Sri Lanka Festival 2006

 

I attended the Sri Lanka festival in Yoyogi Park for the first time this year.  I had meant to go last year, but I forgot.  This year I had it in the calendar and had booked Eri and Take in to join me there (had invited Shanna too, but she had family in town).

 Being held in the same location as the yearly Thai festival it’s hard not to compare the two – best not to though.  There were some performances and other entertainment, but I’m not going to try and paint myself as some kind of cultural aficionado – I was there for the food.  What can I tell you? I was under-whelmed.  Possibly the food is a lot better in the restaurants, but what I had was dry or packed with MSG.  The samosas were okay, but not amazing and the roti wasn’t fabulous. I had the vegetable dish that’s chopped up and stir-fried with vegetables, which was really disappointing.  Lacking in spice and heavy in pepper and MSG, this dish really didn’t sell me on much else, so we decided not too over indulge (as had been my plan) and to take a walk into Yoyogi Park to sit under a tree and have a chat.

Sri Lanka Festival 2006

I am off to the Sri Lanka Festival in Yoyogi Park this weekend.  Hope to try some great food and have lots to write about it afterwards.

The festival is on October 14 and 15 from 10am to 6pm.

Thai Festival Tokyo 2006

Yoyogi Park May 13^th – 14^th 2006

Well the rain certainly didn’t keep the crowds away from this year’s Thai Festival.

We finally got motivated to leave the house today at around 11am.  By the time we arrived at Yoyogi-koen it was pretty wet and dismal, however the festival was in full swing and the crowds were eating drinking and having a wonderful time.As I wrote earlier, this festival is one of my favourite yearly foodie events.  I love my Thai food and this is a great way to eat some tried and true favourites from various restaurants around Tokyo.  There must have been nearly 40 restaurants represented there today and they all had something I had a hankering for! 

I should of course mention that the festival also showcases arts, crafts, Thai products and services etc.

So, what did I shove in my face today… fish cakes, satays, duck soup, fried dumpling, tapioca, singha beer, po pia thot, crispy chicken, garlic fried prawns, chicken with holy basil, mangosteen… well, to be honest… yes.  I went with a friend and between us we ate far too much.  We didn’t always pick well, as some stalls/restaurants are naturally better then others, and we didn’t always finish each dish, but we did sample a lot of Thai food.  Anyway, here is a list of some of the restaurants we tried and enjoyed: Pho Thai (always a fav), Chao-Thai, Baan Rim Pa, Thai Country (the only Thai I’ve had in Shinjuku) and Krung Siam (though I am sure there were many more that we excellent… these are just the one’s I can remember).  I can only strongly vouch for Pho Thai as an actual restaurant, as I have eaten in its actual restaurant often and always enjoyed my meals there (the quality one expects from a food stall and a restaurant differ considerably after all).

At the festival you can also stock up on Thai cooking goods (coconut milk, fresh herbs, Thai soy sauce) and imported tropical fruits.  We got a box of mangosteen and I doubt it’s going to last long!  I’m posting this on the Saturday, so for those of you who read this in time and still want to go, you have tomorrow to make your way there and enjoy all that the Tokyo Thai Festival has to offer!

 

THAI FESTIVAL 2006

Tokyo's Thai Festival runs this weekend (May 13-14) in Yoyogi-Koen from 10am to 8pm.

 

It's a great event! 

Thai Festival 2006 .
Date: 13-14 May 2006, 10.00-20.00hrs.
Venue: Yoyogi Park in Shibuya-ward, Tokyo How to access:
- 10 minutes walk from Yoyogi-Hachiman station (Odakyu Line)
- 10 minutes walk from Harajuku station (JR)
- 7 minutes walk from Yoyogi-Kouen station (Chiyoda Line)
- 10 minutes walk from Shibuya station