Japanese Restaurants – Page 23

Cypress – Cafe Hiro

December 20, 2017 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip

Work has been a real "bear" for me this year. This past quarter, I've had to make several trips to the OC for work, which culminated in a two night support stay.

It was over a weekend…no biggie since I'd already done almost 20 days straight of work. We had a bunch of choices for places to stay, with most of the support team staying in Irvine near our customer.

I chose to stay in Cypress. Yes, Cypress. You see, since this was a weekend and I'd be heading to our location at around 6am, there wouldn't be any traffic. Plus, this hotel was even cheaper than the other choices.

But why Cypress? Well, it sure wasn't to check out the Noodles & Company or the El Torito that basically shared the same parking lot with my hotel.

No, it was to be able to finally visit Café Hiro.

I'd been waiting to check this place out for years. You see, when I first started this blog back in May of 2005, the focus of the food blog back then wasn't a career path and social media as know it now was in its infancy. Remember Friendster ? Facebook was still a Harvard campus oriented site; it wasn't released to the public until 2006. By the time I had started the blog; there was already a pretty strong food blogging community, yes, in those days it was sort of a community and "Elmomonster", perhaps you are more familiar with his food blog Monster Munching was going strong. Elmo, or you probably know him more by his real name these days, was one of the first to comment on this blog. One of Elmo's favorite places is Café Hiro; he's done multiple posts on the place over the years, culminating with a poetic Valentine's Day post in 2016. In November of 2017, a full twelve years since I first read about the place, I finally had an opportunity to check out Cafe Hiro.

I made my reservations for later in the evening since I'd be working almost a full day in San Diego, then drive up. And oh what a drive it was….a full 140 minutes of thrills and excitement. I managed to check in at the hotel and then decided to do something that drew a bit of attention; I walked there from my hotel, up Valley View Street. Several cars actually slowed down to see the odd sight of a person walking of his own free will up the street. I'd forgotten………

The place was full, except for the small bar area, which is where I was seated.

Things were pretty busy; but the two young ladies working were very efficient and quite nice.

I had my sights set on Uni Pasta, but when a woman walked in to pick up 10 orders of Uni Risotto, well, my mind was made up.

Things started with a simple, refreshing crisp salad.

And a cup of creamy potato soup; which, to be perfectly frank, could have been hotter.

Though I did enjoy the touch of curry flavor in smooth and creamy soup.

For some reason I was a lot more hungry than usual. I really can't eat as much as I used to anymore. Perhaps it was the twelve years of anticipation? Regardless, I ordered the Beef Tataki – "Japanese Style".

Which was pretty much by the book; the beef pleasantly toothsome; I enjoyed the refreshing ponzu-daikon oroshi, and the pungency of the onions. Not a big fan of the fried garlic which was on the bitter side. This was a nice version of Beef Tataki.

My risotto took about thirty-five minutes; which is perfect in my book. Risotto takes time. There are very few versions of restaurant risotto here in the states I enjoy. Most of it is terribly par-cooked, leaving the center of the Arborio rice hard and rather unpleasant. This was nice and creamy all the way through.

All the seafood as a whole was well prepared; the shrimp plump, juicy, with a briny-sweetness, the calamari adequately tender, ditto the mussels. The Manila Clams had a bit of grit in it, but not enough to stop me from eating. The flavor was at once rich, yet quite mild and balanced with just a hint of sweetness and a definite oceany finish. It was very good.

I actually wanted to return to Café Hiro the next evening, but wasn't sure of when I'd be finishing up work. So I decided against making reservations. I did show up and the place was packed so I had to go with a Plan "B".

I'm glad to have finally been able to check out Café Hiro. It is worth a visit. I spent a good amount of time during my meal thinking about how much time has passed since I started this blog; all those SoCal folks…..Dylan & Jeni, Pam, Kristi, ChubbyPanda, Andy…..Beach! I wonder how they're all doing now. Passionate Eater still has a post once in a while and Elmo of course, still does a post weekly. But time has passed, lots of things change in twelve years. And my visit to Café Hiro gave me time to reflect on things. So maybe I wasn't twelve years too late……I'm thinking it was just the perfect time!

Cafe Hiro
10509 Valley View St
Cypress, CA 90630

Elmo, I'm not sure if you still drop by once in a while. But thanks man. Not only for all the posts and emails over the years, but for being, along with Reid, one of the folks who inspired me to start this little old blog way back when!

Revisits – Santouka and Grandma’s Tofu & BBQ

December 19, 2017 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Ramen

I've been a bit under the weather. This past weekend was especially tiring. I guess getting in from Copenhagen after 8 in the evening and heading right back to work the next morning at 6 might do that to you. Then there's the fact that a bunch of folks at work are sick as well, it inevitable I guess.

Anyway, here's what I had to put me back on the road to recovery.

Santouka Ramen:

With the cooler weather, there's no way the Missus would turn down Santouka. she really enjoys the Shio Toroniku Ramen. To the point that we had to make a pilgrimage to the original location of Santouka in Asahikawa. We had the usual; a large shio toroniku to share and a bowl of natto gohan, also to share.

While the broth still falls a bit short of the versions in Japan; this still hits the spot. Not too greasy, a wonderful tongue a belly coating richness. Just enough saltiness. The thickness of the bowl keeps the broth hot; something you definitely need in Asahikawa where the coldest temperature in the Japan history was recorded(-41°). The pork was nicely flavored good porkiness and soy, but was on the tougher side this time around. The noodles were just short of excellent, a bit too soft.

But it did hit the spot. Menya Ultra might be getting all the publicity these days, declared Restaurant of the Year for 2017, but Santouka is comfort food for the Missus and I.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ:

I was feeling a bit congested and the Missus suggested Grandma's Tofu & BBQ. It had been a while. We went with the Heukyumso Jungol, Korean Black Goat Stew. We hadn't had that in a couple of years.

This was much better than what we had on our last visit here. The broth was spicier, which really helped to clear me out. The goat meat was nice and gamey and quite tender to boot. Love the flavor of sesame leaf; it adds a nice fibrous texture and anise flavor to things. A lot heartier than on previous visits as well.

Too bad the panchan was second rate. As you can tell; it was fairly dried out, the baechu kimchi, which we consider a staple was quite fishy, too salty, without a nice fermented flavor.

We stopped by Nijiya nad Zion on the way home. Firm tofu from Nijiya. and while I'm not such a fan of Zion anymore, they had the good packaged "old style fermented kimchi" in stock. Not cheap, but it kind of reminds us of the versions we had Seoul, along with sesame leaf. It was even more spicy and much richer the next day.

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ
4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Putting me on the road to (hopefully) recovery.

Hope everyone is keeping warm and in good health this holiday season!

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Yakitori Taisho

November 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

After a couple of rather unsatisfying visits to old favorites recently. It's good to know that, at least for us, Yakitori Taisho is holding the course.

I haven't been able to visit very often; work is keeping me quite busy and fairly exhausted at times. And Taisho recently implemented a "no cameras" rule. I can understand; I've seen folks bring in some major gear and start snapping away in the tiny restaurant.

But on a recent visit, a very slow night, I discreetly took some phots with my phone.

So here's yet another "COMC" post on Taisho. This one will probably be the last for a while.

Let's first start with the recent specials.

Chashu with Spicy Bamboo Shoots.

And Spot Prawns.

The rest are the usual suspects.

As good as always.

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Kanazawa – Omi-cho Market and Jimonotei

October 25, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kanazawa and Ishikawa Prefecture, Markets & Grocers, Seafood, Travel

Our next stop after Hida-Takayama was Kanazawa. Why Kanazawa? Well, I've heard the city called "Little Kyoto" several times. Kenrokuen Garden is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, the seafood is supposed to be great, there's Higashi-Chaya, a famous Geisha District, and did I mention the seafood is supposed to be great?

Also, I'd heard that Kanazawa was booming since the Shinkansen extension to the city was completed in 2015. So I thought this would be a fun diversion. We left Takayama, transferred to the Shinkansen in Toyama, and made it to Kanazawa at around noon. I was surprised at how reasonable hotel prices were in Kanazawa, so I figured "what the heck"? And booked us a nice room at the Hotel Nikko. Of course we arrived too early to check in, but were able to drop off our bags at the front desk, and headed off to get some lunch.

I'd decided that a nice place to start would be Omi-cho Market.

If you've read this blog long enough; you know we just love places like this; whether in Laos, Tunisia, France, Vietnam, or where ever, we just love to explore.

And Omi-cho was no exception. You get to see what's in season, what folks are eating, and sometimes other interesting things. Like this film crew……

There are quite a few restaurant in the market area. We just picked one; seafood of course, at random. This one named Jimonotei.

The prices seemed very reasonable and there seemed to be a rather short wait. The customers were a mix of Japanese (both tourists and some folks who seemed to be locals/regulars) and some larger parties of Chinese.

We got seats at the counter rather quickly because it was just the Missus and myself.

Deciding to order was pretty simple; we went with one sashimi combo (1500¥ – about $14 at the time) and an additional sashimi plate (1000¥ – about $9.50). With one "little" addition.

Soon enough the sashimi combo arrived.

Pretty generous for about 15 bucks US. The Missus didn't care for the Chawan Mushi; I think it was the dashi-forward flavor. I enjoyed it. She did enjoy the miso soup, as I never got a shot at it.

The sashimi was solid if not spectacular and at this price point, a bargain. The Amaebi was sweet, the hirame had a nice chew to it, salmon was buttery, the maguro, while not the prime cuts, was passable. Best of all, everything was super fresh. After all, Omi-cho is called "Kanazawa's Kitchen" and has been around since the Edo Period.

As for the other sashimi; with the "special 100 Yen" upcharge?

Kanazawa' history with Gold Leaf goes back to the 16th century and the city now produces 99% of the gold leaf in Japan. The city attributes its mastery of gold leaf production to both craftsmanship handed down over generations as well as to the water in the area. We really weren't going to order gold leaf covered ice cream cones. But gold leaf covered sashimi; for less than a dollar upcharge? Count me in.

While it didn't add any additional flavor; it did give the dish a bit of "bling" don't you think? We couldn't help but laugh……

Jimonotei
Inside Omi-cho Market

After the nice lunch, we walked back to the Kanazawa Station Area. The Hotel Nikko is right across the street from the station. We checked in and it was nap time.

And tonight….well dinner awaited!

Paris – The Louvre and Dinner at Sola

October 20, 2017 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

Our time in Paris was nearing end. But we had one last busy afternoon and evening set. First up, a late afternoon visit to the largest art museum in the world; The Louvre. If you've never visited Paris; do yourself a favor, get yourself Rick Steve's Paris Guidebook. While I'm not a big fan of the restaurant choices in his books; he has a whopping 20+ pages on the Louvre….more than I'll ever need to know. In order to really enjoy and not burn out during our trips, we always act like we'll return one day. In other words, we have the places and things we "need to see" and the rest, well, if we get there, it's gravy. Anyway, if you plan on visiting the Louvre, get your tickets online, strategize on beating the crowds, unless you enjoy the crowds. We used the Carrousel du Louvre, the underground shopping mall entrance and getting in was a breeze.

Once in, there are still crowds of course…..some folks seem to have a look of desperation on their faces.

We had kind of planned things out, the best we could, just as we did when we visited the Vatican.

We headed straight for the one thing the Missus wanted to see……you know, right?

Well, the view is actually more like this…..

And if you don't already know, the dimensions of the Mona Lisa is 2′ 6″ x 1′ 9″.

And then we were off; sort of as we took time to enjoy some of the many, many masterpieces in the museum.

Like La Liberté guidant le people (Liberty Leading the People) painted by Delacroix.

Hmmm….where was Venus de Milo? Looks like Bacchus is pointing the way.

Well, there she is!

Such beautiful balance, eternally standing in "contrapposto"

Passing thru the museum, you could peer out the windows and see folks trying to capture their "forever moments".

We enjoyed spending a few hours at the Louvre.

And then taking some time to people (and canine) watch outside.

The Seine makes quite a, well, scene at dusk.

And night seemed to fall very quickly.

We returned to our room and freshened up. We still gad some time to kill before dinner. What to do? Well, hit a café of course. The Missus and I had a nice cup of coffee and relaxed before dinner. When I went downstairs to the restroom, this sign cracked me up.

Our dinner destination was just a few blocks away. The second reservation I made for this trip was at a one Michelin Starred restaurant named Sola. I was especially intrigued by the "Franco – Japanese" cuisine put out by Chef Hiroki Yoshitake. The restaurant is quite discreet.

Only a tasting menu is offered, for a very reasonable 95 Euros. Funny, we both took the drink pairing, which ended up being way too much for us…..which also cost 95 Euros!

Half the customers were actually Japanese and many of the Servers were also Japanese. It was an interesting crowd.

The Amuse was a wonderful, savory-mildly sweet crab in dashi aspic over a thin, light, chawan mushi like egg custard.

Along with an amazing Foie Gras and Miso filled Wafer, touched with the light sweetness of Sake and Maple Syrup.

The Missus really loved the Sparkling Sake that was served with the foie gras.

There was olive oil and bread…..but I really don't remember much about it.

I totally failed on the next dish, as I forgot to take a photo of the Beef Tartare, Beet, and Stratatelli cheese. An amazing range of bright flavors. There was a hint of wasabi detected.

The next item might have been our favorite. Amazingly tender sea beam, topped with thinly sliced, slight pungent and sweet onion, on thin slices of daikon and smoky eggplant.

Let's not disregard the light drizzle of buttery-grassy olive oil. Such a wonderful dish.

The squid in the next dish was so amazingly tender and the baby leek was almost sweet.

I was told that the slightly tangy and eggy sauce was based on kimizu, the Japanese egg and rice vinegar dressing, which did well in this dish.

For me; the star of the Parmesan Crusted Shrimp dish was the Chanterelle Risotto, which was just perfect. The earthy flavors went amazingly well with the shrimp emulsion.

By now we'd had Sparkling Sake, Champagne, and two different sake served in wine glasses. The second of which was matched with shrimp.

Next up was a Chardonnay from Muersault paired with Sea bass and scallop with cabbage and cabbage cream with shiso-celery cream.

Complex, but very clear flavors all around.

We were brought a granite to clear our palates.

We could tell that the last main course was something a bit more robust as a red from Beaune was poured.

This was matched with Wild duck breast with jus and sansho pepper sauce and endive and carrot.

Amazing. That duck was cooked perfectly and was so very tender! The bitterness of the endive helped to balance out the flavors.

And then the desserts which the Missus loved.

There was a sensibility and a certain combination of flavors that just hit all the right buttons for us. A combination of Japanese and French technique and flavors just seemed to work in harmony.

This is a place we'll return to; though we'll share a single beverage tasting the next time.

Sola is currently closed because of a fire, but we're hoping they reopen soon.

Sola
12 Rue de l'Hôtel Colbert
75005 Paris, France

After such a meal (and all the drinks) , we slept soundly thru the night. We awoke for breakfast and then our transfer to Orly. We were flying Business, so we were able to relax in the rather uncrowded lounge.

Soon enough, we heard the call for our flight.

Next stop; Reykjavik!

Thanks for reading!

Santa Barbara Roadtrip – Dinner at Yoichi’s, Mission Santa Barbara, and Staying at the “Secret Garden”

October 17, 2017 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Japanese Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County

Things have been really busy for both the Missus and I. Before my next "big push", I felt we both needed a break, just a long weekend kind of thing. So when the Missus needed to go to our old neighborhood for an appointment, I saw the perfect chance. The Missus suggested Santa Barbara. I've passed through many times and had been to places like Solvang; I'd never stopped in Santa Barbara so I was up for it. A alsos knew we'd both be spending a good deal of time sleeping when we weren't eating or walking about.

I'm doing this post a bit out of chronological order, I hope you don't mind.

We got into Santa Barbara a bit early after leaving Hacienda Heights fairly early in the morning, along with stops in Solvang and Los Olivos (a future post). We couldn't check in yet and were staying fairly close to the 101 near East Mission Street, so we decided to check out the Mission Santa Barbara to kill some time.

It was a bright, albeit pretty darn warm day.

Founded by the Franciscan order in 1786, Sunday mass is still held in the very distinctive chapel to this day.

And on this very sunny Saturday, there was a wedding ceremony taking place in the main chapel.

We peeked in and were going to turn around and head out; but one of the really nice Filipino Women manning the doors waved us in.

After spending a short while in the chapel we headed out and down the block.

Across the street is Mission Historical Park; where another wedding, albeit a much more casual affair (check out the dog….looks like part of the wedding party), was taking place.

There's a very pretty rose garden here as well.

By now, enough time had passed and we could check-in. We wanted a bit of peace and quiet, time to relax, and decided on the Secret Garden Inn & Cottages; located on Bath Street. While a pretty good walk from much of SB, we both enjoyed the prospect of staying in a cottage.

We were greeted by Cat of the House, who roamed the yard during the day and hung out inside at night.

Our cottage was named the Wood Thrush and even had a Jacuzzi; though it was much too hot for that during our stay.

It was very cozy and comfortable, even though we made that A/C unit work overtime.

There was breakfast every morning, during the evening, after 7pm, there was hot cider and brownies, which the Missus enjoyed. On Friday and Saturday evenings, cheese and wine.

Chilled filtered water was provided, you had the combination to get into the main house where there were an additional two rooms and grab some water, tea, hot water.

You could eat breakfast or have evening tea at one of the tables…..

For us, the main attraction was the peace and quiet in this more residential neighborhood. I must've slept sixteen hours during our only full day in Santa Barbara.

The owner, Dominique, who is from France is a hoot, quite funny, and very thoughtful as well. Not cheap, but worth it if you want to get away…..

I'd made reservations for dinner on both of the nights we'd be in Santa Barbara. On this night, we had reservations at a Yoichi's. The restaurant had gotten my attention because it did Kaiseki, something that seemed so out of place in Santa Barbara.

The rather discreet restaurant resides a few blocks east of State Street, on East Victoria. There are but a dozen or so tables in the Spartan interior. The woman running the front of house, who I believe is the Chef's wife was amazing, so gracious, the timing of the dishes were perfect.

On weekends, the only option is the $100 per head Kaiseki, which seemed like a bargain to us. This version, unlike the traditional Kaiseki at places like, say, Suzunari in Tokyo, is shorter, makes some modifications, but also gives the customer choices for several of the courses.

There was of course, the issue of what to drink. There was a tight list of sake, wine (several from Japan), and beer. After explaining our preference to our Server, she selected the Mizubasho Daiginjo Junmai. The bright and clean flavor, with the slightly fruity nose, was just perfect for our meal.

Things started with the Zensai course.

This just set the stage for our meal and as a wonderful start; from the refreshing, slightly slimy Jyunsai (Water Shield), which really got our palates refreshed and ready for our meal. It was the perfect start for us.

Next up was the perfectly tender satoimo and even more important, something I'd worried about the Missus enjoying; Ayu (Sweetfish).

But I should have known better since She really enjoyed all the variations of preserved fish in Kanazawa earlier in the year. This version was just perfect, slight sweetness, nice soy sauce flavor, crunchy eggs, quite firm, with a great mouthfeel. A slight fruitiness combined with a mildly bitter finish.

The Sunomono was very interesting, as the tako and the abalone were good, though routine.

The items that really got our attention was the Kyuri Asa-zuke, which was perfectly pickled, not too sour, not too salty, with a perfect crunch; the daikon still had a nice bit of pungency to balance out the sour and the slight sweetness, and a lovely piece of jellyfish, so perfectly prepared. Our least favorite item was the Hokkaido Scallop. The miso really overpowered the flavor of the scallop.

Two items were offered for the "Owan", the soup course.

The Missus chose the version with Unagi.

First off, the dashi was perfectly balanced, very clean tasting, and for us, the star of the soup course. The unagi melted in your mouth.

I selected the version with the clam fishcake.

The fishcake had just the perfect texture, soft and not rubbery in the least. The "hamaguri", simple saltwater clam, in the center of the fishcake was nicely prepared and very tender. And the masutake mushroom added a nice earthiness to the soup.

The sashimi course, the Mukōzuke was next; three different fishes; two cuts of each.

The Hirame (halibut) was excellent, nice firmness, with a hint of sweetness, that piece of engawa (dorsal fin muscle) was so very nice. The Missus didn't care for the Katsuo; but I found the lean firmness very pleasant. We were told that the Bluefin Tuna came from Spain; we found the maguro loin to have a slight metallicness that wasn't too pleasant. That slice of toro though….just melted in your mouth.

Grilled dishes (yakimono) were next. The Missus, well, of course She got the Gindara (Black Cod)

Buttery, it was quite good, perhaps not the best we've ever had, but very tender, not overly salty, perfectly cooked.

The only clunker of the night was the Kamo (Duck) Yuanyaki. Sound familiar? Yes, it's something I make at home, so expectations were high. Unfortunately, this wasn't up to par in our minds.

The duck was overcooked and tough, it was also very salty. Love the pink peppercorns and all, but this was our least favorite dish of the night.

Next up were the steamed dishes and the Missus just loved Her, ahem "Kinki" (Rock Fish). She's been wanting this since we last had it at Suzunari this past spring (I know, I'm behind on posts). And this version served using the classic nitsuke (sweet soy) preparation was fantastic.

The fish was so buttery, the fat just under the skin was amazing. The flavors reminded the Missus of Chinese preparations and She really, really, wanted some rice. I'm thinking this fish hasn't taken off because of the amount of bones; a bit of work, but man is it worth it! When the dish was brought over, the nice woman asked the Missus if She could manage the bones in the dish. When the Missus said "yes", she smiled and said, "yes, most Asians know how to eat fish with bones….." Fantastic dish.

I got the buta no kakuni.

I loved the texture of the pork, not falling to pieces, but still very tender. The broth was very good; light, very balanced, I detected a hint of miso; neither too salty, nor too sweet, I actually drank it all. And like the Missus, I wanted some rice with this!

Well, we got our rice with the second to last course….instead of the usual "Gohan" (Rice) dish, Yoichi's does nigiri. Tonight, two of the three pieces were predetermined; amaebi (sweet shrimp), and salmon belly. The wildcard offerings were Santa Barbara Uni and Negi Toro, so we got one of each.

Considering that the Chef; Yoichi Kawabata once worked at Nobu Tokyo, we expected well made nigiri, which is what we got. The shari was very neutral in flavor and not to tight. The amaebi was sweet with a nice texture; the salmon belly was bright and fresh, though not as rich and tender as I enjoy. Santa Barbara Uni has it's own specific flavor, creamy and sweet, not as oceany as Hokkaido Uni or meaty as San Diego Uni. This was a perfect specimen. The negi toro, was mostly toro and we weren't complaining.

Dessert in these type of restaurants is usually anti-climatic and it is no different here.

Overall, this was a wonderful meal. In fact, we enjoyed it much more than Wakuriya which has a Michelin Star. We loved the pacing, the gracious and warm service. In fact, near the end of our meal, a couple walked in, obviously back packers, shorts, sneakers, backpacks…….apparently, they were looking for some "Japanese food and sushi" and read about this place on that four-lettered site. The Server kindly went over the menu and type of food served here with them. When they looked confused she asked them what they wanted…….rolls and such. She very kindly gave them the names a few places down State Street that would fill the bill.

In the end, Yoichi's had us missing Japan, which, in this case was a good thing. I think we'll be back…maybe just for a quick overnight stay just to eat here again.

Sometimes you find a place that just fits your temperament. I think Yoichi's might be that place for us.

Yoichi’s
230 E Victoria St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Hours:
Tues – Sun 5pm – 9pm

Izakaya Sakura Revisited

September 14, 2017 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I think that it was one of Cathy's posts on Sakura that mentioned it is easily the most posted about restaurant on this blog. However, my last visit, over a year ago, highlighted why I've kind of stopped coming so often, and no it isn't because they finally put up a sign after almost two decades. It was because the service there had gotten somewhat surly over the years and I kind of like to enjoy my lunch.

So, it was the recent heat that brought me back. I went for one of my hot weather favorites, the Gyokai Natto Don.

Man, when did they start giving so much rice? And what fish there was…..don't see much, do you? Was mostly a few strips of shiromi (white fish) and ika. And looks like a mere shadow of its former self. I mean, I love natto and all that; but I didn't pay $15 for natto-gohan.

The miso soup was passable; the agedashi tofu, crisp, light, and creamy.

And the service; well that hasn't gotten better.

Kind of sad to see an old favorite lose its touch. I'm not ready to write Sakura off yet; I've had too many good meals here over the years. But it is somewhat disheartening.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St Ste 121
San Diego, CA 92111

Hida-Takayama – Sakurayama Hachimangū Shrine and Dinner at Hida Takayama Kyoya

September 13, 2017 mmm-yoso Hida-Takayama and Gifu Prefecture, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Travel

We took a short nap after visiting Hida Folk Village and having lunch at Maruaki. When we woke, it was close to dusk. We decided to take a walk around Takayama before settling in for dinner. As with many tourist day trip destinations; Hida-Takayama slows down at night. Things were so peaceful and relaxed. We got a kick out of watching these kids having fun around the Miyagawa River. Remember, it had snowed just two days previous, so that water must have been pretty cold.

Of course, the kids here must be used to the cold….I guess.

We loved walking the various "preservation" area streets of Hida-Takayama.

And with no one around; you felt transported back in time.

We saw a couple of sake breweries; you could tell by the "Sugidama" (cedar ball) hung in front of the business.

During this walk; we concentrated on the Northeastern side of the Old Town.

Just as we started walking up the street to Sakurayama Hachimangū Shrine it started….the "Golden Hour".

We got lucky again.

To the right (north) of the shrine is Takayama Yatai Kaikan where the floats for the Takayama Festival are stored, some of which are hundreds of years old. Of course, this was dusk and the place was closed. I'm certain we'll be back one day, so I'm keeping that on the "list".

Sakurayama Hachimangū Shrine dates back to the Fifth Century; you can find the story about the founding of the Shrine here. It's a short, but fun read…..and involves a monster, Ryoumen Sukuna, that has 2 heads, 4 arms and 4 legs! and you wonder where all those Japanese monster movies came from, right?

We made a brief stop to walk around a bit……I loved this poor little snowman, who was just trying to hang in there……

We really enjoyed the walk, but it was getting close to our dinner reservation time, so we headed down the street.

I knew if we found the stream that fed into the Miyagawa River, we'd fine our dinner destination.

And sure enough, a few blocks down we found Kyoya.

While trying to find a dinner spot during our one night in Takayama, Kyoya came up several times as a place to try local specialties.

The interior is rustic and warm.

The folks here are really tourist friendly, several of the folks spoke some English.

There are several "set" options on the menu and you know, the Missus was all about the "Hoba Miso Yaki". So we ordered the Hida Beef Luxury Set and the Hoba Miso Set.

The Luxury set (3000 ¥ – about $27/US) had the Hoba Miso with Beef, which was very nice….loved the flavor of the miso, earthy-beany, not salty, very savory.

But we still thought the nuanced flavor of the beef was lost in this.

There was also a serving of beef and yakiniku items.

While we felt, in terms of tenderness, the beef at Maruaki was better; these cuts had a more pronounced beefiness to them.

The miso soup was just delici-yoso….something I rarely say about miso soup; but man, the local miso is so good. Nice savory-beany tones, not salty, really great flavor.

And then there was the tofu…..man, this was the best bean curd I've had in a while. The look and texture seemed like that of frozen tofu….I asked but no one could understand what I was saying.

The flavor was so condensed…….

The Hoba Set (1300 ¥ – about $12/US) is basically vegetarian and we actually enjoyed it more than the beef….go figure.

Wonderful, creamy, savory goodness.

And this came with a larger portion of veggies and beancurd.

The cucumber had a nice fermented flavor; I'm thinking perhaps kasuzuke? There were two different types of tofu provided; the one that looked spongy really seemed like frozen tofu; I'd never had kouya tofu before and we both just loved it. The Missus loves Her frozen tofu….well, just tofu period and these two version had really condensed bean curd flavor.

Both sets came with pickles, rice, and that miso soup.

Funny, we came for the hoba yaki, but ended up loving the tofu…go figure. Maybe it was the three tokkuri of sake? But I think not.

In the end, perhaps Kyoya is a bit touristy……but it's done in the typical Japanese way, for Japanese and non-Japanese to enjoy. Nothing tasted dumbed down, the flavors were good, and the folks were pretty friendly. The prices may be a bit more, but we really enjoyed the place.

Hida Takayama Kyoya
1-77 Oshinmachi
Takayama 506-0851, Gifu Prefecture

There's a kind of quiet peacefulness to Hida-Takayama at night…….

That just set the right mood for us…..

Thanks for reading!

Hida-Takayama – Hida Folk Village and Lunch at Maruaki

September 9, 2017 mmm-yoso Hida-Takayama and Gifu Prefecture, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Steakhouse, Travel

Sitting right behind the Engineer made our 2 hour and change train ride from Nagoya go by rather quickly. It was very interesting to watch the Engineer and the different hand signals he used. We arrived at Takayama Station and made our way to the rather humble Hotel Hana. I'd read a bit about Takayama, or to be more precise when talking to Japanese about the town; Hida-Takayama to differentiate the town from others named Takayama. There's a rather well known Old Town, some charming sights, but I had the town on our itinerary for one specific dish….more on that later.

After dropping off our bags. It was too early for check-in. The front desk person didn't speak a lick of English, so you gotta love Google translate. We headed off, stopping first to take a look at the marbled Hida Beef. Hida Beef, especially "Hida-gyu" (versus Hida Wagyu) is considered by many to be even more delicate, with thinner muscle fibers than Kobe beef and is much treasured. We stopped at Maruaki to take a look.

I gotta say; the beef looked quite impressive. This coming from a guy who has had A5 Kobe Beef in said city.

We did stick around very long since I wanted the Missus to check out Hida Folk Village (Hida-no-Sato, 飛騨の里), which was, according to the friendly woman at the TI stand; about 45 minute to an hour walk, or a ten minute bus ride up the hill. Guess which the Missus choose?

Actually, it was a very nice walk. In spite of the sun it was fairly cool. In fact, the day before we arrived I checked the temperature for Takayama and this is what I saw.

I sent this to a friend of mine in San Diego and she said; "oh, it's about the same in San Diego!" And then I mentioned this was in Fahrenheit not Celsius!

It had actually snowed two days before we arrived! During the first week of April. The air was crisp and clean; it was a nice walk as we got to take in the sights along the way.

Including the Teddy Bear Eco-Village. For real…….

And yes, that's snow….. And no, we didn't stop here. Though perhaps you might if you visit Takayama.

There's a certain charm to Hida-Takayama that, combined with a cool weather really put us into a good mood.

In fact, we were in such a good mood when we arrived that we decided to take the touristy photo…..

So who's that charming red faced character….no not me, the other three? Well, we had no idea! We saw this character everywhere, so later in the afternoon, I went to the TI and asked. Turns out, these little fellows are known as Sarubobo (さるぼぼ), which literally means "Monkey-baby". Traditionally, grandmothers in Gifu Prefecture would make these doll for their grandchildren. It's a good luck charm and both of us wished that we'd actually bought one for us….a Sarubobo of our own! Next time for sure.

Hida Folk Village is an open air museum; with 30 structures, some close to 500 years old, many of them moved from their original villages to preserve them.

Of note are the gasshō-zukuri styled houses, thatched roofs built at a steep angle like hands joined together in prayer (gassho).

The farmhouses are beautifully preserved and we get a look into how daily life was in these villages.

And the traditions…..

The snow on the structures and the fact that we had the place almost all to ourselves really added to the atmosphere.

Just think; if we'd arrived just two days earlier, we wouldn't be walking around quite as much.

We took a short break and got some drinks from the ever present vending machines.

And bade our farewell to Hida Folk Village. If you're ever in the area; a visit is highly recommended.

We headed back down to Takayama. The walk had done its work on our appetites. While walking back, we decided to head back to Maruaki and check out the restaurant. Which is located right next to the shop.

The place was doing some major business and the crowd seemed mostly tourists of all nationalities.

On the wall are photos of the farmers who provide the beef for Maruaki.

And while most folks were ordering one of the set meals of Hida Beef; there was one item I was after – Hoba Miso Yaki.

This dish from the Gifu area is meat and vegetables, with local miso grilled on Magnolia (Hoba) leaves. The Missus loved the version we've had at Okariba in Kyoto, so when planning this trip, I added Hida-Takayama to the itinerary.

The meat was very tender, the beefiness mild, as was the miso, beany-nutty, but not too salty. It almost felt criminal to eat such good quality beef this way; mixed with miso and vegetables.

The meal came with a simple salad; very crisp and refreshing, a light sesame dressing.

Salads can be quite expensive in Japan and I think the Missus was missing this; so we ordered a Beef Salad. Man, the seared beef in this was very tender and tasty.

Service was so-so, fairly professional, quite detached, probably a bit jaded with having to work with tourists all the time.

But we enjoyed our meal.

Hidagyu Maruaki
6-8 Tenmanmachi
Takayama 506-0025, Gifu Prefecture

Now it was time to check in and take a load off.

Thanks for reading!

Cold Tan Tan Men at Menya Ultra and Shann Xi Magic Kitchen (99 Ranch Market Food Court)

August 9, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Cold Tan Tan Men at Menya Ultra:

Some of the folks at work thought we'd hit up Menya Ultra before things get really crazy. And yes, because it was a foursome, I actually waited in line for thirty minutes. I'd been told that the Zaru Tan Tan Men was really good; so I decided to order that with an ajitama.

The egg was very good, nicely flavored, and in this case, having it on the cold side was a plus this time. The noodles were very nice and katame (firm)….on two of my last visits I overheard folks complaining the noodles were "undercooked"…….god help them if they go to Rokurinsha, Ippudo, or just about any street corner ramen shop worth a damn in Japan. As for the rest? Well, I find this version rather bland with not enough savory umph to be satisfying to me. Even with the onions, the seasoned ground meat…..well, I'll just stick with the Ajitama Tonkotsu. Though I'm not sure when I'll be willing to brave the crowds again.

Menya Ultra Ramen
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen in the 99 Ranch Market Food Court:

**** This location of Shann Xi Magic Kitchen has closed.

I needed something from 99 Ranch Market and it was around 11am this past weekend. I decided to check out this location of Shanxi Magic Kitchen to see how they compared to the location on Convoy.

It's obvious that the two kids working here really don't want anything to do with their customers….they'd rather work on their laptop or socialize. I was treated like a mere nuisance.

Of course I ordered the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($8.99), which is served here without the pickled garlic or chili paste….perhaps you need to ask for them? But you shouldn't have to……it's standard for the dish.

I've mentioned that I've given up on finding the Yang Rou Pao Mo that I really enjoyed in Xi'an. So how's this facsimile?

The lamb in this was very tasty, quite muttony. The meat nice and tender. The flavor of the broth was heavy in white pepper, but decent, you could still taste "the lamb". It was a bit thin for my liking….I enjoy a thick and hearty Yang Rou Pao Mo, and while this was scalding hot, it lacked the richness and tongue (and belly) coating viscousity. Not much bean thread in this, though I saw some lily buds and a few pieces of tofu which looked just like the waxy, pasty, counterfeit leavened bread. Overall, not bad, but I'll be going to the location on Convoy if I ever want this again.

Overall, the (lack of) service and broth was subpar.

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111