Tag Archives: Grouper

Organic Cafe: Giono

October 22, 2009 dragonlife 4 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Salmon-Sake

October 18, 2009 dragonlife 4 Comments

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Salmon is a favourite almost everywhere on the Globe, but it is in Japan that you can enjoy in the most numerous manners!

Like every other fish it has many names according to season and place:
Shirozake/White Salmon, Akiaji or Akizake for Autumn Salmon, Shake in Tokyo.
In Spring it is called Tokishirazu.
I don’t have to tell you there are many, many names for it all over the world!

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Its roe, before processing, is called Sujiko in Japanese, whereas the salmon roe, once treated, is called Ikura.

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Many Japanese appreciate the roe untreated, but more people enjoy it on top of rice as it is with some soy sauce and grated wasabi.

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It also makes for some splendid colourful creation on a plate of sushi!

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As oshizushi/pressed sushi, it can make some very interesting combinations with the salmon flesh and roe.

SAKE-GOHAN

Have you ever tasted Sake Gohan/Salmon Rice?

SAKE-OSHIZUSHI

Slightly smoked the Japanese way, It is extensively used in the making of bentoes!

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

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Japanese Cuisine: Seabream in Kabayaki Style

October 17, 2009 dragonlife 2 Comments

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Seabreams or groupers are aslo common almost all year long.
They make for all kinds of preparation in Japanese cuisine, either in nabe/Japanese pot au feu or grilled.
This very simple recipe is a grill in kabayaki style:

Seabream in Kabayaki Style:

INGREDIENTS: For two persons

-White-flesh fish (seabreams or groupers. Recipe can apply to almost any white flesh fish): 120g~

Marinade
-Soy sauce: 1 teaspoon
-Japanese Sake: 1 teaspoon

-Cornstarch: 2 tablespoons~
-Oil: 1 tablespoon

Sauce:
-Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
-Japanese Sake: 1 tablespoon
-Mirin/Sweet sake: half a tablespoon
-Sugar: half a tablespoon
-White sesame seeds: 1~2 teaspoons
-Finely chopped thin leeks: 2 tablespoons

RECIPE:

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-Marinate fish soy sauce and Japanese sake for about 10 minutes.
-In a separate bowl mix soy sauce, Japanese Sake, mirin and sugar.

-Rest fish on a piece of kitchen paper to take excess marinade.
-Sprinkle both sides with cornstarch.
-Heat oil on a frypan and grill fish on both sides util “bubbles/eyes” appear on it surface.

-Once the heat has reched/cooked the core of the fish, slide fish against the side or corner of the frypan. Pour the sauce in the remaing space of the frypan. As soon as sauce starts boiling, caramelize both sides of the fish with the sauce.

-As soon as you are satisfied with the cooking of the fish, serve fish on a dish. Mix white sesame seeds with reamining sauce and pour over fish. Sprinkle with chopped thin leeks.

NOTE:

-Keep in mind that fish can break easily when you flip it over to fry it on both sides.
-Fry the skin side first.