March is a delicious month for seafood. The cold waters still bring fish rich with fat that shines in sashimi or is nice for grilling. Asari clams are great for making into a quick vongole style pasta. Grilling salted fish heads of buri or tai is quick and simple and the perfect accompaniment to sake…
Month: February 2012
Jougo Kokuto Shochu じょうご黒糖焼酎
Another good shochu to start with for shochu novices is a kokuto shochu which is made from sugar cane. It’s inherent sweetness is soft on the palate. This is from Amami Oshima south of Kagoshima. Koji: shiro (white) koji – making it a light, delicate shochu alcohol: 25% suggested drinking method: on the rocks distillation:…
Ohmi Food Fair at Nihonbashi Takashimaya 第24回 琵琶湖夢街道 大近江展
Ohmi wagyu is considered by some to be the best wagyu that Japan produces. Here is your chance to try it in a bento. Other highlights include ayu from lake Biwako and regional wagashi (confectionaries). The event runs from Friday, February 24th to Thursday, March 1st. Nihonbashi Takashimaya on the 8th floor event space. Note…
Antenna Shop Food Fair at Shinjuku Keio 京王新宿店でアンテナショップ＆ご当地グルメ展
Friday, February 24th to Tuesday, February 28th, Shinjuku Keio on the 7th floor event space is holding a gourmet fair of antenna shops featuring food and beverages from throughout Japan. Click here to see photos of some of the many offerings. Note that the event closes at 5 p.m. on the final day.
Wine Fair at Shinjuku Isetan
Isetan in Shinjuku is hosting an international wine fair starting Wednesday, February 22nd to Monday, February 27th. The event takes place on the 6th floor and closes at 6 p.m. on Monday. Highlights include a wide selection of Japanese wine, including my favorite Japanese winery, Coco Farm and Winery in Tochigi. There is of course…
Gotta Get – Nosetare Rayu Oroshi のせタレラー油おろし
We are addicted to taberu rayu, the mild chili oil filled with fried garlic chips. At the store this area of condiments has blossomed into other products, including this very interesting rayu oroshi. Oroshi is simply grated items, usually vegetables. Popular grated vegetables include wasabi for sushi, ginger for topping tofu, and daikon for serving…
Tokyo Izakaya and Standing Bars
Grabbing a drink after work with colleagues or friends in Tokyo is great fun as there are so many options to choose from. These are some of my favorites from Food Sake Tokyo. Saiseisakaba This friendly tachinomi (standing bar) is located on the back streets of Shinjuku Sanchome. Designed with Showa era items, it feels…
Karaage at Ranman Shokudo in Ebisu
Japanese fried chicken, karaage, to me is so much better than American fried chicken because it is usually boneless and is always tender. Karaage is usually marinated in sake and some other seasonings before being deep-fried. The sake helps to tenderize the meat. I am recipe testing karaage for Postmark Chef in the USA and…
Japanese Tea
As you’d expect of a people whose tea culture extends back hundreds of years, the Japanese enjoy every type of cha imaginable—pungent, sweet, soft, grassy, clean and earthy. Leaves can be plucked, steamed, packed, processed (dried and rolled) and refined (stems and debris removed), or ground for matcha and roasted forhoujicha. To get the most out of…
Antenna Shops in Nihonbashi
Antenna Shops in Nihonbashi In a recent survey of Tokyoites the main reason why they go to antenna shops is to pick up regional food products. The next popular answer was that it was interesting to explore antenna shops followed by picking up brochures for future trips to that prefecture. The other big answer was…
February Seasonal Japanese Fruits and Vegetables 2月旬の野菜
Sansai, Japanese mountain vegetables, start to come into the market this time of year. Growing up, my mother and her Korean friend, Ki-san, would forage for warabi (fiddleheads of bracken) in the forest in Minnesota. There was always a short window to pick these as they grow very quickly. Once home the fiddleheads were washed…
Tokyo Soba Restaurants and Soba Menu
Here are some of my favorite Tokyo soba restaurants. This first appeared in Metropolis magazine. Soba is in the midst of a renaissance. The humble buckwheat noodle has been receiving an increasing amount of attention from local TV shows and lifestyle magazines, and a further boost has come from the Slow Food movement, which emphasizes…
Food Sake Tokyo 