A gastronomic birthday dinner in Tokyo

So yesterday, headed on for another never-endingly eventful Travelife, I boarded a Japan Airlines plane to Tokyo very early in the morning.

This was after a very enjoyable and late evening spent making merry at the Peninsula Manila on the night of my birthday.

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FIRST LOOK AT OLD MANILA

IN SOFT OPENING STAGE

We were a nice and large group at the newly-opened Old Manila, which is still in soft opening stage but already very nice, and my seat mate and I shared a 300 gram rib eye steak and about half a dozen appetizers.

This included a very fresh buratta, a seafood tortellini, a plate of steak tartare and a seafood consommé.

And these were just the starters.

A WONDERFUL DINNER

I really enjoyed this dinner and I shall write more about it later. 

But it was very kindly hosted by Peninsula Manila GM Sonja Vodusek and it included the general manager of Amanpulo and his wife, and a couple of very nice people also from Tokyo.

So basically, I was with the GMs of two of the very finest hospitality establishments in the Philippines.

THE BEST SERVICE IN THE AIR

The flight to Tokyo on JAL was pleasant as always. 

I’ve written this before and I’ll write it again. 

I’ve ridden almost every major airline and the crew in business class is always nice and professional on most major airlines. But I really think Japan Airlines has the best service in the air.

Business class yesterday was full of lawyers as there’s an international law conference going on in Tokyo this week, and many lawyers from Manila and their spouses were on planes to Tokyo yesterday. 

In fact, I’m seeing some of them this week, so I have my hands full coordinating restaurant bookings at all the Michelin-starred restaurants everyone wants to eat in, since they’re here in Tokyo.

Then next weekend, I’m jumping on another plane again, this time for a food trip holiday in Hokkaido with the Travel Companion.

A BIRTHDAY DINNER IN TOKYO

Anyway, upon arrival in Narita yesterday, I jumped into a waiting car and headed for the city to freshen up and make it in time for a very nice birthday dinner.

We ate somewhere very famous — world-famous, in fact — and delicious, near my neck of the woods.

NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, TOKYO

The evening was fine and it was rather nice to be back in the First World again, enjoying another birthday dinner with friends, this time in Tokyo, living a never-ending, and never-endingly eventful Travelife.