Fusion Cuisine, Izakaya, Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture Izakaya: Hizuki in Shimada City!

December 29, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: smiling and attentive
Equipment & Facilities: overall spotless clean. Superb washroom
Prices: reasonable~slightly expensive
Strong points: Fusion izakaya cuisine mainly with local products. Excellent sake, wine and whislies list

Shimada City is finally awakening from a long torpor and it is time to keep your eyes, ears and other senses open!
Just stroll from the north exit of Shimada Station and you are bound to make a discovery!

My good German friend, Stefan Wimmer, and I took only a few minutes to discover Hizuki/ひづき!

The recommended menu posted outside certainly whetted our appetites!

The interior is definitely that of a modern izakaya/Japanese-style bistro but with a real chef in the person of owner Akimasa Ooishi/大石明昌さん who boasts a long experience in French cooking acquired in one of the best hotels of the Prefecture!

The menu is truly fusion cuisine with a happy marriage of Japanese and French cuisines in particular!
The two of us did not have much time on our hands that night, that waiting for the train to head back to Shizuoka City, but we certainly made the most of it!

The o-tooshi/お通し, snack served with the first drink set the tone!

Absolutely succulent grilled beef tongue that looked, bit and tasted more like a real steak!
A discovery and a must!

We couldn’t ignore the karaage/Japanese-style fried chicken, which has become a Japanese cuisine hallmark all over the world!

Now, Akimasa’s karaage is not only appetizing but absolutely above anything I have tasted so far, not an overstatement as it combines all kinds of ingredients and tastes! One does find oneself at a loss describing simple-looking but exquisite food!

We were both intrigued by the “butter-fried scallops and prawns”!

Definitely French-inspired!

Superb local vegetables!

Great butter and herbs sauce! More French restaurant than izakaya!

And unbeatable enormous scallops with their eggs!

See you there again soon, you can bet!

HIZUKI/ひづき

Chef/owner: Akimasa Ooishi/大石明昌さん
Shizuoka Prefecture, Shimada City, Hon Toori, 1 Chome, 9-19
Tel.: 0547-54-5860
Opening hours:17:30~23:30
Closed on Wednesdays

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Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Aoi Brewing-Supersonic Pale Ale

December 26, 2016 dragonlife 5 Comments

As its name indicates, Aoi Brewing in Shizuoka City came up with their last limited craft beer of the year: Supersonic Pale Ale!

Served on tap
Barley. Maris Otter malt (Great Britain), Crystal malt (Great Britain), Chocolate malt (Great Britain), Magnum hop (Germany), Willamette hop (USA), Sereia hop (Slovenia), Nottingham Pale Ale yeast (Great Britain), sugars
Unfiltered
Natural carbonation
ABV:5.5%
IBU: 30
Production: 450 l

Bubbles: longish head, very fine bubbles, white color
Color: deep orange/persimmon
Aroma: dry, discreet and fruity. Bread, biscuits.
Taste: deep, dry, fruity attack.
Bread, biscuits, dry honey.
Lingers long enough for true tasting before departing on more acid notes of bread and citruses.

Overall: very easy to drink pale ale!
Could easily become a habit.
Will please both genders of any age all year round.
A gentle craft beer for all seasons!
Suggested pairings: potato salad, sausages

Beer Junkie MOTEL

420-0035 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken Cho, 11-5, IMAKKOKO Bldg. 1F
Tel.: 054-253-6558
Opening hours: 18:00~25:00
Closed on Tuesday
Parties welcome
FACEBOOK

BEER GARAGE

Aoi Brewing Co.,Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyagasaki Chyo, 30
Tel.: 054-294-8911
Opening hours: 17:00~23:00 (Monday~Friday), 15:00~23:00 (Saturday), 15:00~22:00 (Sunday)
Closed on Tuesdays
COD, Cash On Delivery only for all orders.
MAP
FACEBOOK

AOI BEER STAND
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 4-6, Den bill, 1F
Tel.: 054-260-5203
Opening hours: 11:00~23:00
Credit cards OK
FACEBOOK

Some Aoi Brewing beers are also available at the mother company’s other restaurant,

GROWSTOCK

420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Koyamachi Naka Building, 5F
Tel.: 054-293-9331
Opening hours: 17:00~25:00 (Mon.~Thurs.), 17:00~27:00 (Fri & Sat.), 17:00~24:00 (Sun.)
Parties welcome (reserve!)
Credit Cards OK
FACEBOOK

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French Cuisine, French Restaurant, HARAGUCHI, Japan, Shizuoka City

French Cuisine: Dinner at HARAGUCHI in Shizuoka City!

December 23, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: professional and smiling
Equipment & facilities: spotless clean. Superb washroom. Entirely non-smoking. Cloakroom.
Prices: slightly expensive
Strong points: high-class French cuisine. Pate and terrine, the specialty! Superb local and Japanese products. Excellent wine list. Doubles as a superb wine bar during and after hours.

When Hiroshi Haraguchi/原口広さん decided to open his own restaurant in Shizuoka City this year after a long stint in a star-studded establishment in Tokyo he certainly hit the jackpot, the more for it that French restaurants of note in this City had become scarce of late!
Having already published books of his own masterpieces, here we were suddenly finding ourselves with a new chef of renown!

It is a busy place but at last I had the opportunity to share dinner there in great company!
To start with HARAGUCHI offers an excellent wine list for all budgets. Although the food is consequently priced, I found the wines quite reasonable!
As only two of our group drank wine we chose a Crozes Hermitage 2010 offered by ever-reliable E. Guigal dealer!

The cuisine is both traditional and modern, as well as the table settings!

Naturally the (whole wheat) bread is home-baked!

As amuse-bouche/starter, we were served an elegant salmon mousse!

Now, as the main starter, being French, I couldn’t help sample the exquisite-looking and very generous terrine de campagne (although called “pate de campagne”!)!
True to tell, it was more than par with the many I ate back home! And the home-made pickles and local fine salad were just perfect!
Actually, I would recommend anyone to first visit the wine bar and savor a great one with one of the terrines and pate on the menu!

As for the fish dish, we had a sawara/Spanish mackerel caught in the neighboring Suruga Bay, cooked to perfection with a crackling skin!

One of my friends opted for this succulent beef raised in Aichi Prefecture!
I don’t have to extol the qualities of Japanese beef, do I! It certainly doesn’t need any artifices!

Pork is probably the most underrated meat away from these shores, and it is just impossible to list them all1
his particular piece was from a nasu-ton, that is pigs fed with eggplants in Tochigi Prefecture!
Tender, juicy and so tasty! Even the fat! I didn’t leave a iota on my plate!

The dessert, an exquisite example of simplicity consisted of seasonal apple tart, very Alsatian in style, cinnamon ice-cream and bitter caramel sauce!

And I can assure you that the mignardises did not last long, just the time to explain their origin to my friends!

Now, since I have to sample all these terrines and pates myself at the wine bar, expect more visits and reports!

HARAGUCHI

420-0035 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken-Cho 9-5, Trenz Bldg, 1F (along the Aoba Park Street)
Tel.: 054-251-3803
Opening hours: 11:30~13:30, 17:30~20:30 (LO), ~24:00 (wine bar)
Closed on Mondays, 1st & 3rd Sundays
Lunch: 3,500, 5,000 yen
Dinner: 7,500, 10,000 yen (a la carte also available)
Credit cards OK
FACEBOOK

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Eikun Brewery-Yamahai Junmai /Look Before You Leap(conducted at la Sommeliere in Shizuoka City)

December 17, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

I don’t mind repeating it all the time but I prefer conducting sake tastings in the right environment but not many places are propitious for that exercise or willing to help.
But La Sommeliere in Miyuki Cho, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City is certainly becoming a habit as not only I can conduct my tasting in the best conditions possible but also exchange views at the same time!

Recent years have seen quite a few breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture tackle the difficult creation of Yamahai.

This time it is Eikun Brewery in Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City which produced a yamahai Junmai!

With the addition of an interesting subtitle: -Look before you leap- although the Japanese translation somewhat differs!

Rice: Hyakumangoku (Toyama Prefecture) as the Kojimai/麹米, leavened rice
Donmanaka (Akita Prefecture) as the kakemai/掛米, added rice
Rice both milled down to 60%
Yeast: Shizuoka NEW 5
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Dryness: + 7
Acidity: 1.6
Bottled in September 2016

Clarity: very clear
Color: faint golden hue
Aroma dry, soft and fruity. Plums, custard, mandarines, melon
Body: fluid, almost sirupy
Taste: dry and very fruity attack backed up with puissant junmai petillant.
Complex: melon, custard, plums.
Lingers for a while on the palate before departing on drier notes of dark chocolate and custard.
Tends to linger with a drier and drier accent. mandarins and dry nuts make a late appearance.
Varies little with food.

Overall: Very elegant for a Yamahai and drinks very easily.
Can be truly enjoyed at any temperatures.
Definitely conceived to accompany food.
Great on its own but would be more appreciated either as an aperitif or a fine dry white wine.
Suggested pairings: ankimo, cheese, quiche.

LA SOMMELIERE

420-0857 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 7-5, Aiseido Bldg, 1F
Tel. & Fax: 054-266-5085
Opening hours: 11:00~22:00, 12:00~18:00 on Sundays & National Holidays
FACEBOOK (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

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Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Aoi Brewing-Christmas Ale (2016 version)

December 11, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Starting from last year Aoi Brewing in Shizuoka Puts a very limited craft beer called Christmas Ale!
This year version being a little different I had been waiting in great expectation!

Served on tap
Barley. Maris Otter malt (Great Britain), Munich malt (Germany), Crystal malt (Great Britain), Chocolate malt (Great Britain), Pearl hop (great Britain), Nottingham Pale Ale yeast (Great Britain), sugars, orange peels, coriander, cinnamon, vanilla beans
Unfiltered
Natural carbonation
ABV:8%
IBU: 30
Production: 450 l

Bubbles: long head, very fine bubbles, creamy, faint orange/white color
Color: deep orange/dark amber
Aroma: dry and fruity. Citruses, dry honey
Taste: dry/bitter, very deep and fruity attack.
Complex: oranges, persimmon, cinnamon.
Almost sirupy in texture.
Lingers long enough on palate for true tasting before departing drier/more bitter notes of biscuits and honey.
Spicy bitterness will somewhat linger on the palate later.

Overall: a very rich and complex spicy but almost sirupy craft ale to be savored very slowly.
Perfect in cold weather!
Will show more facets with rise in temperature.
Extravagant craft beer maybe best drunk as dessert.
Recommended pairings: Sweets, chocolate.

Beer Junkie MOTEL

420-0035 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken Cho, 11-5, IMAKKOKO Bldg. 1F
Tel.: 054-253-6558
Opening hours: 18:00~25:00
Closed on Tuesday
Parties welcome
FACEBOOK

BEER GARAGE

AOI BEER STAND
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 4-6, Den bill, 1F
Tel.: 054-260-5203
Opening hours: 11:00~23:00
Credit cards OK
FACEBOOK

Some Aoi Brewing beers are also available at the mother company’s other restaurant,

GROWSTOCK

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Beer Pub, Shizuoka City, Yami no Tana

New Beer Pub in Shizuoka City: Yami Yo Dana!

December 9, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: shy but very attentive
Equipment & Facilities: overall very clean. Superb washroom. Entirely non-smoking
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Baird Beer, including limited local brand. Home-made izakaya food.

The other day was my first visit to one of the newest Beer Pubs in Shizuoka City, a very thirsty town where such news fly or flow very quickly!

Although located in the “drinking district” you will some guidance from a local to find it!

First of all let me say it entirely non smoking, a rare feat for such an establishment! Great news for the ladies (and their companions)!
Actually the whole is really clean but very very easy-going, all of simple wood, whether at the counter or at tables.

The owner, Hiroaki Kojima/小島大明さん　worked for Bryan Baird at Baird Beer Brewery for 8 years, the reason why all the craft beer served inside comes from Baird Beer Brewery!
There is another normal draught beer tap, too, and plenty of other drinks are available!

The food, including many non-meat dishes are all either made on site or at home (very probably with Hirokai’s wife, namely Masawako/妙和子さん!）! All authentic Japanese izakaya fare!

As for Baird Beer products, they feature 6 different brands changing with the seasons at alcohol from 4.7 to 8%, prices ranging from 600 yen to 800 yen per glass, or 900 yen to 1,000 yen per pint.
Don’t forget to sample the “Ryogae Cho Best Bitter” especially brewed for Yami No Tana!
As it is very limited you can order it only by the glass!

As I intend to conduct my Baird Beer craft beers tastings there in the future expect more reports!

YAMI YO DANA/闇よ棚

420-0032 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae Cho, 1-6-10, M2 Bldg., 2F
Opening hours: 16:00~23:00, 16:00~20:00 (Sunday)
Closed on Thursdays

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Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Aoi Brewing-Challenger Pale Ale

December 1, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Aoi Brewing in Shizuoka City has come up a limited British style single mat, single hop craft beer: Challenger Pale Ale!

Served on tap
Barley. Maris Otter malt (Great Britain), Challenger hop (Great Britain), sugars, Nottingham Ale yeast (Great Britain)
Unfiltered
Natural carbonation
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 28
Production: 450 l

Bubbles: longish head, fine bubbles, creamy, white.
Color: persimmon
Aroma: dry and fruity. Honey, persimmon, biscuits.
Taste: dry attack followed by welcome acidity/bitterness. Biscuits, citruses.
Lingers long enough on palate for true tasting before departing on drier/more bitter notes of citruses and lemon.
Takes on an even drier turn with food with acid oranges perking up.

Overall: dry and fruity craft beer that should please both genders of any age!
Elegant in spite of its marked bitterness.
Recommended pairings: potato salad, grilled fish, pickled fish.

Beer Junkie MOTEL

420-0035 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken Cho, 11-5, IMAKKOKO Bldg. 1F
Tel.: 054-253-6558
Opening hours: 18:00~25:00
Closed on Tuesday
Parties welcome
FACEBOOK

BEER GARAGE

AOI BEER STAND
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 4-6, Den bill, 1F
Tel.: 054-260-5203
Opening hours: 11:00~23:00
Credit cards OK
FACEBOOK

Some Aoi Brewing beers are also available at the mother company’s other restaurant,

GROWSTOCK

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

SHIZUOKA GOURMET

Monthly Archives: December 2016

Shizuoka Prefecture Izakaya: Hizuki in Shimada City!

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Aoi Brewing-Supersonic Pale Ale

French Cuisine: Dinner at HARAGUCHI in Shizuoka City!

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Eikun Brewery-Yamahai Junmai /Look Before You Leap(conducted at la Sommeliere in Shizuoka City)

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Aoi Brewing-Christmas Ale (2016 version)

New Beer Pub in Shizuoka City: Yami Yo Dana!

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Aoi Brewing-Challenger Pale Ale