Tag Archives: 美食

Vegan Edamame Tofu

May 11, 2010 dragonlife 10 Comments

This is the season for fresh edamame and there are so many ways to accomodate them!
Have you ever thought of creating a vegan recipe with them and tofu.
Here is a simple way to please everyone!

Vegan Edamame Tofu!

INGREDIENTS: For about 6 people, unless you have a big appetite!

-Kinu Tofu/Silk Tofu: 400 g
-Edamame: 1 cup (boiled in salted water and extracted from their pods)
-Agar agar: 8g
-Water: 385 CC/about 2 cups
-Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
-Mirin/sweet sake: 1 tablespoon

-Vegan konbu dashi/seaweed soupstock: Check RECIPE: 1 cup/200 cc/ml
-Mirin/sweet sake: 3 tablespoons
-Soy sauce: 3 tablespoons
-Grated wasabi: as appropriate

RECIPE:

-Soak the agar agar in the water for at least two hours or overnight.

-Peel off the thin skin of each edamame. Borin work, I must admit, but worth it!

-Place the tofu over a bamboo strainer/zaru to take as much water off as possible.
Press the agar agar strongly to drain it of any water.
Drop the agar agra in 400 cc of water and simmer on a weak fire until completely dissolved.

-Drop the edamame, tofu, salt and mirin in a mixer/food processor.
Turn until you attain a smooth paste.

-In a large bowl pour the tofu mixture and add the dissolved agar agar a lttle at a time and mix well until all has been incorporated.
Pour the whole into a rectangular mold you will have wetted beforehand.

-Smooth the surface flat with a gum spatula. Knock down the mold on the working table a few times to ensure homogeneousity.
Let cool and place inside refrigerator.

-Mix the dashi, soy sauce and mirin/sweet sake.
Heat to just before boiling point. Switch off fire and let cool completely.
Keep in thefridge.

-Turn the edamame to fu over a cutting board.
Cut into 8 pieces and place them on serving dish as shown above.
Pour dashi drssing around it.
Decorate with a few edamame and some grated wasabi.

Enjoy!

Please check the new postings at:
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Fruit Cocktails by Wataru Matsumoto 5: Ginger

May 10, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: very professional and friendly.
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall.
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Fruit cocktails. Cozy and a comfortable, for ladies and gentlemen alike.

This is the fifth recipe of a (hopefully long) series of cocktails concocted by Wataru Matsumoto, owner/bartender at BOTANICAL (Comfort bar) in Shizuoka City.
No worries about copyrights as Mr. Matsumoto is only too happy to share his secrets!

This “Ginger” is not really a “fresh fruit cocktail”, but the notion is the same as a fresh vegetable that is sometimes eaten as a sweet is included.
It could also be called a variation of a Moscow Mule with the difference that ginger ale is replaced with fresh ginger and mineral water.

INGREDIENTS:

-Stick Ginger/Leaf Ginger (slender ginger root and stem): 1
-Lime juice: 1/6 of a standard measure
-Lime: 1 wedge
-Plain syrup: a dash
-Smirnoff Vodka: 1 standard measure
-Mineral water
-Ice

RECIPE:

-Grate the root part of the ginger and collect the juice. Cut off the stem as it will be used for decoration and as a stir utensil by the drinker.

-Drop ice in a long glass.

-Add ginger juice, lime juice, syrup and Smirnoff Vodka.

-Stir

-Add mineral water and stir gently.

Serve with the stick ginger stem and a wedge of lime.

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

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Shizuoka Sake
Shizuoka Shochu
Shizuoka Sushi
Sizuoka Gourmet

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/05/07)

May 7, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

10 Years of Baird Brewing; Nakameguro Taproom 2-Year Anniversary Celebration

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The older one gets, the faster time seems to fly by. Well, a full decade has logged itself into the history annals since the incorporation of Baird Brewing Company (March, 2000). Sayuri and I opened the doors of the Numazu Fishmarket Taproom for business in July 2000, serving Hoegaarden White and Guinness on tap and selling an array of American and Belgian craft beers. The brewing license for Baird Beer was granted finally in December, 2000, paving the way for the debut of Fisherman’s Wheat Ale, Kurofune Porter and Teikoku IPA in January, 2001.

We plan to celebrate ten years in business this year with the release of a series of commemorative Baird Beers. The first in this series is being released in conjunction with this weekends’ 2-year anniversary celebration of the opening of our Nakameguro Taproom. We call this special brew NT-2 Extra Imperial IPA.

NT-2 Extra Imperial IPA (ABV 8%):

Hoppy IPAs have always shared a warm spot in my brewing heart. This extra strong IPA finds its signature character in the hop flavor and aroma of two European varieties that I possess a strong sentimental attachment to: East Kent Golding and Styrian Golding. It was around these two hop varieties that I designed our original flagship IPA: Teikoku IPA. These varieties were unavailable to us for several years but they are back and look for their reappearance in upcoming batches of Teikoku IPA.

NT-2 Extra IPA carries 101 hop bittering units contributed largely by the trio of clean, high-alpha American varieties Warrior, Magnum and Galena. Flavor- and aroma-hopping are exclusively with a combination of East Kent Golding and Styrian Golding. We then triple dry-hop the beer, again with East Kent Golding and Styrian Golding, one week each in three different conditioning tanks. Finally, we krausened at packaging to produce a secondary fermentation, maturation and natural carbonation in keg.

NT-2 Extra IPA is available only on draught and only at the Nakameguro Taproom (although a couple brewer’s share kegs might be available at the Fishmarket Taproom also). Its release on Saturday, May 8 kicks off the 2-day Nakameguro Taproom 2-year anniversary celebration. Please join Sayuri and me there for a pint or two.

Hops, however glorious, are not the only arrow in our brewing quiver. We love to incorporate fresh, natural, local ingredients that can accentuate a beer’s base character and make it even more interesting and compelling. Thanks to our good friends at the pub Lavian Lee down in Shizuoka, we accessed some very good, locally grown ginger (shoga) that we immediately dedicated to the brewhouse. The result is a special Shoga Ale that also will debut on Saturday at the Nakameguro Taproom celebration and will be available only there and at Lavian Lee.

Shoga Ale (ABV 4.8%):

The idea behind this unique beer is simple: flavor and refreshment. Mild in gravity and alcohol strength, Shoga Ale is built on a very simple grist bill: 2 types of base malt and Japanese dark sugar (kokuto). The hopping is restrained at 20 bittering units, but clean and brisk. Center stage is given over to our friend Shoga, whose piquant, peppery, playful performance proves winning! This is an ale not to be missed but in very short supply.

Nakameguro Taproom 2-Year Anniversary Celebration:

For two days (Saturday-Sunday, May 8-9) we will be celebrating the 2-year birthday of our Nakameguro Taproom. During the celebration, all Baird Beer will be served at special (read cheap) Numazu prices. Discounts on our guest American beers also will be applicable. Additionally, the NT kitchen has come up with a wonderful beer-inspired buffet that is available for 1,500 yen per person (all-you-can-eat).

It is thanks to your patronage that the Nakameguro Taproom continues to increasingly flourish. Please plan to stop in and receive a personal thanks from Sayuri and me and the entire Nakameguro Taproom staff.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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

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日本語のブログ
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Shizuoka SakeTasting: Sanwa Brewery-Garyubai Junmai Genshu

May 4, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Sanwa Brewery in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City is one of the oldest still active breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture as it was founded in 1686 in Edo Era. Shimizu and Shizuoka were completely separated then. the Name “Sanwa/三和” could be literally translated as the “triple harmony” as it is actually the merger of three different breweries when Sanwa acquired neighbouring Koizumike and Shimizu Breweries about 30 years ago.

Sanwa Brewery, whose brewermaster hails from the Nanbu School in Iwate Prefecture, has the particularity of being the only brewery in Shizuoka Prefecture not to use the Shizuoka yeast, but nonetheless has conducted fruitful research in alternative rice strains.

Sanwa Brewery-Garyubai Junmai Genshu:

Rice: Nihonbare 100%
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees (genshu/no pure water added)
Dryness: +2
Acidity: 1.5
Contents: 1.8l
Bottled in March 2010

-Clarity: very clear

-Colour: transparent

-Aroma: Complex. Fruity and flowery. Apricot, bitter chocolate

-Body: Fluid

-Taste: Strong and delicious alcohol attack with junmai petillant back-up warming back of the palate.
Complex. Fruity: Pineapple, apricot, flowers, memories of bitter chocolate and coffee beans.
Lingers for a short while with a sweetish note ending in nuts.
Holds its own well with any food.

My nurukan set!

As “nurukan” (40~45 degrees), comes with dry nuts. Very pleasant with any food.

Overall: A slightly extravagant sake for any food, although one can definitely enjoy it for its own sake (sorry for the pun!)
Could be considered as a “strong” sake in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Definitely the type of sake for a Japanese dining party!

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/04/28)

April 28, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Releases; Golden Week Taproom Hours; Nakameguro Taproom 2-Year Anniversary

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The annual Japan Golden Week holiday is just around the corner and we are kicking it off with the release of three distinct spring seasonal beers: Four Sisters Spring Bock, Temple Garden Yuzu Ale, and Love Potion Ale.

Four Sisters Spring Bock (ABV 7%): This is a heavily wheated German-style Maibock brewed annually for spring release. It is bready, wholesome and extremely refreshing given its strength. It is available both in kegs and bottles (633 ml).
Temple Garden Yuzu Ale (ABV 6%): Yuzu is a Japanese citron fruit the aroma of which is gorgeously spicy and the flavor lemon-like tart. This sprite, snappy ale is fruited with yuzu and hopped in a complementary way. It is a perfect spring libation. It is available also both in kegs and bottles (633 ml).
Love Potion Ale (ABV 7%): Good beer is the lubricant to many wonderful things, none more important than love. Baird Beer and The Taproom played a lubricating role in last year’s matrimony struck between two great friends and patrons — Seiji and Naomi. Love Potion Ale, dark in color and strong in alcohol, is surprisingly sprite and wonderfully aromatic. It is at once playful and provocative yet strong and substantive — much like the love in a good relationship. Enjoy a pint in toast to Seiji and Naomi and their one-year anniversary! Love Potion is available draught-only in very limited quantities.
All three of these spring seasonals will be available beginning Friday, April 30.

Golden Week Taproom Hours

2010 Japan Golden Week kicks off for many this Thursday, April 29 with the the national holiday called Showa Day. All three Taprooms will be open from noon that day. Normal business hours will be observed on Friday, April 30. Then, from Saturday, May 1 through Wednesday, May 5, each Taproom again will open at noon. The Numazu Fishmarket Taproom will be closed for business on Thursday, May 6.

Please plan on spending a part of your Golden Week holiday with us at one of our Taprooms, drinking terrific beer and enjoying the warm camaraderie.

Nakameguro Taproom 2-Year Anniversary Celebration

The Nakameguro Taproom opened its doors for business on Saturday, May 10, 2008. It will be celebrating its 2-year birthday on the weekend of May 8-9 (Saturday-Sunday). During this 2-day party, Baird Beer will be served at low Numazu-prices and a wonderful all-you-can-eat buffet will be available for the hungry at 1,500 yen per person. Sayuri and I will be in attendance on Saturday helping to tap a very special 2-year anniversary ale (details forthcoming shortly). Please mark your calendar and plan on joining us for the festivities.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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Fruit Cocktails by Wataru Matsumoto 4: Blueberry

April 28, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

This is the fourth recipe of a (hopefully long) series of cocktails concocted by Wataru Matsumoto, owner/bartender at BOTANICAL (Comfort bar) in Shizuoka City.
No worries about copyrights as Mr. Matsumoto is only too happy to share his secrets!

INGREDIENTS:

-Bombay sapphire Gin: 1 standard measure
-Lanka Yoghurt Liqueur: 1 teaspoon
-Monin Myrtille Blueberry syrup: 1 teaspoon
-Cranberry juice: 1/2 standard measure
-Fresh blueberries: 6~
-Ice: 1/2 cup

RECIPE:

-Drop all ingredients in a food processor and turn until you obtain a rough kind of “smoothie”.

-Pour in medium white wine glass.

-Cut a large blueberry half way and “plant” it on the edge of the glass.

COMMENTS:

Not as sweet as one would imagine, but still a dessert of a cocktail!

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英語を読めれば次のブログを是非ご覧になって下い！
Shizuoka Sake
Shizuoka Shochu
Shizuoka Sushi
Sizuoka Gourmet

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Shizuoka SakeTasting: Fuji-Takasago Brewery-Takasago Premium Yamahai Dai-Ginjo Genshu Nama

April 27, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Fuji-Takasago Brewery certainly makes for long titles!
Located in Fujinomiya City, it is not truly a completely local brewery as it has been absorbed in a bigger conglomerate of the same name.
On the other hand, regular staff are local and the concept of sake brewing is very much according to the Shizuoka tradtion and tastes.

This particular bottle is pretty rare as only 30 (720 ml) of them were made before the rest of the batch was modified with water and more sterilization.

The sake was brewed according to the Yamahai method.
Although it is not a junmai (alcohol was added), it is a genshu, meaning than no pure water was further added to lower the alcohol content. Moreover it is a “nama”, meaning unpasteurized.

Fuji-Takasago Brewery-Takasago Premium Yamahai Dai-Ginjo Genshu Nama

Rice: Yamada Nishiki 100%
Rice milled down to 50%
Alcohol content: 18~19 degrees
Bottled in March 2010
Limited edition: 30 (720 ml) bottles

Clarity: very clear

Colour: Transparent

Aroma: Fruity, complex, fleeting, Pineapple, coconuts.

Body: Fluid

Taste: Sweetish attack. Turns dry and deliciously acid very quickly.
Complex. Cherries, coconuts, mirabelles, pineappple.
Fades away very quickly with notes of bitter chocolate, apricot, coffee beans and dry almonds.
Surprisingly mild for such a high alcohol content.
Holds its own so well with any food.

Overall: Surprisingly elegant for a Yamahai.
No wonder so many breweries in Shizuoka are tackling this kind of sake judged “rustic” in other Prefectures. Shizuoka yeast influence?
Most probably.
Another sake for all seasons, to be appreciated at all temperatures on its own or with food, chilled, at room temperature or “nurukan” (40~45 degrees)!

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Vegan Sushi at Sushi Ko (Shizuoka City, ’10/04/22)

April 23, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

4 Sprout Sushi Set!

Vegan and vegetarian sushi exists!
Although Im neither, I always make a pont to order a few vegan nigiri at my favourite sushi Restaurant, Shizuoka City.
Every time the Missus and I visit the restaurant like we did last night, Mr. Oda knows what’s coming!
Although it is easier in Shizuoka than anywhere else, one should be able to taste them at any sushi restaurant worth its name. A little smile and politeness will do wonders!

The first thing I asked (there will be a full posting soon about the whole meal!) was to devise a set of sprout sushi as shown in picture at top of this posting.
The first sprout was menegi/芽葱 or thin leek sprouts.

The second one was himesoba/姫蕎麦 or buckwheat sprouts.

The third one was mitsuba/三つ葉 or trefoil sprouts with beautiful leaves.

The fourth one was kawairedaikon／かわいれ大根 or daikon sprouts, lightly boiled and topped with umeboshi.

We did have a sushi roll which is vegan: shiso/始祖 or perilla leaves, natto/納豆 and umeboshi/梅干！

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)

Please check the new postings at:
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Fruit Cocktails by Wataru Matsumoto 3: Kinkan/Kumquat

April 21, 2010 dragonlife 6 Comments

This is the third recipe of a (hopefully long) series of cocktails concocted by Wataru Matsumoto, owner/bartender at BOTANICAL (Comfort bar) in Shizuoka City.
No worries about copyrights as Mr. Matsumoto is only too happy to share his secrets!

Fruit Cocktail 3:Kinkan/Kumquat

Kinkan/金柑 in Japanese means “Golden Orange” or kumquat!

INGREDIENTS:

-Kinkan/Kumquat: ~6
-Fresh ginger slices: 2
-Gin (Beefeater): 1 standard measure
-Sweet Ginger Ale
-Ice

RECIPE:

-Choose a long and fat glass.

-Drop enough ice in the glasss.

-Press the two slices of ginger. Pour the juice in the glass and drop the ginger slices in the glass, too.

-Pour the gin in the glass.

-Cut the kumquat in halves. squeeze them lightly over the glass before dropping them over the ice.

-Stir.

-Fill with Sweet Ginger Ale and stir again.

As it is an “eatable” (Wataru Matsumoto’s words!), serve with a long thin fork!

BOTANICAL (Comfort Bar)
420-0082 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 1-6-13, Shade Bldg, 1F
Tel.: 054-221-8686
Opening hours: 17:00~01:00
Closed on Mondays.
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
Warren Bobrow
Tokyo Terrace

————————-
英語を読めれば次のブログを是非ご覧になって下い！
Shizuoka Sake
Shizuoka Shochu
Shizuoka Sushi
Sizuoka Gourmet

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Takashima Brewery/Hakuin Masamune

April 20, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Takashima Brewery in Numazu has been receiving a lot of attention in Japan these last two years after being given the accolade by DANCYU magazine last year. Its brews are avidly searched through the nation. Although they are readuly available in Shizuoka, they are still a rarity elsewhere, except maybe in Tokyo.

Takashima Brewery: Hakuin Masamune, Shoukumi Mizu Junmaishyu Season III

This is a sake out of the ordinary as only 100% (1 to 1) ratio of water has been used in brewing the sake, whereas modern method makes use of 130~140% of water (rice being the basic 100% ratio base).
Furthermore it had been made in the old fashion when sake traders added water to sake bought in kegs to make it milder to the taste.
The alcohol was also lower than in present days.
Accordingly, takashima Brewery kept the alcohol level of this particular brew lower than usual as an experiment

Rice: Homarefuji and Aichi no Kaori (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60% (Homarefuji) and 65% (Aichi no Kaori)
Alcohol: under 15 degrees
Contents: 1.8l
Bottled in March 2010

Clarity: very clear

Colour: Golden hue

Aroma: Complex, flowery and fruity: pineapple, almonds.

Body: fluid

Taste: Soft and dry attack backed by junmai petilllant tingle.
Linger for a short while with a sweetish flowery note.
Complex, dry and fruity. Pienapple, almonds, brown sugar and apricots.
Very soft and pleasant on the palate.
Holds its own well with food with welcome acid note.

Overall: A sake for all seasons.
To be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature or “nurukan” (45 degrees).
Typical of Takashima Brewery.
Should please both ladies and gentlemen on its own or with any kind of meal.
An extremely underrated beauty!

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Fruit Cocktails by Wataru Matsumoto 2: Passion Fruit

April 16, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Passion Fruit Cocktail

This is the second recipe of a (hopefully long) series of cocktails concocted by Wataru Matsumoto, owner/bartender at BOTANICAL (Comfort bar) in Shizuoka City.
No worries about copyrights as Mr. Matsumoto is only too happy to share his secrets!

Fruit Cocktail 2: Passion Fruit

Passion fruit is readily available in Japan as it is grown in Kyushu and Okinawa Islands when not directly imported for Southern countries.
It makes for great colours, taste and even give this little extra “crunch”!

INGREDIENTS:

-Passion Fruit: a whole fresh fruit inside, seeds included.
-White Bacardi Rum: 1 standard measure
-Orange juice: 1 standard measure
-Fresh lime Juice: 1 standard measure
-Yoghurt Liqueur: 1 teaspoon
-Ice

RECIPE:

-Put everything in a shaker with plenty of ice.

-Shake well.

-Serve in a long glass over a few cubes of ice and stir.
Decorate with a fresh sprig of mint.

BOTANICAL (Comfort Bar)
420-0082 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 1-6-13, Shade Bldg, 1F
Tel.: 054-221-8686
Opening hours: 17:00~01:00
Closed on Mondays.
Credit Cards OK

————————-
英語を読めれば次のブログを是非ご覧になって下い！
Shizuoka Sake
Shizuoka Shochu
Shizuoka Sushi
Sizuoka Gourmet

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/04/14)

April 14, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Three 2010 World Beer Cup Gold Medals

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The World Beer Cup is a bi-annual competition of world beers generally thought of as the “Olympics” of beer. The 2010 World Beer Cup — the world’s largest ever commercial beer competition with 642 breweries from 44 countries entering 3,330 beers in 90 beer style categories — was just held in Chicago where medal winners were announced at a gala dinner on Saturday, April 10. I am thrilled to report that Baird Beer took home a competition-tying best three gold medals!

The Baird gold-medal awarded beers are:

(1) Numazu Lager (American-Style Amber Lager category)

(2) Country Girl Kabocha Ale (Specialty Beer category)

(3) Saison Sayuri (Belgian- and French-Style Ale category)

To receive this level of international recognition from our world brewing peers is deeply satisfying to us and, hopefully, encouraging to this nascent but steadily developing market for craft beer in Japan. For more information on the World Beer Cup, please visit its website at: www.worldbeercup.org.

We will be celebrating this 2010 World Beer Cup success at the Numazu Fishmarket Taproom this coming Friday evening (April 16) with a pre-release party for gold-medal winning Saison Sayuri. We, of course, also will be pouring (and celebrating) Numazu Lager and will have a limited quantity of the remaining bottles of Country Girl Kabocha Ale on hand. Doors open at 5:00 pm.

The celebrating moves to Tokyo on Saturday, April 17, where a second round of Saison Sayuri pre-release parties will be happening at the Harajuku and Nakameguro Taprooms. Sayuri and I will be in attendance at Harajuku in the afternoon and at Nakameguro later that evening. We also will plan to arrange for kegs of this year’s champion small brewery, Ballast Point Brewing Company (imported by Nagano Trading) to be pouring from a couple taps at the Nakameguro Taproom. Please plan on joining us at one venue or another for this special celebration and Saison Sayuri sneak-preview launch.

The general release of Saison Sayuri will take place on Monday, April 19. It will be available both on draught and in 633 ml bottles.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
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Baird Beer Awarded 3 Gold Medals at World Beer Cup 2010!

April 12, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

The Brewers Asociation Has Announced the winners of the World Beer Cup 2010!

Bryan Baird who brews Baird Beer in Naumazu has been awarded the Golds Medals in:

Category 8: Specialty Beer (27 Entries)
Beer name: Country Girl Kabocha Ale
Brewer: Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan

Category 36: American-Style Amber Lager (24 Entries)
Beer Name: Numazu Lager
Brewer: Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan

Category 42: Belgian- and French-Style Ale (57 Entries)
Beer name: Saison Sayuri
Brewer: Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan

Sayuri and Bryan, congratulations and thanks for putting Numazu and Shizuoka on the Beer World Map!!

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

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

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Gastronomic Cycling in Shizuoka: 8-Takajo Story 1

April 8, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Picture of Falcon/Taka at Inari Shinto Shrine

Takajo is one of the oldest traditional quarters/precincts (in Japanese 町. Pronouce “machi” or “chyo”) in Shizuoka City.
It already existed more than 500 years ago when our city had a different name, Sumpu, and the Shogun Tokugawa Ieayasu came here to retire from politics.
The city and its depedencies were then divided into precise “machi”, each defined by the craft or profession of its inhabitants.
Takajo/鷹匠, meaning falconry was initially occupied by falcon breeders and their families. Falconry was a favourite past time of the nobility and a statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu with a falcon standing on his wrist is a celebrated sight in town. Accordingly the falconry guild wielded a lot of power in the daily affairs of the city.
Whether it stretched then as far as it presently does is difficult to verify, but the main shinto shrine, Inari Jinja, clearly indicates it lay near Sumpu Castle acroos from the precinct called Sumpu-Jo, the political centre of the City in Edo Era.

The Inarai Shinto Shrine in Takajo 1 Cho-me.

Although the name of Takajo had existed as the name of a village for more than 500 years, it got official recognition as the name of a distinct village only in 1876 and was finally incorporated into Shizuoka City, which has changed its name from Sumpu, in 1890 with three subdivions, or cho/丁 (or called cho-me/丁目 when counted).
In 1945 a part of the third “cho” was incorporated in neighbouring Tenma-Cho, and again in 1966 some areas of Takajo became part of Sumpu-Jo district.

Inari Shinto Shrine/稲荷神社 is probably the oldest living site (although it has been rebuilt numerous times) as it was erected in 1631. It was officially recognized as the Shinto Shrine of Takajo first “cho” in 1879 by the Meiji Emperor Govenment.
For all these years I have lived and worked almost across the road, I haven’t heard yet of an ofiicial shrine for the second and third “cho”.

As Shizuoka City was in great part destroyed during WWII, Takajo grew again in a somewhat haphazard manner in spite of its straight narrow streets.
For long it was a fairly drab residential area with dark alleys at night, although it never bore a notorious reputation.

If you look around, that is along the “back streets”, you still can find old tradional Japanese houses!

Until the 1980’s questions and queries about that particular area did not raise as mauch as an eyebrow, but with the end of the bubble economy, this quiet and almost comatose part of the city suddenly became the focus of many a shop owner’s attention, be they restaurants, bars, fashion shops, antique shops or cake shops to the point that Takajo was soon dubbed as the “Daikanyama” of Shizuoka City in imitation of the fashionable district in Tokyo.

Pupan, a high quality but expensive cake shop/bakery.

The area has now become so replete with “small” businesses that is has become a destination ofits own worth for shoppers and revellers at any times of the day and night.
One would sorely be tried to describe the whole district in a pre-ordained manner unless one would be pedantic enough to grid it into a meaningless pattern. It is simply a maze (I was going to say an amazing labyrinth) and one had better follow his/her instinct when exploring it!

Look out for some beautiful noren/暖簾 or shop entrance curtains, especially old homes reclaimed as restaurants!

The best ay to vist the whole place at leisure is naturally my good bicycle which allows me to rapidly reach a certain spot where I will leave it (don’t worry, nobody is going to steal it!) before I can espy places of interest and steal a picture or two:

Inari Shinto Shrine entrance as seen from the shrine front yard.

This very old shop sells “Abekawa Mochi”, a traditional wagashi/Japanese cake made in this city for than 400 years!

Another noren/暖簾, shop entrance curtain!

This place sells succulent soft ice creams made with matcha tea and kinako!

Do you remember the pasta at this Italian Restaurant?

And the Foie gras at this French restaurant?

Alright, I’ll start introducing (re-introducing)them all with other sights from the next posting!LOL
It promises to be loooonnnngggg series!

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

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Fruit Cocktails by Wataru Matsumoto 1: Haaru Lemon

April 6, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

(Courtesy of Yoko Kosugi)

As promised, I’m starting this (hopefully long) series of cocktails concocted by Wataru Matsumoto, owner/bartender at BOTANICAL (Comfort bar) in Shizuoka City.
No worries about copyrights as Mr. Matsumoto is only too happy to share his secrets!

Fruit Cocktail 21: Haaru lemon

Haaru lemon is a Japanese brand of Meyer lemon, a very sweet lemon with an orange skin.

INGREDIENTS:

-Haaru lemon: 1
-Gin (Beefeater): 1 standard measure
-Syrup: 1 dash
-Ice
-Mineral Water

RECIPE:

-Cut out a wedge of the Haaru lemon.

-In a shaker, press the rest of the Haaru lemon and pour the gin and syrup over enough ice.

-Shake well.

-Pour in a long glass over a large cube of ice.

-Fill with mineral water. Stir gently. Add the lemon wedge and serve!

BOTANICAL (Comfort Bar)
420-0082 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 1-6-13, Shade Bldg, 1F
Tel.: 054-221-8686
Opening hours: 17:00~01:00
Closed on Mondays.
Credit Cards OK