Saturday, January 10, 2009

Graubünden, Hirafu East Village

Living in a strange land is exciting and well, a bit strange sometimes. Sometimes you can end up longing for a little taste from your memories unable to find a cure. And so it is with Japan, within minutes you can always be snacking on delicious sushi, ramen, soba and the like, but, it can take quite a bit of effort to get a good sandwich (especially not one made of the ubiquitous should-be-a-dessert sweet bread). To our delight located within a brief five minute walk of our house, named after a region of Switzerland, it’s a cute little brick house all warm and cosy inside.

Hirafu

The menu is the famous sandwich (seriously, people drive two hours just to come for one) Once you finally make a filling choice you then have further agony deciding the type of bread; baguette, soft baguette, rye bread, or bagel all baked by the fantastic White Rock bakery in Kutchan so you know it’s going to be the real deal.

Today I go for the Graubünden original, omelette with bacon egg and cheese on rye.

Hirafu

Kat has the chicken, cream cheese and tomato also on rye.

Hirafu

In the brief wait we take the time to look around, there’s a showcase filled with fantastic cakes and a small shop selling herbal teas, cookies, candles and a good range of organic oats, maple syrup and other gourmet treats.

Hirafu

The sandos arrive and they are every bit as good as they sounded, the rye cut thick, the filling fresh and generous, mine full of just cooked omelette, grilled bacon and melty cheese is the perfect breakfast as far as I’m concerned and Kat’s piled high with chicken and slathered with cream cheese is a classic classic, on the side of each cute as a button cherry tomatoes a few sticks of cucumber a little carrot salad and a good blob of mayo with a potato salad, whipped to make it creamy.

Hirafu

They do some great home-made soda's.

Hirafu

And stock a full range of Dr. Stuarts teas, also available to take home.

Hirafu

Seeing we’ve being making eyes at the cakes a massive slice of banoffee pie is soon organised, and again it’s as delicious as it looks and prompts yet another fork duel (chivalry smivalry).

Hirafu

How does that song go? The one about the weather outside being frightful but inside delightful? That’s how I feel sitting here in Graubunden, content and relaxed and toasty, I don’t want to leave…..I think we have time and room for a maple hot milk.

Let it snow let it snow let it snow....

Graubünden
Hirafu East Village
Tel: 0136 233371
Open 11am - 7pm
http://www.graubunden.jp/

No comments: