About food in Japan

Stuffed cabbage at Acacia, Shinjuku - Yoshiku (ロールキャベツ アカシア, 新宿 洋食)

It becomes cooler day by day in Tokyo. When chilly wind blows and it reminds us that the winter is just around the corner, we feel like having hot food more than a few weeks ago. Stuffed cabbage stew is one of such dishes.

Stuffed cabbage stew is not originally Japanese food but is from Europe. The one served at Acacia is unique and excellent homemade cooking. It is hard to identify from which country the cabbage stew is from.    

It looks very simple only cabbage and soup.

The soup is thick and a bit creamy.

The flavour is rich, although I cannot imagine how it is made.

The blended flavour from different ingredients is complex.

It is the taste that I have never had before at any other restaurants.

Inside of the roll, minched meat with spices is fully stuffed.

At a look, the dish looked simple.

At the end, we found how much the taste is complex; cabbage, meat, consome soup, spices etc.  

 
The set menu includes a rice bowl and two rolls of Stuffed cabbage stew.

 

Acacia oepned in 1963, almost a half century ago in Shinjuku. It keeps the homemade taste of stuffed cabbage until today. It is loved by people for that long time. Sometimes they makes a queue for waiting.

The restaurant's atomosphere is a good match with the food provided there. The retro-flavour interior decoration makes dinners feel romantic and nostalgia.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Restaurant name: Acacia (アカシア) Shinjuku main shop

Address: 3-22-10 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.restaurant-acacia.com

Acacia also have 3 branches including one in Germany! Both in Japan seem to be in convenient locations for travellers.

Haneda International Airport branch - on the 2nd floor Market Place, the 2nd terminal 

JR Tokyo Staion - Gransta (inside of the station ticket gate) Basement 1st floor

Munster, Germany - Japanese restaurant "Tokyo Acacia"

                              Address: Friedrich-Ebert-Platz 2-48153 Munster

 Map for the main branch location

 

 

 

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Yutori no kukan cafe share with Harumi Kurihara (栗原はるみ)

Harumi Kurihara is one of the most well-known cookery writer based in Japan. I could say she is a Japanese version "Martha Stewart", though some people might have different image for them. Otherwise she might be described as the most famouse "housewife" in Japan. She leant her cooking ways from her mother and her dishes attracted many of home party guests brought by her husband in the broadcasting industry. Cooking style and dishes she introduced are throughly "homemade" receipi but ones loved by everyone.  

In Yokohama, at a shopping complex not far from JR Yokohama station, a cafe produced by Harumi Kurihara offers dishes by her receipi.

On one weekend, I had lunch set called "Kamome lunch" (かもめランチ, named after from "seagull", the icon of Yokohama port).

How the lunch set is like is described on this blackboad.

 

I'll show the dishes with photos here...

 

 
One main dish (croquette), farmer's fresh salad, 3 small side dishes, rice and miso soup, pickles.

This is an "ideal" meal at home in Japan.

With more kinds of vegetables in different colors and in different ways of cooking,

it means a good balance in nutritional.

3 side dishes are small but never be just ordinary. Here is the world of Harumi Kurihara.

Gochiso Hiyayakko (ごちそう冷ややっこ), "delicacy cold tofu"

A piece of tofu is very typical and simple side dish.

We put soya sauce and shreded leak normally.

She made it upgraded with a little more effort for the topping!

"delicacy"(ごちそう)

sesami, diced leak, pickles, ginger, garlic and ham mixed with soya sauce and dashi soup.

Uhhnn a good idea, I could make it myselef at home.

This is the way her receip make our life better and the reason why she is so popular among Japanese ladies across generations.

Other dishes are also ones introduced on her recepi books and basically are simple but something special and look much better than typical.

 

Lunch set includes dessert (sesami pudding for today) and Japanese grilled tea (originaly brended) selected from their drink list.

Yutori no kukan (ゆとりの空間) represents "comfortable space" in Japanese. That is what Ms. Kurihara would like to offer you everyone maybe.

 

The cafe provides dinner set menu as well, which is also "an ideal healty dinner" for Japanese and some a la carte dishes. What cannot be missed after a break at the cafe is a boutique attached to the cafe. Food ingredients and table wares used at the cafe are available at the boutique. They are produced or selected by Harumi Kurihara. Let's bring some of them to your home and cook the same plate you like at the cafe.

 

Harumi Kurihara Official site: http://www.yutori.co.jp

Her receipi books are tranlated into English. Below are some examples;

 

Cafe name: yutori no kukan (ゆとりの空間)

Address: Yokohama Bay Quater 3rd floor, 1-10 Kinko-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa

 

 

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Mifune Gochiso Izakaya, Ningyocho (三船 ご馳走居酒屋 人形町)

Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997) is a legendary actor who played all (except for one) Kurosawa films. His career had continued for almost a half century from 1947 and workd for tens of films not only of Japanese but  of international, including "Seven Samurai" (1954 七人の侍) and "Rashomon" (1950 羅生門).

The Izakaya just opened this spring in Ningyocho features the theme of "Mifune". Walls in the Izakaya are decorated with the theme; movie shot photos, wooden plaques of names for which he played in films..

Unexpected find is BGM music there, Beatles!! I am not sure why but he could be a big fun of the most famous Bristish band. At least Japanese businessmen 40's to 50's, a target market of the unit must like the music reminding their youth age. 

The dishes there are casual traditional Japanese food. The concept of the Izakaya, the world of Mifune or Samurai, reflects in the food; rustic, simple but what every ones like, respect on traditions of Japan and  masculine. If you love Japanese films and Japanese food, it is the best place to experience both at the same time in Tokyo.

 

Food that we have today are....

 

Original cocktail "Shichiroji"(七郎次) named after from one of Seven Samurai.

Japanese citrus, shochu and soda.

 

5 kinds of fresh vegetable

with Japanese version "Bagna Cauda"(fish and oil mixed) sauce and Miso-mayonaise sauce.

 

Chicken meat balls in Houbayaki (朴葉焼き, grill　with miso paste on leaf of Hou)

and pork skewered (not typical Izakaya menu Yakitori, chicken skewered)

 

 
Fried chicken black pepper and sesami.

Very crispy and spicy!!

 

A big onigiri (rice ball) and tonjiru (とん汁, miso soup with pork and full of vegetable pieces)

It is a typical homey receipi.

 

 

 

 

 

The sister units also fearure Mifune world but each altered in a bit different taste. Roppongi, the first branch is upscale, one in Shinjuku for meat grilled infront of dinners and the newest one in Kanda for seafood.

Restaurant name: Gochiso Izakaya Mifune, Ningyocho (ご馳走居酒屋　三船　人形町)

Address: 1-18-2 1F Nihombashi Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.tokyo-rf.com/restaurants/m02/index.html

 

 

 

 

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Yuuyoo cafe Hokkaido organic - organic food from Hokkaido (北海道)

Hokkaido (北海道) is the northernmost region in Japan. With the huge land and rich nature, the place remind us some good quality food ingredients such as seafood (scallops, salmon...), potatos and other vegetables, daily products (butter, milk, cheese). How fantastic if we are able to enjoy these fresh food from Hokkaido, while we are in Tokyo. That is Yuuyoo cafe. In the mid of business district near Shiba-koen and Tokyo Tower, Yuuyoo cafe serves dishes made with fresh organic food from Hokkaido region.

From outside, it is almost nothing change from ordinary cafe in Tokyo. The dishes on the menu are totally unique as ones available in Tokyo. All dises (I believe) include ingredients from Hokkaido and/or speciality cooking way from the region. It is really hard to select severals from the list.

The big blackboard in the cafe may help us with selecting today's dinner. It shows Best 5 popular dishes among women or men. To know how different between ladies and gentlemen is another interesting stuff ...

Looking at the menu list, it reminds us that the north land produces not a few kinds of high quality food from vegetables to meat.

A few examples we had there...

  Agedashi Imo mochi

(Soup like one for Udon, the balls called Imo mochi are made from potato and

sticky damplings like traditional rice cake, mochi)

Taraba Crab meat cream croquette

(Taraba crab is one of well-known specialities for Hokkaido)

The croquette is the 5th popular dish among ladies.

Scallops and asparagus cooked in

"tagine"(triangle shape steam pot from North Africa, but recently quite popular in Japan) 

Both ingredients are from Hokkaido of course. The spicy black pepper is a good accent.

 

Also do not forget the drinks and desserts...

Shochu (焼酎) - milk! is used as ingredient!

though I could sense the smell or flavour from the glass.

 

Affogato - Milk soft cream (made in Hokkaido) with hot coffee.

 

That is true, after we enjoyed the dishes, we feel flying out to Hokkaido as soon as possible in order to try more food!

 

Restaurant name: Yuuyoo cafe Hokkaido organic

Address: Hanai building 1st floor, 1-2-9 Shiba-Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Website (Japanese only) : http://r.goope.jp/yuuyoo-cafe/

From Gourmet navigator: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/e374100/

 

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Tendon (天丼) - Aoi-marushin (葵丸進), Asakusa (浅草)

Asakusa (浅草) is one of major tourism spots in Tokyo for the icon temple Senso-ji (浅草寺) and Kaminari-mon (雷門). Around the temple, streets and small boutiques selling traditional stuff or sweets  are always filled with tourists whether young students or aged couples from all across Japan and the world. Surely it is one of the most popular places for tourists in Japan.

Tendon (天丼) is known as a specialty of Asakusa for people visited the old town. Tendon is abberebiation of Tenpula donburi (天ぷら　どんぶり), as the name shown it is Tempula with rice in a bowl. What kinds of ingredients served depend on the restaurants. The typical foods for tendon are prawn, fish, vegetables. Normal tendon is mix of several ingredients cooked in "tempula style".

Aoi-Marushi (葵丸進) tempula restaurant opened in 1946 just after the war in Asakusa. Now it stills exist as a 5 floor-height building of tempula restaurant. With the ample space, the casual restaurant is able to serve to any kind of diners from a tourist person to large groups including school students trips.

It offers 6 different tendon menus which can be selected by main ingredient or by volume even the smallest one for kids.

 

This is the most expensive tendon there "Tokujo (特上 the extra quality) tendon".

The tempula pieces are so big and many to be over the bowl

The tempula coating is crispy.

The sauce is a bit sweet.

Ingredients include 2 prawns, 2 pieces of fish and vegetables.

The volume is of course much enough for lunch.

It was hard to take dessert after the tendon.

 

Don't miss the specialty of Asakusa, the town with Japanese long tradition and culture is not only about Senso-ji and Kaminari-mon.

 

Restaurant name: Aoi - Marushin(葵丸進)

Website: http://www.aoi-marushin.co.jp

 

Here another well-known tempula restaurants in Asakusa. You could find a long queue in front of these restaurants during lunch time. Not to miss the specialty it is better to visit there just after its opeing time.

Sansada (三定) - just next to Kaminari-mon

http://www.tempura-sansada.co.jp/

 

Daikokuya (大黒屋) - known for the prawn(long!) tendon menu

http://www.tempura.co.jp/

 

Nakasei (中清) - upscale and more expensive one in the traditional style building

http://nakasei.biz

 

Taimeiken (たいめいけん) - Tampopo omerice (たんぽぽ オムライス)

Yoshoku (洋食) is a category of food, which is considered one from Western countries but rather ones developped into Japanese style. Omerice is one of the typical Yoshoku, as introduced previously.

Taimeiken (たいめいけん) is one of the most known restaurants for Yoshoku, attracting local people at Nihonbashi (日本橋) Tokyo, since the begining of the Yoshoku category, 1931. Just a block away from Nihonbashi subway station, Taimeiken serves on the two floors; the casual restaurant on the ground floor and the upscale one, where tabels covered by white cloth on the upper floor.

Here the speciality food is called Tampopo omerice (たんぽぽオムライス). Tampopo is a Japanese word represents dandelion flower and at the same time it is the title of a film directed by Juzo Itami (伊丹十三) in 1987. The tampopo omerice was born from an idea of the hitmaker film director and became a scene in his film. 

The serving way of Tampopo omerice is unique. Omelette is on top of chicken ketchup rice, instead of rice wrapped by egg crape in the normal style. The diners have a joy to break the egg cake and to sense the sweet butter flavor come out from the omelette. Inside of the yellow cake, it is finished at half-boild. The creamy egg makes a good combination with ketcup rice.That is the feature of Tampopo omerice.

 

Strech the egg cake and put it with rice on a spoon...    

 

Taimeiken provides also other typical Yoshoku menu such as cutlet, hayashi rice and even ramen at the casual restaurant, ground floor.

 

The film "Tampopo"(タンポポ) will be shown in Tokyo during Tokyo Food Lovers Film Festival between 6th to 12th November 2010. About Tokyo Food Lovers Film Festival, please click below link.

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/10/tokyo-food-lovers-film-festival-at-ebisu-garden-cinema.html

 

Related stories:

Yoshoku (洋食)　- Kurofune-tei(黒船亭)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/01/yoshoku---kurof.html

M & C cafe - Cafe in a book store

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/04/m-c-cafe-cafe-in-a-book-store-.html

 

Restaurant name: Taimeiken たいめいけん

Address: 1-12-10 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.taimeiken.co.jp

 

 

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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

   

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Fukumori (フクモリ) - food from Yamagata

Fukumori is a cafe restaurant located in Bakuro-cho, East part of Tokyo. The area is known for the textile industry office and storehouses where it is quiet with less people after office hour. However when we visited the unit on the weekday evening, all tables were occupied and the atmosphere was vital. The inside of the cafe cannot be imagined from the silence of outside.

What cannot be missed to mention about Fukumori is that the cafe is produced by three ryokan (Japanese traditional style accommodation) in Yamagata prefecture, North East region of Japan. It works not only as a cozy cafe for people working in the area but also as a showcase of local specialties from Yamagata. The menu list amazed us with the wide variety of fine ingredients harvested in the region; vegetables, rice, fruits, eggs, pork and beef, fish and sake... It was hard to choose which one we should try.

For example... the fast starter, above photo is tofu with "dashi"(local specialty, diced cucumber, eggplant and a few kinds of Japanese herb leaf, seasoned with soy sauce). The fresh green color stimulates our appetite even in hot summer.

Konnyaku balls(dumplings made from Japanese potato)

Cake sale (French words meaning "salty cake") baked with pieces of sausages

Steamed "Sangenton" pork with mushrooms

*Sangenton - a brand name of Pork

The sesame sauce is also tasty.

Yamagata beef tataki with Japanese mustard and wasabi

Simple but it is possible only with high quality fresh meat

 

Liquor made from the most famous specialty of Yamagata, apple

Even after those plates, there are a lot of dishes we missed. Next time surely we will have to do hard decision, because we liked all plates we ordered tonight and would like to try them again...

At the end of the unforgettable dishes, we knew where the restaurant name came from. Fuku (福) is luck and mori (盛) is heap. A heap of luck (福盛)...the name tells the truth, I believe.

Restaurant name: Fukumori (フクモリ)

Address: 1-2-10 Higashi-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website (Japanese only): http://fuku-mori.jp/

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nakata.net.cafe - where to enjoy World Cup 2010 South Africa

Hidetoshi Nakata, a former Japanese football Player, opened a unique football cafe until the end of World Cup 2010 in Harajuku. This is the third attempt for him to provide an option to enjoy world class football games at a cozy place, followed the last two World Cup in Japan-Korea (2002) and in Germany (2006), where Nakata played on the pitch.

After he ended his career as a professional football player, he traveled around the world then across Japan. He discovered a lot of fantastic food and traditional products, while he is traveling in Japan. The cafe is a place not only to enjoy football matches but also to discover "the beauty of Japan".

How nice isn't it?

If you are traveling in Tokyo during World Cup games, visit the cafe to support your favorite team and also to enjoy high quality Japanese pork, sake, eggs and other ingredients.

Restaurant name: nakata.net.cafe

Address: 1-22-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Nearest station: Harajuku

Official website: http://nakata.net/jp/cafe/

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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

 

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