About food in Japan

An-mitsu (あんみつ Japanese traditional sweets)

An-mitsu(あんみつ） is a Japanese traditional sweets. It could be a kind of "parfait" in Japanese style.

Literally "an"(餡、あん） is sweet bean paste that is often seen in Japanese traditional sweets. "Mitsu"(蜜、みつ） represents sweet syrup made from sugar.
So in a bowl of "an-mitsu", the bean paste and syrup are the biggest features. But we cannot miss also "kanten"(寒天、かんてん）, Japanese agar (gelatin jelly made from a plant) for an-mitsu.

In addition to these three main ingredients in an-mitsu, other attractive filling maybe added; fruits such as a pice of orange, strawberry or cherry, cream (like one in the photo), "shiratama"(dumpling). Then the sweet bowl is "upgraded" to something with more attractive names - "fruits an-mitsu"- "fruit cream an-mitsu"  or "fruit shiratama an-mitsu" etc etc

Mihashi in Ueno is a traditional sweets house known for the an-mitsu and other traditional sweets. Eat-in and take-away for some products are available.
It is located just a stone throw from the Ueno park.
Why do not you take a break with the traditional sweets after enjoying Sakura (cherry blossom) at the famous park?

Cafe name: Mihashi
Address: 4-9-7 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Website: http://www.mihashi.co.jp

 

Mos burger - モスバーガー

Mos burger is a casual hamburger restaurant chain in Japan.

I wonder if we should call it  "fast food".  Like the global giant, McDonald's, we can find typical menu such as hamburger, fried potato there.  However speed of preparing food is not their priority. The chain is proud of making a hamburger by hand after a client orders it.

Price is not its sales point but quality and safety of ingredients are. At some units, you are able to find name and place of farmers on a black boad in front of the restaurant. These on the listed are who raise lettuce and other fresh vegetable for the Mos burger unit.

You could have to wait for your order for longer time and maybe have to pay a little bit more at Mos burger than at other firstfood restaurants. Instead you will surely get a fresh and tasty hamburger.

A three days ago, the "slow food?" restaurant chain celebrated its 37th birthday.
The first unit opened in a residential area of Tokyo in 1972 and the company added 100 units within 7 years from the first one opening.

Now there are over 1000 Mos burgur shop across Japan and 100 more in Asian countries/area such as Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong.

Its first and still the most famous product is "Mos burger"(Yen320). Meat sauce(like Bolognaise sauce) and chopped onion between a slice of tomato and hamburger are unique points.

My impression was "It is fantastic" when I had it for the first time and I was a high shcool student. I do not know how many times I ordered the product since that time...

Mos barger is also known as the first restaurant which offered "Teriyaki burger" and "rice burger". Both are now often found at other restaurants and even on shelfs at convenience shops or supermarkets in Japan.

A point to be kept in mind is another uniqueness of the chain.
It rarely opens the restaurants in a prime location, for example area around major train stations such as Shibuya, Shinjuku or Ginza. It rather exists in residential area or a place a bit far from a train station. Don't miss a sign of another "M" logo in red!

Restaurant name: Mos burger
Website: http://www.mos.co.jp

 


   

Ekiben(駅弁 station lunch box)

What is this...?
It is in the shape of the first version of "Shinkansen"(Japanese bullet train) which eneded its work on November 2008.

The answer is LUNCH BOX

The box is filled with small pieces delicacy, roast beef, conger eel, shitake mushroom, octopus, carrott, sliced egg cakes and vinegared rice beneath of these delicacy.

It is an advantage of bento(lunch box) meal that we can enjoy variety of dainty at a time little by littele. The volume would not be enough for big eaters. Instead, even a young child would eat it up.

Lunch box sold at train stations are called "ekiben(駅弁)". On Shinkansen line, we can find different ekiben at each station, which is made with local speciality of different region.
It is a good idea to try different lunch box at each destination to travel.

The shinkansen lunch box is sold at Shin-Kobe station in Hyogo prefecture, in commemoration of the first version Shinkansen "retirement".

After it is finished and is brought to your home as a souvenir of the Shinkansen journey, you can display the box like this! by turning the package into a sign board.   

Related story: bento
http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/06/bento--launched.html

Yoshoku (洋食) - Kurofune-tei(黒船亭)

The word, Yoshoku(洋食) originally means "Western-style" dishes. Traditionally we refer dishes introduced by Western countries collectively as Yoshoku.
Now "Yoshoku" is independently a group of dishes whose origins are from Western countries but have been developed in Japan after that. They are not French, Italian nor American any more, even though some of them are still similar. They are different from traditional Japanese menu but could be considered as "Japanese" from the eyes of non-Japanese people.

Kurofune-tei(黒船亭), located just a stone throw from the Ueno Park, provides typical Yoshoku dishes for decades. The speciality is "Hayashi-rice"(ハヤシライス) and the sweet stew made of demiglace sauce is served in a heated earthen pot, after it is cooked for ten days by the restaurant chef who has a half century career in Yoshoku cooking.　

Another dish recommendable is crab croquette. This one is made of real crab...

Other dises available at Kurofune-tei are omerice, beef stew, humburg steak, cabbage rolls. All are regarded as Yoshoku. 

Related story  - Omerice(オムライス)

Kurofune-tei offers a half portion size for some of their menu at a half price.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono are also on its guest book.

Restaurant name: Kurofune-tei (黒船亭)
Address: 2-13-13 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Website: http://www.kurofunetei.co.jp

Teppan-yaki (鉄板焼き) - Teppanya

Teppan-yaki(鉄板焼き) literally means "roast on a hot iron plate" and is often used as a category of Japanese menu, a group of dishes roasted on a hot plate.

Surprisingly Teppan-yaki became famous in New York for the first time then it has been back to the origin country. Normally at a teppan-yaki restaurant, fresh foods such as beef, seafoods, vegetables, are cooked on a big iron plate by chef just in front of diners' counter table, not in kitchen. The cooking is like entertainment show there. Everyone must be reveted by the chef's hands moving around quickly and food cooked on the plate. The "aroma" come from food roasted strongly hits diners' appetite. Of course the food cooked on a plate is served in a few seconds to the diners, no time-loss of cooling.

A teppan-yaki restaurant "Teppanya" is located in Kagurazaka, where still we can see some histric buildings and restaurants, Ryotei are scattered on  slop ground in very central location of Tokyo. The restaurant building is also renovated from an old house.

There you will be able to enjoy typical Teppan-yaki foods at resonable cost. Do not forget requesting setas aside "the teppan-yaki counter" upon reservation.

The teppan-yaki course maybe the easiest choice and it includes...
Sazae(snail shell)

 

The most typical and the best one is diced pieces of Japanese beef...

Okonomi-yaki (Japanese pancake)

*Related story - Okonomiyaki（お好焼き）

Restaurant name: Teppanya
Address: 3-1-4 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0825
Website: http://www.teppanya.jp

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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Okonomiyaki(お好み焼き) －Chibo(千房)

Okonomiyaki(お好み焼き) is pancake Japanese style. It is main dish or side dish of lunch or dinner rather than sweet or breakfast. The typical one includes pork or seafood, sliced cabbages and other vegetables as well as paste made of flour and water. Special sauce, mayonnaise and laver cut into pieces are on top of the cake.

It is local speciality of Osaka and Hiroshima, both major cities in West of Japan. In each city, it is arranged into its local style. In general, the Hiroshima style includes noodles in the cake. Everywhere each restaurant has its own recipe and offers different versions of Okonomiyaki, by different ingredients. The name literally means "fried as you like". Some casual Okonomiyaki restaurants provide a bowl of ordered ingredients to dinners and they are required to cook it on a hot plate by themseleves. It is another entertainment of Okonomiyaki eating. Fry and mix vegetables, pork as you like and put sauce, mayonnaise as much as you like... It is surely your original taste and must be delicious even though it looks like anything.

Chibo is an Okonomiyaki restaurant chain originated from Osaka. The unit located on the 38th floor of Ebisu Garden Place provides typical Osaka style Okonomiyaki with a scenic view of Tokyo. Today I found even Mt. Fuji over the window, while I was tasting the delicacy from West.

Restaurant name: Chibo Ebisu Garden Place
Address: 38th floor, Ebisu Garden Place Tower, 4-20-3 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Website: http://www.chibo.com

Tsukemono(漬物, Japanese pickles)

Japanese pickles is called "Tsukemono(つけもの、漬物)". In the old days, it was a way to keep vegetables available during winter, when no any other way of storage such as fridge, freezer exists.

Across Japan, various kinds of vegetables, whether it is leaf or radish, can be found as tsukemono. In many cases, they are pickled with salt, vineger or soya sauce. Some of them are considered as one of the local specialieis. Eveywhere, they are a good match with a bowl of rice as well as a cup of sake.

Kintame is a traditional tsukemono house originated from Kyoto.
We can taste the traditional specialities at the casual restaurant located in a major department store, very close to Tokyo station.

I ordered a special menu which includes seven kinds of tsukemono and other house made products. With a plenty of rice, we can try these preservative food. It is really healthy meal with variety in vegetables and low calorie.

Restaurant name: Kintame
Website: http://www.kintame.co.jp/
Location: 12th floor of Daimaru department store, Tokyo (just in front of Tokyo station)

Monaka (最中、もなか)

Monaka is a kind of Japanese traditional sweets.
Sweet beans paste(an, anko, 餡) is sandwiched by two pieces of thin crispy crust made of rice powder.

It can be seen in many places across Japan. Each traditional confectionery house produces own shape and size of monaka as a local speciality of town.
The crust is delicate as it is thin. We can imagine how hard it is to make and to keep fresh small crust in unique shape over and under beans paste. Finally it delights the eye as well as the tongue of people who encounter hold the sweets.

Today's sweets: Suzume monaka (sparrow monaka) in shape of the bird
A piece of monaka is finely wrapped as below and the sweets.

Suzume monaka is available at a traditional Japanese confectionery on the old "Tokaido" (main avenue connects East and West Japan).

Shop name: Torinoko
Address: 3-5-12 Minami-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo

Omrice オムライス

Omrice(or Omurice, omerice?) is a Japanese-English or Japanese-French word. It is "omelette with rice" then is called "omrice" in Japan.

It was invented in Japan in early days of 1900's. The traditional version is chicken rice with tomato ketchup and wrapped by thin egg crepe.
The sweet ketchup flavor well harmonizes with egg cake. This is one of my favorite menu.

Omrice is available at family restaurant chain unites, Western style restaurants rather than Japanese restaurants. Each of them makes some unique arrangemet. For example, cream, demiglace or tomato source on top of the rolls, ingredient fried with rice - seafood, mushroom etc.
Let's try different combination of Omrice tastes at different resaurants!