Sushi Ko Sashimi Set

January 29, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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We had this Sashimi Set (actually we had two as we were six of us!) at Sushi Ko Restaurant in Shizuoka last night, one of my top three favourite Sushi Restaurants in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Of course we had quite a few other morsels, but this should give a good idea of waht to expect in a good Sushi restaurant in our dear Prefecture!
Incidentally, all prices are clearly stated on wooden slats on the walls!
Top to bottom, left to right:
Hotate/Clams, Buri/Yellowtail, kanpachi/Amberjack, Tachiuo/Scabbard Fish, Akamai/Lean Tuna.
Sake/Salmon, Katsuo, Bonito, Aji/Saurel-Horse mackerel, House-made Zaru Dofu/Tofu.

Sushi Ko
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae Cho, 2-3-1 (Aoba Koen)
Tel.: 054-2512898
Business hours: 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 on Sundays
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations advised
Credit Cards OK

Homepage (Japanese)

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Sashimi Set: Cuttlefish/Ika

January 28, 2008 dragonlife 4 Comments

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Not a great picture, I must admit. But I was in hurry and had no time to arrange it on a plate before my wife jumped on it!
This is a Sashimi Set I bought at Parche Supermarket inside Shizuoka JR Station yesterday evening for less than 10 US$.
There was enough for 2~4 people. It includes all the edible parts of one “yari-ika”:
From top to bottom, left to right:
Tail “fins” slightly boiled, slightly grilled main body “cone”, main body “cone” raw.
Cuttlefish strips rolled with seaweed raw, “ika somen”/ main body cone cut in long thin strips raw, tentacles/”geso” raw.

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Suehiro-Hamanako no Megumi Sushi Restaurant

January 26, 2008 dragonlife 5 Comments

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No this is not the day’s laundry, but the skins of the fugu/globefish that had just been dressed yesterday by Ms. Yokota at Suehiro-Hamanako no Megumi Sushi Restaurant in Hamamatsu City!
The fish were caught in Hamano Lake in the morning, so one could not expect anything fresher!
Ms. Yokota has the government license to cut and dress fugu, and since I’m still alive this morning, I suppose it is the proof she is very proficient at her art!
Contrary to what many people think, she explained that it is not only the female fish ovaries that contain mortal poison but also the male fish liver. There are over 100 varieties of fugu/globefish in Japan and almost all of them are poisonous, so beware!

Incidentally the skin of the fish is edible and is usually served in thin stripes either raw with grated daikon or grilled on a stick.
But I had come mainly for the nigiri I had ordered over internet, served with thin leeks strips between the shari (rice) and neta (topping) with a little momiji oroshi/grated daikon with chili pepper. Bliss!

People tend to forget that fugu makes for a great treat deep-fried or as tempura. Just eat them with your fingers and suck on the bones!
Simply extravagant morsels with sake!
Suehiro-Hamanako no Megumi is becoming a favourite place of mine. Pity it is so far from Shizuoka City!

Well, I had not come for the globe fish only, although an all-fugu menu is available.
Ms. Yokota also prepares some great Japanes Foie Gras/Frog Fish Liver/Ankimo, and I had also ordered beforehand.

It came with an interesting variation as the chef, after having steamed it in sake in the traditional way, further simmers it in mirin, soy sauce and what else. The latter should be even easier to eat for expats!

Being in Hamamatsu City and near Hamana Lake, I had to taste the local Anago/Conger Eel sushi: so sweet and melting!

Ms. Yokoto knowing I was coming made sure I could choose from Shizuoka Prefecture sake.
She certainly did not disappoint me:
Garyubai by Sanwa Brewery, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City.
Kaiun by Doi Brewery in Kakegawa City.
Den-Ichiro by Kokkou Brewery in Fukuroi City.
Jizake Kobo by Morimoto Brewery In Kikugawa City.
I chose the latter, a hearty shiboritate genshu with a strong alcohol content. Perfect with grea sushi!

SUEHIRO-HAMANAKO NO MEGUMII AJI
Hamamatsu City, Naka Ku, suyama Cho, 360-6
Tel.: 053-452-6288
Business Hours: 11:30-13:30＆17:00-22:00
Closed on every Wednesday and second Tuesday

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter

January 24, 2008 dragonlife Leave a comment

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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #2

Topic: Seasonal Release — Ganko Oyaji Barley Wine 2008

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Winter is a time of hibernation for many species. The Barley Wine style of beer is not one of these. Winter is the season that this big bear of the beer world comes out to play. Baird Ganko Oyaji (“Stubborn Ol’ Man) Barley Wine 2008 is being released from his cellar cave today. Beware!

*Ganko Oyaji Barley Wine 2008 (ABV 9%):

Brewed in May 2007 and packaged the following month, Ganko Oyaji Barley Wine 2008 has enjoyed ample time for maturation and flavor evolution. The depth and complexity derived from this long period of conditioning is further augmented by a grist bill dominated by rich English Maris Otter pale ale and caramel malt varieties as well as a hop schedule that combines the strength of American varieties (Simcoe and Nugget) with the nuanced subtlety of English ones (Fuggle and East Kent Golding). At packaging, Ganko Oyaji was kraeusened with Amber Ale wort which promoted a superb secondary
fermentation and vibrant natural carbonation.

Ganko Oyaji is now on tap at Baird Beer’s Fishmarket Taproom in Numazu and will be available at select Baird Beer retailers in Japan beginning Friday, January 25.

Please mark your calendar for a special upcoming beer event to be hosted at the Fishmarket Taproom: Baird Big Beer Winter Week 2008 (Wednesday, February 13 through Monday, February 18). This week long event will allow us to focus the spotlight on the wonderful world of strong ales and lagers and highlight the affinity they share with fine food. Every strong ale and lager brewed by Baird Beer over the past year will be served during this strong beer bonanza. A unique menu of specialty cuisine to match these strong libations will also be featured. Precise details regarding the beers and the food will be provided in the next bulletin.

Cheers!
Bryan Baird

HOMEPAGE

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Home-style Donburi

January 23, 2008 dragonlife 8 Comments

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You do not have to go to a Japanese restaurant or sushi bar to eat “donburi” if you happen to have a wife who not only likes them but can also concoct them!
In short, my better (worse?) half came up with following for lunch:

Plain steamed rice topped with slices of “akami”/ lean tuna part, avocado salad with mayonnaise and wasabi pickles (the latter provided a nice balance with a spicy touch), boiled sirasu/whitebait sprinkled with “hijiki” seaweed and “tobikko”/flying fish roe.
The tobikko added a nice colour finish touh. It is quite cheap down here in Shizuoka City. From I saw on Chuckeats Blog, it seems quite a treat over there in the U.S.!
I poured a little Shizuoka-made wasabi dressing on top. This dressing is a lot milder than pure grated wasabi with a little sweetness which combines well with the fish!

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Sushi for Vegetarians & Vegans (2)

January 22, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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Here are other very typical examples of sushi fit for Vegetarians and even vegans!
So next time you are planning to eat sushi, come armed with your knowledge and tease your favourite sushi chef with it!

Top picture:
From right to left, top to bottom:
Yuuba (tofu sheets), Takenoko (bamboo shoot), Myoga (ginger sprout), Gobo (burdock roots)
Ki no mi (leaf vegetable variety), Awafu (cooked tofu), Kamo Nasu (pickled eggplant/aubergine variety), Hakusai Maki (Chinese cabbage roll)

From top to bottom:
Sugiku no Ha Maki ((pickled chrysanthemum plant roll), Kabu Tsukemono (pickled turnip), Takenoko (bamboo shoot)

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Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (3)

January 21, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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When I talked about today’s bento/lunch box with my better (worse?) half last night I “ordered” plenty of vegetables to help me recuperate from the usual heavy toll my body takes on week-ends.
Here what she came up with:

Three “nigiri” rice balls, left with “hijiki” seaweed and amatare/sweet sauce, centre with “umeboshi”/salted Japanese plum and right, with “hujiki” seaweed and sesame seeds.
A piece of processed cheese, French pickles and homemade Japanese pickles.

Boiled brocoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, white sausage from Fukuroi City and chorizo sausages. Dressing came apart.

Boiled eggs mimosa-style on a two-tiered vegetable bed of beans and small greens, boiled mini asparaguses and cherry tomatoes. Dressing served apart.
A few biscuits for dessert to go with coffee. Et voila!

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Sushi for Vegetarians & Vegans (1)

January 19, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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Although I’m not a vegetarian nor a vegan, I do understand the needs of people with different regimen and always try to inform them about gastronomic options available in Japan and Shizuoka Prefecture.
Now, sushi for strict vegetarians or vegans exist as sown in those two pictures I took yesterday in a very small but famous Sushi Restaurant called Sushi Iroha in Iwata City, south of Toyoda JR Station.

The picture above features vegetables all grown in then neighbourhood Which were first cooked or/and marinated:
From left to right and top to bottom:
Konnyaku/Devil’s Tongue Yuber Paste (nigiri)
Celery marinated in Amazu/sweet vinegar and Umeboshi/salted Japanese plum (nigiri)
Shiro Negi/white leek (nigiri)
Na no hana/Rape Blossoms (nigiri)
Gobo/Burdock Roots (nigiri)
Satsuma Imo/Yams (gunkan)
Daikon/Japanese Long Radish (gunkan)

Next I was served a sublime creation concocted with Ebine Imo/Ebine Tuber served mille-feuilles style intersped with sushi rice and presnted with dashes of olive oil, seame oil/goma abura and soy sauce/shoyu.

Look forward to reading Part 2!
HOMEPAGE

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French cuisine: Lunch at Sugimoto

January 17, 2008 dragonlife 3 Comments

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Sugimoto is may favourite French restaurant for the simple reason he tries whenever possible to use only ingredients grown or raised in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Dinner or lunch, you can expect the same quality, inventiveness and service.

So last Sunday, as I had nothing to do and my better (worse?) was away to work, I rode the bike for a look around and stopped there at around 13:00.
I chose the Lunch Set C for 2,500 yen which included bread, butter and coffee.
The first dish, above, consisted of a salad made with fried scabbard fish/”tachiuo” from Suruga Bay and vegetables from Hamamatsu City.

The main featured Suruga Beef from animals raised in Shizuoka City, away from the agglomeration and again vegetables from Hamamatsu City, including an unusual violet carrot/”murasaki ninjin” with skin. Usually I’m not a great fan of cooked carrots, but this was special. Of course the beef was a beauty!

The dessert would make a lot of people jealous: chocolate mousse (just the right sweetness, nothing cloying), mikan sherbet and Campari jelly.

Needless to say, I did ot mention my wife where I had lunch away from her!

Sugimoto
420-0072 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ni-ban Cho, 4-1
Tel.: 054-2531160
Closed on Wednesdays

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Tea Buckwheat Noodles: “Tya-soba”

January 17, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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Shizuoka Prefecture is celebrated for its green tea all the World.
Vegeterians (and vegans!), rejoice! A company called Ikejima Foods in Hamakita Ku, Hamamatsu City has come up with Tea Buckwheat Noodles/Tya-soba!.
Tea comes from the Kawane area which produces some of the best tea in the Prefecture.
The noodles contain no preservatives and neither the noodles, nor the tsuyu/soup contains any animal extracts whatsoever (no milk or egg products).
One pack contains enough for 4 small or 2 medium portions.

As for cooking, here are simple instructions:
Cold Noodles style:
Dilute tsuyu/soup in 100 ml of clean water.
In one big pan heat 2 litres of water. Bring to boiling point. Drop in noodles. Lower fire to samll. Stir with long chopsticks. The noodles are ready when they readily come to the surface. Wash them rapidly under running cold water inside a “zaru”/small basket or inside a bowl full of cold water until noodles are cool enough. Drain water and place on a flat dish over a bamboo net if possible. Eat noodles by dipping them in tsuyu/soup to which you can add freshly cut raw leeks and wasabi (or any spices you fancy!)

Hot noodles style:
Dilute tsuyu/soup into 230 ml of hot water.
Cook noodles as for cold style. Drain and drop into bowl full of tsuyu/soup. Add vegetables, freshly cut raw leeks and spices to taste.

“Meicha Soba”
Ikejima Foods
Hamamatsu City, Hamakita Ku, Terajima, 2351
Tel.: 053-587-1025

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter

January 16, 2008 dragonlife Leave a comment

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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #1

Topic:
-Seasonal Releases: Three Baird Beer Bocks
-Double Piston Whisky Barrel Bock Debut Party at Popeye’s in Tokyo (Sat. Jan. 12)

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Warm New Year greetings! 2008 promises to be yet another excellent year for the beer enthusiast. To seize your early attention, we are debuting three brand new Baird Beer seasonals (all lager-style Bocks): Braumeister’s Bock, Double Piston Bock and Double Piston Whisky Barrel Bock.

*Braumeister’s Bock (ABV 6%):

Brewed in the tradition of German-style Bock beers, Braumeister Bock’s opulent maltiness is leavened perfectly by a lager-type roundness and subtle fruitiness. The flavor experience is long, rich and smooth. The alcohol strength provides a pleasing tinge of warmth in the finish. Brewed in the summer for comfort and sustenance in the winter; you will not be disappointed.

*Double Piston Bock (ABV 7%):
This is our go at a German-style Dopplebock. It is a higher gravity, higher alcohol, longer maturation (brewed in February, 2007) version of a standard Bock. It is, in essence, a lager porridge — extravagantly malty, unctuous in mouthfeel, nourishing in effect. Put a log on the fire, pull a good book from the shelf, curl up with your sweetheart and enjoy the privilege of
life!

*Double Piston Whisky Barrel Bock (ABV 7-Plus %):
Within the world of fine alcoholic beverages, different categories are intimately interconnected. Lovingly and authentically crafted wines, sakes, whiskies and beers have more in common with one another than they do with industrial products within their same category. Scotch Whisky and Beer, both sharing the same primary ingredient — malted barley — enjoy a special affinity. Well, we have made the most of this affinity by marrying our Double Piston Bock to a freshly emptied Scotch Whisky barrel (from Arran Distillery — Scotland’s newest — on the Isle of Arran) for an extremely blissful 3-month interlude. The offspring of this marriage, Double Piston Whisky Barrel Bock, is a wonderful genetic blend of its different parents.
In particular, the whisky mother imparts soft notes of vanilla, coconut and buttery caramel to the otherwise beery character imparted by the Dopplebock father. This is a one of a kind beverage you will not want to miss!

The Arran Distillery Whisky barrel used was made available through the enterprising effort of Popeye’s proprietor, Aoki-san. Sayuri and I will be attending the debut launch of this Bock Beer series at Popeye’s on Saturday evening, January 12 (6:00 – 9:00 PM). Please join us. The Double Piston Whisky Barrel Bock is in extremely limited quantities and the draught version will be available only at Popeye’s and our own Fishmarket Taproom. Very limited quantities of the bottle-conditioned version will be for sale beginning Saturday, January 12.

Both draught and bottle versions of the Braumeister’s Bock and Double Piston Bock are in more ample supply and will be available both at The Taproom and through the family of Baird Beer retailers in Japan.

Cheers!
Bryan Baird

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Tofu Cakes

January 16, 2008 dragonlife Leave a comment

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Good news for those people who like good, healthy and traceable foods!

The other found another interesting product in Kakegawa JR Station Local Products Market cakes made with tofu in Kikugawa City.
They come in five different flavours as for the jam included inside. I bought the blueberry, Japanese Plum and Strawberry ones.

I tasted (guzzled down) the strawberry one.
Very tasty, but not overwhelming sweet. Great with a cup of Shizuoka Green Tea!
Great cakes for health conscious mothers!

Tofu Kashi
KIKUGAWA POEM SHINGATSU
Kikugawa City, Mineta, 1315-1
Tel. & Fax: 0537-733003

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Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (2)

January 15, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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Tuesday is one of my “regular bento day”!
Well, today my better (worse?) half happened to have some fresh “anago”/conger eel ready.
She concocted “Anago Kabayaki Shirashizushi”
She first prepared sushi rice that she mixed later with some finely chopped cold Japanese pickles.
She then cooked sweet Japanese-style scrambled eggs she spread over the rice after they had cooled off.
She then made Anago Kamayaki. This usually done over a grill, but she cut the fish into appropriate pieces and fried with Japanese seasoning. Once cooked she mixed them with Tare/Japanese sauce in a bowl and placed them over the rice. The last touch was Italian parsley leaves on top of each fish piece:

As for the salad to go with it (Vitamins C…), she used already greens topped with cheese, pickles and boiled baby corn. The dressing was added separately for later seasoning!

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Lime Chili Pepper Condiment: Yuzu Nanban

January 15, 2008 dragonlife Leave a comment

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Many a foｒeigner in Japan has discovered “yuzu Koshyo”/lime salt condiment, which is also produced in Shizuoka Prefecture and other places.
But have you heard of Yuzu Naban? It is a particularly useful mixture of lime and ground chili pepper. It accompanies well almost any “ethnic cuisine” as well as nabe/Japanes pot-au feu.
The bonus is that it does include any additives, but only natural spices!
This particular one is locally produced in Iawata City, although nt always easy to find away from Westen Shizuoka.

Yuzu Nanban
Shibayuzuen Farm
Shizuoka Ken, Iwata Gun, Sakuma-cho, Sakuma, 1689
Tel.: 0539-87-1051

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Italian Cuisine: Bar Rusticale

January 13, 2008 dragonlife Leave a comment

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Ten years ago when for the first time I came through Aino, Fukuroi City off Aino JR Station on my way to university, the word “desert” in any meaning was the only term I could think of.
How much it has changed since then! The Station had been created out of nothing to accomodate football/soccer fans going to the Ecopa Stadium. Since then, companies, houses and shops have sprouted everywhere on the then cheap land. It has moreover become a practical bedtown halfway between Fujieda and Hamamatsu.
The net result is that it has given birth to a few very decent restaurants, bars and even a good supermarket where I was able to acquire some hard-to-find local sakes!

Now, I had for some time wondered what was concealed behind the simple facade of this small restaurant just 3 minutes walk off Aino Station south exit. I had the opporyunity to find Bar Rusticale on the Internet and decided it was worth a visit!

Toshikazu Nakayama and his wife, Yoshie opened this unprepossessing bar-restaurant in August 2006 and have already attracted a faithful clientele including foreign visitors from the nearby Hi-Tec Company.

Venturing there on my own proved a mistake as it was physically impossible to sample all the offerings. The cuisine, simple and tasty, bears a personal note and goes down so well with the beer, wine, cocktails, shochu and, surprise! surprise!, a sake by the Aoshima-Kikuyoi Brewery in Fujieda City. Actually I drank the sake as it was perfect with the Italian cuisine (luckily I do not know any Italians in Fukuroi City!).

Now, the unconditional pizza lovers will be happy to learn that they offer a scrumptious “kinoko sauce/mushroom sauce pizza, just the right size for a single hungry expat!

But the simply extravagant mushrooms and sea urchin cream risotto would be reason enough to eat at Bar Rusticale!
It is also the perfect place to relax on your own or in company either at the counter or at a table surrounded by a very clean and clear decor. There are enough drinks and tidbits to keep you busy for a while!