Deserts To Die For

I was checking out @enforcer48 thread today about baking banana bread when I had a flashback to an amazing banana desert I shared with my wife not too long ago. It was from a cafe my wife likes to go to when the kids are stressing her out. The cafe was her little secret until she decided to share it with me one night.

This was the dish and it was even better than it looks! Whipped cream on top of bananas on top of french toast topped with almond slices and chocolate sauce. It only cost about $5 and was one of the best deserts I've had. One of the best, amongst many others I've had in Japan.

The Japanese take cues from the French when it comes to making deserts, everything is semi-sweet, not overwhelming dumps of sugar.

This was a parfait we had in Fukuoka at a cafe just outside of the train station. It was a vanilla ice cream topped with caramel corn, caramel sauce, with raspberries all on top of some type of cream. Paired with the coffee it was a delicious snack before heading back to Tokyo.

This may not look like much or even a desert, but wow it was delicious. It's a traditional sweet rolled egg omelet called tamagoyaki. We had it in a sushi shop in Tachikawa recently. I am not sure of this sushi shops recipe, but this was the best tamagoyaki I've had. Oh, and their sushi was delicious too.

Creme Brûlée is always an easy choice. This izakaya by my house had a slightly different take on it though. The flavor was fine though, normal creme brûlée.

Then there are the deserts that you won't die for, but are still delicious. Like these pastries from our local LeRepas, a bakery chain along the Keio train line. I used to go here often when dropping my daughter off at pre-school.

Donuts have been big in Japan for a long time, but to compete with Mr. Donut & Krispy Kreme you have to get creative. This earl grey donut from Starbucks was pretty damn good.

To my surprise there was a bit of creme hiding inside.

Then there are traditional Japanese flavors like matcha. This was an all you can eat place my wife and daughter like, fried yaki tori & deserts. I like matcha and other Japanese sweets like anko, but for Westerners I thinks it's an acquired taste.

Lastly, there are some deserts that are definitely not to die for. Akita Inu Cookies! These special treats came from my wife's home town way up in Akita prefecture.

They tasted like...

We didn't feel lucky after eating them. I think the people who made them were the lucky ones because they got us to buy them!