Tag Archives: French Gastronomy

美食, Dessert, Desserts, 観光, 農業, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Tourism

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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With a Glass,
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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:

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-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Uncategorized

Maboodofu and Kinshinsai at Hano Oto!

August 12, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Very friendly and attentive
Equipment: Great general cleanliness. Beautiful toilets
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Great use of local ingredients in beautiful Chinese Cuisine. Great sake and shochu!

Hana Oto/華音 has become an institution in Shizuoka City and it is almost impossible to find a seat at times in spite of their larger new establishment!
It is always a good idea to check regularly as at least half of their offerings are only seasonal.
This time I decided to try one “regular” and one “seasonal” offering!

For once I took a picture of their hand-written menu to make sure I remembered later!

First, the seasonal dish: Shiba Ebi to Kinshinsai No Togarashi Pikurusu Itame/芝海老と金針菜の唐辛子ピクルス炒め/Shiba shrimps and kinshinsai fried with pickled chili peppers!

For a closer look!

The unripe flower part of the kinshinsai is edible, quite soft and tasty and marries very well with other sauteed ingredients.
As for the Shiba Shrimps, these are medium-large seasonal shrimps with the right size and taste for such a dish.
The pickled chili peppers’ salt and heat combined very well with the soft taste of the kinshinsai and shrimps and their light transparent sweet and sour sauce!

On the other hand the maboodofu was of a puissant taste with some strong spices including star anise, although it wasn’t so hot!

I like the way they serve the tofu in medium-sized soft cubes that can be cut easily enough but that you can still scoop with chopsticks.
Great poured on top of plain steamed with rice!
And plenty of beer to drink with it!

To be continued…

HANA OTO/華音
420-0032 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Ryougae Cho, 5-8, Shin Kamogawa Bldg., 2F-D
Business hours: 17:30~24:00
Closed on Mondays

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French Bakery & Restaurant: Ema L’Estaminet

August 11, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Extremely friendly and attentive
Equipment: Supreme cleanliness and beautiful amenities
Prices: Reasonable. Very good value
Strong points: French gastronomy conceived mainly with local seasonal products. Beautiful bread baked on site! Parking available.
Entirely non-smoking!

Hamamatsu City contrary to Shizuoka City is spread all over the country and if you don’t have a car you will need either a taxi or a train to reach your destination!

Fortunately, my good friend, Bernard Herberle, Patissier/owner of Abondance, was on hand not only to drive me around but also to make me discover a gastronomic pearl with an unusual concept: Ema L’Estaminet!

Ema for short is both a French Bakery and a French Restaurant!
As a bakery (and a cafe) it is open from 10:00 to 16:00 although the bread will have practically disappeared by 14:00!
As a restaurant it is open from 11:30 to 13:00 (last orders), but it can sit only a maximum of 24 guests and if you want to have access to the whole menu, you had better reserve well in advance for a lunch at 12:00!

When the two of us arrived at 12:00 sharp the owner/chef/baker Yuusuke Ema/江間裕輔 greeted us with a great smile.
In fact, he and his gentle wife are models of absolute natural civility whatever you are, buy or order!

There was already not much left of the beautiful bread,…

and even less of the succulent-looking viennoiseries and cakes!
Yuusuke wakes up every morning to start baking his bread and will be busy at his establishment until 6 in the evening. No wonder the place is absolutely spotless!

The Master Of The House!

You can either sit at tables with chairs or sofa or sit at the minuscule counter!

There is a single menu everyday for 2,000 yen (~23 US$) with a large appetizer plate, a main dish, a dessert of the day and a drink (with a little extra fee for some)

You may have as much as bread as you wish!

As for the main dish you have at least a choice of 9 dishes! Bear in mind that some will disappear faster than others, so come early!

Check the extra card for more drinks (very reasonable including wine!).

The appetizer plate!

Look at the rillettes which took me back to France!

The bread basket will be kept refilled as long as you want!

After some soul-searching, Bernard opted for the Fricassee de poulet, local chicken fried and cooked in cream sauce with mushrooms, a typical French country dish!

For a closer look!
Don’t worry Bernard was very kind to offer me a piece!
Tender, succulent and beautifully balanced!

It was a touch and go with the Tourte de Poisson et Salade, but I finally ordered the Roti de Porc/ Pork Roast!

Shizuoka Prefecture has some extravagant pork. This particular one is Ohara Pork bred in Hamamatsu City!

As simple as it might look it is not an easy dish to prepare as the balance needs a perfect mastery of one’s skills!
Moreover, the vegetables are cooked in refreshingly traditional French manner in their sauce and juices!

Although the dish is wholly French in concept and ingredients, I would dare quite a few chefs back home to attain this mastery in presentation!

The dessert always comes a surprise as it is not announced on the menu!
Pineapple and verveine (verbena) jelly!

A beautiful dessert for a hot summer!

Well, this is only the first visit and I’m afraid (I’m not, actually! LOL) I will have to travel once and again all the way to Hamamatsu City for these beautiful seasonal lunches (and get surprised every time!)!

To be continued…

EMA L’Estaminet
431-3115, Hamamatsu City, Higashi Ku, Nishigasaki, 1088-1 (within walking distance from Nishigasaki Station, Entetsu Railway Line)
Tel.: 053-433-7700
Business hours: !0:00~16:00 (Bakery)
11:30~ 13:00, last orders (Restaurant)
Closed on Sundays and last week of August

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美食, 野菜, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Komatsuna and French Summer White Truffles

August 4, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

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!

I’ve decided it is about time that I ceased to describe the full dinners of some of my favorite restaurants for the simple reasons that so many dishes deserve an article of their own!
In the future you can expect a full dinner (not all, mind you, especially for the new establishments I’m bound to discover) to be fragmented into delicious episodes!

The other day Tooru Arima/有馬亨さん surprised me again with one of his typical creations: Shizuoka-grown komatsuna and French Summer White Truffles!
The komatsuna/小松菜/Japanese mustard spinach (they don’t taste like mustard!) were organic naturally, and from Hirokawa Organic Garden in Mishima City.
Komatsuna is usually stir-fried, pickled, boiled and added to soups or used fresh in salads. It is an excellent source of calcium.
It is very popular in Japan, Taiwan and Korea and Shizuoka is a big producer and exporter.

Since truffles, be they French or Italian, black or white, are naturally organic, the whole dish can be considered as fully organic except for some sauce ingredients.

Tooru kept things simple by frying the komatsuna in olive oil with a minimum of salt and pepper.
As the komatsuna produce a lot of juices when fried, Tooru added lemon juice and fond de veau/veal stock to the juices for the perfectly balanced light sauce the vegetables deserved.
He then “simply” sliced plenty of those white truffles all over them!
Extravagant!

Note that he could have made the dish completely vegetarian or vegan (he would on request!) by replacing the fond de veau with Madeira wine for example!

To be continued…

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: Shizuoka Dessert-Fig Compote and Dark Tea Jelly at Pissenlit

August 3, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Shizuoka City and Prefecture are not only famous for their vegetables, but also for their fruits, and figs are certainly very popular here!
Shizuoka Prefecture also produces more than 45% of the total green tea crop in Japan, but did you know it was also the birthplace of dark tea (black or red) in Japan?

Chef Tooru Arima/有馬亨さん has this knack and talent to combine French and Japanese gastronomies in a constant search for originality and new tastes!
I wonder how much time he spends on them as the simple complete peeling of a fig before cooking it in compote is painstaking and sticky work!

Preparing food is one thing, but presenting it is certainly another!
No wonder Tooru’s desserts are so celebrated in this town!
Incidentally, this beautiful mint is organic from Hirokawa Garden in Mishima City!

The jelly is made from dark tea cultivated and processed in Shizuoka Prefecture and laid over a granite made with the juices of the fig compote!

Yes, not only a spoon but you also need a fork and knife to fully enjoy and appreciate this superb dessert!
I do not need to explain the pleasure I had cutting the fig and admiring the colors!

And it was absolutely succulent and again perfect in this hot weather!
To be continued…

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French Gastronomy: Kakegawa Tomato Jelly and Gaspacho with Hokkaido Salmon at Pissenlit

August 2, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kakegawa City and its neighborhood are celebrated all over Japan for its superlative tomatoes.
Chef Tooru Arima/有馬亨さん, who is very particular about his vegetables, obtains his tomatoes from Mr. Ishitani/石谷さん and comes with some very interesting, and delicious, creations with a vegetable which has become so common!

The tomatoes come into two facets of this beautiful dish:
First the tomato jelly which “rides” a piece of marinated salmon called “tokishirazu”/時鮭, a variety from Hokkaido. This jelly is made from sieved tomato pulp, gelatin and the strict minimum of (secret?) spices, salt and pepper.
Second the soup, or gaspacho, made with the same sieved tomato pulp and first-class olive oil.

For a better view!

The bed of lettuce is organic from Hirokawa Garden in Mishima City!
Served chilled, it makes for the perfect appetizer in hot summer! I can assure I didn’t leave a drop of the gaspacho!
And it is so healthy!

A little pice of the same marinated salmon with coarse ground pepper!

To be continued…

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French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Agricultural Products at Pissenlit (July 2011)

July 19, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

In spite of the flaming heat and the present typhoon restaurants in Shizuoka are still endeavoring to use and serve as many local products as possible to the point of sheer extravagance!
Last night we braved the rain to pay a belated visit to one of our favorite French restaurants, namely Pissenlit!
I don’t really need to introduce this celebrated establishment again so I’ll skip the niceties and comment on what we savored away from the rain!

Don’t forget to have a good look at the blackboard for the specialties of the day before ordering!
If you don’t read Japanese, don’t worry! French gastronomy vocabulary is the same all over the World!

The amuse-bouches were local vegetable pound cake and gougere (cheese puff)!

The first d’oeuvres were a hot terrine of organic potatoes (Shizen No Chikara Farm in Shizuoka City) and aji/鯵/Horse Mackerel from the harbor of Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City!
The tomatoes and onion confit are also organic!

For a better view!

The second hors d’oeuvres stretched over two continents:
Pan-fried foie gras in Madeira sauce on a galette of Kankan Musume corn grown by Mr. Ichikawa in Iwata City!

The third hors d’oeuvres also stretched over two continents:
6 kinds of organic potatoes grown by Hirokawa in Mishima City with cheese in Scarmozza style!

Talking of potatoes I should have mentioned 3 continents!

The fish dish was pan-fried kinmedai/金目鯛/Seabream from Sagara harbor in Omaezaki City with organic vegetables by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City! But the mushroom comes from Hasegawa Farm in Fuji City!

Kinmedai is one of the most popular fish in Shizuoka as it the skin stays the same color whatever the cooking technique!

Now for the meat dish we were served a classic of French Gastronomy: Blanquette de Veau/Veal Cream Stew!
The veal comes from claves bred outdoors in Fujinomiya City.
The vegetables are all organic by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City!

It reminded me so much of my Mum’s cuisine back in Bourgogne, France!

The first dessert:
Biwa/枇杷/loquat from Kita Asabata in Shizuoka City with vanilla ice cream and Dharjeling Tea jelly.
The colorful mint is organic from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

The second dessert:
Kabocha Caramel pudding!

The flying fruit is actually a tomato variety from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

To be continued…

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French Cuisine: Lunch at Chez Satsukawa In Shizuoka City!

July 8, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly and easy-going, more professional in the “room”.
Facilities: very clean and beautiful washroom!
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: French food in Izakaya style. Great sake and wines!

French Cuisine like all the noteworthy cuisines of the World evolves with the times, trends and ingredients, and also people.
When the latter still have the will and skills to adapt their own style to satisfy the new demands from new customers the result can only become one of superlative and reassuring gastronomy!
Fujio Satsukawa is a chef, who despite the long years spent servicing customers with top-class French cuisine still believes he is on the mission of teaching his customers what good food is all about.
His cuisine is definitely of the Classic style but ingredients are modern and the approach eclectic.

To make a long story short, I found myself very busy at lunch time the other day and although the hour had almost reached closing time in other establishments Fujio still agreed to concoct me a lunch out of what was “left” in his fridges and secret boxes!

The country foie gras terrine came out of the fridge but the vegetables were all fresh from Shizuoka gardens and fields!

Now, this is classical gastronomy I’m not inclined to give up: succulent foie gras (can you see it) and Shizuoka pork terrine with onions confits and home-baked bread!

Fujio bakes his own bread everyday with three kinds of flour, rye flour included!
This is what I call true service!

Eating such bread with the terrine is already savoring a full meal!

Before the next dish I was offered a chilled kabocha Vichyssoise to prepare my gustative glands!
Needless to say, the kabocha is local!

Sauteed black bass from Suruga Bay!
Fujio must be a happy man with so many ingredients from the land and sea avalaible all year round in our Prefecture!

Served atop sauteed aubergines/eggplants and flanked with ratatouille!

Now, Fujio’s desserts are another reason why I’m not ready to give up Classic gastronomy!

Taking a peek from the top at the beautiful fruit jelly and decorations!

It becomes a series of discoveries as you dig deeper and deeper!
The last layer is actually a combination of blanc-manger and Japanese sweetmeats!
There is plenty of room for happy experiments even in classical gastronomy!

To be continued…

CHEZ SATSUKAWA
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Kooya Machi, 4-9, Matsunaga Kooya Machi Bldg, 2F
Tel.: 054-205-5133
Business hours: 12:00~14:00, 17:00~23:00
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Credit Cards OK

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Cakes, 観光, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, Fruit, Gastronomy, Hamamatsu City, Tourism

French Cakes and Blueberries in Hamamatsu City: Abondance!

July 7, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

I paid a belated visit to Abondance owned by Bernard Heberle, a French national like me, in Hamamatsu City to see how well he was doing.
Mind you, I didn’t worry a iota as he has recently been elected the best Cake Shop in the Prefecture!

You can’t miss the elegant blue-colored shop in front of the Seirei Hospital!

Not many cake shops have a doormat, a sure sign of attention to customers?

The man himself who has been running his shop among many other concerns for the past 9 years!
Bernard hails from Souffleheim in Alsace, France!

His “Cuisinier de France” award!

Bernard has a passion for anything called a Citroen car!

Sophisticated biscuits are waiting for you!

And of course elegant macarons!

And now the cakes!
I didn’t have much time checking the names for fear to bother the customers!
Taking photographs was already quite a scramble!

I love the marbled chocolate finish!

Cassis cakes with locally-grown blueberries and raspberries!

Snow in Summer?
Don’t forget to check Abondance’s Homepage for the right names!

A fruit rainbow?

Cream to savor with a fork?

True millefeuille!

A favorite of mine with the little macarons!

Those two look like intimate lovers!

Bernard’s best seller!
Now, where do all these blueberries come from?

Well, Bernard always tries to get his seasonal fruit locally and his blueberries are grown for him at Aoitori Blueberry Orchard in Hamamatsu City!

Bernard with Satoshi Satoh/佐藤聡さん, first-generation blueberry grower for the last five years!

You can also pick blueberries there in season for a very reasonable fee!

A very clean and modern orchard where no pesticides are allowed!

Satoh San cultivates 20 varieties of these beauties for a regular supply.
Incidentally, he also grows some trees for Bernard’s sole use!

Aerial water supply!

Bernard’s trees are hidden behind these!

All fruits are ripened on the trees. These will be late bloomers.

Can’t wait to eat these when fully ripe!

Impressive crop!
Next, bernard is trying to convince Satoh San to grow raspberries!

ABONDANCE
430-0906 Hamamatsu City, Naka Ku, Sumiyoshi, 2-14-27
Tel.: 053-473-8400
Business hours: 10:00~20:00
Closed on Tuesdays and 3rd Wednesday
HOMEPAGE

AOITORI ORCHARD
431-1202 Hamamatsu City, Nishi Ku, Gomatsu machi, 2497
Tel.: 053-487-1092
Fax: 053-487-2750
Mobile: 090-7672-7886
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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French Cuisine with Shizuoka Ingredients: Stuffed Zucchini!

July 4, 2011 dragonlife 8 Comments

I always check the Agriroad Market in Miwa, Shizuoka City, where they sell products grown by local farmers’ wives and I have a weak spot for those enormous round yellow zucchinis!
Yesterday as I had a little more time than the Missus I prepared dinner and cooked us a stuffed zucchini!

I would have needed both of my hands to circle it completely!

Although it looked plain and seedless, it actually contained many soft large seeds inside.
I scooped all the inside with a sharp spoon first.

Once I had emptied the zucchini of its seeds there was not much left of its flesh which suited me fine as I didn’t want the vegetable to have too thick walls before cooking it.
I chopped whatever was left finely.

I also finely chopped 1/4 of a medium-large onion, 1/4 of a medium-sized carrot and two big cloves of garlic.

I fried the finely chopped vegetables in some olive oil until they had lost most of their water.
I used about 250 g of minced pork and beef mixture, 2 very full teaspoons of freshly grated parmegiano cheese and plenty of fresh basil leaves from my balcony.
I first thoroughly mixed the meat with the vegetables and cheese seasoned with coarsely ground pepper and hot spices. No need for salt as there was enough in the cheese (and the bacon later!). Mind you, this is where you can play with spices, herbes and salt according to your preferences!

I first lined the whole inside of the zucchini with soft bacon.

I lined the bottom half with basil leaves.

I stuffed the bottom half with the meat filling and lined the top half of the zucchini with more basil leaves.

I finally filled the zucchini with the rest of the meat.
I tapped the meat until I was sure there was no air pockets inside.

I topped it with its “hat”, sprinkled olive oil all over it and baked it in the oven first for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

That is how it came out first. The meat was still raw inside.
Next I put it back with the hat off for 15 more minutes into the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.

Only then it was properly cooked and ready to be eaten!

This two-step method will insure that whole is properly cooked but full of juices!

We had enough for our main dish for two last night!

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With a Glass, Shinshu Life, Jacaranda Blue,
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:

美食, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Cuisine: Grill Kuramoto

May 22, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service:A bit shy but friendly
Equipment: Great general cleanliness. Beautiful washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Interesting combination of French and Japanese bistro-style cuisine. Traditional tarts and cakes.
Entirely non-smoking!

Sometimes one wonders how you could define some restaurants in Japan as they very often tend to combine many genres at the same time.
Grill Kuramoto in busy Gofuku-Cho in Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City is a typical example!

Unusual for such an establishment it is located on a basement floor, although the stairs are welcoming!

I wish they could serve it on their menu! LOL

The interior concept is a bit unusual too.
If you wish to see chef/owner Tsuyoshi Kuramoto at work, you can sit at the semi-hemispherical counter looking over the kitchen.

Or you can sit at a cozy table, especially when in company. And don’t forget the establishment is entirely non-smoking!

You might need to keep some space for one of their desserts!

I went for lunch for my first visit and I must admit they do have set courses above the average.
The appetizer was carrot and sea urchin mousse with consomme jelly.

Can you see the sea urchin?
Mr. Kuramoto uses local products whenever possible, especially eggs and vegetables.

The second appetizer was a remarkable seafood and vegetable terrine.
The red eggs are flying fish roe.
Very light and tasty!

Typical French Bistro fare!

The main diush was definitely a Japanese bistro offering: “omu rasiu/rice omelette”!
If you sit at the counter you will be able to pick up Ｍr. Kuramoto’s tricks!

The omelette is perfectly cooked outside.

But the omelette is very light and almost runny under its firm outside.
The rice reminiscent of paella inside makes it a very interesting dish!

Creme brulee for dessert!

Creme brulee has become integral part of Japanese gastronomy these days, and this particular one is a proof ot the Japanese chefs’ mastery!

Real cream and real sugar with coffee (important)!
Will have to check their dinner soon!

Grill-Kuraramoto
420-0081 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Gofuku-cho, 2-5-17
Tel.: 054-255-3090
Business hours: 11:30^14:00, 17:30~20:00
Closed on Wednesdays and 3rd Tuesday
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

美食, Dessert, 農業, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism, vegetables

French Cuisine: Shizuoka Agricultural Products by Ms. Keiko Kubota at Gentil!

May 13, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Ranking：
Service: very professional
Facilities: Very clean, superb facilities.
Prices:~ Slightly expensive to expensive
Strong points: Beautiful and fresh ingredients presented and combined to perfection. Local ingredients whenever possible. Superb wine list. The best cheese trays in Japan! Everything thoroughly and kindly explained!
Map
Non-smoking at tables (bar’s smoke does not reach tables)!

Things have been moving recently at Gentil, The oldest French Restaurant in Shizuoka (founded in 1964!)!
The chef having had to leave due to his wife’s conditions, Ms. Keiko Kubota, the only Japanese Compagnon d’Honneur du Guilde des Fromagers (フランス熟成士の組合ギルドデフロマージュからコンパニオンドヌール), decided it was time to take things in her own hands. With the help of an able apprentice (the whole staff is feminine!) she has taken the reins of the kitchen to propose a very healthy and sophisticated gastronomy based on local products.
She is coming with all kinds of refreshing ideas I plan to report on in earnest.
Let’s start with the “quick” lunch I had the other day!

Have a look at the appetizers’ plate above before you read the explanations!

Kokabu/small turnip soup made with the whole vegetable inclusding its leaves.
This kokabu is grown by Mr. Muramatsu in Fujieda City!

Left: kochi/鯒/Sand Borer Flathead sashimi in carpaccio style and kasago/瘡魚/False kelpfish; Marbled rockfish in escabeche style.
The fish were both caught in Suruga Bay and the vegetables as well as those below were grown by Mr. Tanabe in Hamamatsu City!

Zucchini and cress roll, red daikon/koshin daikon/紅芯大根 over roasted ham from Mr. Kuwahara in Fujinomiya City. Actually the raw ham was purchased from Mr. Kuwahar before being processed by Mochizuki in Ikawa.
How about that for traceability!

This chicken called “Jidori/地鶏/ raised by Mr. Aoki in Fujinomiya City was first processed in Japanese-style “nanbanzuke” before being sauteed to perfection.

For a better look of the chicken and the fresh vegetables!

The whole was topped with thin slices of old Mimolette chesse for a superlative mariage of savors (don’t forget this THE PLACE for chees in the whole Prefecture if not in the whole country!)!

The dessert tray!

This sorbet was conceived with “Ibupiacce” roses grown in Shimada City!

Shizuoka Matcha pound Cake!

Panacotta made with coconuts milk and milk, sorbet made with Shizuoka-grown strawberries and a little “ai/for love” biscuit!

Ms. Kubota told me she expects me in June for experiments with cheese and local products!
You bet I will come!

Restaurant Gentil
Address:420-0031 Shizuoka Shi, Gofuku-cho, 2-9-1, Gennan Kairaku building, 2F
Tel.: 054-2547655 (Reservations advisable)
Fax: 054-2210509
Opening hours: 12:00~14:00, 18:00~last orders for meals at 21:30. Bar time 18:00~23:30. Closed on Mondays.
Credit cards OK
Homepage　(Japanese)

Chicken, 観光, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Pork, Shizuoka, 富士宮市, 居酒屋

French Cuisine: Shizuoka Agricultural Products at Chez Satsukawa!

April 13, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Fujio Satsukawa for all his experience is not afraid of new challenges.
Concocting and serving French food independently (our relation started before that!) since 1989, he is re-inventing himself with third restaurant which he had just opened on the 18th of December last year.

The concept obeys to the trends of the day with a combination of French bistro and Japanese Izakaya with a counter and tables in two different areas.

A collection of great vintage labels that a lot of officionados would like to lay their hands on!
It also means that he can offer both quality wines and top-class Shizuoka Sake with French dishes conceived either separately or as part of a course.

A cozy corner for patrons wishing for more privacy.

French gastronomy in a Japanese atmosphere!

Fujio Satsukawa gives preference to local products whenever possible.

Daikon, orange and pimento marinated in amazu/sweet vinegar.

Open vegetables quiche.

Now meat dishes are truly extravagant (and reasonable priced!): This grilled chicken comes all the way from Mr Aoki’s farm in Fujinomiya City! This chicken variety raised in our Prefecture is called Fuji Tori/富士鶏!

Shizuoka has been developing top-class meat for quit a while and a great part directly goes onto the Tokyo tables.
This pork is called Mangenton/満幻豚 and is raised by only two farmers in the city of Fujinomiya! This particular one was raised by Mr. Kuwahara!

For a closer view. The concept is definitely French although I had Japanese sake with it!

The roasted stuffed eggplant could be served in any restaurant!

Looking forward to start again a long relation!

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

野菜, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

French Cuisine: Shizuoka Agricultural Products at Bistro Gawa!

April 12, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Friendly
Facilities: old but very clean. Very clean washroom!
Prices: very reasonable
Strong points: excellent French cuisine without ostentation. Great local products from the land and the sea
entirely non-smoking!

People and restaurants in Mishima City in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture are lucky!
Mishima and the mountains of West Hakone is a paradise for vegetable growers and organic agriculture in general!

Bistro Gawa is located inside an old unpretentious building just near the Mishima Hitokoji Station (Izu Hakone Private Line)

Although it is perched on the second floor you can’t miss it with its very visible menu boards before opening and

and after opening!

Make a point to look at the specialties of the day!
Not that they do not use any artificial taste additive!

Once inside you know what kind of cuisine to expect!
It is a small place with only 12 seats at tables and 6 more at the counter. It is a good idea to call and reserve beforehand.

This was my first visit and as I was due to hold an interview in Shuzenji in the afternoon, I took the opportunity to take my lunch there. Lunch is always a good sign of what level to expect.
Although they accept any order from any menu they propose three different sets for lunch: Petite Palette (650 yen), normal lunch (1580 yen) and La Palette (1880 yen).
I chose the latter with a glass of wine I could choose from 4 different bottles.

It consisted of Jamon Serrano (Spain) atop a salad of organic greens from Hirokawa Garden and black and white rice in butter with sauteed wabuta (Japanese pork).

Cheese creme Brulee, Medai brandade (a brandade made with a local grouper), marinated mackerel and pan-fried black bass from Suruga Bay.

Non-mayonnaise potato salad and vegetables sticks, all organic from Hirokawa Garden.

Home-baked bread.

Organic Spring cabbage potage.

And the coffee was served with real milk and sugar, a clear indication of better attention in Japan!

This is only a start as there is a good menu to go through and also as I will have to visit Mishima City very regularly in the coming weeks.
See you at dinner next, then!

Bistro Gawa
411-0856, Shizuoka ken, Mishima Shi, Hirokoji Machi, 1-37, 2F
Business hours: 11:30~14:00, 18:00~
Closed on Sunday, Thursday lunch and Saturday dinner
Tel.: 055-972-5040
Cards OK (+5% handling fees)

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

野菜, 観光, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Tourism, vegetables

French Cuisine: Local Shizuoka Land & Sea Products at Pissenlit

April 9, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

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.
entirely non-smoking!

When one wishes to sample products both from the land and sea of Shizuoka Prefectures, there are many establishments worthwhile to visit, but Pissenlit and Chef Tooru Arima are certainly a top reference among them.

I recently had the opportunity to share lunch there with some friends, so let me describe what we sampled:

Organic carrot (Hirokawa Farm) soup for starter.

Organic spinach quiche and its organic vegetable salad. All organic vegetables used at Pissenlit come from Mr. Hirokawa’s Garden in Mishima (I will soon pay him a visit!)!