About food in Japan

Torindo - Traditional Japanese sweets

During a stoll in Yanaka area, I found amazing sweets.
Torindo is a small sweets shop which is selling traditional Japanese sweets, using natural blessings. Obviously they are a kind of traditional Japanese sweets but are unique and witty, while kept as high quality products.

I got two of their specialities.

Kotaiyaki: Taiyaki(like me!) is very popular Japanese traditional casual sweets, fish-shape cake or sandwitch, filled with bean-paste. Torindo makes it smaller and converted it to more sphisticated product. "Ko" on top of Taiyaki means "small" in Japanese.

From left:
Japanese traditional sweets shops always wrap their products in elegant manner.
A piece of fresh green cedar leaf is the shop master's tender solicitude to remind us four seasons.
Like Taiyaki, Kotaiyaki is filled with bean-paste(anko).

        

                

Gochikoa: The name is original of the shop. As per the shop's introduction, the name inspired by five gods' wisdom. There are three box of Gochika, each different colors, yellow, red and green. Each box contains sugaring five kinds of dried fruits and vegetable. For example...

Above is Red box; orange, pear, lotus roots, fig and Japanese butterbur（fuki)

Other two boxes contain such as carrott, celery, eggplant, bamboo shoots...

I ever saw very similar one, dried and suguring fruits in Provence, south France. But pieces of vegetable processed in same way are the first experience here.
It is surely sweets and good match with a cup of green tea.

They are very good as souvenir of old Japanese, Yanaka.

The sweets shops has a small tea corner, where visitor can order green tea and their unique products on site.

Shop: Torindo
Address: 1-5-7 Ueno Sakuragi, Taito-ku, Tokyo
*Located in front of Tokyo University of the Arts
Website: http://www.torindo.co.jp

Kushiage(skewered and fried) - Hantei

"Kushiage" means food skewered then fried.
"Kushikatsu", skewered and pan-fried pork or beef is the most popular kind of Kushiage. Not only meat but fish, shrimps, vegetables are often used as ingredient of Kushiage.

Today I visited kushiage restaurant in Nezu, Bunkyo-ku.
Now it is rare to find a restaurant specialized in kushiage menu.

As soon as we ordered lunch course menu, the table was set
by a waitress. A small dish of starter,  a glass filled with stick-shaped vegetables(carrot, cucumber and Japanese radish), a bowl  stuffed with pieces of cabbage and three kinds of spices plate(miso, salt and sauce for fry)...made us excited for what we were going to have.
                                           

The first dish is shrimp and ginger. Pan-fried shrimp is not rare in Japane but we can never see the one wrapped with "shiso"(Japanese basil). It is a good idea! We can imitate the way in home cooking... A stick ginger fry cannot be found any other place, maybe... Actually ginger was a speciality of this area long ago as the name shown.(Yanaka ginger)

Even though it was lunch time, I could not stop ordering alcohol drink with this nice pan-fried food. What is wonderful at kushiage restaurant is that all fried food were fresh and just taken out from a fryer by the skillful chef. Finally we had 8 kinds of kushiage and a bowl of rice followed.
At the end of the course, seasonal flavored ice cream is served. This time, it was sakura"cherry flower" flavor! It was the last surprise for us. It is difficult to find sakura flavor ice cream even in this country!

Restaurant name: Hantei (はん亭）

Address: 2-12-15 Nezu, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo　
Website: http://www.hantei.co.jp
*The restaurant's building is registered as a cultural heritage.

French - La Matiere

Kagurazaka area is known for the good blend of old Japan and French atmosphere. Japanese traditional restaurants and French ones are scattered on sides of narrow winding streets in the small town. It is said, because of a major French school and some French organizations in the area, we can find several restaurants which provide authentic French cuisine there.

La Matiere is one of them. The small French restaurant has attractted a lot of groumets since its openning in 2006. Tables for weekends are often fully booked a month prior, even though the restaurant does not have an official website.

As shown on the first photo above, I found the tower like, stereoscopic presentation is chef's style. Even fish is served in this style, like this....    

The cuisine is of course fantastic experience!

Seasonal vegetables are all carefully finished and the restaurant's speciality, pork grill is unforgettable for the spicy flavour. The wine list would never disappoint guests.

Definitely I will be back here to try other dishes.

The restaurant is suitable even for special occasions such as birthday, anniversary etc etc.

Restaurant name: La Matiere

Address: 6-29 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Izakaya Top10 by British newspaper

Izakaya is a category of the food service industry in Japan.

It is a type of restaruant but in between a restaurant and a bar.
It is a place where we can enjoy eating and drinking at the same time.
Izakaya has casual atmosphere like "pub" in England but it has not only wide selections of alcohol drinks but also variety in food. 

It is where ordinary people  are likely to go with their colleagues  after  a long day of work to  chill out. Welcome or farewell party for peers in office are likely to held in Izakaya.
Another occasion at Izakaya is relaxing time with an intimate partner.

It is everywhere in Japan, particulaly in live downtown area. It is not hard to find one around a terminal station.
There are some chains of Izakaya, while some independent Izakayas try to differenciate themselves from the biggers by offering innovative original dishes.
The reasonable ones charges around YEN2000 per person. On the other hand, others could charge four to five times as much  in turn of high quality food, nice presentation of dishes, rare cups of Sake and their attentive services.

A writer of a newspaper in UK picked up his Top 10 Izakaya in Tokyo.
The list called attention of Japanese people in the food service industry and it is regarded as a discerning choice and good observation by local specialists.

Here are full list of Top 10.
Just to remind you, I have never visited either. I hope that I can go to some of them and report the experience on this blog...

1. Teyandei (てやん亭） in Nishiazabu - Horse meat is one of its speciality.
http://www.teyandei.com (site Japanese only)

2. Buri in Ebisu - The most casual style! "cup SAKE at standing bar"
http://www.takewaka.co.jp/buri/   (site Japanese only)

3. Aburiya Fu-do(炙家　風土） in Aoyama - Selected fresh ingredients are carefully roasted
http://www.wid.co.jp/tenpo/fudo-aoyama/

4. Bistrot 35 steps（三十五段屋） in Shibuya - To be in the bustle space, has to down 34 steps from ground then go one step up.

No official website found.

5. Yui-an （結庵） in Shinjuku - Enjoy breathtaking night illumination  from the 52th floor
http://r.gnavi.co.jp/fl/en/g002213/

6. Ikkon (いっこん） in Akasaka - Traditional Japanese in modern Japanese interior

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/fl/en/g079202/

7. Tsuki no shizuku(月の雫）  in  Ginza - Tofu is its speciality, a major chain Izakaya
http://www.tsukino-shizuku.com/tsuki_shop02.html  (site Japanese only)

8. Seigetsu (霽月) in Kagurazaka - Typical cozy Izakaya in warm folk wooden decoration
http://www.teshigotoya.net/seigetsu/index.html

9. Gonpachi (権八） in Nishi-Asabu - Well-known for casual dinner for which President Clinton was invited by Mr. Koizumi, Japanese Prime Minister at that time
http://www.gonpachi.jp/en/nishi_azabu/home/location

10. Galali (がらり） in Omotesando - Modern Izakaya in former folk dwelling
http://www.gala-e.com/galali.html

The original article : http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/feb/26/tokyo.food

Karintou

Karintou is a traditional Japanese sweets.
The stick-like shape is made of flour and sugar glazed after fried.
The crisp texture and simple sweetness have attracted many people
from young children to elders for years.

It has some variety by ingredient dusted; brown suger, honey, sesami, peanuts...

A traditional Karintou house has more unique original flavour.
It made us surprised by introducing innovative version of Karintou,
transforming the traditional sweets to salty snack, which matchs with beer rather than with green tea.

For example, "Kimpira gobo"(left packet on picture), inspired by same name traditional spicy deli menu of burdock roots. The texture is surely Karintou but the flavour is really burdock with hot pepper. The other one is "Negi miso"(Japanese leek and miso paste).

                      

The traditional Karintou house opened a new branch inside of JR Tokyo station recently.
Known for the unique flavour of Karintou to many people, the small boutique becomes too much popular that its producing and selling capacity can not catch up with.
Long que is always there and the shop limits number of packets to be purchased per consumer so far.

Shop: Nihonbashi Nishikihorin
Website: http://www.nishikihorin.com/

Coriander lovers!?

Reuters reported increasing number of coriander lovers in Japan and the first restaurant  in Japan, specialized in coriander menu.

The green harb is known also as phakchi, its Thail name and many Japanese hate the unique strong flavour and smell.  As increase of  restaurants focus on South-East Asian dishes,  phakchi  lovers increased in Japan as per the article.

One of Japanese phakchi lovers  opened  a community website to exchange information and to express their passion. The number of the member amounts over 500 in Japan. Then the site owner started to own a restaurant specialized in the harb, called Paxi House. Paxi represents of course Phakchi and also peace in Latin word, "pax."

Did I tried the restauran?
No and I am not sure if I am going in the future, even though I do NOT hate it.

Reuters' article
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUST298993220080229

Restaurant Paxi House website
http://paxihouse.com/tokyo/

Mexican - Fonda De La Madrugada

Fonda De La Madrugada is located between Harajuku and Omotesando, near to Turkish Embassy. From the humble entrace on the ground floor, we can not imagine how big the restaurant is. After politely welcomed at the reception desk on the first basement floor, we go through narrow corridor with a small fountain and are directed to further downstairs. The two-floor hight hall looks like a terrace or courtyard of traditional Latin house. Two rooms adjucent to the big hall can be used for a private party.

The food is authentic by Mexican chef; starter, meat, fish, tacos, variety choice of Mexican flavour!! House made Tortillas is served with some menu and kept warm in a round basket box.

Live Mexican music is available on evening. They go around tables and play music, responding to diners' request.

   Dessert is not exception of the Mexican food. We ordered Leche frita con Tequila, custard burned with tequila.  As shown on the photo left, the dessert plate was burned on the table and finished as an entertainment in front of guests.

Restaurant name: Fonda de la Madrugada
Address: Vila Bianca B1, 2-33-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
6minutes walk from Harajuku JR station or 10minutes from Omotesando subway station
Friday, Saturday open till 05h a.m. and other days till 2h a.m.
Website: http://www.fonda-m.com