About food in Japan

An-mitsu (あんみつ Japanese traditional sweets)

An-mitsu(あんみつ） is a Japanese traditional sweets. It could be a kind of "parfait" in Japanese style.

Literally "an"(餡、あん） is sweet bean paste that is often seen in Japanese traditional sweets. "Mitsu"(蜜、みつ） represents sweet syrup made from sugar.
So in a bowl of "an-mitsu", the bean paste and syrup are the biggest features. But we cannot miss also "kanten"(寒天、かんてん）, Japanese agar (gelatin jelly made from a plant) for an-mitsu.

In addition to these three main ingredients in an-mitsu, other attractive filling maybe added; fruits such as a pice of orange, strawberry or cherry, cream (like one in the photo), "shiratama"(dumpling). Then the sweet bowl is "upgraded" to something with more attractive names - "fruits an-mitsu"- "fruit cream an-mitsu"  or "fruit shiratama an-mitsu" etc etc

Mihashi in Ueno is a traditional sweets house known for the an-mitsu and other traditional sweets. Eat-in and take-away for some products are available.
It is located just a stone throw from the Ueno park.
Why do not you take a break with the traditional sweets after enjoying Sakura (cherry blossom) at the famous park?

Cafe name: Mihashi
Address: 4-9-7 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Website: http://www.mihashi.co.jp

 

Mos burger - モスバーガー

Mos burger is a casual hamburger restaurant chain in Japan.

I wonder if we should call it  "fast food".  Like the global giant, McDonald's, we can find typical menu such as hamburger, fried potato there.  However speed of preparing food is not their priority. The chain is proud of making a hamburger by hand after a client orders it.

Price is not its sales point but quality and safety of ingredients are. At some units, you are able to find name and place of farmers on a black boad in front of the restaurant. These on the listed are who raise lettuce and other fresh vegetable for the Mos burger unit.

You could have to wait for your order for longer time and maybe have to pay a little bit more at Mos burger than at other firstfood restaurants. Instead you will surely get a fresh and tasty hamburger.

A three days ago, the "slow food?" restaurant chain celebrated its 37th birthday.
The first unit opened in a residential area of Tokyo in 1972 and the company added 100 units within 7 years from the first one opening.

Now there are over 1000 Mos burgur shop across Japan and 100 more in Asian countries/area such as Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong.

Its first and still the most famous product is "Mos burger"(Yen320). Meat sauce(like Bolognaise sauce) and chopped onion between a slice of tomato and hamburger are unique points.

My impression was "It is fantastic" when I had it for the first time and I was a high shcool student. I do not know how many times I ordered the product since that time...

Mos barger is also known as the first restaurant which offered "Teriyaki burger" and "rice burger". Both are now often found at other restaurants and even on shelfs at convenience shops or supermarkets in Japan.

A point to be kept in mind is another uniqueness of the chain.
It rarely opens the restaurants in a prime location, for example area around major train stations such as Shibuya, Shinjuku or Ginza. It rather exists in residential area or a place a bit far from a train station. Don't miss a sign of another "M" logo in red!

Restaurant name: Mos burger
Website: http://www.mos.co.jp

 


   

Les MIGNARDISES - small sweets

"Les MIGNARDISES" is French words not Japanese. It is the name of a sweets shop and according to the shop information, "Les MIGNARDISES" means "small sweets".

What I got is surely French traditional sweets, macaron. If it is only that, I have no reason to bring the Les MIGNARDISES specialty here. The size is unusually small, almost 2cm diameter. That is what we can find only at the shop in Daimaru Department store in Tokyo.

 

How impressive it is... Nine flavors of small pieces of macarons are lined up in a rectangular white box. The colours of the nine flavors make gradation from white to brown. The flavor names are also enough attractive; White chocolate lavender, Caramel vanilla, Cacao 41%, Chocolate rose, Cacao 80% and so on.

The size is not enough big even for a bite but, when I put a piece into the mouth, the taste is never as small as its physical size. It is rather more complex and sophisticated...in other words, the macaron has a fine world in a small piece.

Shop name: Les MIGNARDISES
Address: 1st floor Daimaru Tokyo, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo

Ekiben(駅弁 station lunch box)

What is this...?
It is in the shape of the first version of "Shinkansen"(Japanese bullet train) which eneded its work on November 2008.

The answer is LUNCH BOX

The box is filled with small pieces delicacy, roast beef, conger eel, shitake mushroom, octopus, carrott, sliced egg cakes and vinegared rice beneath of these delicacy.

It is an advantage of bento(lunch box) meal that we can enjoy variety of dainty at a time little by littele. The volume would not be enough for big eaters. Instead, even a young child would eat it up.

Lunch box sold at train stations are called "ekiben(駅弁)". On Shinkansen line, we can find different ekiben at each station, which is made with local speciality of different region.
It is a good idea to try different lunch box at each destination to travel.

The shinkansen lunch box is sold at Shin-Kobe station in Hyogo prefecture, in commemoration of the first version Shinkansen "retirement".

After it is finished and is brought to your home as a souvenir of the Shinkansen journey, you can display the box like this! by turning the package into a sign board.   

Related story: bento
http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/06/bento--launched.html

Bakery cafe in Tokyo station - Burdigala Express

Burdigala runs several bakery stores and restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka. It opened a cefe inside of the Tokyo Station last year.

From seven o'clock in the morning, a nice pair of cafe au lait and French pastry or sandwiches are available at the station. The cafe is crowded in the morning by travellers with big suites cases and guide books. How nice it is as a departure point of a journey to have breakfast there while we are waiting for a train or friends.

Today's my breakfast is "croque monsieur", ham and cheese hot sand. All menu can be taken away for having on a train or in office, if you do not have enough time to sit on a seat at the cafe.

Cafe: Burdigala Express
Location: B1 floor JR Tokyo station

Moon cake? No, "Moon burger"(Tsukimi burger, 月見バーガー)!

Today is the day of enjoying full moon in the sky. (tsukimi, 月見, moon-watching)
Chinese people have moon cakes as their local speciality of the season on the day.
In Japan, the American hamburger chain, McDonald's provides "Moon burger"(tsukimi burger) at their units across Japan.

A round-shaped fried egg, which implies the full moon, and a slice of bacon are on top of a piece of hamburg as fillings. This year the hamburger chain offers three types of tsukimi burger; normal, cheese and double burger.

If you feel that it is exactly what is called "bacon egg burger" in all other parts of the world or at other hamburger shops. Yes it could be so.
But never mind! Anyway, enjoy the full moon !!

Tsukimi burger is available at McDonald's in Japan until 2nd October 2008.

Bento(弁当）- launched for G8 Summit celebration

Bento(弁当） represents "a box meal" in Japanese.
This type of food serving way has long history in Japan.  It has been our custom for over hundreds years to bring a box meal for traveling, watching entertainment programmes (for example Sumo wrestling, Kabuki play) or just enjoying fresh air of outside.
Nowaday,  Bento is still one of the most popular lunch time choices for Japanese business people. It would be their mother or wife who prepare a nice hand-made lunch box. Otherwise selections of Bento are available at convenience stores, supermarkets, department store food corners and small corners or stands specialized in Bento.

Today, a national round-the-clock convenience shop chain, Lawson launched a new Bento menu at their units in central districts of Tokyos for celebrating G8 Summit hosted by Japan next month.
According to the press release by the convenience shop giant, the company honors to be a cater for staff serving and guarding the important event.
The menu is almost same with what these staff have at or around the meeting venue.
Hokkaido region, where the global event will be taken place is the most north part of the country and is known for the vast land with rich nature and also for the harvest of high quality foods. Some of them, such as salmon, chicken, seaweed, are in the Bento as the feature of the product.

This is what I had as today's lunch, the Summit Bento by Lawson: salmon flake and sramble egg on top of rice, checken steak, fried chiken, potato salad, spaghetti with tomato source, pickels (all are typical Bento menu.)

A different type is on sale as the Summit Bento by Lawson.

It has a slice of grilled salmon, a piece of chicken, pan fried vegetable with seaweed and what can't be missed is a egg cake in the shape of "Hokkaido"!

How can we make this yellow cake so well

As you could recognize, it is not easy to put all food in a small square(or sometime round) box in a good presentation way. An excellent person in making Bento must consider the balance of nutrition as well as the combination of colors in box.

The more demanding work for Bento it is, will it make an eater the happier!

Note: Summit Bento is on sale at Lawson stores located within 23 central districts of Tokyo until 9th July 2008, the last date of Hokkaido Toyako Summit

Onigiri/Omusubi - Rice ball

Rice ball is called "onigiri(おにぎり）" or "omusubi（おむすび）" in Japanese.　It may be the simplest Japaense traditional food.

A bowl of rice seasoned with salt is transfered into shape of triangle, round or bale by a pair of human hand. Black thin dried laver seaweed(nori, のり,　海苔）is wrapped around the clot of rice.

Traditionally it is typical lunch box menu for pick-nick or other outdoor events.

In modern days, it can be found at any convenience shops as one of their majour products. They are made not by mother's hands but by indstrial machine at a factory. But they are likely to be a typical lunch menu of business people.

Normally a small piece of filling is inside of rice balls.
Filling is traditionally pickled Japanese apricot or small pieces of fruits of sea, such as grilled salmon, dried bonito, kelp, roasted cod roe.
Newer and modern fillings have tons of variation; tuna mayonnaise, fried chicken, fried shrimp, pickled vegetables, grilled beef etc etc...

It is maybe from 21st century even in Japan, modern onigiri/omusubi cafes or specialized shop opens as a category of first food, while major convenience chains launches higher standard onigiris with selected high quality ingredients but at higher price than normal productes.

It is a trend back to a good old days, when healthy mom's home-made dish was common everywhere.

Onigiri/omusubi  chains:
Omusubito - http://www.omusubito.co.jp/
Gonbei　－http://www.omusubi-gonbei.com

The oldest onigiri shop:
Yadoroku (in Asakusa) - http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~yosuke/

Onigiri cafe:

Ony - http://www.ony.jp/