Surf and turf, Japanese Style
Beef and seafood are two I strongly associate with Japan. Both have a quality that is on another level compared with products from anywhere else that I have been. While there is seafood at can rival that found in Japan, no one has ever been able to match the beef. It has never been replicated.
When I had the opportunity to some surf and turf in Japan I jumped at the chance. The place I went to was located in Akihabara. This surprised me at first because I have never come to associate Akihabara with good food. However, I was assured that this the place we were going was famous for preparing beef in a western style so my fears were partially assuaged.
They had various steaks as well as beef qualities as options. All beef was Japanese with high prices for higher grades. My eyes glazed over the pages as I saw picture after delicious picture of steaks. I locked onto one page that contained a piece of beef loin and a giant shrimp. This is the one I wanted, price was ¥6300, no big deal it was beef and I had to have it.
When it came to our table the meat and shrimp were on a heavy cast iron hot plate, the fat still sizzling from the residual heat. The portion of beef was puny compared to the cut you get at an American steak house. However, what it lacked on size it made up for in flavor. There was a nice beef flavor and richness that is hard to match. The marbling of the beef made it melt in your mouth. This combination made every bite a bit of heaven in your mouth and I wish for a bigger piece so I could eat more and continue to savor it. The shrimp was comparable in size to a lobster. It seemed like it was twice cooked, lightly boiled sliced in half and mayonnaise placed on top then grilled. The mayo gave it a tangy taste and infused it with an additional fattiness that one would normally get with melted butter. There was a lot of mayo for one which over powered the shrimp. I wasn't able to experience the sweetness of the seafood as much as I would have liked. However, the combination of the richness and tangyness of the mayo, with the sweetness of the shrimp went well together and it was a good combination. Overall the meal was fantastic and for the price I though was pretty reasonable. I would have liked a bigger piece of meat or even one from Matsuzaka, but that definitely would have made the cost of the meal exorbitantly high.
Bento boxes the perfect lunch on the rails
If your traveling through Japan as a tourist your more than likely going to going by train. Japan is a nation of trains. With over 27,000 kilometers of track there are few places in Japan you can't get to by train. Japan's train stations can be massive and dwarf anything you would see in the United States. They are massive complexes that included multistory malls, hotels, and various dining options. These are the centers of urban life in Japan.
Whether your in one of Japan's massive train stations or a tiny outpost in a remote city there is one thing that will remain true. Someone will be selling bento boxes to weary travelers who need some food to eat. Although bento boxes are available everywhere in Japan, and they are also made at home for lunch time meals, some of the most extravagant ones are found at the many train stations that do the country. Some are even made with special foods from the city or region where they are from in order to differentiate them from the rest of the country. It almost becomes a tourist attraction of its own, traveling the country trying each stations unique bento.
Prices generally range from ¥800 to ¥3000 so there is a bento for any budget. The quality of the food is surprisingly good. The simplest bento is just rice, with something on top, its basically a donburi. Others are fairly extravagant with many items in their own little compartments. They are perfect on the train, eat them while enjoying the scenery on a slowly moving local train to the super fast shinkansen.
Train Stations can be massive, like the 15 story Kyoto station
A unagi bento from Tokyo Station
13 Item bento from Kyoto Station
Menchi Katsu sandwich box from Akihabara
Monk’s Kettle
For anyone that knows me, I'm not much of a beer person. If I had a choice I would rather be drinking a nice French Bordeaux. However, the Monk's Kettle stands out as a primer location for beer in the city, and is one place I wouldn't mind having a bottle of suds. Monk's Kettle is one of a growing number of gastropubs in the city that combines quality food and good beer together to form what an ideal bar should be like, a place to enjoy to company of others while sharing a good meal and drink.
Although Monk's offers a selection of wines, once you take a look at the dizzing 5 page beer list, you'll know your in a beer lovers bar. They offer 24 draft beers and a staggering 150 specialty bottles running the gambit of styles from light golden lagers to deep dark stouts. These beers come from the four corners of the Earth, and while you'll see beer mainly from Europe and America here there is a good selection of Asian beers all from craft breweries. People looking for a common beer need not apply. Also prices aren't that cheap either, most bottled beer is over $10 per bottle, with some costing more than a bottle of wine in a nice restaurant.
The food here isn't a slouch either. They offer a small selection of appetizers, burgers, entrees that will satisfy the hunger. The menu also suggests beer pairings that will go well with each dish. On one visit there my group sampled a couple of their appetizers. A charcuterie plate consisting of 4 different cured meats, a macaroni and cheese with lobster and bacon, and a bowl of fries with 3 different dipping sauces. All the dishes were satisfying and tasty. The standout of the evening for me was the special mac and cheese they offered. The combination of the lobster and bacon with the cheese sauce was good and surprised most of guest I was with.
Overall the Monk's kettle is a great place to get a good glass of beer and some great food. Although this place hasn't changed my love of wine, it has definitely improved my view of beer. It is has made a place of my list of great places to eat in the Mission.
Tasty fries. They came with a flavored ketchup, curry aoli, and mayo. Hits the spot when drinking.
The charcuterie plate consisted of duck prosciutto, regular prosciutto, salami, and sasuage.
The lobster-bacon mac and cheese with just great.
Bread in Japan
Like all other asian countries, Japan is a land of rice. If you pass through the country side your bound more fields of rice then of wheat, or perhaps any other crop. However, Japanese do love their bread. It is one of the most common items you'd find at a combini. If you take a stroll through Ginza and end up in one of the massive department stores like my personal favorite, Mitsukoshi, and travel down to the basement food floors you're bound to see a European bakery's outpost.
Living in San Francisco most of the time, we have our fair share of good bakeries and the quality is excellent. I do think that we do take ourselves too seriously here sometimes, our quality is great, but some of the bakeries in Tokyo put us to shame. For example a chain store called Choco Cro, produces some amazing croissant buttery and flakey, cooked perfectly. For a chain store to maintain that level of quality is astounding especially since my perception of chain food is McDonalds and other fast food that is horrible.
When I was living in Roppongi there are too major urban developments in walking distance, the now famous Roppongi Hills, and the up and coming Tokyo Midtown. Both contain excellent bakeries. In Roppongi Hills just outside the main complex near Hollywood Plaza on the main street is a bakery called Pompadour. This small shop produces a number of classical French breads as wells as some more imaginative japanese varieties. Japanese varieties include one of the best version of curry pan that i've tasted, another deep fried bread stuff with tarako, and some corn mayo bread. The last one may sound really strange, and believe me its not one of my favorite flavors of any bread, but this version is pretty good.
Chain restaurants can have good food too
Curry pan is a deep fried bread that is stuffed with Japanese curry
Classic Pastries done with precision
Some Chinese food
During a previous trip to Japan I had an opportunity to try some Chinese food in Yokohama. There I had some Dim Sum, by far one of my favorite styles of Chinese cuisine. There was hope for great things, the proximity to China made me believe that this was going to be close to authentic Chinese food, at least better than what I could get in the states, sadly I was wrong. The food that time was more or less strange. I got a sense that I was Japanese-Chinese food, which to me means food that is Chinese in origin, but uniquely tailored for the Japanese pallet. At that time I had assumed that all Chinese food was going to taste like that, so I can now happily report that it does not.
I went to a Chinese restaurant that is located in the modern Roppongi Hills. The hills is one of the largest private urban development projects in Tokyo and is geared towards an upscale clientele. Since I was there for lunch they had a set menu which included four different kinds of Dim Sum along with rice and your choice of meat, I decided on roast duck. The four dumplings that were included were included were a deep fried mochi with meat filling, a Shanghai style soup dumpling, and two kinds of shrimp dumpling.
The deep fried dumpling was one of my favorites of the meal. I have only just tried this kind of dumpling a few months ago in San Francisco, and this version is levels ahead of that one. The filling was slightly sweet, and contained a mixture of ground pork, chopped shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms. The outside was crispy and not oily at all while the mochi was soft and slightly chewy.
Second was the Shanghai soup dumpling. I had some high expectations of this one. In San Francisco, Yank Sing, the dim sum place I frequent has this type of dumpling as one of its specialities, so I was hoping for something better out of this one. I'm saddened to say that one was not that good. For one it lacked a soup component, or more specifically there wasn't enough soup. When I think of a soup dumpling I think of it like a hot meat slurpy. The soup is mixed in with the meat filling to give it a chunky, yet drinkable texture. The filling itself was bland as well. There was a slight hint of pork, but completely lacked seasoning. It ended up being a bland slightly juicy dumpling that was forgettable.
Next up were the two shrimp dumplings. The first was a typical one with a rice flower skin, the second had a rice flower skin as well, but it was also mixed with either maccha or green onions to give a green appearance. The regular one was not interesting. The filling was completely made into a paste so there was no chunks of shrimp in it. The flavor as well lacked something that would make me feel like it's a real shrimp dumpling. The green one however, was quite tasty. It was not as good as deep fried one but it was better than the other two. The filling was also different from the first shrimp dumpling. There were larger shrimp chunks and this one also included some green onions that punched up the flavor.
The main dish was the rice and roasted duck. Roast duck is one of my favorite chinese dishes and the one they do here is done right. It reminds me of the kind of duck that is used of Peking Duck, but better. There were no bones and the meat with incredibly rich. There was layers of fat that made that flavor of the duck spread throughout ones mouth and melting away. The sauce that came with it was also good and mixed well with the rice that was sitting underneath. The only complaint that I could make for this dish was there wasn't enough duck.
Final Rating:
Fried Dumpling: 10/10
Good flavor, these were the best dumplings out of the bunch.
Soup Dumpling: 4/10
Thoroughly disappointed, lacking soup, and flavor.
Green Shrimp Dumpling 8/10
Didn't get a a taste of what was they put in the green skin, but the filling was good.
White Shrimp Dumpling 5/10
A mediocre effort no big pieces of shrimp, lacked a flavor that usually makes these dumplings taste so good.
Roasted Duck: 10/10
The that duck was great no complaints.
Overall: 8.5/10
There were some highs, but there were also some lows. I am mixed giving it this rating on one hand The dishes that I liked, I loved. The dishes that I disliked weren't too bad, but I would never eat them again given a choice.
It’s Sushi Time
Tonight I was finally able to get to a sushi bar. On my first trip to Japan, the first place I ate was a sushi bar. The second time I came same thing. This time I wasn't able to, but I did finally make it to the same place I went on my first and second trips. Sushizanmai is a chain of sushi bars located in Tokyo, the original is located in Tsukiji fish market. Although it is a chain don't be fooled the sushi here is top notch. We ventured to the one located near Monzen-Nakacho station. It's a small little place with seating for only ten located exclusively at the bar. Sushi is priced per piece and ranges in price from $1 to $5.00 per piece.
Although I can't really go into much detail on how each piece tasted, all the sushi was delicious. There is a freshness there that can't be replicated anywhere I've been to in America. Even at Sushi Ran, my favorite place in the states for sushi, it cannot match up with this place. I feel there is a Japanese sensibility and a way of preparing food specifically for Japanese people that makes it taste better.
Wait Gucci Makes Food?
To many in the west, Gucci, is a luxury clothing outfit, it produces sought after shoes, bags, clothing, and accessories. However, did you know that they also make chocolate and have food operations? Located at the Gucci building in Ginza, is one of only two Gucci cafes in existence, the other being in Gucci's flagship store in Milan. Dressed in a color pallet the matches their stores, and sculpted in a minimalist contemporary style, the cafe exudes the feeling of luxury.
The cafe serves mostly desserts and some lighter fare. I had the seasonal tart, which had a topping of grapefruit, and was served with a honey sorbet. The plating was very elegant, yet still simple. The tart itself was fantastic. At first one would think that grapefruit would be too tart to have as the only fruit on the dish, but these were not that tart at all. The crust was perfect it had enough structure to hold everything in place, but was soft enough to cut with a fork without much effort. Below the fruit was a cream base that give the grapefruit that additional sweetness to offset the minor tartness of it.
The honey sorbet was magical, and has now replaced vanilla as a basic flavor that I enjoy. It was the perfect balance of a vanilla flavor with just a hint of honey in it. While eating it the first sensation is that of vanilla and as you swallow the honey flavor spread though the mouth.
Final Rating: 10/10
This was the perfect dessert. Everything was perfectly executed, the taste was just the way it should be.
Lunch in Ginza
Had lunch in Ginza today at Fujiya Restaurant inside the Fujiya building. Although we were in ritzy Ginza, the food that was served was closer to a family restaurant than anything else. Family restaurants are a class of restaurants where service isn't the same as a regular restaurant where you pay at the table, rather you go and pay at the front. Also the menu is usually always western in scope, which is another defining element.
I ended up ordering an omelet rice, which consists of a catsup style fried rice covered in a plain egg omelet with a little bit demi glace on top. The dish also came with a side of beef stew. The omurice it self was okay, rice lacked flavor and richness. The egg was well prepared and the sauce on top matched well with the flavors of the rice.
I ended up enjoying the beef stew more. The sauce that was in it was very rich and had a great depth of flavor. It contained some gnocchi or potato dumplings, carrots, broccoli, and beef. The vegetables were cooked perfectly and the beef was melt in your mouth tender. The bland starchy gnocchi complemented the rich sauce and give it balance.
For a drink I had a chocolate frappe type drink. I'm not sure exactly what was in it, but I believe it was blended with some kind of nuts or coca nibs. It was topped with an chocolate ice cream, and some whipped cream. The whip cream was extremely dense. The consistency was almost like custard, but it had a great mouth feel. The ice cream was very creamy too, it was soft, but not like a gelato. The actual drink itself on first taste seemed like it had bananas in it, but I could not confirm. Attempting it drink it was also a challenge, it was thick, which made it difficult to drink with a straw.
Final Rating: 8/10
Most of the food was good, the filling in the omurice was the only stumbling block. I feel like the version I make tastes better. Other than that it was a good meal.
Quick Snack in the Morning
In the morning I picked up a quick snack to eat from Family Mart (I can see a trend emerging here). It was a can of coffee and a yakiniku onigiri. The coffee was good, it was sweetened with cream and sugar so it wasn't bitter at all. The yakiniku onigiri was okay. The rice was cooked well, but the filling's flavor was really strong. Its a good thing that there wasn't a lot of it or it would have been too overbearing.
Final rating:
Boss Coffee: 8/10
As far as canned coffee goes it was good.
Yakiniku onigiri: 7/10
The strong flavors made it hard to give this a higher score. The only thing that saved it was there wasn't a lot of the filling.
Overall: 7.5/10
A decent morning snack to get the gears going.
Dinner in Shibuya
In the evening the rain finally let up and I headed to Shibuya to check out the sights, and of course get something to eat. I met up with a friend and we ended up going to a place we've been before. The cuisine of the restaurant was Japanese, and was great to have a nice hot meal. I started off with a glass of apple juice, which in japan is more like an apple flavored soft drink. For dinner I got a fry place with half a tonkatsu, kani cream croquette, and two pieces of friend shrimp. It also came with rice, miso soup, and some braised root vegetables. I added an onsen tamago along with it.
The miso soup was good, though it could have used a little bit more salt. The veggies were alright as well. I was a little disappointed with the onsen tamago though, the center had coagulated and it was not runny at all. However, the flavor was there, it was served with a little sauce which I am guessing is composed a little dashi and soy sauce. On the entree the fried foods all had been fried and breaded nicely. Although for the shrimp the batter was a bit too thick for my taste which resulted in less shrimp. The kani cream croquette was a little bland, I could mostly taste the cream sauce, but very little crab. The tonkatsu was by far my favorite. It was moist and tender and tasted great with the sauce.
Final Rating: 7.5/10
The food was good. Though some items could have been better.
