About food in Japan

KOOTS GREEN TEA cafe

Can you imagine a cafe where we are able to enjoy "Japanese green tea" as we have coffee at Starbucks cafe? That is KOOTS GREEN TEA at Midtown in Roppongi. The small cafe offers various choices of Japanese tea (日本茶), hot or ice, "latte"(with milk), size "small/tall/grande"or smoothy... exactly in the same way with one we often see at coffee shops. 

Here I thought "maccha" looks like Japanese "espresso"!

The size is described as "single" or "double"...

The bitter taste of maccha is alos similar to espresso coffee...

 

Another menu, hoji-cha (Japanese grilled tea) latte

KOOTS GREEN TEA has two units in central Tokyo and provides selections of Japanese tea and light meal such as rice balls, cakes all of which are good matched with Japanese green tea.

Why do not you enjoy Japanese tea and sweets at KOOTS GREEN TEA ? as if you have a cup of coffee and a muffin at Starbucks or any other coffee shops in your country.

 

Cafe name: KOOTS GREEN TEA

Website: http://www.koots.jp

Address & Location

<Roppongi> B1 floor Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-2 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo

 

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<Azabu Juban> 2-1-3 Azabu Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo

 

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TABLE FOR TWO - Haisai Kitchen Daikanyama (はいさいキッチン 代官山)

TABLE FOR TWO is a program started in Japan and to support children in developing countries through having a meal at a developed country like Japan or US. A part of our payment for a meal, Yen 20 at restaurants accredited by the non-profit organization TABLE FOR TWO will be donated and spent to provide a school meal in Africa. The amount Yen 20 or 25 cents is almost equal to the cost for a school meal in Africa according to TABLE FOR TWO.  In other words beyond geographic location and time, a meal is shared between a person in the developed country and a child in a developing country through the action of TABLE FOR TWO. We can support children with hunger or malnutrition, while we enjoy our food. Great isn't it?

I visited Haisai Kitchen (はいさいキッチン) a restaurant participating in TABLE FOR TWO project. The restaurant is located in the mid of commercial area of Daikanyama, surrounded by the lastest fashion boutiques. "Haisai" is a greeting word in dialect of Okinawa region, meaning "hello, how are you?". Yes the restaurant's speciality is local food from Okinawa but with some of French taste, due to the chef's past professional experiences for 10 years as a French cook in Tokyo.

Okinawa is the most south region of Japan, known for the most beautiful (could be, in the world) sea and unique culture. The food in Okinawa is also different from ones in the mainland of Japan. I hope to have another chance to introduce them a bit more in my blog in future, not so far from now....

At Haisai Kitchen, I ordered plates with typical ingredients from Okinawa. 

 

Shisa salad (not Caesar salad, just in case...)

"Shisa"(シーサー), the name from a pair of "guardian lions" from Okinawa's mythology.

The plate is filled with several local ingredients from the region;

goya (ゴーヤ, bitter gourd)

Umi-budo (海ぶどう sea grapes, a kind of sea plant look like grapes)

SPAM (スパム spiced ham, American food often had in Okinawa, brought to the region by American Force based in the area)

 

Like Caesar Salad, small pieces of bread is placed on the plate.

The baguette bread is house-made and one of them is "in black" made of squid ink!

(A piece on top left side in the photo)

 

Goya champuru~ (ゴーヤチャンプル)

Mixed fried vegetable, the best known Okinawa's speciality

Again goya and SPAM plays main roles on the plate

with scramble egg and fine pieces of katsuobushi (かつお節, 鰹節, dried bonit).

 

  Don't forget trying the local strong distilled liquor, Awamori (泡盛). The restaurant provides a good list of Awamori selection of course as well as French wine.

 

Oh yes, let's share a meal at Haisai Kitchen and bring a school meal to a child in Africa!

 

 

Restaurant name: Haisai Kitchen (はいさいキッチン)

Address: 1st floor Sarugaku, 26-2 Sarugaku, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Nearest station: Daikanyama (代官山)

TABLE FOR TWO Official website : http://www.tablefor2.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fairycake Fair - British traditional style cup cake, at Gransta JR Tokyo Station

I found a cute oasis inside of busy JR Tokyo station, where every day Shinkansen and local trains run in and out a number of times and where thousands of people come by. The cafe is located on a part of commercial zone called "Gransta"  on the basement 1 (B1) floor of JR Tokyo station. 

As the name "Fairycake Fair" shown, fairycake is the cafe's speciality. Fairycake is British traditional homemade-like cup cake inherited from grandmother to mother then to daughters. The cup cakes by Fairycake Fair is produced by the sweets specialist Romi Igarashi, being added "flavour" of modern Tokyo to the traditional British cakes.

What I had here...from left,

Cup cake "Uji Maccha" (宇治抹茶 green tea from Uji, Koyoto),

Cup cake "Shio Caramel" (塩キャラメル salty caramel),

drink Kaga bocha (加賀棒茶, grilled "bar" tea from Kaga)

 

Inside of the most popular Shio Caramel cup cake

Two types of caramel cream are used.

The rich caramel cream inside of the cake and whipped soft shio caramel cream on-top of it.

 

Cakes are enough small to eat up two pieces as a tea time. So let's try more than one flavors of cutely decorated cup cakes at a time. Some other interesting cup cakes are available depending on seasons. On current season, they are, for example, "ginger lemon"  and "apple cinamon". As drink, Milk tea, the most popular drink in England, and "hot yuzu honey" (Yuzu, Japanese citrus, juice with honey), house original ginger ale are also interesting choices.

During winter holiday season from Emperor's birthday (the 23th of December) to the end of New year holidays (until the third of January or around), JR Tokyo station is more crowded than other periods for Japanese locals travelling out to their hometown or to resort destinations, skiing, hot springs.

Have a break before/after taking a train at the peaceful cute cafe inside of JR Tokyo station.

But be careful not to miss your train for the cup cakes!

 

Cafe name: Fairycake Fair

Address: B1 Gransta JR Tokyo Station, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.fairycake.jp

 

 

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Hungarian restaurant - Az Finom (アズフィノム) in Harajuku

In Tokyo, I wonder if any kind of dishes can NOT be found?

This time I tried food from Hungary, Eastern Europe. The restaurant, Az Finom is just off a major street of Harajuku, vital fasionable town. The restaurant is located on the basement floor and the inside of the restaurant is elegantly decorated with art works on the wall, wooden cup boards and white cloth on tables. It has a long counter table where guests are able to enjoy the unit as a wine bar and to try variety of wine from East Europe.

We ordered a dinner course with local specialities of Hungary and a glass of Hungarian "Tokaji" wine .

 

Maybe the best-known Hungarian dish, Gulyas Soup,

cooked with "Paprika", icon of Hungarian ingredients

That is not spicy as much as imagined from the red-chili color.

A good starter especially in Winter.

 

Fois gras with onion tarte

Don't miss it. Goose fois gras is also Hungarian speciality!

 

 

Chicken paprika with pasta

Chicken meat is soft and well matched with paprika sauce.

 

The dishes are prepared by the Hungarian chef. So they must be real Hungarian dishes, even though I have never been there. The plates used at the restaurant are noble porcelain made by Zsolnay from Hungary. The highest quality porcelain products make the restaurant more elegant and Hungarian atompsphere.

 

 

Restaurant name: Az Finom

Address: B1 Azuma building 2-19-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Website (Japanese only) : http://zsolnay.az-group.net/

 

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The keywords-of-the-year 2010 (流行語大賞 2010)

A publishing company announced 10 buzzwords as "The keywords-of-the-year 2010"(流行語大賞 2010) last week. Among these ten frequently used words in Japan for 2010, here I introduce two related to "food".

* "Taberu ra-yu" (食べるラー油, chili oil for eating)

Ra-yu(chili oil) is the one we can find at Chinese restaurants and what we put for dim-sum, the most often gyoza (餃子). Normally what we know is hot oil in orange color, simply liquid form, while "Taberu ra-yu" includes full of small pieces of both chili and garlic tips. (as you can see this photo) The oil brings yummy garlic scent that strongly stimulates our appetite!! Apart from those who hate hot and spicy food, everybody have been nocked out by the garlic scent, I guess. Put the oil on top of steamed rice or tofu, salad. If you would like to have something gorgeous, boild pork must be matched well with "Taberu ra-yu". It is rather "for eating" than "for dipping and seasoning". That is the reason of the naming "Taberu ra-yu".

A major food producer Momoya launched their first product in "Taberu ra-yu" category in mid-2009. It captured Japanese people's mind across ages and regions. Seeing the populatlity, a major spice maker, S&B foods followed its rival and introduced thier version of "Taberu ra-yu" in Spring 2010. The war of "Taberu ra-yu" started at that time. The wider people acknowledged the products the more it became wanted. For a while, as soon as bins of "Taberu ra-yu" were placed, they had been quickly run out from the shelves of supermarkets across Japan. Day by day, the phenomenon caught the attention of other food producers and food service companies of course. Now we can see differnt versions of "Taberu ra-yu" by different producers and dishes arranged with the very popular ingredient at Chinese or Japanese casual restaurants. 

Yes, surely it was so popular and is one of the keywords of the year in 2010.

Below the product by Momoya and its rival by S&B Foods.

* "Jyoshi-kai" (女子会, Girls Party)

The word is new but the concept is never new, I believe as a girl or a lady...

The food service industry newly paid more attention on exclusive gathering among girls or ladies recently. They started organizing and offering course menu or package plan targeting ladies only groups called "Joshi-kai", featuring food ingredients particularly appreciated by ladies; good for beauty or help for controling their weight, good visual presentation and tasty of course.

Ladies prefer to try different plates even by small portion for each and they must be price-sensitive... Some can be attentioned on thoese points.

Restaurants competed for Joshi-kai plan each other.  It is good for femal consumers to have more attractive choices. Such girls party or Joshi-kai may be held among femal colleagues for socializing or networking, otherwise simply among groups with same interests, among good friends, as seen in many of other parts of the world. Surely all are relaxing and fun time for ladies

Should we think about boys plan next year?... Yes, maybe.

I am looking forward to finding "the keywords-of-the-year 2011 a year ahead from now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chinese tea salon - HUA TAI TEA (華泰茶荘), Shibuya (渋谷)

HUA TAI TEA (華泰茶荘) is a boutique specialized in Chinese and Taiwanies tea as well as tea making products. The origin of the boutique is back to 1842 in Taiwan. In Tokyo, the tea house as a whole occupies four floors for tea shop, tea salon and private space. The tea salon is located on the third floor and is in cozy atomoshpere with Chinese interior decotration. It serves nice selections of Chinese tea from the tea shop, dim-sum and Chinese desserts. 

Of course, wide selections of tea (categorized such as green, white tea, flower tea, produced region, served by glass, mug or tea pot ...) are offered from the boutique and their staff are happy to answer our questions or to help with choosing what kind of tea we will have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Longing tea from China, I selected. That is from one of the most famous Chinese tea region. It is fresh green tea. A pot for boild water is set on every table. Guests are able to pour the water into their pot at preferable interval of timing. Have tea as much as you like...

Authentic dim-sum are also available there. A good choice for light volume lunch.These dishes makes the tea time more joyfull and last longers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you do not have enough extra space in stomach for dim-sum, several kinds of Chinese desserts can be an option.

 

After a half minutes from arrival, you will feel as if you were in China or Taiwan, not Shibuya (knowns as noizy nightspots and young fashion town) in Tokyo. The quiet and cozy tea salon is an oasis in Shibuya.

That is also a good idea to buy tea leaves at the boutique, if you like the tea you had at the tea salon.

 

Cafe name: HUA TAI TEA

Address: 1-18-6 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo

Website address: http://www.chinatea.co.jp

 

 

 

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