Category Archives: Dessert

美食, Dessert, Desserts, 野菜, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japan, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Dessert: Grilled Eggplant/Abergine Ice Cream and Balsamico at Chez Satsukawa!

September 15, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Very friendly and easy-going, more professional in the “room”.
Facilities: very Clean and beautiful washroom!
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: French food in Izakaya style. Great sake and wines!

Fujio Satsukawa who has plied his trade independently in Shizuoka City since 1989 and formed many a chef under his tutelage is still actively exploring new avenues when other chefs would think of retirement!
He has always shown a very special proficiency for desserts, but his latest creation that I tasted the other day for my utmost enjoyment was totally out of the ordinary!

In Japanese this dessert was announced as Yaki Nasu Ice-Cream/焼き茄子アイスクリーム/Grilled Eggplant-aubergine Ice Cream!
One of the traditional Japanese ways of preparing an eggplant is to grill it directly on a metal mesh over a live fire. The burnt skin will be then peeled off leaving a nicely colored soft and juicy inside that can be served in many ways.
Fujio did exactly the same and having cut the flesh into small pieces he made an ice cream with its juices and vanilla. There were many little secrets left unsaid of course.
The ice cream was not only complex and intriguingly delicious in taste but its texture too was quiet extraordinary. Have you ever experienced the feeling of actually “eating” through an ice cream?

But the adventure did not halt there!
The top-class balsamico vinegar generously provided in its small cup added another dimension to the whole taste and texture depending on how much you added…
The only reason to live to a grand age as far as I’m concerned is to discover such new gastronomic delights!
Incidentally, I’m convinced it could be served not only at the end of a meal or on its own, but also as an appetizer or as a way to prepare you to the next dish in the middle of a full course!

To be continued…

CHEZ SATSUKAWA
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Kooya Machi, 4-9, Matsunaga Kooya Machi Bldg, 2F
Tel.: 054-205-5133
Business hours: 12:00~14:00, 17:00~23:00
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Credit Cards OK

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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

美食, Dessert, 観光, 農業, Fruit, Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Summer Desserts at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

September 10, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to slightly expensive, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
Entirely non-smoking!

As promised let me introduce you to the desserts I shared with my good friend the other day at Restaurant Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

The title for this superb dessert was “Chilled Musk Melon Soup with Paris School” Cognac Sorbet!

The soup was conceived with white wine and musk melon from Fukuroi City, the major musk melon producing city in Japan.
The sorbet was made with French Cognac.
The two together exploded inside the palate with all kinds of flavors happily fighting with each other for supremacy!
Not a dessert to be handled by children!

The title for the second dessert was purposefully kept vague: “Today’s three-Sorbet Assortment”…

It certainly became a tantalizing dilemma to find the right order to sample the sorbets!
Watermelon…
or Cognac…
or Tropical Fruit…!?
For once, I kept my instincts in check and savored them slowly one by one!

I belatedly realized that the accompanying fruit were in direct relation with the sorbets!
Watermelon…watermelon sorbet!
Mango…tropical fruit sorbet!
Grapes…Cognac sorbet!

Alright, the organic mint is only there for the finishing touch! 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

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美食, Dessert, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Tourism

Kakigoori/Shaved Ice Dessert at Iwaraya in Shizuoka City!

September 2, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Kind and friendly
Equipment: very clean
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Authentic traditional Japanese desserts!
Entirely non-smoking!

When I arrived in Shizuoka City 35 years ago there were almost more traditional Japanese dessert shops than their Western equivalent.
Now you must gear yourself on the exploration mode to re-discover them!

They are certainly worth searching for as traditional Japanese desserts are far healthier than our (delicious) Western cakes and creams. Moreover, most are devoid of wheat flour and in many cases of dairy products.

The blazing hot summer in Japan means it is the season for kakigoori/かき氷/shaved ice!
Iwaraya serves no less than six varieties!

Although Iwaraya has a long history dating back to 3 generations and 80 years ago, they opened their own shop only 5 years ago in Takajyo, a gastronomic venue in the City of Shizuoka!

It also has the great merit to be located away from the crowds near the cute Takajyo Shrine dedicated to falconry!

There is a dessert for all seasons as they also make o-shiroko, anmitsu, o-sekihan, o-mochi and waseigashi!
Great with a cup of matcha tea!

This time I enjoyed the lemon shaved ice!

The lemon is juice squeezed in front of you from fresh lemons!
Incidentally their strawberry kakigoori is made with real crushed fresh strawberries!

Now, if you have a Japanese sweet tooth to satisfy try what my friend ordered: Zenzai, a traditional Japanese dessert assortment!

Tempting, isn’t it?
Looking forward to my next visit!

IWAGARAYA/いわがらや
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Takajyo, 1-5-12
Tel.: 054-252-0587
Business hours: 10:00~18:00 (~18:30 0n weekends)
Closed on Wednesdays

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美食, Dessert, Desserts, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Restaurants, Tourism

French & Italian Dessert: Mascarpone Tiramisu & Glazed Organic Fig!

August 25, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

The other day after the two succulent eggplants/aubergines dishes I savored at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City I simply had to have a dessert:
Italian-style Mascarpone Tiramisu with a glazed fig organically grown in Shimizu ku, Shizuoka City!

I had some problems choosing the top picture, so I’ll show you the other two!
First, the second one!

And next, the third one!
Frankly speaking, as for the pictures, I did not know whether to taste the tiramisu or the fig first!

I opted for the Mascarpone Tiramisu!

It might be a classic of the Italian Gastronomy but I must say I’ve not been often impressed with this type of dessert…

But Chef Touru Arima’s creation reconciled me with the whole of Italy!
Unctuous and so well-balanced with neither the coffee or the mascarpone taking the lead!
Niether a cake, a cream or an ice-cream, it was difficult to describe lost as I was in savoring it!

Now for the glazed organic fig! The mint is organic, too, by the way!

It is inddeed a large variety grown organically at some altitude in Shimizu Ku in Shizuoka City, an area well exposed to the sun.
It was first pan-fried with plenty of brown sugar and then finished inside the oven.
Cutting through the sugar crust gave you the impression of breaking a creme brulee!
For all the sweet taste of its crust, the warm insides produced a highly perfumed flavor which married so well with the first flavor encountered through its crust!

To be continued…

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美食, Dessert, Desserts, 観光, 農業, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Tourism

French Dessert: Shizuoka Soy Sauce Cake, Frozen Orange Compote & Orange Honey Sorbet at Tetsuya Sugimoto!

August 23, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Highly professional and friendly
Facilities: Great overall cleanliness. Beautiful washroom
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Freshest produce and ingredients only, mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture. Organic vegetables. Seasonal food only.

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

This the fourth of the four-part report on the lunch I had the other day at Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City!
And since it is the last episode, it is naturally the dessert!
But this dessert is a Shizuoka concept!

First of all, the bottom part of the “ice cream”!
It was made with a mandarine orange grown inside a greenhouse in Hamamatsu City, Western part of Shizuoka Prefecture.
Tetsuya first peeled it, cooked it as a compote and then froze it!

The sorbet was made with orange flower honey conceived in Nishiura, Numazu City, Eastern Part of Shizuoka Prefecture!

Now, the cake is even more striking!
It is basically a mousse firmed up with gelatin. The mousse was created with soy sauce from Shizuoka Prefecture!
As for the sugar used in the same cake, it comes from sugar cane grown in Kakegawa City in Central Western Part of our Prefecture!
Its bottom was lined with Genoise short cake and the top sprinkled with more crumbled Genoise.

The soy sauce used in the cake is called “Hon Maru Tei” and is made by Amano Co. Ltd. In Gotemba City in the Western Part of Shizuoka Prefecture!
Testuya explained that soy sauce is not all about a salty taste and that creations are practically unlimited with such an ingredient!

As for the sauce, the chocolate might not be of Japanese origin nut the mint is organic and from Shizuoka Prefecture!

To be followed…

Tetsuya SUGIMOTO
４２０－００３８ Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Umeya,２－１３，１Ｆ
Tel./Fax: 054-251-3051
Opening hours：１１：３０～１４：３０，１７：３０～２１：３０
Holidays: undecided
Credit cards OK
ＨＯＭＥＰＡＧＥ

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美食, Dessert, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Hamamatsu City, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurants, Tourism

Italian Gastronomy: Orta Ristorante in Hamamatsu City!

July 24, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Very friendly and attentive
Facilities: Superb cleanliness through and through and beautiful washroom.
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Authentic Northern Italian Gastronomy. Good wine list. Very fresh ingredients, local whenever possible
Entirely non-smoking!

In a Prefecture noted for its superior Italian gastronomy, Orta Ristorante must have earned its place in the top three of this part of Japan with a population equivalent to that of New Zealand!
Sebastiano Bonomi Pattini came to Japan at the tender age of 20 from his native Piemonte and has plied his trade in this country for nearly 15 years now.
A few years ago he left his restaurant in Mikkabi to open Orta Ristorante in the busy centre of Hamamatsu City North of the JR Station.

He chose his place well on the second floor of a building facing busy Act City.

His restaurant is spacious (although you had better reserve!) and overlooking a new green and quiet area recently developed for the benefit of the citizens by the local government.

The whole establishment has been conceived for the best enjoyment of your repast whether in good company or in contented loneliness!
As I live far away from the City of Hamamatsu and therefore don’t know when I will have the opportunity to come again, I opted for the best of the 4 excellent lunch courses, Marchatte!

The first appetizer is a morsel which gives you a clear indication of what to expect!

Mozzarella and ham baked on a crostini!

Naturally, all bread is baked on site!

Home-smoked salmon served as it should be!

Not only beautiful, but absolutely delicious!

Served with savory bread!

Elegant meal in an elegant place!

As I mentioned that I have a fondness for gnocchi more than for pasta (spaghetti et al) Sebastiano came in person to enquire what I would like!

In the end I was served a superlative gnocchi with cheese and broccoli cream sauce with small parmegiano galettes!
Enough to make me come back!

The meat dish certainly deserved the name of fusion gastronomy: Charolais veal from Australia. Extravagant!

Note that the very light polenta was made local corn. Actually all the vegetables were local!

The dessert plate! A real symphony!

Blueberry cheese cake (I think I know where the blueberries come from!), chocolate cake and mango ice-cream. I didn’t leave the sauce untouched I assure you!

Great coffee and petits fours are always a true indication of a great restaurant!

Sassicaia! You couldn’t have a better indication of the wine list!

Well, it is only a queetion of time until I enjoy dinner there!

Chef/Owner: Mr. Sebastiano Bonomi Pattini
Orta Ristorante
Hamamatsu City, Naka Ku, Banya, 675, 2F
tel. & Fax: 053-455-0321
Business hours: 11:30~14:, 18:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays
HOMEPAGE
Credit Cards OK

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美食, Dessert, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Non-smoking restaurants, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism, vegetables

French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Agricultural Products at Pissenlit (July 2011)

July 19, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

In spite of the flaming heat and the present typhoon restaurants in Shizuoka are still endeavoring to use and serve as many local products as possible to the point of sheer extravagance!
Last night we braved the rain to pay a belated visit to one of our favorite French restaurants, namely Pissenlit!
I don’t really need to introduce this celebrated establishment again so I’ll skip the niceties and comment on what we savored away from the rain!

Don’t forget to have a good look at the blackboard for the specialties of the day before ordering!
If you don’t read Japanese, don’t worry! French gastronomy vocabulary is the same all over the World!

The amuse-bouches were local vegetable pound cake and gougere (cheese puff)!

The first d’oeuvres were a hot terrine of organic potatoes (Shizen No Chikara Farm in Shizuoka City) and aji/鯵/Horse Mackerel from the harbor of Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City!
The tomatoes and onion confit are also organic!

For a better view!

The second hors d’oeuvres stretched over two continents:
Pan-fried foie gras in Madeira sauce on a galette of Kankan Musume corn grown by Mr. Ichikawa in Iwata City!

The third hors d’oeuvres also stretched over two continents:
6 kinds of organic potatoes grown by Hirokawa in Mishima City with cheese in Scarmozza style!

Talking of potatoes I should have mentioned 3 continents!

The fish dish was pan-fried kinmedai/金目鯛/Seabream from Sagara harbor in Omaezaki City with organic vegetables by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City! But the mushroom comes from Hasegawa Farm in Fuji City!

Kinmedai is one of the most popular fish in Shizuoka as it the skin stays the same color whatever the cooking technique!

Now for the meat dish we were served a classic of French Gastronomy: Blanquette de Veau/Veal Cream Stew!
The veal comes from claves bred outdoors in Fujinomiya City.
The vegetables are all organic by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City!

It reminded me so much of my Mum’s cuisine back in Bourgogne, France!

The first dessert:
Biwa/枇杷/loquat from Kita Asabata in Shizuoka City with vanilla ice cream and Dharjeling Tea jelly.
The colorful mint is organic from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

The second dessert:
Kabocha Caramel pudding!

The flying fruit is actually a tomato variety from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

To be continued…

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美食, Dessert, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurants, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism

Vegetarian Italian Cuisine at Piatto!

June 6, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Very friendly and relaxed. Slow food!
Equipment: Great cleanliness and splendid washroom
Prices: Appropriate
Strong Points: Vegetables, especially local and organic whenever possible. Local products. Good French and Italian wine-list

I’m not a vegetarian, but if one can come up with a superlative vegetarian dish I will not hesitate!
And if the vegetables are organic and local to boot I will ignore meat and fish for the whole meal (and postpone the latter to my next visit! LOL)

Kazuo Igarashi originally comes from Tokyo, but with a wife from Shizuoka and a constant access to extravagant ingredients convinced him to open Piatto in downtown Shizuoka City on June 12th 2006.
Since then he has acquired such a fame that his own peers advised me to pay him a visit as soon as possible!

Kazuo’s cuisine is definitely Italian in inspiration but his small establishment is a happy fusion of European and Japanese influences with plates and dishes being chosen among the artworks of three different potters. Food is served on wooden (wood and fabric material and colors are everywhere!) trays with wooden chopsticks and spoons (although you can ask for forks and knives!) and in art glassware. Frankly speaking I would need to write a separate article to describe the place (which I will do next time!)!

I almost cried when I found a Mercurey white wine on his menu! Mercurey is my home-place back in Bourgogne, France!
A very tasty appetizer was served in a beautiful glass: yuuba (skimmed tofu sheet) with parmegiano, pepper and olive oil!

A first for me!

“Bagna Couda”: Italian-style hot dip vegetable tray!

The small deep dish was placed on larger pot containing a combustible to heat the dip.
Both the dish and “burner” were made of sophisticated Japanese pottery!

The dip recipe is a secret of course but it does contain parmegiano and anchovy paste!
I did not leave a drop!

The vegetables, all local and most organic, were more of a Japanese concept, proving that superlative Italian gastronomy can be successfully achieved anywhere if you have quality ingredients!

A little explanation here:
The eggplant is mizu nasu/水茄子, a variety which is eaten raw. The renkon/蓮根/lotus root and takenoko/筍/bamboo shoot are definitely Japanese in concept.
And even more so the mini melons eaten as vegetables in our Prefecture!

Kazuo’s focaccia seems to be known all over town.
Carrot focaccia to finish my dip sauce!

What did I tell you about pottery?
I know some people who would visit the place just to have the pleasure in eating with them!

A risotto was of course on the cards!
I just asked Kazuo to concoct me one with vegetables!

It just shows that green can be become such an appetizing color in the hands of a great chef!

Even the dessert was local!
Can you guess?

I almost took the same picture: Cherry tree flower Ice cream! Yes you read well: flowers!

I’m afraid this is still a bit short of an article as Kazuo Ishigarashi’s cuisine will take time to explore, but don’t woory, I’ll be back soon!

PIATTO
Shisuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Kooyamachi, 5-12, 2F
TEl.: 054-253-8844
Business hours: Lunch, 11:30~14:30 on Monday, Saturday, Sunday & National Holidays. Dinner: 17:30~23:00
Closed on Thursdays
Credit Cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese and a little English)

Cakes, Coffee Shops, 美食, Dessert, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Vegetarian Japanese Lunch at Locomani!

June 1, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Very friendly although a bit shy!
Equipment: Great overall cleanliness
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Vegetarian menus. Healthy rice flour cakes.
Completely non-smoking!

Light-hearted vegetarianism has become increasingly popular with vegetarians and non-vegetarians in this City and Prefecture.
The access to abundant vegetables, many of them organic all year round, is the main reason. Another reason is that this region of Japan is noted for its exceptional gastronomy and that gastronomes are happy to switch to a healthier and lighter fare from time to time to give a much needed rest to their system!

A Mediterranean look to the facade!

Menus of the day written on blackboard outside,

and inside!

All wood warm atmosphere inside.

Keep an eye (and a space inside your stomach!) open the home-made very healthy cakes!

Cream cheese cake!

Natural brownies made with rice flour!

Apple and walnuts pound cake made with rice flour!

Mr. Shigeyuki Aoshima/青島茂幸 prepares at least 2 full vegetarian and one non-vegetarian courses every day apart of single dishes and others.
As the menus change regularly according to the vegetables in season one does not tire from visiting the place regularly!
This time I chose the “deep-fried soy bean meat lunch course/大豆ミート唐揚げランチ”!

Raw and cooked vegetable salads (some from Shizen no hikara Organic Farm!)!

Lettuce and warm potato & onion salads!

String bean salad and Japanese-style pickled cucumber and seaweed!

Deep-fried soy bean “meat” with grated daikon (and ponzu)!

Rice (half whole/genmai and half polished)!

Miso soup and organic tea!

I couldn’t resist a dessert!

A succulent cream cheese cake!

I certainly felt both full and healthy!

LOCOMANI
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajyo, 1-10-6
Tel.: 054-260-6622
Closed every Wednesday and one Monday
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

Dessert, Desserts, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Shizuoka

Dessert: Pheasant Eggs Pudding & Soy Sauce Ice Cream at Tetsuya Sugimoto!

May 25, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Ranking：</</</
Service: Highly professional and friendly
Equipment: Great overall cleanliness. Beautiful washroom
Prices:~
Strong points:Freshest produce and ingredients only, mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture. Organic vegetables. Seasonal food only
Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

One reason why Tetsuya Sugimoto is arguably considered as the most remarkable French Cuisine Chef in Shizuoka Prefecture is that he is always exploring new ways and ingredients!
Once again he had the occasion (and obvious pleasure!) to baffle me with his new inventions!

Yes, this pudding was made with pheasant eggs!
And there are not many available during a very short season as there is only one breeder in Shizuoka Prefecture, more precisely in Hamamatsu City!
Tetsuya explained that although the eggs are small their solid texture make them ideal for puddings!

The breeder is called Nakabe Pheasant Farm.
Check their HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

And here are the eggs!

Note that the caramel sauce was made with cane sugar from Kakegawa City, the northernest point for growing sugarcane in Japan!

Yes, this ice cream was made with soy sauce (and vanilla), more precisely soy sauce brewed (it is a real brewing process) by Sakae Co. in Kakegawa City!
I doubt you could find a more local dessert marriage!
Concerning the soy sauce, Testuya told me it was actually fun to combine its salty taste with the sweetness of a vanilla ice-cream!

Expect more very soon!

美食, Dessert, 農業, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism, vegetables

French Cuisine: Shizuoka Agricultural Products by Ms. Keiko Kubota at Gentil!

May 13, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Ranking：
Service: very professional
Facilities: Very clean, superb facilities.
Prices:~ Slightly expensive to expensive
Strong points: Beautiful and fresh ingredients presented and combined to perfection. Local ingredients whenever possible. Superb wine list. The best cheese trays in Japan! Everything thoroughly and kindly explained!
Map
Non-smoking at tables (bar’s smoke does not reach tables)!

Things have been moving recently at Gentil, The oldest French Restaurant in Shizuoka (founded in 1964!)!
The chef having had to leave due to his wife’s conditions, Ms. Keiko Kubota, the only Japanese Compagnon d’Honneur du Guilde des Fromagers (フランス熟成士の組合ギルドデフロマージュからコンパニオンドヌール), decided it was time to take things in her own hands. With the help of an able apprentice (the whole staff is feminine!) she has taken the reins of the kitchen to propose a very healthy and sophisticated gastronomy based on local products.
She is coming with all kinds of refreshing ideas I plan to report on in earnest.
Let’s start with the “quick” lunch I had the other day!

Have a look at the appetizers’ plate above before you read the explanations!

Kokabu/small turnip soup made with the whole vegetable inclusding its leaves.
This kokabu is grown by Mr. Muramatsu in Fujieda City!

Left: kochi/鯒/Sand Borer Flathead sashimi in carpaccio style and kasago/瘡魚/False kelpfish; Marbled rockfish in escabeche style.
The fish were both caught in Suruga Bay and the vegetables as well as those below were grown by Mr. Tanabe in Hamamatsu City!

Zucchini and cress roll, red daikon/koshin daikon/紅芯大根 over roasted ham from Mr. Kuwahara in Fujinomiya City. Actually the raw ham was purchased from Mr. Kuwahar before being processed by Mochizuki in Ikawa.
How about that for traceability!

This chicken called “Jidori/地鶏/ raised by Mr. Aoki in Fujinomiya City was first processed in Japanese-style “nanbanzuke” before being sauteed to perfection.

For a better look of the chicken and the fresh vegetables!

The whole was topped with thin slices of old Mimolette chesse for a superlative mariage of savors (don’t forget this THE PLACE for chees in the whole Prefecture if not in the whole country!)!

The dessert tray!

This sorbet was conceived with “Ibupiacce” roses grown in Shimada City!

Shizuoka Matcha pound Cake!

Panacotta made with coconuts milk and milk, sorbet made with Shizuoka-grown strawberries and a little “ai/for love” biscuit!

Ms. Kubota told me she expects me in June for experiments with cheese and local products!
You bet I will come!

Restaurant Gentil
Address:420-0031 Shizuoka Shi, Gofuku-cho, 2-9-1, Gennan Kairaku building, 2F
Tel.: 054-2547655 (Reservations advisable)
Fax: 054-2210509
Opening hours: 12:00~14:00, 18:00~last orders for meals at 21:30. Bar time 18:00~23:30. Closed on Mondays.
Credit cards OK
Homepage　(Japanese)

美食, Dessert, 野菜, 観光, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism, vegetables

French Cuisine: Veal and Macha Creme Brulee at Pissenlit!

May 9, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Time to visit one the very best French restaurants in Shizuoka Prefecture: Pissenlit!
In this particular case I just barged in on Sunday for lunch and looked at the specialties of the day board!

For once I couldn’t drink alcohol and opted for Chef Arima’s delicious ginger ale made with real ginger roots!

To help me wait for my order (after all, all good food is slow food!) I was offered rillettes made with wild boar hunted in Noda, Shimada City! I could have ordered it!LOL

The appetizer was a delicious salad of udo and bamboo shoots. They had been lightly steamed/boiled before being served with a succulent vinaigrette. Udo/Aralia Cordata is a kind of sansai/山菜/Wild mountain vegetables. This particular one was found up Abe River in Shizuoka City. The bamboo is also grown in Shizuoka Prefecture.

A vegetarian delight!

And now for the main dish: veal!
Veal is not easy to find bred in Japan and even more difficult bred in Shizuoka Prefecture!
This extravagant meat comes from a one-month old 120 kg calf bred in natural environment with its herd.
Chef Arima shared half it with Matsuki Bio Farm’s Restaurant in Fujinomiya City where the calf hed been raised.

The veal was pan-fried/oven-roasted before being seasoned with a beautifully soft Dijon mustard seed sauce. The perfect marriage!

It was presented atop an extraordinary pancake made with potatoes/seri (セリ/Chinese celery or Japanese parsley) and cheese! I garantee you that pancake alone is worth ordering!

As usual the vegetables were all organic from Hirokawa Garden in Mishima City!

I never tire of looking at (and tasting) them!

Always cooked to perfection for maximum enjoynment of their true savors and tastes!

The veal is a beautiful pink with juices oozing instead of the unhealthy dry white samples imported to this country!

And now a real Shizuoka dessert: matcha creme brulee!

Shizuoka-grown Benihoppe/Red Cheeks strawberries!

It is just a pleasure to crack the caramel open and to delve into the cream below!

And the more you delve, the more matcha!

To be continued…

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.
entirely non-smoking!

Dessert, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism, Travel, vegetables, Vietnam Cuisine, Vietnamese Restaurants

Vietnamese Cuisine: Shizuoka Agricultural Products at Annam

April 11, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly and attentive
Equipment: Very clean and beautiful washroom.
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Authentic Vietnamese cuisine prepared by all-vietnamese staff!
Great use of local products.
Entirely non-smoking!

Owner: Ms. Le Thi Hong Vinh
Chef: Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Mai

Good authentic Vietnamese Restaurants are only found far and between in Shizuoka Prefecture, but here in Shizuoka City we are lucky enough to have the real (and probably the only one!) article: Annam!

It has become such a reference that they will have to move next June to a better suited location right in the middle of downtown Shizuoka in front of Nakajimaya Grand Hotel where they will find like-minded company.

Their menus offer a great variety and they do make a true effort to use local ingredients, especially vegetables. Shizuoka Prefecture being an agricultural treasure trove, it explains why we are blessed with so many top quality establishments!

Actually, they can devise you an entirely vegetarian (or anything else) repast given enough time in advance. By definition, Vietnamese food is healthy and one ought to sample its authentic form (as opposed to fast food oriented diners) regularly.

Since my work is to make discover restaurants that serve high quality, healthy and local food, it was only a pleasure to visit Annam once again, the more for it that their menus keep pace with the seasons!

As I was having lunch by myself I decided to sample at least three dishes and stay away from the carbohydrates!
My first dish ( a pretty long name in Vietnamese) was Sauteed Seasonal Vegetables.

Pan-fried with just the right amount of seasoning, the local vegetables including delicious Jew’s Ear mushrooms were scrumptious, cooked to perfection to allow you to enjoy their true taste and savors.
They also certainly made for great appetizing colors!

The second dish could have been called a “meat” dish, although the latter has nothing to do those big lumps of greasy meat served elsewhere: Sauteed Herb Beef!

The beef is cut into small enough pieces and wrapped in herbs before being fried.

The herbs will trap the beef juices and make for a really tender and delicious morsel.
It is such pleasure to pick the wrapped pieces one at a time with your chopsticks and have all the savors spread through your palate as you bite into them.

My last dish was Chicken sauteed in Lemon Grass.
A curry note was also added to them for the perfect spicy balance.

Everything was cut into the proper dainty size for maximum enjoyment.
I do agree some rice would have been welcome to top it with, but I said I was here to taste!

But I couldn’t escape a dessert: Violet Sweet Potato “Cie”!
A typical Vietnamese dessert, it is concocted with violet Sweet Potato, coconuts milk and tapioca. Just the right sweetness, and plenty of satisfaction without being overwhelmed.
Make sure you keep some space for one of these desserts!

Looking forward to report again in June!

ANNAM
420-0858 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tenmacho, 17-9
Tel.: 054-250-2266
Fax: 054-250-2323
Business hours: 11:30~14:00, 17:30~22:00
Closed on Monday (or next day if National Holiday)
HOMEPAGE
Credit Cards OK

NEW ADDRESS FROM JUNE
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Koya machi, 6-6, Mitsuhisa Blg, 2F