One Sunday morning in late February, my wife woke me up and said "we are heading to Daigo." My first response was, "I need coffee," and my second response was "what?" My wife had seen on Twitter that Fukuroda Falls was frozen two days ago and still might be. So we left Tsuchiura braving a hail strom, yes it did hail that day, to go see this marvelous waterfall in all its frozen glory.
Fukuroda Falls
It wasn't frozen. It had thawed the day before and the Ibaraki Eats Duo was pretty bummed out. Still, Fukuroda Falls is a sight to behold and a must see in Ibaraki. I highly recommend checking this waterfall out especially if it rained the day before. The roar of the waterfall and the surrounding scenery is spectacular. You won't regret checking this off your sightseeing list in Ibaraki.
After visiting Fukuroda Falls, we both got a little hungry and decided to grab some dinner. My wife's coworker had recommended a cafe that was a 13 minute drive away from Fukuroda Falls. So we got in our car and headed to Saku Cafe.
Saku Cafe
Saku Cafe is located in the Kuji district of Daigo city. It is in the middle of a neighborhood and we both thought we were entering someone's house when we got there. The main entrance is a bit of a tight squeeze so be careful if you drive there. We found a parking spot and walked up to the cafe. The outdoor dinning looked lovely and I really wanted to sit outside and enjoy a cup of coffee. But it was 3 degrees that day, so that would have to wait till next time.
Bicycle Rental
One thing that surprised me about Saku Cafe was that they rented out bikes, and they looked like nice bikes too. 500 yen for 3 hours and 1000 yen for a day.
Inside
I walked into Saku Cafe, looked around, and loved the inside of the cafe instantly. There was some jazz playing on the overhead speaker and the cafe had a very relaxed atmosphere. The Ibaraki Eats Duo sat at a table with a sofa and checked out the menu.
The Menu
The menu had a lot going on. There was a vegetable dishes section, entree section, meat section, dessert section, coffee section and drinks section. We looked through the menu and had no idea what to order. My wife wanted to try the hot wine but we went during the quasi-state of emergency, so no liquor. We chose some coffee and a few different dishes to try out. Sorry non-Japanese speakers, I did not see an English menu.
Marshmallow Cappuccino
"I'm sorry, did you say marshmallow cappuccino?" I asked my wife with excitement. "You want one don't you." She knows me so well. My wife ordered this delicious sounding cappuccino and when it arrived, it was everything I hoped for and more. There were three melted marshmallows with chocolate syrup on top of the cappuccino. I took one sip and was in bliss. Getting one of those melted marshmallows in my mouth mixed with delicious cappuccino felt like I was floating on a cloud. I loved this cappuccino, but what my wife ordered really surprised me.
Hazelnut Spice Latte
I dare say, this latte was better than my marshmallow cappuccino. It kind of reminded me of my beloved gingerbread latte from Starbucks, but different. The flavors swirling around this latte took me for a joyful ride of deliciousness. The latte had a sweet taste with a sort of kick to it that I really enjoyed. The latte was more sugar than coffee but I loved it.
Sakura Riet
Can I make a confession? I hate tomatoes. I love tomato sauce, mini tomatoes, ketchup, but I don't like normal sized tomatoes. Diced, love it, sliced, no thank you. So when this dish came to our table, I was not too thrilled to have it. My wife offered to take out the tomato slice but something told me not to. To give it a try and maybe it won't be so bad. So I ate it as is, and I ate the other one too with a smile. That tells you something, when a dish with something you dislike on it keeps you coming back for more. That's magic. Riet is a French dish, kind of like a pâté. It was soft, creamy, and went well with the bread it came with. I wasn't sure what fish was in there but I liked it.
Naan Pizza
When you see the naan pizza on the menu, there are four different options for it. We ordered the salmon and vegetable option, and we were not disappointed. Please don't expect Indian curry naan. It was a lot thicker and less crunchy than the usual naan I am used to. But the cheese and salmon went really well with the thick soft naan Saku Cafe served. It was also quite filling so be prepared for that.
No Soup Tantanmen
I have talked about my love for ramen and maze soba many times on this blog. So when the waitress told me this no soup tantanmen was popular at Saku Cafe, I had to try it. The noodles are really thin and they mix well with the minced meat on top. The egg was a great addition to the noodles are there were so delicious vegetables in there. This dish tasted great and healthy. Probably wasn't healthy though.
Glass Parfait
Yup, that is the name of this dish. But let me break it down because there is a lot going on in this parfait. First off, there is tofu in this parfait. When my wife told me that, I made a "really?" face and my wife gave me a "just try it" face. There was also matcha chocolate, milk chocolate and corn flakes at the bottom. I got a spoonful of chocolate and what looked like to be tofu cream and gave it a try, dreading the tofu taste mixed chocolate. To my amazement, it was good and my wife said "see I told you." The tofu is in there but it is a sort of sweet tofu. The tofu cream, and I can't believe I am saying this, worked really well with the chocolate and corn flakes. It was a tasty and light parfait that we both enjoyed.
After we finished our meal, we headed to the cash register to pay. Around the cash register area, Saku Cafe sells a lot of different things like plates, utensils, CDs of the music that is playing, special salad dressing, and honey pickled vegetables. We bought the honey pickled vegetables and tried them at home.
Saku Cafe is a great cafe to sit back and relax after you have walked around Fukuroda Falls. The coffee is great and the food is outstanding. I forgot to mention that Saku Cafe is also a guest house. If you are too tired to head back home, you can stay in one of two of the guest rooms.
Check this place out if you are ever headed up to Daigo. Who knows, you might see me there, enjoying the marshmallow cappuccino while finally enjoying the outdoor dining area.
Enjoy!
For more information on Saku Cafe, check out their website:
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