About food in Japan

Shanghai Asaichi (上海朝市) - Chinese

Shanghai Asaichi (Shanghai Morning market in Japanese) is a Chinese restaurant located in Jimbocho (神保町). It is named from the restaurant's atmosphere which is vital and casual like morning markets in Asia. Additionally, the restaurant is known to be by same operator with other two luxury Chinese restaurants in the area. The fact implies for us that food quality of Shanghai Asaichi must be good as a casual Chinese restaurant.

That is why I chose it for quick inexpensive meal one day. On the ground floor, dinners can see a part of its kitchen through a large glass wall where a chef could prepare noodles or dim-sum. The scenes is as if we were in Shanghai, not Tokyo.

My plate, fried noodle Shanghai style is quite simple but the taste, flavor of the sauce is still impressive for me. In Tokyo, there are a lot of Chinese restaurants, but I cannot find so often such a good and something maybe close to ones provided in China.

I would like to come back here to have more plates of real Chinese food with more friends.

Otherwise I would try its lunch buffet to try its different specialties at a tiny cost.

Restaurant name: Shanghai Asaichi (上海朝市)

Address: 2-3-10 Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.asa-ichi.com/

     

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FIAT cafe - Italian cafe in Aoyama, Tokyo

The Italian automobile maker offers a cozy cafe in the central Tokyo,

Aoyama known as a stylish town.

Mid-August weekend, in the central Tokyo business districts it is calm and has few people. I like to stay in Tokyo during such time, as the cosmopolitan city becomes more relaxed and less crowded.

The upper floor of FIAT show room, FIAT cafe provides not only fine Italian cafe menu but also cozy sofas by top funiture designers.

Especially its lunch sets are reasonable, for example, with a pasta plate, salad buffet and a cup of cofee + dessert. Each of lunch set has named from FIAT cars such as Fiat 500, Fiat Grand Punto...

Even for those who are not interested in automobile, it is an oasis in central Tokyo to take a rest or to have reading with nice espresso. 

Cafe name: FIAT cafe

Address: 1-4-5 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Nearest subway station: Aoyama 1chome, Gaien-mae

Website: http://fiatcaffe.jp

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ISSUI - Sweets in bowl

It is extremely hot in Japan and the temperature exceeds 30C degree every day in Tokyo and other major cities. We need every ways to make cool ourselves like this sweets.

Sweets in bowl (Kashiwan 菓子椀) is not common in modern Japan but it was a way of welcoming guests in Muromachi-era, hundreds years ago. A major traditional sweets producer Nakamuraya (中村屋) newly developed a series packs for sweets bowls and the series are sold as the brand "ISSUI" at Isetan department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

The packages are unique already.  3 packs in all different colors, such as anko (sweet beans paste), fruits sauce, syrup, jelly, kinako (soy beans powder), are in a rectangle clear box as ingredients for a bowl of sweets. Nakamuraya, known for Yokan (traditional sweet beans cake), proudly uses high quality beans and sugar for ISSUI series. 

For example, what I got are...

It does not provide how to make it manual in details but anyway let's put and mix them in a bowl...

Mizu Yokan (みずようかん) with berry sauce and anko(sweets beans paste)

 

Warabi mochi (わらび餅, sticky cake made from plants) with soy beans powder and black syrup

An-mitsu (あんみつ), Kanten jelly (made from seaweed) with sweets beans paste and citrus sauce

 

In very hot summer, the cold jelly soup like sweets surely ease heated air and body.

Personally I felt that the amount of some sauce or syrup is too much for a good balance in a bowl with other two. In that case, it can be put in another bowl of ice cream or yogurt as you like!

The package can be stored at normal temperature for a few weeks depending on the pack.

This must be a good souvenir gift from Tokyo with a small surprise and joy to make the sweet by own.

Shop name: ISSUI

Address: B1 floor, Isetan department store, 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Website address (Japanese only): http://www.nakamuraya.co.jp/products/issui.html

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Delicatessen (デリカテッセン) - Gourmet cafe and grocery shop

Delicatessen is a part of a luxury hotel, Park Hyatt Tokyo known for scenes in the American film "Lost in translation." Some people might hesitate to step into one of the best hotels in Tokyo. The hotel main part is on the 39th or above floors, while Delicatessen is situated far low on the ground floor. It is easily accessible from public space of the building even without going through the hotel's main entrance. The cafe is not a place where we have to mind casual appearance so much. We are rather able to visit it more freely as ordinary casual cafes in town.

At Delicatessen, fine international deli food are available with high quality beverage menu. Not only pasta, pate, sandwiches, salad, Japanese sushi rolls also can be found.  (Photo: Sushi roll with cucumber and fish eggs) Peaceful time will be guaranteed for a break or lunch in the middle of Shinjuku, at the foot of skyscrapers.

Selected grocery foods from the world fill all dimensions walls of Delicatessen. After taking a rest with a cup of fresh aroma cappuccino, let's shop around the space!

Cafe name: Delicatessen

Address: 1st floor Park Hyatt Tokyo, 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo

Boutique's direct link : http://tokyo.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/services/shops/index.jsp

   

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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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French - Quand l'appetit va tout va

  The French restaurant "Quand l'appetit va tout va" is one of those restaurants for which we are not able to book seats so easily in Tokyo at this moment. And we are not able to remember the full name, even though I spoke French language a little The restaurant name or the sentence can be translated to English "When appetite goes all go"(When you have an appetite, everything is OK.) By knowing the meaning, we become more comfortable and ready to enjoy the meal....

It is located along a street in Azabu Juban (麻布十番), a　residential area in central. The majority of seats are along a plain wood long counter. It can be used as a dining bar on late evening with nice selection of glass + bottle wines.

The menu list in Japanese and French are well-thought and very attractive by the chef experienced at some top French restaurants in Japan and in France. It is hard to choose, even though only up to 6-7 dishes for each section; starter, fish, meat and dessert. The restaurant staff are happy to make a plate share between two accompanied guests. Then it will give us a chance to take one to two more plates...

Here is finally what we had,

Starter

Gazpacho fresh orange and tomato

(with cucumber jelly)

Croquette pork toes with salad

*creamy pork toes (pied de porc) stew inside of the crispy pan-fried coating

 

Kinmedai(金目鯛 alfonsino) in cabbage soup

Melting chocolate with pistachio sherbet

 

Cherry and cream cheese tarte

Every plates were unforgettable. We surely would like to come back in next season autumn for finding different fantastic dishes. Our appetite never go away here.

Restaurant name: Quand l'appetit va tout va

Address: 2nd floor Visco Building, 2-3-12 Azabu-Juban Minato-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~quand/

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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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Dairy products from Hokkaido - Machimura Farm (町村農場) at Marunouchi

Hokkaido region is known for high quality dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt etc). Machimura Farm (町村農場, Machimura Nojo), which was founded in Hokkaido in 1917, provides its original dairy products at Marunouchi, business district in very heart of Tokyo. So we are able to enjoy fresh high quality ice cream, cheese cake, milk yogurt etc from Hokkaido, while we stay in Tokyo

The boutique by Machimura Farm is located on the basement floor (B1) of Shin-Marunouchi Building, just in front of Tokyo station. Its first boutique outside of Hokkaido offers chances to taste its fresh products with 12 seats there. Have a break with parfait, cakes or a glass of milk ?! while you are having shopping or working at Marunouchi area. The boutique also provides options to bring their products away.

Shop name: Machimura Farm Marunouchi (町村農場 丸の内)

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

Website (Japanese only) : http://www.machimura.co.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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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

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