Review: Hotel Mercure Tokyo Ginza

Both Sister and I stayed at Hotel Mercure Tokyo Ginza due to the convenience of location to Disneyland. We can take direct Metro via Yurakucho Line from Ginza-itchome Station to Shin-kiba Station. And then another trip to Maihama Station via the JR Line. Ginza-itchome Station is located on the basement of the hotel. Isn’t that convenient?

Standard check-in hour is 14:00 but they allow check-in at 13:00 subjective to room availability. However, if you wish for earlier check-in, you will have to pay 1000円 per hour. And the same charges apply too for late check-out. As we arrived Tokyo very early in the morning, we left our luggage with the concierge and headed out for breakfast nearby.

The reception area is very small in size but able to accommodate a number of guests though. All receptionists speak fluent Japanese and English. Some are able to speak European language too. So, there is no language barrier problem in the hotel as long as you speak basic English. By the time we checked into our room, it was pretty late at night.

Sister booked us a Superior Room for double occupancy. The room size is pretty big for Japanese standard as most of the rooms that I had seen online looked a lot smaller than this. However, there was not much space for opening our luggage. So, we had to empty our luggage content and store the emptied luggage by the door. LOL!

We had twin bed. One bed alone can fit two but Japanese hotel has a strict policy when it comes to occupancy. There was a sofa chair next to the writing table though. Mini fridge and safe deposit box were hidden inside the cabinet. There were beers and soft drinks stored inside the fridge but they do not come complimentary with the room.

There was a flat screen in the room which we did not utilize since we do not understand the language. So, why bother? Our in-room entertainment were drama series watching from our iPad. Complimentary WiFi service is provided for all hotel guests and the speed was extremely fast. Download transfer rate can reach up to 3MB or more. I think I experienced 4.35MB download transfer rate once or twice.

The washroom came equipped with a Japanese toilet which warm up by itself when you are seated. Toiletries by Shiseido were provided as well. I only used the body wash liquid and I find the brand too dry for my skin. But I still use it throughout the stay as I did not bring any body wash liquid with me to Tokyo.

Washroom came with a bathtub as well which is good for soaking your tired feet in a tub of hot water after a long day of walking. I liked that the water was very strong and the temperature was very balanced too.

Verdict: We both loved the hotel due to the location as it was very convenient when traveling to Disneyland. There is direct train service from Haneda Airport to Higashi-ginza Station via Keikyu Line whereby you do not have to transfer in between platforms throughout the journey. Travel fare is about 800円 return trip and travel duration is slightly over half an hour. There are three Metro stations located nearby Hotel Mercure Tokyo Ginza – Ginza Station, Ginza-itchome Station and Higashi-ginza Station. Different stations serve different routes. So, travelling around Tokyo is not a problem as long as you are willing to walk. LOL!

Apart from the convenience of transportation to Disneyland and Haneda Airport, the hotel is located nearby a few eateries and combini stores. Lawson is a stone throw away from the hotel entrance and they have 24 hours McDonald’s right across Lawson. There is a 7-Eleven too nearby. Starbucks Coffee is less than one minute walking distance from the hotel entrance as well. If you are feeling hardworking, you could walk a distance to the Yoshinoya outlet nearby. There is a ramen place nearby the hotel too but they are not open until lunch as it is not habitual for majority Japanese to eat breakfast outside apart from buying food from a combini store.

We both loved the Internet speed of the hotel. It was super quick and downloading only took a short time to complete. As the socket plug in Japan is different from other countries, you can choose to bring your own universal socket or request one at the reception during check-in. We brought one from Shanghai but it was not usable as we got the wrong “head”. LOL!

Room price was on the steep side as the hotel is located nearby the prime area of Ginza and with good accessibility via different Metro lines. We paid approximately B$872.12 for 4 days and 3 nights stay.

Hotel Mercure Tokyo Ginza
2-9-4 Ginza, Chuo ku,
1040061, Tokyo,
Japan
Tel: (+81)3/43351111
Fax : (+81)3/43351222
Website: Hotel Mercure Tokyo Ginza

16102016 / Another Cafe, Kiulap

I am feeling hardworking today. So, here I am with the second blog entry for the day. Jennifer and I will be trying out a new restaurant in town tonight. If you are feeling intrigued, do drop by here in another few days to know which new restaurant had opened up. But before that, let me give you a hint. It is not a Halal restaurant as pork is served.

Without further ado, let’s get moving with today’s business. Jennifer and I went for coffee break at Another Cafe after our late dim sum lunch at Phong Mun Restaurant last Sunday afternoon. We walked around Hua Ho Yayasan for a bit first as I needed to restock on my eyebrow pencil. I wanted to get one from Laneige but they do not have the shade which I wanted. Elizabeth Arden did not have in pencil form but Lancome does. So, I ended up getting the one from Lancome. Steep price but I am starting to like it already.

It’s no news that people get confused with Another Cafe. When you asked your friends if they wanted to try Another Cafe, they will give you a list of other cafes to try. Reason being, they do not know that we have a cafe by the name of Another Cafe here in Brunei. It happened to Kevin once when Kaylie told him that we are trying out Another Cafe. Jennifer too but she suspected that there is such cafe in Brunei as I used caps for the alphabet A and C.

Latte | B$6

Matcha Latte | B$5

Highly disappointed with their Matcha Latte. It was sweet. It tasted too milky and creamy for my liking albeit I requested for skimmed milk instead of regular milk. So, I am guessing that they were using some matcha latte instant powder and such product comes with milk content. So, it makes your beverage tasted even more milky if you mix them with milk.

Matcha Cheesecake | B$5

We were both disappointed with their Matcha Cheesecake too. There was no matcha taste at all, even when you dabbed the cheesecake with dusted matcha powder. And it was sweet for my liking as well.

Fries | B$7

Served with aoili sauce, which was mayonnaise with garlic. The portion of fries was pretty big. The fries on the top were okay but they got soggy towards the bottom. I personally think that the fries would have a better texture if they were cooked slightly longer. They did not meet the kind of texture which I like. But of course, this was just my own personal preference.

Another Cafe
No. 2, Block A,
Bangunan Haji Abdul Rahman,
Kampung Kiulap,
Bandar Seri Begawan,
Negara Brunei Darussalam
Tel: +673-2233593

Of Random Things #77

I bought a 32″ LCD TV months ago but I rarely use it as I prefer to watch drama series from my laptop or iPad. I had been chasing Korean drama series recently. There was a period whereby I was addicted towards American crime solving series like Elementary, Castle and The Mentalist but I am more towards slow and romantic drama series recently. LOL!

After finishing up on Cinderella & The Four Knights, I watched Blood starring the second male lead from Cinderella & The Four Knights. It was not bad actually. The story-line was about good versus evil vampires.

Now that I am done with watching Blood, I started with Doctors and I think it was not bad too! To be honest, I had quite a number of drama series which I had downloaded but never watched and I think I have to start watching them one by one.

My download quota limit for this month is nearing cap already when it is not even month end. Most of the recent Korean drama series episodes came in large size compared to before. But of course, large file size means better quality. How about you? Do you have any nice drama series to recommend?

11102016 / Games & Lattes

After our dinner at Chempaka Kitchen the other night, the three of us – San Diann, Clara and I headed to Games & Lattes for coffees and desserts. San Diann and Clara paid for the meal as my belated birthday treat. Thank you!

But unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed with the coffee and cakes the other night. I think they got my order wrong. I requested for a Mocha but I think I got Latte instead.

Hot Chocolate | B$4.00

Cafe Latte | B$5.50

Mocha | B$5.50

So, this was what I was being served for Mocha. I had tried their Mocha once or twice before and I can confirm that the one that I had the other night was not Mocha. This one lacked chocolate or cocoa taste. And I do remember that there is a layer of chocolate thingy at the bottom of the coffee for Mocha.

I did not ask for a redo as I thought maybe something had gone wrong with my taste bud. However, I did realize the differences on second thought. But the good thing was that this “Mocha” did not give me any gastric problem the other night. I had acid reflux problem twice after having their coffees as I suspected that their caffeine were stronger than the others which I had tried.

Chocolate Tart | B5.50

This was not bad. The chocolate was not overly sweet. However, I do find that the ring tart was not as nice as before. The ones that I had before had a crunchy texture. This one was more towards the soft texture.

Matcha Cheesecake | B$5.80

We preferred the Chocolate Tart over this Matcha Cheesecake. Reason being, the texture was dry and it lacked matcha taste.

Games & Lattes
E9, Setia Kenangan 2,
Simpang: 150-5-13-18,
Kampung Kiulap, BE1518,
Bandar Seri Begawan,
Negara Brunei Darusssalam
Tel: +673-2235200

15102016 / Flour & Butter Cafe

Had a gathering with the gang this afternoon ar Flour & Butter Cafe after lunch. I took the day off from work for today as I needed to do account closure at HSBC. Went with Mom so that we both can have the same thing done on the same day rather than making multiple trips to the bank.

Arrived Menglait 10 minutes earlier than our agreed meet up time to find San Diann was even earlier than me. He asked if we mind meeting earlier as he was starving at the point of time. Both Clara and I just had our lunch at home when he texted us. We stick to the original plan and meet at the cafe at 2:30PM as that is their opening hour for Saturday.

Clara and Shew Hiang arrived later as Shew Hiang had to feed her toddler first before coming out to meet us. We ordered coffees first while waiting for the both of them to arrive. Flour & Butter Cafe had added food into their menu. So, it is no longer coffees and cakes only.

Iced Hazelnut Latte | B$5.90

Latte | B$5.00

Hazelnut Latte | B$5.50

San Diann’s choice of coffee. He was contemplating in between choices. He was tempted to try Chai Latte but I mentioned that it is not advisable if he is not into spices. Both Clara and Shew Hiang were intrigued to try out Chai Latte too but decided not to after they had a sniff of my Chai Latte. LOL! You need to like the scent and taste of spice to enjoy a cup of Chai Latte.

Chai Latte | B$5.50

Flour & Butter Cafe had recently introduced soy milk for their coffees. For lactose intolerant, you can now request for soy milk at an additional charge of 50 cents only. I would usually go for soy milk or the least skimmed milk if the cafe offers.

Albeit soy milk was used, you could not taste it at all. This Chai Latte tasted no different than the one made with full cream milk, which was a good thing. I once had Latte with soy milk from another coffee chain and the taste of soy milk was so strong that it overpowered the coffee taste.

Creamy Prawn Pasta | B$12.90

fettuccine pasta with garlic and parmesan cheese

San Diann’s choice of lunch and he was extremely satisfied with his order. All four of us had a bit of taste test of his pasta. I liked that the pasta was cooked perfectly to the texture that I like. Portion of prawns was generous and they added quite an amount of tomato chunks which I liked too. The pasta had a creamy sauce of cheese and cream. However, the pasta sauce was too creamy for my liking.

Coffee Fries | B$4.90

They are serving regular fries too but I wanted to try something out of the ordinary. If you are expecting a strong taste of coffee, then you might be disappointed. LOL! I like the texture of the fries – crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside. Fries were served with both ketchup and chili sauce but you can request for extra dipping at B$1.

Durian Crepe | B$3.60

A lot better than the one that Jennifer and I had for the first time. The texture was a lot thinner this time. We had this the last as we do not want the taste of durian to “contaminate” our taste buds when trying out other cakes. LOL!

Peanut Butter Black Forest Cake | B$5.50

Nutella Crepe Cake | B$4.50

This was like the Mille Crepe and texture of the crepe was extremely thin. The crepe were sandwiched in between layers of whipped cream and Nutella. I liked that they went easy with Nutella. Hence, the sweetness level was at an acceptable range.

Shew Hiang left us before 4PM as she had family commitment. As she was walking away from us, San Diann suddenly exclaimed that we have yet taken a group selfie. LOL!

Flour & Butter Cafe
No: 29, Ground Floor,
Bangunan Haji Hassan Abdullah,
Menglait, Jalan Gadong,
Bandar Seri Begawan,
Negara Brunei Darussalam
Tel: +673-2422323