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Gastronomic Destinations: France (2)

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Saint-Martin du Mont: Restaurant L’Auberge du Moulin

If you want to get yourself lost in some unknown confines of Bourgogne/Burgundy, live the slow life and savour real traditional food at ridiculously low prices, I would strongly recommend you to discover the minuscule city of Saint-Martin du Mont lost in the middle of Bresse east of Louhans, a region which has given its name to the most famous cicken in the World.


If you opt for a set course you have a choice between three dishes for 15 Euros or four dishes from 20 Euros. Children can have their own menu for 8 Euros!


Wines at the Auberge du Moulin are mainly from the Cote Chalonnaise, probably the best value when it comes to Bourgogne wines. We were quite a few for lunch on a Saturday and we opted for a succulent Givry !er Cru (my own village!), La Renarde, Clos du Cellier aux Moines, Red, 2004.
The perfect wine to go with some really hearty food we ordered:


“Jambon persille au vin de Chablis”/Ham in its own jelly containing parsley and Chablis wine. The Chef, Jean-Jacques Martineau who practically works on his own in his kitchen, makes his own ham from local pigs! A typical Burgundian hors d’oeuvres ( a main dish in many homes!)!


“Terrine au poivre vert”/Green pepper terrine. When you see such a big hors d’oeuvres sitting on the table in front of you, you start wandering if you will be able to go through the whole meal!


“Oeufs Meurette”/Poached eggs served in red wine and mushrooms sauce a garlicked toast. Break the eggs in the sauce first! Another typical Burgundian dish!


“Meli-melo d’escargots et moules, sauce au Roquefort”/Marriage of snails and mussles in Roquefort blue cheese sauce. When sea meets land under the benediction of a ewe!


“Rognons de veau”/Veal Kidneys. Tender and juicy in the perfect cognac and cream sauce. An acquired taste? I did not personally oredered it, but I certainly would not mind!


“Cuisses de Grenouilles”/Froglegs. Another Burgundian specialty with a little accent from the South. Sauteed in olive oil, you eat them with your fingers!


“Cassolette de Saint-Jacques au Noilly Prat”/Scallops in Noilly Prat and cream sauce with a crawfish! Another meeting between land (river, actually!) and sea!


“Salade bressane”/Bresse salad. A very local (we are in the heart of Bresse) hors d’oeuvres which makes for a real meal at home: Ggeens, bacon, poached egg, chicken liver and garlicked toast.


“Nous v’la Bien-Quasi de porc mitonne avec un duo de champignons bolets at cepes dans un veloute de cidre legerement creme, accompagne de pommes de terre vapeur”/pork stewed with mushrooms, cider, cream and accompanied with steamed potatoes.
We could not resist the “Cocottes bressanes”/Bresse pots. This is a traditional way of cooking which dates back to many centuries ago!


“Dix sept a point-Jambon de porc fume par nos soins et cuit dans du vin de la cote chalonnaise avec lardons et champignons, accompagne de pommes de terre vapeur”/home-smoked ham and cooked in cote chalonnaise wine with bacon and mushrooms, served with steamed potatoes.


“Travers de porc laque/lacquered pork”. A dish that would tempt the likes of Foodhoe and Gaijin Tonic!


“Profiteroles au chocolat”, a dessert that would start Bill cooking!


Absolutely enormous “Creme brulee flambee!”


“Baba au rhum”. This was my dessert! I had almost to be towed out, as full as I was!

L’Auberge du Moulin
71580, SAINT MARTIN DU MONT, France
TEL 0385740233

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (23)

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Yesterday, the Missus had to go home and visit her parents for the O-Bon Festival (Japanese Mid-Summer Festival when the deceased are being venered). She made a bento not only for me but for her siblings.
It is both seasonal in the sense it includes eel and tradiional as it is “Chirashizushi”


“Chirashizushi” could be roughly translated as “mixed sushi”. It is very popular with families as large quantities of it can be made. Allison will be glad to know you can also use it for the base of home-made sushi rolls!
The Missus mixed the “shari”/vinegared steamed rice with Japanese sweet scrambled eggs and pickles. She filled the box with one layer and covered it at radom with pieces of broiled eel. She put one more layer and topped it again broiled eel, scrambled eggs and boiled string beans.
She added some home-made baby melon pickles and cucumebr pickles.


The salad was pretty straightforward: Chopped fresh vegetables and boiled shrimps to which I added dressing at work.
She forgot the dessert!

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Local Agricultural Products: Agriroad Miwa

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11 years ago, farmers’ wives living in Miwa and in the vicinity of the Abe River in Shizuoka City founded Agriroad (Agricultural Road) Miwa with the help of JA.
A good friend of mine who lives nearby had told me many a time about it and had strongly recommended me to visit it, but it seemed I needed something special prod me into action.

Actually, the opportunity that finally triggered me into cycling all the way on a blistering hot Wednesday morning was a round orange zucchini I discovered last week at Bu-Ichi, a favourite izakaya of mine. When the Oyakata/Chef-owner mentioned it had been grown in Miwa, I had no recourse but to check for myself!
So, I arrived in JA Agriroad Miwa at exactly 9:30, its opening hour (I did not know…).
It is a small establishment by all accounts, but before I talked to anyone I had a look at the wares on sale.

All vegetables are not only grown in the vicinity, making them easily traceable, but all labels featured the name of its grower and the date of harvest!
The place was crowded with local people, but also a few obvious “strangers” (not mentioning the barging expat!) were seen coming in cars apparently knowing well what they intended to buy. I found out later that some of were clever owners of restaurants downtown (a good 10 km away, mind you!).

The quality would have been enough to warrant regular visits and the originality (Shizuoka goya, for example) of some vegetables should attract many a food critique.
But the prices! Absolutely ridiculously low! How do they make business?
Try to decipher the prices on the following pictures:


Most of them are 100 yen (less than 1$ in Japan!) or 150 yen (less than 1 Euro!)!
Even recipes to prepare and serve them are provided for all interested!


Naturally the green tea for which Shizuoka Prefecture (70% of the total national output!) is so famous is purely local!


Great fresh eggs with not only names but also pictures of the farmers!


Even the flowers are local!


That is when I noticed one of the employees (actually they work in shifts on a association basis) cooking “Kin Tsuba” cakes (their name comes from the shape of a samurai sword guard). They are made of a batter containing “yomogi”, a plant common all over Japan and “Anko”/Japanese azuki beans sweatmeats. The lady answered to the name of Natsuko Koyanagi (Small Willow). We quickly started chatting and the “interview” became a real pleasure with lthe dear ady needing no prodding into answering my questions. I actually obtained more than I bargained for!
The cakes were not on sale as they had all been ordered early in the morning. The poor lady had to refuse them to all local customers who seemed to have a developped a particular liking for them! I felt a bit embarrassed (and pleased) when she offered me one when no one was looking!
Hot and freshly cooked, it ate like a delicious pancake!
This was when I mentioned that round orange zucchini that Rowena would like so much to find about.
She knew the lady who grew them and so generously offered to drive me to her place as soon as she had fished cooking all those cakes!

I certainly had a great time visiting her friend’s plots after I had been invited to refeshments in her home!
Unfortunately, this was the end of the season for zucchini/courgettes and the treasures I had been looking for were all gone!
But when I mentioned all those flowers that seemed to go to waste, I asked the two ladies if they knew how to cook them. They did not! Taste Memory Girl will never believe me!
At last I could give something back! I told them at least three ways to cook them, and Mrs. Koyanagi started picking them up in earnest!

Unfortunately again, I could not stay too long with them as work was waiting for me, but you can expect more articles as I plan to cycle there regularly!
Problem is that they might ask me to contribute to their recipes. LOL.

〒421-2114 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Abeguchishinden, 537-1.
Tel.: 054-296-7878.
Fax: 054-296-7878
Business hours: 09:30~15:30 (from 08:30 on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays)

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (22)

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I must admit that today’s bento was a bit of an overkill!
The Missus asked me as I was going for the shower if I fancied “temaki” (make your own maki) bento for my lunch. “Sure”, I replied.
I was looking forward to eating plenty of greens as I knew it would come with lettuce I would use for making my own maki instead of the usual dry seaweed.

She had been hassling me recently on my weight (which has not changed for at least three months…), stressing that I should cut on my food intake. Well, the “shari”/flavoured sushi rice was certainly succulent, but there definitely was a lot of it, mixed with finely chopped cucumber and daikon pickles and “tobikko”/flying fish roe. I ended up with not enough lettuce and had to finish up the lot with chopsticks. Incidentally this was more a full lunch than a bento. I do not know if I would dare make all these maki one by one in front of an audience (I always eat alone in my private classroom!). LOL.
Fresh cucumber, home-made pickled cucumber and a tiny “umeboshi”/pickled Japanese plum completed the “staple part”.

As for the “o yatsu”/accompaniment, a lot of it, she included smoked salmon seasoned with tartare sauce and capers (East meet West?), cut avocado dipped in lemon juice, soft boiled egg, plum tomatoes, processed cheese, sliced and boiled goya and fresh cress.

A grape jelly was added for dessert.
It certainly took me some time it to finish it, which should make her happy as she always complains I eat too fast!
Great bento, but a bit too much of it. Mind you, I don’t complain as I have a long day!

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Gastronomic Destinations: France (1)

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(Cote Chalonnaise Vineyard/Givry)

Chalon Sur Saone: Restaurant L’Essentiel

Chalon sur Saone in Bourgogne/Burgundy, France, has given its name to the Appelation Cote Chalonnaise, which, cent for cent, has become better value than some overblown Bourgogne vintages. Actually, the city itself stands a good 10 km away from the first vineyards. That might explain why Chalon Sur Saone was rarely mentioned in gastronomic guides until recently.
It certainly was a pity as the very central position of the city gave it the best access to all food ingredients that have made Bourgogne so famous.

But then, about ten years ago, the trend completely changed. The reason is the Saint-Laurent Island in the very middle of the very wide Saone River within easy reach thanks to the bridge of the same name.

Its main street, Rue de Strasbourg suddenly became the place to eat and drink out because of its great tranquility away from the bustling centre. The street presently counts more than twenty restaurants of all kinds.
I’m particularly fond of L’Essntiel, which as its name indicates, serves generous plates of very traditional but precise Burgundian gastronomy. And this at very reasonable prices.
The last time I went there was in the company of five of my siblings and the Missus, which allowed to sample quite a few of their offerings made the more tempting by the genuine friendliness of the owners and staff:

Seabass on a bed of apples and pears.

“Sandre” fish with a potato “curtain”.

Veal Sweetbreads, my personal order. Enormous, but so nice and cruchy outside and so tender inside!

Beef Fillet with baked tomatoes and couscous. This pic does not justice to the real size of the fillet. It was certainly twice a big and as high at the very large tomatoes!

Roasted Duck with its liver and heart.

Escargots with echalottes and garlic confits.
Sorry, after that, I just either could not find the time to take picture,s or I wasn’t “allowed” to do so by my so-friendly siblings.
But have no worry, it will take you quite a few visits to sample everything! And do not forget the desserts!
And the wine list!

Incidentally, Chalon Sur Saone, apart of its very long history as the last port up the Saone River for the last 2,500 years is renown for one very important invention. Can you guess?
-The first-ever picture and camera you can see at the Musee Nicephore Niepce which contains more than two million pictures!

L’Essentiel
14, Rue Strasbourg
71100 Chalon sur Saône, France
Tel: (33)(0)3 85 42 95 75‎

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Japanese Omelette/Tamagoyaki: Presentation (1)

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As promised to Bill in Japanese Omellete/Tamagoyaki: Basic recipe 1 posting, here are some examples of presentation:
Above is a very popular way of cutting and serving cold, especially at sushi restaurants.


The accent here is not so much on the regularity, but on the colour, making it very home-style.


A very “clean and regular” presentation. Served with grated daikon and soy sauce.


Another example of home-made style served with shiitake mushrooms.


A “classical and professional” presentation!

Will come with sushi presentation next time!

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Shizuoka Izakaya: Bu-Ichi (revisited)

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Bu-Ichi Izakaya in Shizuoka City has been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately I do not go there that often as it is reserved for my nights out with the Missus (well, too many people know me there, too!)!
Incidentally, the picture above was taken quite some time ago. The Oyakata tends to be dressed in white these days, but last night I told him I preferred him in his blue garb!
Apart of the great Shizuoka Sake list, a customer will find all the drinks he might want, including wine and Okinawa Awamori.
But the main attraction is of course the food:

Tempura and Anago/Conger Eel are two Japanese delicacies known all over the world, but when the two are combined in such delicate, crunchy, succulent manner one just shoud not bother about seasoning or even decoration!

Bu-Ichi acquired its fame because of the superlative seasonal sashimi such as “ainame/greenling or rock trout, a rarity brought all the way from Fukushima Prefecture.

Local fish is represented by “sanma/mackerel pike”. Bu-Ichi serves it in what I think the best way to savour it: thin slices with grated ginger, chopped thin leeks and myoga. The Japanese say “abura ga noote iru”, meaning they are fat. I would translate by “juicy”. The fish just melts in your mouth!

Whenever possible, Bu-Ichi serves local produce such as this beautiful round orange zucchini grown by a farmer in Miwa Cho, Shizuoka City. Which reminds me I have to interview this gentleman who has made Zucchini growing his specialty. Rowena, you would not believe it! Incidentally, have you ever thought of selling shiso in Italy? LOL

They were included in the next Tenpura order. To the Missus’ utter dismay I just ate them with my fingers without bothering about the salt and dip sauce provided!

Despite the heat of the day, we could not resist from ordering a bowl of “Gyu-suji-ni”/Beef joints simmered with miso and vegetables and served with a chopped leeks topping. Foodhoe would scream for it!

Although we did have dessert in the form of “matcha tea ice cream”, we usually have “tamagoyaki/Japanese Omelette” at the end of a dinner in a good izakaya. Big Bill should see the sheer artistry involved in making such a seemingly easy dish! And the taste! I can guarantee you you would be hard put if you had to choose between a second helping and a dessert!

Bu-Ichi
420-0032 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 1-6-10, Dai 2 Matsunaga Bldg. 2F
Tel.: 054-2521166
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations advisable

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LE CAFE-LABO: Classic Cakes (6)

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LE CAFE LABO in Shizuoka City seems to be on a gastronomic rampage this Summer!
They keep coming up with some very original seasonal desserts which rae so welcome during this very hot year!

They called this new invention “Champagne Jelly”
It is a bit of misnomer as they used Cremant de Bourgogne from the Cote Chalonnaise in France. A bit extravagant when you know that Cremant, yen for yen (cent for cent), is better value than overpriced Champagne!

Ladies, rejoice! This is a very very healthy low-calorie dessert as the jelly is 100% natural “kanten” or Japanese agar/seaweed jelly!


They come with two different garnish: “kyoho Budo”, a very large expensive Japanese grape variety (usually seedless) as a shown in picture above and:

Lychee.

I sampled the latter before the next student came (most of the cakes and desserts postings are made in my private classroom!).
It has a very light but solid consistency. It melts deliciously inside the mouth with an elegant Cremant wine taste. It has a “short tail”, meaning you cannot wait for the next spoonful!
Definitely for ladies or calories-minding couples!

LE CAFE-LABO
424-0886 Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku, Kusanagi, 46
Tel.: 054-3441661
Also available at Isetan Dept. Store, Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken-Cho

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter

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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #18
bryan-sayuri.gif

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Lest anyone question our determination to fully quench your summer thirst, we are releasing three more beat-the-heat seasonal beers: Export Lager, Queen & Country Pale Ale and Asian Beauty Biwa Ale.

(1) Export Lager (ABV 5.3%):

Brewed in the tradition of Dortmund-style export lagers, Baird Export Lager combines a huge depth of flavor with a brisk and refreshing character. Less fragrant in hop character but brawnier in malt body than a pilsner, Baird Export Lager is a supreme thirst quencher. Drink it side by side our Cool Breeze Pils and your tastebuds will experience a demonstration in subtle flavor differentiation that simply can’t be conveyed in words.

(2) Queen & Country Pale Ale (ABV 5.1%):

The heritage of the Pale Ale / Bitter style belongs to the British. American craft brewers have irreverently taken over the style with a boldly, and generally citrusy, re-interpretation. Baird Rising Sun Pale Ale slots into the irreverent American re-interpretation category. Queen & Country, on the other hand, is our tip of the hat to the British forerunners. Darker in color, earthier in hop aroma and more noticeably malty in body than Rising Sun, Queen & Country Pale Ale is a pintful of pleasurable beer history. Once again, a direct taste comparison between the two is a better lesson in Beer tasting 101 than we could ever hope to provide in words.

(3) Asian Beauty Biwa Ale (ABV 5.1%):

Biwa is “the small, yellow, edible, plum-like fruit of the loquat tree.” We had no idea what is was until our partner-friend-carpenter, Nagakura-san, brought some in last year for us to taste and then brew with. It is an extremely subtle fruit that harmonizes sweetness with tartness. Biwa Ale is krauesened at packaging and the character in the glass is a spritzy, effervescent and delicately firm one — like a true Asian Beauty!

All three brews are being poured from the taps of our Taprooms in Numazu and Nakameguro. Export Lager and Asian Beauty Biwa Ale are available in both draught and bottle (633 ml) at fine Baird Beer retailing pubs and liquor shops throughout Japan. Queen & Country Pale Ale is draught only and available in extremely small quantities.

Cheers!

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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Shizuoka Beer 6/2: Bryan Baird Brewery

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I will never be able to praise Bryan Baird in Numazu City enough for contributing so much to beer and micro-brewing in Japan!

This is only my second “official tasting”: “Angry Boy Brown Ale”
(I made a point not to read Bryan’s own comments. There might be quite a discrepancy between the two of us!)

Bryan Baird Brewery: Angry Boy Brown Ale
Draught/nama Beer
Ingredients: Barley Malt, barley, hops, yeast.
Alcohol: 6 degrees
Contents: 300 ml

Clarity: smoky
Colour: rich dark brown-orange
Foam: very long head, great long-lived foam
Aroma: Oranges. Yeast. Strong and sharp
Taste: Comparatively shart tail. Tangy oranges lingering on at the back of the palate. Steady. Solid. Oranges, lemons, grapefruits.Dry. Welcome acidity.

Overall: Another beer suited for any food, especially meat, sausages and the like. Can be appreciated cold in summer on its own, though. Refreshing and very satisfying. Funnily enough I enjoyed eating Carr’s Whole wheat Crackers with it!

HOMEPAGE

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Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (21)

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This is mid-summer in Shizuoka, and as far as the weather is concerned it is a bit too hot (over 35 Degrees Celsius) and humid (over 85%)!
Light meals have suddenly become more welcome than those “stamina” lunches!

It actually also means more boxes and equipment. I have mentioned before tah Japan has come with some great Tupperware-style boxes. They are very light, rigid, solid and easy to close with a single push. Perfect for picnics, too!

Instead of rice, the Missus prepared “soba/buckwheat noodles”. The cucumber are home-made light pickles. The chopped leeks are for the soba dip/”tsuyu” inside the small round box. The tube contains yuzu/lime-flavoured wasabi paste to be mixed with the tsuyu, too. A hard-boiled egg was provided for needed calories,

with a green salad topped with “shabu shabu”/thin slices of pork poached in slightly salted water, cooled and seasoned with sesame dressing and sesame seeds. Some sliced home-made mini melon pickles and more home-made cucumber pickles.

The dessert consisted of “nashi/Japanese pear” slices. Crunchy, bursting with juice and delicious, they make for the perfect Summer dessert!

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Robert Yellin Mishima Yakimono Gallery Newsletter

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Greetings from Mishima,

Today is August 1st and hard to believe two months of the summer have already passed. For kids in Japan though it’s basically just beginning as the summer vacation just began last week.

No matter where you are–and how young you are–we hope you are having a delightful and happy summer…in the northern hemisphere!

A few weeks ago I drove four hours to visit Hamada Tomoo and select some new works that he had just unloaded from the kiln. As I noted in my brief description online, Hamada Tomoo(b.1967) is a fine Mashiko potter expanding the tradition of which his grandfather Shoji made famous; his father is Shinsaku. Tomoo studied sculpture at Tama Art University before returning to Mashiko. He’s already established himself in Japan with numerous exhibitions including Mitsukoshi, Tokyo, and he was part of a three generation (Shoji-Shinsaku-Tomoo) exhibition at the Asahi Museum, Kyoto. I like his work–and know he’s an important potter for Mashiko–because its fresh for Mashiko using the same traditional materials his father and grandfather used. Tomoo has a keen sense and already since we last offered works he’s taken his art to a higher level. A few years ago a US museum director and I visited Hamada and now his work is in the museum’s collection. We hope a Hamada Tomoo piece will find its way into
your collection as well.
Here are the links to view the exhibition:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Please note additional photos or information will gladly be sent upon request.

I’ve also been adding scenery photos in many listings to give visitors a sense of place where we are and also just to enjoy the beauty of Japan. Also, as some know, there are often advance
preview photos of works to be offered soon.

As always thank you very much and all the best from Japan.

Clear skies,

Robert Yellin
Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery
www.japanesepottery.com
www.e-yakimono.net

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Italian Cuisine: Via Del Borgo has re-opened! (2)

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It finally took us almost three weeks to arrange our maiden dinner at recently re-opened Via Del Borgo in Shizuoka City just by Tokiwa Park.
Apparently it has already become the “new” place to visit and did well to reserve a table for the three of us. I can guarantee you that the staff of five were working full steam all evening!
Alright, I’ll cut all the prose and keep to what we tasted for our first dinner. Expect more in the near future as their menus are exclusively seasonal!

Via Del Borgo has a good cellar open for all to see. To ease the waiters’ task we just entered it, chose our wine and handed it at the counter for opening and serving!
The first bottle was a red, 2004 Rosso di Montalcino, Mastroianni, Toscana/Sangiovese.
A bit tart at first, it came around very quickly with red fruits after a little airing.

For the antipasti we chose a very simple, delicious buffalo Mozzarella with “fruit tomatoes” grown in Shizuoka Prefecture,

a seasonal vegetables terrine and octopus millefeuille combination,

and Roman trippa (cow’s intestines and stomach) with Peccorino cheese.
That disappeared very quickly with the wine as we chatted along and realized we had to go back to the cellar!

We discovered a very solid 2006 MAMURI, Nero D’Avola from Sicilia.
We asked for a decanter and aired it a little at a time. Just perfect for the Primo Piatti!

Saffran Risotto. Absolutely superb. We made a point to order some home-made bread to scoop the sauce!

Puttanesca Linguine with Orida Aubergines (egg-plants) grown in Shimizu Ku (practically next door!). We had a little fight with the aubergines as we had decided beforehand to share everything and taste as many dishes as possible!

Taliorini with Guinea Fowl ragu (ragout) and vegetables. A find as the combination of small bits of guinea fowl and lotus roots made for such an intesting crunching experience with the al dente pasta!

And it was back to the cellar again! Alright, we did not drink it all as we had chosen it to share it with the staff! 2004 Roccamora Schola Sarmenti. Very rich red, almost rural in concept with plenty of red fruits again.

Secondo Piatti:
Milanese Veal Schnitzel on the bone. The veal came all the way from Ibaragi Prefecture. From then on, I took care of the cutting/carving! I will have to try this veal again all by myself!

Tokushima Prefecture “Awaodori” Chicken (probably the best in Japan!) Roast. I did cheat a bit and cut myself a larger share!

Skillet lamb on the bone. Would you believe that a normal serving is three cuts and that we were three of us! Juicy, tender, a delice!

Sorry, but by then we had spent three hours at the restaurant and were full. The desserts will have to wait until next time!

VIA DEL BORGO
420-0034, Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-cho, 3-2-7
Tel/fax: 054-221-7666
Business hours: Lunch (11:30~14:30), Cafe (15:00~), Dinner (18:00~22::00)
Closed on Tuesdays
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Shizuoka Beer 3/5: Oratche Wind Valley Brewery Dark Lager Praha

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Coming back at my office after an afternoon spent on having students take a final exam, I could not resist from opening a bottle that I kept for such emergencies in the fridge. After all it had been a long stuffy day and I still had three hours to wait until dinner!

Windy Valley Brewery Dark Lager Praha

As usual with Oratche this is another organic beer using wheat malt.
It is unfiltered and should be kept in a cold environment because of its live yeast.

Clarity: slightly smoky (unfiltered)
Alcohol: 5.5%
Colour: Dark coffee
Foam: Long head, good medium bubbles
Aroma: Fresh, light, dry. Oranges, bread
Taste: Short tail. Dry and heady. Refreshing. Lighter than expected. Oranges, caramel, bread. Drinks well with food, especially cheese.

Overall: A beer fit for dinner in the heat of the summer. To be enjoyed in the evening after a long day’s work! Don’t be fooled by its dark colour. It is not a porter. Typical Oratche’s brew.

Oratche
419-0105 Tagata Gun, Tanna, 349-1
Tel.: 055-974-4192
Fax: 055-974-4191
Homepage (Japanese)

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Sushi Ko: Sashimi and Sushi (revisited)

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Thursday! If everything goes well (Rowena, don’t start shooting!) t means eating out with the Missus.
Well, no surprise at all, as she requested we visited that (ver) old favourite of ours, namely Sushi Ko Restaurant in Shizuoka City!
No need to explain anything. Let’s keep to the basics and explain some of the morsels we ordered (not all, as it would become a boring repeat!).
Above is “Ika Somen/cutte fish cut very thinly, hence the name “somen/thin noodles”. The cuttle-fish variety is “Yari Ika/Halberd cuttle fish or calamari in Italian”.

“Sanma/mackerel pike”, a seasonal fish, although tis particular one came from Hokkaido. We shall have to wait until September for the Shizuoka specimen!

“Shima Aji/Saurel variety”. Another seasonal fish. Almost sweet!

We could not resist from ordering that very special maki/roll: “Piri kara hotate maki/hot scallops roll coated with “tobiko/flying fish roe”. That one is for you, Allison!

Finally, my favourite (my wife tends to shun it!): Japanese Foie Gras/Ankimo-Frogfish Liver!

Naturally I will spare you such details as French Chardonnay wine for the Missus and Shizuoka sake for me (I know, I know…). If you come to shizuoka,make a point to contact me! LOL

Sushi Ko
shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho. 2-3-1 (Aoba Koen)
Tel.: 054-2512898
Business Hours： 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 （Sundays）
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)