Monange Sweets Takeo モンナンジュスイーツ武雄店 (Takeo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Okay, I lie through my teeth when I said we’d be leaving Takeo (武雄) immediately for Daitō (大塔) (more on that later). The truth is, we had a rather important mission to complete on this quiet Christmas morning.

Our so-called mission? A stop at Monange Sweets Takeo (モンナンジュスイーツ武雄店), just a quick 10-minute drive from OND Hotel.

Even though I had the shop pinned on Google Maps, I didn’t realize it was located right off the highway. 

But once we arrived, we were greeted by a beautifully decorated pâtisserie specializing in one thing and one thing only — Basque cheesecakes in a variety of innovative flavors.

Time to make our pick.

Some of the cheesecakes were infused with tea. There was one featuring matcha and chestnut chunks nestled in the center that looked rather appealing. But I thought you can’t go wrong with the bestseller, right?

Basque cheesecake original (620 yen) — The shop’s signature and best-selling item. Light, airy, and not overly cheesy just the way many prefer it. Personally, I still like the one from The Café at One Fukuoka Hotel more for its glorious runny centre, but this was still a decent choice.

Black sesame Basque cheesecake (580 yen) — The menu promised a “rich black sesame flavor” and they certainly delivered. Deep, nutty, and aromatic, this was a bold twist. Still, when it comes to Basque cheesecakes, I’m a bit of a purist at heart.

With our sweet tooth satisfied, it was finally time to make our way toward Daitō, a small town just 10–15 minutes from Huis Ten Bosch (豪斯登堡). Since dining options near the famed Dutch-themed park are limited unless you’re actually inside, I decided to explore Daitō’s offerings before checking into our hotel.

Our lunch spot? MK Restaurant Sasebo (佐世堡大塔店), a name that might ring a bell for travelers familiar with Thailand. MK is a well-known family restaurant chain I’ve encountered many times during my travel to Bangkok, though I never eaten there myself.

Well, two decades later, I finally crossed it off the list — right here in Japan. Funny how things come full circle sometimes.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 9793 Higashikawanoboricho Oaza Hakamano, Takeo, Saga, 843-0234, Japan

Tel: +81 (0)954-27-7600

Website: https://www.instagram.com/monange_sweets_takeo?igsh=eGw3NTlidWlwdHFu

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 6:00pm (Wed - Mon)

Bunga Village Bakery Cafe (Saga, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

After a long lunch at Chateau Bunga, we decided to pop into Bunga Village Bakery café next door to check out what they had in store. Perhaps something that could serve as our breakfast for the next morning?

The bakery café offers a spacious dine-in area for a proper sit-down meal.

As soon as we stepped inside, we were immediately greeted by a long line of customers, all eager to bring home some baked goods for their Christmas Eve celebrations. We ended up waiting more than 10 minutes for our turn to be served.

But the wait wasn’t wasted at all. I used the opportunity to get a closer look at their selection of baked goods. One of our favorites from any Japanese bakery made an appearance: brioche filled with butter and red bean paste. Always a winner.

Of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to check out their lineup of French-style pastries. They had a small but enticing selection including cheesecakes in different flavors, chocolate cake, tiramisu, Mont Blanc, and more.

Marron and Matcha (480 yen) — Made with matcha mousse, red bean paste, and marron sponge cake — was this inspired by a traditional Kyoto-style dessert? 

I loved the soft, airy texture, and the balance of flavors was absolutely spot on.

Cheesecake (310 yen) — Less successful was the cheese-shaped cheesecake. I thought little nugget would love it, especially since it looked just like his favorite cheesecake from Kyoto —but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

And with that, our time in Saga came to an end. Next stop: Takeo, which, luckily, was just a comfortable 30-minute ride away.

Food Rating: 5.7/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2593-12 Yamatocho Oaza Kuchii, Saga, 840-0202 Japan

Tel: +81 (0)952-37-8376

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:00pm (Mon - Fri), 10:00am - 10:00pm (Sat - Sun)

Pâtisserie Mars Nabeshima パティスリーマルス 鍋島店 (Saga, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

After a much-needed short rest at the hotel, we hit the road again early next morning. It’s Christmas Eve, and just before our scheduled visit to Saga Castle (佐賀城跡), we figured it was the perfect time to start the day with something sweet.

I had done a bit of homework before the trip and bookmarked a local patisserie — Pâtisserie Mars Nabeshima (パティスリーマルス) — conveniently located a couple of blocks from our hotel.

Founded in 2002, this cozy little spot has earned a loyal following for its French-style pastries infused with subtle Japanese nuances. And with Christmas just one sleep away, it was no surprise to find the shop already buzzing with early-morning customers, all picking up celebration sweets for the evening ahead.

With Christmas just around the corner, it came with very little surprise that the shop was already buzzing with early-morning customers all picking up celebration sweets for the holidays.

But we were there for something a little less ceremonial — a sweet breakfast to kick off our holiday morning.

Mont Blanc (560 yen) — Silky smooth chestnut purée layered over a base of hazelnut praline cream and what was described as a sponge cake, but I thought the sponge tasted more like a crispy tart shell.

To start, the chestnut purée perhaps a little too smooth, was lacking that characteristic grainy texture associated with a good Mont Blanc. Still, the hazelnut praline cream added a lovely nutty depth, and the crisp pastry base brought a welcome contrast in texture. Not bad at all.

和栗 Mont Blanc (626 yen) — The second version of their Mont Blanc was made with Japanese chestnut from Kumamoto (熊本) and the quality showed. The purée was noticeably more refined and had a beautifully natural, mellow sweetness (without sweetener?). 

Unfortunately, the base this time was a brownie-like cake that felt a bit mismatched with the purée. 

While the selection at Pâtisserie Mars wasn’t extensive, it was more than enough for what we were looking for. On a festive morning when we were craving European-style sweets, they delivered just what we needed to satisfy our holiday cravings. A charming little shop well worth a visit if you’re ever in town.

After enjoying the sweets, we found time to squeeze in a quick visit to the Saga Prefectural Art Museum (佐賀県立美術館/博物館), just across the street from Saga Castle. And best of all? Little nugget got to meet one of his favorite dino — the perfect ending to a sweet Christmas Eve morning.

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: G/F Shinsakae Mansion, 1351-2 Hachinohe, Nabeshima-ku, Saga, 840-0857 Japan

Closest Train Station: Saga

Tel: +81 (0)952-29-5546

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 6:30pm (Mon, Wed - Sat), 10:00am - 6:00pm (Sun) 

Garden Terrace Saga Hotel & Resort ガーデンテラス佐賀ホテル＆リゾート (Saga, JAPAN)

We are spending one night in Saga before heading to Nagasaki (長崎) for Christmas. Saga may not be one of Japan’s major cities (ranked around 99th by population the last time I checked) but I was still surprised by the lack of decent hotel options during my research. After months of back-and-forth deliberation, we finally settled on Garden Terrace Saga Hotel & Resort (ガーデンテラス佐賀ホテル＆リゾート) for our stay.

Google Maps was our primary GPS on this trip and, unfortunately, it led us to the convention centre connected to the hotel rather than the hotel entrance itself. As a result, we unloaded our bags at the wrong spot and ended up dragging them across a couple of bridges in the dark — hardly the most elegant start to our stay.

Garden Terrace Saga Hotel & Resort feels like the perfect accommodation for couples. There’s a small outdoor terrace, and under the blue lighting at night, the whole place looked almost magical.

Check-in took a little longer than expected, but we eventually got the keys to our second-floor room.

I have to admit, I really enjoyed the architectural design of the property — the building itself, the pool area, and even the corridors were thoughtfully designed and aesthetically pleasing.

The room, however, was a different story. The moment we slid the door open, we knew space was going to be an issue. With two large suitcases, there was barely enough room for us to fully open them (Welcome to Japan!).

That said, the single beds weren’t as small as some we’ve encountered before, which was a huge relief.

For a room of this size, the bathroom was surprisingly spacious — almost as big as the bedroom itself.

Personally, I would have gladly traded the bathtub for a bit more room to wiggle around!

The toilet was located on the opposite side of the shower room.

While at the reception desk, Jelloman spotted something interesting — fireworks 🎆. Curiously, we asked the front desk staff about them and learned that guests were allowed to purchase small fire crackers and set them off in designated areas of the hotel grounds. Since little Nugget had never played with fire crackers before, we decided to let him try a few near the hotel entrance.

He was nervous at first, but before long, he loosened up and seemed to really enjoy the experience.

Most importantly, we all had a good night’s sleep and woke up feeling refreshed. The plan for the next day was to explore Saga in the morning, enjoy our Christmas Eve lunch, and then continue our journey to another small onsen town — Takeo (武雄).

Rating: ❤❤❤

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 3-7-8 Shineihigashi, Saga, 840-0850 Japan

Website: https://www.maritopia.com/

Tel: +81 (0)952-37-0888

 

Yakitori Torifumi 焼鳥 鳥ふみ (Saga, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

After making numerous stops including an unplanned detour to the Premium Outlets in Tosu (鳥栖) this afternoon, we finally arrived in Saga (佐賀) late. Instead of checking into our hotel right away, we decided to head straight to tonight’s dinner venue — Yakitori Torifumi (焼鳥 鳥ふみ).

Tucked discreetly behind the main entrance of a commercial building, the restaurant was a bit tricky to locate so it took us a few minutes to figure out where exactly the entrance actually was.

Like many yakitori spots in Japan, Yakitori Torifumi features a counter-only setup, giving diners a front-row view of the open kitchen, where the chef works with quiet precision behind the counter.

Dinner started off with a small cup of warm potato soup drizzled with olive oil. A comforting touch on a cold winter night.

It was followed by a small spinach salad, light and refreshing.

Tsukune – Chicken meatball. This came with soft bone and finely diced shiso leaves mixed into the minced chicken. The added complexity of flavors was interesting, although personally, I prefer a simpler one with beautiful char marks and a rich egg yolk for dipping.

Sabiyaki – Wasabi breast fillet. 

White on the outside and delicately pink inside, this was incredibly tender. The wasabi added just the right amount of heat to bring out the natural sweetness of the chicken.

Teba – Chicken wing. Very rare to see drumsticks featured in yakitori joints. The seasoning was surprisingly light on this one. While the skin was nicely charred, it didn’t quite achieve that satisfying crispiness.

Shiitake wrapped with bacon – Smoky, savory, and simply delicious.

Crispy tofu – The outer crust was perfectly crisp, and the seasoning was just spot on.

Bonjiri – Tail. Delightfully bouncy with a nice crunch — a textural treat, as always.

Oyakodon (親子丼) – One of the more popular dishes around here. This was really soupy allowing the rice to soak up the richness of the sauce, and the generous portions of scrambled egg and tender chicken made for a satisfying, well-balanced bite. It more than lived up to the expectations of a signature dish.

What a great start to kick off our 20 hours in Saga!

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1-23 Ekiminamihonmachi, Saga, 840-0816 Japan

Closest Train Station: Saga

Tel: +81 (0)952-97-5886

Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 12:00am (Mon - Sat)