Blether

I'll disqualify myself until I find a local source. Three pints of extra-strong vanilla extract ? Man, you're going to be in the dessert for a while. Stoli was always my favourite Bloody Mary base, but if I was going for the ultimate pure vanilla (and had a big bunch of pods), I'd be tempted to try a butane-gas extraction, as, err... people do for other home herbal essences.

Mallard reaction - what you feel when you find you've burned the duck.

Hmm. Dried linguini that cooks in ten seconds. Are you having a laugh ? Are you posting from Mercury ? You're going to confuse me if you start referring to tablet as 'fudge'. Do you know tablet ? It forms a bar that has a hard 'snap' to it. I don't like it as rough as some so I forgo the beating before pouring out, but a granular mouthfeel is part of the experience. Tablet's a real duffer's confection - no glucose; no fuss about dissolving the sugar perfectly; and if you google Scottish tablet you'll see a wide range of recipes - with different instructions including 'simmer for 10 minutes', 'boil for 30 minutes', 'cook to firm ball', 'cook to soft ball'. It's old-fashoined home cooking at its best, really, isn't it ? When I was a kid the recipe we used didn't even have condensed milk - it was milk, sugar, butter. On this occasion I stopped at 124C, which is probably the high end. 112-116C is typical. I have a distinct memory of bugging my mum to make tablet late one night when she was obviously tired but I was obstinately selfish (what else is new ?) and/or uncannily persuasive. The freakin' stuff boiled over and there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth: the tablet we ended up with was all in shards like shattered ice (but still got eaten, natch ). I must have been 7 or 8 years old, but it's the whole crack story right there.

Thank-you all for a warm welcome. Chufi - thank-you, yes, and I pre-salted the meat for 4 days, so the flavour went right through too - more below GTO - I need to come back and post separately about the 'fudge' C. Sapidus - (blue crab... I learned something ) it's not every day, but, "I'll be back" As, not exchange, but some small offering in return for your superb-looking afritada, amongst others, how can I refuse ? It's Canadian pork shoulder, a piece weighing about 1.2kg. I'll paste how I've written it, edit gently and add some comments: --- Pot roast pork 'n' cabbage with wine - 20070213 1kg+ pork shoulder Cabbage - about a half to two-thirds A couple of onions White wine - Hanamasa Hock and Banrock Station box Semi-Chardo, half and half; second time - Hock only Juniper berries - a dozen ? - crushed A fistful of bacon fat - if you have it, otherwise whatever frying medium Salt and pepper Pre-salt pork (~2tsp ?), leave overnight (second attempt - for 4 days (really aimed for three)) Grind pepper over pork Brown pork all over, in bacon fat, and reserve Fry onions in bacon fat till golden Deglaze with wine - ~3/4 of bottle Add cabbage, bring to simmer whilst adding pepper (12 grinds), salt (~1.5tsp) and crushed Juniper berries Stir everything together, place pork on top. Bottom 0.5" or so of pork should be in wine Once simmering, cover and move to oven at 170C for 2.5 hours --- Salting the pork - apply salt only around the round surface of the 'cylinder', not the ends, for even absorption Frying fat - about 6tbsp ? Yesterday I used too much and got an oilier stew than ideal (Dried) juniper berries - this quantity (and my stock being old) makes it a distant, background presence. It's a very dominating flavour if used heavily, but not out of character for the dish (nor will omitting do any harm). I find my gas stovetop too aggressive at its lowest setting (I never owned one of those asbestos mats, and the perforated aluminium plate I bought doesn't seem to work, either) - things like rice too, I'll use a 170C oven to cook off at 'a gentle simmer' without having to worry about stirring. The onions are of course really browned - a good 15 - 20 minutes frying ? - for that deep flavour. The first time I cooked it I went for 3 hours - it was falling-apart tender, like when I pressed my carving knife into it it was keener to crush than to slice (note to self - sharpen that knife). Yesterday, 2 hours - good (and I carved with my bread knife !), but I think 2.5 will render the fat down just that extra bit and be the best compromise. The meat came straight from the fridge before browning. A fuller set of pictures is here Plating - we were eating with the lights turned low. Had it been brighter, I'd have instinctively laid some of the juice-and-veggies over the meat and it would have looked better under the flash, too

Knock knock ! Can anyone join in ? You guys are all making such great stuff. I'm impressed. And taking good pictures of it, too. I need to practise my photography (yes, all right, and the cooking ). A couple of weeks ago I put together, off the cuff, a take on good ol' pork & cabbage when it was feeling cold again. I liked it so much I thought I'd do it again. Mostly I hate doing things the second time, it's always when they turn out worst, but I was quite happy this time. So, Pot roast pork and cabbage with wine - My guests generously brought along a strawberry custard tart from Takashimaya, to which my photo doesn't do justice - - and I tried to fob off some of my home-made (Scottish) tablet on them - - to accompany the coffee.

Yeah, I'll confess - I was paraphrasing the name Domestic Goddess used in her diligent, well-written, informative and stimulating blog this week - and stirring in a direct translation of the Japanese equivalent evident at the Doyaji link (FYI they're using 'three layer belly'). I love that name, by the way, it could be a combination of 'doji' (a blunderer) and 'oyaji' (uncle, but colloquially 'old guy'); or it could be 'do' as in *very* and oyaji... tremendously good-humoured naming. I like your headgear, by the way. Is that a traditional NY thing ? Also your Trang Tien (?) bridge photo - it's very atmospheric. Yes, it's good if neighbours like Korea and Japan can make positive exchanges. Thdad - yep, 'Winter Sonata' - 冬のソナタ (fuyu no sonata, or 'fuyusona' for short, in Japan) get your DVD's here ! I hope you have a good trip - let us know if you need more on the trendy front

Yes, both the (triangular) Sumitomo building and the NS building are good choices - particularly if you're lucky enough for the sky to be very clear on the day, when my personal choice would be Kuu or one of the other eateries on the top few floors of the Sumitomo. Both buildings boast a number of that kind of restaurant on those top floors. I'm guilty of heading there when the conditions are right (great visibility and/or visitors who'll appreciate skyscraping), wandering those floors and choosing whatever feels best at the time (and not paying enough attention to individual restaurant names. Ahem).

Hi, Larrylee. Are you OK ? You seem to have been choked off mid-sentence Thdad specifically stated, I think, that one of his aims was to compare the restaurant trends in Tokyo with those in Korea... if they turn out to be Korean, there's some irony there, no ? I even wondered if he is based in Korea. To go into that list and pull out some examples: Korean sake and samgyopsal Biton (lit., beautiful pork') Korean three-layer pork belly and family cooking Doyaji Real Korean yakiniku and family cooking Oba-chan ('Aunty') Korean home cooking Norubune Korean home cooking Chegoya (Yoyogi branch) Korean pork cuisine Teji Tokyo I'm not real familiar with genuine Korean food, myself, and have never visited Korea. What are the other things that 'three layer pork' could be, if not "samugyopusaru" ? And, may I ask you a question ? What is the name of the Korean TV drama series that has been a major hit in Japan over the last couple of years, sparking the 'Korean boom' that the blossoming here of Korean cuisine is evidence of ? Would you say it's a trend, or trendy, or both ?

I'm interested - may I ask you how you use the frozen-uncooked-breaded-chicken-fingers - I mean, how do you thaw/cook them when you want to eat some ? In my situation, I'd deep fry from frozen, but that doesn't help Fat Guy. (My own breaded chicken pieces never last long enough to get frozen, but they are a great easy, tasty thing to take along on a group day out or to a casual party. I'm in the mustardy-egging and herby-breadcrumb camp).

I think you got it clearly enough - of course we haven't exchanged posts before, but I think I've seen you posting on Indian food topics, which is why I asked.

Ha ha ! Seemed appropriate. In other (more combative !) forums I've been ribbed by some of our American cousins corrupting it to 'blather'... mostly I sit quietly and smile to myself. I lived about 24 miles west of you from, oh, 1968 to 1983 or so - '86, I guess, counting summers. Will you be writing up a report on "Let's Eat" for us ? Fine dining in Perth - whoever would have thought it ? (shakes head in wonderment (and hopes it's still there, seven years on)) My head ? Yeah, that too. [sorry, Sheena, to meander in your thread ]

Milagai, me old chum - is it not true that the Indian diet relies on the three - a grain (rice or bread), beans and *some dairy* (paneer/yoghurt mostly, of course) for a complete supply of protein ?

Disgusting ? Yes, well there's nothing that pisses me off more than those who can't put up with the behaviour of others... My brother reckoned, after eating dog when visiting his gf's family in the Luzon mountains, that the dogs (the remaining dogs) could smell it on him over the next few days, and avoided him like the plague. Henry dV - where in Perthshire are you ? I grew up there.

Tabelog lists its top-ranked restaurants in Tokyo. (Taberu = 'to eat', so, 'Eatblog' ?). That is, as rated by those who are engaged enough to be providing ratings to this fairly major website. (Top group - overall top rankings. Below that - best two in each food category. Links to further rankings in each category).

Outback ? Yeah, that's a point too - Outback outlets in Japan To come back and add to your earlier query on organic places, I haven't been, but I remembered having heard recommendations for this place - LOHAS in Nishi-Shinjuku (details). In the detailed page, we can see it's busy 12-1 and 8-9; popular with 20's and 30's; typically half group and half non-group; there are quite a lot of couples; more women than men; and it's half-and-half quiet/loud. I love these Japanese guides this one (Gourmet Pia) and Women's Excite do a similar thing. Trendy ? What does trendy mean to you ? Popular with everyone ? Popular with a certain group ? Patronised by people from the fashion/media/arts worlds ? Full of celebrities ? Full of foodies ? Full of foreigners ? Young people ? Rich people ? Part of the current trend in openings ? In my home area, Shinjuku, many of the new openings right now are authentic Korean places like 'three layer pork' and the rest. In Shibuya, say, it's another story. If you're willing to stumble around in here - Guru-nabi new openings this month - you can get a feel for what's opening in each part of the city, even if just by looking at the pictures. A short answer might be, go to Roppongi Hills, or to the 'maru biru' (Marunouchi Building) in Marunouchi. I don't think Roppongi's midtown is open yet, but I can't say I'm following it closely. Maybe someone else knows. The big new developments are a beacon for public attention, so if that kind of trendy works for you, look at them.

... and if this link works, it will give you a list of, err... what's 15, squared ? A lot of coffee shops - the result of a search in Gourmet Navigator for 'specialist coffee shops' in Tokyo alone. For want of guidance, I'll pick 'Coffee Aristocrat Edinburgh' in Kabukicho (Shinjuku) (third listing), where the "brick arches speak of the shop's 30-year history". Aww ! Generic note for Tokyo coffee shops: beware of the smoke.

It's true that these kinda places have become much less widespread (less prominent ?) since the city was over-run by Starbucks, Tully's and smaller chains like Segafredo, on top of the older native chain Doutor. If you're serious, you'd probably be best in the Ginza / Yurakucho / Hibiya area - I'd say that's where you're most likely to find them now. I don't frequent gourmet coffee shops, but some years ago I worked in that area and can think of three places within a couple of minutes of each other, one of which would fit your description, with the other two notably unusual enough to reward a visit. How much will it hurt if the meticulous one's no longer there ? Will you be near that area or likely to make a special trip ? Is this the kind of image you're thinking of (NYT article from 1985) ? Thanks for bringing the subject up, I enjoyed that - like being in a time warp (a dollar fifty, 'quite expensive' ?) Mind you, Dai-bo (mentioned on page 2) at least is still in operation - open till 10pm, apparently. Must try it some time If by "George V" they mean the anachronistic basement coffee, cake and souffle specialist in Higashi Shinjuku, it was just newly closed down (for good ? for renovations ?) when I passed it last month. I always loved the way they have a short-stay hotel (still in operation - some things just don't go out of style) in the above-ground floors. (Editing *again* after some more digging) This place looks pretty serious, too Ko-hi-ten. They have branches in Shibuya and Shinjuku, and are proud of their 'original toast'. Sure sucked me in.

Yeah, salt dissolves... but, on things like french fries ? It doesn't dissolve on mine, that's for sure. (My own salt mill has to qualify as stupid for the rod shearing when I tried to unscrew the nut, the nut having seized up at some point after a dozen or so years' use).

Well, no takers, so I'll wade in with a wild guess and say... Tom Hanks in 'Big'. Probably more productively, I'll add another CLUE for #66 - before dinner's over, one of the diners gets (what the ever-heavyhanded Bond sriptwriters would call, were it a Bond movie which it isn't) 'the point'.

Two things: if you weren't trying to take deep-frying out of the picture, the way to do this would be: - prepare the fingers as if for frying and eating straight away - fry at the usual temperatrure but for just one minute - allow to cool slightly and freeze - when needed, (deep) fry directly from frozen This is the process we used commercially for breaded fish fillets. Secondly, I haven't tried, but you might well find that puts enough oil into the coating for them also to be oven finished. (Sorry I only have speculation for you here).

Gotcha. I hope you'll forgive me, but coming to Tokyo, steak isn't an obvious first choice In steaks, you're looking at mostly Aussie beef now (US beef hasn't come back since the ban's withdrawal last year) or the famous wagyu style. Personally the buttery-fatty-melting-but-not-very-beefy steak experience doesn't really work for me even at the same price level, so I'm not the person to ask about wagyu. That said, the New York Grill at Shinjuku's Park Hyatt hotel is our flagship in steaks, and it's way up in the same tower as (and very close to) the bar that Bill Murray hung out at in 'Lost in Translation'. (Incidentally, I can recommend Robbie Swinnerton's reviews (of which the link shows one) at The Japan Times - just go to their home page and search on his name. Mostly middle-to-high-end). Again high-end, Porterhouse opened a couple of years ago just at the south end of Aoyama cemetery, where there used to be a Ken's Chanto Dining. It's a lovely space but I was surprised to be offered their top steak as 'aged for 40 days', which to me just means they couldn't sell it. Mushy and disappointing at USD150 a head. Is there a steak restaurant trend in Korea ? Someone may correct me, but I don't think we have one in Japan: there are steak restaurants, but it's not a current- or even recent- opening trend. I can't pretend to be comprehensive, but for example: Sizzler in Nishi-Shinjuku (and branches) is a grill restaurant chain B&M Steakhouse has branches in southwest Tokyo Hungry Tiger is a good, small mid-range chain but technically in Yokohama You'll more often find beef as a theme in (irony of ironies) adopted-from-Korea 'Yakiniku' joints, which you'll find all over, and from cheap-to expensive; and in shabu-shabu places. Gyukaku is a pretty reliable, inexpensive without being cheap, yakiniku chain - their basement outlet very near Roppongi crossing was always good, though it's been a year or more now, for me. MoMo Paradise does good shabu-shabu on a 'tabehoudai' (all-you-can-eat) basis for about 15 bucks, which is a score in the winter - though you may have already missed winter, this year. Seafood buffet ? Well, we call that sushi and sashimi I know of one place with branches at least in Hibiya and Shinjuku, that does a more Western-style laid-out seafood thing, but it's been a few years for that, too, and the name hasn't come back to me yet - The Marine Bar, or something like it ? Does that help ?

Hi, thdad. I think I can make some suggestions, but first - why are you doing this ? For fun ? To write about it ? As commercial research ? (And why these particular categories, if your purpose doesn't answer that ?)

Hi Pam. Yes, I've made a couple of batches myself, now. Having assimilated the idea of using fresh chicken and revisited the reasons I asked the question, I've rediscovered and started buying the frozen packs of carcass (necks, backs, some skin) that the same stiore sells. With no whole pieces, I've been simmering for three and a half hours - but reserving samples and tasting side-by-side, I'm not sure two and a half hours wouldn't be better - more light, pure chicken flavour / less gamey. Gamey has its good side, too, of course, and I'm by no means dissatisfied with the results I've had. The only additions I use besides chicken and water are some onion and peppercorns. My ethnicity prods me to add sweated onion and carrot, bring to a boil, add a bunch of split red lentils and simmer for half an hour, as a minimum soup (and that's exactly what I've done, both times). Anyway I'm happy to have my soups back, thanks to the answers here and the details in the features in eGCI.

It looks like leg to me, too. If you can't roll & tie it, maybe cube it, skewer it and grill ? That way you can enjoy the crackling and share out the heat to keep the meat juicy, too. It looks good

Drinking water is good advice, but once you've *got* a hangover, I think miso soup is one of the best things you can take to make you feel better quickly - especially now you can get miso paste with the 'dashi' or stock mixed right in.