About food in Japan

Japanese or European style curry rice - Bondy (ボンディ)

It is still in rainy season in Tokyo and the summer is almost coming here. The temperature is around 30C degree everyday and it is unavoidable to get sweat outside during day. When the hot and humid summer comes with tons of sweat, we feel more times like having hot and spicy food to have more sweat ...I do not know why though. Curry rice (カレーライス) is one of the typical dishes in such a situation. 

 

Curry-rice is originally from India of course but the Japanese version is a bit different. The curry sauce in Japan is less spicy and could be sweeter than the original one. It is always served with Japanese rice. Surely it is one of the most favorite dishes among kids, young boys and gentlemen. They are likely to request the dish whether it is for lunch or dinner and never mind even if he had same menu a day before.

Curry restaurant Bondy in Jinbocho (神保町) is known as one of the best curry shops in Tokyo. The chef got the idea of his own curry recipe from French cuisine, as he called it European style carry. As ingredient, daily product, apple, onion and other vegetables, red wine, butter, pepper are included. It cooked for hours and becomes fine curry sauce, sweet but spicy. Cheese on top of rice also cannot be found at any other curry restaurant in Japan.

   

Side dish baked potato is also the unique point of Bondy.

Jimbocho is a town of second-hand book stores and is not far from Akihabara, where boys and gentlemen are walking around for shopping. It is may be natural that we are able to find curry rice restaurants more often in Jimbocho than in other towns. Among these restaurant, Bondy is one of the most popular and for which people are likely to make a queue. 

Several choices of main ingredient; beef, pork, chicken, sea food, vegetable are available at each same price. It might be a bit expensive for a plate of curry rice during lunch time. However it worth trying the carefully prepared one. The quality rarely can be found and is obviously much better than same menu at ordinary restaurants or cafeteria.

Restaurant name: Bondy

Address: 2nd floor Kanda Kosho center building, 2-3 Kanda-Jinbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website: (Japanese only): http://www.bondy.co.jp

   

大きな地図で見る

Takara no fu - 宝の麩 ("Treasure" instant soup by Fumuroya 不室屋)

Can you imagine how this small box (about 5cm square) makes you happy?

 From the shape like a "treasure box", it is called Takara no fu (宝の麩, treasure of gluten cake). The product is made by Fumuroya (不室屋), the traditional producer of "fu"(麩, small pieces of gluten cake). Yes this is something to eat at least.

Surprisingly this cube is converted to "instant soup" with boiled water. Soup stock powder, dried vegetables and gluten cake are inside of the small box.

On the official website of the fu house, we can find the story, how this product was born. More than ten years ago, the owner of Fumuroya sent his children to abroad for study. The parents worried about whether their children could have healthy and well-balanced food diet outside of Japan. The mother created the small gluten box and ingredients of soup stuffed into it. The mom-made Japanese instant soup was shipped to the children and the children sometime shared them with Japanese people living abroad. It became so popular to be made as commercial products of the house finally.

So let's see how the box transformed to a cup of instant soup. It has some variation of soup. This time it is "Kaga miso" (加賀味噌　miso from Kaga region, near Kanazawa).

First, place the square box at the bottom of bowl.

Add miso paste and pieces of seaweed (packed in the product)

and make a small hole in the center of gluten box.

Pour boiled water....

Wait a moment and you will see the gluten box is dissolved gradually and made unshaped by hot water.

Finally the square shape disappears but only a yummy Japanese soup is there.

Now ready to eat!

   

Another version of Takara no fu soup, Hitohira (a piece of flower like the shape of gluten box): flower shape gluten cake, pieces of cherry blossom flowers

 

After delighted by the magic, enjoy the hot soup by the traditional food producer as well.

Shop name: Fumuroya 不室屋

Address: 2-3-1 Owari-cho, Kanazawa city, Ishikawa, Japan

Official website: http://www.fumuroya.co.jp

The products by Fumuroya are also available at some major department stores in Tokyo and Osaka.

For example...

Tokyo - Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Ikebukuro Seibu

Osaka - Osaka Takashimaya, Umeda Daimaru

Related story: Museum cafe (this is about the cafe in Tokyo, operated by Fumuroya)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/08/museum-caf---su.html

［加賀麩不室屋］おもてなし(754846/286)

Kimukatsu キムカツ - tonkatsu (とんかつ, deep-fried pork)

Tonkatsu (とんかつ), deep-fried pork cutlet, is a popular main dish in Japan. Something similar can be found in other parts of the world and the Japanese version can be liked by non-Japanese people as well.

Kimukatsu (キムカツ) is one of the best restaurants for tonkatsu in Tokyo. The way of cooking tonkatsu by Kimukatsu is known as "millefeuille" of meat. Like the French pastry pie cake "millefeuille", 25 pieces of pork thinned are piled up and become a piece of tonkatsu pork, while it is just a piece of pork meat at ordinary tonkatsu restaurants. After it is cooked in oil at Kimukatsu restaurant, the piece of tonkatsu is still soft and the juice of pork meat is kept in between the each slice of pork. That is the biggest difference of tonkatsu by Kimukatsu from any others.

   

Yes the restaurant knows how to make the best tonkatsu even with the fact that they need to take great amount of time and care to prepare the menu. For food lovers, it worth taking time to go to a unit of Kimukatsu restaurant and to try the tonkatsu!

In addition to normal tonkatsu menu, it offers several ingredient can be found inside of tonkatsu; such as cheese, garlic, black pepper, sour plum and Japanese herb shiso etc. 

Shredded cabbage is the most typical side dish for tonkatsu.

It is known that vitamin in cabbage works well against deep-fried oily food in your stomach, after you have both. That is why the restaurant serves a bowl of cabbage first.

 

Tonkatsu with a piece of fried shrimp.

Jucie pork "millefeuille" inside of crispy pan-fry coating.

 

 

It also offers lunch box with tonkatsu. That is an option when many people are making a queue and waiting for the best tonkatsu there.

 

Restaurant name: Kimukatsu Ebisu (main unit)

Address: 4-9-5 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Map

 

大きな地図で見る

En (えん) Japanese Natural Store - food select shop in Marunouchi Tokyo

How it is nice if you are able to get delicacies (ごちそう, ご馳走, gochiso in Japanese) across Japan while you are staying in Tokyo Here at En Japanese Natural Store (えん 日本のご馳走) in very central Tokyo (just in front of JR Tokyo station), wide selections of local specialties, delicacies of Japan are available.

Please do not miss a chance to discover fine delicacies of Japan, which are rarely found at other places in Tokyo. 

Time by time, season by season, their products in the store may be different. But surely the selection will make you delighted every time and  you will never leave the store with empty-hand.

They are what I bought today...

• Mametabi (まめたび) and seasonal product Haru-Fuji (春富士, Mt. Fuji in Spring)

    

by Sen-ya (煎屋) - hand-made traditional senbei producer in Saitama prefecture

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.sen-ya.co.jp/

• Black pepper beans

 

by Hanayakko (花奴) in Tachikawa-city, Tokyo

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.8785.co.jp

• Okaki (おかき= senbei) new taste "onion-garlic"

by Ryogoku Azuma Arare Hompo　(両国　東あられ本舗)

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.azuma-arare.co.jp/

• Shiso chirimen (mixed dried whitebait fish, seaweed, Japanese basil and sesame, excellent topping for rice)

 

Shop name: En Japanese Natural Store (えん　日本の御馳走)

Address: B1 floor Shin-Marunouchi Building, 1-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.gochiso-en.com/

まめたび煎餅☆15枚セット

SAKURA (さくら) from STARBUCKS COFFEE

In Tokyo, for last several days, we felt Spring just around the corner.

It becomes warmer day by day, little by little... Cherry blossom (さくら, sakura) season is still a month away but at Starbucks coffee shops in Japan, we can feel SAKURA already.

 SAKURA steamer is steamed hot milk with "SAKURA" flavour. It is a pitty that we cannot see milk in subtle pink color in the cup though...

The scent of sakura surely comes from the pink powder on the top.

Other seasonal products, SAKURA cream flappuccino, cakes and special design tumblers are also available at STARBUCKS COFFEE in Japan until mid-March 2010.

Official site: http://www.starbucks.co.jp/sakura/index.html

Kaiten sushi (回転ずし, sushi-go-round - Itamae Sushi 板前寿司 Hong Kong 香港)

Where is the popular restaurant by "Sushi King" located?

The answer is ... Hong Kong, not anywhere in Japan, to be surprising.

The restaurant owner Ricky Cheng, born in China and has working in restaurant business for years in Hong Kong, is known even in Japan as a person who has made the top bid for the highest quality Maguro (ton) at Tsukiji fish market several times. His company runs 15 sushi restaurants in Hong Kong, 1 in Macau and now 2 in Tokyo. This time I had a chance to visit one of them in Causeway bay, Hong Kong. A night during weekend, people had been waiting for their turn in front of the restaurant. After waiting for 15 minutes, we got our seats at the counter. 

To be very honest, this is the FIRST time for me to have sushi at "sushi-go-round"(回転ずし) restaurant... 

***Normally in Japan I only have sushi as dinner at upscale restaurants or order for home-delivery service. Personally for me, sushi is not an option for quick lunch or inexpensive experience. Just because of that, I have NEVER tried sushi-go-round in Japan. ***

What a existing experience to see sushi plates going round in front of me. I felt as if I were in Japan while looking at the plates, chef, tea cups. Ton, salmon, other fresh fish... typical menu do not look different from what we have in Japan. Taste as well. I found and liked some arranged version sushi with cheese, mayonnaise.

 

 

 

What I liked the most in the menu I had was actually very unique one that can never be found in Japan.

It is "smoked duck"!! and "raw pork ham" sushi.

Aren't they sushi? ...uh be relaxed and flexible!!

As for the price, it is less expensive than same quality sushi in Japan.

Next time I am sure that I try Itamae Sushi in Tokyo.

Restaurant name: Itamae Sushi 板前寿司 in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Website: http://itamae.com.hk

Ochazuke (お茶漬け) - En (えん)

Ochazuke (お茶漬け) is very casual meal or snack traditionally prepared in Japanese home.

Typical recipe is a bowl of rice with some topping such as a few pieces of salmon, pickles, sour plum or seaweed and added tea as soup. It is often served as light and last food after a long lasting day.

The stereo-type of Ochazuke scene is one for a dad who has been back to home after a tiring big party with lots of alcohol drinks. He finishes his long day with the homey cozy food. The cooked rice does not have to be warm, as hot tea makes it warm in the bowl. His wife only needs to add ingredients as well as boiled water or tea to a rice bowl. That is an instant light meal. Instead it had been rare that we have Ochazuke out of home until we see this casual, "fast food" restaurant.

Dashi-chazuke "En" (だし茶漬け　えん) is specialized Ochazuke menu but provides several selections of seasonal fresh ingredients to  be added to your Ochazuke bowl. Whether it is seafood, vegetables or others, they are fresh and high quality ones. Another point making thier Ochazuke different from what we have at home is "だし"(dashi, Japanese traditional soup stock) prepared professionally by the master chef and poured into the bowl. Here Ochazuke is upgraded from homely light meal to something more than fast food. It is a healthy and right choice for lunch or breakfast maybe.

"En" runs its unit at Narita International Airport. Here I had special Ochazuke exclusively available at this Airport branch - Ochazuke with Eel ...the fish is normally available at upscale restaurant.

 

Let's try a bowl just before leaving from Japan.

Restaurant name: Dashi-Chazuke En (だし茶漬け　えん)

Location: Terminal 1 Central Building 4th floor, Narita International Airport (close to Departure area)

Website: http://www.dashichazuke-en.com/

 

 

Macrobi cafe

Japanese have great parties with tons of traditional food plates, box during new year holiday. Days after the joyful moment, ladies start thinking a change and loosing their weight as soon as possible...

Macrobiotic cafe might be a choice to help such ladies being back to a good shape.

"Macrobi cafe" in Shinjuku offers small portions of food, called "Suhi cake", made by genmai (brown rice 玄米) but look like a piece of cake. Plenty of choices such as mix of vegetables, pork cutlet, traditional Japanese ingredients are given for topping on genmai cake. Wether it is lunch time or tea time, the small piece in colors with sweet taste will give you delight of eating and of filling stomach. 

Restaurant name: Macrobi cafe

Address: 3rd floor In the Room Shinjuku, 3-1-26 Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku, Tokyo

*It is announced that the interior shopping complex "In the Room"(the cafe location) will be close at the end of February 2010. I am not sure how the cafe will go or not. At least I am sure that similar type of cafe will appear in somewhere Tokyo again soon.

 

焼鳥 (yakitori, chicken sate) - 鶏繁 (Torishige)

Only a month from my last visit of another yakitori restaurant, AKira, I had a chance to enjoy yakitori at a typical restaurant specialized in the menu. 鶏繁 Torishige is located in Shimbashi, the town known for "holy land" of サラリーマン (salarymen, Japanese businessmen). Yes, Yakitori restaurant is one of the most favorite dining experience for that sort of people. After a full day of hard working, they gather, have grilled chicken with beer and chat with their colleagues or friends for stress release. The price is modest so they can often have the opportunities.

Torishige is one of well-known restaurants in the area. We knocked the door of the restaurant just around its opening time 17:00. We know otherwise we could not get a table. It was Friday evening on December, party season. Around 19:00, all seats were occupied and these seats did not become empty until late 21:00 or later. The interior, seating style are very typical Izakaya restaurants.

Here we can try different parts of chicken. The yakitori chicken are made char-grilled by master chef. They have to be eaten as soon as arrived on the table. The best way to enjoy fresh and hot skewers there.

 

 

What we cannot miss here is a bowl at the end of the dinner.

Minced chicken seasoned with soy sauce filled a bowl on top of rice.

We can have same menu at mum's home or at some restaurant. But here the taste is unforgettably great!!

 

Restaurant name: Torishige Sohonten (flagship)

Address: 2-9-17 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.torishige.com

Related story -鶏（とり、chicken) - 焼鶏　あきら　(grilled chicken Akira)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/11/%E9%B6%8F%E3%81%A8%E3%82%8Achicken-%E7%84%BC%E9%B6%8F-%E3%81%82%E3%81%8D%E3%82%89-grilled-chicken-akira.html

鶏（とり、chicken) - 焼鶏 あきら (grilled chicken Akira)

Not only beef and raw fish, chicken also has been often used in Japanese cooking for long years. We cook chicken in many ways, from raw as sashimi (!! very rare case) to fry, grill or minched dumpling. Yakitori (spitted chicken) is one of the most popular menu at cheap Izakaya restaurants, and the dish well matchs with a glass of beer.

Akira is also called Yakitori restaurant but their Yakitori is not like what we see at other restaurants. The casual restaurant in Marunouchi Brick Square (the newest commercial complex in the business ditrict) is specialized in traditional chicken dishes. Here we can find wide selections of chicken plates and different regions of chicken from legs, wings, skin, bone to heart! every parts we can eat... and they know the best way to enjoy the food.

Its main attraction is "grill yourself" style food. Fresh chicken meat, minched chiken dumpling (tsukune), vegetables are full on plates and all were grilled and eaten up by us! 

Several bottles of seasoning are set on the table; salt, two types of soya source (sweet or dry), local pepper paste etc. We can select one depending on food and our favor. For grilled chicken, maybe salt is the best to taste the fresh, fine quality meat.

At the end of the nice dinner, we cannot miss a kind of traditional chicken food in Japan.

"Raw egg with rice" (卵かけご飯) 

In Japan, we often have raw egg with rice. But at this restaurant, of course the home-like food is also someting special. The egg provided is "Versaille" brand from Kyushu region. (rarely available and must be expensive) It is very fresh and high quality one.

Put a few drops of soya sauce into the egg bowl, broke and mix it well. Then put the egg sauce on a bowl of rice. It could look like cheese risotto.

Anyway I recommend trying this in Japan, if you have never had raw egg

Restaurant name: AKira Marunouchi

Address: Marunouchi Brick Square B1 floor, Park Building, 2-6-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo