About food in Japan

Soba (そば、蕎麦、Japanese buckwheat noodle)

It must be the 31st of December when the biggest number of Soba bowls is consumed in Japan. It has been a long tradition in Japan since Edo period to have a bowl of Soba at the end of a year, hoping our healthy long life, like the noodle shape.
Even apart from the wishes at the end of year, soba is a popular menu among us as healthy meal through the year.

Yabusoba in Kanda is one of the best known Soba restaurant in Tokyo with over a hundred year history from 1880. On the 31st of December, a long que of people for having the tradition would not be ended during the restaurant's opening hours.

The fine old building and the garden must be also another attraction along with the simple but  high quality noodle.

The most popular and typical menu is a combination of Seiro soba(soba on square shape steamer plate) and Tentane(pan fried dumbling with shrimps).

Restaurant name: Yabusoba
Address: 2-10 Kanda Awaji-cho, Chiyoda-ku,
Website: http://www.yabusoba.net

 

*********** UPDATE 22 February 2013 *********

On 19th Feb 2013, fire was broken out from Yabusoba restaurant and almost a third of the building was burned. Obviously the restaurant is close now and no information for re-opening is published so far.

We wish the historical restaurant restored and back to operation near future!!

 

Link for news about the fire "130-year-old noodle restaurant in Tokyo catches fire"

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130220p2a00m0na011000c.html

 

Alternative restaurant, traditional soba noodle shop near Yabusoba

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/12/soba-noodle-at-kanda-matsuya.html

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French - Lugdunum

Christmas day is coming soon. What we will do in Japan?
We are likely to spend time by a couple or with friends more than with family.
In Japan, Christmas is not a national holiday of course but we still feel that we want to organize a party or something at this year end fantastic season.
The gathering is called either "Christmas party" or "Bonenkai(忘年会　year-end party)" depending on how much the event is traditional Japanese style or Western style.

Western style, not only French or Italien, restaurants tend to offer special Christmas course during this season. This restaurant will be one of them.
Lugdunum in Kagurazaka is Lyon style French restaurant. The restaurant refers itsself as "bouchon"(traditional but casual Lyon style restauran). But it is much more sophisticated than the local typical ones.

We are able to taste traditional Lyonnaise dishes. Some of them, such as black sausages and tripe, are not familier for Japanese people. But they are truely Lyon local ones cooked by the chef born in the French gourmet city.

They are some of examples, although they are not on the Christmas special menu...

Cream soup of homard

Boudin noir(black sausage) with apple

Andouillette(Lyon style sausage)

Restaurant name: Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnaise

Address: 1st floor Ebiya building, 4-3-7 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.eatpia.com/lugdunum/

Japanese tea cafe(日本茶cafe) - Suruga

Japanese tea(日本茶) is one of the most popular drink in Japan. We often make it at home with a tea pot and leaf or have it through a pet bottle at office and outside. But it is not so many cafes feature Japanese tea at their shops.

The Japanese cafe Suruga is run by a Japanese green tea producer "Surugaen" in Tokyo. So they are specialists of Japanese tea. At the small cafe in Daikanyama, a popular fasion town where small boutiques stand around, some selections of Japanese tea and Japanese traditional sweets are available.

My order, a Japanese tea is served by cup with leaf dipped in hot water. A sand clock tells me how long I have to wait for the hot drink.

Of course, some pieces of sweets, rice cakes in my case, cannot be missed along with the fresh tea.

 

Cafe name: Suruga

Address: Daikanyama Plaza 2E 24-7, Sarugakucho, Shibuya, Tokyo