Japanese Restaurants – Page 37

Kyoto Day 3: Typhoon Day – Nishiki Market, Shopping, Katsu Don, and Gyoza

December 18, 2014 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kyoto, Markets & Grocers, Travel

The Missus had made some plans for our third day in Kyoto. Unfortunately, the impending arrival of Typhoon Vongfong made us change our plans a bit. Masae, the owner of our Machiya kept us apprised of the Typhoon situation, as did Kat. So instead of doing the Philosopher's Walk, we headed off to Shijo-dori to wander around and do some shopping.

Strangely, most things seemed like business as usual. We walked through the Gion and over the bridge, first heading to Nishiki Market, which, unlike the mass of humanity we encountered on our first day in Kyoto was quite sedate at this time of the day.

A handful of businesses were closed, but for most it was just another day it seemed. Like these two who were out scrubbing the walkway in fornt of their shop…….right before a Typhoon?

My favorite stop was the knife shop….with all the handmade scissors and knives.

At the east end of Nishiki Market on Teramachi street is Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine.

The lanterns are quite stunning.

The water that comes from the deep well in the shrine is supposed to be so pure and clean that it has no odor and the temperature is usually at a steady 65 degrees.

The shopping arcades were quite empty at this time of the morning……in startk contrast to our previous visit to the area.

We couldn't help but notice all the "Kyoto drip" gear in a shop called Holly's Cafe as we walked past.

The Missus, who's become a bit of a coffee nerd over the last year just had to stop. So I had a nice Kyoto cold brew….which was very cheap compared to the states….like about $2.50 or so!

It was a nice and relaxing break…….sitting and watching the folks walk by on a slightly wet Sunday morning.

Refreshed we headed off, across the Kamo River for the umpteenth time.

On the corner of Hanamikoji and Shijo streets the Missus found a bustling shop…..full of make-up and other stuffs. One of the objectives of this trip was to stock up on various brands and products, so the Missus was in heaven.

The store was a outpost of Yojiya a time honored Kyoto brand known for their facial blotting paper. The Missus had a blast and purchased a good number of gifts.

We'd done a pretty good job of passing the time and the Missus was getting hungry. She was still craving that karaage from Karako, so we headed up Higashishoji-dori, first stopping off to unload our purchases.

Unfortunately, Karako was closed due to the impending storm. I recalled a couple of shops across the street and we found one of them open. We decided on eating here based on the plastic food display.

No English spoken, but not a big deal….. I had the Tempura Soba, which was nice and hot.

The Missus had been wanting to have a Katsudon, one of Her favorite dishes since we got to Japan, so She got Her wish…though what She really wanted was a Chicken Katsudon, which seemed to be pretty rare…..anyway, She finally got a katsudon.

She actually enjoyed the miso soup the most. As for the katsudon? I think it did the job, though She did tell me; "you know what….you make a pretty good katsudon."

Usually, when we travel, I get some aches and pains from all the walking……with the Missus making fun of all the "grandpa" noises I make. On this trip, I could tell that all the walking was taking a toll on the Missus as well. Somehow, it just made all my aches feel that much better….I guess sharing the wealth does that to you.

Heading back for a post lunch nap we passed this shop.

This place specialized in Yatsuhashi, one of the most well known confections of Kyoto.

We decided to get a few nama yatsuhashi….the soft, unbaked version to try.

I'm not big on sweets and the Missus doesn't care for cinnamon flavored confections, so while it was nice to try these, I don't think we'll be racing back to buy any.

We headed back in a rather roundabout way, taking our time. It had started to rain intermittently, the sky was getting pretty dark, and the wind was starting to pick up.

Even the ducks in Shirakawa Canal seemed to think something was up as they all faced the same direction….upstream.

We headed back to the machiya, the Missus took a nice long bath, and I worked on a post. We'd been going at a pretty good pace so an easy day was a nice treat and just what we needed.

After a short nap we awoke and decided to take a walk around. It was starting to rain pretty hard and the wind was blowing pretty good…..but there were still quite a few people and cars out and about.

We wandered around a bit, then headed back….

Meanwhile, many of the shops in the shopping arcade started closing up early. Even with all of this; things just seemed to happen at a very relaxed pace. Before leaving Tokyo, we chatted with Reiko about the Typhoon. She said, "yes Kirk-san, there will be some rain, maybe some wind……." Some rain? Maybe some wind?

Darkness seemed to fall quickly, like someone pulling a shade down. The big question was, "what are we going to eat?" There was always picking something up at Family Mart….you could basically live out of convenience stores in Japan….though I'm not quite sure what your sodium levels would be after a couple of weeks.

We'd noticed a gyoza shop right around the corner from the shopping arcade the previous day. This seemed like a simple, light meal.

Just one of the many shops you see everywhere…. Serving basically one thing; here it's gyoza, with a few small "salads" on the menu. And cold beer……nice, cold, and refreshing beer.

The gyoza was as good a gyoza can be; crisp on the bottom, the filling nice and light….nothing like a good guotie, mind you, but still good.

We actually enjoyed the onion salad more.

Earlier in the evening, Kat sent me a text, reminding me to pick up some snacks since we wouldn't be going out and about this evening. Thanks Kat! So on the way back, we dropped by the market, which was pretty busy…….. I guess everyone was buying some snacks on typhoon night!

So that's what we did as typhoon Vongfong passed. The Missus was upstairs reading….while I turned on a television for the first time during this whole trip and watched storm reports….

While having a couple of beers and some snacks.

Sometime before drifting off to sleep the Missus said, "you owe me……another trip to Kyoto". I told Her, "no problem, we can come back anytime you want." We have unfinished business here. Which I'm hoping to take care of in the near future.

Thanks for reading!

Kyoto Day 2: Ippodo Tea, dinner at Okariba, and the Awata Jinja Lantern Parade

December 3, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kyoto, Markets & Grocers, Memorable Meals, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

On the way back to the machiya, we ran into Masae, the owner of the property and also the craft beer bar in the shopping arcade. We asked her about finding some tea. She recommended a visit to Ippodo Tea. So after a nice shower and a short nap, we headed off to find Ippodo. Up Higashioji-dori, then west on Marutamachi, crossing the Kamo River…..left on Teramachi-dori right when you hit Kyoto Imperial Palace Park……about four block down, you'll find Ippodo.

The shop and the connected Kaboku Tearoom, where you learn to make and also taste various teas was doing some brisk business. One of the young ladies spoke excellent English. We didn't have time to dally, but she went over all the main types of tea with the Missus and we got to sample a few. We ended up purchasing a few packages…..which the Missus loves. I'm thinking we'll be back.

Ippodo Tea
Teramachi-dori Nijo, Nakagyo-ku
Kyoto

We really weren't sure of exactly where our dinner destination was. I'd heard of a place serving rustic wild game; I recall the term "mountain food" a couple times when reading about the place. It really didn't take us long to find the place. Masae pointed out it was near the Hotel Heiannomori, right past Okazaki Shrine.

The rabbit is the spirit of the shrine and is also said to house the god and goddess of easy childbirth.

It's a nice peaceful place to visit.

Right past the shrine, you can't help but locate Okariba. You can't miss the signs. The place is dark, warm, and very rustic looking. The trappings are simple; a large grill in the middle of the room; beer kegs lie about, the lines drawn to the taps. The owner is a very gentle and soft-spoken bespeckled gentleman named Aoki-san….whose mild manner belies the name of the place; "Hunting Ground" as well as the firearms hanging on the wall.

The Missus took a quick look at the sake bottles on one of the tables and said; "he has his own sake, with the name of the place on it."

And so we sailed off on our maiden voyage at Okariba, with simple, but nicely braised slices of daikon and aburage.

The sake was mild and sweet, but really, this type of food called for beer. After starting with this; it was beer all the way.

Things started off with what is probably the signature dish here (though folks who came in later all ordered trout); the grilled wild boar. Wonderful, surprisingly tender chunks of wild boar with a classic Japanese marinade and tare; smokey from the charcoal, slightly sweet, nicely porky, but mild. The portion size was quite a surprise for us; this is enough for two or three to start.

We weren't going to Kyushu, but I knew I could get a specialty of that area here; basashi – horse sashimi. I really love the flavor of horse; I know, it's not PC…..but it's not endangered either, right?

This was very nice; served just slightly frozen, just the way I was told it shoud be, the flavor is quite clean, with a mild sweet finish. The texture is like beef, with a tad more toothfullness. I love this dish…..

Arriving with the basashi was a combination of preserved vegetables and something else….more on that in a bit. I grew up eating items like takana-zuke, so I loved the pickled greens. I'd never had fuki-miso, basically akunuki butterbur, stirfried with miso, then preserved.

The most interesting thing was the "Inago" – locusts, which had been glazed with a wonderful sweet mirin-soy. These were nice and crisp and so sweet and salty….going well with beer.

The Missus's favorite dish by far was the hobamiso…….

A wonderful, savory, but not salty miso with mushrooms and scallions grilled on a leaf. It was funny; we thought we were doing pretty well; but Aoki-san came by……and decided he needed to show us how it was done….it became this wonderful, miso-mess of flavors.

This just screamed for another beer; so we ordered one. And were soon surprised with this….Aoki-san brought it over and said "gift-tu"….. Some nice home made tofu.

Then another "gift"….this was fantastic. I'd never had Wasabi-zuke before. This was wonderful; made from the leaves and stems of the wasabi plant; on occasion you'd get a super pungent bite, but the flavors were amazing, sweet-pungent-bitter-sour-salty…totally my kind of dish.

When this arrived, I just thought I needed to have another beer…..he's giving us free food. So I had another beer….at which time fried tofu arrived.

By this time I figured out…the more we drank, the more stuff would be coming out. I'd better quit here or we'd be literally rolling back! If there was a time I wished we could tip in Japan, it was here. The warmth and hospitality made me want to do something. I should have brought some omiyagi, or something……

As you can tell….we loved this place.

Okariba
Okazaki Higashi-Tennocho 43-4, Residence Okazaki 1F
Kyoto

The Missus decided that we needed to burn off some of this, so we'd walk back to Shijo-dori…..I figure, that's like 2-3 kilometers? It was really a fun walk though……this was a lively night.

Folks were out and about, having a good time.

Karako, the place where we had great karaage earlier in the day has quite a nice line going.

We decided to follow the Shirakawa canal through Gion. I took this photo on one of the cement bridges, the type with no handrails that passes over the canal near Shinbashi.

Crossing over the Kamo river, we then headed up, the now busy Ponto-chō, restaurants now going full tilt.

As we passed by a hair salon, something caught my eye. I pointed out the one guy doing "hair" in the salon, which was closed to the Missus. She said, "yeah, he's doing hair, so what?" I told Her to take a look….that head had no body! He was actually working on a wig placed on a mannequin head. I'm not sure if this is SOP….but it just seemed a bit, well, strange……

And finally, there as Shijo-dori….while not crazy as Tokyo; which seems to actually be pulsating with it's own heartbeat, the crowds and objective sure were a contrast to the Gion.

The Missus really seemed to take to Kyoto. The size, the crowds, the shops, were just Her speed.

At this point, we decided to head back…….the Missus was tired for a change.

As we crossed Furumozen-dori, we noticed some activity up ahead. Lanterns, laughter, drums……and strange specters seemed to float ahead.

Suddenly we both remembered. Masae had told us that Awata Matsuri was happening this weekend. This was the Awata Jinja Lantern Festival! We were told that one of the key points of the Matsuri was that this was the day when both the Buddhist and Shinto Priests actually get together and celebrate together.

Then of course, there's the inevitable intermingling that occurs when everyone takes a break at Family Mart!

Once things got started, we quickly made it back to the machiya. Why? Well, because the lantern parade went right through the shopping arcade, right past where we were staying…..

It's quite amazing. The paradox, the new, modern, somewhat glitzy, but there's always the respect for tradition that pulls things in….bringing order to things.

I won't pretend to understand what any of these floats mean….but, if you're interested, you can read this wonderful and informative post. It describes all the lanterns/floats and what they mean.

And frankly, I just felt honored to be here…..

And also very thankful. For the fire control, who instantly put out all the burning embers from the fire which was placed on the ground for some symbolic reason. Once it was lifted back up, they sprung into action and made sure everything on the ground was put out in the blink of an eye…….that's Japan in a microcosm.

Having started our day before 5 in the morning, we'd walked at least 7-8 miles easily. The Missus, for the first time I can recall was totally bushed. It had been quite a day. I'd planned our "red-lettered day" in Tokyo; starting with Tsukiji Market and meals at Michelin starred Sushi Iwa and Suzunari. And while that was an epic and unforgettable day. This rather unscripted, hastily planned day was its equal…..Sushi Iwa and Suzunari showed me the skill, execution, and polish of a great restaurant. Karako and Okariba displayed the heart and soul……each has its place in my eating universe.

Thanks for reading!

Kyoto Day 2: Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, and the best fried chicken at Karako

December 1, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kyoto, Ramen, Travel

Our first day in Kyoto was pretty tiring……I gotta admit, I get pretty wiped out when we travel; but man, the Missus was totally fried as well. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow and up before 5am. After encountering the crowds at Fushimi Inari the day before, I just knew that the best way to experience the place would be early in the morning or late at night. So we got on the Tozai line, transferred at Yamashina to the Biwa line, got off at Kyoto Station, which wasn't quite as confusing as the previous and got on the Nara line….getting off at Inari Station. Fushimi Inari-taisha is literally right across the street.

Fushimi Inari is the head shrine of Inari Okami, the Kami…..which is hard to describe in English, let's just say it's the spirit, god, or deity of most importantly, rice, but also fertility, sake, and foxes…… which, if I recall serve as messengers for the Kami. At the entrance of the shrine, you'll see a statue of a fox (no, it's not a "doggie") holding the key to the granary. I remember learning about the kitsune serving the rice god in elementary school….funny what you recall at odd moments in life.

For most folks……us included, the most stunning feature of Fushimi Inari are the 30,000 plus gates that line the paths up the mountain, which is also named Inari. Each torii (gate) is paid for and donated by businesses….which you totally forget about when you see it.

It is both beautiful and haunting seen at dawn with nary another person around. Just the sound of your footsteps and the wind whispering through the trees.

No loud chatter or folks brandishing "selfie poles".

This is what I saw in my mind's eye when I thought of Kyoto.

After taking in the atmosphere of Fushimi Inari, we headed back to Inari Station, got back on the Nara line, getting off at the first stop at Tokufuji and hopping on the Keihan line, getting off at Kiyomizu-Gojo. from there it's about a 20-25 minute walk past all the shops.

And a shrine or two.

Up the mountain to Kiyomizu-dera.

This most well known feature of this temple complex is the veranda of the main hall, which has great views of Kyoto. Though, I think more people take photos of people taking photos on the veranda.

I understand that not a single nail is used for any structure in the temple complex…..

Heading past the three story pagoda and down below the main hall is Otowa Waterfall. Drinking of the water from the waterfall is supposed to bring good health and a long life.

So of course the Missus had to partake!

Heading back down the mountain, you'll notice some steps and a sign to your right, this leads to Sannenzaka, then Nannenzaka. Two well preserved neighborhoods.

This was one of the most pleasant walks we had on our trip. It was early, with few tourists, so you could really enjoy the restored structures. It felt like a trip back in time.

We took a break at a little shop near Yasaka Pagoda and Kodai-ji Temple.

The coffee….all pour over, was great and restorative. We made plans for what we'd do on our next leg. It was nice respite.

We'd head up to Maruyama Park and Chion-in Temple.

Somehow, we got a little of course and ended up at Higashi Otani Honganji. There was a large service going on…..

As we righted our course and headed toward Maruyama Park, we could hear country and western music playing…..the singing was of course, in Japanese. Apparently there was a Country and Western Music Festival close by….it was just another one of those strange and rather surreal moments.

Past the park is Chion-in Temple, which was going though some major restoration at the time of our visit.

By now we were "hitting the wall". We'd seen the places we really wanted to see and temple fatigue was setting in. It was time to change our focus…..so we headed bacl to the machiya to freshen up…and then off to lunch.

We had decided on a ramen shop I had heard off named Karako. The address 12-3 Okazaki Tokusei-cho was a bit difficult, but it looked like it was right on Higashioji-dori….which is kind of where we found the place.

We were the first customers to arrive and the older gentleman pointed to some seats at the end of the counter.

We quickly placed our order and he spoke the only English I heard our whole time there, pointing to the hijiki, tofu, and green salad on the counter he said, "helpu you self….."

The prices were very reasonable – ¥650 for the Kotteri Ramen.

The chashu was wonderful, full of flavor, just melt in you mouth delicious. The noodles were fine, just chewy enough. In spite of being "kotteri", as in extra rich, the broth really lacked the tongue coating texture and the richness in flavor I enjoy. This was my least favorite bowl of ramen during our trip.

The Missus got the Chashu Rice Bowl ¥320 – which had the wonderful chashu.

The one item which was a total surprise was the karaage. It has got to be one of the best I've ever had.

Light and crisp, moist and succulent, with wonderful flavor, a touch of ginger, slightly sweet, shoyu tones, and something else…..deep and savory. And a bargain at ¥500 – like five bucks!

This was just fantastic fried chicken……probably worth a side trip to Kyoto!

A few minutes after we sat, folks started streaming in. The older gentleman ordered the special, which was a bowl of ramen, a bowl of rice, and chicken….which turned out to be an entire order…five pieces for ¥880!

We kept watching to see how he heck he was going to finish his food…well, he's got his own system down. He ate the ramen and took the rice and chicken to go!

We actually tried to return to Karako the next day, but they were closed…..bummer. But hey, next time we know what to order, don't we? As in this old saying.

Karako
12-3 Okazaki Tokusei-cho
Kyoto

There was of course, a requisite short nap after this lunch, so we headed back. Little did we know that we'd be having another wonderful experience for dinner.

Stay Tuned!

Yakitori Taisho revisited

November 24, 2014 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants

In just little under a month, Yakitori Taisho has become a regular part of our rotation. We like the mellow ambiance of the place, the rather cozy, somewhat intimate (12seats)interior….and of course the yakitori! The Chef is quite skilled, aided by just one helper and the waiter/server…….I can imagine it must be nuts if the place is packed……which it has not been during our visits. The Chef is a really nice guy, somewhat reserved, but very friendly once he gets to know you. He is from Nagoya,a classically trained Yakitori-man. Nagoya is quite significant here….especially for one of the dishes below. He really started opening up when we started chatting about Nagoya Cochin, the special breed of chicken Nagoya is famous for…..also for lively discussion on torisashi, basashi, okonomiyaki (he is a fan of Hiroshima style, while the Missus argues for Osaka style), and other things……

I'm going to list our favorites in descending order…..excluding the items I've posted on already. I will say, the buta-shiso, tsukune, and teba are at the top of our list, so hopefully you've read that post.

The Beef Tongue:

Shades of Tanyaki Shinobu, this wonderful piece of braised, then grilled tongue would fit right in….

All the classic flavors in one bite. The exterior of the tongue has a touch if crispness from being grilled over the bincho which also adds just a hint of smoke flavor. This is one heck of a piece of meat on a stick. They don't always have it since I was told it takes a bit of time to make. You'll find it on the specials board.

Aka Himo (chicken vein):

I love the slightly chewy texture and this is full of flavor from both the bincho and the dip in the tare.

Kimo (chicken liver):

I'm not a fan, but the Missus just loves this.

On the other hand, I love the….

Sunagimo (gizzards):

For some reason, the gizzards here seem to absorb a nice amount of smokey flavor and it has just the right amount of "crunch" for me.

Tebasaki:

Not to be confused with the really good grilled vesion I posted on earlier. Nagoya is well known for their chicken wings….so when I asked if he served that style of wings….he said, of course.

No miso based sauce on this, but the other qualities of Nagoya-teba was present…..a generous amount of black pepper and sesame seeds. Fried very nicely, crisp and light, touched with a nice sweet-soy; what's not to like?

Chicken Karaage:

Well, of course. A bit lighter than the version at Yakyudori, this has a more pronounced ginger flavor.

A very nice rendition……

The Shiitake:

Was nice and meaty, the katsuobushi adding another layer of savory flavors.

The Aspara Bacon:

Was fine. Pretty much by the book.

Not quite sure why the Missus loves quail eggs so much.

Mekabu with quail egg:

Lovely gooeyness, with a mellow ocean flavor. I'm told that mekabu comes from the base of the sea flora from which wakame grows.

The one item which we felt did not quite reach the heights we wanted was the yaki nasu.

The eggplant just didn't seem to have absorbed any of the bincho flavor and was on the bland side.

Nagoya is known for their chicken, so we fully expected the yakitori to be pretty good….it's that beef tongue which really surprised us. In combination with the other items that are our favorite here, we have a pretty nice rotation going.

We enjoy the almost one-on-one experience here, it's much more personal. Though, like I said, I'm not sure how things are when they're busy. The robata dishes here tend to be less salty than Yakyudori and a bit more refined. And no, it's not a loud and roaring place to grab brews and meat-on-a-stick with coworkers…….which makes it nice for date night. Which we've been having quite often lately.

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Sunday 4pm – 11pm

Places we’ve posted on too many times: Tsuruhashi, Aqui es Texcoco, and Koon Thai

November 20, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

Yep, we've done a ton of posts on these places, so here are mostly photos.

Tsuruhashi:

We've been coming since they first opened, though I haven't posted on the place in a couple of years. Forgot to take a photo of the Yukke, but here's the rest….oh, and we had two orders of the "harami" – prime skirt steak.

Service recently has been really nice…….so we've been enjoying ourselves here.

Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Aqui es Texcoco:

The only one of the the Missus's three favorites back in March to survive until winter. Except I was the one who was craving the mixiote.

I never noticed the Plato Azteca on previous visits…basically nopales (cactus) stir fried with two selections….I choose huitlacoche(of course) and flor de calabaza (squash blossom).

delici-oso!!!

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

As a bonus, I ran into none other than Sawyer at Hogetsu! Great seeing you man!

Koon Thai:

Rather close to the office, there are a couple of dishes I think they do well.

The fried spareribs is not one of them.

The Khao Karr Moo – the simmered pork leg, takes me back to Thailand…..getting off a water taxi, you're inundated by the fragrances coming off the various food stands…..

The Pla Sahm Rod presentation looked sloppy, but it had a decent flavor and the fish was fried well.

Not as good as my previous visit, the rice was terrible, some of it hard as rock, the other hald mushy. Still, we didn't come here for the rice. Service was friendly, even though the place was totally slammed at lunch. Much better than the sometimes surly service I'd gotten here at times in the past.

Koon Thai Kitchen
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Tokyo Day 2: Sensō-ji and tongue eight ways at Tanyaki Shinobu

November 11, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

Even though we'd done a good bit of walking already, the Missus wasn't done. After our light lunch, the Missus decided She wanted to visit Sensō-ji. So we headed back onto the Ginza line, getting off at Asakusa. It was no problem finding the temple, you just follow the crowds! Man was the place packed. There's a long street leading to the temple gate lines with small shops called Nakamise-dōri. It would have been quite charming if things weren't so crowded. To get to the temple, you need to pass through the impressive Kaminari-mon, the "Thunder Gate".

D60 10222014 056

Sensō-ji was founded in 645, which makes it the oldest temple in Tokyo. According to the story, in 628, two brothers, Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari pulled their nets out of the Sumida River. Caught in the net was a statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. The village chief, Hajino Nakamoto, recognized the importance of the statue and turned his home into a temple to enshrine the statue.

The area is quite impressive. If we ever get back to Tokyo, I think an early morning visit might be in order.

As things stood, it was a bit too crowded for us. We wandered a bit, before sneaking out a side street.

We got back on the Ginza line, transferring to the Chuo line back to Yotsuya. We strolled the neighborhood a bit before heading back to the apartment to do some laundry and take a short nap.

Soon enough, evening rolled around. On the night we arrived, we had walked to a little place in Yotsuya. Somehow, using just the handful of Japanese I knew, I managed to get reservations for dinner. Finding out that our friend Reiko was free, I told her to call the place….there's just no way I'd be able to communicate effectively over the phone, and have her added to our reservations. We walked over to Yotsuya Station and met Reiko. Getting to the place from here was a short 7-8 minute walk; though if it was up Reiko, who walks at the "Tokyo pace"….very quickly, we'd have gotten there in five!

Our destination was a little shop named Tanyaki Shinobu. Yep, this place specialized in beef tongue.

The interior of the Izakaya is small, rustic, and sorts of wraps you up in itself. There is counter seating, or like what we had tiny tables, with stump-like stools….if you had less than six in your party, you shared the table, which didn't bother us at all. Luckily, the cigarette smoke was kept to a minimum.

A big plus was having Reiko with us…..she told us, there are 8 tongue dishes on the menu……so we ordered all 8.

Things started off with the very simple sounding "Boiled Tongue". Which was simply amazing.

The pure beef flavor was so pronounced that you almost expected the dish to bellow out a strong "Mooo…" The tongue kept its form until it hit your tongue, at which time it just melted away. The was just perfectly flavored and simmered. In fact, we had another order of this.

The Missus just adored the ponzu pickled yamaimo.

I'd never had mountain yam this good. The "ponzu-zuke" really added a nice flavor to the yamaimo, the sour seemed to bring out a bit more of the background sweetness, it also seemed to make the yamaimo less slimy. There's a nice crunch to this very refreshing dish.

The Tan Stew was very tender, with what tasted like a red wine based demi glace.

The Tan no Shogani – ginger stew, brought all those familiar comforting flavors to me.

The salty-sweet-ginger flavors in this shoyu based braised dish was just perfect. Nice texture, not falling to pieces, but with a light chew. We also had an additional order of this.

The tongue stewed in miso was also delicious.

The scallions added just enough pungency and the konnyaku a nice textural contrast. Very balanced flavors and not as salty as I thought it would be.

The pickled cucumbers were a bit of a surprise.

Pickled in shoyu and garlic, with a mild chili kick, both the Missus and I immediately thought of Pai Huang Gua (派黄瓜) – the "Smacked Cucumbers" that I make.

Strangely, the dish the Izakaya is named after; the Tanyaki – broiled tongue was probably our least favorite.

A bit too thick and rubbery for our tastes. It was also on the salty side.

The miso cured tongue (on the left) and the salt cured tongue (on the right) were nice.

I preferred the salt cured version. Eaten with onions and a squeeze of sudachi it was chewy, yet pleasant, and yes, cured, not cooked.

The Kinoko no shioyaki – salt grilled eryngii mushrooms were fragrant and earthy. The texture, nice and meaty.

The meal ended with Tan Soup, which was so good. The soul of the cow condensed into this wonderful, clear broth.

Man, this was a great meal…one main ingredient, beef tongue presented a different ways. When I first told the Missus about this place, She wasn't too thrilled. But now, She was sold.

Tanyaki Shinobu
16 Saneicho
Shinjuku, Tokyo

It was great to see Reiko, it had been a while. Nice to know she is happy and healthy, and we hope to see her again soon!

We walked back to the apartment feeling a bit sad. We had really enjoy our time in Tokyo. Tomorrow, it was off to Kyoto!

COMC: Wa Dining Okan with Friends (again)

November 10, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I realize I've done a post like this before. But heck, it's been nearly four years since then. I've really missed my good friends…..you get busy with work and life in general and sometimes having that get together kind of falls by the wayside. We were supposed to have lunch last week, but things just got too crazy, so I was glad to be able to connect with TFD, YY, Xiangjiao, Mr C, and Quanito for dinner at Okan.

As always, the company trumped the food, which wasn't too shabby.

It's quite easy to fall in the trap of chasing he latest and greatest…especially with a food blog. I think of the blog as sort of a food diary of sorts, so I try not to let that happen…which means there are quite a few revisits. But that's sort of how I eat.

And of course, there's friends….and we did have a nice meal. I can't believe we haven't touched bases in months! I'll try not to let that happen again.

There are items that Okan does well and items I try to avoid, you can read about it in more detail in our older posts or even here.

Hope you're having a great week!

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Tokyo Day 1: Dinner at Suzunari

November 6, 2014 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

I'd planned of having a heck of a first full day in Tokyo….it was to be our "red lettered day". We started out at Tsukiji Market, then had lunch at Sushi Iwa. I wanted to finish off the evening with something special. initially, I thought about one of those 2-3 Michelin Star places….but, as I've mentioned before, I think folks put a bit too much in the "star" system, though there's a good bit a rating like that does say. I started thinking a bit differently about things when I overheard a conversation regarding some of the "top rated" places in Tokyo…..and I read about this common theme as well. You won't find any Japanese Nationals at many of these places….nowadays it's mostly Chinese/European/American tourists. Nothing wrong with that, but it's just not our style. Also, we wanted something that wasn't too stuffy or pretentious, not overdone and precious. I wanted a place where we'd find Japanese eating. After doing a whole lot of research, hemming and hawing, a little Kaiseki place named Suzunari came up. No, you won't find it on Chowhound, I just did a search on the Japan board before starting this post. A big plus was this little place was located in rather close proximity to our apartment in Yotsuya. The only obstacle was trying to get reservations…nothing online, we had no concierge, no English spoken. We're lucky to have friends who were able to make reservations for us. So we headed down the narrow streets of Arakicho a neighborhood of small, somewhat private looking bars and restaurants….we just followed the Salarymen.

I had read that Suzunari had no real sign and it was very difficult to find so we started early….strangely, perhaps it was luck, we found the place with no problems at all. Sticking my head in the door, quietly saying in my fumbling Japanese "Yoyaku shitemasu……" to the young woman working the tables, suddenly I heard a greeting from behind me……this happened to be Chef Murata and the kind and warm young lady is his wife. They were of course expecting us, first grabbing our coats then leading us to our seats at the bar.

The bar seating was already filled in this tiny restaurant.

There are three versions of the menu available, basically, 60, 100, or 150 dollars. Heck, we were in Tokyo, we had arranged for the 15,000 yen menu. There's so much preparation done ahead of time, that you need to indicate which offering you want. I had the folks choose our Nihonshu, just indicating we wanted something "local"… the young woman knew a little English, which helped, and I did my best….which wasn't much.

It was great watching Chef Murata and his assistant prep all the dishes. The entire staff was a total of four, the Chef, his second, his wife who worked the front of house, and an older woman, who seemed to be one of their mothers, who took care of the dishes and cleaning….it really seemed to be a family affair. And yes, this is Tokyo, most everything was done in almost a hushed silence.

The meal itself was amazing…..Chef Murata would often stop everything he was doing to try and explain what he was serving, or his wife would try to find the English words for items……they seemed to be pleasantly surprised that I knew the Japanese or at least the English names of what was being served. Of course there were still many, many, gaps…items I've not had experience with, which made this meal even more pleasant.

The Sakizuke, first course was a refreshing, understated course of shrimp and tender tako with what seemed like, but I don't think was grated yamaimo, it was too smooth. The aspic was subtle, but refreshing.

The range of flavors all seemed to compliment each other…….so smooth…

The Hassun, basically a arrangement of appetizers was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen.

No matter what angle I tried; I couldn't capture the breath of this in one photo. It's also impossible to explain all the tastes, textures, and fragrances in just a few words.

I will say, some the simpler items were just amazingly perfect; the smoked duck was moist and tender that you would think it was pork, except it had that nice duck flavor….the ginnan, earthy, with a hint of sweet and bitter but also made crunchy. The two almost ohitashi like dishes; the greens and mushrooms with yuzu, topped with beautiful, briney ikura, served in a hollowed out yuzu….the fragrance of the fruit adding a nice touch. The tai with shiokara sauce, sweet, pungent, chewy and silky smooth at the same time. The bo-zushi was a fantastic combination of milky and savory flavors, cut by the vinegar in the rice. You really could go on and on…..

And yet, the one item we're still talking about is the simply perfect shirako……..perhaps my best bit of the year. Firm until it enters your mouth, turning into a wonderful melting creaminess upon your first bite. Just simply amazing.

The Mukōzuke, the sashimi course, was fine…….

The Mushimono – steamed dish was a fabulous. A chawan-mushi, steamed egg dish, was so smooth and custard like. This version had suppon (soft shell turtle) in it.

Comfort food taken to the next level…..the suppon is quite mild in flavor.

Botan Ebi – October is pandalus nipponesis season from what I understand.

You know which part we treasured the most, right?

We watched as fish were skewered and roasted/broiled in the salamander. Chef told me what kind of hikarimono these were but I really couldn't understand and I didn't want to take him away from the now full house he was dealing with. I figure these were the yakimono items.

The fish were rich, with good oil, savory, and quite tender. Our favorite was the version served with a smooth, savory, beany, but not salty aka miso. It just blended in so well with the fish and especially the shiitake mushroom….umami overload.

This was so good, we don't even remember the next item…….

I'm thinking this was a palate refresher….because next up was the Kamameshi, the grand finale as it were. Noticing that I was taking photos……the young lady kindly brought me the pot of rice to photograph before serving……it was just so touching in a way….so thoughtful….

Mixed and served with the typical Kōnomono, seasonal pickles…..this was by far the best kamameshi we'd ever had…it was just masterfully prepared, so perfect in proportion. Also, the entire pot was for us! We saw the couple next to us totally clean out the entire pot….but there was no way we could do this. In the typical way, they made onigiri for us.

The aka miso shiru had a large amount of lobster in it. It was rich, yet not salty……it wasn't a favorite of the Missus, who I guess prefers the really salty versions we have here in the states….She really didn't care for any of the miso soup we had in Japan.

And yes, there's dessert….but there was no way we'd be able to do that. I just nodded "no" and patted my stomach and said, "oh no. soon sumotori….." Which got a nice laugh.

As the evening wore down, the folks here took time to formally introduce themselves to us and kind of of wondering where we were from. I do wish I spoke and understood more Japanese. They were genuinely surprised to find we were from San Diego.

We both loved Suzunari. In fact, if we're ever back in Tokyo, I'll try and find a way to return. The food is great, the folks running the place are wonderfully gracious, very relaxed, and so sincere. It's more than wonderful food; it was a memorable experience It was the perfect place for us; no pretense, not stuffy, a family operation, gracious hosts, and fantastic food. There were no tourists in the place other than us……the place was fully booked. We didn't want any concessions and that's a great thing we found in Japan, I'm sure there are places that will do this….but as a whole, you'll eat like the people. We loved it!

Yes, you need to book months in advance as it has perhaps 8 bar seats and three small tables. And yes, they do have a Michelin star.

All customers are escorted out as they leave and thanked; though the Chef came out from behind the counter to join us as well….to give me his business card. But I gotta ask…..when was the last time you saw a Michelin-starred Chef flashing the peace sign in a photo? You gotta love this place! We do!

Suzunari
7-9 Arakicho, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo

The Santouka Effect…..

October 30, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

In my opinion we had some pretty good ramen in Japan.

I mean, for me, it was a total slam dunk…I loved my choices.

1 – Nagi Ramen – which I've already posted on

2 – Ippudo

3 – Rokurinsha

We had one bowl which we both didn't care for.

But the place made killer fried chicken.

Strangely, during the whole time, the Missus kept saying…."you know, this is not as good as Santouka!" Say what?!? I love Santouka and all, but really! Perhaps I should have gone to Santouka in Kyoto just to set things straight. I'm thinking She really didn't care for the stronger niboshi flavors…..but She also wasn't impressed with the richness of the broth! Nagi Ramen? Rokurinsha? Really?

If She believed Santouka is that much better than anything we had, then fine. I wanted some confirmation. So, this past Saturday, it was off to Santouka, which by the way, is my favorite ramen in San Diego.

We ordered just as we did in Japan. The Missus, minimizing the carbs……She almost fell out of Her seat the first time She saw someone having ramen, rice, and gyoza! Ramen and rice?!? Anyway, She'd have a bit of noodles, a bit of rice, usually a decent amount of broth, and sometimes more than 1 egg. She did readily admit that the eggs in Japan were just that much better.

Anyway, one sip of the broth did it. "Huh, it's kind of thin, sort of bland……. I don't know what I was thinking?" Yes, She had somehow mentally put the broth and everything else at Santouka on a pedestal! We all do this….but not usually with items we've recently had….food nostalgia strikes us all. But I've never seen this in the short term.

No, it wasn't quite as rich, nor robust in flavor, as much of what we had. The noodles, well, the Missus doesn't care for Hakata style noodles, yet the texture in each bowl we had was excellent.

"You know, I feel kind of disappointed….I don't feel that I enjoyed those bowls as much as I could have. I put Santouka up on a fictional level. It was all in my head….."

"Doesn't it suck when you find out that Santa Claus doesn't exist? Oh, and….as an FYI…..neither does the Easter Bunny"

"I feel gypped……"

"Hey, we can always circle back. I'm more than willing to return to Japan. And, we can even check out Santouka while we're there!"

Like I said. Santouka is our favorite. But a little perspective is always good. And maybe, just maybe….we'll be able to sample more good ramen in Japan again soon.

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

Hope you're having a great week!

Yakitori Taisho – a first look

October 27, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

*** More updates can be found here and here.

So we get back from Japan and what's the first thing the Missus wants to eat? Japanese of course! With the Missus eating low wheat products, it can be a challenge….but Yakitori places surely fit the bill if you want to do some lower-carb eating. Plus, Yakitori Taisho had just opened a few days earlier. I'd been keeping an eye on the place since it was Curry Rice Hinotez.

Though we'd had yakitori twice in Osaka, none of the meals really wow'd us. One of the places was really inexpensive and made some great quail eggs, but fell short, the other made a wonderful version of torisashi (chicken sashimi) and a tasty yaki-onigiri, but the actual stuff on a stick? Well, maybe not. So the Missus was kind of interested to see how this place would be. I wanted to see if there were any differences from it's brother restaurant Yakyudori.

First off, the restaurant is, as expected, tiny, eight bar seats and maybe…..and this might be stretching it, another 7 seats at two small tables. I'd say that this would be much like Japan, except the counters are quite large.

There's a single person working the brazier and the smell of bincho seems a bit milder.

As things went, there were some distinct differences between Yakyudori and Taisho. First off, Taisho seemed a bit more stylish…..plus no cabbage to help refresh you between items. The one server was omni-present, but very nice.

So, on to the food. We started with tororo (grated mountain yam) and quail egg.

With a little shoyu, a nice start….it could also be a nice palate cleanser between dishes. Loved that you could make out the yolk flavor in this. Yes, I know, a lot of folks have a problem with that mucousy slimy texture….but man, don't you think it's time you got over that? And heck, if you're one of those health crazy folks….think about all that soluble fiber, right?

The tsukune, chicken meatball, looked different than the tubular version at Yakyudori.

But it was as moist and melt in your mouth tender. The tare was also milder. I'm not sure if it was because it's a new batch that hasn't "aged" yet, or if by purpose, but this was very nice as you could really make out the chicken and scallion flavor.

So then, there's the teba, the chicken wings, for us, one of the best items Yakyudori makes. The version here is also splayed out perfectly, it is also grilled to crisp perfection. The one thing we quickly noticed was….this wasn't as salty. We kind of enjoyed this more….

The first very distinctive difference between Taisho and Yakyudori was in the negima.

This version used regular onions and breast. Nevertheless, it was very moist.

The kawa (chicken skin) was interesting.

Chicken skin is one of our favorites. This version was dipped into the tare several times. While I appreciated the sweet and salty flavors; the texture was kind of gummy, and the fact you were eating crisp, salty, chicken skin was lost.

The ginnan….well, tasted like ginko.

The last item was perhaps one of the best – the buta-shiso.

While I really like the version at Yakyudori, I thought this was perhaps, better. The pork, belly in this case I believe, was exceedingly moist. It was not as aggressively salted, meaning that the flavor of the pork came through. I also noticed that the grill had been set-up with different temperature sections. Also, it seemed items weren't cooked at as high a heat as Yakyudori….items were started lower, but finished high. The sodium content also seemed a bit lower. In other words, there was a lot to like here. I have a feeling this place is going to blow up like crazy, so I'm glad we got a chance to try it out. I overheard the chef talking to so some friends telling them gyutan is coming soon…..I'd also really like to see horumon (intestine) and nankotsu (chicken cartlidge) on the menu….

We enjoyed ourselves. We'll be back…..if we can get a seat.

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Sunday 5pm – 11pm