Monthly Archives: April 2011

野菜, 観光, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Tourism, vegetables

French Cuisine: Local Shizuoka Land & Sea Products at Pissenlit

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Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
no-smoking-logoentirely non-smoking!

When one wishes to sample products both from the land and sea of Shizuoka Prefectures, there are many establishments worthwhile to visit, but Pissenlit and Chef Tooru Arima are certainly a top reference among them.

I recently had the opportunity to share lunch there with some friends, so let me describe what we sampled:

Organic carrot (Hirokawa Farm) soup for starter.

Organic spinach quiche and its organic vegetable salad. All organic vegetables used at Pissenlit come from Mr. Hirokawa’s Garden in Mishima (I will soon pay him a visit!)!

Some of my friends opted for the pan-fried suzuki/鱸/black bass caught in Sagara/相良 with its organic vegetables.

For a different view of the vegetables especially!

I personally opted for the fried/baked wild boar (hunted in Shimada City) in wine sauce with its garnish of organic vegetables.

A single will not give you a complete idea of the full dish, so here is one more!

And another one!

No so many explanations this time as I was busy socializing to note down everything, but I will make an extra effort next time!

No dessert?
Yes, but it was the same as in my last report! LOL

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

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Cherry Shrimps, 由比, Yui, 桜海老

Sakura Ebi/Cherry Shrimps: Catching Season Opened in Yui!

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The Sakura Ebi Gate just outside Yui JR Station!

The sakura ebi/cherry shrimps catching season was finally opened on April 6th with some delay!

Sakura ebi and Shirasu Shop

Son Thursday April 7th I went to Yui to see the fishermen leave on their second day of fishing.
I came a bit too early (14:00) but nonetheless took my time and observe things at ease.
Once you get off at Yui JR Station, get out and turn left. You will see the Sakura Ebi Gate opening the way to the harbor and the Eastern part of the Village.

The street is actually called Yui Sakura Ebi Street/由比桜えび通り!

The entrance to the harbor is almost concealed. Make sure you don’t miss it!

Not easy to notice as the entrance is under the railway track!

Mind you head!

What’s that map under the sign saying to look out for earthquakes and tsunamis?

Four destinations. The ships will run there in shifts and teams. Each group is assigned 8 bags of ice.

All ships leaving port at 5:30 p.m. sharp.
They will be catching sakura ebi between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. before being back at around 10:00 a.m.

Ships still at anchor and nobody to be seen around…

This gave me chance to have a closer look!

The ship’s name means “Great Luck”!

Yui is not all about sakura ebi.
Having plenty of time on hand I took a stroll through the Village.
A beautiful little Japanese cake shop!

But we know what that shop sells!

They also catch all kinds of fish in the Suruga Bay. A lot are dried to become succulent himono/干物!

Yui is also famous for its citruses.
Organic oranges!

Most of those vegetables are locally grown!

When I came back around 4:00 p.m. the fishermen started arriving.

Boarding the ships.

One shipman on each boat will sprinkle different part with salt and Japanese sake every day for good luck!

This is all team work and the fishermen enjoy sharing a word before leaving. The only time of the day they can really socialize!

Official visit from the city hall. The fishermen are not really bothered…

I knew you were going to ask: these are the toilets!

All ships are powered by Yanmar Diesel engines.

This is night only fishing when the sakura ebi come up from the deep. Plenty of lights needed!

Antennae and flashing lights for mutual recognition.

Very powerful lights!

The next morning each catch will be weighed on named scales.

The actual sales will take place there.
I’m planning to witness those soon!

The crews (6 to each ship) are slowly getting ready.

The grilles protecting the propellers are hoisted up.

Each ship is equipped with a stove and chimney to heat water for hot drinks on cold and long nights!

Starting putting on protective gear.

The pilots are all the veterans of each team. These two are 75 years old!

Big wheels for such fine nets!

Not all ships are equipped with nets. Instead they have syphons for an easy and careful haul of the shrimps. Don’t forget all is done in teams!

Almost 5:30 p.m.!

Here they go!

Good luck guys, and great catch to you all!

Next, I will pay them a visit in the morning!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

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野菜, 観光, 農業, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurants, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism, vegetables

Shizuoka Agricultural products: Italian Cuisine at Via Del Borgo!

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Service: professional and friendly
Facilities: Extremely clean overall and beautiful washroom
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Local products extensively used. Good Italian wine list. Private rooms available.
Private rooms can be made non-smoking with full isolation!

During the past 3 years, Via del Borgo and its Chef, Takahiko Katoh have established a solid reputation as one of the best Italian restaurants in a City and Prefecture replete with them. His secret is simple enough: top-class local products whenever possible complemented with top-class foreign ingredients and a will to experiment!

Chef Takahiko Katoh/加藤隆彦 and Manager Mieko Kozawa/小澤美江子

The service is all done with a smile great attention.
Do not hesitate to ask if something not available on the menu can be prepared for you!

The restaurant stands in a quiet district of Shizuoka City by a small park.
The place certainly looks more Italian than many!
So do come in and relax!

But before entering, do not forget to read the “Specialties of The Day” board!

On that day they had a favorite Italian wine of mine!: Mastremilio 2004 Villa Caprareccia in Toscana. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes.

Broad beans and Mozzarella Crostini for the appetizer.

The fish carpaccio was madai/真鯛/Red Seabream from the Suruga Bay with tomatoes pieces, pomegranate and violet daikon sprouts!
The whole seasoned with top-class olive oil!

The bread and others are naturally all baked in situ!

The vegetable dish was Organic vegetables from Matsuki Bio Farm in Fujinomiya City. Cooked/steamed in “cocotta/heavy wrought iron pot”, they were served with a Baniacanda sauce made of anchovy, crushed garlic and olive oil!

Beautiful, aren’t they?

Chef Katoh is famous all over the city for its risotto!
There are always at 5 to choose from on his menus!
This superlative dish was made with broad beans and mozzarella!

Shizuoka Prefecture is steadily and surely establishing itself as a producer of top-class meat in Japan.
This pork comes from the west of Shizuoka Prefecture and fed with cereals: Enshyuu Mugi Ton/遠州麦豚 (“ton” for pork, “mugi” for barley or cereals, Enshyuu for the West of Shizuoka Prefecture!). A pork that many Italians would cross the seas for!

The pork and the organic vegetables from Matsuki Bio Farm were simply grilled with the minimum of salt, pepper and herbs for the best flavors!
The orange “potato” is an Anno sweet potato!

We had enough for the day. The desserts will have to wait for our next visit!

VIA DEL BORGO
420-0034, Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa Cho, 3-2-7
Tel.: 054-221-7666
Business hours: 11:30~13:30, 18:00~21:00 (last orders)
Private rooms available.
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

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Bento, 駅弁, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Tourism, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/23): Chirashi Sushi Bento!

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Chirashi Sushi could be called “mixed sushi” or “decoration sushi” and it is very popular dish in Japanese homes as it is both very practical and tasty!

They also make for beautiful colors!
The Missus first prepared the sushi rice while she lightly boiled some shrimps.
She added chopped home-pickled myoga ginger, Japanese scrambled egg, shrimp cut in small pieces, home-pickled sansho/Japanese pepper seeds, diced avocado to the rice and mixed the lot.
She topped it with boiled shrimps and a sprig of sansho/ki no mi!

Beautiful, isn’t it?

The salad box was very healthy: boiled Shizuoka-grown Stick Junior broccoli, orange wedges and strips f red pimento. The sweet beans (very Japanese!) were my dessert!

Just love these chirashi sushi!

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

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Beer, Numazu City, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2011/04/06)

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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin
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Spring Seasonal Release: Temple Garden Yuzu Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

We have enjoyed a glorious run of clear and sunny weather recently which, in its own small way, contributes to the lifting of spirits here in Japan as our friends in Tohoku continue to cope with the devastation of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear aftermath. Beer too, like sunshine and blue skies, can play an uplifting role in people’s lives. A pint of flavorful beer enjoyed over a friendly conversation is one of life’s small but great pleasures.

It is in this spirit of uplift and renewal that we happily announce today’s release of delicious spring seasonal brew: Temple Garden Yuzu Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Temple Garden Yuzu Ale (ABV 5.5%):

Yuzu is a Japanese citron fruit the aroma of which is gorgeously spicy and the flavor lemon-like tart. This sprite, snappy ale is fruited with yuzu and hopped in a complementary way with a combination of NZ Motueka, NZ Cascade and US Santiam varieties. Additions of wheat and rye to the malt grist help accentuate to piquant and aromatic character of the yuzu fruit. We add the fruit to our whirlpool in two forms: as peel shavings and as freshly squeezed juice. Thus, we achieve both a depth and complexity of yuzu flavor and an exquisite fruit bouquet. Temple Garden Yuzu Ale is a perfect spring libation.

Temple Garden Yuzu Ale is available in both kegs and bottles (633 ml). It is, of course, pouring from the taps of each of our Taproom pubs as well as from the taps of a host of other fine pubs and restaurants in Japan. Be sure to come in and enjoy a pint while quantities last.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE


The Japan Blog List

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Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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野菜, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurants, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, vegetables

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Italian-style Vegetables at Aquavite!

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Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great and very large washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to expensive. Top-class Italian wines. Private room for~8 people.
no-smoking-logo1 Non-smoking at counter!

Since Chef Masaru Aoki/青木優 took over the Kitchen at Aquavite last year, the trend has focused on healthy and local products for the renewed pleasure of their customers!

You do have to keep your eyes (and ears) open as the ingredients turnover is sometimes overwhelming because Chef Aoki uses only seasonal ingredients with a great care from all the Prefecture.
So last night I paid them a visit after my short stop at Tomii!

Chef Aoki knows that I rarely bother with menu. I just told him to serve me the vegetables of the day, and he immediately complied without fuss but with great enthusiasm.
The first dish (above picture) was Hakusai Na No Hana/白菜菜の花, something between a Chinese cabbage and a rape plant. That particular vegetable I had no idea about was organically grown at Shizen No Chikara Nouen/自然の力農園/Nature’s Power Garden.

The vegetable was fried with only olive oil and a very little amount of butter and a minimum of salt and pepper to not interfere with the true taste of the vegetables. Actually the same method was adopted for the whole with some harder vegetables being lightly boiled first. This vegetable was served with very fine cuts of lard!

Chef Aoki showing a Daikon No Nabana/大根の菜花
I forgot to mention I always eat at the counter where I can keep talking to the chefs while admiring their work!

The main vegetable dish of the day!

Now that main dish was a beauty and coming from all corners of Shizuoka:
From left to right, Broccoli from Hokubu Jiman Ichi Market, Komatsuna and pearl tomatoes (organic from Shizen no Chikara Nouen), small turnip/kokabu and red-heart daikon/koushin daikon (organic by Nagomi in Fujinomiya City) and small lotus roots/renkon (Asabata, Shizuoka City)!

For a closer view!

And another one!

And an extra tidbit: carrot and Kale cabbage from Hokubu Jinan Ichi Market in Shizuoka City!

Looking forward to my next visit!

AQUAVITE
Address: 420-0034 Shizuoka Shi, Tokiwa-cho, 1-2-7, Tomii Bldg. 3F
Tel. & fax: 054-2740777
Opening hours: 11:30~14:00 18:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

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野菜, 農業, Japanese Gastronomy, Leaf Ginger, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tempura, Tourism, vegetables

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Kunou Leaf Ginger at Tomii!

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Service: Professional & Friendly
Facilities: Very clean overall, beautiful toilets
Prices: reasonable to expensive
Strong points: great choice of Shizuoka sake. Seasonal cuisine only. Shizuoka oden. Top-class Japanese food at reasonable prices
Non-smoking at counter

You will never be disappointed at Tomii as they work only with seasonal ingredients.
Going there just for a quick snack is something of an adventure!

When I visited the place last night at around 6:30, they were in a bit of roar busy as they were with large reservations.
They still found the time to prepare a delicacy before I moved upstairs to Aquavite!

As I said in other articles, Kunou District in Suruga Ward in Southern Shizuoka City is famous for its leaf ginger (also called stick ginger, or hashoga/葉生姜 in Japanese).
Tomii had some fresh ones on hand and prepared them rolled in fine pork slices and dipped into batter before being deep-fried.

This is a very popular delicacy in Shizuoka City restaurants and I never tire of it, what with the slightly different recipes found in various establishments.
The deep-fried leaf ginger prepared at Tomii was a great and delicate marriage of flavors between the ginger which had become almost sweet thanks to the cooking and the succulent pork dipped in fine and light batter!

Do try it!

TOMII
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-cho, 1-2-7, Tomii Bldg, 1F
Tel.: 054-274-0666
Business hours: 17:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

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Bento, Ekiben, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, 弁当

Shizuoka Ekiben/Railway Station Bento: Cha Meshi

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This time I was waiting for my train bound to Kikugawa City where I had a meeting at Agrigraph.
I had enough time left before boarding so I checked the ekiben on sale at the Tokaiten Booth.

Shizuoka Prefecture is “Green Tea Country” in Japan, and they have this regular all-year “Cha Meshi/Green Tea Rice Meal” ekiben at Shizuoka Station. Limited ekiben are great but the “regulars” are also a good indication of the local products available!

We shall see these ladies in the tea fields plucking the first leaves of the year very very soon!

Shizuoka Prefecture (with Yamanashi Prefecture) is also Mount Fuji Land (it is actually nicknamed such “Fuji no Kuni”). Can you see the symbol on the chopsticks wrapper?

A very detailed label as usual!

Now, what do we have in there?

Cha meshi/rice steamed in Shizuoka Green Tea!
And a small umeboshi/pickled Japanese plum to help with digestion!

From bottom up left to right:
Mini tomato, deep-fried prawn, Maguro kakuni/simmered tuna ( a Shizuoka specialty).
Tamagoyak/Japanese omelette, teriyaki chicken.
Kamaboko (steamed Japanese fish paste).

From bottom up, left to right:
Grilled mackerel, a small pot of wasabizuke/wasabi pickles, a small soy sauce bottle, boiled vegetables and others: carrot, lotus root, burdock root, chikuwa (fish paste tube) and green stringbeans.
Takuan/pickled daikon

The contents of the little pot is wasabizuke/wasabi leaves and stems pickled in Japanese sake white lees. Great seasoning for the rice. The soy sauce completes the whole!

See you next time!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

Please check the new postings at:
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Bento, 野菜, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, 帆立貝, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/22): Scallops & Broad Beans Bento!

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The Missus was back into the “square bento mode” today.
I called it a “scallop and Broad Beans Bento” because of the “rice box”!

She steamed the rice with the whole contents of a small can of small scallops and their juices poure on top of the rice.
Once they had been cooked, she mixed the rice and the scallops so as to break the latter for better inclusion. She then added boiled and peeled broad beans and mixed the lot roughly.
She topped the whole with finely cut home-pickled ginger for extra seasoning.

Now the “salad box” wasqite intricate:
From right to left:
-Suteed egg plants/aubegines with a dash of ginger jam (ginger cooked with honey only).
Sweet carrot salad with whole sesame seeds and ground sesame seeds.
Cress from Shige Chan Garden in Shizuoka City.
-Mimosa egg.
-Kiwi fruit, orange and mini tomatoes. great colors!

As usual very tasty and satisfying!

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

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Earthquake, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tsunami, vegetables

April 4th: No radioactive emissions found in Shizuoka Prefecture

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No radioactive emissions today!　All agricultural products in Shizuoka Prefecture are safe.


（Original Report）

【 Environmental Radioactivity Measurements Results inside Shizuoka Prefecture】
□Tap water radioactivity determination (nuclide analysis) results
【Sampling collection locality: Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Kita Ando】
Iodine 131: none
Cesium 137: none

□Radioactive fallout determination (nuclide analysis) results
【Sampling collection locality: Omaezaki City, Ikeshinden】
Sampling duration: April 3rd , 09:00~ April 4th, 09:00
【Observed radiation levels】
Iodine 131: none
Cesium 134: none
Cesium 137: none

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

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野菜, 農業, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, vegetables

Shizuoka & Ehime Prefectures’ Vegetables banned in Singapore: A Scam!

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There are unscrupulous criminals even in Japan…

Singapore has recently slapped a ban on vegetables (and probably on any food) from Shizuoka and Ehime Prefectures when they found radiactive levels over the limit in komatsuna (a leaf vegetable) imported from Shizuoka and Ehime Prefectures.

Agrigraph, the Shizuoka Prefecture Government and other agencies have initiated investigations as the geographical of Shizuoka (450 km from Fukushima) and Ehime (in Shikoku Island and almost 1,000 km from Fukushima) just did not make any sense with having products tainted with radioactivity when other products from Kanagawa (Yokohama), Tokyo, Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures, a lot closer to Fukushima, were not affected.

It was discovered that a large company exporting vegetables from the North East of Japan had used its network in Shizuoka and Ehime to have their products sent there first to be fraudulously registered as local products before exporting them to Singapore!

A single company has thus inflicted untold damage on Shizuoka and Ehime Prefectures, its farmers, producers, consumers, products and businessmen and their reputation which will take a long time to bring back to normal in these times of general/global panic!

The name of the company and of its owners has not been made public yet, but you can be assured that I will the first to announce them when I get my hands on them!

To be continued…

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

Please check the new postings at:
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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fujinishiki Brewery-Fujinishiki Junmai Homarefuji Rice

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There are presently 19 out of a total of 28 (active) Shizuoka prefecture breweries producing some of their sake made with Shizuoka-grown Homarefuji sake rice.
This rice is a hybrid developed from Yamada Nishiki sake rice.
We are certainly bound to see more of it with other Shizuoka-grown rice, not only from the taste and the economical point of views, but also because sake rice “imported” from the north of Japan might become scarce!

Rice: Homarefuji
Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: +3
Acidity: 1.6
Alcohol: 16.5 degrees (genshu)
Bottled in March 2011

Clarity: very clear
Color: transparent
Aroma: fleeting, greens
Body: fluid
Taste: sweetish attack, turns quickly dry with almonds.
Junmai petillant.
Welcome alcohol.
Almonds combined with macadamia nuts and dry walnuts. persimmon.
Lingers on with a very dry note.
Changes little with food, but combines very well with any kind.

Overall: A straightforward sake with a “macho” character.
Strong, solid, but not overwhelming.
Probably best appreciated with food because of its high alcohol content.

Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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野菜, 農業, Japanese Gastronomy, Mushrooms, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, vegetables, 富士市

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Recipes for Hasegawa Garden’s Portabella Mushrooms! Part 2

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I was given a few enormous Portabella Mushrooms the other day among a batch of mushrooms sent to our office at Agrigraph.!

Mr. Mitsushi Hasegawa/長谷川光史さん

They are grown by Mr. Mitsushi Hasegawa in Fuji City at Hasegawa Garden/長谷川農園.

They were truly enormous!

To give you a better idea!

After last week’s stuffed mushroom-style recipe, the Missus (without me…) came a different recipe: “Ton toro” pork sauteed with Portabella Mushrooms and Yuzu Koshio!

“Ton toro” means that it is pork of higher quality, quite whitish in color, reminiscent of tuna “toro”!
The Missus first started frying the sliced ton toro pork with a little olive oil and yuzu koshio/lime and pepper paste.
She then added one sliced mushroom when the pork had started changing color. She fried the whole until the mushroom was properly cooked. The juices of the mushroom mixing with those of the pork meant there was no need for extra seasoning as the yuzu koshio paste contained enough salt.

Served with chopped leeks/scallions, a great appetizer (or main dish!)!

As we were left with one more mushroom, the Missus cut it in small quarters, fried it in olive oil and a little white wine, salt and pepper before adding the finishing touch with chopped parsley.
Simple and so delicious!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

Please check the new postings at:
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Bento, Ekiben, 駅弁, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Tourism, Travel, 弁当

Shizuoka Ekiben/Railway Station Bento: Suruga Komachi

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On my way to Fujinomiya City yesterday, I took the opportunity to buy an “Ekiben/駅弁 or roughly translated a “Railway Station Bento” as I had little time to eat properly at home or at a restaurant!

Shizuoka Prefecture is a gold mine when it comes to Ekiben due to the larger than usual number of stations (I mean railway, not underground/subway as in Tokyo!). They are worth discovering as they are using mostly local ingredients.
The bentos available at Shizuoka Station are mainly prepared by Tokaiken Co.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture!
This ekiben is brand new as it was first put on sale yesterday, April 1st!
It is called “Suruga Komachi/駿河小町”. Suruga is thename of the vast bay off Shizuoka City.
It is limited to only 20 a day!

Contents, limit date, price and so on are always clearly indicated!

As you lift the lid you find that the food inside is protected with an extra piece of hard translucent paper!

Now, what did it contain?

From top. left to right
Tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette, sauteed salmon, a slice of yuzu/lime, kuro hanpen/dark sardine paste/isobe age/kind of tenpura, boiled shrimp, egg plant, pickled lotus root and wasabina ohitashi/pickled wasabina.

From bottom up:
Burdock root/gobo, Boiled string bean, boiled carrot, boiled taro/sato imo, flower-shaped tofu, tofu cake and boiled kabocha.

Plain boiled rice with umeboshi furikake.

And a small sachet of Shizuoka salt and wasabi powder for extra seasoning!

Will see you again on my next trip!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

Please check the new postings at:
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野菜, 野菜亭, 観光, 農業, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, vegetables, Yasaitei

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Hatada Garden Leaf Ginger at Yasaitei!

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Ms. Aki Suzuki/鈴木朋, chef at Yasaitei.

I said in my previous article that there are many Shizuoka products worthwhile introducing not only to the general public but also to restaurants who work hard promoting food originating from our Prefecture.
Another such place is Yasaitei in Shizuoka City!

Like in the other article, after having interviewed Toshikatsu Hatada/畑田敏克 at Hatada Garden/畑田農園 in Kuno/久能 in Shizuoka City, I called Ms. Suzuki to tell her I was bringing fresh leaf ginger and I wished her to create some dishes with it to which se immediately genially agreed! Yasatei thus the second restaurant I visited on that day!

I had my usual (I’m a regular there, too…) glass of Doman Shochu (brewed by Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery in Hamamatsu City) with a snack consisting of kogomi/こごみ/ostrich fern in sesame dressing.

Aki keeps things simple with a respect for the natural taste of ingredients.
The first serving was the leaf ginger cut and served with red miso paste. A great snack for the shochu!

Keeping in mind I wanted something light to accompany the drink, she lightly fried in olive oil and a minimum of salt and pepper thin strips of leaf ginger, bacon and strips of yellow sweet pimentoes.

Great balance between the salty taste of bacon, the sweetness of pimentoes and spiciness of the ginger!

She was back in true vegetarian mode for the last dish:

A salad of very lightly fried strips of leaf ginger and cucumber topped with thin strips of raw radishes for an interesting and slightly piquant salad!

Did I say I was enjoying my work at Agrigraph? LOL

YASAITEI/野菜亭
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-Cho, 1-6-2 Green Heights Wamon 1-C
Tel.: 054-2543277
Business hours: 17:30~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Reservations highly recommended
Seating: 6 at counter + 14 at tables
Set Courses: 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 yen
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi