ankomochi

Are you looking for somewhere expensive? If you like Tempura and if you don't mind the price, I will recommend Tenichi. They make tempura in front of you, and it is very good. If you don't like seafood, just tell them you don't like them or point at things you don't like. There are 6 locations in Tokyo, and one is in Imperial Hotel. http://www.tenichi.co.jp/supreme/imperial-hotel.html

Happy New Year everyone! I just read the article on ImoJochu on NYT 1/4/06 by Harris Salat. Essence of Sweet Potato, Sip by Sip. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/04/dining/04shoc.html Harris Salat has his web log, too. http://www.harrissalat.com/ He writes a short blog on mochi, and he has wonderful mochi making photos!

I have to agree with Mascarpone about Minca. I made the second visit to Minca a few month ago, and i was greatly disappointed by their noodle. The first time i was there during summer, the noodle was good -- al dente and nice texture. But, at my second visit, the noodle was so not good. I don't know what was wrong with the noodle, but the noodle seemed to loose the consistence. Broth, however, was still good when i visited the second time. Rai Rai Ken is okay, but I am not too crazy about their noodle. The noodle does not have great al dente texture. Everyone has his/her favorite when it comes to the type of noodle he/her favors. Rai Rai Ken's noodle is not for me, but many people seem to enjoy and like it very much. Momofuku's Ramen is not Ramen. It's noodle in soup.

Hiroyuki-san! I had no idea! There is no distinction between Pork Man and Beef Man in Kanto? Beef Man exists in Tokyo? What do you call them? In Kanto, you use pork for Nikujaga? Do you also use pork for Niku Udon? That's very interesting! I also noticed that Sukiyaki in Kanto is different from Kansai style Sukiyaki. Kanto version is darker than Kansan's. Kanto's Sukiyaki has lot more liquid or soup than Kansai version.

My favorite non-okashi items that I am crazy for: 1. QP mayonnaise Do I have to explain? 2. UFO Yakisoba I love UFO yakisoba since I was small. I try other instant yakisoba noodles, but I always come back to UFO. 3. Mishima no Yukari gohan furikake I love this cheap product. I sprinkle over rice, pasta, and somen.

I agree with Todd. En is a pretty and trendy place, and food is not as memorable as you hope for. Sake is definitely overpriced, but not as much as Megu. When I was there a few weeks ago, kitchen stuff members, who were wearing Ninja-like outfits, greeted everyone with the chorus of "irasshaimase," meaning "welcome" in Japanese. It was a little too loud and overwheleming... (When I went to Cafe Grey recently, a man, who was clearly and embarrassingly drunk, kept telling me "irasshaimase." He must have been to EN....) I don't remember what I ate, but Tofu was good. Red Miso braised Daikon was not impressive. Croquette was a little soggy with oil. Deep fried Japanese sea bass was good. They seem to have a nice selection of Japanese sake, but a little overpriced as mentioned above. They also have a selection of Shochu and interesting sake cocktails.

I didn't know that Tirol choco was only popular in Kansai! I had never seen and had Rice Choco before. Thanks for the info. Hove you ever had Umai Bou? Umai Bou is corn puff snack and it was about 10 yen.

My favorite dagashi is Chiroru Choco. It's only 10 yen, and jingle was "10yen attara chiroru choco: buy chciroru choco if you have 10 yen." Is Chiroru Choco is considered to be dagashi?

I love Katsuhama curry! Their tonkatsu is good and okay, but their curry is great! I love it!! For Ramen, I will go for Minca. I haven't been there for such a long time. It's time for me to eat Ramen very soon!

I asked the waiter to leave the menu on our table while we were eating, so that we knew what we were eating. My friend asked the waiter to give us the list of wine that we had. The end of our meal, they gave us the menu and the wine list. For the wine, I don't remember exactly and I don't know how to answer it. Half of the glass... or less or more.

I had a wonderful dinner at Per Se last night. My friend had a 9-course Chef tasting and I had a 9-course Veggie tasting. Waiters were very nice and polite. I really loved the beautiful wine glasses and simple white plates. We were seated at the upper tier on North corner with a nice comfortable sofa chair with cushions. Frank Bruni suggested in his review, “if you can wangle a reservation that puts you in Per Se around dusk and allows you to watch the light fade over Manhattan, do it.” We had 5:30pm reservation, and I was looking forward to enjoy the color change in the sky. When we started, the sky was still blue. However, I was enjoying the food so much that it was already dark when I looked at the outside of windows. In the end of meal, we were able to tour the kitchen. The kitchen was very clean. There were 14 staff members working at the kitchen, and they were so calm and the atmosphere was not chaotic. We were told that in near future they are going to open a bakery shop, offering baked goods and sandwiches, etc, in Time Warner Center. The followings are our menu and wine: September 12, 2004 Chef: OYSTERS AND PEARLS Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Iranian Ossetra Caviar Veg: SOY MILK CUSTARD With Barrel Aged Tamari Glaze Chef: PEACH MELBA Moulard Duck “Foie Gras au Torchon,” Frog Hollow Farms Peach Jelly, Pickled Peaches, Marinated Red Onion, “Melba Toast” and Crispy Carolina Rice (Foie Gras was smooth and creamy. I usually cannot eat Foie Gras, but I could eat this one. Delicious.) Veg: TOASTED BULGAR WHEAT Marinated English Cucumbers and Port Wine Syrup Chef: CRISPY SKIN FILET OF MOIHearts of Palm, Braised Heirloom Radishes, Tokyo Turnips and Tellicherry Black Pepper “Gstrique” (Moi’s skin was very crispy and delicious.) Veg: SALAD OF TOYBOX TOMATOES Friend Vine Ripe Tomatos, Parmesan “Coulis” and Basil Sorbet (Basil Sorbet was amazing! I loved it very much.) Chef: NOVA SCOTIA LOBSTER “CUIT SOUS VIDE” Braised Young Fennel, Fennel Frond Salad, Ruby Red Grapefruit and Yountville Fennel Bud Glaze Veg: GRILLED CEPE MUSHROOMS “Haricot Verts,” Yellow Wax Beans, Armando Manni “Per Mi Figlio” Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Aged Balsamic Vinegar (Balsamic Vinegar was 100 years old, I was told. It was very syrupy and sweet. Wonderful.) Chef: ALL DAY BRAISED EDEN FARM’S BERKSHIRE PORK SHOULDER Sweet Corn Kernels, Caramelized Mission Figs and Pork “Jus” Veg: BAKED YOUNG ITALIAN EGGPLANT Sultanas, Garbanzo Beans, Pickled Sweet Peppers and Nicoise Olives Chef: ELYSIAN FIELDS FARM “SELLE D’AGNEAU ROTIE ENTIERE” Forest Mushrooms, Glazed Pearl Onions and Yukon Gold “Pomme Puree” Veg: ”FRICASSEE” OF RUSSET POTATO “GNOCCHI” Roasted Romaine Lettuce, Perigord Truffles and Braised Red Raddish (Braised Red Raddish had a wonderful flavor and Gnocchi was very good.) Chef: “RASCHERA” Summer Melons and Young Sorrel Leaves with Moulins des Penitents Extra Virgin Olive Oil Veg: “WELSH RAREBIT” Ribblesdale Goat Cheese, Onion Bread “Crouton” and Watercress Leaves Chef: HIBISCUS SORBET Sweet Carrot “Pate de Fruits” with Date-Tamarind “Puree” and Soy Caramel Veg: OLD CHATHAM SHEEP’S MILK YOGURT SORBET Red Beet Essence “Genoise” and Candied Satur Farms Beets Chef: “TENTATION AU CHOCOLATE< NOISETTE ET LAIT” Milk Chocolate “Cremeaux,” Hazelnut “Streusel” with Condensed Milk Sorbet, “Pain au Lait” Sauce and “Sweetened Salty Hazelnuts” Veg: “CUBE MAGIQUE AU CCHOCOLAT” Valrhona White Chocolate “Cremeus,” “Sirop au Caramel et au Chocolat Amer” and Chocolate Sorbet “Mignardises” Wine Accompaniment Andre Perret, Condrieu, “Chery,” Rhone Valley 2001 Pierre Gimonnet et Fils, Blanc de Blancs, “Cuis,” 1 er Cru MV Clelia Romano, Fiano di Avellino, “Colli di Lapio,” Campania 2002 Theo Minges, Scheurebe “Gleisweiler Holle,” Spatlese, Pfalz 2002 Leitz, Riesling, “Rudsheimer Berg Kaisersteinfels,” Rheingau 2002 Huet, “Le Haut Lieu,” Sec, Vouvray 2002 Terriccio, “Tassinaia,” I.G.T., Tuscany 1999 JC Cellars, Syrah, “Ventana Vineyard,” Monterey County 2002 Kiralyudvar, Tokaji Cuvee, “Ilona,” Hungary 1999 Chambers-Rosewood, Muscat, Rutherglen MV Cossart Gordon, 10 year “Bual,” Madiera MV

I am Pan’s Japanese friend. I work at a small Japanese office and our consensus was “there is no great Ramen place in NYC.” However, one of my co-worker discovered this Minca place last week and told me that Minca is the best Ramen place in NYC so far. So, I asked my friend Pan to explore so-called best Ramen place in NYC. The place was already crowded when we got there. By the time we left, there was a line of people waiting to eat Ramen. Even the owner of Minca was so overwhelmed by the crowd. The Ramen I wanted to eat (I forgot the name, but it was one of special and $11.50.) was sold out already, so I choose Charshu ramen. The Charchu Ramen soup was made from Pork and Chicken bones; the soup is milky white color and thick and oily, but not too greasy. Wahoo Ramen soup was made from chicken bones and it’s lighter in taste. Both soup was fabulous! The stewed pork was so delicious -- very tender and tasty. It’s wonderful. Period. The noodle was a little soft, but not too bad. However, the noodle was better than other Ramen places. Pork Gyoza was very garlicky and delicious. It could be a little crispier, but it is possible that they didn’t have enough time to cook long enough to make it crispy. Overall, I really like this Ramen place a lot and this is the best Ramen soup I had in NYC. By the way, Monday is closed. I am not sure about BYOB policy.

I like Menkui Tei on 56th street and between 5th & 6th avenue. It's very small, simple, and nothing fancy ramen place, but ramen noodle is quite good. They have great garlicky gyoza, too!

Soba san! You can buy mochi ice cream at Japanese grocery stores like JAS mart, Sunrise Market, or Katagiri. Even Korean groceries sometime carry mochi ice cream. They have maccha, anko, and vanilla, I think. As far as I remember, Tempura Ice Cream once became very popular in early 1990's. At least in Matsuyama city and my high school, Tempura ice cream was cool thing to eat one year. One of Cooking Manga "Mr. Ajikko" even had an episode of Tempura ice cream. I don't remember the detail of the episode, but it really looked so delicious. A small Japanese restaurant in Matsuyama started to offer Tempura Ice cream as a result of the boom or maybe he has read the Mr. Ajikko episode. My aunt and I went there and had our first tempura ice cream. The one we had was vanilla ice cream is coated with corn flake and deep fried it. I have heard about the version of Monaka Ice Cream coated with tempura batter and deep fried it.

I didn't know that you can get Marukin's soy sauce in the US! I looked at a Japanese Marukin website and said that the expiration of Hatsu Shibori Shoyu or their shoyu products is 2 years. It does not recommend for refrigeration, but you should keep the soy sauce in at a cool place. I usually put in my refrigerator, though. Shodoshima is famous for somen noodle, and their soy sauce is also well known in Kagawa. The soy sauce I recently acquired is Kinbue Shoyu from Saitama. The ingredients listed are soybeans, wheat, and sea salt. This one also says that the expiration is 2 years. It has such a nice flavor that the small amount does a big job.

I cannot believe that so many people hate Omuraisu. What's wrong with you all?! Omuraisu was my favorite food when I was a child. That's the only thing I ate at a restaurant. My grandmother always made me Omuraisu when I visited her. I love Omuraisu! Kristin! That Omuraisu bento looks so yummy!!!

Did you call me? Obviously from the egullet name, I love ANKO very mush. Anything anko in mochi, I love them! I used to hate Tsubu An because I didn't enjoy the texture of the bean skin. And also, I couldn't eat Yokan because it is so Black and an appetizing. (Chocolate is different, though.) Now, I like both Tsubu An and Koshi An equally. However, I still am not too crazy about Oshiruko, Zenzai, Anmitsu, Ogura Ice, and Ogura Kakigoori. That bean skin still bothers me a little. Have you ever heard of Shio An? It's salty anko. When I was small, I remember eating Shio An Manju, and it was so disgusting.

Katsuhama has Shabu Shabu on its menue. I have never eaten Shabu Shabu at there, so I have no idea how great or how poor it is. Considering the taste of other pork dishes they offer, I think their Shabu Shabu is worth a try. Katsuhama 11 E 47th street

Owen! It's great blog!! I cannot believe how much cooking you have done so far. Your kitchen is so nice and huge! It's bigger than my apartment. so, what is the Dinosaur BBQ chips? I have never heard of it before. What's dinner tonight?

It's interesting! I had no idea Tekkaba was the origin of the word Tekka maki. Thank you to people who worked at Tekkaba! There is an interesting article on NY Times about Japanese language. It has nothing to do with FOOD, but I thought you might find it interesting to read. It's about the difference between China and Japan, how they express foreign words. The article appeard on 3/17/04 NYT in International section, written by Norimitsu Onishi. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/17/internat...sia/17ASIA.html

Does it have to be Canadian things? In addition to Maple syrup and other gift that you are thinking of.... I have friends in Japan always send me Japanese Okashi. In exchange, I send them something I can find here in NY. They seem to like Herbal teas -- lemon zinger, hibiscus, peppermint, rose hip, etc. They also like Pollen season teas, herbal tea for hey fever sufferers. Those unusual herbal teas are always fun to drink. And, it's light!

I ate two cream puffs this morning and I had one cream puff in the afternoon. After 4 hours of sitting on the table, the cream puff tasted good. The choux was still crispy. The choux was great; the custard was good. The custard was not too sweet and it was very creamy. As Suzanne said, the custard has not so much flavor. I expected to be strong vanilla flavor, but it was a little blunt.

I just learned that Megu is not going to open on Feb 16. It is planning to open on the beginning of March.

Restaurateur Koji Imai is going to open a new Japanese restaurant MEGU in NYC on 2/16. Do you know anything about him? Have you ever been one of his yakitori place? Koji Imai's Food Scope Web Site (japanese) http://www.foodscope.co.jp/index2.html Imai-ya Website (both English and Japanese) http://www.imaiya.co.jp/ MEGU website (English) http://www.megunyc.com/

I was told that they are finally going to open Feb 16 after long delays. Until recently, they have put classified ads for chefs and waiter/waitresses in Japanese community papers. I passed by the place few weeks ago, and they didn't seem to finish the construction of that place. But, I guess they finally are able to put everything together in last minutes and going to open the restaurant next week. http://www.megunyc.com/top.html