touch to the flavor.  I’m not a big fan of mashed potatoes (I’m picky), but I enjoyed these!

スウェーデン・ミートボール

For dessert, my wife decided upon the Apple Cake for 299 yen and a Café Latte from the Drink Bar for 120 yen.  I picked the Cinnamon Roll for 90 yen.

アップルケーキ&シナモンロール

Both the Apple Cake and Cinnamon Roll were not very sweet, and had tastes that were nothing like their traditional counterparts.  Despite this, we still thought they were quite tasty, perhaps due to both having a nutty flavoring to them.

So IKEA is not a traditional restaurant, but that's what they call it.  It's more of a cafeteria, and our two complete meals plus dessert came in at under 2000 yen.  I would say that overall, we were both totally satisfied with our meals.

Since I never experienced eating at an IKEA Store, I don't know if this is standard practice there, but I found it interesting that you don't pay for your meal until you are done with it (unlike most cafeteria-style joints). After placing your selected platters on your tray, you proceed to the check out lane.  The clerk will give you an itemized receipt, and then you go off to find a place to sit.  When you are done with your meal, you take your tray to the disposal area, and then use an automated register to pay for your meal.  I had never seen this before.

If you’re shopping at IKEA, visiting their restaurant might provide a nice needed break from wandering around the huge store..   

But, if you want to save even more money, go to their Bistro on the 1^st floor past the checkout lanes.  They sell hot dogs for 100 yen and soft cream cones for 50 yen!  The hot dog looked good but I was already full from the restaurant.

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Poporo Gelato Shop - Matsushima ポポロ・ジェラートSHOP 022-354-6322

Website:  http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~mikazuki/poporo/top.htm

Address:  宮城県宮城郡松島町高城字浜３８－３.   Located just off Route 45 near Matsushima Dai-ichi Elementary School.  About a 15-minute walk from Matsushima JR Station (not to be confused with the more touristy Matsushima-kaigan JR Station.  Although, it’s about a 25 to 30-minute walk from there).

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  Their website states 10 am to 7 pm from April to October, and closing at 6 pm from November to March.  But in reality they seem to close at 5 pm all year round.

My friend, Helen, recommended this gelato shop to me a couple of years ago, as she knew that I drove out to Matsushima on a weekly basis.   But because I’m bad at directions I could never find the place.   

I changed my route one day, and lo and behold, there it was!  Actually, it took me quite a few trips down that route to notice the giant ice cream cone on top of the building.  Apparently, I’m oblivious to the obvious.

Poporo advertises itself as using 100% all natural ingredients to make the highest quality, homemade Italian gelato.  I’m no authority on gelato (though I did try my best to become one during my trip to Venice), but this mom-and-pop gelato shop offers up some creamy, rich gelato.

My two favorite flavors are the chocolate and chocolate chip (stracciatella).  Pretty plain, huh?

But I’ve also tried the vanilla, which wasn’t sweet enough for my taste buds, and the choco-banana, which tasted much more banana than chocolate.

Vanilla and Chocolate on a double cone

Overall, I would say that Poporo’s gelato is not nearly as sweet as traditional ice cream, yet it is much creamier, which seems to suit the Japanese palate.  My wife loves the Jersey Milk flavor and thought that my vanilla was great.

One complaint I would have is the taste of the cone.  I ordered a double cone for 330 yen because it appeared to be the best value (as opposed to a single cone for 280 yen).  But every time I’ve ordered the double cone, the cone tasted, shall we say, not exactly from an unopened box.  More like a day-old cone.

I’ve been more satisfied ordering a single scoop in a waffle cone (300 yen).  And even then, this is no sweet Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream waffle cone, but at least much fresher than their standard double cone.

Check out their website for their list of 33 flavors of gelato and sorbettos, though not all are available at the same time.

A small sampling of their offerings.

There are a couple of tables inside with air conditioning, and a good sized parking lot.  You can also order 500 gram packs of ice cream to take home.

If you’re visiting Matsushima and are hankering for something cold and creamy, I highly recommend Poporo Gelato Shop!

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