French Cakes, Salon de The Hanai, Shizuoka City, Takuya Hanai

Classic Cakes by Takuya Hanai at Salon de The Hanai (3): “Noisette” (Hazelnuts Roll Cake)!

March 13, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Extremely friendly and attentive
Equipment & Facilities: Overall spotless clean. Superb washroom.
Prices: Reasonable~slightly expensive (reasonable considering the quality!)
Strong points: Superb array of cakes and biscuits aimed at an adult clientele. Excellent lunch sets. Wine & beer available. Can be enjoyed as a cafe, restaurant and wine bar.

HANAI-style Cappuccino!

The other day was a miserable cold and wet day and I suddenly the urge for a nice coffee and a great cake!
As it is not too far from my working place I was soon talking to Takuya Hanai/花井拓也さん, Chef-owner of Salon de The HANAI in Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City!

Inside the cake shop on the first floor we settled on “Noisette”, the last of a hazelnut Rolled Cake , to be sent to the cafe lounge upstairs to be savored with nice little cappuccino!

It was topped with butter cream mixed with whole hazelnuts which beautifully cracked under my teeth!

The roll cake consisted of two distinct layers:
One of a biscuit created with hazelnut powder, separately beaten egg yolk and egg white, almond powder, a little sugar and a little rice powder.
The soft layer was made of butter cream and hazelnut paste!

Takuya’s approach to confectionery is sweeter than most patisseries met in Japan but a s sweet as the cloying cakes we find in my native France, making for an elegant but highly satisfying marvel on a cold afternoon!

You still need a good appetite to finish it in spite of its misleading small size!

Look forward to the next visit!

Salon de The HANAI

420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajjo, 2-10-23
Tel. 6 Fax: 054-255-2829
Opening hours: 10:00~20:00 (later if enough customers!)
Closed on Tuesdays
Parties (up to 25) welcome!

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-Sake: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

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Hamburg Steak, Shizuoka City, Tequila's Diner

American Gastronomy: Hamburg Steak at Tequila’s Diner in Shizuoka City!

March 10, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Shy but very friendly
Equipment & Facilities: Good general cleanliness. Excellent washroom
Prices: Reasonable to slightly expensive but very good value
Strong points: Tex-Mex gastronomy of superior quality. Doubles up as bar in evenings.

The other day I paid a long due visit to what I consider the best Hamburger Restaurant in Shizuoka Prefecture, namely Tequila’s Diner in Shizuoka City!

It being a busy Saturday lunch I had plenty of time to search and choose a morsel I hadn’t sampled yet!
I finally opted for the “Hamburg Steak”, which is also called a Louie Steak in the US although its varieties are endless.
Actually in Japan a “Hamburg” is an open hamburger while “Hamburger” means it will be served sandwiched inside a bun.
I ordered with blue cheese sauce topping!

Being hungry I also ordered a side dish of garlic rice!

My order!

Plenty of garlic rice. Very well-balanced, actually and lighter than expected!

Coleslaw!

The Hamburg Steak with blue cheese sauce topping, beansprouts seasoned with the hamburg steak juices and fried potatoes (Belgian!)!

This Hamburg Steak is made with no less than 4 types of beef!

It is moreover hand knife-chopped, not one of those mushy “patties” served in some notorious diners!
Cooked semi rare, great bite and real beef taste!
Will come again for it with a different topping and side dish next time!

TEQUILA’S DINER
Chef Chihiro Okamoto

420-0035 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken Cho, 8-6 (near Aoba Park Street), ACT 7, 1F
Tel.: 054–255-7595
Business hours: 12:00~14:00, 18:00~24:00
HOMEPAGE
FACEBOOK
Small and big parties welcome on reservations
Small outside lodge can be made non-smoking
Kids’ special lunch (with little salt) available!

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Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Japanese wine, Wine, Yamanashi Prefecture

Japan Wine Tasting: Yamanashi Prefecture-The Jewels of Kisvin 2012, Viniferia Mix 34 White by Team Kisvin & Château Sakaori (conducted at la Sommeliere in Shizuoka City)

March 7, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

The other day I had the occasion to taste a very unusual white wine made in Yamanashi Prefecture at La Sommeliere in Shizuoka City with good friend sommelier, Mrs. Hiromi Hasegawa/長谷川浩美さん!

The Jewels of KIsvin 2012, Viniferia Mix 34 White?
That is going to take some explanations!

Team Kisvin & Château Sakaori under the name of Kinoshita Commercial Company/木下商仕(株) made this wine in Sakaori City/酒折市 in Yamanashi Prefecture with no less than 34 different grapes harvested locally!

White
Alcohol: 12 degrees
Year: 2012
Grapes: Check this WEBSITE! Go to the year 2012! Good luck!

Clarity: very clear
Color: golden
Aroma: assertive, dry, fruity. Muscat, raisins, Sherry wooden cask, white flowers, grapefruit, lychees.
Taste: very dry and fruity attack.
Almost completely unrelated to aroma.
Old-fashioned taste with dominant dry white flowers, dry citruses, ending up on faint notes of figs.
Constant on the palate and slowly fading away.
Stays dry with food while tending to reveal some petillant.
Will turn into some dry cherry sweets and desserts but will show more acidity with salty dishes.
Although it seems to be willing to start on a complex note, will quickly reveal a stolid and uncomplicated character.

Overall: Remarkable wine for its search into new fields, although 34 grapes might shock quite a few connoisseurs!
Ought to be sampled for the sake of knowledge or as an intriguing quizz!
Very rustic in approach.
Would do well with Japanese food in the place of a dry sake such as an uncomplicated honjozo.
Suggested pairings: sashimi, fruits confits.

LA SOMMELIERE

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

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Japan, Japan Tourism, Japanese warehouses, Kura, Shizuoka Prefecture, Tourism

Kura: Traditional Warehouses in Shizuoka Prefecture 40: Edo Era Village Kura in Nakajima Primary School, Suruga Ku, Shizuoka City!

March 4, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

“Kura” (in Japanese 蔵 or 倉) means “warehouse” or “Storehouse”.
In traditional Japan, especially during the Edo Era, as most of buildings and urba/village structures were made of wood, fires were the bane of society by and large.
However well-protected a fire would consume a house or buildings and all its properties within minutes.
Hence a special building or warehouse was needed to protect goods and properties against such a catastrophe.
But erecting a storehouse solely made of concrete, stones and some metal cost a vast amount of silver and gold and only rich merchants and nobility could afford them. Even castles could not be built entirely of stone then.

Yesterday I was cycling in Nakajima District in Suruga Ku, that the part of of Shizuoka City south of Shizuoka JR Station, an area I still have a lot to learn about in spite of my living in Shizuoka City for 40 years!

Veering into of the straight streets going south I found myself cycling past Nakajima Elementary School.

That is when I espied a rare site beyond the School Disaster Evacuation sign!

A small and very old, but splendidly preserved with little or no repairs standing on the grounds of an elementary school!
I had to investigate!

Simple but stolid enough!

Thanks to this welcome sign I learned it had been built in Edo Era to serve as a warehouse for Nakajima Village as the area was called then. It served mainly as a warehouse for all important documents concerning the Village.
The Elementary School was built by it only many years later.
Apparently it is the only one of its kind in Shizuoka City!

It was wholly built with uncut or cut stones!

It was also located so as toe let the prevailing winds provide needed draft through the two windows opened at each extremity!

I should come back to take a picture of it with cherry tree in blooms!

Do you notice the opening at its base?

This is to make sure that any water accumulated between the high foundation and the kura can be expelled quickly and to insure the same area stays dry!

With the modern elementary school buildings in the background!

The roofing is in good repair!

The pinion with “水/mizu/water” carved in!

Tiled roof details!

How old are the wooden eaves?

How many schoolchildren has this window seen walk past under it?

The door, although repainted, seems original enough!

Only one of the alignment “pegs” was missing!

it was too late in the day to talk with the staff, but I certainly intend to interview the schoolmaster someday!

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Quaint Okina Inari Daimyoujin Shrine (翁稲荷大明神) in Suruga Ku, Shizuoka City

March 2, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

If you take the first street right of Shizuoka JR Station that runs past the Post Office and under the railway tracks you will enter the south side of Shizuoka City, that is Suruga Ku. keep walking straight ahead and 5 minutes later you will find these red pennants along the left hand side of the pavement!

For all their garish grandiloquence they only announce the presence of a small Shinto Shrine called Okina Inari Daimyoujin Shrine (翁稲荷大明神). The reason I decided to have a look at it is that my good friend, Atsuko Kurata who is always on the lookout for unusual sites signaled to me through Facebook!

The red torii/鳥居/Shrine Entrance Portal!

An unusual way to advertise a Shinto Shrine the way they used to do for private shops in Japan of yore!

All kinds of invitations written on the paper flying in the wind!

Inari Shinto Shrines are always guarded by foxes. Herds of them in this particular case!

On both sides!
Note the metal braziers used as supports for the votive messages!

I wouldn’t criticize you for taking this shrine for a local shop!

The roof pinion could be used either in a Buddhist Temple or a Shinto Shrine!

Now, this antique komainu/狛犬/lion guard came from under the roof of another shrine or temple!

A real bric a brac on the west hand side of the shrine!

Now, this is an exceedingly unusual stone hand washing basin!

Why all these traditional Japanese water tubs?

A tiny inari shrine!

The prayer bell and its rope and the money-offerings box!

It looks like an antique than anything else!

Actually the lady owning and looking after the whole place kindly let me take pictures of the inside!

All kinds of offerings from neighboring followers among a jumble that still looks like an antique dealer’s dream!
Actually traditional Japanese dancing plays are also held inside!

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Craft Beer, Izu no Kuni Brewery, Izu no Kuni City, Japanese Craft Beers, Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Craft Beer: Izu No Kuni Brewery-Scottish Ale (Canned Version)

March 2, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Some canned and even bottled versions of craft beers brewed by Izu No Kuni Brewery in Izu no Kuni City in Northern izu Peninsula can be found in Shizutetsu Supermarkets in particular!

The same supermarkets have been recently offering this canned version of Scottish Ale by Izu No Kuni Brewery!

350 ml can
Barley, wheat, barley malt, wheat malt, hop, live yeast
Probably filtered
Alcohol: 5%

Bubbles: very fine bubbles. Very long head. Creamy. White color
Clarity: very clear
Color: orange/apricot color
Aroma: dry and fruity. Biscuits, honey, faint bread
Taste: dry, deep and fruity attack.
Biscuits, honey and faint citruses.
Very refreshing.
Lingers long enough for true tasting before departing with first sweetish than quickly drying apricots.
Turns somewhat drier with food.
Apricots will keep surging back before disappearing on a dry and somewhat acid note.

Overall: very interesting craft beer and a surprise for a canned version!
Definitely a lot better than expected.
A very refreshing and satisfying craft beer for all seasons.
Ale lovers should make a point of sampling it!
Recommended pairings: BBQ, cold meats, sausages, smoked cheese!

IZU NO KUNI BEER (IZU-WORLD MINNA HAWWAIIANS)
〒410-2315 静岡県伊豆の国市田京195-2
〒410-2315 Shizuoka Prefecture, Izu No Kuni City, Takyo, 195-2
TEL：0558-76-3355
HOMEPAGE

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Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery, sake, Sake Breweries, Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Hamamatsu Shuzou (formerly Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery)-Shusseijo Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu Shizuku Shibori

February 29, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery has been through some significant changes recently.
It was sold to the Totsuka Family in Kakegawa City who already owns Hiraki Brewery and Shizuoka-Hiraki Brewery in Shizuoka City. And the name has apparently been changed to Hamamatsu Shuzou Co. Ltd. I do not know it is such a positive step although this has ensured a next generation of owners.
On the other hand, lady Master Brewer Miwa Masui/増井美和さん has definitely been accepted and furthermore hailed for her efforts as the only lady Sake Master Brewer, or “touji/杜氏” in Japanese, a feat the more remarkable that she does not come from a sake brewery family!

She even appears of the label of her latest creation, Shusseijo Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu Shizuku Shibori, a very limited edition!

it is a Tokubetsu Junmai (meaning no pure alcohol was blended) Nama (unpasteurized) genshu (no pure water was blended in)!

Moreover, it is a Shizuku Shibori, meaning that the sake was not pressed but that it was left to drip out naturally from suspended bags, an extravagant method if there is one!

Rice: Yamada Nishiki (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Yeast Shizuoka NEW-5
Alcohol: 17~18 degrees
Dryness: -5
Acidity: 1.7
Bottled in February 2016

Clarity: Smoky as it is only partially filtered but very clean
Color: Faint golden hue with thin white lees
Body: slightly sirupy
Aroma: Sweetish and fruity. Rice, melon
Taste: Strong, spicy and sweetish attack backed up by puissant junami petillant.
Melon, rice, rice lees.
Lingers for quite a while before departing on strong notes of oranges and faint almonds.
Rice lees and junmai petillant will come up stronger with food.

Overall: Strong, straightforward, “nigori-style/containing white lees” sake, a bit unusual for Shizuoka prefecture, considering it is sweeter than the norm.
Definitively conceived to accompany heavy izakaya cuisine.
Should do well at any temperature.
For the “nigori-style” sake lovers and definitely above average for such a style!
Suggested pairings: Izakaya Cuisine, BBQ meats!

HAMAMATSU SHUZOU Co. LTD.

430-0808 Hamamatsu City, Naka Ku, Tenjin Machi, 3-57
Tel.: 053-540-2082
HOMEPAGE

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Imagawa Kyoko, Japanese Traditional Art, Nihonga, Shizuoka Prefecture, 今川教子

Young Nihonga Artist: Kyoko Imagawa/今川教子 (from Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City)!

February 28, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Pictures all taken by Robert-Gilles Martineau with the authorization of Ms. Kyoko Imagawa and Matsuzakaya Department Store in Shizuoka City
General explanations of Nihonga taken from Wikipedia.

Nihonga (日本画 Nihonga) or literally “Japanese-style paintings” are paintings that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years old, the term was coined in the Meiji period of the Imperial Japan, to distinguish such works from Western-style paintings, or Yōga (洋画 Yōga).

Nihonga are typically executed on washi (Japanese paper) or eginu (silk), using brushes. The paintings can be either monochrome or polychrome. If monochrome, typically sumi (Chinese ink) made from soot mixed with a glue from fishbone or animal hide is used. If polychrome, the pigments are derived from natural ingredients: minerals, shells, corals, and even semi-precious stones like malachite, azurite and cinnabar. The raw materials are powdered into 16 gradations from fine to sandy grain textures. A hide glue solution, called nikawa, is used as a binder for these powdered pigments. In both cases, water is used; hence nihonga is actually a water-based medium. Gofun (powdered calcium carbonate that is made from cured oyster, clam or scallop shells) is an important material used in nihonga. Different kinds of gofun are utilized as a ground, for under-painting, and as a fine white top color.

Initially, nihonga were produced for hanging scrolls (kakemono), hand scrolls (emakimono) or folding screens (byōbu). However, most are now produced on paper stretched onto wood panels, suitable for framing. Nihonga paintings do not need to be put under glass. They are archival for thousands of years.

I have followed the progress of Imagawa Kyoko/今川教師子さん, a young artist born in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, for some time, attracted as I was by her original approach to the art while keeping to its traditional rules and had the pleasure to meet her again in person at Matsuzakaya Department Store (Honkan/Main Building, 6 F) during her latest exhibition held February 24th~March 1st.
For all her young age she is already an 11-year veteran of that demanding art (see personal history end of the article) but she is so modest and easy to approach that it becomes a real pleasure talking art with her!

Like many modern Nihonga artists she has brought her own techniques and preferences to her art, rendering it attractive to all genders, ages and nationalities.
I definitely plan to interview her again soon in her atelier in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, but for a start let me show some of my favorite masterpieces before they disappear from our City as the exhibition was also quite successful!
I will not bother too much their individual names, but concentrate on my personal opinions and feelings!

I mentioned her the English saying of insects burning themselves to death on the light of candles, and Kayoko nodded in agreement! Now, who could be those butterflies dangerously fluttering near electric cables?

She explained that this particular exhibition’s purpose was to express her will to enjoy life through our ever-changing modern society of our age.
Her paintings are songs expressing her life in different seasons and places.

One of her typical contrasts between an intricate creation and a seemingly simple counterpart.

When i pointed that the shirt was man’s garment she readily agreed but surprised me by revealing that the butterfly was a brooch!

This contrast between the blue and the yellowish ocher is so Japanese!

The feather discovered below the tree?

Now, tea flowers will nly be painted by the Japanese as growers leave some on the tea bushes in Shizuoka Prefecture contrary to tea plantations in the rest of the world!

Now, this cat has a real story! Kayoko picked it up a few months old on a street where it had been hit by a car! A very healthy animal now!

We talked a long time about this particular painting!
What would you say of a dragonfly perching on a cup of tea in a very feminine pink environment?

Fireworks and a lizard! Definitely a summer scene!

Have these cranes crossed the seas to fly in front of Mount Fuji?

A favorite of mine! Clear skies after the rain?

A longed-for letter in the Spring?

these are real paintings!
I leave it to you for deciding the many interpretations!

Imagawa Kyoko/今川教師子

2004: Graduated from Kyoto university of Art and Design, Nihonga Course with Prize
2006: First exhibition
2008: JAXA Nihonga exhibition, ART Shanghai 2007
2010: Art Fair Tokyo 2010
2011: Shizuoka Railways Calendar [Pieces of seasons]
“Group.Horizon”, Nihonbashi Takashiima Deaprtment Store Exhibition
Solo Exhibition at Tokyo Art Fair, 「influence of Time」, Tokyo Bijyutsu Club, Toubi Museum
Solo Exhibition, 「Unnamed Landscapes」, Ginza Mitsukoshi Department Store
2012: Solo exhibition, 「Spring, Mitsukoshi Museum Art Exhibition」, Hotel New Otani
　　　「Independent Trip-Shinjyu Hiroshi & Young Artists-10 Artists Exhibition」 Koyoudo Art Museum
Solo Exhibition 「Jyou to Kei」Tokyo Shinjuku isetan Department Store
Awarded Suga Tatehiko Prize
Awarded Prize at Koyoudo Art museum
2013: 「Nihonga on Tosa paper & Ohamatsu Paper exhibition」, Shizuoka Matsuzakaya Department Store
Solo Exhibition ｛Rain and Sound」, Murata Gallery
Awarded Shoingeijyu Prize
2014: Solo Exhibtion 「Shiki Tsurezore」, Tokyo Ginza Mitsukoshi DepartmentStore
Solo exhibition 「Koukei」, Abe No Arukasu Kintetsu Honten
Solo Exhibitin 「Nagori」, Tokyo Shinjuku Isetan Department Store
2015: Seisei Shinyou Kinko Bank 2015 Calendar, 「Irodori no Ki」
Toubi Art fair, 「sono Hira Yamgawa」Exhibition at Tokyo Bijutsu Club, Toubi Museum
2016: Solo exhibition 「Dai Ikkai Imagawa Kyoko Nihonga」, Shizuoka matsuzakaya Department Store

424-0886 Shizuoka City, shimizu Ku, Kusanagai, 1140-45
Tel.: 054-345-4773
HOMEPAGE

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Chinese Restaurant, Japan, Japan Tourism, Tourism, Yokohama City

Gastronomic Destinations: Yokohama City-SAIKOH Shinkan Chinese Restaurant

February 27, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: pro and very kind
Equipment & Facilities: Very clean overall. Superb washroom
Prices: Reasonable~slightly expensive
Strong points: Traditional Imperial Chinese Cuisine. Great Dim Sum

SAIKOH Shinkan is The main establishment of a group accounting for 3 restaurants in Yokohama City.
SAIKOH Shinkan (SAIKOH New Building) is comparatively of a higher class among the innumerable Chinese restaurants found in China Town < Yokohama City. The prices are nit high though, and the cuisine deserves its fame!

It is big, new, spacious and very clean.
The staff is more agreeable than in most other Chinese restaurants but bear in mind it closes comparatively early in the evening.
We went there again for a quick dinner barely in time before last orders but the staff did their best to accommodate us within the limited time.

Their dim sum are definitely a must such as the steamed shrimp dim sum above!

Great pork dumplings soup!

Elegant fried gyoza!

Juicy pork dumplings!

Exquisite steamed shrimp crepes!

Superb crab and tofu soup!

And steamed daikon rice cakes to finish!

Definitely recommended!

SAIKOH Shinkan

Yokohama City, Naka Ku, Yamashita Machi, 192, China Town Shanghai Street
Tel.: 045-664-3155
Opening hours: 11:30~21:30 (LO 20:45), open from 11:00 on week ends and National Holidays
Closed on 2nd Tuesday (except on National Holidays and August~December)
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sake, Sake Brewery, Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Oomuraya Brewery-Tokubetsu Junmai “Oni Otome” Yume (conducted at la Sommeliere in Shizuoka City)

February 26, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

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

Today the occasion was made the more special that it was Hiromi’s birthday (February 25th)!

This time we tasted a nectar created by Oomuraya Brewery in Shimada City, part of a series of 4 limited seasonal brews dedicated to the partner of their “Onigoroshi/Kill a Goblin”, that is “Oniotome/The Goblin’s Wife”!
This is the Spring edition called “Dream”! By the end of the end year they will get married!

A dangerous lady actually when you realize she bears horns!

It is not indicated on the back label, but the rice used is exclusively Shizuoka Prefecture-grown “Homarefuji” sake rice, which is getting much deserved attention from all over the country as it is a hybrid of Yamada Nishiki sake rice, but with shorter stems, and far more resistant to the climate vagaries. It has recently reached maturity as far as brewers are concerned as all levels of premium sake are brewed with it!

Rice: Homarefuji (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: + 4
Acidity: 1.3
Amino acids: 1.1
Bottled in February 2016

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Dry, flowery and fruity. Melon, rapeseed flower (“na no hana”), flowers
Body: Fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: Dry and fruit attack backed up with puissant junmai petillant.
Complex and fluctuating.
Dry melon, rapeseed flowers.
Starts on a sweetish note before quickly turning dry.
Lingers for a little while before disappearing with tangerines and faint coffee beans and almonds. Melon makes a very late appearance at the back of the palate. Coffee beans will also make a late surge with further sips.

Overall: As usual a very elegant and complex sake.
Sake made with homarefuji rice has the intriguing particularity of fluctuating inside your palate revealing different facets in waves that can appear well after you thought it had completely departed. Don’t be taken aback if you are actually conducted a formal tasting and keep your pen in hand!
Will please ladies in particular, although gentlemen will appreciate its eclectic propensity to pair with many dishes if you decide to savor it along a repast.
Thoroughly enjoyable on its own, either slightly chilled or at room temperature, as well as all along a meal, be it an aperitif, a main drink, or a digestif!
Suggested pairings: “Asari no sakamai”/sake-steamed cockles, “Na no hana no karashi ae”/steamed rapeseed flowers seasoned in Japanese mustard, “Shinjo/Kyoto-style steamed white-flesh fish balls in light broth/”suimono”, Japanese-style scallops shuumai, White-flesh fish sushi. Foie gras as an aperitif!

LA SOMMELIERE

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Italian Gastronomy, Italian Restaurant, Japan Tourism, Tourism, Yokohama City

Gastronomic Destinations: Yokohama City-Piatto Bianco In Minato Mirai

February 25, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Smiling and kind
Equipment & Facilities: very clean overall. Shared washroom, superb.
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Oysters and seafood. Parties

Piatto Bianco is not that easy to find on the 2nd Basement Floor of Landmark Plaza Dockyard Garden Building in Minato Mirai in Yokohama Harbor, but it worth the search if you want to get away from the crowds and still enjoy a laid-back meal and drink.

The outside is a bit typical of a garish American-Style Italian Tratorria but the smiling service is definitely Japanese!

The staff was certainly extremely accommodating when we requested to change seats to get as far away as possible from some smokers.
It opens late by the building standards and their oysters make for a great snack with a good bottle of Italian wine.

And the big jar of olives you can eat as much as you want provided with the drinks is a great bonus!

We visited the place only for a quick fix, but we ended up staying longer for a full meal started with a very tasty smoked oysters salad!

Now, I must admit that the grilled oysters were very good, and I should know, being a Frenchman! LOL

We had quite some wine and we decided to sample one of their seafood dishes.
This plate of deep-fried prawns on a bed pf potato mousseline and tomato sauce wa a superb ide that the Dragon decided to emulate!

All in all very good value!
One of the very rare “chain” restaurant I would recommend!

PIATTO BIANCO

Yokohama City, Nishi Ku, Minatomirai, 2-2-1, Landmark Plaza Dockyard Garden Building, B 2F
Tel.: 045-227-8577
Opening hours: Monday~Friday: 11:00~15:00, 17:00~23:00, Saturday, Sunday & National Holidays: 11:00~23:00
Credit cards OK
Parties welcome
HOMEPAGE

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Gastronomy, Gastronomy on Japanese Postal Stamps, Japanese Gastronomy, Japanese Postal Stamps, Postal Stamps

Gastronomy on Japanese Stamps: New vegetables & Fruits Regular Stamps Series (No 5)!

February 24, 2016 dragonlife 1 Comment

Because of the rise of the consumption tax from 5 to 8% enacted by the Japanese Government on April 1st, the Japan Post Office had to issue a whole set of new stamps, regular and others, to make it easier for people to buy their stamps according to the new postal fees.
Likewise the government is using (wisely for once) the occasion to advertise gastronomy.

The 5th Fruitｓ & Vegetables Series comes in two sheets of sticker stamps, one for 52 yen stamps for postcards and the one for 82 yen stamps for basic letters!

For the 52 yen stamps mikan/mandarin oranges, ninjin/carrots, daikon, negi/leeks, yuzu and garlic flowers for the design background!

For the 82 yen stamps sheet, broccoli, Unshuumikan/citrus unshu, a variety of tangerine which has many other English names, horensou/spinach, kiwi, hakusai/Chinese cabbage and more mikan/mandarin oranges for thr design background!

The set of the two sheets!

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Chinese Gastronomy, Chinese Restaurant, Japan, Japan Tourism, Tourism, Yokohama City

Gastronomic Destinations: Yokohama City-Bairan Shinkan Chinese Restaurant

February 23, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Kind and attentive
Equipment & facilities: Ancient but very clean. Clean washroom.!
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Traditional Hong Kong-Chinese gastronomy

Bairan Shinkan/梅蘭新館, more precisely Bairan Shinkan Yakisoba is located in one of those side streets of China Town in Yokohama City.
It has 15 other “branches” Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Okayama, but this is the “Annex/Bekkan” of the original place.

The best time for a beginner to visit this place is definitely lunch time where you can benefit from very reasonable lunch sets which will give you a good idea of their cuisine!

My lunch set!

Seen form the other side!

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Negi soba/Leek noodles soup!

Buta Kakuni Ankake Gohan/Simered pork with rice and vegetables in sweet and sour sauce!

Harumaki/Deep-fried Imperial rolls!

The Dragon’s lunch featured the fried noodles, the trademark which made bairan Restaurant Company famous all over Japan!

Wantan Soup!

Pirikara ebi: prawns in piquant tomato sauce!

The Bairan-style yakisoba/fried noodles!

The noodles are first fried in the classical style, then left to cook to a crispy surface over tender noodles!
A treat!

BAIRAN SHINKAN

231-0023 Yokohama City, Naka Ku, Yamashita Machi, 138 (Yokohama China Town)
Tel.: 045-211-0943
Opening hours: 11;30~22:00
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Japanese Gastronomy, Osaka-style yakisoba, Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Soba Modan, Yakisoba

Osaka-Style Yakisoba: “Soba Modan” at Tonbo in Shimada City!

February 22, 2016 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: shy but very kind and smiling
Equipment & facilities: Old but very clean. Clean washroom
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: takoyaki and okonomiyaki and other traditional izakaya foods. Local sake

There is an infinite number of yakisoba/Japanese-style fried noodles in Japan, but one created in Osaka and rapidly gaining popularity all over Japan is “Soba Modan”, which is not only very tasty, but also fulfilling and easy to replicate at home!

And once again the place to watch being done and savor it at ease is “Tonbo” in Shimada City!
So let me show how “Soba modan/そばモダン” is made!

First fresh noodles of the thick ramen type are poured on an oiled hot plate!

Pieces of fresh cabbage are added!

Then a few pieces of fine raw bacon!

These are first fried!

Properly fried!

Tomato sauce added!

Seasoning added and then the whole fried together!

Yakisoba ready!

A thin round omelet in crepe style is then fried on the hot plate!

The fried noodles are packed in the center!

Then the omelet crepe is folded over the noodles in a rectangular (almost square) shape and and turned over the hot plate to show the smooth surface on top!

It is then pasted with BBQ sauce, homemade mayonnaise and one more original sauce like for an okonomiyaki!

To eat easily cut it with the metal spatula!

Enough to share between two persons if you are having something else like the yummy takoyaki!

Japanese comfort food!

TONBO

427-0029 Shimada City, Hinode-Cho, 1-1 ( few minutes’ walk straight from Shimada JR Station North exit)
Tel.: 0547-35-7635
Opening hours: 17:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays and national Holidays.
Orders on the phone and take-out OK!

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Fujieda City, sake, Sake Breweries, Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sugii Brewery-Junmai Bodaimoto

February 22, 2016 dragonlife Leave a comment

Sugii Brewery in Fujieda City has made itself a name all over the country when it comes to experimentation in the brewing of sake and their latest nectar is another illustration!

Junmai Bodaimoto!
Bodaimoto/菩提酛 is an old way of making the moto/酛/sake starter dating back to the Muromachi Era (14th~16th Century) with a mixture of steamed and non steamed (raw) rice, natural lactic acid and yeast.

Rice: Shizuoka Prefecture rices
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 13.8 %
Dryness: + 5.5
Acidity: 2.0
Bottled in February 2016

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Discreet, elegant and fruity. Green apples, persimmon
Body: sirupy
Taste: Very dry and fruity attack. Little junmai petillant.
Prunes, dry muscat.
Lingers only for a little while before departing on a drier note withdry apricots and persimmon.
Turns drier, more discreet and acidic with food.
Alcohol will surge forth in spite of its low contents.

Overall: A discovery from another era when taste buds were definitely different!
I personally loved its down to earth approach and fully appreciated with food although it might shock people used to milder sake.
A sake to enjoy informally!
Suggested pairings: izakaya heavy food, stews, pickles.

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