Tag Archives: オーガニック

French Cuisine: Shizuoka Products at SUGIMOTO TETSUYA-Part 4 (Dessert: Fried Watermelon and Green Tea Ice Cream)

July 18, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

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

If you happen to visit Shizuoka City, you will find many restaurants and izakayas serving and mainly using produce/products and ingredients from Shizuoka Prefecture. There are many treasures to be discovered in this hoard!
one of them is the French restaurant going by the name of Sugimoto Tetsuya!

If you can read Japanese you will know what is waiting for you inside!
A gastronomic paradise in Shizuoka Prefecture!
Mr. Sugimoto does everything by himself: chef, waiter and entertainer! This is real slow food in its true and best meaning!
Almost all ingredients are from Shizuoka Prefecture, be they vegetables, fruit, meat or fish!
But his specialty is organic vegetables from Shizuoka Prefecture!
I requested that this menu feature only produce for Shizuoka Prefecture only.
Since it has turned into a fairly long meal to explain I go about it dish by dish. This is the last part (at last): Dessert! An evry unusual one!

Tetsuya Sugimoto cut out a rectangular piece out a Shizuoka-grown watermelon and fried it on both sides on a lttle oil.
Now, who would have thought of that?!

He placed the hot watermelon on a rectangular plate and seasoned it with vicotto sauce (alright, not for Shizuoka!LOL)

He then put some vanilla (of course not from Shizuoka, but the ice-cream is home-made!) with the idea that it will melt quickly and will become a second seasoning.

On top he placed a large portion of ice cream he made with “Hon-yama” green tea (not matcha), probably the most famous brand of green tea in Shizuoka Prefecture (45% of the total Japanese production!).
He put the finishing touch with fresh leaves of Shizuoka-grown organic mint!

The combination of warm and crunchy watermelon with the unctuosity is the ice cream is difficult to describe as at least four kinds of taste stimulate your palate!

A must try recipe!

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

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French Cuisine: Shizuoka Products at SUGIMOTO TETSUYA-Part 3 (Main Dish: Pork)

July 18, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

I chose pork.
This pork goes by the name of LBY TON and comes from a pig raised by Mr. Matsuzawa in Fujinomiya City. It is of supreme quality and taste with little fat inside the meat itself (although the fat around it is also a morsel!) with a great bite reminiscent of top-class ham.

The pork (from the shoulder) was first rissole/fried on all sides before being cooked inside the oven.

All vegetables are organic and grown by Mr. matsuki of Bio Farm Matsuki in Fujinomiya (formerly Shibakawa Cho): burdock/gobo, carrot/ninjin, cucumber/kyuri, Morrocan Stringbeans/Morokko Ingen, “Tsurumurasaki”, Inca mezame potato and Red Moon Potato.
All vegetables were first fried in olive oil with a minimal seasoning and then lightly baked inside the oven.

The whole was served with Mr. Sugimoto’s own mustard dressing!

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French Cuisine: Shizuoka Products at SUGIMOTO TETSUYA-Part 2 (Organic Vegetables)

July 16, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

If you can read Japanese you will know what is waiting for you inside!
A gastronomic paradise in Shizuoka Prefecture!
Mr. Sugimoto does everything by himself: chef, waiter and entertainer! This is real slow food in its true and best meaning!
Almost all ingredients are from Shizuoka Prefecture, be they vegetables, fruit, meat or fish!
But his specialty is organic vegetables from Shizuoka Prefecture!
I requested that this menu feature only produce for Shizuoka Prefecture only.
Since it has turned into a fairly long meal to explain I go about it dish by dish. This time we shall talk about the organic vegetables dish!

All these were organic vegetables grown by different farmers in Hamamatsu City.
The dish included egg-plants/aubergines, 3 varieties of zucchini, tomato and “manganji” Chili pepper.

All vegetables were first sauteed separately and cooked in the oven before served with two different dressings:
-Olive oil and orange juice
-Framboise/raspberry vinegar
Were I served this everyday I certainly would become vegetarian!
All vegetables were cooked to perfection to a crispy outside and just tender enough inside thus protecting and enhancing their natural savor while preserving all their nutrients!
No need to mention the tableau they made up!

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French Cuisine: Shizuoka Products at SUGIMOTO TETSUYA-Part 1(Appetizer)

July 16, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

If you can read Japanese you will know what is waiting for you inside!
A gstronomic paradise in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Lunch and

dinner can chosen from the chef recommendation menus or a la carte. A la carte means that you can agree on a budget and an individual meal making it fun for both the diner and the chef!

Mr. Sugimoto does everything by himself: chef, waiter and entertainer! This is real slow food in its true and best meaning!

Almost all ingredients are from Shizuoka Prefecture, be they vegetables, fruit, meat or fish!
But his specialty is organic vegetables from Shizuoka Prefecture!
I requested that this menu feature only produce for Shizuoka Prefecture only.
Since it has turned into a fairly long meal to explain I will go about it dish by dish. This time we shall talk about the appetizer!

The fish is rainbow trout rasied by Mr. Kukuri in Fujinomiya City at the foot of Mout Fuji! It was first marinated and then brushed with delicious (secret) dressing.
The fish was then monted on aubergines/egg plants and mini tomatoes grown by b Mr. Kaneko in Hamamatsu City. The aubergines had been first grilled, then peeled and marinated before being cut in large pieces. More dressing was added with fresh chopped green leaves.
The rainbow trout and aubergines made for a sublimely simple (in concept) and sophisticated (in taste) combination inside the palate!

Organic vegetables dish next time!

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Italian Restaurant: Dinner at Il Paladino

December 15, 2009 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great and very large washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to expensive.
Specialty:Sicilian Cuisine. Top-class Italian wines and great collection of Grappa.
Non-smoking at tables.

It had quite some time since I last had a full dinner in an Italian restaurant in Shizuoka City as I tend to visit them only for a quick fis in between work.
I finally had the chance to enjoy a full-course dinner the other day at Il Paladino as an end-of the year dinner with friends.

Il Paladino’s two chefs prepare Italian cuisine mainly of Sicilian inspiration.
As I was the man in charge of the menu, I had just met them a while before to agree on the number and dishes and their basics. After it was all up to their skills and seasonal avaibility!

Antipasti misto plate for 4

The restaurant being very busy that day, I took charge of serving portions to the four of us into each of our plates (Japanese guests practically never do that, especially men!).
The antipasti, among others, included Japanese rock seaweed fritters, Pesce manticato/Brandade, marinated mackerel and grilled vegetables.

The fish dish was isaki, a fish caught off the Izu Peninsula in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. It bears the odd English name of “Chicken Grunt”!

Dividing and serving the fish into 4 portions turned into a performance!

One of us belonging to a famous strawberry-growing family (there are 1,500 registered strawberry growers in Shizuoka Prefecture alone!),the chef had come up with a bright idea: Flaglora Risotto/strawberry risotto with fine Piemonte truffles seasoning, parmegiano and supreme olive oil!
A discovery and beauty!

Grilled Lamb for the meat dish!

Hard work again for your servant!

The ladies had to have a pasta dish!

Funghi e salzizia with Buccoli Pasta!
Light and perfect!
Note: the fact it was served individually made the waistline-conscious ladies a bit more secure! LOL

For dessert the specialty of the house: Home-made (completely) vanilla ice-cream with grappa and caramelized almonds and hazlenuts!

As for the wine, read the repport I posted yesterday below!

A somewhat unusual Italian white wine!

Don’t expect to find this wine on their “official” menu!
You must ask for the owners of the place to look what they have stashed away/hidden in the cellar at the very back of the restaurant!

Name: Alois Lageder (Italian White Wine)
Place: Sud Tirol, Alto Adige
Grape: Pinot Griggio (Pinot Gris)
Bottled in 2008.

Clarity: very clear
Colour: Light golden
Aroma: Fruity amd light. Lots of muscat and green apples
Taste: Very light, almost feminine attack.
Dry and fruity with muscat and green apples faithful to its aroma.
Very pleasant and easy to drink, especially a little chilled.
Very fine bubbles disappearing quickly.
Shortish tail.
Holds its own well with food in spite of its light weight.

Overall: An unusual wine, very similar to an Alsace of the same grape.
Very pleasant and light. Woth drinking with antipasti misto and fish.
Will prove a great experience for young beginners!

Tratorria . Il Paladino
420-9839 Shizuoka City, Aoi-Ku, Takajo, 2-8-19
Tel.: 054-253-6537
Opening hours: 11:30~13:30, 17:00~22:00
Closed on Mondays
Credit cards OK (Dinner only)

The Japan Blog List

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Bread + Butter, Comestilblog, Greedy Girl, Bouchon For 2, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Mangantayon, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles, Lexi, Culinary Musings, Eats and Everything, Bite Me New England, Heather Sweet, 5 Star Foodie, Frank Fariello, Oyster Culture, Ramendo, Alchemist Chef, Ochikeron, Mrs. Lavendula, The Gipsy Chef, Spirited Miu Flavor
Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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Wine Tasting Shizuoka 4: Alois Lageder (Italy-Sud Tirol), Pinot Griggio

December 14, 2009 dragonlife 2 Comments

Last week i had the occasion to taste a somewhat unusual Italian wine at one of my favourite Italian restaurants in Shizuoka City, namely Trattoria Il Paladino. As for the great meal we had a report is coming soon!
But first the wine!

Don’t expect to find this wine on their “official” menu!
You must ask for the owners of the place to look what they have stashed away/hidden in the cellar at the very back of the restaurant!

Name: Alois Lageder (Italian White Wine)
Place: Sud Tirol, Alto Adige
Grape: Pinot Griggio (Pinot Gris)
Bottled in 2008.

Overall: An unusual wine, very similar to an Alsace of the same grape.
Very pleasant and light. Woth drinking with antipasti misto and fish.
Will prove a great experience for young beginners!

Tratorria . Il Paladino
420-9839 Shizuoka City, Aoi-Ku, Takajo, 2-8-19
Tel.: 054-253-6537
Opening hours: 11:30~13:30, 17:00~22:00
Closed on Mondays
Credit cards OK (Dinner only)

The Japan Blog List

———————————
Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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日本語のブログ
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Organic Delights in Kamakura

November 20, 2009 dragonlife 5 Comments

Kamakura beach and surfers

Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture is an internationally celebrated tourist post.

Unfortunately for all the beauty of the city, its mountains, old buildings, ancient culture and striking sea shore, the great majority of its restaurants and cafes are little more than traps for the crowds of tourists and surfers.

The perfect fried organic potatoes with anchovy and garlic savoury garnish at Magokoro!

But some locals belatedly realized that things had to change or else.
Heaps of organic food are grown or raised in Kamakura and its neighbourhood.
Just add to that the marine produce of the Pacific Ocean and you have the ideal combination to satisfy all tastes and priorities, be they omnivore, vegetarian or even vegan.

The same locals formed their own association, The Japan Vegetarian Society, in 1993 to help their fellow citizens and newcomers alike to discover restaurants, cafes and shops in accordance with their favourite food styles.

Since then they have grown into a small but extremely active non profit organization not only with their own blog/website but also a semi bilingual free pamphlet with a guide and map to no less than 51 establishments!

Blog address (Japanese)
Call 0467-25-2668 if you cannot find the map.

Organic Vegetables and fish (mackerel) Lunch tray at Magokoro

The pamphlet/map is a real little treasure as it features not only restaurants, cafes, confectioneries, fair trade goods shops, grocery stores but even “earth-conscious (ecological) shops”, temples, body-care-shop, bicycle rental shops, hiking courses, temples, cooking schools and tourist information desks!

Each establishment is represented with at least one picture with letters indicating whether it serves or sells vegan, vegetarian food. It also clearly explains through the same simple lettering system if the food contains seafood, seafood seasoning, dairy products, eggs or even if it does contain such produce as leek, Chinese chive (nira) Japanese shallot (Rakkyo), onion or garlic!

It goes as far as counseling people to double-check in some cases!
The whole literally backed up by an easy English/Japanese lexicon for tourists with special gastronomic priorities on the other side of the pamphlet!

The same very ecology-conscious association has initiated an unusual association of shops with their own currency: Beach Money and Beach Money Shops!

The all-organic vegetables lunch tray at Magokoro

One outstanding establishment among this unforeseen wealth is a café/restaurant located right in front of the main beach where surfers and wind-surfers practice their sport all year round: Magokoro/麻心！

Founded in 2001, it has become the reference to organic (for all tastes!) food in the city of Kamakura.
For lunch you can choose among trays of organic food containing only vegetables, or a combination of the same and meat or fish. They will make sure not to include any dairy products, egg or mayonnaise for vegans upon request.
Vegetarians and omnivores will want to sample the restaurant organic creations featuring pizzas, curry dishes, macrobiotic cakes, organic coffees and teas, hemp beer according to the seasons and times of the year.
Keep in mind you might have to wait as it is extremely popular!

In the afternoon it will be easier to enjoy the sea view from their bay window counter seats or relax surrounded by a décor all of wood, painted walls and charming artistic bric-a-brac, the more for it as the whole establishment is non-smoking!

Live music and events are organized in the evenings (also in daytime occasionally), including Colour Therapy Sessions.
Better check in advance!

The Organic & Hemp Style Café & Bar, Magokoro
2-8-11, Hase, Kamakura, 248-0016 (within walking distance fromHase Station)
Tel. & Fax: 0467-25-1414
Homepage (Japanese, but including pics of their food!)

Kamakura Welcome Guide Association
Tel.: 0467-22-3516
Homepage (English, French, Japanese, Chinese plus services provided in Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian)

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Italian Restaurant: Lunch at Il Paladino

October 22, 2009 dragonlife 2 Comments

PALADINO-3

The Autumn days are definitely getting shorter but we still enjoy plenty of warm fine weather making ideal for lunches taken on a terrace!
Although Il paladino’s Terrace is a bit small I would never exchange it for a seat inside!
Though I must say there is always a good chance for its seats to be available as the Japanese haven’t caught onthe habit of eating outside yet!

PALADINO-1

Il Paladino offers great lunch courses for a bargain.
Since their ingredients are seasonal only, there is little chance for a repeat menu.
The Missus and I visited them the other Thursday, a rare day when we can go out together.
Mylady had the antipasti misto of the day, including agreat little quiche!

PALADINO-2

As for me I started with a salad of vegetables rown locally. Very well chosen, they would please any vegan or vegetarian friend!

PALADINO-4

The Missus, being a pasta fanatic, couldn’t resist the spaghetti of the day with calamari squid, mushrooms, greens and parmegiano.

PALDINO-5

Veg and pasta are fine, but I needed something more solid.
I chose the grilled marlin with a parmegiano cream sauce.
Plentiful, very tasty and going so well with the home-made fogaccia bread (see pic ath top of this posting)!

Looking forward to our next dinner there!

Tratorria . Il Paladino
420-9839 Shizuoka City, Aoi-Ku, Takajo, 2-8-19
Tel.: 054-253-6537
Opening hours: 11:30~13:30, 17:00~22:00
Closed on Mondays
Credit cards OK (Dinner only)

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Organic Cafe: Giono

October 22, 2009 dragonlife 4 Comments

GIONO-4

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Very fresh local ingredients extensively used. Seasonal ingredients only. All organic.

If you have the chance to visit Mishima City at the foot of Mount Fuji, there is a place where to enjoy a full day in an art-filled park of the highest level: Clematis no Oka/Clematis Hill.

VANGI-17

A free shuttle bus will take you from Mishima JR Station all the way to Nagaizumi Cho past vegetable farms and resort villas and drop you at this grand art complex in the middle of a forest.

It comprises two main parts:
-The Clematis Garden Area with an enormous (by Japanese standards) park with an infinite amount of flowers and a Museum/Park concept called the Vangi Statues Garden Art Museum, enough of a venue by itself.
-Buffet Area: not a diner-buffet area but the Bernard Buffet Museum you can either acceed to by shuttle or by walking across from the Vangi Park and a exquisite suspended bridge.
The Bernard Buffet is a major Museum in Japan with regular visiting exhibitions such as Leonard Foujita.
Check their great Homepage!

GIONO-1

Right in front of the Museum entrance stands an inviting cafe/restaurant/boutique.
You can choose a seat either inside the cafe or at one of the three parasol tables (choose the latter if possible).

GIONO-3

Open only for lunch in accordance to the Musuem business hours it offers an exclusively organic menu, be it vegan, vegetarian or omnivore.
Almost all vegetables are grown in neighbourhood gardens and farms.
Mishima City and its surroundings are a reference in Shizuoka Prefecture when it comes to agricultural produce of any kind, including organic and biological growing and raising.

GIONO-2

The menu is purely seasonal, and where not available locally, the ingredients, such as olive oil, are carefully chosen among products from France, Italy and other countries.
The Missus and I on that day opted for two different set-courses.
Both courses come with an appetizer. In this case, chilled vychissoise soup with olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh herbs, and a pot of organic vegetables salad.

GIONO-5

The Dragon (my other half) had a delicious mushroom and potato quiche. I managed to steal half of it! Beautifully light but satisfying, I must emulate it as soon as possible!

GIONO-6

The Rabbit (me!) ordered the deep-fried chicken in a batter containing 14 spices and garnished with organic fried potatoes. A lunch to convince you away from those famed/notorious diners (can you guess?)!

We were also offered a complimentary drink with the course.
Note: Lunches are served with a big bottle of water coming directly from the streams flowing down Mount Fuji!

GIONO
411-0931, Mshima City, Nagaizumi-Cho, Clematis Garden (Suruga Oka), 347-1, Bernard Buffet Museum
Tel.: 055-980-5856
Opening hours: 10:00~17:30 (lunches until 15:00). Time will change in winter.
Closed on Tuesdays or on Wednesdays if Tuesday is a National Holiday.
HOMEPAGE (English)