Tag Archives: vegetables 美食

美食, Dessert, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurants, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism

Vegetarian Italian Cuisine at Piatto!

June 6, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Very friendly and relaxed. Slow food!
Equipment: Great cleanliness and splendid washroom
Prices: Appropriate
Strong Points: Vegetables, especially local and organic whenever possible. Local products. Good French and Italian wine-list

I’m not a vegetarian, but if one can come up with a superlative vegetarian dish I will not hesitate!
And if the vegetables are organic and local to boot I will ignore meat and fish for the whole meal (and postpone the latter to my next visit! LOL)

Kazuo Igarashi originally comes from Tokyo, but with a wife from Shizuoka and a constant access to extravagant ingredients convinced him to open Piatto in downtown Shizuoka City on June 12th 2006.
Since then he has acquired such a fame that his own peers advised me to pay him a visit as soon as possible!

Kazuo’s cuisine is definitely Italian in inspiration but his small establishment is a happy fusion of European and Japanese influences with plates and dishes being chosen among the artworks of three different potters. Food is served on wooden (wood and fabric material and colors are everywhere!) trays with wooden chopsticks and spoons (although you can ask for forks and knives!) and in art glassware. Frankly speaking I would need to write a separate article to describe the place (which I will do next time!)!

I almost cried when I found a Mercurey white wine on his menu! Mercurey is my home-place back in Bourgogne, France!
A very tasty appetizer was served in a beautiful glass: yuuba (skimmed tofu sheet) with parmegiano, pepper and olive oil!

A first for me!

“Bagna Couda”: Italian-style hot dip vegetable tray!

The small deep dish was placed on larger pot containing a combustible to heat the dip.
Both the dish and “burner” were made of sophisticated Japanese pottery!

The dip recipe is a secret of course but it does contain parmegiano and anchovy paste!
I did not leave a drop!

The vegetables, all local and most organic, were more of a Japanese concept, proving that superlative Italian gastronomy can be successfully achieved anywhere if you have quality ingredients!

A little explanation here:
The eggplant is mizu nasu/水茄子, a variety which is eaten raw. The renkon/蓮根/lotus root and takenoko/筍/bamboo shoot are definitely Japanese in concept.
And even more so the mini melons eaten as vegetables in our Prefecture!

Kazuo’s focaccia seems to be known all over town.
Carrot focaccia to finish my dip sauce!

What did I tell you about pottery?
I know some people who would visit the place just to have the pleasure in eating with them!

A risotto was of course on the cards!
I just asked Kazuo to concoct me one with vegetables!

It just shows that green can be become such an appetizing color in the hands of a great chef!

Even the dessert was local!
Can you guess?

I almost took the same picture: Cherry tree flower Ice cream! Yes you read well: flowers!

I’m afraid this is still a bit short of an article as Kazuo Ishigarashi’s cuisine will take time to explore, but don’t woory, I’ll be back soon!

PIATTO
Shisuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Kooyamachi, 5-12, 2F
TEl.: 054-253-8844
Business hours: Lunch, 11:30~14:30 on Monday, Saturday, Sunday & National Holidays. Dinner: 17:30~23:00
Closed on Thursdays
Credit Cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese and a little English)

野菜, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine, Vegetarian terrine

Vegan Feast with Shizuoka Products at Yasaitei!

June 5, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Very friendly and attentive
Facilities: Very clean overall. Superb toilets.
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Great choice of local & Japanese vegetables. Kansai-style oden. All traditionally-clad ladies staff in a traditional izakaya. Good wines, shochu and sake List.

Chef Aki Suzuki/鈴木朋 never rests on her laurels in a constant search for new local vegetables of the best quality and freshness to please and titillate her customers.
Luckily enough, Shizuoka Prefecture is fast developing into THE reference when it comes to variety and quality of vegetables in Japan.
Moreover, whenever a producer cannot achieve a full organic culture the predominant trend is to reduce any artificial fertilizer or pesticide to a strict minimum.

The result is that the general level has reached such an elevated status that vegetables imported from other Prefectures are of an unheard quality.
It is thus easy to understand why restaurants and izakayas in Shizuoka Prefecture are increasingly using only the safest vegetables as a matter of course!

A very Japanese setting!
With my first glass of my favorite local rice-shochu, “Doman” by Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery, the o-toshi/first snack was a morsel that vegans would run for!

Tokoroten/心太/seaweed jelly!
Served with some finely chopped dry nori/seaweed and Japanese hot mustard, it makes for a delicious healthy snack, even for an omnivore like me!

The sashimi plate of the day!
All the vegetables came from Shizuoka Prefecture and almost half of them were organic!

I know this corn as I have already written about it. Kankan Musume Corn by Takeshi Ichikawa in Iwata City. Served raw, it is so juicy and sweet!

This ko aka daikon/radish/小赤大根 come from Shizen no Chikara Organic Farm in Shizuoka City. Their raw leaves are great with grain mustard!

Juicy daikon and crisp perilla leaf/shiso/紫蘇. The sweet onion/tamanegi/玉葱 behind the shiso leaf is also from Shizen no Chikara Organic Farm.

Juicy tomatoes (from the same farm!), crispy cucumber and quaint ice-plants!

Organic carrot backing up the chopped sweet onion!

As usual the “dressing” consisted of top-class kome miso (the miso paste contains whole rice grains), sesame oil and salt!

Aki san had just received organic broad beans (you can eat them raw!). I asked her to prepare some as tempura!

Little jewels!

And I was off to my second report of the night… LOL

YASAITEI/野菜亭
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-Cho, 1-6-2 Green Heights Wamon 1-C
Tel.: 054-2543277
Business hours: 17:30~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Reservations highly recommended
Seating: 6 at counter + 12 at tables
Set Courses: 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 yen
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

野菜, 野菜亭, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Seaweed, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Vegan’s Paradise in Shizuoka: Yasaitei!

April 28, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly and attentive
Facilities: Very clean overall. Superb toilets.
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Great choice of local & Japanese vegetables. Kansai-style oden. All traditional ladies staff in tradtional izakaya. Good wines, shochu and sake List.

Spring is a boon for an izakaya like Yasaitei which specializes in vegetable cuisine (although you can get anything from fish to meat). Although I’m not, it is always great fun to ask for vegan or vegetarian dishes to Ms. Aki Suzuki/鈴木朋, chef at Yasaitei.

As vegetables are only seasonal, it is a good idea to sit at the counter and have a good look at them:

I will let you guess them out (mind you, it is not too difficult!)!

Enormous, aren’t they?

Local, fresh and big!

While I was teasing Aki San I was brought my snack with my first drink.

This seaweed is called “mekabu/和布蕪”. It is found in the shape of balls in the nearby sea and has to be chopped first before serving it with some ponzu and sesame seeds. It is said to be extremely healthy, full of nutrients and especially beneficial to humans! After all, seaweed is the vegetable of the ocean!

As for my drink I chose a rice shochu, brewed by Hana no Mai Brewery in Hamamatsu City, called Acho no Tsubome.
Incidentally, this shochu is vegan! And the art so cute!

I was not here for a full dinner but for a quick snack before going back to work.
So Aki san fried shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes and plenty of Spring cabbage in peperocino style and served them decorated with local fresh cress.

For such cuisine Aki San will use only absolutely top-class Italian virgin olive oil and a minimum of seasoning, mainly salt, pepper and chili so as to preserve the true taste of the vegetables.
Let me show you some closer shots for a better look!

From the top.

From the top, a little bit closer.

A side view.

And another.

Although she cooks all kinds of dishes, including omnivore, Aki San will be glad to oblige and devise strictly vegan or vegetarian dishes for you and even a full meal if requested at least a day in advance!