Senjo no Restaurant

[Hiroyuki]

One week ago, I started a thread on Senjo no Restaurant*1 (streaming video) in the Japan Forum. It's a cooking battle show you can watch on the Internet, free of charge. The producer of the show is Keiichi Tanaka, the very person who produced Iron Chef.

*1 I sent them an inquiry, asking whether they have an official English translation of the title, and they replied that there was none. I initially translated the title into Restaurants in the Battlefield, but after carefully listening to the narration, I thought Restaurants as Battlefields would be more appropriate. To avert this translation problem, I have decided to use the Japanese title itself or its initials, SNR, throughout this thread.

In August 30, 2005, a new food culture group called Chojin Chef Club was formed with 100 top-class chefs across the country. The chairman of the club is Yukio Hattori, the regular commentator on Iron Chef. Chojin means superhuman.

SNR, started on December 8, is the first major project of the club.

Each week, two teams of two players of different cuisines are selected from the 100-member club. At their respective prescribed restaurants, the two teams first receive a box containing the theme ingredient. In five minutes, they receive another box containing two sub-ingredients. In another five minutes, they receive the third box containing two plates or similar objects. Each team must collaborate to create two dishes using the theme ingredients, must use the sub-ingredients at least once during cooking, and must place the dishes on the two plates.

The same two dishes as the ones created by one team are offered for 2,500 yen (consumption tax included) at a specified restaurant for one week. To make a fair judgment, a judge must go to two different restaurants and spend 5,000 yen in total to eat the four dishes in total. Anyone can become a judge provided that they apply for registration as a member of Senjo no Restaurant. A judge is requested to vote for the team who he or she thinks created better dishes. The results are announced on the website two weeks after the battle is released on the website.

Official website of Senjo no Restaurant

Official website of Chojin Chef Club

Grand Formation Ceremony of the Club

I hope you enjoy the show, despite the language barrier.

[BryanZ]

Very interesting. A little bit complicated, but I could see myself getting into this. Using my super rudimentary understanding of Japanese and the overly theatrical graphics I think I can understand what's going on.

Thanks for the heads up, though.

edit to add: If anyone has watched the first episode, what is that smoking type device they're using at the 14 minute mark. I want to figure out what that is and how to use it, ASAP.

Edited February 16, 2006 by BryanZ (log)

[Hiroyuki]

edit to add: If anyone has watched the first episode, what is that smoking type device they're using at the 14 minute mark.  I want to figure out what that is and how to use it, ASAP.

←

You mean the black device shown at around 10:00? I'm sorry I don't know. The narrator simply referred to it as a machine...

[Jason Perlow]

I can't wait until these are subtitled in English.

Hiroyuki, do you think Hattori-san would like to come onto eG Forums and talk to us?

[Jason Perlow]

Is it just me or was anyone disturbed by the Italian / Korean Jap Chae fusion noodles with kimchi, tomato, basil and mozzarella with EVOO in the (eighth?) episode?

The ruptured kabocha custard failure was also very sad.

I liked the monster Zucchini pajun-thing with the balsamico dip. When they finally got it right, though, the end product looked really nice.

Not sure if I liked the idea of all that Wagyu buried with all that stuff on top.

[OnigiriFB]

Oh my... time to brush up on my Japanese! Thanks Hiroyuki for linking all this for us. Jason I'd be interested in seeing Hattori-san on eGullet.

[Hiroyuki]

I can't wait until these are subtitled in English.

Hiroyuki, do you think Hattori-san would like to come onto eG Forums and talk to us?

←

Interesting question! I've never thought of that. I'll ask them.

As for the subtitle, they replied to my inquiry that they have no such plans yet.

[Hiroyuki]

Is it just me or was anyone disturbed by the Italian / Korean Jap Chae fusion noodles with kimchi, tomato, basil and mozzarella with EVOO in the (eighth?) episode?

The ruptured kabocha custard failure was also very sad.

I liked the monster Zucchini pajun-thing with the balsamico dip. When they finally got it right, though, the end product looked really nice.

Not sure if I liked the idea of all that Wagyu buried with all that stuff on top.

←

The two chefs said the combination of fruit tomatoes and Chinese cabbage kimchi was really good.

The cause of the custard (chawanmushi) failure was too much kombu/katsuo dashi and shang tang.

By the way, the theme ingredient of the eighth battle was not ordinary eggs but kefir eggs (eggs laid by hens fed on kefir yogurt).

***

Forgot to mention the following in my first post here:

The length of each battle is two hours.

The official website of Senjo no Restaurant is updated every Thursday.

Edited February 16, 2006 by Hiroyuki (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Some memorable scenes from the battles so far (1 through 9):

1. Battle 7, around 5:05

Mera, a Japanese cuisine chef, uses his 57-cm (22-inch) blade yanagi knife to cut yellowtail. He is a leading expert on houchou shiki (knife ceremonies), in which the chef cuts a fish with knive and chopsticks, without touching it with his hands. The ceremonies date back to the Heian period.

2. Battle 6, around 17:17

Nagano, a sushi chef, makes shari (vinegared rice) artistically.

Also intriguing is how Team Red makes three different sauces, spinach espuma, sudachi juice espuma, and tomato water powder in a Tasmanian berry candy balloon, which starts at around 19:54.

Shown at the top of the streaming video window are (left to right):

全画面で再生: Full-screen replay

標準 (shown in orange): Standard

高画質: High image quality

超高画質: Ultra high image quality

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

How much do they want for the rights to the name "senjo no America?"

[Hiroyuki]

How much do they want for the rights to the name "senjo no America?"

←

Interesting question, but I think we'll have to wait and see whether this show will become popular in Japan.

Hiroyuki, do you think Hattori-san would like to come onto eG Forums and talk to us?

No reply from anyone yet.

As I said before, the official website of Senjo no Restaurant is updated every Thursday, so is the the website offering streaming video.

This week's battle (battle 10)

Team Black: Kurahara Harutoshi, Grill (teppanyaki and okonomiyaki)

Yamane Daisuke, Italian

Team Red: Yanagidate Isao, French

Chantana K. Saito, Ethnic (Thai)

Theme ingredient: Black rice

Sub-ingredients: Duck, turnip

Plates: Green bamboo log, Japanese-style square plate

Enjoy!

[The Chefs Office]

awesome! will be tuning in on a regular basis!

[kelautz]

Ara, sugoi, ne!

This is fantastic. I guess all of the past shows are no longer available, desuka? Haven't had time to check if there's an RSS feed, but if there is, I'm all over it! Thank you and I'll be checking up on this again. Any more good Japanese streaming video cooking shows out there, that you can steer us to, Hiroyuki-san?

Domo,

"Rautsu Kyasarin"

(that's Japanese for Katherine Lautz)

[Hiroyuki]

Ara, sugoi, ne!

This is fantastic. I guess all of the past shows are no longer available, desuka? Haven't had time to check if there's an RSS feed, but if there is, I'm all over it! Thank you and I'll be checking up on this again. Any more good Japanese streaming video cooking shows out there, that you can steer us to, Hiroyuki-san?

Domo,

"Rautsu Kyasarin"

(that's Japanese for Katherine Lautz)

←

They are. Just click 第...対戦, and the video will start.

Other shows? None at the moment, but I'll keep that in mind.

[Hiroyuki]

I can't wait until these are subtitled in English.

Hiroyuki, do you think Hattori-san would like to come onto eG Forums and talk to us?

←

I sent them (I mean the Secretariat or something) a letter immediately on Feb. 17, but I haven't received a reply. I can send them a reminder any time, but I have to be tactful to make him want to speak to us, because he is probably one of the most busiest men in Japan. Do you have a message to him? Any suggestions?

[kelautz]

OT, but I love the Tokyo Gas commercials.

Oda Nobunaga time traveling, along with Sen no Rikkyu, what a riot. And who are the people sitting at the table in the background? Wish I could see one of those talking cooktops in the flesh. What a perfectly layered, hilarious story in 60 seconds

The ending commercial of slow motion stir-frying and the incredible soundtrack is stunning. Somehow I can't see PG&E matching that caliber.

[Hiroyuki]

OT, but I love the Tokyo Gas commercials.

Oda Nobunaga time traveling, along with Sen no Rikkyu, what a riot. And who are the people sitting at the table in the background? Wish I could see one of those talking cooktops in the flesh. What a perfectly layered, hilarious story in 60 seconds

The ending commercial of slow motion stir-frying and the incredible soundtrack is stunning. Somehow I can't see PG&E matching that caliber.

←

I didn't share your interest, but I sent an inquiry to Tokyo Gas last Saturday, and I have just received a reply from them!

The two people sitting at the table are supposed to be the parents of the young man. Thus, they are contemporary humans.

[Hiroyuki]

I can't wait until these are subtitled in English.

Hiroyuki, do you think Hattori-san would like to come onto eG Forums and talk to us?

←

I sent them (I mean the Secretariat or something) a letter immediately on Feb. 17, but I haven't received a reply. I can send them a reminder any time, but I have to be tactful to make him want to speak to us, because he is probably one of the most busiest men in Japan. Do you have a message to him? Any suggestions?

←

I didn't know until recently that Jason Perlow was not available here on eGullet.

Leave of absence for founder Jason perlow

Does anyone else have any suggestions?