About food in Japan

Gion Tokuya (ぎおん徳屋) arrived in Tokyo - Mochi (餅)

Gion Tokuya (ぎおん徳屋) is a very traditional style dessrt cafe in Kyoto, where Maiko (舞妓) and Geiko (芸妓) could also visit there for sweets and relaxed tea time. The new branch of Gion Tokuya opened in Harajuku (原宿), Tokyo last year. Here maybe no chance to encounter Geiko or Maiko in Harajuku but a good point is no need to make a queue like the main shop in Kyoto. (At least as long as I know but in future I do not know though...) 

In Tokyo, Gion Tokuya is located on the ground floor of the well-known select shop, UNITED ARROWS. The sweets cafe is accessible even from the floor of Women's cloth in the select shop.
Entering into the small cafe, it is totally different world from the popular select shop. The traditional style interior decoration makes us feel as if we were visiting Kyoto.  

What I ordered is Tokuya's speciality called "Hanami Komochi" (花見こもち). It is a set of mochi (餅, rice cake) with five kinds of ingredients all well-matched with mochi.

As soon as we ordered the speciality, the shop staff switched on a brasier on the table. It is guests who has to bake eight pieces of rice cakes on the brasier.

How exiting is it I worry a bit whether I am able to succeed in cooking these rice cakes. 

Anyone will be motivated for the challenge when she/he finds a plate of five kinds of topping ingredients brought by staff. 

 

Zenzai (a kind of Oshiruko, sweets beans soup) is in a bowl on the center of tray. Other ingredients, from left to right, in counterclockwise, pickles of Japanese basil seeds, soy sauce (醤油), laver seaweed (海苔, nori), kinako (soybeans powder).

As you like, those eight pieces of mochi (rice cake) can be taken, piece by piece. 

 

 

 

 

Let's try to make mochi cakes grilled. 

 

 

Can you see? Afre five minutes, the square and hard cakes are heated and they are blown up like a balloon. When they become partly brown by heat and no longer square shaped cake, it is ready to eat. Take them out from the brasier quickly. 

 

First I dipped a few pieces into Zenzai.  
 

Then with soy sauce (醤油) and nori

 Kinako (soy beans powder) is set beautifully in flower shape.

But it has to be broken into pieces, after mochi is put on the plate...

 

All are the typical ways of having mochi. It is not so often to try so many pieces of mochi in different flavor. It is fun but you might have too-much-cooked and burned mochi in case you leave them on a brasier too long time, while thinking over what kind of flavor you prefer. At the same time, when we leave mochi left after cooked without having heat, the cakes become cool and hard soon. Just cooked is the best timing to have it.  So it is important to keep appropriate pace of grill and to put pieces one by one.

It is a kind of dessert but rice cake has heavy volume which is enough to be a light lunch.

Gion Tokuya in Harajuku offers not only Hanami Komochi set but also other traditional sweets menu such as Warabi mochi (わらび餅), Anmitsu (あんみつ) and Kakigori (かき氷). Normally mochi is served only in winter and Kakigori is only in summer. Here at Gion Tokuya, all these desserts are provided whole year.

Related story:

 Oshiruko (おしるこ、汁粉）　http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/02/oshiruko-%E3%81%8A%E3%81%97%E3%82%8B%E3%81%93-%E6%B1%81%E7%B2%89.html

Shoyu (soy sauce, 醤油) http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/01/shoyu-%E9%86%A4%E6%B2%B9-soy-sauce-at-website-shokunin-shoyu-%E8%81%B7%E4%BA%BA%E9%86%A4%E6%B2%B9.html

Kakigori (かき氷)  http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/08/kakigori---chim.html

 

Cafe name:  Gion Tokuya (Harajuku, Tokyo)

Website: http://www.united-arrows.jp/harajuku/womens/tokuya/

Address: 2-31-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 

 

大きな地図で見る

 

Cafe name:  Gion Tokuya (Kyoto the main store)

Website: http://giontokuya.jp/

大きな地図で見る

 

 

Butaman (豚まん, pork bun) 551 HORAI (551 蓬莱), Osaka

One of my favourite foods in Osaka, the capital of West Japan, is Butaman (豚まん, pork bun) from 551 Horai (551 蓬莱). Pork bun may be a typical Chinese food but the 551 brands along with its speciality; Butaman is an icon of Osaka. The simple and unpretentious food with packed pork filling inside the large size bun (almost a palm size) could represent mentality of Osaka people…dislike snob and put importance on what they really can get.

 

Butaman by 551 Horai costs only Yen160 per piece (sold by 2pieces or more). The hand-made butaman is sold exclusively at Osaka and surrounding area. Apart from some special promotion occasions, it is not available even in Tokyo. So for us based in East Japan, Butaman is an appreciated gift from Osaka.

 

By the way, we wonder why the brand name is called 551 Horai, as it sounds unique. As per the official home page of 551 Horai, over a half century ago, the founder of Chinese food service company Horai (in Chinese, represents Shangli-la) took the idea from his cigarette brand “555”. The brand name with numbers can be easily remembered and recognizable even from foreign people, unlike name in Japanese or Chinese letters. Taken from the last 3 digit of its phone number at that time and from sounds like ko-ko-ichiban (here the number 1, in Japanese), it is named as 551 (go-go-ichi).

The Chinese food service company sells other Chinese dim-sum foods as well.

Let’s find the number 551 in Osaka!

 

551 Horai official website: http://www.551horai.co.jp

The main store and restaurant

Address: 3-6-3 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka  (shopping district of Namba)

 

大きな地図で見る

******************  Find accommodation in Japan  ***************

OSAKA / NARA / SAPPORO / TAKAYAMA / TOKYO/YUFUIN 

YAKUSHIMA / NOZAWA ONSEN / NISEKO / NIKKO /

HIROSHIMA / MATSUMOTO / KYOTO / KANAZAWA / ISHIGAKI ISLAND /

HAKUBA / FURANO / BEPPU /

 

Michelin Guide Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe 2011

Michelin published its restaurant guide for Kansai region (Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe) 2011 version on the last friday. Surprisingly 12 restaurants are awarded three stars. The number of 3 star restaurants on the guide is the biggest in the world and even more than one for Tokyo and Paris. Out of 239 restaurants on the guide, 80%  are Japanese restaurants in a variety of categories from Izakaya (居酒屋, casual dining bar), Kushiage (串揚, skewered and fried food) to Kaiseki (懐石料理, upscale sophisticated course).

Kansai region’s capital Osaka is considered more vital Asian-like city contrary to Tokyo cosmopolitan and it is called "the merchant city ". At the same time, it is known for casual dining as an example of Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, salty pancake). In Kyoto, the ancient city, upscale traditional Japanese restaurants attract dinners for more than a hundred year with the most sophisticated anc delicate ways of cooking skills. Kobe may be known for the Kobe beef by non-Japanese people. The city, just next to Osaka, is a hometown base of wealthy in Kansai. It is natural easily to find fine restaurants there.

Here the list of 3stars restaurant on the Michelin Guide Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe 2011

<Kyoto　京都>

Kikunoi Honten (菊乃井　本店) - Japanese Kaiseki  http://kikunoi.jp/store/

Kitcho Arashiyama (吉兆　嵐山本店) - Japanese

http://www.kitcho.com/kyoto/shoplist_en/arashiyama/index.html

Chihana (千花) - Japanese Itamae cappo (chef's cuisine) http://kyotochihana.com/e/

Tsuruya (つる家) - Japanese http://www.kyoto-tsuruya.co.jp/kyoto.html

Nakamura (なかむら) - Japanese Kyoryori (京料理, Kyoto local cuisine)

    http://www.kyoryori-nakamura.com

Hyotei (瓢亭) - Japanese Kaiseki http://hyotei.co.jp/

Mizai (未在) - Japanese http://www.mizai.net/

 

<Osaka　大阪>

Kashiwaya (柏屋) - Japanese Kaiseki  No official own website http://r.gnavi.co.jp/c158900/

Taian (太庵) - Japanese Kappo No official website

Hajime (ハジメ) - French  http://www.hajime-artistes.com/

 

<Kobe　神戸>

Ca cento (カ・セント) Spanish  http://casento.jp/

Komago (子孫)  Japanese No official website

 

Those Japanese restaurants offers limited number of tables and advanced reservation is strongly recommended. Especially after the publishing of Michelin guide, they might be fully booked for a few months. Please be ready well advance to visit them. Japanese upscale restaurants in general offer only  one or a few courses by price range and no a-la-carte menu. All food provided there are served at the best condition as per the chef's recommandation and well-prepared with fresh, high quality ingredients.

 

 

Related stories in this blog

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

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/04/koju-小十-japanese-upscale-restaurant-michelin-.html

Kaiseki Tsujitome(懐石　辻留）

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/08/kaiseki-tsujito.html

LA TABLE de Joel Robuchon - French (Michelin Guide 2010 **)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/08/la-table-de-joel-robuchon-french-michelin-guide-2010-.html

RESTAURANT SANT PAU - Spanish

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/03/restaurant-sant-pau-spanish.html

Chinese- Momonoki (桃の木) Michelin 1* (2009)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/11/chinese-momonoki-桃の木-michelin-1-2009.html

French - Les Creations de NARISAWA (Michelin *)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/08/french---les-cr.html

 

Ganko Sushi Osaka (がんこ寿司）

My report from West part of Japan continues here.
I believe that Osaka is a place where we can have nice and fresh food, especially in casual style, at reasonable cost compared with ones in Tokyo.

Ganko (meaning "stubborn") sushi is one of the examples. The major restaurant chain in Kansai region including Osaka and Kyoto is well-known for its icon, trade mark of the Sushi chef face with the lips in a straight line. Its first sushi restaurant was born in Osaka almost a half century ago. Its main business is the Sushi restaurant, casual but not Kaiten(rolling-around) style.

 

I visited a unit in Namba central area on the side of a major shopping archade and found a very long Sushi counter where fresh seafood ingredients and several Sushi cook masters were stand-by.

The lunch set includes a plate of Sushi (above but they are not all of them) plus another plate of tempura. The price is reasonable considering the quality of food and the volume provided. It is something difficult to find in Tokyo.

I would like to come to Osaka again to enjoy food...

 

 

Restaurant name: Ganko sushi Namba Honten
Address: 3-1-15 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka
Website: http://www.gankofood.co.jp

 

 

Machiya restaurant - Mukadeya(百足屋), Kyoto

I had a short trip to Kyoto in this summer.
In Kyoto, where traditional style buildings are still alive, we can find "machiya"(町屋）, traditional town house. Sometimes machiya is used as restaurant, cafe or even spa.

Mukadeya(百足屋, literally meaning centipede house) is one of these restaurants, located in 5minute-walk from Karasuma staion, center of Kyoto. One of the charateristics of machiya is its small entrance (5-10 meters width) and long depth space  as twice to four times as the entrance width, had been organized because of the taxation system in a few hundreds years ago.

It is known that the house was used by a kimono trader and it has been restored as a restaurant.
After a space with high tabels, and a welcoming room, I had a table in tatami floor room with a view of its small Japanese garden. The next of this room is former "kura" (蔵）, old storehouse.

Speciality of Mukadeya is called obanzai(おばんざい）, traditional home cooking menu in Kyoto. It is not always true that obanzai menu at restaurants are inexpensive. Dinner courses especially are considered as a kind of Kaiseki. But we can enjoy obanzai lunch at Mukadeya at reasonable cost.

 

Japanese course meals at upscale restaurants always remind us "the season".
The late summer plates made me feel cool...

The last plate is the restaurant's speciality rice with black means.
It brought with nice smell of Japanese cypress from the wooden box

Defenitely it is recommendable address in Kyoto to taste local specialities of the ancient capital in the traditional town house.

Restaurant name: Mukadeya
Address: 381 Mukadeya-machi, Nishiki-koji Agaru, Shinmachi tori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Website in Japanese: http://www.kurochiku.co.jp/inshoku/shinmachi/index.htm

 

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