Tag Archives: グルメ

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Shizuoka Miwa Agriroad (revisited)

As I’m starting writing articles on farming for the local government who have recently decided to promote farming on a grand scale, I thought it was about time to have a deeper look at Agriroad, one of the many local markets run by local farmers associations, notably farmers’ wives.

It is not big by any standards, but the local know you will find products of great quality and freshness as they start queuing up well before 9:30 a.m. when the market opens!

It is not all about food! And I can assure all those beautiful flowers, cut moments before, disappear very quickly!

First things first. I know that I will have a few minutes to spare before all the best morsels vanish from view!
Basket in hand I hunt along the venerable ladies and gentlemen sent by their families to grab food for their home pots! I can talk to peple and take photographs later!
Those round yellow zucchini were soon hidden at the bottom of my basket.

All vegetables bear the name of their grower and the sale date limit and (ridiculously) cheap prices! Most are organic, too!

Benihoppe/red cheeks strawberries, a strain first grown in Shizuoka in 2002!

Italians are welcome with all these sweet tomatoes!

My good friend, Mres. Natsuko Koyanagi, preparing Yomogu Kintsuba cakes, a vegan treat!

My students took care of these later!

Traditional Japanese sugar cakes (vegan!) prepared by some of the 100+ members!

Great jams made with local fruit and no additives or preservatives!

Japanese home-made cheese cakes!

No need to cook at home. Take these yummy tempura back home! All labelled with the name of their creator and all ingredients used!

More food for vegans!

Would you believe that these tradtional Japanese desserts qualify as vegan!

These are the vegetables I bought for an izakaya owner friend of mine:
3 yellow round zucchini, 1 bunch of fresh young carrots, 2 bunches of Hatsuka Daikon (“Twenty Days Daikon), 1 bunch of gobo/burdock root, all organic.

How much?
4 US $!

Shizuoka Miwa Agriroad (JA)
〒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)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat

Please check the new postings at:
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Vegan Sashimi at Yasaitei (2010/06/30)

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: very clean
Prices: reasonable
Specialty: Vegan and vegetarian Cuisine, Izakaya gastronomy, local products, oden.

The summer has come to Shizuoka with a vengeance after an unseasonably cool period. One has problems making and devising food and meals for such a period. It is when you have to think of a higher fluid/water and vitamin intake to complement your “usual” diet/eating prctices.

This is when fresh vegetables are vital!
Luckily enough, Shizuoka Prefecture is the most blessed region in Japan when it comes to varieties and quality.

Just go arond the innumerable small markets in town and suburbs and you will rediscover the riot of colours at Yasaitei, which almost exclusively serve local produce!

Do not forget that mushrooms can play a vital role in your diet!

One knows very quickly where all these beauties come from: Green asparaguses from Hokkaido!

I had a long day both indoors and outdoors yesterday, and I was literally dehydrated when I entered my favourite izakaya.
The fresh colours of yuba/tofu sheets served with grated Shizuoka wasabi and thinly shredded leek were a balm on my eyes and body.
With a glass of Doman rice shochu from Tenjigura-Hamamatsu Brewery, I could patiently wait for my vegetable sashimi order!

Just a little soy sauce with it, nothing else!

A side view of the picture at the top of this posting.

A slanted view to show the mizu nasu/water egg plant, a Japanese variety that is best eaten raw, cruchy celery, crunchy (and so juicy) daikon on shiso, perilla leaf atop chopped onions, crunchy and juicy (again) cucumber and small radish!
The dressing/dip consisted as usual of fine salt, miso paste and sesame oil!

I finish my quick snack/meal with a corn cream and fresh carrot combination. Does not qualify as vegan, but certainly does as vegetarian!

YASAITEI
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-Cho, 1-6-2 Green Heights Wamon 1-C
Tel.: 054-2543277
Business hours: 17:30~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Reservations highly recommended
Seating: 6 at counter + 20 at tables
Set Courses: 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 yen
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat

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Vegan Japanese Dessert: Yomogi Kintsuba/”Mugwort Sabre Guard”

I visited JA (Japan Agriculture) Agriroad Supermarket in Miwa, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City this morning. Good exercise, as it is a 40-minute bicycle ride from my home up along the Abe River!

I had the pleasure to meet an old acquaintance, Mrs. Natsuko Koyanagi who works there on Wednesdays.
Actually she is one of the 15 out of a total of over 100 members of Agri Road working in shifts at the JA Agriroad Supermarket. All members are local farmer housewives who decided to form this association with subsidies from the Japan Agriculture Ministry as a “side business” to contribute to their husbands’ earnings. They grow their own food, flowers and cook take-away meals all sold at that supermarket. There are quite a few more in this city, all with a different name, but sharing the same purpose.

her specialty is making “Yomogi kin Tsuba” every Wednesday morning.
And I can tell you these do not stay long as they are freshly made in fornt of the customers who very often make personal orders through the phone early in the morning when she is prparing the batter and the sweetmeats!

Yomogi is mugwort.
Not to be confused with tujone, which was used to make the “Green Fairy”, aka Absinthe, which is now prohibited in its origanl form.
Mugwort grows almost everywhere in Japan and has been used as food and medicinal herb since immemrial times.
It is particularly rich in palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, Vitamin A, B1 and B2!
It is particularly popular as tempura and cakes.
It is first crushed and worked into a paste before being mixed with water and flour.
Now, Mrs. Koyanagi uses only “Chikona wheat flour”, that is flour from wheat only grown and ground locally ensuring for the best quality and back tracing.
Moreover, she makes her own anko/sweetmeats with strictly locally-grown azuki beans and sugar.
Nothing else! I can assure you that vegans couls feed on them all day!LOL

Now, why the name “kintsuba”?
Kintsuba means sword guard. It has three openings, the middle one for the blade, the other two for the pins to secure the same blade and guard together.

As explained above, Mrs. Koyanagi prepares her own batter to a sticky paste, solid enough to be able to wrap it around a ball of anko.
She will then drop the cake on a hot plate (coated with a little oil) and press it with her three middle fingers so as to attain the shape of a sword guard!
Important note: Mrs. Koyanagai wears medical gloves during the whole operation.
Actually, one more reason she makes these cakes is because she receives the visit of many Nepalese through her charity work abroad. As her Asian friends are most of the time strict vegetarians, it becomes a double pleasure for her to feed them!

Incidentally, yomogi kintsuba was a very popular cake with the samurais of old times!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat

Please check the new postings at:
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French Cuisine: Lunch at Tetsuya Sugimoto (new formula)

Service: personal and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Very fresh local ingredients extensively used. Seasonal ingredients of the best quality only.
no-smoking-logoentirely non-smoking!

Since the beginning of June, Tetsuya Sugimoto has re-started with the formula he had so much success with in his former restaurant: a one-man (solo) show!
Tell the truth, he was more or less forced to do it, but he admits that he is quite happy as things are now. After all, his clients are slow food fans in the broadest sense!

On the blackboard outside the prices have been done without. Only the new arrivals of the day are featured: Vegetables from Mr. Yano (Hamamatsu City), Bio Farm Satsuki (Fujinomiya City), Mikatahara Kaneko (Hamamatsu City), Suzuki Noen (Hamamatsu City), Milk Lamb from Iida Bokujyo (Hamamatsu City),….

The Menu has also dispensed with set menus and the like,
Actually, the best way to order your repast is to consult Mr. Sugimoto and either give him a budget to work with, or ask him to arrange this and that. The guests and the chef devise the meal together, a rarity in Japan!

As for the seating the 7 tables seating two each can be arranged in any pattern thanks to white partitions ensuring privacy if needed. The latter can be taken out quickly in case of a party.

5 can sit at the counter, my favourite place when coming alone.
It allows me to stand up any time and chat with the chef while he is cooking!

Although Mr. Sugimoto is a bit shy, he will gladly let you take pictures if you ask nicely!

Here are the vegetables we had agreed on to go with the meat.
All are from Shizuoka Prefecture, except the dark carrots from Hokkaido.

The meat was shoulder from a 3-month old lamb.

The appetizer was fish rillettes prepared with Cognac, Pernod, Fresh cream and white miso!

The second appetizer was white asparaguses from Hokkaido.

Boiled to perfection and served with a light sauce made with pheasant bouillon and Japanese fermented butter.

Be it daytime or night time, a couple of glasses of wine are always in order!

Les Airs, Cotes du Rhone red 2007, unfiltered by Les Vignerons d’Estezargues, 14.5 degrees proof of alcohol. Very solid, fruity, rustic wine with big notes of red fruit and cassis in aroma,soft on the palate in spite of its obvious strength, welcome acidity, lingers long enough to be fully appreciated. Well-chosen, if not famous, wine!

Now, for the main dish!

The lamb was cooked rare, barel seasoned and served with Madeira sauce.

The vegetables were slightly boiled before being fried or deep-fried to preserve their crunchiness and flavors.
Eating them one at a time is a true gastronomic experience even for an omnivore.

Desserts are a must at Tetsuya Sugimoto!
Light and full of flavours, they will actually benifit your health!
Creme d’ange made with Hokkaido Fromage Blanc (Hokkaido No Kyodo Gakusha) with vincoto sauce and rhubarb puree and Hon Yama Seicha Mousse made with green tea from Shizuoka!

Great coffee and amuse-bouches to top it all!

Had it not been lunch, I would have ordered a digestif or a glass of Shizuoka Sake that the chef always keeps handy!

Tetsuya SUGIMOTO
420-0038 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Umeya, 2-13, 1F
Tel./Fax: 054-251-3051
Opening hours: 11:30~13:30 (last orders), 18:00~21:00 (last prders)
Day off: varying, please phone beforehand.
Reservations strongly recommended.
Vegetarian or vegan meals on request.
Private parties possible.
Credit Cards OK

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Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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Vegan Japanese Yama Imo Salad

Yama Imo is Yam in English.
As said many a time before, it is a very healthy vegetable.
The Japanese often eat it raw in salads or as an appetizer.
Here is a very simple suggestion for vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike!
Great with beer or Japanese sake!

INGREDIENTS:

-Yama Imo/Yam: 1/4
-Ooba/Large shiso/perilla leaves (if not available, use perilla leaves): 3~4
-Soy sauce: of your choice and as appropriate. (can be replaced with ponzu)
-Wasabi: grated as appropriate.

RECIPE:

-Peel yama imo.
Cut it in 5~7 cm-long and 1/2cm wide strips/sticks.
If you find cutting it raw diificult, freeze it first, then cut. It will re-attain its original state very quickly.

-On a serving dish, make a bed of leaves.
Place yama imo sticks as shown on pics.

-For the sauce, you can either mix the soy sauce (or ponzu) with the grated wasabi and serve it in small dish for dipping if you use chopsticks.
If you use a fork, pour the sauce over the yam imo.

Note: I use sprinkle the yama imo with plenty of roasted sesame seeds for extra taste and crunch!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat

Please check the new postings at:
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French Dessert: Chilled Musk Melon Soup at Pissenlit

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
no-smoking-logoentirely non-smoking!

This is the “third part” of my previous lunch at Pissenlit, dessert!

Musk Melons are a specialty of Fukuroi City, where more than 300 farmers grow them in a great environment, most of the time organic!

This dessert for all its simple concept, was a true dlicacy.
Half of it was soup made with flesh and juice of musk melon, and the other half of musk melon quarters you scoope out with yor spoon with some of the grapefruit sorbet wimming on top!

It certainly deserved a separate posting!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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Italian Cuisine: Appetizers at Acqua Di Fonte (3)

As I said before, I’ve found over the years that in Japan, and especially Shizuoka, that it is more fun to ask for a few appetizers with a couple of glasses of good wine at Italian Restaurants (mind you, the same would apply to Spanish Restaurants and izakayas!) than to go for the full course repeatedly in the same restaurant.
When a good and unpretentious restaurant like Acqua Di Fonte in Shizuoka City agrees to it, it is simply great fun!

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: very clean all around
Prices: reasonable
Specialty: Central and south Italian-style cuisine. Very reasonables prices. Very reasonably-priced wines.
no-smoking-logo1 Non-smoking at tables and most of the counter!

From left to right: tsubugai/small turbo shells, shako/squilla and Zucchini Flowers Fritto (stuffed with cheese).

Nasu/egg-plants-aubergines, shishito/Japenese peppers, tuna flakes, maitake mushrooms and kabocha/Japanese pumpkin.

Salami in front.

Home-made duck confit in the front.

ACQUA DI FONTE Antica Osteria
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 1-10-10, Pia Takajo, 1F
Tel. & Fax: 054-266-6440
Opening hours: 11:30~14:00, 18:00~22:00
Closed on Wednesdays and first Tuesday
Credit cards OK (Dinner only)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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Italian Cuisine: Genovese Sauce Trofie Pasta

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: clean
Prices: reasonable
Specialty: Central and south Italian-style cuisine. Home-made pasta. Very reasonables prices
no-smoking-logo1 Non-smoking!

The owners of Il Castagno having just come back from a 4-week long holiday all over Italy, I thought it was about time to “check” them again!
They make all by pasta by hand and endeavour whenever possible to use local produce.
As I have already introduced this favourite restaurant of mine, I will only introduce either antipasri, pasta or single dishes like I do for other restaurant.

This particularly delicious pasta consists of Trofie, or thin twisted pasta, which have to be rolled one by one btween the palms of the hands.

The Genovese sauce was made with basil, cress, wanuts and almonds (the latter two roasted whole and ground into powder.
It was added with zucchini, string beans, small pieces of potatoes, seasoning and Parmegiano.

A large shrimp was placed on top for more taste and colour contrast.

Delicious!

IL CASTAGNO
420-0843 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Tomoe Cho, 48 (along Kitakaido Street)
Tel. & Fax: 054-247-0709
Business hours: 11:45~14:00, 17:30~21:00
Closed on Mondays and second Tuesdays
Lunch: 1,260 and 1,860 yen
Dinner: 4,000 and 5,000 yen
A la Carte menu and wine list available. Wine by the glass ok
Reservations recommended.
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Food & Drinks Bloggers in Japan (expanded on 2010/06/27)

The number of foreigners and Japanese nationals who write about the food and drinks in Japan in English (or at least answer comments in English) has remarkably increased lately.
I thought it was about time to start some kind of round-up to help people discover these deserving foodies and their blogs!The list below is far from exhaustive, but I’m planning to update and announce it regularly!
Of course if you know more foodies residing in Japan, do please direct them to me and I will introduce them gladly!

HOKKAIDO TRIBE
(Hokkaido Island)
Meishu no Yutaka by Carlin

TOHOKU TRIBE
(Norteastern Japan: Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima)
Slow Food From Japan by Nigel Fodgen in Miyagi Prefecture.

KANTO TRIBE
(Eastern Japan: Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa)
Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass by Melinda Joe in Tokyo
Tokyo Foodcast by Etsuko Nakamura in Tokyo
Sake World by John Gauntner in Tokyo: The inernational Reference for Japanese Sake!
Tokyo Terrace by Rachael in Tokyo
Gaijin Tonic in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture
Nonjatta by Chris Bunting in Tokyo
The Soul Of Japan in Kanagawa Prefecture
Sake, kimono and Tabi In Tokyo
Tokyo Kawai, Etc… in Tokyo
Blue Lotus in Tokyo
The Japanese Food Report by Harris Salat in Tokyo
The Sake Chronicles in Tokyo
Watashi to Tokyo by Mari kanazawa in Tokyo
Japanese Food-Food Lover’s Guide by Yukari Yamamoto in Tokyo
Gaijin Life by a Canadian gentleman in Tokyo
Leo’s Japan Food Blog in Tokyo
Eating Out In Tokyo With Jon

CHUBU TRIBE
(Central Japan: Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi)
Good Beer & Country Boys in Aichi Prefecture
Yellin Yakimono Gallery by Robert Yellin in Shizuoka Prefecture
Mangantayon in Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Gourmet, Shizuoka Sake, Shizuoka Sushi, Shizuoka Shochu in Shizuoka Prefecture
Bryan Baird’s Beer & Brewery in Numazu in Shizuoka Prefecture

KANSAI TRIBE
(Western Japan: Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Kyoto, Wakayama)
Colorfood Daidokoro in Osaka (Englis & French)
Dominique Corby In Osaka (in French, but can answer and read in English)
Nagaijin in Osaka
Kyoto Foodie in Kyoto
Our Adventures in Japan by K and S Minoo in Osaka
Japan Food Addict by Mai in Kyoto

CHUGOKU
(“Central Country”: Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi)
Get Hiroshima Blog in Hiroshima

SHIKOKU
(Shikoku Island: Kagawa, Kochi, Ehime, Tokushima)
Obachan’s Kitchen & Garden Balcony in Kochi Prefecture
Still Clumsy With Chopsticks in Kochi Prfecture (Continuation of Obachan’s Kitchen & Garden Balcony)

KYUSHU
(Kyushu Island: Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Saga, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima)
Not yet!

OKINAWA
(Okinawa Archipelago)
HWN Pake in Okinawa in Chatan, Okinawa

Indecent Tomato?

I’m bound to be for a lot of flak from Bazooka Gourmet with this one! LOL
Rainy Sunday today, and the Missus before going to work asked me to prepare some ratatouille for dinner.
I still needed quite a few ingredients vefore starting cooking and went to the neighbourhood supermarket.

I noticed some locally grown organic tomatoes sold in a small bunches.

They looked and felt pretty ripe (BG, keep quiet!), just perfect for the ratatouille.

When I opened the vynil bag they were wrapped in at home I discovered two “siamese twins” in a very peculiar arrangement.
I just couldn’t help taking pics before “separating” them for cooking!
I don’t really know how to call them; indecent? Sensuous? Pervert?…

I’m sur BG will come with something!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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Beef Cheek and Wild Boar by Yasushi Imaizumi

Because of my work and my love for food, whatever gastronomy, I’m blessed with friends in Japan and elsewhere who are always keen to share their experiences.
Yasushi Imaizumi is a very old Japanese friend for whom I also work regularly as a trouble shooter for his fashion clothes company.
As he extensively travels all year round in Japan and abroad, he cooks a lot back home.
A few days ago, he came to my working place with a tupperware full with sauce he had just made.
Only later, I found out that the pasta sauce had been made as a second part of a whole dinner he cooked himself at home.
In the picture above is Beef Cheek stewed in beer as served at the Restaurant in Nao Jima Setonaikai, a restaurant restaurant produced by Stella Maris.
He served his own fried potatoes, and fresh pasta and the meat topped with a julienne of onion, celery and carrot with olive oil.

Now, the sauce for the pasta back (my) home was made with wild boar (70%) stir fried in olive oil with beef (20%) and pancetta (10%).
stir fried [sofuritto] with onion, celery, carrot,, red wine, beef bouillon, Banyuls, basil, nutmeg, tomato, salt and pepper about 2 hours, later seasoned with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Very hearty, delicious and extravagant!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Morimoto Brewery/Sayogoromo Chouki Ikusei Shikomi Junmai

Hidetoshi Morimoto, owner and brewmaster at Morimoto Brewery in Kikugawa City, is at it again! That is, he just will not “follow the lines” and call his brews as others, more traditionally-minded, would…
This sake, which should have been simply called a “Yamahai” finds itself slated as “Chouki Ikusei Shubo Shikomi Junmai, meaning a “junmai which has nurtured for a long time in my sake factory”!
Well, I don’t mind Hidetoshi’s idyosincracies as long as he creates these marvels!

Rice milled down to 60% (koji/fermented rice) and 65% (plain rice)
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees/genshu/no water added
Bottled in May 2010
Contents: 1.8 l

Clarity: very clear
Colour: transparent
Aroma: Fruity, complex, sweetish. Banana, vanilla with memories nuts and coffee beans.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Dry attack backed with some alcohol. Warms up the back of the palate.
Dry pineapple.
Disappears fairly quickly with memories of nuts, macadamia nuts and custard.
Stays very dry with food with more pineapple.
Surprising “gap” between aroma and taste.

Overall: A typical sake from Morimoto Brewery!
Hidetoshi Morimoto cares little about “pleasing people”… His sake, in spite of making use of Shizuoka yeast are “off the norm” in this Prefecture.
A sake for all seasons and all meals, although eminently enjoyable on its own.
Definitely on the “macho side”, uncompromising!


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, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
——————————–
Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Shamo Chicken from Umegashima at Pissenlit

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
no-smoking-logoentirely non-smoking!

This is the “second part” of my previous lunch at Pissenlit.
As it is not fit for vegans or vegetarians, I kept separate, although organic vegetables do figure in this great gastronomic experience!

As for the meat, it is roasted chicken.
But the chicken is very special: Of the shamo/軍鶏 variety, it is some some of the best chicken available in this country.
Moreover, it was kept in a natural habitat in Umegashima, up in the mountains near the source of the Abe River, and fed only with natural food.

As for the vegetables, they are all organic.
The onions on the zucchini slice are confit, and the sauce is Provencal in concept with high quality EV oil and local tomatoes, garlic, and so forth.

The chicken breast with its skin roasted to crunchy perfection was placed atop a grilled slice of aubergine with Okahijiki, Komatsuna and Morokko Ingen/large string beans, all organically grown in Mishima City by Mr. Hideyaki Hirooka.

An “internal” view of the dish!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Hatsu Kame Brewery/Futsushu

Sake can be truly extravagant in Shizuoka Prefecture, when you realize that futsushu/regular sake accounts for only 18% of its total production as compared to over 60% nationwide.
Not only this but futsushu made here uses rice that has been polished down to 70% and even less!

Hatsukame Brewery/Futsushu
Rice milled down to 65%

Clarity: very clear
Color: transparent
Aroma: discreet, fruity, almonds, nuts
Body: velvety
Taste: Sweetish attack. Shortish tail. Fruity: almonds, nuts, bitter chocolate.
Keeps well with any food.
Overall: Pleasant on the palate and tongue. Eminently drinkable.
Simply extravagant for a futsushu.
Great with food. Drinks up very quickly.
Can be savoured chilled, at room temperature or lukewarm (“nurukan”).
Certainly qualify for more than as futsushu/regular.


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, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
——————————–
Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Imo Souffle (Naga Imo Souffle)

After extolling the virtues of yams/imo in another posting, I thought I had to introduce a few simple Japanese recipes using this very useful vegetable!
This recipe is more a combination of Japanese and French gastronomy than anything else. It has the merit to be very simple and healthy!
No need for an ove, a simple grill is enough!

The yam used in this particular recipe is “naga imo/長いも or long yam”.

The same, cleaned and cut!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 people

-Yam/naga imo: 150 g
-Egg: 1
-White dashi/shirodashi/shiradshi (if not available, plain dashi or souptock of your choice): 1 tablespoon
-Flour: 1 teaspoon
-Salt, pepper and spices: if and as you like!

RECIPE:

-Peel the yam and grate into a bowl.

-Add the beaten egg, dashi, flour and (optional) seasoning and mix well.

Pour into shallow oven dish and cook in the grill for 5~10 minutes.
Serve at once!

Simple, ain’t it?

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi