Tag Archives: 観光

French Bistro: Ninosa in Shizuoka City!

September 11, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: excellent overall cleanliness
Prices: reasonable to slightly expensive, good value.
Strong points: Bistro-style gastronomy

For all the great restaurants, especially French and Italian, serving exquisite modern gastronomy in Shizuoka Prefecture there are still a few (very good) establishments creating and serving unpretentious food along more traditional/classic lines.
I recently had the occasion to sample dinner in such a restaurant, namely Ninosa, a French-style bistro located away from the bustling center of Shizuoka City.

As unpretentious it might be, they still have a very appropriate and reasonably-priced wine list. This riesling wine called Andlau from French Alsace certainly married well with the food of the day!

You can choose whether to eat the French way or the Japanese way!

The menu is easy enough to read but you might need bring a Japanese-speaking friend along!

An appetizer graciously offered with the wine!

A French bistro classic: “Fromage de Tete”!

“Fromage de Tete” in French means “Head Cheese”, and is a jelly-based terrine made with different parts of the head of a pig, notably the nose, cheeks and ears!

A dish that brought back memories from my native France!

Yummy-looking, isn’t it?

The French love North African cuisine and Ninosa has come up with a dish combining Moroccan and Japanese gastronomies:
Scallops and Snow Crab Pastilla!

It certainly looked very appetizing lying on its bed of julienned vegetables!

A great use of local vegetables!

Tender and delicate seafood inside a light and crusty pie!

Another French Bistro classic: Young Duck Roast served with Porto Wine sauce!

Cooked to perfection!

Another great use of local vegetables!

If I may allow myself a single reproach I would say that they could have served a bit more of this succulent mashed potato!

If I had to find a single reason to visit Ninosa, it would be their desserts!
Peach Compote!

The peach is served atop its own jelly!
Frankly speaking, there were too many things to taste inside this dessert! LOL

Not to mention the tantalizing home-made vanilla ice-cream!

Home-made jelly sweets with coffee for the finishing touch!

To be followed…. of course! LOL

NINOSA
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Shintori, 1-10-11
Tel.: 054-251-3502
Business hours: 11:30~13:30, 18:00~21:00
Closed on Wednesdays and 3rd Tuesday
Credit Cards OK

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With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

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

美食, Dessert, 観光, 農業, Fruit, Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Summer Desserts at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

September 10, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to slightly expensive, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
Entirely non-smoking!

As promised let me introduce you to the desserts I shared with my good friend the other day at Restaurant Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

The title for this superb dessert was “Chilled Musk Melon Soup with Paris School” Cognac Sorbet!

The soup was conceived with white wine and musk melon from Fukuroi City, the major musk melon producing city in Japan.
The sorbet was made with French Cognac.
The two together exploded inside the palate with all kinds of flavors happily fighting with each other for supremacy!
Not a dessert to be handled by children!

The title for the second dessert was purposefully kept vague: “Today’s three-Sorbet Assortment”…

It certainly became a tantalizing dilemma to find the right order to sample the sorbets!
Watermelon…
or Cognac…
or Tropical Fruit…!?
For once, I kept my instincts in check and savored them slowly one by one!

I belatedly realized that the accompanying fruit were in direct relation with the sorbets!
Watermelon…watermelon sorbet!
Mango…tropical fruit sorbet!
Grapes…Cognac sorbet!

Alright, the organic mint is only there for the finishing touch! LOL

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

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French Gastronomy: Suruga Beef at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

September 9, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

One does not have to explain how good, and why for that matter, Japanese beef is.
Recently, beef produced in the Western part of Shizuoka Prefecture has attracted a lot of attention under the name of Suruga Beef!
Suruga is the name of the large Bay off Shizuoka Prefecture!
I took the occasion of a recent visit to Pissenlit in the company of a good friend to sample two parts of the same animal!

The bavette (above two pictures) is the part covering the bottom of the throat and the top of the breast.
Its texture is halfway that of a filet and of a stew.
Chef Touru Arima first fried the piece of bavette then roasted it before seasoning it with a Madeira wine sauce.
The vegetables were all organically grown at Shizen No Chikara Garden in Shizuoka City.
They included butternut squash, “mizunasu” aubergine/eggplants and buckwheat seeds.

For a closer look of the buckwheat seeds which married so well with the sauce!

My friend had an even better part, actually the best part of the animal, namely the filet!
It was prepared with a heady red wine sauce after being first fried on a hot fire and being finished in the oven.

The organic vegetables were also butternut squash and “mizunasu” aubergine/eggplant while the buckwheat seeds were replaced by Inca Mezame potato!

But the buckwheat seeds were concealed under the filet where they made a beautiful combination again with the sauce and meat!

To be followed (great desserts coming soon!)…

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French Gastronomy: Early Autumn Appetizers at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

September 7, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Autumn is the season of plenty for gastronomic restaurants. This is a time when high quality fruits, vegetables, meat and fish seem to arrive from everywhere at the same time!
Chef Touru Arima at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City has the knack and talent of combining seasonal products of the land and sea from Shizuoka, Japan and abroad all the same time for the utter happiness of his customers!

For example the above amuse-bouche is a typical Shizuoka offering: organic vegetable pound cake and goya/bitter gourd (also organic). Incidentally all the vegetables introduced in this article ar organic and grown by Chizen No Chikara Farm in Shizuoka City!

On the other hand, this Landes Duck Foie Gras Terrine is a completely French concept except for the local orange marmalade.
Have you ever tried combining foie gras with orange marmalade and coarse black pepper? If not, you are missing something!

That terrine will make a sinner of anyone whatever Arnie might argue!
So simple in presentation! After all, who needs to conceal good products behind forests of vegetables or under lakes of sauce?

This saumon fume/smoked salmon mousse with fresh cream dressing and chilled steamed/baked tougan/冬瓜/Winter melon-white gourd-ash gourd is a marriage between a fish caught in the Atlantic Ocean and an organic vegetable grown in Shizuoka City!

Autumn colors?

Hoping I gave you a few ideas for a home party! LOL

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Kakigoori/Shaved Ice Dessert at Iwaraya in Shizuoka City!

September 2, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Kind and friendly
Equipment: very clean
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Authentic traditional Japanese desserts!
Entirely non-smoking!

When I arrived in Shizuoka City 35 years ago there were almost more traditional Japanese dessert shops than their Western equivalent.
Now you must gear yourself on the exploration mode to re-discover them!

They are certainly worth searching for as traditional Japanese desserts are far healthier than our (delicious) Western cakes and creams. Moreover, most are devoid of wheat flour and in many cases of dairy products.

The blazing hot summer in Japan means it is the season for kakigoori/かき氷/shaved ice!
Iwaraya serves no less than six varieties!

Although Iwaraya has a long history dating back to 3 generations and 80 years ago, they opened their own shop only 5 years ago in Takajyo, a gastronomic venue in the City of Shizuoka!

It also has the great merit to be located away from the crowds near the cute Takajyo Shrine dedicated to falconry!

There is a dessert for all seasons as they also make o-shiroko, anmitsu, o-sekihan, o-mochi and waseigashi!
Great with a cup of matcha tea!

This time I enjoyed the lemon shaved ice!

The lemon is juice squeezed in front of you from fresh lemons!
Incidentally their strawberry kakigoori is made with real crushed fresh strawberries!

Now, if you have a Japanese sweet tooth to satisfy try what my friend ordered: Zenzai, a traditional Japanese dessert assortment!

Tempting, isn’t it?
Looking forward to my next visit!

IWAGARAYA/いわがらや
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Takajyo, 1-5-12
Tel.: 054-252-0587
Business hours: 10:00~18:00 (~18:30 0n weekends)
Closed on Wednesdays

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Soba Restaurant: Yoshino

August 27, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Shy but friendly
Facilities: old but clean. Traditional
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: 10 wari soba. Good list of Shizuoka sake.

As I said before there a lot of soba restaurants of various levels in Shizuoka Prefecture, but Yoshino is definitely a member of the Big League!
It seems that all the doctors of the neighboring clinics have made it their main lunch lair!
But do also come for dinner as there is enough on the menu to attract you again and moreover they serve some top-class sake brewed in our Prefecture!

A traditional entrance to an ancient institution!

True Japanese atmosphere inside!

Among the single dishes I recommend two of them;
-Tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette!

Very light and fine, it is not easy to achieve this way!

Yaki miso/Grilled Miso!

It is actually a mixture of white miso paste, buckwheat and yuzu spread on a wooden spatula and cooked under a grill!

You will find it only at good soba restaurants!

I noticed they are using wasabi salt by Tamaruya Co.!

Actually I should have said 3! Buckwheat and Sakura shrimps tofu!

You will find this delicacy only in Shizuoka Prefecture!

I ordered 10 wari soba tenpura set!

10 wari soba (jyu wari soba) means that the noodles are 100% made of buckwheat flour, whereas the cheaper 8 wari soba (Hachi wari soba) contains 20% of wheat flour!

Seasonal tempura!

Beautiful vegetables!

Crispy prawns!

Soba tsuyu/Soba soup to be added to the remaining accompaniment of sauce, scallions and wasabi to be drunk as a soup!

Now, Yoshino serve their own traditional Japanese dessert: Soba Shiratama Senzai!

Cute, isn’t it?

It is topped with ice cream covered with matcha tea powder. The white balls/dango are made of buckwheat and rice flour. The small jelly cubes are made of Japanese agar agra!

The bottom half is filled with azuki beans and anko/sweetmeats!

I’ll take you dinner there next!

To be continued…

YOSHINO
420-0839 Shizuoka Shi, Takajyo, 1-7-10
Tel.: 054-255-3277
Business hours: 11:00 until they run out of buckwheat!
Closed on Tuesdays

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Japanese Izakaya: Maguro-Ya (Honten)

August 26, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Shy but friendly
Facilities: old but clean. Traditional
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Tuna! Tuna! Tuna! Good list of sake and shochu

A lot, and I mean varieties as well as volume, of tuna swim past Shizuoka Prefecture and it simply becomes evident that a Japanese izakaya would specialize in tuna gastronomy, be it raw or cooked!

We have such a place in Shizuoka City called Maguro Ya/まぐろ家, that is “Tuna House”!
It is located on the second floor of a venerable building in Takajyo, an area replete with izakaya as well as first-class restaurants.

Their menu is certainly worth taking photographs as the explantations become a real study!

Even the snack coming with the first drink includes cooked tuna (featured above with duck and pickled cucumber and octopus salad)!

The following will give you a good indication of you can sample at reasonable prices:

“Three-colored Tuna Sashimi Plate”!

Hon-maguro Akami/Blue Fin Tuna lean part (back).

Hon-maguro Chu-toro/Blue Fin Tuna semi-fat part (belly).

Tonbo-Maguro Toro/Albacore Tuna fat part (belly).

Maguro Kushiyaki/Tuna brochette with plenty of mayonnaise and chopped scallions.

There are plenty of sake, shochu and more for all according to their tastes and priorities!
They also serve 4 different sake from Shizuoka Prefecture in the traditional Japanese way: overflowing glass!

The menu is not all tuna! Try their deep-fried prawns!

Sizzling hot, they will please all, Japanese and expats!

Negitoro and daikon salad. Grated tuna with plenty of thin daikon sticks.

A healthy salad served with an egg yolk you mix with all beforehand!

They offer a six-nigiri sushi plate according to the season!

But the personal reason for my visits is their tuna hamburger (called slider in some countries!)!

A slice of tuna is prepared as deep-fried seafood and sandwiched inside a bun with lettuce and tartar sauce!

Far healthier and tastier than many offerings in notorious diners! LOL

To be continued…

MAGURO-YA
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi ku, Takajyo, 1-11-8, 2F
Tel.: 054-251-410
Business hours: 17:00~24:00
Credit Cards OK

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French Dessert: Shizuoka Soy Sauce Cake, Frozen Orange Compote & Orange Honey Sorbet at Tetsuya Sugimoto!

August 23, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Highly professional and friendly
Facilities: Great overall cleanliness. Beautiful washroom
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Freshest produce and ingredients only, mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture. Organic vegetables. Seasonal food only.

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

This the fourth of the four-part report on the lunch I had the other day at Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City!
And since it is the last episode, it is naturally the dessert!
But this dessert is a Shizuoka concept!

First of all, the bottom part of the “ice cream”!
It was made with a mandarine orange grown inside a greenhouse in Hamamatsu City, Western part of Shizuoka Prefecture.
Tetsuya first peeled it, cooked it as a compote and then froze it!

The sorbet was made with orange flower honey conceived in Nishiura, Numazu City, Eastern Part of Shizuoka Prefecture!

Now, the cake is even more striking!
It is basically a mousse firmed up with gelatin. The mousse was created with soy sauce from Shizuoka Prefecture!
As for the sugar used in the same cake, it comes from sugar cane grown in Kakegawa City in Central Western Part of our Prefecture!
Its bottom was lined with Genoise short cake and the top sprinkled with more crumbled Genoise.

The soy sauce used in the cake is called “Hon Maru Tei” and is made by Amano Co. Ltd. In Gotemba City in the Western Part of Shizuoka Prefecture!
Testuya explained that soy sauce is not all about a salty taste and that creations are practically unlimited with such an ingredient!

As for the sauce, the chocolate might not be of Japanese origin nut the mint is organic and from Shizuoka Prefecture!

To be followed…

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
Credit cards OK
ＨＯＭＥＰＡＧＥ

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Suruga Shamo and Organic Vegetables at Tetsuya Sugimoto!

August 22, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

This the third of the four-part report on the lunch I had the other day at Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City!
Shizuoka Prefecture has been making itself a name all over Japan with its superlative chickens for quite some time now.
The chicken used by Testuya Sugimoto in this dish is Suruga Shamo bred by Mr. Moriyama up in the mountains of Shizuoka City in Ikawa!
These shamo chickens were originally Ikokku Chicken from Thailand bred in conditions and with food only found in our Prefecture to become a brand of its own!

Tetsuya uses only the males for their firmer and richer meat.
He will first fry the pieces on their skin before finishing them in the oven.
He does the same with the vegetables, all organic from Hamamatsu and Fujinomiya City.
As for the vegetables, he used okahijiki, Morokko ingen/large string beans, Sanjyaku susage, another long variety of string bean, mini carrots, Mangan Toogarashi, a variety of large mild chili pepper, Murasaki Shishito/violet chili pepper, butternut and Kouriuki gourd!

For another view!

As for the sauce he uses the juices of the chicken and vegetables with French Banyuls vinegar and Madeira Wine!
Incredible traceability for an extraordinary dish!

To be followed…

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Sashimi: Shizuoka Fish at Ekimae Matsuno Sushi Restaurant!

August 21, 2011 dragonlife 6 Comments

Red-tail Horse Mackerel/oakaaji/尾赤鯵!

Service: Very friendly, attentive and informative
Facilities: Overall clean if a bit old-fashioned
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Mainly local fish. Local sake. Always ready to improvise!

It is not friends like Sissi or LouAnnn I’m trying to convince, but more gastronomes like Chuck and Melinda whom I would like to pull screaming out New york and Tokyo to convince them to give up on what I call “decoration/trompe l’oeil sashimi amd sushi”!

One does not need to patronize an Edomae-style Sushi Restaurant and spend untold amounts of yen or dollars to truly experience this side of Japanese gastronomy so popular all over the World.
Just go to a good local sushi restaurant in Japan (and even abroad if like-minded!) which is willing (and should be!) to serve local fish as much as possible!
If you come to Shizuoka it is only an embarrassment of choices, but I definitely would recommend Ekimae Matsuno Sushi in Shizuoka City as they are one of the rare sushi restaurants that open all day and serve whatever you fancy!

Fine, you would say, but show us!
No worries there, mate (gal)!
Here is what I savored for lunch there today. I even asked them to exclusively serve me sashimi from Shizuoka (Suruga Bay, Izu Peninsula, etc.)!

Seguro iwashi/背黒鰯/Black Back Sardines

These seguro iwashi are very much in season right now with a lot of (fish) fat. They were actually served as a “snack” with my first drink (sake). Plain sashimi to be enjoyed with a little soy sauce.

Hirame/平目/Sole-Flatfish-Bastard halibut-Olive flounder

Hirame is abundant in the Suruga Bay.
Note that the little piece at the bottom is “engawa/えんがわ/the piece along the fish by the narrow fins” that we throw away in Europe!

Marusaba/丸鯖/Round mackerel

Served as “han-nama/半生/half-raw, that is lightly seared or boiled, it is so fresh in taste and absolutely without any “fishy” smell or aftertaste!

Tachiuo/太刀魚/Scabbard Fish.

One of my favorite fish. It is best appreciated (as above) in “aburi/炙り/ seared fashion after being sprinkled with salt. No need of soy sauce to appreciate the different textures and tastes as you bite through it!

Aji no Tataki/鯵の叩き/Horse Mackerel

The Suruga bay, especially around Yui and Kambara is one of the famous spots in Japan for Aji/Horse mackerel.
Simply served as Tataki/cut thin with grated ginger and chopped scallions and a little soy sauce!

No need for fancy seasoning!

Ekimae Matsuno serve the same fish lightly marinated in rice vinegar!

Katsuo hara/鰹腹/Bonito belly

Shizuoka is famous all over the country for its katsuo/bonito, but few people have had the occasion to try its belly part!

Kisu konbujime/鱚,鼠頭魚/Sillago

Sillago are a celebrated morsel all over Japan, but Shizuoka is particularly blessed with shirogizu/白鱚/white sillago!

Served as konbujime/昆布締め/marinated in seaweed, it does not need any soy sauce!

Oakaaji/尾赤鯵/Red tail horse Mackerel

This is a variety of horse mackerel with a deeper red flesh you will not see often away from these shores!

Perfect in tataki/thinly cut style with chopped scallions, grated fresh ginger and chopped nori/dry seaweed!

To be followed… I mean with more local fish from Shizuoka Prefecture!

EKIMAE MATSUNO SUSHI/駅前松乃寿
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Koya Machi, 3-3 (Just in front of Shizuoka JR Railway Station
Tel.: 054-252-0123
Business hours: 11:00~21:00
Closed on Wednesdays and 3rd Tuesday
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Vegetarian Organic Steak at Tetsuya Sugimoto!

August 20, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

This the second of the four-part report on the lunch I had the other day at Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City!
It certainly makes for an astonishing creation as it is a completely vegetarian hot dish conceived with local products of the highest quality!

All vegetables are organic, either from Hamamatsu City or from Matsuki Bio Farm in Fujinomiya City!

The large green eggplant/aubergine was first cut into a “steak” and fried/baked with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
Actually all vegetables were cooked in the same manner!
These included 2 types of zucchini, green and yellow, violet onion, “Seniorita” sweet red pimento and “Nitakikoma” tomatoes which were first half-dried before being sauteed.
Can you recognize the vegetables at the left extremity?

And those in the middle?

Or those at the right extremity?

A photo from the top might help you!
Incidentally the Italian parsley is also organic!
Were it not for the dressing, it would be vegan!

Beautiful taste, satisfying bite and an artistic composition!

To be followed…

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Appetizer at Tetsuya Sugimoto: Hamamatsu Eggplant & Mochimune Sardine Whiting!

August 19, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

It had been quite some time since I paid a visit to arguably the best French restaurant in Shizuoka Prefecture, namely Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City.
Therefore, I went for lunch there today to “enquire” about the latest developments!
It ended up into a full lunch, and as it was a bit too long for a single article let me describe each dish in its individuality for easy reference!

Very slightly different photograph!

This is an appetizer combining the wealth of the land and that of the sea of Shizuoka Prefecture as well as both Japanese and French concepts/aproaches of gastronomy.
The whole is conceived as a cold appetizer.
The organic eggplant/aubergine from Hamamatsu City was first grilled. Then it was carefully peeled before being lightly marinated in the Japanese o-hitashi style.
The shirasu/sardine whiting from Mochimune was first steamed before being lightly chilled.

The white color of the shirasu was enhanced by the small cuts of various organic vegetables from Hamamatsu City placed in so artful a manner!
The whole was seasoned with a beautiful olive oil and Testuya’s lemon vinaigrette!

For the record I paired with a dry white wine from Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture!

So healthy, artful and delicious (and simple!)!

To be followed…

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Lunch at Kogawa Fishing Harbor Canteen!

August 18, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

A great way to eat top-class fresh fish for a ridiculously low price is to visit good fishing harbors in Japan!
Yesterday, in between two interviews held in rice fields in Yaizu City, two friends of mine took me to Kogawa Fishing Harbor/小川港, the real fishing harbor of Yaizu City!

Kogawa Fishing Harbor Canteen/小川港魚河岸食堂 doesn’t look much from outside. It actually very much looks like a big company cafeteria!

You have to look around to convince yourself you are inside a fishing harbor especially at 12:00 a.m. when all the trade of the day has been concluded.

You will feel a bit more convinced when looking at the posters describing the fish being brought to the harbor.
It is also difficult to imagine that you are actually inside one of the major fishing harbors in Japan!
Incidentally, foreign tourists ought to learn that to know this is not Tsukiji in Tokyo with dead fish all around, but a harbor where you can eat fish that was brought in by the boats the very morning!

It’s only when you get inside that serious things are really taking shape!

Menus are everywhere to be consulted, so have a good look, choose your order and buy a ticket at the entrance. You might need someone who can read Japanese then!

Inside does look like a canteen, doesn’t it? Old but clean!

If you still harbored (pun?) any doubts, just look at the big flag to convince yourself!
Can you see Mount Fuji!

Remember that customers early in the morning are local fishermen whereas at lunch time they are normal consumers!

Hand over your ticket and wait for your number to be called!

Meanwhile choose your table where you will find all you need!

Now, what did the three of us had?

I chose the “Negitoro donburi set/ネギトロ丼 for only 800 yen (9 US$!)!

Enormous portion of absolutely fresh tuna!

One of my friends chose the Maguro Zuke Donburi Set/鮪漬丼/Marinated Tuna for only 800 yen again and plate of katsuo/鰹/bonito sashimi for the 3 of us to share!

Yaizu City (Kogawa) harbour is the major source of Bonito in Japan!. This plate cost a mere 500 yen!

The marinated (tombo maguro) tuna!

My second friend had the Katsuo Steak Lunch Set/カツオステーキ定食/Bonito Steak Lunch for only 700 yen!

Look at those bonito steaks!

Don’t worry, they also sell drinks!

As one of my friends will help me interview the fishermen early in the morning in this particular harbor soon, expect more of the same. In fact this is only the start of a series of reports on Shizuoka fishing harbors!

Kogawa Fishing Harbor Canteen/小川港魚河岸食堂
425-0033 Yaizu Shi, Kogawa, 3392-9
Tel.: 054-624-6868
Business hours: 07:00~14:00
Open all year round except for the New Year and mid-summer O-Bon

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Enshu Somen Noodles Lunch at Cafe Belle Equipe Vegetable in Shizuoka City!

August 16, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Very friendly if a bit shy
Facilities: Very clean. Beautiful toilets
Prices: Reasonable. Very good value
Strong points: Healthy food. Great set lunches. Beautiful array of cakes.

The other day I decided to have lunch again at Cafe Belle Equipe Vegetable in Shizuoka City for a quick and healthy lunch.
As usual there were (far!) more ladies than gentlemn like it so often happens at lunch in Japan! Why, I wonder… (actually, I know! LOL)

I didn’t hesitate much when I saw “Enshu Somen Noodle Lunch Set” on the menu as somen are the perfect noodles for the summer and that the word “Enshu” indicated they were made in the Western part of our Shizuoka Prefecture! As usual it came with loads of local fresh vegetables!

It also included a white miso vegetables soup!

And a big chyawanmushi!

A very tasty and light chyawanmushi indeed!

These wheat flour somen were comparatively thick and offered a good bite. Perfect for a good appetite.
They were served together with the vegetables and their tsuyu/light soupstock sauce.
Very tasty!

As they are always different, I make a point to add one of their cakes to my lunch, even if it means extra calories!

Matcha Tiramisu Tart!

Appetizing, isn’t it?
Moreover, we could call it a Shizuoka-style tiramisu!

To be continued…

CAFE BELLE EQUIPE VEGETABLE
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tenmacho, 10-1, Villa Tenmacho, 2F
Tel.: 054-251-0200
Business hours: l0:00~22:00 (11:00~22:00 on Saturdays & Sundays, 11:00~21:00 on National Holidays)
Parties (small to large) welcome! Special party menus.
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Soba Restaurant: Iwa ichi!

August 15, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Very friendly and easy-going.
Facilities: Very clean overall. Excellent amenities
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Soba of course, but traditional Japanese gastronomy on the whole. Excellent all-rounder.
English spoken!
Non-smoking at tables.

Soba has always been a pillar of Japanese gastronomy. In Edo times soba restaurants were the place to patronize if you wanted to drink sake (in good company?).
There are many soba restaurants all over the City, Prefecture and country, but the very good ones need a little research and exploration, if not luck!

Iwa Ichi/岩市 is not easy to find tucked away along a main thoroughfare away from the centre of Shizuoka City.
Although I live nearby and for all its 4 years of existence I hadn’t noticed it. I almost cycled past it yesterday after I had decided to investigate this increasingly famous establishment for a first visit at lunch.

The menu, whatever the time of the day or night, is written in English.
But the owner speaks English! No worries, then!
On that day I chose the set menu (3,000 yen/~40 US$): Kuroge Wagyuu Amiyaki Gozen/黒毛和牛網焼き御膳/Grilled Black Hair Beef Lunch!

Served on a wooden tray, it certainly looked appetizing and beautiful!
A great balance which had already convinced me to return for dinner and a serious chat!

Cold soba in their soup with freshly grated wasabi.

Chyawanmushi/茶碗蒸し/ Japanese salted pudding and Chinese cabbage pickles in front of the beef.

Now, this grilled beef is truly extravagant for a soba restaurant! It is Shizuoka-bred Black Hair Beef under the name of Suruga Gyuu/駿河牛/Suruga (as of Suruga Bay off the Shizuoka shores) Beef. An absolute beauty that even Argentines (and Americans?)would run for!

Served with grated daikon mixed with soy sauce and freshly grated wasabi (from Shizuoka) it makes for the perfect way to savor grilled prime beef!

Madai/真鯛/Seabream sashimi! So tender and delicious!

And a cute salad of Shizuoka-grown vegetables. With plain white rice it makes for a complete, so well-balanced and absolutely delicious lunch!

The Japanese pottery certainly makes for another difference!

But being French (a tame excuse if there was one!) I wouldn’t leave without sampling one of their three desserts:
Soba tofu pudding with brown sugar sauce!
I caught your attention, didn’t I? A dessert made without dairy products or wheat flour!