When it comes to crispy snacks in Japan, I tend to pick up Calbee potato chips. Calbee changes up its line-up frequently and it gives me a good excuse to buy something to snack on. When we saw these okra crisps at our local Tomizawa Shōten shop we were so curious. What would okra,…
Month: October 2013
Nihonbashi Tour on November 1st
Can you tell the difference between the nori on the left and the right? Two types of dashi, both using katsuobushi. What better time to learn about washoku? It seems that UNESCO will recognize the unique cuisine of Japan as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in December. If you are curious or passionate about Japanese cuisine…
Michelin Guide Kansai 2014
The Michelin Guide Kansai 2014 has given two more restaurants the prestigious three stars ranking in its most recent edition. From the press release, Michael ELLIS, International Director of the MICHELIN guides comments, “We are very pleased to award two new three stars restaurants, Mizai and Kichisen, both located in Kyoto. They serve Japanese cuisine…
Harajuku Afuri
“Regular or extra fat?” asked the guy behind the counter when I handed over my ticket from the vending machine for Afuri’s yuzu shio (yuzu and salt) ramen. No brainer. Extra fat (ōi instead of futsū for regular). A few minutes later I could smell the yuzu as he placed the bowl in front of me. You can…
October Seasonal Seafood
At Tsukiji Market we are seeing many autumn seafood like oysters, wakasagi for deep-frying, and finally sanma for grilling with salt. Some of our favorite sashimi this time of year include katsuo, isaki, and if you get a kawahagi with a big liver we will mix the liver with soy sauce and dip the sashimi…
Nihonbashi Sapporoya – Hiyashi Chuka Goma Dare
Tokyo has been unseasonably hot this week. My favorite bowl of cold ramen noodles in the whole city is a great little dive called Sapporoya.The ramen shop happens to be across the street from one of my favorite kaiseki/kappō restaurants, Nihonbashi Yukari. I love that on this narrow street you can find two contrasting meals,…
Gotta Get – Fresh Green Tea
It has been incredibly hot in Tokyo this last week. Record high for the month of October, 31 degrees C yesterday, almost 88 degrees F. I tend to drink a lot of water while out in the city, but another favorite, if I can find it, are these green tea bottles. Powdered green tea, sometimes…
ABC Kitchen’s Chef Dan Kluger at the Park Hyatt Tokyo
Toast, ricotta cheese, and kabocha puree. It doesn’t get much more simple than this, yet the combination of flavors and contrast of textures was blissful. I was satisfied and ready to call it an evening as it was so delicious. The toast is seasoned with olive oil and then pan-fried. This is exactly what I…
Spoon Curry
Japanese curry, one of the country’s comfort food dishes, is something we make at home all of the time. Often using packages of curry roux that now come in a wide variety of flavors and levels of heat. I am a firm believer in not going out to eat food that can be easily made…
Food Sake Tokyo 