Joys of Japan

[gnine]

We came, we saw, we devoured obscene amounts of ice cream, whip cream, fruit and lord knows what else conquered!

See, Japan is quite fond of its parfaits, a common dessert in many restaurants and cafés here. But this one place, with over 150 different parfaits to chose from, is in a class all of its own. In the entrance to the restaurant, there are display cases featuring far-too-mouth-watering-considering-they're-made-of-plastic replicas of their entire menu, including their specialty: the very aptly-named Jumbo Parfait. On multiple visits, while standing in line waiting to pay, we've gazed upon it, promising each other "someday...someday". Well, our post-Halloween, look-at-all-the-candy-we-*didn't*-get-cause-Japan-doesn't-really-celebrate-Halloween, dang-it!! party turned out to be that day.

Costing ¥10,000 (roughly $100), with a ¥3,000 deposit required at least a day in advance (yes, a down payment...for a DESSERT), meant for 6-10 people, with I don't know how many flavors of ice cream, and a tremendous variety of fruits including strawberries, raspberries, other berries I'm not sure the name of, cherries, kiwi, pineapple, whole slices of melon, mango, and banana(also, usually, oranges, but we had to very carefully explain, repeatedly, that those would kill one of our group if consumed, an extra fun challenge when doing so not in your native language :-p), I give you the Jumbo Parfait:



More pictures, documenting the slow decimation of this amazing, INSANE, dessert below the cut.

Nov 1st, 7:35 pm: The nice little Japanese boy, presenting us with our parfait:



7:48 pm: Just getting started. Having gotten through a lot of the major fruit and whipped cream, we make the discovery that apart from an amazing variety of delicious ice cream flavors, there are also these wedges of brownie/cake propping up the peak of this monstrosity:



8:02 pm: We cleared the top...already feeling quite full, we rally and press on. Notice the pieces of waffle, along with the fallen piece of brownie/cake:



8:48 pm: Almost there. We've slowed down a LOT by this point. Occasional bites, here and there, a LOT of groans and patting of bellies....and discussion of how we're going to burn all of this off. A suggestion of a karaoke is made.



9:26 pm: Success!



Over the course of the night, we got a LOT of hilarious looks from the restaurant's other patrons. A group of eight gaijin (foreign) girls, half of them blond, is ALWAYS gonna get some turned heads in Japan, but add in a giant parfait? They *really* couldn't resist. (There was even some not-so-covert snapping of pictures when the thing was first brought out! ^_-)

Following our accomplishment, most of the group carried out the karaoke plan. Our first song of the night? "We are the Champions." ^_-

Comments

[naye]

Eee, you posted! Great pictures, and I love the dramatic narrative of our conquering the giant parfait. XD

[pennyplainknits.livejournal.com]

I am getting a sugar headache just looking at that!

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm impressed that not only did you order it, you finished the whole thing. Grats!

[highonstargate.livejournal.com]

OMG! That is huge!! I'm getting a sugerhigh, just looking at it.


Which is partially true, cause I got lots of candy upstairs so... (bounces everywhere)

[mezzo-cammin.livejournal.com]

Oh, what fun! But where are the pictures of you all??? The Japanese may not do Halloween, but I'm curious - do they still have about a festival a month where a dragon is wreathed throughout downtown traffic? I lived in Japan from when I was 6 to 9 (part off base, part in Grant Heights Air Force Base - which I think no longer exists), and as a child, I fell in love with the people and the customs, and especially the dragons. We were encouraged to mingle with the natives and absorb the culture, and to this day, I cover my mouth when I laugh...I just never broke that habit. And take my shoes off at the door. I think the parfait thing must be new, though. Relatively speaking (It's been over 30 years since I lived there). Also? I will never, ever forget the benjo (sp?) ditches. Do they still have those?

[lysambre.livejournal.com]

Hehehe, very courageous to even think about eating something that big !!! lol

[greyias.livejournal.com]

Holy schnikes, that's a big dessert! :O Is it in a vase?

*applause*

[angelwings9.livejournal.com]

that looks amazing! i gotta get me on of those beauties!!! xxx

[me-ya-ri.livejournal.com]

OMG! That was insane dessert! My hubby and I have been to Kyoto and we're both dying to know--was this the parfait shop in the Kyoto train station? We'd seen a giant parfait advertised there but the last time we visited the city the station was being renovated and we couldn't get pics of it. We have much awe that you managed to demolish the whole thing! O.O Jumbo parfait is JUMBO!

[shayera.livejournal.com]

Bwahaha! I remember these! Japan knows how to make insane parfaits! Where exactly did you manage to find this particular monstrosity?

[libsechumanist.livejournal.com]

THAT is NOT a parfait...it's a small village.

[byakkodan-slash.livejournal.com]

Woah.

Damn my inability to consume Ice cream

[trixxanna.livejournal.com]

O.O***

I just don't have words *munches on pocky*

[openmydoors.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. I SALUTE YOU IN EATING THAT MOSTROCITY.


...so pretteh, tho. *wistful*

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

Haha, I can't believe you ordered that thing! And I'm impressed that you finished. And slightly jealous.

...So, on your "multiple visits," are you systematically working your way through the menu, or do you just order same old favorites? (Eating every parfait on the menu could be a new goal!)

PS:
that those would kill one of our group if consumed

Rodney was with you??

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

.....oh my GOD. *__________* That's AMAZING, my mouth is salivating just looking at it jakdl;jsdl;sj;dasd

Also, as the commenter above me notes, "Rodney was with you??" was my first thought too. *g*

Edit: I just showed this to my mother and she said, "So is the bottom layer mayonnaise?" jads;dsd her mayonnaise encounters in Japan clearly left a deep impression on her.

[ezazahaz.livejournal.com]

...Wow. O.O Impressive.

Seriously, I am in awe of your dessert-eating skillz. I'm pretty sure I would've given up around the hour mark, myself... Looks like it was a lot of fun, though! :)

Also, down payment on dessert=hilarious.

[doctorskuld.livejournal.com]

D: AWESOME!

[beadattitude.livejournal.com]

Sweet mother of pearl! That thing comes in an URN.

Oh the sugar rush, oh, the crash

[crashtestskater.livejournal.com]

Ha ha. Loved seeing your pictures. A couple of things...

What no credit for helping organize the joy, the pain, and the triumph?

Am I now Rodney???

No, not the mayo. I'm not sure my stomach could have handled that. The yogourt was rich enough.

So, when are we going again?