kobykoby

Don't know too much about downtown - I'm in the area on business off and on and spend most of my time in the Lincolnshire ... suburban area - but I would recommend Sushi Kushi Toyo in Lake Forest - its quite authentic

As a Steveston resident, I'll just ignore the gratuitous insult, and say yes, bring on the bakery. Talking to the owner, it isn't even design guidelines that he violated, he needed to apply for permits and stuff to renovate. He's a recent immigrant and didn't know. I was most pleased to hear that he has hired a builder to handle the stuff for city hall. He says it won't be long now - of course he was saying the same thing back in September. The building by the way was for years the Marine Grocery, complete with a meat counter with a real butcher and penny candies. I spent a couple of summers pumping gas (across the street and up a ways at the Texaco) - I won't reveal how long ago that was - but the Richmond Danish Bakery was still around, and the NIMBY people were still afraid to live where the odour of the canneries wafted.

Sorry Andrew but I've had Yakitori at street stalls near the Yurakucho train station and there is no way that Zakkushi or what they offer resembles the real thing in Japan. For one thing, I'm not used to waiting 30 minutes for a skewer of yakitori to arrive in front of me. ← I probably didn't finish what I was going to post - which was to say that its not as good as at a street stall - so I agree - Certainly its not like Yurakucho station - less real atmosphere, more overall comfort - and washrooms - not to mention the Health Board. The food at Z is comparable to mid range places in Tokyo- and I didn't have to wait 30 minutes for a skewer. I thought that the tsukune at Zakkushi was well executed. I thought the service lacked polish, but that's typical when they hire "wa-holi" kids.

Precisely - yakitori was served but there has never been an actual real honest-to-goodness yakitori restaurant here. Harken back to the days when Kobe, Aki, Maiko Gardens and Maneki were the pioneering Japanese restaurants and yes, there was yakitori. Celica-san you are quite right to point this out. But Zakkushi is an indication that Japanese restaurants have gone beyond Japanese (which will be increasingly the domain of "Japanese" restaurants) and into the realm of restaurants in Japan, which tend to specialize in specific foods. Examples so far: Modern Club (okonomiyaki) various Ramen joints Yoshokuya ("western" food Japanese style) We are still waiting for the commercially foolish itamae who decides to open an actual sushi place that doesn't serve udon... With the possible exception of New Yawk, and Rosu Angerusu, we are one of the few places outside of Japan (including Asia) to see this happening. This if anything points to the real acceptance of both Japanese and "Japanese" food in this region.

To correct Jamie - Yakitori means grilled chicken ( or other bird ) - not the steaks at Kobe. Zakkushi is the most authentic yakitori place I think I've been to outside of Japan, maybe the only yakitori place I'd consider yakitori outside of Japan. Yakitori places serve pieces of chicken, skewered and grilled over charcoal. All of the chicken is involved, from breast fillet (sasami) to (and I haven't seen this outside of Japan) the underdeveloped eggs out of the chickens womb. (Although they don't go for baluts like in SE Asia). Tori means bird actually and can even include the smaller and cuter varieties - like thrushes and sparrows. The eastern equivalent of the ortolan I would say. Think of Bourdain sitting on an upended beer crate at a street stall under the train tracks in the Yurakucho district in Tokyo. Andrew

A few things to point out. Salmon is not a fresh water fish, although born in fresh water commercially caught salmon and farm raised salmon are salt water fish. Any salmon farm or wild is subject to parasites. The popularity of salmon sashimi is only because of the modern practice of blast or flash freezing to very cold termperatures. This is why salmon is not a traditional sushi/sashimi fish. What is sold as "King Salmon" in Japan is generally farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway, New Zealand or British Columbia. Real King Salmon are a species also known as Chinook, found in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. Bottom fish are not just flat fish - they are fish that feed at the bottom. Cod for example are bottom fish.

Glad I could be of help eatrustic. Getting a little further off topic but Nikuya Meats has some of the best Bentos in Vancouver. Too bad they don't offer the whole animal...

The Japanese meat store on East Hastings - Nikuya Meats - has Japanese Kurobuta - sweet potato fed. 107-2828 E.Hastings St. Vancouver Tel:604-216-2983

Tempura Ice Cream is on the menu at many specialty tempura restaurants in Japan. I first had some about thirty years ago in Osaka, recently had some at the Ten-ichi in Shibuya. I'm surprised that Kristen hasn't seen it yet.

Not a high end food recommendation, but if yakitori is what you like... The Nagoya chicken specialty is deep fried chicken wings (tebasaki). There is a great chain of tebasaki places in the Nagoya region called Sekai no Yamachan http://www.yamachan.co.jp/index.html (website is Japanese only) Wings are deep fried, lots of pepper involved it seems, my visit also involved copious amounts of beer. I remember being taught the Nagoya way of eating wings, which is to stick a whole wing in your mouth and suck the meat off of the bones... I see that they've just opened a branch in Shin Okubo (Tokyo)

Miso needs to be aged somewhat I suppose, but I don't think that its made to be aged once its in the package and on the store shelf. Miso used to be something that all Japanese families made for themselves at home - and back in the days before refrigeration. Some store bought misos contain "dashi". I also notice that shiro miso turns darker the longer you leave it - not good if your recipe requires a shiro miso.

Not my favorite New Year's dish when I was a kid - but I like it now. Shiro miso soup, round mochi (not toasted) , sliced Daikon is it around my household. My Kanto born wife has had to adjust however.

This just in - Asahi.com reports that a new "pastry theme park" will open in Jiyugaoka. Game publisher Namco will open the Jiyugaoka Sweet Forest on Nov. 21. It will feature the pastries of 12 of the best known pastry shops in Japan. The shops have chefs that have won international awards or have apprenticed in Europe. Admission is free. http://www.asahi.com/national/update/1120/011.html (in Japanese) Cool ...

If you are down in the Shibuya/Ebisu area, check out La Boutique Taillevent Robuchon - under the Chateau restaurant in Ebisu Garden Place. If you stay at the Westin Tokyo (as I do when I'm there) its right across the street. More boulangerie than pastry, but good all around. Love the country loaves with tomato and black pepper. Love the tarte pommes.

One more suggestion - Pajo's in Steveston - yes its the fish & chips joint, great cheeseburger.