Japanese Restaurants – Page 29

Revisits – Lunch at Okan and Koon Thai

September 19, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

A couple of lunchtime revisits….in the same strip mall even.

Wa Dining Okan:

I wanted some Tori Nanban, so I decided to head over to Okan, where I can get tori nanban and get away from things for at least a half hour or so.

I must be getting old as this seemed to be quite a bit of food for me. The chicken was nice and lightly crisp; the flavor of rice vinegar present….I may ask them to put the tartar sauce on the side next time as it was a bit too much mayo goodness for me. The imo nimono…simmered potato was quite good….a nice meal for ten bucks.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Koon Thai:

While checking out Okan, I looked over to Koon Thai and wondered how they were doing. So, a few days later I dropped by. Man, they are pretty darn busy for lunch….and the rather jaded attitude of the staff shows! Well, whatever. On this visit, I decided not to order my usual, the Khao Karr Moo and instead went with the Khao Moo Dang Moo Krob ($9.95), a literal pork-fest.

I gotta say; that typical Thai style sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, was quite good. The BBQ pork was on the dry side and the roast pork….well was very nice, except for the skin which was really hard like plastic. I thought the lup cheong was quite good in the sweet-salty sauce; the egg perhaps overdone…..still that sauce was quite good. It was all about that. More quantity over quality in my book, but not bad at all,. Next time, I'm sticking with my favorite.

Koon Thai Kitchen
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ed in San Diego Part 2 – Sakura and Prime

September 18, 2016 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Today Kirk and Cathy are busy. Ed (from Yuma) not so much, so he's posting.

Sakura. About a dozen years ago, when Kirk and I first ate at Sakura together, I had no idea that this Izakaya would be the restaurant most posted about at mmm-yoso!!! Of course I also had no idea that Kirk was going to be starting a food blog and that I would ever do a post for it. Long time ago.

Gleefully surprised to find an empty space in the lot, I parked, walked over to Sakura, tried the door, and learned that it doesn't open until 11:30. That explained the parking space. But I was content to sit down at an outside table, enjoy the pleasant weather, and wait.

When they turned on the sign and opened the doors, I knew what I wanted, tempura soba and iced green tea. The tea showed up first:

That's bright green.

Then the tempura soba:

This is an old favorite of mine. I love the textures – the crunch of the tempura, the juicy chew of the shrimp, and the gentle coolness of the buckwheat noodles in the broth. Contrasts of temperatures and flavors.

I also enjoyed the basic cabbage salad:

and the pickles and rice ball:

In some odd way, the simplicity of the lunch just seemed right.

Prime, in contrast with my lunch, would be a much more elaborate meal in a new Korean restaurant where Kirk, Cathy, and I had never eaten before. It was great for me to get together with Kirk and Cathy since I don't get to see them very much being stuck out in the desert. But we had a great time and a dang good meal. Cathy has already posted about it, so I’ll try not to repeat a lot.

Dipping sauces showed up first:

The little one in the middle was slightly sweet and was intended for the brisket slices which were not marinated. The largest bowl was my favorite sauce as it had some tartness that helped cut the richness of the beef. Also the crunch of onions added texture, and the sauce seemed to go with everything.

I was happy in general with the pan chan. The kimchi was complex and deeply flavorful, not too sharp or sour:

The shiitake mushrooms were simple and focused:

We all liked the little shrimp in a sweet chili sauce. Pleasant textures too:

The bean sprouts were unusual with horseradish or wasabi seasoning and went well with all of the beef:

To me the cucumber slices were well prepared with more crunch and bright flavors than standard cucumber pan chan:

For my tastes, the only shortcoming to the pan chan was the lack of anything dried – dried radish and dried tofu being particular favorites.

We also got this vegetable and soybean paste soup that we ate very little of:

And a nice fluffy custardy egg dish with mild seafood flavor:

But Prime is all about the meats, and what an array we got with Combo C:

It's interesting comparing Cathy's picture of the meats with mine because we sat more or less across from each other and our photos have a different perspective. This picture, for example, emphasizes the size and thickness of the ribeye steak.

All this top-quality meat was tasty. Prime even uses ribeye steak for their bul gogi. The ribeye steak itself and the brisket were totally enjoyable. But my favorites were the two furthest away in the picture. The boneless ribs were full of tendon and cartilage and had deep flavor and a pleasant chewy mouthfeel. The marinated galbi was supremely rich and butter tender. Overall it was a first-rate Korean beef barbecue.

When I first saw that plate of beef hit the table, I thought there was no way we would finish it. However:

One final note – our server was friendly and helpful throughout. She explained the dipping sauces, put the meats on the grill, took them off, cut them up, and otherwise facilitated, which was great because we three could concentrate on our conversations and our eating. I sure had a great time.

Clearing Out the Memory Card – All those familiar places; Taisho, Okan, Sakura, and Iron Pig

September 5, 2016 mmm-yoso Gastropub, Japanese Restaurants

Here's something for a lazy Labor Day. I hope you all had a nice, relaxing long weekend.

Yakitori Taisho:

Still a favorite of mine. I recently had the pleasure of dining here with with Kirbie and her Hubby, it had been too darn long. I think we spent most of the time catching up….so I know I got no photos. And after all, I do have quite the collection, of posts on the place. In fact, the last time we travelled to Japan, it was to be about mostly Ramen and Yakitori for the Missus. And in spite of trying half a dozen places…..well….Taisho would have been a solid number 3. That says a lot. My only recent complaint about the place…….well, they've taken chicken karaage off the menu!

Not much new here……then having tried the quail, which was quite good.

Try it if they have it on the menu.

It's great to see that other Food Bloggers like Jinxi are enjoying Taisho and trying new things like akahimo.

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

Wa Dining Okan:

Met up with some friends; Eric and Maria. And while I managed to miss a couple of dishes….this was a nice meal as always.

Man, Okan has sure come a long way since they opened. And it was nice to share a meal with new friends.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Izakaya Sakura:

On the other end of the spectrum. My last visit to Sakura left something to be desired. The Ebi Kakiage Udon was good as always….but the older woman who works here was just plain rude.

She's always been a bit perfunctory; but this time very short and rather rude, to all the customers. Everyone has a bad day; but when you're in the service industry, you need to minimize those. We'll see what happens the next time…..I think it'll be a while…I visit.

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

Iron Pig Alehouse:

**** Iron Pig has closed

The Missus said I needed to up my veggie intake; so it was off to Iron Pig for the "Man Salad".

This time around; the rib tips were really dry and stringy; but those smoked wings were good as always.

Iron Pig Alehouse
1520 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Vancouver – Dinner at Miku Restaurant

August 14, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

We took a short nap after our poutine lunch. It was pretty warm in Vancouver and the sun didn't set until 9pm, so having dinner fairly late (for us) sounded like a great idea. Upon waking and freshening up, we decided to take the long way to dinner. So we headed Southeast on Robson, then down Richards, and back onto Georgia, where we came across this impressive structure.

This is the Vancouver Public Library. I loved the distinctive design. From here we took a left down Cambie Street, the neighborhood started looking a bit more gritty, though still much cleaner than Seattle.

This is the Cenotaph in Victory Square.

The main reason for walking down Cambie Street was to view the Gastown Steam Clock. I pointed to it as we headed down the street. At first the Missus said, "that's so puny, what's the big deal?" Until we walked up to it and She saw puffs of steam coming out of the top of the clock.

For some reason She was smitten as were a good number of tourists. This being "Gastown", the steam clock might seem to be a remnant of some bygone era. This was actually built in 1977. Gastown much like Pioneer Square in Seattle is the oldest neighborhood in the city. It has all of the kinds of things that these type of neighborhoods have; tourist shops, boutiques, bars, restaurants, and a good number of homeless. Still, the Missus really enjoyed the character of this neighborhood and we'd return to visit Kit and Ace and Lululemon….and even walk down Alexander to the Alibi Room. But that's for another day.

We walked to the waterfront, the views were quite nice, the air clean and crisp. Looking away from the water, here's a photo of Harbour Centre.

I had made reservations for dinner at Miku and we were trying to find the entrance. There was quite a bit of construction going on and the signs pointing to Miku lead to a locked door. A nice young man saw us and asked, "are you looking for Miku?" How the heck did he know? Anyway, he provided some directions and we found ourselves at the quite busy Miku Restaurant.

I gave my name to the hostess at the stand, who looked, frowned, and asked us to wait a second. A few minutes later, a very nice young man came up to us, and introduced himself as Kevin. I believe he was managing the front of house. He was so pleasant, shook our hands, then told us that they'd missed something on our reservations. I'd requested their kaiseki dinner when making reservations and immediately had reservations about doing so. Kevin explained that they would do the best they could to put together something for us, but I told him not to worry, we'd be perfectly happy ordering from the menu. He smiled and said, "great……I'll make sure that you both get one of the best tables we have!"

I saw this fellow waiting for his mom or dad outside Miku while we waited for our table to be prepped.

Poor guy. Folks kept taking photos or trying to comfort him, but he wanted nothing except his owners. He was adorable.

We loved the view from our table.

In case you're wondering if Miku was one of these touristy, overly fusion, pan-Asian, type restaurants…..you might be partially right. You see Miku is owned by the Tora Corporation headquartered in Miyazaki, Japan. I believe they own a number of Kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) and Aburi/Oshizushi type restaurants in the Miyazaki area. I was quite intrigued by a aplce specializing in aburizushi. I've had a nigiri or two of aburi sushi at a number of places, including Urasawa, though in most American style sushi joints it's kind of a gimmick.

Anyway, we were on vacation…in Vancouver….it was time to relax and have a cocktail….or two.

There were a few interesting custom cocktails along with some standards like a Moscow Mule and Pisco Sours…which I ordered. The Missus looked at me and told me to "not be so boring…." So I relented.

The Missus ordered the Genmai's Tea, which included green tea infused vodka and cucumber. It was fine, but nothing special. I ordered the Shiso Mojito which we both love….shiso was a natural for a mojito, as this tasted so clean…..it also seemed fairly low in alcohol as well. Delish!

We started with the Aburi Beef Carpaccio, which was everything we expected and more.

The torched beef was very beefy in flavor and the texture was fantastic. The sousvide egg added a wonderful creaminess and the yolk tasted delicious. Nice, not too sour ponzu, with a mild kick. The Missus felt that the baby greens was a bit of overkill, detracting from the overall flavors of the dish; though the Asian Pear added a nice mild sweetness and crunch, like in a good Yukhoe.

The Missus had never had Tori Nanban, which I thought was kind of strange….but thinking back, I usually order the stuff for lunch. So I decided to get that.

I was surprised at how much She enjoyed the rice vinegar tones and mild sweetness in this, though She could easily leave the tartar sauce out. The chicken was light and crisp outside, very tender and moist. I was told that they get their poultry from Fraser Valley Chicken in BC. Very nice.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Oshizushi on the menu at Miku. As I've mentioned before, oshizushi is a bit of a specialty. There are three aburi versions here at Miku; Salmon, Ebi, and Saba. Now for me, Battera is the classic pressed sushi. The Missus isn't the biggest fan of saba as in most places it's oily and fishy….though for some strange reason She loves sardines and some anchovy. I convinced the Missus to try the saba version and am glad we did.

The prepared rice was pressed well, though it was rather mild in vinegar tones. The saba, which had cured inhouse and torched was really good, not too fishy, but with a nice cured-cheesy flavor to it. The torching provided a touch of pleasant smokiness. The miso sauce was nice, slightly sweet, savory, but not too salty.

By this time, I needed a drink. Kelsey, who was our Server was fantastic, efficient, pleasant, friendly, but not overly so, suggested something by a local brewery; Strange Fellows. The ale was very nice….the Missus actually loved this and we'd be getting their brews every chance we had.

We finished our meal with a foursome of aburi nigiri. Clockwise from the top left; Hotate (scallop), Wagyu, Toro, and Hirame.

All of the seafood was fantastic and the beef decadent. The one problem for us and since this is nigiri it was a major issue was the rice which was really mushy and formed with too much pressure……I'm figuring most folks wouldn't notice; but any nigiri lover would immediately pick that up. The hotate was tender and sweet, with the torching adding a wonderful touch of flavor. The hirame was very fresh, but the toro was just fantastic as it melted in your mouth as did the wagyu beef which was out of this world.

Night had settled in as we finished up our meal. We marveled at how the service and pacing here at Miku was just perfect for us. They struck the perfect balance in terms of service, friendliness, and made us feel very comfortable. Kelsey was quite knowledgeable and his recommendations, after asking us a few questions, were spot on.

And while Miku looks like one of those stylish-hip places, the food delivered, and the atmosphere was totally not stuffy.

There are times when you just have a great experience….where a place just seems like a perfect fit for you. Miku did that for us. In terms of price; our meal, including drinks came out to something like $115 US……which I thought was a bargain. I've spent more at Sushi Yaro for dinner! I'm sure we'll be back to Vancouver. And we will definitely be back to Miku.

Miku
200 Granville Street Suite 70
Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4, Canada

Midweek Meanderings – Mama Cinia Opens and Tasty Pot Coming Soon to Mira Mesa, Plus the Sign for Yakitori Hino is up.

July 27, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants

During my drive up to Bale, I noticed a few things in the Mira Mesa area.

Mama Cinia Rice & Noodles Opens in the Christy's Bakery Spot:

Yep, Mama Cinia. My sources tells me its pretty good, so I'll have to check them out soon.

9178 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, California 92126

Another Tasty Pot Coming Soon:

This one in the former Fuze Restaurant and Tofu Ka spot.

To go along with the location opening on Convoy.

9379 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

The Sign for Yakitori Hino is up:

The next shop in the Yakyudori Empire.

7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

You stay classy San Diego:

During a recent visit to Paris Bakery.

There were so many open parking spaces, and yet….. Go figure. Not even close to Paris Bakery, none of the other businesses open, just decided to park here. Actually saw the guy parked in the Handicap stall struggle a bit to get out.

Donburi Kitchen

July 26, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Poke, Ramen

**** Donburi Kitchen has closed

Back in June, I noticed a shop in the former Fish Bucket location in Tierrasanta. The name of the place? Donburi Kitchen. In spite of the location I was fascinated; since I've long thought that a good Donburi shop making classics like Gyūdon, Tendon, Oyakodon, or Katsudon would be a great fit for San Diego. So a few weeks back I dropped by during lunch to see that they had just opened. Notice they still have awning from the Fish Bucket in place; "Seafood Market – Fish Grotto"?

Nice young man greeted me at the front door….looking around I kinda knew that my wish wasn't going to be granted here. The menu was confirmation. Poke Bowl; Ramen on the menu, spicy tuna roll, California roll (though there was Hamachi kama and Chirashi) on the chalk board. The only traditional "donburi" I saw on the menu was the Unadon. So, basically your neighborhood Japanese (in name only) jack-of-all-trades kind of place. Nothing wrong with that….but what the heck was I going to order. I asked the young man who suggested ramen; so I went with the Tonkotsu ($8) and some Chicken Karaage ($4.25).

I was a bit surprised at this as it was more "Toriten" (Chicken Tempura) than actual karaage. I quickly noticed that breast was used for this. Even though the batter quickly got soggy, the chicken was very moist and tender, with a pleasant flavor, like it had been quickly brined. Eat this quickly and it's pretty good. Not a big fan of the Sriracha Mayo though.

As much as the chicken was a pleasant surprise, the Tonkotsu Ramen was routine – except for the bok choy……first time for that in my ramen. The broth was quite indistinct, being more of a shoyu-tonkotsu kind of thing and really lacked the nice tongue coating feature that makes a good tonkotsu broth.

The noodles; standard issue, were a bit over-cooked for me. The egg was a bit of a mess, it looked like there was some trouble peeling it, but it was decent marinated and not ice cold. The one saving grace was the chashu, which was fairly tender, and had a nice flavor. This was perhaps a bit better than Izakaya Kanpai about par with Ototo, basically lower second tier ramen. Funny, a guy came in and also ordered ramen; tasted the broth, then requested Togarashi, Sriracha, and Vinegar for his ramen……

About a week later I returned, basically to go ahead and try one of the Donburi….but man; it was so darn hot. There was also one thing I wanted to try. I rather enjoyed the Chashu last time around so I started with the Ponzu Chashu, not cheap at $5.50.

This was actually pretty good, the ponzu didn't take away too much of the flavor of the chashu which wasn't particularly sweet, but had a nice shoyu-sweet flavor. It looked like the exterior had been torched/seared. Man, serve this with some negi and over rice and you'd have a decent Butadon. Chop it up and mix with negi and some of the cooking liquid and it would be a decent Chashu Gohan. Hmmm….I might request that one of these days.

I really didn't want rice on this day….but what the heck to order. Well, I gave in and tried the Poke Salad, which was priced at $7.

I gotta say; they did a pretty good job of hiding most the short comings of the fish, by coating it real well with the sauce. Lots of connective tissue, but it wasn't too tough or stringy nor was it overly mushy. The sauce seemed to use gochujang as the base; tasting like a milder "cho-jang", sweet-salty-mildly spicy. Decent amount of avocado, enjoyed the scallions, the greens not overly dressed. Would have liked a bit more onion and perhaps some tomato in this. But overall, not bad.

So, one more visit to finally try a donburi here. But first, I started with some Agedashi Tofu ($4).

The tofu had a nice molten interior but was too lightly dusted/battered as it really lacked crispness. The sauce tasted like a watered down "mentsuyu" (concentrated soup base) that had been cut with some wakame to add more flavor. It was a bit too mild for my taste.

I actually enjoyed the no-frills salad, the dressing was decently refreshing, the greens nicely dressed.

Not knowing which bowl to get, I went with the east way out and got the Teriyaki Chicken version ($7).

Fairly decent rendition of teri-chicken. The chicken breast was again nicely moist, the sauce a bit too salty for my taste, but not offensive. Dig the Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrots! Not a huge portion, but good enough for a decent lunch for me.

Overall, a decent neighborhood "San Diego – Japanese" joint….I heard three people come in and ask what "chirashi" was. Very nice staff, decent prices, for some reason this place reminded me of Izakaya Kanpai (which I have to revisit one of these days) with a less ambitious menu. I was told that one of the owners was formerly part owner of Fish Attack….which kind of made sense. This was decent neighborhood food not to offend. I'd even order take-out if the place was in my neighborhood. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Donburi Kitchen
6030 Santo Rd
San Diego, CA 92124

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Taisho (yet again), Kale Pache from Harvest Market, and a Couple of Brews From Poseidon Project

July 13, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers

Just a couple of odds and ends for a beautiful Wednesday.

Taisho (yet again):

They've had Nankotsu (chicken cartilage) on the menu recently; which they do nicely.

Otherwise, it's pretty much the same 'ol thing during our weekly visits. Any day except Sunday (closed) and Thursday (Taka-san is off).

It's great that Taisho is doing so well. I found out that Taisho was an experiment in more refined, upscale yakitori for the owner (who also owns Yakyudori and Hinotez). They've done so well, that from what I heard Yakitori Hino is going to be fairly similar when they open.

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

Some Kale Pache and Garlic Paste from Harvest Market:

**** This location of Harvest Market has closed

Cathy's already written about a lot of the prepared food at Harvest Market, the former North Park Produce on the corner of Balboa and Clairemont Drive. It's been a quick stop for the huge flat breads, baked fresh during the day and garlic paste of course.

Recently, they expanded their offerings a bit and put in a dessert counter, have samples during the weekend, and lo' and behold, they had Kale Pache! Which I had to try.

This very rich version is lamb feet, head, and a whole lot of lamb tongues. The Missus was kinda grossed out at the lamb tongues, but I peeled back the membrane and She loved the rich and flavorful meat. The broth is super fatty though, and it needed a good bit of salt. I'll probably have it again….

The okra stew was not very good though; overcooked, very mushy, and lacking in flavor.

Beef Flap is back on the menu in the household. I grilled up a bunch along with other veggies and meat to last the Missus most of the week. This time I did the Cumin and Sichuan Peppercorn thing. The next day, I picked up some garlic paste and flat bread on the way home. We had cucumbers from the garden, some Roma tomatoes, and Vidalia onion. And I mixed some Labneh with mint and a touch of lemon juice. I also had some thinly sliced Berkshire Pork basted with garlic olive oil. Talk about a quick and satisfying dinner.

Harvest International Market
4220 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

I've found that the bottle prices at the Poseidon Project are even cheaper than most markets and liquor stores. Here's a few items I've had over the last couple of weeks.

Not too impressed with the NG Native Ale; pretty boring, not quite a brown.

This was an odd one:

Really just tasted like a standard San Diego IPA….really foamy. Don't know what the "Shojo" part is about.

The Missus just loved the Tusk & Grain Coconut Stout.

Though at 13.4% ABV, a couple of sips was all she wrote for Her on this one. In case you didn't know. T&G is Saint Archer's "artisan" line of beers brewed in Bourbon Barrels. They don't mess around; everything I've from T&G is at least 12% ABV…. yikes!

Poseidon Project
4126 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110

Tokyo: Shinagawaya Yaesu

July 7, 2016 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

We got into Tokyo mid-afternoon, and proceeded to take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station. We decided to stay in the Nihombashi area fairly close to Tokyo Station. Our apartment was pretty small; like really small, though it had a laundry in the basement (remember the Jingisukan?). So we took care of all of that stuff; got in a short nap. By the time we woke up the sun had set and it was time for dinner. In spite of the hustle and bustle, we really liked this area, it made travel around the city quite easy. Anyway, with my trusty pocket wifi, I looked up our first option on my map; some Oden sounded great, but there was a huge line at Otako Honten. Plan B, grab some yakitori from Isehiro, but they were strangely closed down for the night. Plan C? I dunno….. I guess we'd grab some ramen from this little shop.

Boy did they like the signs and the posters….and the lamps! Even inside. The young lady working was a joy, very friendly, and patient.

Anyway, we ordered the Max #1 ramen, large size for me, a negi gohan, and onsen tamago for the Missus who'd of course share some of my ramen.

Man, that was shredded scallion allright….with some nice pieces of pork and a quail egg.

This was actually pretty tasty as they sauced the rice. Plus, the Missus loved the egg.

The ramen was different from other versions I've had.

That broth was really fatty, the texture was almost like oil. It had some definite chicken tones and some porkiness as well….but good lord it was so rich to be almost greasy. It also bordered on being quite salty. Good thing it was quite hot or we'd have some sludge on our hands. That egg was quite good, nice flavor, and nicely soft boiled. I really enjoyed the noodles which were fairly thick, a bit flat, but had been prepared to a wonderful pull and chew. I don't know why places here in San Diego have such a hard time getting it right, when this random ramen place on the corner here in Tokyo nailed it? The pork was a bit on the chewy side, but had decent flavor.

The quail egg and the spinach was an interesting touch. Walking back to the apartment, I suddenly realized we'd just had Yokohama style Iekei Ramen. I remembered reading about the shop that spawned this style of ramen, Yoshimura in Yokohama. And the thing that really made this place a legend was that the owners of Yoshimura-ya actually gave away the recipe to anyone who wanted it!

This was actually pretty good, if a bit too greasy and salty for my taste. No complaints for a random ramen shop we found.

Sorry about the address; I couldn't find a Romanized version of it.

Shinagawaya Yaesu
八重洲2-3-9
Chūō, 東京都〒103-0028, Japan

We walked back to the apartment with warm bellies. Tomorrow would be a rather early day as we were heading to Kamakura.

Thanks for reading!

Sapporo – The “Crab Course” Meal From Hyousetsu no Mon

June 29, 2016 mmm-yoso Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Seafood, Travel

Even though we had eaten and drank well in Otaru, there was one last, rather expensive, blowout meal that we had scheduled in Sapporo. In need of working up an appetite, we strolled around Sapporo for a while. Passing places like the Clock Tower (時計台, Tokeidai), which is a very Western style building. The clock was installed in 1881, by E. Howard & Company of Boston. Theclock in the tower still runs.

The Missus loves crab, I have never seen anyone destroy a pile of crab with speed and efficiency like the Missus and Her Cousins. So I decided on what I read was he oldest crab specialty restaurant in Sapporo; Hyousetsu-no-Mon. Located in the Susukino district, we had made reservations on our first evening in Sapporo. We had a rather difficult time finding the place the first time and we headed over a bit early just in case we got a bit lost. Funny story about our reservation. The restaurant is multi-level deal, you have to find the level with the front desk, which we did. The studious looking gentleman behind the front desk was very professional and serious looking. He spoke decent English and we worked out a time for our reservation. Then he took down my name…..with a big look of surprise….then a huge smile, "Aaaah, Xxxxxxxxx-san, Xxxxxxxxx-san!" He was so friendly, like a different person. He didn't think I was Japanese! He then wrote my name down in the book and showed it to me. Now, I'd never, ever seen my family name written in Japanese, so I just smiled and nodded. By this time, the Missus was cracking up!

The Missus couldn't help but laugh when we walked up to the reception desk, and the gentleman saw me and called out a greeting!

We were taken to one of the private rooms. The woman serving us was probably in her 60's, but was amazingly efficient. While walking to the restroom, I saw the youngers girls trying to keep up with her. When she slide open the door, I looked at the table and went "oh-oh". I dread having to sit on the floor, it's just an accident waiting to happen. Luckily, the floor below the table was sunken. Whew.

I had ordered the Live Hairy Crab and King Crab Course for the Missus (13,000¥ – about $125/US) and the King Crab Full Course (9,300¥ – about $90/US) for me.

Of course you needed sake; we started with something from Otokoyama, the kuniyoshi nona torizake (1,010¥ – about $10). A nice, crisp, and clean tasting sake.

While we met our guest of honor.

And the appetizer course arrived.

Man, we loved the crab roe!

The Sashimi Course was three hairy crab legs

So sweet, if a bit on the chewy side.

And a nice crab claw.

I gotta say, the King Crab Claw meat has maybe the best flavor of all the pieces I had. It was really sweet and had a very clean taste.

Then a portable stove and hot pot was delivered to our table.

We were both given King Crab Legs and some vegetables for the hot pot. This was nice, but no big deal. We just made sure not to cook the legs too much. For some reason, I thought the hot pot broth tasted quite good on its own.

The grilled king crab was nice, with rich, smoky touches, and quite delicious.

Then came what I call the Missus's course; the steamed hairy crab. I let Her have all of it; She does love Her crab.

While I ordered Chitosetsuru Junmai-Daiginjo (1,375¥ – about $14/US). Floral, on the light side.

While my steamed King Crab Legs arrived.

Rich and buttery, nice clean flavors.

Up next were the tempura courses; which both the Missus and I thought were light and crisp, but nothing especially distinctive.

The next two courses weren't our favorites. The crab in a vinegar sauce was too sour and you couldn't make out anything.

The King Crab Gratin was a bit too rich for us and you really couldn't make out any crab. It was quite filling though.

Our last sake was our favorite, simply called Maruta (935¥ – about $9/US). Considered one of the best examples of Ginpu (a sake rice grown on Hokkaido) Junmaishu.

Crisp with an interesting tongue feel.

I wasn't too sure about the Crab Nigiri, but it was quite good, served Aburi (torched) style, which helped to develop the flavors and texture.

We both enjoyed the final course, which was an egg drop porridge. It helped to finish things off and really did have that "aaah" factor.

And the serving was quite generous.

The nice palate cleansing sorbet was the dessert.

This was quite a meal. You'd think we'd be stuffed. But because of the pacing, both the Missus and I, while full, didn't feel like we were bursting at the seams. The service was excellent. While I don't think we'll be doing this again, it was a fun experience and we were glad we did it.

Hyosetsu-no-Mon
Minami 5 Jonishi
Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

We really enjoyed our time in Sapporo and were kind of sad to be leaving the next day. So we took the long way back to the hotel……

Tokyo Deli

June 28, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Poke

**** Tokyo Deli has closed

I gotta say; as years have passed, the longer I live in San Diego, my reception of what's going on over "the coconut wireless" gets more and more faint. I think most folks use the four lettered word site to get their info these days. But here's one I got a day after posting on San Diego Poke Company. Anyway, he who wants to remain silent told me the poke at this tiny little, mostly take-out shop in the East Village was worth a try for the poke. I was warned off the nigiri and he knew I don't do the rolls thing. Which is how I ended up at Tokyo Deli.

Loved the shop which was sparkling white; the crew all Japanese, there are a few brands of soy sauce and other Japanese items for sale in a small retail area.

The drill is basic order at the counter and get your food. The folks are professional.

The poke bowls can be made on rice, as a salad, or half and half. They start at $9.80 with two toppings gratis and an upcharge extra items or even more for avocado and/or cream cheese…..cream cheese….on a poke bowl. So, no Flamin' Cheetos toppings or any of that stuff here, after all, did you want all kinds of "stuff" or fish, eh?

There's a glass display of items from the menu…..no, it's not plastic food.

Wanting something basic to determine how good the fish was; I went with the rice bowl, with tuna (of course), the sesame soy sounded closest to shoyu poke, with onions and cucumber.

It was delivered to me in a little plastic bowl, with a couple of butter lettuce leaves and shredded purple cabbage. This is not a big eater portion size, but it was enough for me. First things first, the fish was good quality, nice meatiness, no tough or mushy pieces. This wasn't too salty, decent balance in salty-sesame oil, but there was a wasabi kick to the sauce; but it wasn't a gooey-watery mess either. The rice was excellent, cooked perfectly. The onions and cucumbers did the job; pungency with a nice clean palate cleansing. The really nice woman who brought me my bowl also dropped off a cup of water; a nice touch.

Which if course, meant I went back; this time for take-out.

This time I went for the half and half; half rice half salad with tuna, the ponzu sauce, avocado ($1 upcharge), onion, and cucumbers.

There was a nice generous portion of avocado; but this bowl seemed a bit lightweight with all the greens; which by the way, wasn't dressed, and that sauce for the poke really didn't extend to all that kale. Also, the fish just didn't seem as good in quality this time around; low in fat and oil, and quite a bit of "that pink" bled onto the rice. The ponzu was ok, it could have had a bit more zip and I thought the fish needed to be dressed a bit better.

Now the really nice guy who recommended Tokyo Deli also asked me to try the Sushi Burrito……something I usually wouldn't go for. He also instructed me to get a whole one ($10.80) since half really would only do for a small snack. So, I went with the tuna sushi burrito (yeeesh) and since I was going to defy that little voice inside of me going "wtf", I chose the spicy aioli as the sauce. Man, this fish was dark, the texture was still good, but it was just getting to the edge of shelf life for me as I could make out a mild "smell". Still, it wasn't bad.

As before, the rice was prepared well. This was basically an uncut makizushi with poke as a filling, which wasn't too strange to me. It was kind of light on the fish; they piled everything in the middle before rolling, so the ends were tapered, with hardly any fish. The spicy aioli; was more aioli than spicy. At least to me. At least you'll get some greens and a nice portion of avocado. I did get full; but mostly on rice.

So, what do I think? This place is decent and would stretch to good if they can get consistently good fish. The place is clean and spotless and service reserved, thoughtful (remember the cup of water?), professional, with a certain dignified, understated approach that seems so Japanese. I like that. The portions aren't very large, but as a whole ok for me. They also serve Edomae nigiri sushi; which looks a bit better than what you'd get at a Japanese market. Sorry, I don't eat it there other than kappa maki and natto maki, so you'll have to try it yourself. There are also various rice bowls and the inevitable California and Philadelphia rolls on the menu as well.

I'll eat here again.

Tokyo Deli
871 G St
San Diego, CA 92101
Open Daily
11am – 7pm