Ginza, in the heart of Tokyo, is filled with fabulous restaurants. There are also narrow paths squeezed in between buildings that pedestrians can use as shortcuts to other streets. There are also restaurants hidden away in these pockets. Torigin specializes in kama meshi, rice cooked with ingredients, and yakitori. I have tried going to Torigin…
Category: rice
Zōjirushi Shokudō
Zōjirushi, the company famous for electric rice cookers and many other products, has a restaurant near Tokyo Station in the Kitte building. The concept is smart marketing with Zōjirushi rice cookers in the middle of the restaurant. Zōjirushi sesame grinders and a Zōjirushi insulated cup are on each table. The drink bar includes a variety…
Beef Tongue Breakfast
Rikyū servers gyūtan, beef tongue, with rice, beef tail soup, and tororo grated mountain potato. Agree the tongue is grilled. #Gyūtan is a specialty of #Tohoku and particularly #Sendai in #Miyagi prefecture. Perfect breakfast at #TokyoStation for a long day of travel and exploring. Rikyū is located in the basement inside Tokyo Station in the…
Onigiri
Excellent onigiri shop Konga in the basement of the Akasaka Biz Tower. The cook apprenticed at the famous Otsuka Bongo onigiri 🍙 shop. Free refill of miso soup. 🥰 It is located near Akasaka Station. Follow the signs for Akasaka Biz Tower. Konga has opened a branch at Haneda Airport. I highly recommend this new…
Onigiri
The famous onigiri (or omusubi) restaurant Bongo has opened a sister shop in Shinjuku called Manma @onigiri_manma. We loved the onigiri. Mentaiko & cream cheese. Seasoned meat with a soy sauce-cured egg. Grilled salmon & sujiko salmon roe. My favorite was the bacon & cheese. The only side dishes are miso soup and tsukemono pickles….
Mai Mai Onigiri
Onigiri meals are the most comforting. The onigiri at Mai Mai are made with zakkokumai rice rich with grains, beans, seeds, and millets. Nutritious. Rich texture. There was a variety of about two dozen fillings. All tempting. I went with cream cheese and shio kombu which I will start making at home. We often make…
Ochazuké
I am enjoying my #FoodSakeTokyo market tours so much. I love demystifying Japanese cuisine. Just last week I did a local supermarket tour with a client who has moved to Tokyo. We walked through her local supermarket introducing ingredients and products she can use in her daily life. She lived in Japan before so is…
Salmon and Ikura Rice at Tsukiji
Delicious start to the day at Tsukiji Tadokoro Shokuhin, a fish roe specialty shop. The eat-in counter has rice and pasta dishes with ikura (salmon roe), tarako and mentaiko (both from pollack roe). There is also onigiri or omusubi rice balls stuffed with roe for take-away. This is rice sauteed in butter and soy sauce…
Onigiri at Tokyo Station
Onigiri, also called omusubi, #Japanesebreakfast at #TokyoStation Honnoriya. I was craving roe so picked mentaiko spicy pollack roe and ikura salmon roe. Include miso soup with carrots, spinach, and fried tōfu. Diners select from one of @marukome_family’s four miso flavors. I chose sea bream which was oishii delicious. There is a small eat-in section and…
Sushi For Beginners – Press Your Sushi
Pressed sushi is a great starting point if you want to make sushi at home. Best of all, even if you don’t have access to sashimi-grade seafood, you can still make sushi at home. This recipe came from a Nobu cookbook which I helped to edit. Chef Nobu is brilliant and knows what flavors appeal…
Ginza Akomeya
For one-stop shopping for food, tableware, kitchenware, and lunch, I highly recommend Ginza Akomeya. The restaurant offers a colorful lunch rich with small dishes. While not vegetarian, it is vegetable-friendly and nourishing. The retail part of the store is curated offering great products for the pantry. Essentials like mirin, sesame oil, and soy sauce as…
Takenoko Gohan
Bamboo shoots are in season at the moment. They are also in season in the fall. But I associate the delicate flavor and aroma with spring. I was at a friend’s house on the weekend. Her mother, who is an excllent cook, had just cleaned and boiled a bamboo shoot and had brought half to…
Onigirazu – Rice Sandwiches
Onigiri or omusubi are savory stuffed rice balls that are often wrapped in nori. The shape is traditionally a triangle. Onigiri is something we eat at least once a week. These are perfect for picnics, hiking, as a quick meal or snack. But the onigiri is not perfect. The stuffings are concentrated in the center…
Ginza Lunch – Hachidaime Gihey 銀座米料亭 八代目儀兵衛
At home we cook our rice in a donabe (ceramic pot). It is much faster to cook the rice in the donabe than it is in a rice cooker. Better yet, if you can cook it properly, the donabe will give you a nice okoge, charred crust. A Kyoto restaurant that specializes in rice that has a small restaurant…
Sweet Corn Rice
Growing up in Minnesota I was surrounded by large farms growing corn. There was nothing better than stopping by the side of the road and picking up a dozen ears of corn in a brown paper bag for a buck. At home we would shuck the ears outside on the front lawn. There was…
Food Sake Tokyo 