Tag Archives: Shizuoka

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/74): Vegetables Roll Sushi Bento

October 19, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

The Missus has been battering my ears with the fact I’m putting on weight again!
The fast is I have little time to take physical exercise with all the work I have to do on the computer these days!
Ayway, plenty of veg and fruit today!LOL

Having steamed (and grumbled) the rice, she prepared it as susi rice and mixed it with roasted sesame seeds.
She made three types of vegetavbles rolls:
-Carrots and green peppers (pimento)
-Cucumber and tartare sauce
-Buckwheat sprouts and umeboshi/Japanese pickled plum (sweet type)
Made for some interesting colours!

As for the garnish, she made her favourite mimosa egg on a bed of sprouts, French pickles and Ameera Rubbins pearl tomatoes on another bed of vegetables, and local (I was offered them during an interview!) fresh figs cut and seasoned with cottage cheese, walnuts and cheese dresing.

Simple (mind you it still seemed a lot of work!), plentiful, tasty and so healthy!

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)

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery/Shusseijyo Aki Agari Tokubetsu Honjozo

October 18, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Hamamatsu-Tenjigura was the oldest Sake Brewery in Hamamatsu City until it started absorbing all the neighbouring cities.
It stands in Shizuoka Prefecture for having the only “Brewmistress”!

Their sake come into two distinct varieties, the ones designed for food, the others for separate tasting.
This particular sake was great with food prepared by the Missus!
It also has the merit to made with Shizuoka-grown Homare Fuji Sake Rice!
And it certainly makes for a long title!

Hamamatsu-Tenjigura Brewery: Shusseijyo Aki Agari (Autumn’s First) Tokubetsu Honjozo Homare Fuji

Rice: Homare Fuji 100%
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in August 2010

Clarity: Very clear
Colour: Transparent
Aroma: Dry and fruity: bananas, coffee beans and coconuts
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry attack. Fruity: Coconuts, almonds.
Disappears quickly with a drier note with more almonds and nuts/coffee beans.
Changes little with food with an even drier note.

Overall: An eminently drinkable sake for dry sake fans.
At 60% millage simply an extravagant Tokubetsu Honjozo!
Great accompaninent to food.
Could be enjoyed in any way, chilled, room temperature or lukewarm!

It was certainly perfect with the Missus’ food: Deep-fried lotus roots chips and cheese gyoza!

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
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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/73): Mukago Bento

October 18, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

Why did I call this bento “mukago bento”?
Mukago is the fruit/seed of the yama imo/yam.
They are not easy to find on the market as their season is very short (it has just finished) and they are usually served in expensive traditional Japanese restaurants.
But I’m blessed with a neighbor who grows them in his own garden, who was kind enough to offer me a whole bunch the other day!
Half of them (the larger ones) were eaten with the first glass of Japanese sake of that day, while the Missus kep the rest for today’s bento!

The Missus steamed them whole (their skinis very tasty!) with plain rice.
Later she added a little dashi soup stock and soy sauce when she mixed them together before placing them inside the bento box.

The skinof the mukago is easily broken with the teeth and the inside is very tender with an elegant taste.
The Missus added shredded Japanese pickles for more taste and colour!

Autumn is just arriving with (at last!) cooler nights and there are plenty to choose from in the fridge for a colourful garnish!

I must have my Tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette in my bento!
This time, the Missus prepared them plain and slightly sweet (they were my dessert of the day!).
Shw rolled okra in thin pork slices and fried them with some seasoning of hers. They make for a great sight once cut across their section!

The vegetables part were represented with her special carrot tagliatelle salad with a bit of lettuce, some parsley and walnuts.
The pearl tomatoes are “Ameera Rubbins” (still) exclusively grown by only two farmers in Iwata City in Western Shizuoka Prefecture!

I love the Autumn!

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/10/15)

October 15, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Small-Batch Seasonal Releases; Upcoming Taproom Events; Taproom in Yokohama?

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Fall is in full swing and the Baird Brewery is busy crafting flavorful brews at what is for us an unprecedented pace. Many of these beers are small-batch (brewed on our 250-liter system), draught-only experiments that we release only at our Taproom pubs. Stop in at one of our three Taproom locations to get a taste of what I am talking about.

New Taproom-only Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

White Rose Brown Ale (ABV 4.5%): In the Wars of the Roses, the white rose represented the House of York in the north while the red rose symbolized the House of Lanchester in the south. White Rose Brown Ale is a Northern English style Brown Ale, moderate in gravity and alcohol but rich in texture and malt flavor. We are serving it in Real Ale fashion via our English hand-pumps.
New Zealand Hallertau Aroma Single Hop Ale (ABV 4.7%): This brisk andbright Golden Ale is hopped exclusively with the New Zealand variety Hallertau Aroma. If you desire to explore the bitter, aroma and flavor character of this lovely New Zealand variety, this is your brew!
Baird Pacific Porter (ABV 7.5%): This is our version of the Baltic Porter style: a strong, dark beer fermented with a lager yeast that has enjoyed historical popularity in Baltic region countries. Baird Pacific Porter enjoys a layered complexity of flavor (dark chocolate, pit fruit, licorice, brown sugar, etc.) and a very stealthy alcohol wallop. Imbibe with caution!
All of these terrific new experimental brews can be enjoyed at one of our three Taproom pubs in the coming days and weeks.

Upcoming Taproom Events:

We have a couple of interesting upcoming events at our Nakameguro Taproom. Please mark your calendar and plan on attending.

*2nd Annual Nakameguro Taproom Booktoberfest (Thursday, October 21). This is a charity event held in cooperation with the Beers for Books organization (www.beersforbooks.org) to raise money for the Room to Read charity which purchases and distributes books to poverty-stricken children in developing countries. This is a terrific opportunity to contribute to a great cause while enjoying a great time.

*”Falling for Brew!” seminar and tasting which focuses on fall-season beers and autumn food accompaniments. The Japanese language seminar and tasting will take place on Saturday, November 13 (3:00 pm start). The English language version will be the following day, Sunday, November 14 (3:00 pm start). Tickets cost 3,200 yen and seating is limited. Please contact the Nakameguro Taproom directly about attending (nakameguro-tap@bairdbeer.com; 03-5768-3025).

A Taproom in Yokohama — Is the scuttlebut true?

Yes it is. We are thrilled to announce that we have found a wonderful location in Kannai, right off Bashamichi, very near the Kannai, Sakuragicho and Bashamichi train stations. The Bashamichi Taproom will be a genuine American-style barbecue restaurant and, of course, craft beer oasis. The manager and pitmaster will be the most experienced and skilled barbecue man in all of Japan, Mr. Chuck Morrow. The opening date is planned for Saturday, January 15.

We still are on the lookout for excellent and passionate individuals to round out our Bashamichi Taproom staff. If you are a serious candidate, drop us a line directly at: jobs@bairdbeer.com.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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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
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Shizuoka Agricultural Products: The Yamaguchis’ Benihoppe Strawberry Fields (beginning of October)

October 13, 2010 dragonlife 6 Comments

Haruka/晴香, Tamako/玉子 and Mitsuo/光雄 Yamaguchi/山口

This the second part as promised of my interview of the Yamaguchi Family, a major grower of strawberries, exclusively of the Benihoppe variety, in Nirayama, Izu Peninsula. Read the first part for better understanding!

As mentioned before, “Benihoppe” or “Red Cheeks” strawberries is a cultivar which was successfully developed no later than in 2002 in Shizuoka Prefecture. It has since been voted as the best-balanced strawberry in Japan, and Izu Peninsula being near Tokyo, we do not see too many of our fruit on our own market stands!

To cut a long story short I was back at Mishima JR Station yesterday where Haruka Yamaguchi picked me up to give me a lift to her parents strawberry fields.

The Yamaguchis own a total of 15 greenhouses for a total of 1,500 tsubo (4,500 square meters), a fairly large property for a single family in this particular area counting for no less than 187 registered farms!
When you realize that their greenhouses stand in many different locations you can understand the sheer work of only opening and closing the roofs depending upon the weather, humidity and temperature every day! No need to say that when torrential rains fall upon them it becomes a real scramble!

The new strawberry seedlings were finally planted on the 15th of September. A couple of seedlings had been cut out and analyzed to ascertain that the flowers buds were forming.

Now, what is that box for?
A beehive will stand on it 5 days before the first strawberry flowers start blooming.
One just can’t pollinate the flowers without them!
Artificial pollination would be too cumbersome and will not be uniform with the consequence of misshaped fruits.
The Yamaguchis breed their own bees in 16 beehives, one for each greenhouse.
Don’t worry, they eat and share the honey!

Fruit size will depend on how well the flowers are pollinated.
Only the strict minimum of fertilizer will be dispensed until the soil is covered with vinyl sheets.
Weeds will have to be picked out by hand until then.
No pesticides will be used either.
Insects-eating insects will then be introduced!

The Yamaguchis will use large vinyl sheets to close the soil between the seedlings and rows. Instead of making holes in the sheets which tend to damage the seedlings, they join the sheets between the plants with staplers.
Now, do you see the blue tube running between the plants?

They are actually water hoses (or pipes, as you like)

The water springs out of the tube exactly between the plants.
That is, there will be enough space left between the vinyl sheets for the seedlings to be watered twice a week for 15 minutes.
Clever, isn’t it?

Maintaining the plants and picking the fruit is impossible work to do standing or kneeling.
The Yamaguchis and many other strawberry growers use that clever contraption to “run/roll” between the rows and work in relative ease!

Strawberry season lasts from about November 15th and 31st of May.
The best season are December and May as for sweetness. February see the largest fruits while the largest production occurs in March.

Look forward to my next report in December!

Yamaguchi Benihoppe Strawberry Farm
410-2114, Izu no Kuni, Nan-jo, 8
Tel.: 055-949-2330

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Bandai Brewery-Junmai Ginjo Genshu Homare Fuji

October 10, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Bandai Brewery is located in one of the most scenic cities of Shizuoka Prefecture, Izu Peninsula formerly called Shuzenji. The city has recently been included into a larger city called Izu City, but people and tourists certainly don’t mix the two when they say they are going to Shuzenji!
One can reach this city also famous for its hotsprings and Japanese inns by taking a local train from Mishima City.
When you go down at Shuzenji Station, don’t forget to visit the souvenir shop where you will find all the products of Bandai Brewery, including real wasabi shochu!

Bandai Brewery is one of the oldest breweries in the Prefecture and its history under other names can be traced back to the 16th Century!
Like most of the other sake breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture, it has started to use locally grown sake rice to ensure a stable output.

Rice: Homare Fuji 100% (grown in Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: +3
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees (genshu: no water added)
Bottled in July 2010

Clarity: very clear
Colour: faint golden hue
Aroma: Strong and fruity: banana, vanilla, hints of pineapple
Body: fluid
Taste: Strongish attack with junmai petillant and a lot of fruit. Warms back of the palate. Well-rounded backed up by pleasant alcohol.
Complex: banana, gum-candy, almonds with memories of coffee beans later.
Softens with food to turn dry again on its own.
Almonds and banana tend to follow each other alternatively.

Overall: A sake you might as well drink chilled as it is quite sweet in spite of a +3 dryness level (quite dry by Shizuoka standards).
One of those sake you can pour over an ice-cream!
Very pleasant. Tends to get drier with food.
Would very well accompany blue cheese like a Port wine, or being drunk as a digestif!

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Shizuoka Prefecture Agricultural High School (1)

October 5, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

I’ve lived 34 years in Shizuoka City, and I still remember that about 20 years ago farmers’ sons had to be dragged screaming into that venerable establishment!
How times have changed since then!

Founded in 1903 (3rd year of Taisho Era), it has been rebuilt many a time and has grown into a highly respected high school in the whole Prefecture and well beyond.

There are many reasons to that and probably not the ones you would expect.
First of all, the environment is truly propitious to study with all the greenery between the buildings. I’m not talking about the 3 ha of cultivated land! By Japanese standards, it is a large school by area standards.

Although it used to be mainly a boys’ high school, the trend has completely changed with 493 girls for 231 boys!
The introduction of three new subjects in the curriculum in 1996 is probably the most notable factor behind this change: Agricultural production, that is real farming, Environment and Food Departments.

Although plenty of history is still visible within its compounds, Shizuoka Prefectural (Public) High School is resolutely modern and extremely well-equipped, even included animal husbandry!
My relation with the high school started this year when I met some of their teachers at a party. Teachers and staff on the whole are unusually warm, easy-going but firm on etiquette, smiling and most of all pro-active. Pro-active? I mean that these ladies and gents are not afraid to show everyone that they themselves are keen to learn!

Flowers!

I had already visited the school quite a few times when the Shizuoka Prefecture-run Agricultural Homepage, AGRIGRAPH (6 languages) sent me on a series of reports.
Now, visiting the school compounds is like exploring a farming enterprise!

Tomatoes and other vegetables.

The greenhouses might be squarer and higher bt the techniques and technology are the same!
Actually Shizuoka has 3 Prefectural High Schools, a sure sign of the times when people are getting more aware of their food and environment!

A spinach variety.

Akihime strawberries. Looking forward to another visit soon! LOL

Cucumbers

Actually the students either take their produce back home or sell it. In the latter case, all the proceeds go to the Prefecture!

Tomatoes again!

This particular vegetable bed is allotted to 41 students.

Except for one, they all work in pairs on their alotted bed with their names written on small poles in front of each culture!

Plenty of tools for plenty of students!

Don’t they look neat!

Dressed as real farmers, aren’t we!

Teachers there are happily obeyed and listened to! I never heard a misplaced word by any lecturer, a rarity in Japanese high schools!

Daikon and spinach seeds.

Would you believe that one of those two little ladies greeted me not only in English, but also in French!

Don’t forget this is green tea land, as Shizuoka Prefecture produces no less than 45% of all green tea in Japan!

What strikes most in this establishment is that almost every available space is filled with greenery and flowers, a luxury in space-cramped Japan!

I had to pay a long visit to my new friend’s, Mr. Ishida, class and school club. Mr. Ishida teaches solely the art of making bread (and some cakes)! That particular class is an elective subject. There are only 33 students (1st to 3rd year) but the learn how to make 33 different breads during the whole 3-year cursus!

The present subject was wholegrain wheat bread!
Fermented no less than 3 times!

Girls from another class who came to collect their chocolate cakes!

Shaping the small loaves for the oven.
Quite a few boys among the students!

The mini loaves coated with wholegrain flour before being baked at 210 degrees Celsius!
I went back home with half a dozen of them (plus a baguette and chocolate cake!)!

The chocolate cakes!

Absolutely yummy!

A sample line of the breads created by the students.
Incidentally Shizuoka Prefecture Agricultural School is famous all over Japan for taking most prizes at the Annual Japan High School National Bread Contest!

Attentive, aren’t they?

Well, this is the first of a series of articles!
Look forward to the next ones!

Shizuoka Prefecture Agricultural High School
420-0812 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Furusho, 3-1-1
Tel: 054-261-0111/0113
Fax: 054-264-2226
Homepage: http://www.shizuoka-c.ed.jp/shizuoka-ah/ (Japanese)

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Robert Yellin’s Newsletter: Pottery Lecture-Dinner in Tokyo and others

October 5, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Greetings from Mishima,

The first day of October here arrives in what seems like a dream-passing of time; wasn’t it summer just a few days ago? We hope this finds all well in whatever season it may be where you are. Here in Japan autumn is one of the most delightful times of the year, not only for the beautiful scenery, yet also for the delicious food and art; autumn is called the ‘Culture Season’ with many exhibitions throughout the land. I recently wrote a Japan Times column on one such exhibition that can be read here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fa20100903a1.html

What’s New on Our Site
This is a rather short newsletter of greeting and also to invite those who have signed our guest book to visit the online gallery if you haven’t recently. The variety of work is truly dazzling from recent additions such as Hasu Yoshitaka’s powerful Iga ash-glazed works, such as the box seen. Also featured is a brilliant Wa-Harmony Ring by Kako Katsumi, a rare 1966 Bizen vase-flask by Mori Togaku, published Bizen work by Kakurezaki Ryuichi, a large celadon charger by Living National Treasure Nakajima Hiroshi, major Nezumi-Shino platter by Wakao Toshisada and two platinum-glazed kogo by wonder-women Ogawa Machiko. We’ll also have some new works to show by Gomi Kenji soon as well.

So, please do pay a visit to www.japanesepottery.com to refresh your spirit with some autumn beauty from Japan.

Lecture-Dinner in Tokyo
Also, on the evening of Oct.22nd world-renowned sake authority John Gauntner and I will be hosting a lecture-dinner in Tokyo and for anyone who might be available, or know someone in Tokyo who might be interested, please do email me directly for more details. John’s extensive web site can be visited at www.sake-world.com.

Online Exhibitions, 2011 Yakimono Calendar
We have no large exhibitions planned at the gallery for the remainder of the year, yet will be offering works by various artists in our Exhibition Page each month, as well as weekly updates of works that are always a pleasure to view. I’ll be visiting Bizen and Mino this month so please look for treasures from those parts soon.

We’ll have a lovely Yakimono calendar for 2011 and will add your name to the list of those who will receive one, if you acquire a work from the gallery from now until mid-December.

Many thanks as always for your interest and as always;
All the best from Japan.

Cordially,
Robert Yellin

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/72): Te-Mari sushi Bento

October 5, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

The Missus came up with an old favourite of hers with today’s sushi bento: Te-Mari sushi!
Mind you, these are a lot bigger than the ones they serve to geisha in Kyoto! LOL

As you can see she combined Jpaanese and Western tastes in the Te-Mari balls!

One type came with rice steamed wit konbu, then later prepared as sushi rice. She then mixed half with sweet umeboshi flesh and topped the balls with a slice of boiled and lightly pickled renkon/lotus root.

As for the other type, she mixed the rest of the rice with small cubes of cheese and topped the balls with smoked salmon has just brought us from Ireland, and some lemon and capers. A small piece of lettuce was introduced under the ball for extra taste.

Now, the garnish did involve some work:
She cut an avocado in half across the length, and peel it before filling it first with the whites (crumbled) of a soft-boiled egg, then the yolk (crumbeled) of the same egg before topping it with a slice of pimento-stuffed green olive for colour!
She added boiled spinach salad seasoned with gomadare/sesame dessing, and another salad of boiled and broiled satoimo/taro seasoned with roasted black sesame seeds.

Where is my dessert? LOL

Great balance, colourful and tasty again!

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Food Humor: Acid Milk!

October 5, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

A few years ago we used to see those big ads in Japan for “Homo Milk” standing for “Homogeneous Milk”. That is, until someone pointed out this might mislead some people into the wrong conclusions…

I found this truck in front of a kindergarten this morning on the way to my classroom.
After some investigation I found out (with the help of my Japanese student), that yoghurt is also called fermented milk in Japanese!
Acid Milk simply stands for Yoghurt!
Even so, it might be a good idea (but I suppose it is too late!) to think of a change of name, unless some people (again!) think of an even worse possibility! LOL

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Yamanaka Brewery-Aoitenka Toubinkoi Muroka Junmai Ginjo

October 4, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Yamanaka Brewery i not easy to access as it is far away from Kakegawa Station near the sea and one can reach only by bus, car and bicycle (not from Shizuoka City for the latter!)!
It is a fairly small establishement, although very well known, the more for it that its neighbour is the famous soy sauce brewery, Sakae!

This particular bottle was extravagant for many reasons.
The decoration was very original in the sense that the label on the bottle is actually made of cloth!
Coming into a great box with plenty of explanations, both the bottle and box are worth a collector’s attention.

The contents were also absolutely extravagant:
The real title is Yamanaka Shuzo/Yamanak Brewery, Aointenka (sake name), Tobinkoi (sake extracted drop by drop by being left hanging into sacke inside the tank and into a large glass jar), Muroka (unfiltered), Junami Ginjo (high premium with no alcohol added), Genshu (no pure water added), the whole meaning a completely untouched sake brew!

Now for the details:
Rice: Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture
Rice milled down to 48% (high dai ginjo level!)
Yeast: 1401
Dryness: +2
Acidity: 1.7
Alcohol: 16~17 gegrees
Bottled in July 2010

Clarity: very clear
Colour: transparent
Aroma: Slghtly dry and very fruity. Almonds, coconuts with notes of pineapple. Extremely pleasant
Body: fluid
Taste: Very complex and fruity. Extremely pleasant and sophisticated.
Dry and fruity. Junmai petillant spreading over the back of the palate. Lingers on only a little.
Dry almonds, pineapple with hints of banana and vanilla.
Finishes on a very dry almond note, but turns a little sweetish with food. Later on reveals faint notes of dark chocolate and cofee beans.

Overall: Simply extravagant, although its pricetag is ridiculously cheap (that is for that quality!). The rice millage would be of another plane elsewhere!
Sophisticated, lmost “feminine” in spite of high alcohol content.
Best appreciated lightly chilled or at room temperature.
Personally the best aperitif one can come across!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/71): Canned Heat bento

October 4, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

The weather has finally turned to Autumn/Fall, especially at night when it’s easier to sleep! Mind you this the typhoon season with some scalding daytime hetin-between.
Now, why did I callthis Bento Canned Heat?
Some of you (the nostalgic ones) will remember the rock group of the same name at Woodstock!

Canned yakitori is a very popular item in Japanese supermarkets and they can be arranged into surprisingly good food!
The Missus always has a few in her “larder”.
I chose the yuzu ksohio yakitori canned yakitori.
The Missus steamed the rice with the yakitori on top.
She then mixed the lot adding her own pickled sansho/Japanese pepper and “tukudani” made with ginger and konbu/seaweed.
It does make for a very tasty and filling rice. And very nourishing, too.
She added some pickled daikon for colour effect.
She added some delicious tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette she concocted with shiso/perill leaves.

She prepared the salad and dessert garnish inside the other (Shizuoka) Mempa bento Box with its T-shaped partition (all lacquerd).
Soba hime/buckwheat sprouts with katsuo bushi/dry bonito shavings in one quarter.
She filled the half section with a salad of beans, konbu, and boiled yellow and pink potatoes (the latter from her family’s garden), the lot on some lettuce leaves and topped with local plum tomato.
As for dessert nashi pears and plums!

Very filling and tasty!
Poor Susan at My Bento Box, who is being deprived of her bentos for 3 weeks is going to scream!

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Japanese Gastronomic BBQ in Mariko

September 30, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

Suruga Beef!

BBQ’s are probably the most common way of enjoying great company with great food and great drinks in the whole world even if you are a teetoller or vegan!

And Japan is no exception!
Now, BBQ’s in Shizuoka can turn into extravagant affairs if they organised by local chefs, sake brewmasters and farmers using only local ingredients!

To make a long story shorter, we found about 30 of us last Sunday noon in Mariko, a site famed as one of the stages along the old Tokaido Road used by travellers in the Edo Era.
Being organized by Japanese, it was all very precise and delightful.
For 60 US $ (including drinks) per adult a BBQ site (20 US $ included in the total fee) was rented just beside Sanko/山幸 restaurant up in the nearby mountain.

Sanko Restaurant entrance. Very Japanese!

Beautiful flower arrangement/Ikebana/活花 at the entrance!

Side entrance to the inner garden and facilities (important with all those drinks!)

The event had been organised under the auspices of Nagashima Sake Store in Shizuoka and its owner, Takahiro Nagashima/長島隆博 (far right).

All the sake had been brewed by Brewmaster Takashima San/高島さん of Takashima Brewery in Numazu City. Incidentally that gentleman ,even with a glass in hand, would not be easily overwhelmed as he holds a 5th dan (Black Belt) in judo!

All the sake served was clearly advertized!

The Japanese, even during a BBQ, once they are seated, move only to get their food or drinks (unless a willing lady or subaltern is on hand!), but being an uncouth foreigner, I kept moving around! LOL

Kenya Yoshimura/吉村健哉, owner/chef at Uzu Restaurant, Shizuoka City, needed a baseball horn to make himself heard when announcing the festivities!

Now for the vegetarians and vegans: all these vegetables had been prepared beforehand by Kenya Yoshimura with organic vegetables coming from Matsuki Biofarm in Shibakawa Cho at the foot of Mount Fuji!

Other carefully chosen vegetables had been provided by Takeo Shimura/志村剛生, chef/owner of Narusei Tempura Restaurant in Shizuoka City!

Now for the beef!
All Suruga Beef/駿河牛, carefully chosen and provided by Shigeharu Sano/佐野茂治, chef/owner at Kamoshibito Restaurant in Shizuoka City.
This particular beef, as good as Kobe beef, comes from from animals exclusively bred in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Da the Men! Shigeharu Sano and Kenya Yoshimura!

Shigeharu Sano at work!

Don’t you want to board the next bullet train to Shizuoka City!

Or the next plane? LOL

This being Japan, all is cut beforehand for you!

Now, whatever the occasion, the Japanese will go not without their soup!
This very soup was extravagant as prepared (with other things, pork liver in particular!) by Yuusuke Toozaki/登崎雄介, chef/owner at Hana Oto Restaurant in Shizuoka City.
It was made with miso, vegetables and mangenton/万言豚 pork, exclusively raised in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Now, this gentleman, Toshiaki Horie/堀江利彰 came all the way from the Amagi Mountains/天城山 in Izu Peninsula/伊豆半島 to bring Shamo Chicken/軍鶏 he bred himself until 4-month old with the best feed and environment available in his farm.
Enormous chicken! Look at that neck!

Not only he brought them, but went through the cutting demonstration no less than 3 times!

Although revellers kept at the safe distance lots of questions were asked and most amiably answered!

That knife was flying, I can tell you!

Et voila! All cut and ready. All in less than 3 minutes!

Oh, I forgot to tell you:
All the meat, beef, pork, chicken and some vegetables were exclusively grilled over charcoal!

Now, are you convinced than a mere BBQ can be called gastronomic?

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

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/09/27)

September 29, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Debut: Baird Fest Lager; Seeking Restaurant Industry Professionals

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Autumn has arrived with an unexpected suddenness this year. We are pleased to welcome it with the debut release of a German Oktoberfest-inspired seasonal lager: Baird Fest Lager.

New Seasonal Releases:
*Baird Fest Lager (ABV 5.2%):

The German Oktoberfest celebration held annually in Munich each fall is perhaps the largest and most storied celebration of beer in the world. For those of us who can’t make the pilgrimage to Munich this year, we thought we would offer a flavor of the celebration that can be experienced and enjoyed right here in Japan.

Baird Fest Lager is brewed with an all-German grist which features at its core the Vienna malt. The color derived from the malts is a deep amber reminiscent of the fall foliage. The flavor is rich, bready and layered in its malt complexity. The texture is one of velvet silkiness. I can think of no other beverage more conducive to pleasurable imbibing on a crisp autumn day. Prost!

Baird Fest Lager will be available on draught and in bottles (633 ml) through the fine family of Baird Beer retailers in Japan beginning Wednesday, September 29. Individual consumers can purchase bottles direct from the brewery via our online E-Shop: <a href="http://bairdbeer.com/en/shop/ .

Job Opportunites at our Taproom Pubs:
Sayuri and I launched the Baird Brewing Company in the format of a brewery-pub back in 2000. From day one we have been committed equally to two endeavors: brewing world-class beer and operating first-class beer pubs. Today we operate directly three Taproom pubs: Numazu Fishmarket Taproom, Nakameguro Taproom and Harajuku Taproom. We plan to open a fourth in the near future. The likely location of this new Taproom is Yokohama.

We thus are actively on the lookout for passionate and dedicated pub-restaurant industry professionals. We have potential positions (full- and part-time) at each of our locations. If you are interested in a career (or part-time work) in the craft beer world at one of our Baird Beer Taproom pubs, please have a look at our Job Opportunities web page: <a href="http://bairdbeer.com/en/news/recruit . Submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@bairdbeer.com and we will be in touch with you.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/70): Fall Rain Sushi Roll Bento

September 28, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

Maybe I should have titled this lunch box “Fall Rainfall Sushi Bento”!
It was not raining this morning, it wa pouring!
Which meant I had to wait for the but in the driving rain, board a stuffy bus and find out two hours later that the skies had suddenly cleaned!
Oh well, a bento is here to provide you comfort and make you forget about the little “niggles” of life!

The Missus kept things very simple (and tasty):
She made two kinds of rolls with nori/seawwed:
one contained cheese and “okaka”/Bonito/Katsuo powder, the other avocado.
She placed both on some lettuce.

One more type of sushi with “inarizushi wrapped in sweet aburaage todfu pouches.
Some stuffed olives, tomatoes and sweet tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette for dessert.

Siimple, fulfilling and tasty!LOL