About food in Japan

High cost performance Sushi restaurant - Manten Sushi (まんてん鮨)

We really wonder whether this post should be for "casual Japanese restaurant" or "luxury" one. Finally it is categorized for both, as this information must be worthwhile for those

who looks for casual Japanese dining

as well as 

who seeks for upscale dining.

 

Manten Sushi (まんてん鮨) provides sushi menu made with fresh high quality seafood sent from Tsukiji fish market, as Sushi Ten (すし天) the luxury Sushi restaurant under the same operator does. High quality sushi does never mean that they are just pieces of raw seafood on top of rice. Each piece of sushi and side dishes are well and carefully prepared in each different way by professional chef who knows the best way to enjoy each of those seafood. The Sushi course by Manten Sushi must be enough high standard to satisfy those who expect the best sushi dishes in Tokyo, while the price Yen 5250 for chef's recommendation dinner course is nothing more than ones for casual sushi dining.The cost performance level is amazing even for us, Tokyo residents... 

The high-cost-performance sushi restaurant is situated on the underground floor of Marunouchi Brick Square that is 5-minute walk from JR Tokyo station. Like other typical sushi restaurants, seats of Manten Sushi are placed around the wooden counter behind which sushi cooks are working for your fantastic dishes. The space is not so big and never be spacious but is comfortable because of attentive staff, lively atomosphere and wooden interior decoration.

 

 

 For dinner and lunch, the restaurant provides "chef's recommendation course" only, which consists of some side dishes and sushi plates with carefully selected seasonal ingredients. As long you secure seat at the small capacity restaurant, you do not have to hover around sushi ingredient list. Trust the chef's choice and enjoy the great sushi menu    

 

 

Restaurant name: Manten Sushi (まんてん鮨)

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

Website: http://www.manten-sushi.com

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Would you like to make a booking for Manten Sushi?

Dining Experience Planner service helps you with making advance reservation for restaurants in Japan. For more information, please visit the site:

http://www.food-tourism-japan.com/dining-experience-planner---restaurant-proposal-service.html

 

 

Hidden luxury oasis in Roppongi - The Ritz-Carlton Cafe & Deli

Anyone believes that it is very expensive to have even a cup of coffee at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. The cafe would break such preconceptions.

The Ritz-Carlton Cafe & Deli is accommodated in luxury shopping complex "Tokyo Midtown" in central Roppongi. Of course it is a part of the sophisticated upscale hotel. While most of the hotel's facilities are on the 45th or upper floors of the building, Cafe & Deli is situated on the ground (1st) floor. It is easily accessible from exterior of the building or other parts of Tokyo Midtown. No psychological barrier can be felt to visit one of the most luxury accommodation in Tokyo, as long as you are appropriately dressing for it.

The price of coffee is nothing change from ones at Starbucks and other coffee shops. For its lunch set, the price starts from Yen 1000 for sandwich and coffee. Considering the quality and service level provided there, as you can imagine, it is really value for money choice.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy a graceful moment with high quality light meal or sweets at the Ritz-Carlton but only with small amount of investment!

Some food and drinks are also available for take-away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cafe name: The Ritz-Carlton Cafe & Deli

Addess: Tokyo Midtown 9-7-1, Akasaka, Tokyo

Website: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Tokyo/Dining/Cafe_Deli/Default.htm

Michelin Guide Tokyo 2012 published

On the 2nd December, Michelin guide Tokyo Yokohama Kamakura Shonan 2012  was published in Japanese and English. In the 5th year version guide, it includes total 292 restaurants, all with at least one-star *, situated in Tokyo and surrounding area.

Other facts about the guide's selection are:

Research area has been expanded in Kanagawa-prefecture to Shonan Pacific coast side cities, in addition to Yokohama and Kamakura.

Among the 292 Michelin star restaurants, 17 are for 3-star *** and 56 for 2-star**.

Over 40% of restaurants offer meal at budget less than Yen 5000.

Almost 70% of restaurants are for Japanese cuisine in various cateogries from Kaiseki, sushi, sukiyaki (beef hot pot), tenpura, yakitori, soba noodle etc.

54 of 1-star restaurants are "new face".   

 

Along with Michelin Kyoto Osaka Kobe Nara 2012 , in Japan total 32 restaurants are awarded as 3-star. The number of 3-star restaurants in Japan exceeds the ones (25) in France, the origin of the restaurant & hotel guide.

Again it is proved that Japan is one of the best gourmet country in the world

 

   

Facebook page About food in Japan launched!

Following our Twitter account @aboutfoodjapan, it is a great pleasure to announce About food in Japan Facebook page opened. 

In addition to acknowledge this blog update, more news, tips about food and other things in Japan will be posted more frequently. 

Of course your page subscription is much appreciated and feel free to share how you feel about them.

Let's keep in touch!!

About food in Japan Facebook page: 

http://www.facebook.com/aboutfoodinjapan

About food in Japan on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/aboutfoodjapan

Gohan (ご飯) - Torafuku (寅福), Omotesando (表参道)

Gohan (ご飯) represents "cooked rice" or "meal" in Japanese. As you may know gohan (cooked rice) has been principale food for long time in Japan, although in modern days, when we have a plenty of choices in food from first food, Italian to upscale Frenche course, we have less chances to have rice in our daily meal. Many Japanese have a rice cooker in their home but a rice cooker might not be the best way to prepare cooked rice.

A restaurant, Torafuku (寅福), offers the best "gohan" as the result of their every effort from selecting high quality rice, using large iron cooker and choosing the best way of preparation(duration of each cooking process, level of heating). Gohan is the simplest dish at a restaurant but the difference in quality could occure depending on how much a restaurant pays attention on it, from ingredient rice and water to how to cook.

Not only gohan, Torafuku carefully considers garnish, main and side dishes that are the best match with thier speciality, "gohan"; sashimi, pork ginger, fried chicken etc. As for rice, it offers 3 chocices from white rice, brown rice and seasonal cooked rice (for example, with mushroom). You can order another bowl of rice at free.

 

For lunch time, Torafuku also provides three kinds of complimentary side dishes which diners are able to take as much as they want. They are mainly Japanese traditional home-made recepi of cooked vegetable. Along with gohan, enjoy the Japanese meal as much as you want.

 The mum's plates atrracts single cosmopolitans in Omotesando (表参道), one of the most fasionable town in Japan. 

 

One small surprise has been in the rice bowl.

It is what you will find when you finish your bowl of gohan.

    
 

 

For dinner, not only rice and dishes, it offer wide selection of sake!

 

Restaurant name: Torafuku 

Address: 3-12-9 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Website: 

http://www.four-seeds.co.jp/torafuku/

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g150119/lang/en/

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Cup Noodle rice

Many of you maybe know "CUP NOODLE", the first product of instant noodle in cup. In 2011, year of the  40th anniversary of the most known noodle in the world, Nisshin launched its offspring 

 

CUP NOODLE GOHAN (RICE)

It is not noodle but rice in "cup noodle" flavour.

 

Let's open the box.

There are 3 packet.

From the bigger one, dried rice, dried ingredients and seasoning.

Let's cook CUP NOODLE GOHAN, following the instruction.

 

1. Pour glass of water (160ml) to the lined level into the box.

Then add ingredients.

Surely it looks like "CUP NOODLE" soup.

2. Then add rice too.

It's dried and looks more like rice cracker.

3. Mix them well.

Looking forward to make it done...

 

4. Close the top cover and bring it to your micowave.

(Yes, Cup noodle rice requires a microwave but not hot water.)

Heat it for about 5 minutes. (500-600W)

Stay there!

 

5. After it have been heated, WAIT for 1-2 more minutes,

while keeping the cover closed to steam it well.

 

6. Finally remove the cover , add seasoning and mix it well.

Now it is READY CUP NOODLE RICE.

 

 Uh~, the taste is surely similar to the original cup noodle. Or it is like a kind of "pilaf" cooked rice in other country. 

To be honest, if I have a choice, I would rather take original cup noodle than the rice version. That is my comment finally. 

Another news is Nisshin is going to launch the second product of CUP NOODLE GOHAN soon. It is ""seafood" noodle flavour version in 10days. I am sure it becomes better version than the first attempt. I am looking forward to try it.

 

Another progress of the first instant noodle(rice) is its container.

It is made with paper not plastic. By unfolding into flat, the waste volume is minimized.

That is a food product of new generation in that point...

 

CUP NOODLE GOHAN  http://www.cupnoodle.jp/gohan/

CUP NOODLE http://www.cupnoodle.jp

 

Arossa, New Zealand cuisine, Ginza

Some of them have fresh impression for the country from the Rugby World Cup 2011 . How about cooking and food? I could not imagine what "New Zealand cuisine" is like, apart from lamb meat and kiwi fruit. Many other people do as well maybe. 

One day, a friend from New Zealand invited us to the restaurant called "Arossa" which is specialized in New Zealand cuisine. The restaurant is on the 8th floor of Ginza Velvia building behind Printemps department. The sic and modern space was far from our image of the southern country "sheeps on farm". Maybe it was too stereotyped, like Japan and samurai or kimono.

There, we discovered that New Zealand has not only lamb and kiwi but also other nice food ingredients and interesting way of cooking.

Here I can show you what we had, as the examples... 

 

Arossa recipe Salad -  eggs, bacon, walnuts etc, as starter

 

pasta with "scampi from NZ"

No doubt it has fresh seafood from the sea around the islands.

Oyster is also its specialty, though we did not try it.

 

 

Pork sparerib caramelized by "Manuka" honey

Honey is also one of the most known product of New Zealand.

"Manuka" honey is the one taken from a specific species of tree, "tea-tree". 

 

 

"Hangi"!! is traditional cusine of Maori tribe.

On their original version, meat, seafood and vegetables are put in a hole made on the ground to cook. The hole is to be covered by wet cloth and leaves for steaming.

After leaving it for several hours, it is ready to eat. 

At the restaurant Arossa, which is located in the center of luxury shopping district Ginza, Tokyo, French traditional pot "Le Creuset" is used, instead of a hole on the ground. 

Lamb meat, mussels, potato and vegetables are in the pot.

The meal is associated, for us, with the traditional dish of French Alsace region, "Baeckoff".

It is quite interesting to find similar types of local food but originated in different places that are far from each other 

 

We cannot miss the dessert plates that are also New Zealand's specialty. 

Pavlova - merengue cake made from egg white, with berry sauce and ice cream

 

  
Other dessert in NZ style

"Hokey Pokey" ice cream and Pannacotta with NZ honey sauce

Its specialty honey is, as we can imagine, the best for sweets ingredients. 

 

The restaurant proudly offers the wide selections of New Zealand wine.

Probably it is the best NZ wine collection in Japan. 

We tasted some nice white wine with the help of local's knowledge. 

 

Many plates we enjoyed at the dinner 

 

Restaurant name: Arossa 

Address: Ginza Velvia building 8F, 2-4-6, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.pjgroup.jp/arossa/index.html

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"Japanese Ice" OUCA, Ebisu (恵比寿)

It's getting cooler day by day in Tokyo though.

 Why not taste Japanese autumn flavor in fresh hand-made ice cream at a small cafe in warm atomosphere in Ebisu (恵比寿).

Japanese Ice cafe OUCA offers several flavors of hand-made ice cream with carefully selected ingredients across Japan. The flavors are changed by season and the cafe gives you a chance to choose 3 to 5 flavos in a cup.

 

Flavor in photo:

seasonal fruits Kaki (柿, persimmon),

Matcha green tea and

Kinako (soy beans powder) & Kuromitsu (Brown suger syrop) 

 

Enjoy home-made Japanese seasonal harvests at the small cozy cafe with interior inspired by Japanese traditional motifs. 

   

Cafe name: Japanese Ice OUCA

Address: 1-6-6 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.ice-ouca.com

大きな地図で見る

Fresh seafood directly from fishermen - Yonpachi Gyojo (四十八漁場)

An American science magazine reported in 2006 that "natural" fish and shellfish are anticipated to disappear from the world by 2048 as per careful research for 4 years by marine biology specialists. The report warns also that fishery resource is decreasing day by day.

Concerning the situation, a Japanese restaurant operator, AP Company, aims to concerve natural fishery resources with their own effort by sourcing seafood directly from fishermen who conduct "sustainable fishing". The restaurant's name, Yonpachi Gyojo (48th fishery), is made after the year 2048 on the science report. The AP company's attempt is also unique from the point that the restaurant chain purchases seafood directly from fishermen without intermediator or wholesaller. 

What does that mean for us, diners? Guess it's a good news. Seafood served at the restaurant must be more fresh and more reasonable cost by cuting down margin through intermediator's distribution. Sounds nice?

On eveing of a weekday when we visited, the restaurant had been in vital atmosphere with local business people mainly. We were welcomed by cute ladies in Kimono.

Here is some of what we had there.

Fresh fresh fresh!!!

 

We can also enjoy roasting fish by ourselves on a table.

 

At the same time,

don't miss a chance to sip one or more kind of Sake from its wide selections.

At the end of nice seafood meal, ice cream in sake flavor.

 

As mentioned, because of the shorter distribution route, fresh seafood plates are provided at reasonable price. Then total check as well, roughly around Yen 4000 per person we paid.

 

Restaurant name: Yonpachi Gyojo (四十八漁場)

Company website (Japanese only): http://www.apcompany.jp/

So far Yonpachi Gyojo are located in three central Tokyo locations as below.

Gotanda (五反田)

Address: Atrevie 3rd floor, 1-26-41 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo

It is just above JR Gotanda station.

Website in English (Gourmet Navigator) http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g753350/lang/en/

大きな地図で見る

 

Ebisu (恵比寿)

Address: 2nd floor Daini Tomoe Build. 1-9-1 Ebisu Nishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Website in English (Gourmet Navigator) http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g753351/lang/en/

大きな地図で見る

 

Ikebukuro (池袋)

Address: 1st floor, Fujikyu East Build NO.3,  2-16-8, Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Website in English (Gourmet Navigator) http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g753358/lang/en/

 

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Michelin Guide Hokkaido will be issued in Spring 2012!

Celebrating the 5th year of Michelin Restaurant Guide in Japan, the established restaurant guide announced that Michelin Guide Hokkaido special edition will be issued on April 2012. With the land of 1160,00 hectar width, in rich nature and surrounded by ocean, Hokkaido has been recognized by Michelin Guide as "treasury" of food ingredients, including fresh and high quality meat as well as seafood, dairy products and vegetables.  

Announcement on the official site (in Japanese): 

 http://www.michelin.co.jp/Home/News-Promotions/News/20110930

 

The capital of Hokkaido, Sapporo was recently lanked on the 5th position for Best Food & Wine destination in Asia by Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice. The lank is the heighest among Japanese cities including Tokyo.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Food-cTop10-g2

 

Because of the plenty of choices in food, rich nature, ski resorts and different climate from Japan mainland, Hokkaido is one of the most popular destination among Japanese local as well.

 

Blog post about Hokkaido in the past:

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/10/yuuyoo-cafe-hokkaido-organic-organic-food-from-hokkaido-北海道.html

Although the featured restaurant had been close and is moved to a residential area of Tokyo, introduction about food from Hokkaido remains useful information, we believe.

 

<Our recommendation of hotels in Hokkaido>

ザ・ウィンザーホテル洞爺　リゾート＆スパ

 

登別温泉　登別万世閣

ＫＩＴＡ　ＨＯＴＥＬ（キタホテル）

札幌パークホテル