About food in Japan

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

Grom - Italian gelato

The 9th of May is considered as "the day of ice-cream" by Japan Ice Cream Association.

Why it is the 9th of May? the date is the anniversary of the first biggest promotions made for Ice Cream in Japan in 1964, the year when Summer Olympic Game was taken place in Tokyo. On the beginning of May, the temperature is going to rise and the weather becomes better with more sunshine. It means that it comes to the good condition to start promoting Ice Cream in Japan.

Well, what I am going to introduce is not exactly Ice Cream but is Italian Gelato.

The Italian gelato shop Grom was born in Torino in 2003. The very best product is made of carefully selected fresh highest quality natural ingredients including fresh milk in the region's traditional way of production. Soon it became so popular in the city that people made a queue for it. (Yes, in Italy, not in Japan) The gelato producer won the "Master of Food" award  from Slow Food Organization and the Province of Torino. Now they have own orchard to harvest high quality seasonal fruits for its gelato products.

The store opened in New York in 2007 and the low-fat, low-sugar healthy dessert attracts New Yorker as well.

Probably no need to tell more stories to imagine a long queue was seen at the gelato shop when a year ago in 2009, it arrived in Shinjuku Tokyo.

The first unit in Japan is located on the ground floor of Shinjuku Marui department store. It has some seats and counters to taste the Italian sweets. More than 10 kinds of gelato are always available. Some of the flavors change season by season.

A plus point is that the shop opens until late evening 23:00. So it is still available as the fantastic end of meal even after you enjoy dinner in Shinjuku area.

The second unit in Tokyo will be open in Harajuku on June 2010.

The shop name: Grom

Address: Shinjuku Marui Honkan (Main building) 1F 3-30-13 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Official website: http://www.grom.jp

 

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

eatrip - Movie about food and eating by a Japanese food director

The movie title represents eat + trip (食べる旅). 

In the Japanese official site of the film, it is described "Life is a trip of eat".

In the English site, it explains about the movie as "contemporary Japanese food culture documentary".

I watched the movie recently and Yes I agree with the expression.

The film is recommendable for people who are interested in Japanese food culture.

By the film director whose original profession is food coordinator, it is depicted well how Japanese people think of food and eating, what kind of emotion they have for food through interviewing various types of people, young, old, men, women, artists, ordinary people, monk, tea school master, in Tsukiji fish market, Okinawa etc. Of course in the film, you will see the scenes of Japanese food and its preparing ways. 

The film has been screened at several international film festivals such as Montreal World Film Festival (2009) and International Festival of Environmental Films in Paris (2009).

For more information, where you can watch the movie, please visit its official website:

English - About the movie click here. 

             The latest news and theater information click here. 

Japanese -http://eatrip.jp

The latest screening outside Japan is in Barcelona next week.

Asian Festival of Barcelona (Spain) official exhibited work
http://www.baff-bcn.org/en/pelicula/emergentes/eatrip
(Local time: 2nd May and 5th May 2010)

Please do not miss watching this movie, when you have a chance in your place

M & C cafe - Cafe in a book store

Maruzen (丸善) is one of the established book store in Tokyo. The flagship store is in the shopping complex Oazo, situated in a central business district and just in front of Tokyo station. The large book store occupies four floors of the shopping center and offers huge selections from books both in Japanese and non-Japanese languages, stationery to art gallery. M&C Cafe on the 4th floor is also one of the book store services.

The cafe's specialty is Hayashi rice (ハヤシライス) which is considered that the book store's fonder made the name for the first time in Japan. The hayashi rice is cooked carefully according to the cafe's traditional recipe. The stew is made from several kinds of vegetables and is served after cooked for long hours.

I ordered "Hayashi Ome-rice" (Omelet with rice and Hayashi sauce over it) to enjoy two best Yoshoku (洋食) foods at the same time.

The cafe is a good place to take lunch or a break with a cup of coffee during shopping and strolling in the book store. In addition, one side of the cafe is facing to Tokyo station and railways through a large window of toe-to-ceiling height.

Enjoy the traditional Hayashi as well as the view of running trains in Tokyo at the book store cafe.

Related story: Yoshoku (洋食)- Kurofune-tei(黒船亭)

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

Cafe name: M & C cafe

Address: 4th floor Marunouchi Oazo, 1-6-4 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Koju (小十) - Japanese upscale restaurant, Michelin ***

To visit Japanese restaurant, it always enable us to feel "four seasons" through the food provided.

Takenoko (たけのこ、筍, bamboo shoot) is one of the symbols for Spring season. Here, at the Michelin 3 stars restaurant Koju (小十) in Ginza, we enjoyed the dishes and Spring season, even though outside air was chilly like Winter.  

We chose the least expensive dinner course there. It was still enough fully to enjoy the traditional Japanese dishes and to satisfy my stomach.

Let's go back to see some of the dishes ...

The chef's favorite dish Taira shellfish (pan shell) and 13 kinds of spring vegetables.

What is amazing of Japanese highest quality in cooking is to prepare each 13kinds of vegetable by each different way in order to serve all of them at the best way of cooking for each. Here all ingredients play "leading role" and show its presence on the plate and on my tongue!

Spring sprouts give us energy to live...

 

 
Seasonal sashimi cannot be missed.

 

 

Grilled Sawara　(a kind of Mackerel) with Fukinotou (sprout vegetable only available in Spring), decorated by cherry flowers

 

 

Shrimp Ganmodoki (bean curd dumpling) and Anago (conger eel) & kanpyo (gourd strip) role.

All are small pieces but cannot imagine how much time and process of cooking had been made for them!

 

 

Rice cooked with takenoko (bamboo shoot), warabi (wild vegetable) and green pea

Uhhhm, we were filled with the feeling of Spring

 

At Japanese luxury restaurants, they change the menu and dishes day by day, season by season. They are always eager to provide the best food ingredients at the best condition in the best way of cooking.
There the menu and plates are up to the chef's selections, relying on their rich professional experiences. Hence when we visit the restaurant in different season, at different time, we will find different fine quality foods.

Needless to say, as a Michelin 3-star restaurant, it has wide selections of Sake and Wine.

 

Restaurant name: Koju (小十)

Address: The 2nd Sanyu building 1st floor, 8-5-25 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.kojyu.jp/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brasserie VIRON - French style brasserie cafe in Marunouchi

VIRON is the name of a French company in the flour milling industry. The flour by VIRON is often used as an ingredient of high quality breads and cakes in France. The brasserie in Japan proudly serves breads, French style cakes and sweets made from the VIRON flour from France.

Needless to say about breads for lunch or taking out, the tarts also can be a reason to visit the brasserie. During the time between lunch and dinner, you are able to enjoy a nice pair of tart and "cafe au lait" at sunny terrace tables close to Tokyo station.

 

Restaurant name: Brasserie VIRON

Address: 1F TOKIA Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

 

人人人(Ren ren ren) - Chinese cafe restaurant bar

The Spring is not only the time to enjoy cherry blossom flowers but the time to have farewell/welcome parties at many work places in Japan. From the first of April, a new year of school and of business starts in Japan. We are likely to have lunch or dinner party with colleagues to see off or welcome those who leave or join. Restaurants are busy during this season by serving for such purpose group dinners.

人人人(Ren ren ren in Chinese pronunciation) may be one of the most suitable ones for such occasion.

人 represents person and people. 人人人 is named, being aimed at a restaurant where people are gathering.
Yes Chinese dishes and fantastic interior decoration must be a good place to have cozy lunch or dinner with friends or colleague. Typical Chinese dishes suit for groups are ready there such as Peking duck, dim-sum.

The restaurant also provides wide selections of noodles and rice plates which must be popular for business people in the area. A small tables on window side are rarely seen at ordinary Chinese restaurants but are often at fancy French style cafe. 

Why not try to have fine fried rice for lunch and later to read a book with nice Chinese tea and dessert at sunny terrace table?

Restaurant name: 人人人　(Ren ren ren)

Address: Tokia 1st floor, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Information in English: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/fl/en/g763385/

Suzukake (鈴懸) - Japanese sweets from Kyusu (九州)

I found people making a queue at a sweets shop in Isetan Shinjuku department store.

The queue is for very small pieces of cute Japanese sweets. The shop is called "Suzukake" (鈴懸) comes from Hakata (in Fukuoka) in Kyushu (九州) region with over 70 years history there.

The sweets shop's famous products are these two.

Suzu no En-mochi (鈴乃○餅) and Suzu no Monaka (鈴乃最中)

En-mochi looks like "Dorayaki"(どら焼き) casual Japanese sweets, known as favorite of Doraemon, but it is much smaller. 

The cake is moist and more elastic, sticky compared with Dorayaki.

Monaka is also smaller than what we can find normally. The bell (鈴) shape looks cute and unique.

It is enough tiny to have it at one bite. But I tried to cut it into half...

I found it surely "monaka" (sweet sandwich) with stuffed anko, sweet beans paste.   

The outer layer has crispy texture and an paste is not too sweet.

Both are made from very fresh ingredients and it is recommended to consume them within 1-2 days. Please enjoy them while you are staying in Japan!

At Suzukake sweets boutique, other products are also available and all of them look attractive even visually.

Suzukake 

Isetan Shinjuku department store (3-14-1 Shunjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)

Official home page (Japanese only): http://www.suzukake.co.jp/

YEBISU bar - エビスバー

Yebisu beer is one of major Japanese beer brands considered as one of the highest quality beer. To be the proof of that, the beer brand is sold at a bit expensive price at super markets. People are likely to purchase the Yebisu beer cans only for special occasions such as birthday party or any kind of celebrating events. If you prepare Yebisu beer when you invite someone to your home, guests would feel special welcome.

Yebisu beer was born 120 years ago, in 1890. Sapporo Breweries LTD. who produces Yebisu beer, opened "Yebisu bar" in Tokyo by celebrating the 120th anniversary of the brand beer.

I visited the first bar unit in Ginza, where five different versions of "draft" Yebisu beer welcome guests.

Yebisu, Yebisu the black, Kohaku Yebisu (琥珀　amber), Yebisu Staut creamy top and Silk Yebisu...

Only by the fantastic beverage choices, beer fan must be excited. All food menu are also selected and created for the best match with Yebisu beer. I found different icons with each food menu. The icons suggest with which kind of Yebisu beer the food plate has the best "mariage". Food menu is mix of Japanese and Western. Some of them are made by original recipe. Others are cooked with Yebisu beer!

For example, what I ordered....

Kyo(Miyako 京) style Fish and Chips: It looks normal? Sea bream (鯛 tai) is used as ingredient of the British menu. Sea bream is known as fish that Yebisu (God in Japanese local belief) holds. 

A small bowl of pink color sauce made from Shibazuke (しば漬け, Japanese pickeles) is served with it.

Cream cheese: dipped in tamari (thicker) soya sauce and coated with seaweed powder

It can't look like cheese any more...

The amount of bill is not so expensive as much as the beer brand image.

That must be a good experience to enjoy taste of Japanese fine beer together with unique excellent food.

Restaurant name: Yebisu bar

Address: 1st floor Yamashita build. Corridor-gai, 8-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Related Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/yebisubar-g/
Sapporo breweries LTD. :  http://www.yebisubar.jp/