Category Archives: Gastronomy

美食, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Restaurants, Tourism

Japanese Cuisine: Obune in Kikugawa City!

July 5, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: very friendly if a bit shy
Equipment: very clean around. Traditional
Prices: appropriate
Strong points: Traditional and new Japanese cuisine. Incredible Champagne list!

For long Kikugawa City was a bit of “forgotten country” until only recently.
Things are starting to change for the better as more and more people take advantage of the cheaper rents to move there. The city has also greatly improved and refurbished its image.
To cap it all some very good restaurants are also emerging for the pleasure of the increasing population!

One such place is Obune/おぶね.
I had the occasion to visit the place in the company of co-workers during an anniversary dinner and make acquaintance with his chef/owner Mr. Kazuki Takagi/高木一樹 and sample his cuisine!

This is traditional Japan although the gastronomy is modern!

I always have an eye for the Shizuoka sake… and this is an almost impossible to obtain line of premium sake from Isojiman Brewery in Yaizu City! The boxes only are collector’s items!

The six of us had isolated themselves in a separate room but I could take a peek through the lattice!

This is the sake we partook of: First-class Isojiman Daiginjyo made with Aiyama Sake rice milled down to 50%!

Someone might have thought we were drinking wine!

And then we started the feast:
Cream Cheese with Junsai/a kind of mountain vegetable.

“Mehikari/芽光, a deep-sea fish from Aichi Prefecture!

“Ikura no imushi/イクラの飯蒸し, rice and salmon’s roe steamed together!

O tsukuri/sashimi plate/dish: Honmeji maguro/Honmeji tuna, Suzuki/Sea bass and Madako/Octopus!

A favorite of mine: lukewarm ankimo/frogfish liver or “Japanese Foie gras”!

Fuji No Kuni Pork shabu shabu with home-made gomadare/sesame dressing!

Zucchini Dry Curry served the Japanese way!

White mushrooms from Fuji City on steamed Kyokankamo egg plant and sweet and sour sauce/ankake!

Akadasi miso soup!

Fukuroi City Lemon Sorbet! A beauty!

I’m planning to visit the place again by myself but don’t tell anyone!

OBUNE/Traditional & Contemporary Japanese Foods (as on the business card!)
439-0031 Kikugawa City, Kamo, 1948
Tel.: 0537-35-4030
Business hours: Lunch, 11:30~14:00. Dinner, 17:30~23:00
Closed on Mondays or the next day in case of a National Holiday
Credit Cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
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Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Takashima Brewery-Hakuin Masamune Honjozo

July 5, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Takashima Brewery in Numazu City is not only celebrated for its inventiveness and daring but also for actively supporting Shizuoka Gastronomy in general!

Not everyone knows, but Suruga Bay is the home of the greatest number of varieties of edible seaweeds.
Takashima Brewery started to introduce the fact on labels since last year!
The present one is called Champalone by its scientific name!

Moreover, Takashima Brewery has always been careful about the design of their labels, real collector’s items!
The present brew also includes Homare Fuji rice grown in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Takashima Brewery-Hakuin Masamune Honjozo

Rice: Homare Fuji 22&
Rice milled down to 60%
Aichi no Kaori: 78%
Rice milled down to 65%
Yeast: Shizuoka NEW-5
Alcohol: 14~15 degrees
Dryness: +6
Acidity: 1.5
Bottled in May 2011

Clarity: Very clear
Colour: Light golden hue
Aroma: Strong. Fruity. Alcohol. Complex. Pineapple, oranges, banana.
Body: fluid
Taste: Liquorish attack with a strong alcohol back up.
Starts almost sweetish to disappear with very dry almonds.
Complex. Fruity. A lot drier on the second sip.
Almonds, coffee beans. Faint notes of citrus.

Overall: Typical brew from Takashima brewery who concoct their sake both to marry well and food and satisfy the curiosity of true sake lovers.
A somewhat mysterious sake which will surprise many. Very dry for Shizuoka sake and certainly not obeying the trends!
A favorite of mine!

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美食, 農業, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes

French Cuisine with Shizuoka Ingredients: Stuffed Zucchini!

July 4, 2011 dragonlife 8 Comments

I always check the Agriroad Market in Miwa, Shizuoka City, where they sell products grown by local farmers’ wives and I have a weak spot for those enormous round yellow zucchinis!
Yesterday as I had a little more time than the Missus I prepared dinner and cooked us a stuffed zucchini!

I would have needed both of my hands to circle it completely!

Although it looked plain and seedless, it actually contained many soft large seeds inside.
I scooped all the inside with a sharp spoon first.

Once I had emptied the zucchini of its seeds there was not much left of its flesh which suited me fine as I didn’t want the vegetable to have too thick walls before cooking it.
I chopped whatever was left finely.

I also finely chopped 1/4 of a medium-large onion, 1/4 of a medium-sized carrot and two big cloves of garlic.

I fried the finely chopped vegetables in some olive oil until they had lost most of their water.
I used about 250 g of minced pork and beef mixture, 2 very full teaspoons of freshly grated parmegiano cheese and plenty of fresh basil leaves from my balcony.
I first thoroughly mixed the meat with the vegetables and cheese seasoned with coarsely ground pepper and hot spices. No need for salt as there was enough in the cheese (and the bacon later!). Mind you, this is where you can play with spices, herbes and salt according to your preferences!

I first lined the whole inside of the zucchini with soft bacon.

I lined the bottom half with basil leaves.

I stuffed the bottom half with the meat filling and lined the top half of the zucchini with more basil leaves.

I finally filled the zucchini with the rest of the meat.
I tapped the meat until I was sure there was no air pockets inside.

I topped it with its “hat”, sprinkled olive oil all over it and baked it in the oven first for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

That is how it came out first. The meat was still raw inside.
Next I put it back with the hat off for 15 more minutes into the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.

Only then it was properly cooked and ready to be eaten!

This two-step method will insure that whole is properly cooked but full of juices!

We had enough for our main dish for two last night!

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観光, Fruit, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Tourism

Hamamatsu Fruit Park!!

July 3, 2011 dragonlife 10 Comments

Half way along our trip riding the Tenhama private Railway Line the other day we decided to pay a visit to the Fruits Park of Hamamatsu City.

We had only one hour until the next train and the walk to the Fruits Park takes 10 minutes.
We knew we would be limited in time and the blistering heat didn’t help!

At least looking at the pavement we knew we couldn’t lose our way!

The main entrance
The park is truly enormous and the car park is even bigger.
We realised that we had to limit this visit to the main attraction, the Tropical Fruit Dome!

The hall leading to the dome was full of information but the air-conditioning did not prepare us to the heat inside the dome!
By the way if you can read japanese check their HOMEPAGE as it will help you recognize some very strange fruit!

What is this fruit?

The temperature inside must have been well above 30 degrees with an incredible humidity.
The sweat prevented me to jot down notes and I’m afraid I don’t remember the names of some fruits! Let’s see if you can help me!

Fortunately there was plenty of running water to help cool down the dome!

Not only tropical fruit, but also plenty of beautiful flowers!
All in all, 80 varieties for 300 trees and plants!

Cocoa!

Start of the quizz!
What’s the name of those flowers?

What’s that fruit?

And what are these?

I’ve seen these flowers before…

It’s not a pineapple. What could it be?

Limes/ I doubt it…

Now, this a lime!

I’ve seen that one before, too!

Beautiful orchids there!

A pineapple!

What are these fruit?

Another pineapple!

Bananas!

Red bananas!

Insects and pests had better beware!

Banana flower!

Papaya!

More papayas!

And another pineapple!

Outside the dome a cafe/restaurant will welcome you inside a beautiful park.
But actually the Tropical Fruit Park and the big park with ponds outside represent only one fourth of the whole complex!
You will have to plan half a day for a complete visit even with the help of a mini train!

Among others, you will discover fields of plum trees, orange trees, apple trees, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, kiwi fruit, almond trees, figs, peach trees, pomegranate trees, a field of nut trees including chestnuts and a lot more inside greenhouses and experiment fields!

This park will warrant a least a couple more visits to describe it all!

HAMAMATSU FRUITS PARK
431-2102 Hamamatsu City, Kita Ku, Miyakoda Cho, 4263-1 (get down at Fruits Park Station on the Tenhama private Railway line. 10 minute walk)
Tel.: 053-428-5211
Fax: 053-428-52000
Business hours: 09:00~16:30 (October~April), 09:00~17:00 (May~September)
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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焼酎, Gastronomy, Hamamatsu City, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shochu

Shizuoka Shochu Tasting: Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery: Doman

July 2, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Since Yasatei Restaurant has Doman rice shochu on its list I took the opportunity the other day to conduct a tasting while enjoying the food!
“Doman” is the name of a (very expensive) crab solely found in salt water Hamana Lake in Hamamatsu City.
It is brewed by Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery which also brews (mainly) sake and beer, and also liquors!

Doman is a rice shochu made with the best sakekasu/white lees of the Brewery by their brewmaster who is a lady!

To help with the tasting I ordered some Shizuoka-grown tomatoes!

The red tomato is “Ameera” variety celebrated for its sweetness. The orange tomato is a variety grown organically by Shizen no Chikara Farm!

Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery: Doman Rice shochu

Ingredients: Rice, white lees, Shizuoka Yeast, water
Alcohol: 28 degrees

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Fruity. Custard
Body: Fluid
Taste: Starts with a soft attack to amplify into a warm pleasant invasion of the palate.
Complex. Fruity and dry. Custard.
Stays dry all the time although taste tends to fluctuate into sophisticated notes of coffee beans.
Marries well with food, especially vegetables salads.

Overall: A very pleasant shochu which does not need to be mixed with anything else.
Best appreciated poured above plenty of ice in a large glass!
Marries so well with vegetables!

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観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Soba

Soba Restaurant along the Ten-Hama Railway Line: Hazuki!

July 1, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Very friendly
Facilities: Very traditional
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Authenticity and great soba/buckwheat noodles!
Entirely non-smoking!

There would be many stops to choose from for lunch along the Tenhama Private Railway line running between The Cities of Kakegawa and Hamamatsu deep into the country up the Tenryuu River and around the Lake Hamana.
This is rural country in Shizuoka prefecture, and whereas the comfort of larger cities might be missing you are truly experiencing rural authenticity! And that of course applies to food, too!

A seat of local wood donated by the local citizens living by Futamata Honcho Railway Station!

One such place is a soba shop called Hazuki/葉月, just beside the entry/exit of tiny Futamata Honcho Station!

It was blistering hot outside and we were happy to find the place so near the station!

For the menu, look on the wall!

Two lions guard the place!

This is what I personally ordered: Goobou soba/Burdock root soba.
Served hot, yes! I was asked, “these are hot soba, are you ok!” by the surprised owner.
I learned a long time ago it is always better for your constitution to eat hot than icy in a great heat!

The Missus ordered cold “karami daikon oroshi soba”, cold buckwheat noodles topped with grated daikon.

There are no less than 4 signs clearing stating that smoking is most unwelcome!

The Missus’ cold buckwheat noodles!

You certainly cannot beat the freshness as the daikon and kawairedaikonn:daikon sprouts are local vegetables probably coming from a nearby garden!

My very generous gobou soba!

The burdock root is “Yokozuna Gobou” variety!
Very tasty and crunchy! A delicacy actually!

Soba must one of the best and healthiest ways to take a repast on a long trip!

HAZUKI (Te Uchi Soba Hazuki/手打そば葉月)
Hamamatsu City, Futamata Honcho, Futamata, 2396-19 (just on the right as you go out of the station!)
Business hours: 10:30~16:00 (unless the soup stock runs out before!)
Closed on Thursdays (except National Holidays)
tel.: 0539-35-9066

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Baird Beer, Beer, Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2011/06/29)

June 30, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Early Summer Seasonal Release: Cool Breeze Pils

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

As I sit sweltering in front of my computer wondering where the rainy season went, I begin longing for a refreshingly brisk and quenching libation. Fortunately, the Baird Beer cellar is stocked with just such a brew: Cool Breeze Pils. Baird Cool Breeze Pils 2011 is available for shipment from our brewery cellar beginning today, June 29.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Cool Breeze Pils 2011 (ABV 5.2%):

Brewed annually, Cool Breeze Pils is Bohemian in style, cleanly malty in body, coquettishly floral in aroma, and crisply dry in its snappy bitter finish. Cool Breeze Pils registers on the imbiber like a fresh ocean breeze does on the perspiring body of a mid-afternoon sunbather. Cool Breeze Pils is unfiltered and re-fermented and naturally carbonated in package where it has undergone an extended maturation. The result, we believe, pays handsome tribute to the glorious history of this storied lager beer style.

Cool Breeze Pils 2011 will be pouring from our Taproom taps beginning Thursday, June 30. It will be available on draught and in bottles (633 ml) at many other fine Baird Beer retailing establishments as well.

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

グルメビールビール醸造 Beer Brewing 美食静岡 Gastronomy Gourmet Japan Shizuoka 日本沼津市

Bento, 美食, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/36): Heat Wave Bento!

June 28, 2011 dragonlife 8 Comments

We are going through a blasting heat wave seeing us almost reach 40 degrees, which means probably higher inside town!
The Missus had to devise a bento that could be kept safe in spite of the adverse conditions!

That is why she mixed shredded sweet umeboshi/pickled Japanese plums with the rice after having steamed. Not only great for taste, design and color, but it will also keep the rice safe for a long time.
She added some black sesame seeds for decoration and supplementary seasoning.

The same conditions applied for the side dish/box: design, color, nutrition and safety!

Pickled celery with hijiki/sweet seaweed and tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette! The latter is for the dessert part!

Great colors there:
Lettuce.
Sauteed salmon seasoned with a mixture of mayonnaise and wasabi tsuke/wasabi stems and leaves pickled in sake white lees.
Sauteed yellow zucchini, okra and plum tomatoes.

Low in calories, very tasty and so colorful!

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Asian Bento Cooking 簡単なレシピ静岡 Food Gastronomy Gourmet Home Japan Japanese Lunch Box Rice Shizuoka Simple Recipes World Cuisines 弁当

焼酎, 美食, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Shochu

Shizuoka Shochu Tasting: Fuji-Takasago Brewery: Fuji No Tsuyu

June 27, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

As foreigners, especially not living in this country, seem to be interested in Shochu like my new friend Sissi in Switzerland I thought it was about time to introduce (actually re-introduce) the shochu made in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Although 10 out 28 sake breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture also distill an aggregate of over 40 shochu, they are not well known (actually rare) in Japan as quantities are comparatively small and also because they are simply extravagant!
They are all true shochu/honkakushochu/本格焼酎 but they do not always follow the pattern of the shochu made in Kyushu island for example.
All rice shochu here is either made from the polished rice leftovers or the white lees/sakekasu/酒粕 left after the sake has been pressed.

This shochu was distilled from the white lees left after the sake was pressed and with water from Mount Fuji, hence the name “Fuji no Tsuyu/富士の露 or The Dew of Mount Fuji”!
The label was re-designed last year!

Rice shochu
Base: sake white lees
Water: Mount Fuji water
Alcohol: 25 degrees
Bottled in December 2010

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Fruity and dry. Alcohol. Custard, vanilla.
Body: fluid

Taste: Dry strong but pleasant attack.
Fruity. Almonds, Custard.
Very pleasant even on its own.
Lingers for a while with notes of Macadamia nuts.
Complements food well.

Overall: As far as rice shochu comes it is just too extravagant. I really enjoyed it on its own or with plenty of ice.
Beautiful with chilled Perrier, too.
No real need to mix it with anything else! It shows too many facets to interfere with!
The kind of shochu ladies would relate to!

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With a Glass,
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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

Agricultural Products 焼酎美食酒造静岡 Gastronomy Japan Japanese Gastronomy Sake Breweries Shizuoka shochu 地酒

Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Yamanaka Brewery-Aoitenka Tokubetsu Junmai Homare Fuji

June 27, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Homare Fuji, the local Shizuoka Sake Rice has not only become a feature in most breweries in our Prefecture, but the latter have been working hard using it in the creation of premium sake such as did Yamanaka Brewery in Kakegawa City!

These brews are really recognizable with their little label.
This tokubetsu junmai made with rice milled down to an extravagant 55% would achieve junmai ginjyou status anywhere else!

Rice: Homare Fuji
Rice milled down to 55%
Dryness: +1.5
Acidity: 1.7
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in June 2011

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Fruity. Banana, vanilla. Alcohol
Body: Fluid
Taste: Liquorish attack pleasurably warming the back of the palate with junmai petillant.
Complex and fruity. Starts liquorish and almost sweet to depart on a warm dry note.
Oranges and almonds. Very pleasant to drink.
Were it not for its late dry note it could become a dessert sake/wine.
Changes little with food and actually nicely complements it.

Overall: A pleasant sake to drink.
More elegant than expected, which shows all the improvement achieved by brewers with this particular strain of sake rice.
Although designed to accompany food, makes for a very pleasurable beverage on its own!

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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

Agricultural Products 美食酒酒造静岡 Gastronomy Japan Japanese Gastronomy Japanese Sake sake Sake Breweries Shizuoka 地酒

美食, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, sake

2nd Central-East Shizuoka Sake Breweries Festival in Kakegawa City

June 26, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

More and more sake breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture have been organizing medium-scale regional sake Festivals.
One of the newest ones is the “Dai Nikai Kuramoto to Nihon Shu wo Tanoshimu Kai/Chuutouen Sake Monogatari/中東遠酒物語・第2回蔵本と日本酒を楽しむ会/the 2nd Festival for Sake Breweries and Sake of Central East Shizuoka”.

Mr. Morimoto (Morimoto Brewery/Kikugawa City) and Mr. Doi (Doi Brewery/Kakegawa City) on both sides of a grower of Homare Fuji Sake Rice.

The event was held at the Kakegawa Grand Hotel on Saturday evening June 25th.
No less than 150 guests, including some well-known figures attended the Festival.

Money donations were collected to help the victims of the recent earthquakes and tsunamis in North East Japan!

Five breweries took part:
Doi Brewery in Kakegawa City.
Senjyu Brewery in Iwata City.
Kokko Brewery in Fukuroi City.
Yamanaka Brewery (Aoitenka) in Kakegawa City.
Morimoto Brewery (Sayogoromo) in Kikugawa City.

Junmai Dai Ginjyou table!

Each table of 9 guests had two bottles of sake ready while loads of bottles standing in wait on three more tables for all to sample!

Dai Ginjyou table!

All in all, no less than 27 brews were introduced to the participants!

The Junmai and Ginjyou table!

This particular table also featured a great koushu/old sake from Senjyu Brewery I tasted again and again later as well as an excellent umeshu!

All the breweries had brought water from their own wells!

These vegetables offered in Bagna Cauda style were all from Kakegawa City!

Such events are vital to make people know more about their own sake, and to make them remember the occasion until next year plenty of excellent buffet food had been prepared to accompany all those great brews!

A very generous buffet including some rare Yorkshire pork from pigs raised in Mikkabi!

And appetizers had been set in front of every guest to titillate his/her appetite in expectation!

I had actually conducted my own investigation before the festivities started!

Representative of Yamanaka Brewery!

This event proved an invaluable opportunity to share long chats with The sake brewers and colleagues from (serious) media!
I already have quite a few interviews and reports lined up!

The celebrities!
Denbei Kawamura, the Godfather of Shizuoka Sake, the man who created the Shizuoka Yeast!
Mr. Yabuta of the President of the Tago Katsuobushi Association!

To be continued (in further reports on participants and naturally at next year’s event!)…

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

Agricultural Products 美食酒酒造静岡 Gastronomy Japan Japanese Gastronomy Japanese Sake sake Sake Breweries Shizuoka 地酒

蕎麦, 観光, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Shimada City, Shizuoka, Tourism

Soba & Tempura at Setsugekka!

June 26, 2011 dragonlife 6 Comments

Service: very friendly and attentive
Equipment: Very clean. Splendid washroom.
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Top-class soba, sake and tempura! Great traditional Japanese atmosphere.

For the last 10 years Setsugekka/雪月花 has achieved fame in Shimada City and in the whole Prefecture not only for their soba/buckwheat noodles but also for their magnificent seasonal tempura and sake from Shizuoka Prefecture, especially those of the neighboring sake Brewery Oomuraya!

Setsugekka is conveniently located less than 10 minutes walk from Shimada JR Station.
It looks very simple from outside but the interior is very cozy and traditional.

it is all warm and comfortable wood inside!

But I have a marked preference for the little room just beside the entrance overlooking the outside street!

Deep-fried soba crackers with the first drink!

There are many menus and carte to choose from.
The best way to order is probably to choose one of the set menus and add to it later!
The above appetizers came up with a set menu:
Soba yaki consisting of soba flour mixed with miso and grilled (just love it!), marinated mushrooms and cream cheese with soy sauce jam!

And we were immediately into tempura mode.
We had ordered two different menus for a photo festival!
Above is “kogochi fish” and “nanba shrimp”!

“Kuruma ebi/large prawn”! The whole was edible!
A real piece of art!

All local vegetables: yellow pimento, sweet potato, plum tomato and ice plant!

A great way to present local sake!

A delicacy you will find only in Shizuoka Prefecture: “Sakura ebi kakiage/cherry shrimps tempura”!
With local “leaf ginger and “shishito/chili pepper”.

Local vegetables again: leaf ginger, sweet corn and ice plant!

Now, this is a very unusual tempura: “sakekasu/sake white lees tempura”! The white lees came from the neighbors, Oomuraya Brewery!

Setsugekka can easily organize a full meal for all tastes!
Cuttle fish sashimi!

The full duck set with its gizzards, liver and breast!

And we were at last into soba mode, all basically in “seiro fashion/served cold”, all “jyuwari/100% buckwheat flour”!

Soba of a different color!

Perfect texture!

And for dessert: buckwheat and green tea sorbet! A real delicacy again!

As this month of June saw their 10th Anniversary we were offered some buckwheat seeds to plant!

I hope you understand there will be more reports coming! LOL

SETSUGEKKA/雪付き花
Shimada City, Hontori, 2-3-4
Tel.: 0547-35-5241
Business hours: 11:30~14:30, 17:00~22:00
Closed every Monday and 3rd Tuesday
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
POPCORNHOMESTEAD in Tokyo by Joan Lambert Bailey,
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

Buckwheat noodles 美食酒蕎麦静岡 Gastronomy Japan Japanese Gastronomy sake Shizuoka Soba Sushi restaurants.Tempura 天婦羅日本

Bento, 美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/35): Shiira Bento!

June 24, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

“Shiira/シイラ” is the Japanese name for Mahi-mahi, Dorado,or Common dolphinfish!

It is a very popular and reasonably-priced fish in Japan you can eat in all manners. This particular one came from Kochi Prefecture in Shikoku Island although they are also caught of our shores in Shizuoka!

This time the Missus kept things simple with the rice.
After steaming it she mixed it with some finely chopped carrot and parsely and topped it with broken walnuts.

She strived for balance in nutrients as well in colors for the “side dish”!

Having cut the fillets of shiira into proper-size bits she took off the small bones with pincers before covering the pieces of fish with flour, seasoning, egg and panko and shallow frying (fried in shallow oil, not deep) them.
She added lemon for more seasoning and color and plenty of lettuce for the fibers and vitamin C!

For the “garnish”, she placed her favorite half-boiled egg decorated with black olive, boiled broccoli on a small bed of tartare sauce, French cornichons and tomatoes (the latter for dessert!).

Very tasty, but a little short of satisfaction (I guess the Missus is significantly reducing the calories!)!

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

Asian Bento Cooking 簡単なレシピ静岡 Food Gastronomy Gourmet Home Japan Japanese Lunch Box Rice Shizuoka Simple Recipes World Cuisines 弁当

Blueberries, 美食, Desserts, 観光, 農業, Fruit, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism

Blueberries with no pesticides in Shizuoka City: Masako Mochizuki!

June 23, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Mrs. Masako Mochizuki/望月正子さん!

A true farmer’s abode growing their own food (tomatoes)!

In Shizuoka (and in Japan most of the time for that matter) you very quickly move from the sea to deep into mountains within minutes when you embark into an interview of a local farmer!

Overgrown asparaguses in the foreground and fig trees in the background!

This is when you need friends, especially considering I do not drive (I never did in my life!).
Mind you, I could use a bus or even my bicycle in that case as we went as far as Gojima/後島 up the Abe River, a beautiful trip in itself!

But my good friend, Mrs. Natsuko Koyanagi/小柳奈津子さん, who knows all the farmers along the river, was on hand again to help me!

This is green tea land, too!

Tell the truth, Masako Mochizuki is a celebrity in the region. If you are lost just ask for the blueberry lady’s house!

The blueberry fields with nets to fend off birds!

The Mochizuki family, like all farmers around, had been growing tea and other staple crops when 15 years ago a friend approached Masako personally to ask her to grow blueberries, known to be extremely beneficent to health and eyes in particular!

One of the gadgets to fend off birds. Masako San said that it actually turned more into decoration than anything else!

A remarkable fact is that Masako San does not use any pesticide whatsoever, a notable rarity for that particular crop!
As for fertilizer she mixes only the minimum with home-made compost and others!

She grows 40 varieties, 10 of for sale, in 5 fields on a total area of 700 tsubo/2,300 sauqre meters.
I just can’t describe or take a picture (I’ll come back again anyway!) of all varieties or I’ll into a boring specialist!
But let me show a few of the trees that attracted my attention!

The different varieties will mature at different times. The above won’t be ready for harvest before at least a week.
That does not prevent Masako San and her husband from picking 10 kg of blueberries every morning between June and August!

Small type.

Even smaller but still unripe.

Definitely not ripe!

Medium-sized type with a great balance in taste! I picked quite a few of these!

The big ones, absolute beauties!

The same, to be eaten one at a time! LOL

My personal harvest of two varieties. Considering that the same trees had been harvested early that morning, I was more than satisfied!

A very small part of the morning’s harvest. Truly enormous and so sweet with the right touch of acidity!
I know a lot of chef friends who are going to ask questions!

As I said previously, blueberry is also considered as natural medicine in this country, so Masako, apart of creating jams and jellies, also make blueberry soap!

BLUEBERRY GOSHIMA/ブルーベリー後島
Mr.s Masako Mochizuki/望月正子さん
421-2105 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Goshima, 145-1
４２１－２１０５静岡市葵区後島１４５の１
Tel. & Fax: 054-294-0590
Mobile phone: 090-3938-2328
E-mail: masako77@agate.plala.or.jp
Private orders welcome!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
POPCORNHOMESTEAD in Tokyo by Joan Lambert Bailey,
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

ブルーベリー Blueberries 美食静岡 Fruit Gastronomy Japan Japanese Gastronomy Shizuoka 日本

Bento, 美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/34): Alien Chicken Faces Bento!

June 21, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Now, what made me call this bento, Alien Chicken Faces Bento?
The Missus is going to kill me for publishing such a title LOL
Mind you, I can always plead the sudden rise in temperatures as a good excuse!

Anyway, the rice first:
The Missus steamed it with a dash of soy sauce and dashi/soupstock added to the water.
Once steamed she mixed it with boiled black beans.

She added home-pickles mini-melons for fibers and vinegar.
These mini-melons mainly come from the musk melon farmes in the area of Fukuroi City who have to pare down their plants. A good way to avoid waste and turn a reject into gastronomy!

Now, for the accompaniment box:
Can you see the alien faces peeking out?

The Missus made her usual pickle corner with home-pickled cucumber mixed with seaweed (wakame) and umeboshi pulp with a little more ponzu!
Very appreciated on hot days!

Now, do you agree they look alien?
The Missus did work hard to conceive them with sasami/Chicken breast fillets she had first flattened before rolling them around boiled carrots strips and stringbeans and stir-fry them together.
She added plenty of local lettuce and small plum tomatoes for fibers and vitamins!

The dessert added plenty of colors with pineapple and redcurrants from our balcony garden (the redcurrants, not the pineapple!)!

Very colorful and summerlike bento! Very satisfying and yummy!
Loved those alien faces…

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

Asian Bento Cooking 簡単なレシピ静岡 Food Gastronomy Gourmet Home Japan Japanese Lunch Box Rice Shizuoka Simple Recipes World Cuisines 弁当

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