Seto Kiseki 瀬戸ノきせき (Takamatsu, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Seto Kiseki (瀬戸ノきせき) wasn’t on our itinerary this afternoon, but we stumbled upon the shoyu (soy sauce based) ramen specialist while we were on our way to visit Shikoku Village (四國村). 

After a quick stop at Shikoku Village, it was already time for lunch so I figured I’d just add this place to our agenda. After all, we have yet to plan a lunch spot.

Sharing the same complex with Setouchi Golf Centre, Seto Kiseki is a family-run ramen place specializing in their soy sauce broth ramen. They have four versions of the soy sauce broth, each with a slightly different twist.

Fried rice (720 yen) — I love having Japanese-style fried rice at a ramen shop. It always comes with so much “wok hei” (鑊氣). 

While it didn’t have the same variety of ingredients especially meat comparing to a Chinese-style fried rice, it still hit the sweet spot with lots of diced onions and scrambled eggs to go alongside the shredded char siu. This was very very tasty (though slightly oily).

Niboshi Shoyu Ramen (煮干醬油拉麵) (900 yen) — This soy sauce broth was simmered with dried sardine, so it tasted almost like a fish soup. 

The sweet notes were really deep, so it wasn’t surprising that it left a nice lingering aftertaste.

The clear broth also worked beautifully with the thick noodles.

The bamboo shoot wasn’t bad.

The smoky char siu caught me a little by surprise too. The only downside: we only got one thin slice per bowl.

Eggs (味玉) were extra and I thought it was slightly overcooked so the egg yolk wasn’t runny enough.

After the meal, we were all given a complimentary ice pop. They were made with different fruit juices, and I had one with grapefruit juice. I could honestly say that it’s just perfect for a sizzling hot like today. Really thirst quenching.

That’s all the time we had for lunch. Now, time to buckle up cuz we have one last destination in Takamatsu — Ritsurin Garden (栗林公園).

Food Rating: 6.3/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2420-1 Yashima Nishimachi, Takamatsu, Kagawa, 761-0113, Japan

Closest Train Station: Katamoto

Tel: +81 (0)87-841-3818

Website: https://www.instagram.com/seto_kiseki/

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 3:00pm, 5:30pm - 10:00pm daily

Shikoku Village Café (Takamatsu, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

We had a few things on our itinerary this morning: Takamatsu Castle Park, followed by Yashima Shrine (屋島寺) and Shikoku Village (四国村).

It was a typical summer day in Shikoku, so not surprisingly, the nasty heat at the entrance to Shikoku Village was absolutely dreadful and we haven’t even gone in yet! 

That was when my teammates suggested making a stop at Shikoku Village Café, formerly Tearoom Ijinkan (異人館).

There’s a passage that connects directly to the entrance of the café, so we didn’t even break a sweat getting inside.

The tea room seamlessly blends Meiji-period Western-style design with retro Japanese kissaten culture, creating a luxurious, nostalgic atmosphere.

While the café offers savory comfort food like sandwiches and salad, almost all of us just wanted something icy to cool ourselves off. A few of us went for their shaved ice, and this particular version came with fresh mango and red bean paste.

For me, I just needed a drink — and this coke float more than served the purpose.

We’ve spent enough time around here (despite didn't really go inside Shikoku Village). Next up, it’s a 2-hour drive to Matsuyama (松山市), the capital city of Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県).

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 91 Yashima Nakamachi, Takamatsu, Kagawa, 761-0012, Japan

Closest Train Station: Kotoden-Yashima

Tel: +81 (0)87-843-3114

Website: http://www.shikokumura.or.jp/

Opening Hours: 9:30am - 5:30pm daily

Truffle Donut 香川高松店 (Takamatsu, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

I knew I had to act fast when I have two stops to make in half an hour ahead of dinner. After a quick stop at Grand Maison Lowe, I headed straight over to Truffle Donut, one of my favorite Japanese doughnut chain for my second sweet treat. Thankfully, they were only 180 metres apart.

Truffle Donut is best known for its “nama” style dough, which makes for an exceptionally light, fluffy texture that practically melts in your mouth. The dough is infused with premium, aromatic truffle oil and/or truffle salt, giving it a distinct depth of flavor.

This particular branch of Truffle Donut was located on the basement level, so I had to walk roughly 10 steps down to reach the counter area.

Compared to the choices available at their Oita (大分市) outpost that I last visited during Christmas, this outlet offers far more options. 

There were the usual truffle-infused nama donut series, a separate chocolate series, and a “Flaky Donut” line which is essentially their take on cronuts (remember those?).

Unfortunately, all the chocolate series options featuring chocolate choux dough were already sold out. I’ll have to try those next time.

Matcha Nama donut (444 yen) — The Uji matcha cream was noticeably thicker with this one.

Very tasty, with the ultra-rich matcha custard working beautifully with the pillowy dough.

Salted vanilla Nama donut (398 yen) — Like most of their donuts, the cream filling was on the lighter side, and it worked surprisingly well with the truffle-infused dough. The extra saltiness from the truffle salt added an interesting twist to every bite.

Creme brulee Flaky Donut (417 yen) — I haven't had a cronut for quite some time, so this was extra special.

I really like the texture: crispy on the outside, but flaky throughout the interior. The crème brûlée flavor was also front and center — perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Truffle Donut currently has 27 locations across Japan, as well as international branches in Taiwan, Thailand, and Canada, with a new opening in Hong Kong just two days ago! Overall, it now has more than 30 locations worldwide.

Food Rating: 7.2/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: B1F Motoya Building, 4-12 Marugamemachi, Takamatsu, Kagawa, 760-0029, Japan

Closest Train Station: Kawaramachi

Tel: +81 (0)87-897-5030

Website: https://truffledonut.com/

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm daily