Category Archives: 観光

Sushi Restaurants: Shizuoka Seafood at Sushi Ko (December 2011)

Service: Pro and very friendly
Facilities: Very clean. Excellent toilets
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Great variety of seafood from Shizuoka Prefecture and the rest of Japan. Great list of sake!

December has seen the cold weather settle in at long last!
This is good news for sushi lovers as a marked change of weather means new seafood varieties coming in!
Naturally, we visited our favorite sushi restaurant in Shizuoka, namely Sushi Ko in Aoba Koen Street!
Here is what we enjoyed!

Snack coming with the first drink: Kanpachi aburi/環八炙り, seared Amberjack.

No need to say that sake was on order: Masu Ichi Brewery from Shizuoka City!

Little beauties from Shizuoka and Akita Prefectures!

Sakura ebi/桜海老/Cherry shrimps from Yui!

Shirauo/白魚/Icefish from Akita Prefecture!

Hirame/平目/Flafish sashimi from Suruga Bay!

Seguro Iwashi/背黒鰯/”Black back” Sardine sashimi from Suruga Bay!

Buri/鰤/Yellowtail chu toro and toro sashimi from Ishikawa Prefecture!

It’s not all raw fish at Sushi Ko!
Among their cooked specialties we have a special fondness for their Ponkara Maguro/ポンカラ鮪/Deep-fried tuna cubes served with momijioroshi/紅葉下ろし/grated daikon with chili pepper!

Kampachi Tataki/環八タタキ/Amberjack filets that have been seared well before being plunged into cold water and later served as sashimi.

Sushi Ko’s specialty: Sushi Millefeuille!

I cannot visit a sushi restaurant without asking for Maguro Zuke/鮪漬け”/marinated tuna akami/lean part

Comfort dishes for a cold winter: Hotate guratan/帆立グラタン/Scallops Gratin!

Chawanmushi/茶碗蒸し/Japanese hot salted pudding!

Geso karaage/ゲソ唐揚げ/Deep-fried squid tentacles!

Back to raw food! Hotate nigiri/帆立握り?Scallops nigiri!

Ama ebi/甘海老/Sweet Shrimps

Sushi for vegetarians: Yama Imo Gunkan/山芋軍艦!

A universal favorite: Piri kara hotate kariforunya roru/ピリ辛帆立カリフォルニアロル/Hot scallops California Roll!

Tamagoyaki/玉子焼き/Japanese omelette for dessert!

And kinoko miso siru/キノコ味噌汁/miso soup with mushrooms, and plenty of seaweed, to wash it all down!

To be continued…

SUSHI KO
420-0032 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 2-3-1 (Aoba Park Street)
Tel.: 054-251-9701
Business Hours: 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 (Sundays)
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (in Japanese)
Smoking allowed. Private room can be arranged for non-smoking (4 people)


RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

Shizuoka Ekiben/Railway Station Bento: Kazutoyo Gozen in Kakegawa JR Railway Station

Kazutoyo Gozen/一豊御膳 refers to Kazutoyo Yamauchi, a Lord that lived in Kakegawa City during the Feudal Japan Era in the 16th Century and made famous in a TV Drama Series, while Gozen means “Repast”!
I bought this ekiben inside the Kakegawa JR Station on my way to work!

The whole ekiben could have made for a real present to take home!

As usual Jishotei Company in Hamamatsu City give precise explanations of the contents!

The ekiben as it looks without the sticker.
It is wrapped in very sturdy paper in the shape of a “furoshiki/bento box wrapping cloth”!

The box cover is another collector’s item with the introduction to the story of Lord Kazutoyo Yamauchi!

The inside was protected by a sheet of hard translucent paper and a wet towel was also provided!

Now, what do we have?

Two o-musubi/rice balls both molded into the shape of cherry blossom.
The first one is mixed with sansai/山菜/wild mountain vegetables and topped with a salted cherry blossom!

The second one consists of rice steamed into green tea from Kakegawa City!

Pickles and wasabi zuke to season the rice and a wagashi/Japanese cake made of anko/sweetmeats and jelly.

Chicken meat ball, simmered carrot, tofu flower atop a boiled sato imo/taro, boiled edamame, simmered burdock root, simmered shiitake mushroom, Takano tofu and Yuuba maki/tofu skin roll.

Maitake mushroom/Hen-of-the-Woods Mushroom tempura, prawn tempura and deep-fried sweet potato.

Salted matcha tea was provided to season the tempura!

The tempura once seasoned with salted matcha tea!

I wouldn’t mind going back to the 16th Century if people then ate like that!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

Healthy French Gastronomy in Shizuoka City: Le Comptoir de Bios-s by Bio Farm Matsuki! The Dinner!

Service: Pro and very friendly
Equipment: Great overall cleanliness and splendid washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: A palette of Shizuoka Prefecture Products! Great use of organic vegetables and meats from Shizuoka Prefecture. True healthy gastronomy! Excellent wine list!

As promised here is the dinner report at Le Comptoir de Bios-s, the new restaurant opened on November the 2nd in Shizuoka City!
I also had the pleasure to meet the man who made it all possible!

Kazuhiro Matsuki/松木一浩さん

Kazuhiro spent a long time in Paris working for such elevated establishments as Taillevent and Joel Robuchon before coming to Shizuoka instead of his native Nagasaki thanks to his wife hailing from our prefecture and establishing an organic farm called Bio Farm Matsuki in Fujinomiya City.
Since then the venture grew and grew. After Restaurant Bio-S and Bio-Deli he opened Le Comptoir de Bios-S in Shizuoka where he makes a point to appear three times a week to serve and socialize with his customers, thus establishing a direct contact from producer to consumer.

The whole place is very reminiscent of a modern cafe-restaurant in France with sober but comfortable tables and seats along the wall or the large bay windows.

You can read (part of) the menu on the wall while your companion is poring through it!

But the place to be is the counter where you can socialize with the staff and your neighbors in a very easy-going and animated atmosphere.

And looking at your food being prepared is always good fun!

Now, their wine list is worth a careful perusing!
I discovered a wine from my own home in Cote Chalonnaise: Rully, Domaine Dureuil-Jeantha, “Maizieres”, 2009, White!

One more reason to patronize the place! This white wine almost drank like a premium sake!

The menu might look short to some but the quality is not easy to emulate. But even a big appetite like mine was to be satisfied!
Another great quality of the staff is that they help you by offering you sets combining dishes on the menu although it is not mentioned or point out when to eat only half of a dish when it is obviously designed for two!

Smoked chicken by Aoki Farm in Fuji City.

Fried organic vegetables from Bio Farm Matsuki and red squid from Suruga Bay.

Organic greens from Bio Farm Matsuki.

Raw mushrooms from Hasegawa Farm in Fuji City.

My second dish was all Shizuoka Prefecture again!

Organic Red Moon Potato Fries with real home-made mayonnaise! The potatoes are fried with their skins!

A terrine of wild boar caught on Amagi Plateau in northern Izu Peninsula!
A beauty that would make a lot French people envious!

My third dish was a trip to Italy: Cooked and grilled organic vegetables with bania cauda sauce!

I actually took a picture of the chef preparing them!

Different tubers and radish.

Organic potatoes and carrot and bania cauda sauce.
If you are a vegan just ask for olive oil!

Radish, spinach and burdock root.

I still had enough space left for another French treat: Chicken Liver Paste!

From the same chickens bred in Aoki Farm in Fuji City!

The desserts will be for my next visit!
Once again I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Le Comptoir de Bio-s by Bio Farm Matsuki
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Kooya machi, 12-8, Sankousha Bldg, 1F
Tel./fax: 054-221-5250
Business hours: 11:30~15:00 (Last orders 14:00), 17:00~23:00 (Last orders 22:00)
Closed on Mondays
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2011/12/06): Two First-Time Seasonal Releases (Taste the Yeast Difference)

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin
bryan-sayuri.gif

Two First-Time Seasonal Releases (Taste the Yeast Difference)

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Yeast is the most mysterious and arguably most important ingredient in beer. It is a living single-cell organism whose job in the brewery is to transform the sweet wort made by brewers into beer. It does this by eating the wort sugars and turning them into alcohol, CO2 and myriad other chemical byproducts. There exist many different strains of cultivated brewers’ yeast, each with a unique personality which imparts different characteristics to the fermented beer.

In the Baird Beer brewery, we employ three different strains of yeast to ferment our beer: (1) a Scottish ale yeast which is our main house strain, (2) a Belgian yeast strain noted for its use in witbier fermentations, and (3) a lager yeast known to be used widely in North American lager breweries. We selected these strains after many brewing trials because we felt they performed better than others given the processing techniques used at our brewery.

Recently, both for our own edification and that of our customers, we have been fermenting many of our year-round brands with a yeast strain other than the one we normally employ. Today we are releasing two more of these non-standard yeast fermented year-round beers: (1) Numazu Ale and (2) Red Rose Belgian Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

*Numazu Ale (ABV 5.4%): Obviously, this is Numazu Lager fermented with an ale yeast (our Scottish ale strain). Drink this side-by-side Numazu Lager and witness for yourself the flavor difference between a lager and ale yeast fermentation.

*Red Rose Belgian Ale (ABV 5.8%): Yes, we have fermented Red Rose Amber Ale (normally done with our Scottish ale strain) with our Belgian ale strain. How similar are they? How different? What is the difference? Please taste it for yourself.

Both Numazu Ale and Red Rose Belgian Ale will begin pouring from our Taproom taps on Wednesday, December 7. They also will be available at other fine Baird Beer retailing establishments throughout Japan — in both draught and bottle (633 ml) form — beginning the same day.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Bayern Meister Bier, Edel Weiss First Class Premium Beer

Stephan Rager in Fujinomiya City is the only German national who is both the owner and the master brewer of a brewery in Japan!
The German Embassy in Tokyo is fully aware of it and regularly orders his beer for special occasions!

Stephan fluently speaks English and Japanese on top of his own native language, and if you cannot read Japanese you might have to call him for more information!

At least the cap is overwritten in plain German!
I did actually conducted a tasting of the same brand two years ago with my good friend Patrick, but I certainly needed some refreshing!

Product name: Edelweiss First Class Premium Beer
Contents volume: 330 ml
Alcohol: 5.5%
Ingredients: barley malt, hops and live yeast all imported from Southern Germany.

Clarity: smoky and clean
Colour: Dark orange-apricot color
Foam: Fine bubbles, disappearing quickly. Soapy head.
Aroma: Strong, sweetish and fruity. Bread, yeast, faint oranges
Taste: Dry deep and refreshing attack. Complex and sophisticated. Fruity, yeasty, tangy, moreish (British expression), looking forward to drinking more. Bread and faint oranges, Lingers on palate for quite a while.
Very solid. Marries well with food, especially pork, potatoes and Izakaya fare.
Varies little with food and stays very dry and deep all the time.

Overall: Refreshing and reassuringly solid. Nice long aromatic aftertaste. Can’t wait for the second glass.

Bayern Meister Beer Co. Ltd.
Shizuoka Prefecture, Fujinomiya City, Kami-Ideji, Kawaharatan, 1254-1
Tel.: 0544-443311

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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

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

Shizuoka Ekiben/Railway Station Bento: Fuyu Chisen

Fuyu Chisen/冬千扇 means the “Thousand Fans of Winter”.
This is the fourth ekiben of a year-long limited series I already have introduced in Spring, Summer and Autumn! I finally made it all!

The ekiben as it was sold to me this morning at Shizuoka City Railway Station!

As usual Tokaiken has clearly written the contents on their wrap!

Some collectors will want this box!

Notice that it lies on the table in front of me on the Shinkansen Bullet Train!

Beautiful design, isn’t it?

As usual a film of rigid transparent paper protects the contents!

Now, what do we have?

Rice steamed with chicken and burdock root shavings and a little soy sauce.

Boiled lotus root and cucumber lightly marinated in rice vinegar.

Boiled green asparagus, steamed mushrooms, steamed sweet potato and mandarine orange.

Boiled egg with soft yolk seasoned with black sesame seeds, boiled string bean, carrot, burdock root, seaweed (konbu) and konyaku jelly.

Shuumai, Ebi chiri Harumaki/Shrimp Spring Roll and fried buri/Japanese Amberjack!

No better way to learn about Winter food in Shizuoka!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

First Shizuoka Gastronomic Skills Meet-2011/食の芸術(集い・平成23年度)

Top award-winning chefs Touru Arima/有馬亨 (Pissaenlit/Shizuoka City) and Fuminori Nishitani/西谷文紀 (Nori/Fujieda City)

On November 29th was held the First Gastronomic Skills Meet/食の芸術(集い) in Shizuoka City under the auspices of the Shizuoka Prefecture Government which has been actively been active in promoting the gastronomic products and skills of our Prefecture notably with the publication of a book titled [ふじのくに食の都つくり仕事人]/[The Professionals who promote the gastronomy of the Land of Mount Fuji] which introduced 200 of the top-class chefs of our Prefecture.

For the first year 13 Chefs were given the top cccolade of Chefs of the Year (2011) while 63 of their colleagues were also given official recognition and 26 products were officially labeled as Designated Products of Shizuoka Prefecture.

The official banner!

A total attendance of more than 300 professionals, officials and gastronomes!

Some of the laureates!

A beautiful MC from a local TV Channel!

Shizuoka Governor Heita Kawakatsu/川勝平太 made a passionate (and loger than expected) speech about Shizuoka Prefecture products. An easy task when you realize it has been officially recognized by the Japanese government as the Prefecture boasting the greatest (by very far) number of agricultural and sea products!

Top-award winning chefs waiting for their accolade.

A small sample of the media in attendance!

After all this somewhat stiff officialdom (this is Japan!) we were finally invited to the neighboring hall to discover the Shizuoka-branded products and dishes prepared by some of the award-winning chefs!

Wasabi, persimmons and tomatoes naturally!

Two of my favorite products: Milk from Oratche Company in Kannami, Mishima City and Bioran Eggs from Shimizu Farm in Shizuoka City!

Salmon trout from Fujinomiya City are famous all over Japan!

Tuna sashimi on red orange slices

And the food! It was certainly a battle to get even near it!

A dessert from Shizuoka!

And another one!

Fried fish balls!

Ebi imo taro and sakura ebi/cherry shrimps appetizers!

Venison and wild boar from Izu no Kuni City in Izu Peninsula!

Tea roulade!

The plate I somehow battled away from the tables!

No need to tell you that I battled again for a second helping!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Products at Pissenlit (October 2011)!

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: Great cleanliness overall. Superb washroom (mouthwash and toothpicks provided!)
Prices: reasonable to slightly expensive, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products, especially organic vegetables and Shizuoka-bred meat

The Fall in Shizuoka, like in many countries all the world is a time of plenty with food provided by the land and sea overwhelming vegetables, fruit, meat and seafood. It is the time to re-visit your favorite restaurants and chefs and learn so much about new products and techniques!

The board advertizing the B Lunch Menu at a very good value of 2,500 yen convinced me away from work for a while!

Impatiently waiting for the beauties to land on my plate…

Not being able to drink alcohol during my break I opted for the ever delicious home-made ginger ale!

Never mentioned on the menu, Chef Touru Arima always awards your patience with one of his superb amuse!

Hot potage made with organic carrots from Chizen no Chikara Farm!

Mousse made with the leaves of the same carrots on a bed of pureed tomatoes!

The appetizer: Quiche made with lotus roots grown in Asabata, Shizuoka City, small chestnuts and organic spinach with an organic green salad!

Being French, no wonder I’m a sucker for quiche!

Especially when East meets West. Can you see the sliced lotus root?

The entree: Tender and juicy Yuusui Ton/湧水豚 Pork bred in Gotemba City!

From another angle! The pork was poeleed in mustard sauce.

All vegetables are organic, either from Shizen no Chikara Farm in Shizuoka City or Hirokawa Garden in Mishima City!

Great dessert of the day as usual, but this time it was really special and would deserve an article of its own!

Organic carrot Creme Brulee!

When a great vegetable becomes an unctuous dessert… What more can you ask?

…: hot organic mandarine caramelized with all kinds of nuts!

With nuts inside the mandarine! What painstaking work!

Incidentally I belatedly realized that I started and finished my meal with carrots! To think I hated them when I was a kid…

Finally, coffee served at it should be! With black tea madeleine and jellied orange peel!

Difficult to get better value!

To be followed soon…

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
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

Izakaya Gastronomy: Villa D’Est Quisine in Shizuoka City (Fall 2011)

Service: Friendly and unassuming
Facilities: old-fashioned but very clean with cute washroom
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Home-style seasonal cuisine. Wines, sake and shochu. Very traditional Japanese atmosphere! Patronized by true izakaya gastronomy lovers!

In a city like Shizuoka, almost notoriously famous for its many hidden gastronomic havens, many true izakaya lovers will keep their own favorite hangout as secret as possible. Personally, I don’t think this is very fair, but at the same time you do not want to advertize too much such establishments for fear that uncaring customers spoil the atmosphere. On the other hand, if you wish to share and promote taste for good food, drink and atmosphere, you do have a duty to make such gastronomic venues better known.

In my case I hesitate to patronize Villa D’Est Quisine too often as it is very near my workplace, and it is not a good idea in Japan to revel too close to your professional address.
Therefore I keep my visits away from the week-ends when too many people are present for comfort. On the other hand, visiting an izakaya at comparatively quiet times will almost surely offer the opportunity to meet and discover like-minded souls!

Villa D’Est Quisine has many reasons to please:
It is located away from the centre of town in one of the few original and still left untouched alleys of fashionable Takajyo District.
It exudes a quaint warm atmosphere, almost taking you back ages away with its unusual architecture all of dark aged wood with a counter, large table and an elevated tatami, original ceramic tableware, hand-brushed daily menu, potted plants and wall pictures.
The food is eclectic, concocted with mainly local products to satisfy any taste, be it Japanese or of whatever country.
The short and very efficient list of Japanese sake, shochu and wine will ensure that your food marries well with your drinks.
The Chef, Toshiharu Matsuura, has an unflappable will to please customers with a quiet respect for privacy, although you will always find him ready for a great conversation.

Two nights ago, we decided to flee the city noisily celebrating a coming holiday and enjoy some welcome slow life there. It proved momentous as we had the luck to make acquaintance with two new like-minded friends!
The tone was immediately set with the first drink, a nectar from Morimoto Brewery in Kikugawa City, served in original pottery with a simple but succulent o-hitashi/lightly cooked and marinated appetizer made with vegetables including chrysanthemum petals!
The only reproach I would make is that although the place is comfortably dark it is not very propitious to photography!

You will be surprised to find out that the single sheet menu will take you longer to peruse than expected, so take your time before ordering!
Now the menu featured as its very first item “koshiodai/こしょう鯛/Peppered Seabream (litteral translation!)” sashimi.
I asked Toshiharu where he found the fish and he had a hard time evading my question. I suspect he caught it himself in Suruga Bay or acquired it in a market I know he patronizes!
The sashimi was not as soft as most as that of seabream but proved a great combination of fine taste and bite!

Amitake Oroshi daikon Ae/アミ茸下ろし大根和え/Jersey cow mushroom-suillus bovinus served with freshly grated daikon.

The above dish will endear vegetarians! Actually, if you have such a priority talk to the Chef and he will help you!

Tebasaki to yasai no kuriimu shityu/手羽先と野菜クリームシチュー/Chicken wings and Vegetables Cream Stew

Now, the above should please Westerners especially on a cold night! Very typical Japanese Izakaya offering in spite of its obvious Western inspiration!

Kaki fuwafuwa mushi/牡蠣ふわふわ蒸し/Steamed oysters with a light sauce served with grated wasabi.

The above is more typical of the Japanese treats concocted by Toshiharu! A discovery for oyster lovers!

An Izakaya Classic: Yurine to ebi kakiage/ユリ根と海老かき揚げ/Deep-fried lily bulb and shrimps!

When it comes to kakiage and tempura tha Japanese are simply the best!
Have you ever tried yurine/ユリ根/lily bulbs? A must!

Iro Iro Na Potato Furai/色々なポテトフライ/Varied fried potatoes

Another Izakaya classic! Three types of tubers: Thick Sweet Potato Chips, boiled and lightly fried potatoes and again boiled and lightly fried satoimo/里芋/taro!
A true delicacy for vegans and vegerarians!

And to think we only scratched the menu…

VILLA D’EST QUISINE
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajyo, 3-10-19
Tel.: 054-251-4763
Business hours: 17:00~24:00
Closed on Thursdays
Parties welcome
HOMEPAGE/BLOG (Japanese)
Smoking allowed

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

For Better Diners: SUBWAY in Shizuoka City!

Service: Very friendly, attentive and efficient
Facilities: Functional and very clean. Very clean washroom.
Prices:reasonable
Strong Points: Fresh vegetables, local whenever possible. No pervasive smells (oil, etc…).Well-balanced healthy sandwiches

I remember my good friend Patrick telling me that there are good fast food restaurants and “less good ones”!
Fast food, when good enough, is much appreciated when in a hurry, and the more for it if it is reasonably healthy!

SUBWAY has many diners in Shizuoka and all over the country and abroad, but the one which opened very recently just right of the north exit of the Shizuoka JR Railway Station is a winner!

I do not make a habit of patronizing diners (I will not cite names…) but I was happy to discover the place yesterday much in a hurry as I was for lunch!

All signs and menus are bilingual (no mistakes!), a sign of good business sense.
The above board advertizes the fact that one variety of sandwich is offered at a discount price every day! Another good way to have customers sample everything!

You do not have to be inside to check the menu and decide your order!

And they use fresh local lettuce!

Even at 2:00 p.m. the place was busy but everything went smoothly and more quietly than expected!

Transparency is always appreciated!

Efficient and quick service.

Good hygiene!
The staff will always ask you if there are vegetables you do not like.
The sandwiches are made entirely in front of you!
Incidentally, you can choose from 4 types of bread, as they are or toasted on order!

I noticed many businessmen and well-heeled travelers, always a good sign.
You can either eat onsite inside or under a parasol outside, or buy a take-out order.

I ordered Cheese Bulgorgi Sandwich with Homard Lobster Bisque Soup!

Another good mark for hygiene!

My Bisque soup!

I must admit I was favorably surprised by this fast food rendition of a French delicacy!

My sandwich!
Very appetizing!
Note that the bread used in Japan by Subway is always comparatively soft but certainly not soggy!

I wish all diners could take note!
By the way, their fried potatoes are oven-cooked, which means no pervasive oil smells!

Definitely a model for the genre!

SUBWAY
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka JR Railway Station, outside left out of north Exit, or right of the entry outside.
Business hours: 07:00~22:00 (Monday~Friday), 10~22:00 (Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays)
Entirely non-smoking inside!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2011/11/22): Seasonal Release: West Coast Wheat Wine 2011

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin
bryan-sayuri.gif

Seasonal Release: West Coast Wheat Wine 2011

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The onset of cooler weather and shorter days announces the arrival of the season for the enjoyment of hearty, warming and complexly potent ales. We are pleased to greet the season with the release of our 2011 version of West Coast Wheat Wine.
*West Coast Wheat Wine 2011 (ABV 9%):

New Seasonal Baird Beer Releases:

Wheat Wine is a beer style born on the U.S. West Coast in the 1980s, thought to have been originally brewed at the Rubicon brewery-pub in Sacramento, California. It has as its progenitor the British Barely Wine style. A Wheat Wine, generally, is characterized by a rich and hearty complexity that is lightened and made a touch sprite by a predominantly wheat, rather than barley, malt base. It is a style representative of the irreverent creativity and unrelenting passion that are hallmarks of craft brewing on the West Coast of the United States. Baird West Coast Wheat Wine is crafted in annual homage to the skilled brewing artisans and fearless beer entrepreneurs who have pioneered craft brewing on America’s great West Coast!

This 2011 version of West Coast Wheat Wine contains no character malt whatsoever and thus appears in a wonderfully hazy hue of sunset gold. The flavor is characterized by a deep, layered wheat malt complexity that is complemented beautifully by a citrus-fruit accented hop character (exclusive use of U.S. West Coast hops: Citra, Centennial, Cascade, Ahtanum). At packaging, West Coast Wheat Wine is krausened in order to add further flavor complexity and to produce a piquant all-natural carbonation.

West Coast Wheat Wine 2011 will begin pouring from our Taproom taps on Wednesday, November 23 (which happens to be a Japan national holiday — appreciation of labor day). It also will be available at other fine Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants throughout Japan. Bottles (633 ml) can be purchased by individual consumers direct from the brewery via our online E-Shop.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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

French Pastry: “Splendeur by Bernard Heberle at Abondance Patisserie in Hamamatsu City!

My good friend, Bernard Heberle, the owner/chef of Abondance Patisserie in Hamamatsu City has recently been elected the best patissier in Shizuoka Prefecture (almost 4,000,000 souls) by the biggest Food Blog Community in Japan, namely Tabelog!

Not only he is a first-class Patissier, but he also makes use of local products whenever possible, especially eggs, milk and fresh fruit!

He was kind enough to send me his latest creation with the following comments in French:
“Voici le dernier nouveau.
Splendeur. À la base de noisette croquante sur un mousseux aux fèves de Tonga. Avec un biscuit dit “Dauphinois”
Au plaisir.”
“Here is my new creation/
Splendeur/Splendor. With a crakling almond base on a mousse made with Tonga beans atop a biscuit called “Dauphinois”.
Best regards!”
He forgot to mention the cute little chocolate macaron and the golden leaves!

ABONDANCE
Address: Hamamatsu Shi, Sumiyoshi, 2-14-27 (in front of Seirei Hospital)
Tel.: 053-4738400
Fax: 053-4738401
Opening hours: 10:00~20:00. Closed on Tuesdays.
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

Healthy French Gastronomy in Shizuoka City: Le Comptoir de Bios-s by Bio Farm Matsuki!

Service: Pro and very friendly
Equipment: Great overall cleanliness and splendid washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: A palette of Shizuoka Prefecture Products! Great use of organic vegetables and meats from Shizuoka Prefecture. True healthy gastronomy!

When Fujinomiya City-based Bio Farm Matsuki decided to open their new restaurant in Shizuoka City on the 2nd of November they certainly did a great favor to its inhabitants!
Not only did they adorn the City with a new and elegant venue at very reasonable prices, but they also and mainly offered health to their customers through first-class fresh products from Shizuoka Prefecture, and this in a completely non-smoking space!
But their greatest quality is that they are the newest establishment proving that there is a true Shizuoka Gastronomy in Japan!

Smiling and so kind staff!
Le Comptoir is located very near Shizuoka JR Station in an increasingly fashionable and well-lighted area of the City just behind the former abode of the last Tokugawa Shogun.

The design is very reminiscent of France with a large counter and high stools…

and a large blackboard with the recommendations of the day!

As you enter have a good look at the organic vegetable cookies…

and a few organic vegetables from Bio Farm Matsuki in Fujinomiya City you will be tempted to cook back home!

Simple, warm and elegant settings at tables from which you can peek outside through large bay windows!

I finally found the time to pay them my first visit for lunch today and I was gratified to discover they served wine by the glass even at lunch time!

I chose the chicken main lunch set from a very reasonably priced menu which came with corn potage first.
Incidentally all vegetables are organic and are grown organically at Bio Farm Matsuki in Fujinomiya City!

Such an appetizing and healthy dish!

Asahi Doori chicken from Fuji City sauteed with Champagne vinegar!

Splendid salad consisting of cute greens and…

Red Moon potatoes and onion!

The lunch course also included bread or rice but I had to order the dessert of the day: Carrot ice cream! So soft and delicious! Could be served at any time of a large repast!

And coffee served as it should be with real cream and sugar!

Dinner report coming very soon!

Le Comptoir de Bio-s by Bio Farm Matsuki
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Kooya machi, 12-8, Sankousha Bldg, 1F
Tel./fax: 054-221-5250
Business hours: 11:30~15:00 (Last orders 14:00), 17:00~23:00 (Last orders 22:00)
Closed on Mondays
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2011/11/15): Baird Beer Seasonal Release: Black Velvet Dark Lager

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin
bryan-sayuri.gif

Baird Beer Seasonal Release: Black Velvet Dark Lager

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

A Schwarzbier is a German-style dark lager noted for its smooth roundness and easy drinkability. It is one of these classic historical styles that knows no season — i.e. it can be imbibed with equal pleasure in all seasons. We are proud today to release our Baird version of a Schwarzbier: Black Velvet Dark Lager.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Black Velvet Dark Lager (ABV 5.5%):

Generous additions of Munich malt lend a bready, nutty accent to a flavor base that is without the acrid, burnt character generally found in black beers. Black Velvet Dark Lager drinks from the glass with a silky, velvet-like smoothness. It is a perfect beer with which to kick off an evening of slow and sociable drinking.

Black Velvet is avaiable in both kegs and bottles (633 ml) and is now pouring from the taps of our various Taproom pubs.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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

Vegetables Gastronomy at Yasaitei in Shizuoka City (November 2011)!

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: Very clean, Beautiful washroom
Prices: reasonable
Specialties: Vegan and vegetarian Cuisine, Izakaya gastronomy, local products, oden. Good list of sake, shochu. Wines also available.

If your first interest is vegetables, especially local, and your second interest Shizuoka, there is only one place you may visit: Yasaitei!
(Just a warning for the non-smokers, come early at 5:30 or rent the whole place for a party!)
The whole lady staff in traditional dress will kindly prepare and serve you vegetables in all manners and according to your priorities, be they vegan, vegetarian or omnivore!
To help me convince you here is a photography and explanation report I took last night in the company of a friend! I kept it on purpose to vegetables only (incidentally I’m an omnivore but I do appreciate any priority!)!

A light snack is always brought with your first drink. Both of us had shochu, a vegan drink par excellence!
The light appetizers consisted of “o-hitashi”, a very simple and healthy way to prepare small vegetables typical of Japanese gastronomy.
Make sure to tell you do not want the katsuobushi if you are vegetarian!
As for dashi, if you do not want anything cooked in fish-based dashi, just tell the ladies beforehand and they will adapt accordingly!

For a closer view of the “o-hitashi”!

My friend had a similar offering with her shochu!

Can you see the tofu karaage?

for the two vegetable main dishes of the night we first asked the Chef, Ms. Aki Suzuki/鈴木朋さん to concoct us a “European-style” salad with her own olive oil dressing!

Can you see the golden sesame seeds for extra taste?

Healthy potato salad to help satisfy your hunger!

Now, what are these?
“Mukago”, a truly seasonal vegetable delicacy!
These are the aerial seeds (no flowers) growing directly on the vines of Yama Imo/Japanese yams!
You can eat them steamed, stir-fried, deep-fried or stewed!
The spoon to give you an idea of the size is a coffee spoon!

As for the second main vegetable dish we asked for the specialty of the house, Vegetables Sashimi (vegans, rejoice!)!

For a closer view!
Let me show it again from different angles to discover the design!

Aerial view!

Red onion, daikon, tomato, ice plant!

Myoga ginger, red onion.
Cucumber, shiso/perilla, tomato.
Carrot, radish, celery, daikon.

Radish, carrot, cucumber, myoga ginger.
Ice plant, celery, daikon, shiso, red onion.

To be followed…

YASAITEI
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
Individual orders (carte9 welcome
Parties welcome
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Smoking allowed

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
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

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