Kyobashi
October 6, 2014
Before we could venture out into the city, Alan and I needed to exchange dollars for Japanese yen. Luckily, there was a bank just around the corner from our hotel. Typhoon Phanfone was still bearing down in Tokyo so we each bought US$5 foldable umbrellas from our hotel front desk and braved the rain. There were only a few other folks, with their own clear umbrellas, walking in the streets. They seemed to be on their way to work.
It was early (before 9:00 a.m.) and the bank's Foreign Exchange department was still closed. While waiting, we decided to look for a breakfast place nearby. We found this little spot called "Choco Cro." Little did I know that this was the popular St. Marc Cafe chain known for its delicious chocolate croissant.
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| I wasn't able to take a photo but here's a screenshot from a website. |
I've read that pastries in Japan are just awesome and I got excited. There were several yummy-looking delicacies on display. I followed the lead of someone who was ahead of us in line. With a large tong, we picked up our pastry of choice and then set it on a small tray. We brought it to the counter, ordered our drinks, and proceeded to pay. The cashier then placed our orders on a bigger tray and served it along with a wet napkin.
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| This photo by m1025 on Tripadvisor is the closest thing to what I just described above. |
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| This storefront photo was shared by Shinpei Y. on Yelp. |
The store was really small but I realized that although it was narrow, there were seats in the back. The further we went inside, we noticed that there were smoking and non-smoking areas. I thought that was funny because all the cigarette smoke wafted into the non-smoking area anyway.
Everyone in there, however, seemed to be office workers because they were dressed in their professional clothes. Each sat quietly in his own spot either fiddling on a laptop or reading the local paper while having breakfast. No one was talking to each other and it almost felt uncomfortable to say anything to Alan. I had to speak with a soft voice.
The goodies we selected were interestingly delicious! Alan chose the Danish sprinkled with nuts. He also got a croissant with cream cheese filling. I picked the Danish with bacon and edamame. I love edamame and we all know that everything is good with bacon. Of course I had it with coffee while Alan went for a watermelon and cucumber smoothie. The price was also very reasonable. Excellent first meal for our first day in Tokyo! But I did leave smelling like smoke.
Photo credit: m1025 on TripAdvisor and Shinpei Y on Yelp
