Prawncrackers
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Day Two - Thursday 8th May
There was an early start to this day as we'd booked a personal tour of the fish market starting at 7. Not too early by Tsukiji standards as i know we were going to miss the BTAs but once you've seen one giant tuna you've seen them all i reckon. Besides i find the middlemen stores much more interesting, the sheer scale and variety of what's on offer just makes my heart sing. It truly is a wonder of the world.
Before we went i took so many photos of the market from our hotel room, "Look!" i kept saying excitedly "we can see the market from here!!". "Yes dear" she would respond flatly. But you really can, look....
Took this handheld with the new lens, just checked the distance on Google Earth - it's over half a kilometer away!!! Wow i can't wait to use this lens constructively (ya right).
Anyway i've started with a digression. We met with a our guide and after exploring in awe the inner and outer markets, picking up a couple of knives on the way we came across a charcoal grill vendor serving up various stuff. I picked up one of these shelled oddities:
Looked like a massive winkle, tasted sweet and slightly bitter at the same time. The remaining liquor in the shell was like nectar though. I did ask our guide what this was but completely forgot what she said because at that very moment i was distracted by big fried crumbed objects on sticks:
It was whale meat and it was surprisingly delicious with a lick of brown sauce. I could have happily eaten another round of both but wanted to save some room for sushi.
Now the eternal question: where does one eat sushi at Tsukiji market? Well after strolling past half a dozen places our guide recommended Iwasa Sushi:
It was ideal, as close to perfection as i can appreciate. It's sushi like this that makes me yearn for Japan. I find myself eating less and less sushi here in the UK, it's just doesn't compare. Our guide says that the place is owned by a middleman and she likes the female manager a lot. I would wholly recommend it, i initially wanted to eat at the famous Daiwa sushi but our guide informed us it a little overrated and can't understand how it has become so well-known. There were two new items that i'd never tried before: squilla(?) nigiri and tiny baby squid in gunkan maki. The baby squid was the best item of all i think, so fresh, are they prepared in any way? They're so sweet and they literally burst with flavour in the mouth. What is the Japanese name for them?
We lamented with our guide Tsukiji's upcoming fate and how she explained that kids nowadays avoid the 3Ks - Kitsui & Kitanai & Kakkowarui (tough, unclean, uncool). Hopefully we can return here before it moves for good. Aha and here's the least blurry photo of me that i can find, taken by my guide - she must have been admiring the tuna!!:
Good to put a face on finally - hello
The rest of day we spent wandering around Asakusa and Kappabashi, mostly snacking on bits and pieces. The frankfurter in sweet bun had a line sweet curry sauce hidden under it and was fantastic!!
This elderly gentleman was cooking up a kind of crispy pancake. The missus thought it looked delicious but when she tried one it was actually a rock hard rice cracker type affair:
We had an early the evening as the jet lag was seriously kicking in. On the way back to our hotel we popped into one of ticket machine soba places. So cheap yet so satisfying, i had a mystery meat curry rice and soba noodle combo. My wife had tonkatsu rice. Love these fast food places, lined with salarymen stood up slurping their noodles with alacrity. How i wish there was one near my workplace.
That's it for day two, food wise it was completely different to day one. A lot cheaper too but not any less memorable. Which goes to show that you can eat fantastically here whatever the budget may be.
Next - Day Three Lunch at Kozue and more snacking!!!!
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Thanks Bu Pun Su, i read your winter reports and some of dining experiences that you had were amazing. Hopefully i get the rest of my report together when i get home from work tonight.
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Day One - Wednesday 7th May - Part II
The wife wasnt crazy about the sweets at Ten-Ichi so whilst doing another sweep of Ginza high-street she'd locked on to some giant macarons at the Wako cake shop opposite Mitsukoshi. Now i have to admit to certain soft spot to those soft centred delicacies so i was quite happy when she bought a whole box of them back to devour back at the hotel room. Besides i was happy because i'd just bought my one big ticket item from Bic Camera - new 300mm lens - and couldn't wait to test it out:
In between mouthfuls, we both happily declared that the strawberry one was the best macaron we'd ever tasted. Perfectly crisp, chewy, rich, light, creamy and jammy all at the same time. Little did we know that it wasn't even to be the best one of the day....
Later in the afternoon, we went to Roppongi to sample that hitherto unexplored area of the city. Stepping out of the intersection you do get a different type of atmosphere. Guys hanging out there actually look right at you, checking you out, sizing you up. It's the only time i've ever felt even slightly uneasy visiting this country. Am i exaggerating here Peter? You stayed around here on your visit did you get the same feeling? Anyway, we hurried on to Roppongi Hills as there's the observation tower and the Turner retrospective to mooch around. I can't say i'm big fan of British modern art but i do get a certain enjoyment at how utterly ridiculous most of it is. Whilst rummaging around some of the boutiques we stumble along L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. I kinda had my eye on this place already and thought if the mood took me, we'd eat here. It was about 6:30pm, pretty quiet and it looked quite inviting in a cool, dark, relaxed yet broody way. The wife was equally interested in the adjoining Robuchon boutique patisserie. Ah why not eat here then? It'll be nice to sample some Western cuisine too. We were perched midway along the long bar and was served by a single lovely young friendly Japanese lady. I like the idea of the servers here almost being like a personal barman. Once again we both alighted upon the mid-priced Printemps menu (Springtime) after some scrambled French-Japanese-English-Hand signal translation between ourselves and the lady. There was also a special 5th year anniversary menu but we decided that the budget certainly wouldn't stretch that far. I also wish i could remember to take a picture of the menu sometimes, i never seem to.
First up was some Iberico Ham, simply one of the best things you can put in your mouth:
My only objection was there wasn't enough of it but then that would always be the problem!! The bread basket was generous however and had a couple of briochy types that were delicious - no butter though...
The next dish of dressed White Asparagus was a little dull. I much prefer the green variety, this dish of white was just a little bland. It wasn't bursting with juicy sweet liquor that i was expecting:
Shitake Mushroom tart with Lardo put the show back on track. This was utterly delicious. The pastry was so buttery crisp, the shitakes so flavourful and meaty. The lacy covering of lardo added an extra layer of unctuousness:
I will be attempting this dish at home as soon as i can.
Dainty little frog legs, perfectly crumbed and juicy, with garlic and watercress sauces. My wife really enjoyed this one:
Fried Saint-Pierre (Red Snapper?), although well cooked this was a little on the dull side too. Though it could be that i was still thinking about the shitake tart:
Wonderfully cooked and deliciously tasty best end of lamb. I've eaten some good lamb at home recently and this compared favourably:
A little pre-dessert palette cleanser of Basil Sorbet, berries and lemongrass syrup - very nice indeed:
Whilst waiting for our dessert i joked that maybe it would be another huge strawberry macaron! Of course if we'd read and memorised the menu properly we wouldn't have been so surprised and delighted when one did show up
Strawberry Macaron with Pistachio Cream, Strawberry Sorbet & Jelly etc:
We both happily declared for the second time that day that it was the best macaron we'd ever tasted!!
It was overall a good meal, for me let down by the asparagus and fish dishes. The Shitake tart and dessert were both fantastic though. Would i eat here again or at any of the other L'Ateliers around the world? Probably not, given the ingredients i think i could prepare just as satisfying dishes myself at home. It's my style of cooking, simple, unfussy and tasty. When i eat out i usually want to try something i would never attempt at home.
Next - Thursday
(yes, that was just Wednesday!)
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you were looking out????
well, you have to take a break sometimes
Thanks for the clarification Hiroyuki, that tempura meal built up nicely to the kaki age - it was quite substantial hunk of deep fried goodness.
The little clams in miso soup is such a good idea. If only i could find them here. They make such a nice surprise when you stir for the first time as you don't expect your sense of hearing to be stimulated. Then of course they taste so good too.
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Day One - Wednesday 7th May - Part I
We'd actually arrived at Narita airport the previous night of the 6th. But having caught the last airport 'limousine' at 2145 we arrived at our hotel some time close to the witching hour. No late night ramen or soba to be found near our hotel so we settled for a few snacks and confections from the local convenience store. Both of us slept like teenagers that first night and in the morning awoke with great determination to eat as if for Queen and country.
Our hotel was at the South-west of Ginza, equidistant to the Shimbashi, Shiodome and Tsukijishijo stations which i at least thought was handy. After reacquainting ourselves with the area and in my wife's case with the designer handbags in Mitsukoshi & Matsuya department stores, we ambled to our first dining stop; Ten-Ichi (天一) for Tempura. I think they have couple branches but i believe this one a couple of streets north of Chuo Dori is the original. Here is a picture of the lovely wife in front of the place:
It was almost exactly noon when we arrived, inside were at least three traditionally dressed female servers, one of which lead us into the bamboo, wood and stone decorated room at the back. There was the chef in the centre of the room surrounded by a bar, operating one pot of frying oil with items to be battered to one side of him. We were sat to the right of him and the only other customers in the place were a couple of very respectable looking ladies on the other side of the bar:
Our server handed us a Japanese/English menu and i could see exactly why the ladies opposite looked so very respectable, this was pricey Tempura indeed! I must now confess that my Japanese is non-existent though i do recognise the odd Chinese character. So it is with some certainty when we both chose the mid-priced Hana (花 - "Flower") option. I must also beg forgiveness if some of the descriptions are a little vague, i did try to make mental notes but most of the time i was to busy enjoying the experience. You know how it is! Hopefully some of the more expert out there will correct me or add a little more detail.
After bibbing-up by the server we were presented with our eating stations. Salt & lemon, fresh lettuce & radish salad, wetter enoki/seaweed/bonito salad and the tempura dipping sauce.
First up was the a pair of prawn heads, followed by the prawn tails themselves, small butterflied white fish (?), asparagus, cuttlefish, lotus root, pike and to finish a big cake of chopped up scallops & prawns.
I think in the middle somewhere was another fried root possibly Burdock, forgot to take a snap at the time as i was too busy enjoying the meal. I'd certainly never had tempura like it, it was light and incredibly clean. Not interfering with the taste of the ingredients at all. Needless to say the ingredients themselves were incredibly fresh. For me the most delicious element surprisingly was the thick chunk of cuttlefish. It was unbelievably soft and yielding. We finish with the meal with obligatory rice, pickles & miso soup. Now to my surprise and delight when i stirred up my soup it was actually filled with tiny little clams, is this a seasonal thing? It was such a joy to hear them rattle around my chopsticks.
By the time our meal was done another group had just started theirs and we were lead away to a separate room to enjoy some sweets and green tea. This was a nice touch, to get away from the oil fumes (however clean), freshen up and get ourselves together to leave the place.
All in all a very satisfying start to the day.
Next... giant macarons!
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Correct!!! Give that lobster a battering. Though that nondescript view does have great sentimental value to me, we stayed at the Park Hyatt for our honeymoon. So for me whenever i think of Tokyo i picture the vista from that particular hotel
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Places to eat with a view are at a premium in this town that is for sure. That day was a little hazy but on a clear one you can supposedly see Mount Fuji from this restaurant. In fact the location was one of the big factors in choosing to eat here. That and the fact it was so easy to book ahead in English. So many clues!! This was lunch on Day Three so you may have to wait a little for the answer...
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Hot on the heels of our own illustrious Peter Green, my wife and i have just arrived back from holiday ourselves. At the start of our trip we spent three oh so short days in Tokyo and i wanted to share some of our gastronomic endeavours with you all. Now i'm sure you are all thinking what kind of maniacs schlep their arses half way around the world to spend such a brief amount of time in Tokyo. Well, the initial motive was to visit our relatives in Fukuoka and Hong Kong so shoehorning any amount of time in one of the gastro-capitals of the world is pure bonus.
We've been to Tokyo before and done all the major sights so this time round there was some serious eating (and shopping) to do!
Took so many photos, so whilst i'm sorting and uploading them here's a teaser. Prizes for anyone who recognises the view and the fantastic restaurant it is taken from. Probably the best restaurant meal of my life so far....
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Sometimes it is the journey that is important grasshopper!
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Success! Managed to cut down my half a pig yesterday morning, with the bone saw it was quite a straightforward job and in all took about an hour and a half much shorter than i was expecting as a novice. I tried the teeth both ways and found that if the shark was swimming away from the handle it worked better for me. A cleaner cut on the push. I think that an ordinary fine toothed hacksaw would literally not have cut it and i'm very glad i made the investment. Next i need a mincer, sausage stuffer, casings.....
Anyway here is an action shot and a shot of breakfast - flashed fried tenderloin, scraggly bits of chop and kidney. Mmmm, this Tamworth pork is really delicious:
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Thanks David you're too kind. When i took the monkfish out of the freezer the night before and noticed a bag of scallop trimmings, so decided to use them. It was mostly skirt and the tough part of the abductor muscle, not good to eat but packed with scallop flavour. I knew i'd been saving it for a reason. It's basically a simple fish stock made with the scallop trimmings along with carrots, onion, celery, bay etc and also the monkfish bones. Sieved well to remove any grit, reduce a little with a pinch of saffron, season then mounted with some cold butter right at the end. It worked really well, the sauce was delicious and had a very professional looking sheen to it. I surprised myself because i'm not really into that old-fashioned buttery sauce thing but it went very well with the fish. Got half of the stock frozen for the next time too.
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A couple of fish dinners this week. First up was seared Fillet of Sea Bream, Roasted Tomato & Fried Polenta. The fish with the tomato was nice, the polenta with tomato was good too. But the fish with the polenta just didn't work for us!
Tonight was Roasted Monkfish, crushed Jersey Royals, Baby Leaf Salad, Saffron Scallop Sauce. This one was a winner all round
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The problem with Japan is that the "best" restaurants are usually for members only, and even top Western gourmets often miss the point of Japanese food. It is a whole other language, and it is a long apprenticeship to learn properly. I feel like I am just on the verge of breaking in to the top places, and even as a Japanese speaker it has taken me 10 years. I think a deluge of Michelin-stoked restaurant tourists will make it even harder to for a foreigner to get a seat at the top tables. Good thing Michelin seems to have missed most of the good spots, but they did a better job than the 50 Best list.
My brother-in-law who married a Japanese lady and living there for good few years now, claims that the vast majority of Japanese could and would never sample a true Japanese Kaiseki or ‘high-class’ meal. Him and his Japanese family incuded. I'd always thought he was exaggerating but from your experience it looks like this level of exclusivity is actually a reality. This is real exclusivity not the artificial sort generated by commercial branding or by inflated prices (though I’m sure they are not cheap).
So you think even if The List did try to start involve Japan more like Michelin has. Gastro-tourists start to flock there in greater numbers it would actually become more difficult for them to get to the top tables. In fact what you are saying is that panel members of The List (or Michelin inspectors for that matter) would not even know where to start to look to find these places let alone knock on the door. Fascinating! Are you able to us more of this elusive world? You say that you are on the verge; if you give the game away will you snapped back to reality?! Forbidden to gaze upon it’s face ever again….
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I'm bummed. I have a lot of dinner pics to share, but I can't get ImageGullet to work for me. I can't figure out what the heck is wrong
Maybe you had the same problem as me. I could not for the life of me load my usual 600-700kb images, just kept getting a blank screen - not even the usual error message. Tried Firefox & Opera, finally i tried a samller (~250kb) image and that worked.
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Not one of the world's top 100 restaurants in Japan???
Yeah... right!
Once again, Bukhara is rated the top restaurant in Asia. I don't think it is even the top restaurant in India and probably not even New Delhi, let alone all of Asia. While it is not bad, I do not understand its stature. Last I knew Japan and China were still considered parts of Asia.
Damn, i'm off to Tokyo in a fortnight and now you're telling me there's not a restaurant there to compare to even the lowest on that list! No seriously, if a couple of Zumas and a Nobu can make it....
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Here here. Its not like hes even just coming up with these ideas from nowhere, he discussed the fact that there is an aroma compound from rhubard akin to tobacco, so why not try it. Its modern and pretty edgy cooking, so its inevitable that some people are going to react negatively.
As for olive and chocolate, the two are becoming quite a frequent combo. One i know is becoming fairly popular is le champignon sauvage's chocolate and black olive tart and its various recent offshoots.
Nothing wrong with modern or 'edgy', it's just that at no point did it make their mouths water. What is the point of edgy if it doesn't improve the ingredients and make them taste better. If the only point of edgy is to be seen to be edgy then it's wholly superficial. I can see why the judges didn't take to it, the food reflected the two chefs perfectly: both were modern and very skillful, but one was serious & edgy, the other warm & familiar. Which would be the more palatable to you? For the judges it was the predictable split between those who like to be challenged by serious food and those who like it less.
Anyway, after the fireworks of last week, this week has been another underwhelming one for me... judging by the lack of comment so far on this topic i'm not alone here?
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... picture the teeth as shark fins, should the shark be swimming towards the handle or away from it?
How have i gotten to be so old without ever using this type of saw?
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My saw has arrived in the post today, just one question.... in which direction should the teeth go, if it matters?
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Sure thing Dr J, i remember posting the recipe for the duck itself last year on another forum here. The new dressing goes like this; bring to a simmer 4tbl light soy, 2tbl mirin, 4tbl water, three finger pinch of bonito flakes, 1/2tsp sugar and 1/2 star anise. Take it off the heat and let it steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain off the bonito flakes, to the liquor add 2 or 3 finely sliced scallion whites (use the greens to garnish), a heaped tbl of toasted sesame seeds and a dash of toasted sesame oil. Warm through to take the rawness out of the onions. That's it, make sure it's cooled a little before spooning it over the sliced duck breasts. There should be plenty for 2 large breasts. Please give this one a go, i promise you won't be disapponted! Maybe you'd make this dish twice too?!
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Not sure where you could "source" them from, but my local butcher will get them in for me if i ask them a week in advance. Try your local butcher, it's a great way of getting to know them. One week cheeks, the next veal shin, the next sweetbreads, tripe, trotters etc.... I made a conscious effort last year to ask for stuff that i never saw on the counter just to build up a little rapport with them.
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Matthew Grant where did you get that Wagyu Ribeye from, that is one of the finest steaks i've ever seen?! Mind you Suzilighting's cote de veau (?) is not bad either, it's like choosing between Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn!!
This weekend, i've been reprising some old favourites. Friday was Tea smoked duck with a new sesame soy dressing (similar to a tempura dipping sauce - with bonito, mirin, soy, sesame etc). This was really delicious, the dressing lifting one of my all time favourite dishes to a new level:
Saturday, was fresh crab linguine:
Sunday, i had to reprise the reprisal! Friday's duck was so good i had to take another breast out of the freezer straight away to cure and cook it again. This time with more dressing and the addition of fresh mild red chillies:
Salty, sweet and very savoury:
Ever cooked something that was so good you just had to cook it again straight away?
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My best mate is married to his niece. And that means free curd for me!
Christ on a bike, check out that snazzy waistcoat - that is just marvelous. He'd have to give me free curd too for me not to start laughing at it!
Consider if the judges are bowled over by Anthony's obvious talents and put him through, he would not stand a chance in the public vote. Just far too cocky to be likeable, and not in that marketable-to-housewife Ramsey way either. Funny thing is it actually seems to me that he's holding it back a little too.
Personally i think both chefs have done a great job this week, Anthony's dishes maybe shading it for me.
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Aha, just found one on Ebay UK!! Brilliant!
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Thanks Tim, i'm a complete dunce when it comes to saw blades, i have no clue. What do you mean by bi-metal? And the fewer teeth the better, i'd have thought the other way round would be true so there'll be less splintering
Three Days of Eating Tokyo
in Japan: Dining
Posted
Alas the gaps that you can see in the great wall of sushi are the results of our impatience. I wanted to let the chef finish the two sets before taking a photo but it was getting a little cramped and awkward. The shako was the one of the first to snaffled up by wife to the left!!
I was surprised by one stall in the middlemen market, they had huge lumps of whalemeat for sale:
Our guide mentioned something about plenty quotas and i remember raising an eyebrow at the time about it. Is whalemeat not so common? The little morsel that i had tasted good i wouldn't hesitate to eat it again if the opportunity arose.