A Fish Out of Water

Le Bistrot d'a Cote

No, the picture above is not from a romantic meal with my husband-- just the beginning of a great lunch with a friend last Saturday. We ate at Le Bistrot d'a Cote, a wonderful little place near Shinjuku Gyoen, and each started off with a kir.

The course has several choices for each of three courses and, especially for the first course, it was hard to make a decision. I finally decided on risotto with beef cheeks for the appetizer, and Emi had a smoked salmon salad. The risotto was very nice, but not really a risotto: the rice had a firm, chewy texture that was nice but closer to hatsuga genmai (germinated brown rice) than al dente arborio, and it wasn't properly creamy. Still, perhaps it was misnamed but it was tasty.

And the beef cheeks were rich and tender and just lovely, and worked well with the rice.

For a main course I had sea bass with beurre noisette over napa cabbage. Perfectly done but compared to Emi's huge plate of steak frites it was tiny and left me wanting more.

I'm not huge on desserts and none of the selections were particularly tempting. It would have been nice just to choose some cheese or fruit (or another order of the sea bass) but considering that the customers were 99% women, and that Japanese women live for dessert, it's understandable the dessert choices were all cakes and tarts and the like. I did enjoy the apple tart that I eventually decided on though, as well as the small cup of coffee that finished the meal.

At 1500 yen (kirs not included!) the lunch course is a very good deal. I've been here four or five times and never been disappointed-- except the times I was turned away, as reservations are a must.

Le Bistrot d'a Cote
1-6-11 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
03-3359-3066
Closed Sundays

Posada del Sol

On the weekend my sister-in-law and her family invited us out to lunch at Posada del Sol, a Mexican restaurant in Shimotakaido. We were excited because good Mexican food is hard to find in Tokyo, and this place more than lived up to our expectations. I'm not terribly familiar with real Mexican food so am not sure how authentic the food was, but in terms of deliciousness this place was wonderful.

Sadly most of my photos didn't turn out, so you can't see the ceviche, quesadilla, chorizo, burrito, and other dishes we ordered, but here are a few of the pictures that did. Above are taquitos, beef and refried bean tacos rolled up and fried.

These carnitas (tacos stuffed with juicy, crispy and succulent pork) were my favourite, and I'd go back again just for them.

These lamb chops were a surprise hit. No idea what was in the tangy, spicy sauce but it tasted fantastic.

I forget what this cake was called, but it another dish I'll go back for. I'm not a big cake person but I loved the firm but creamy texture and the mildly sweet corn flavour. I have no idea if this is an authentic Mexican dessert or not, but if anyone can help identify this cake I'd be very grateful. I'd like to try duplicating at home but can't find a suitable recipe online so far.

Posada del Sol is a bit pricey, but then again we practically ordered the entire menu and ignored the reasonable lunch specials. Still, the food was very good so I don't think it's overpriced, and if only we lived a bit closer I could see myself going regularly. Just one thing I didn't like about the place: no cilantro. I know that most Japanese people can't stand the stuff so its absence is understandable, but it would have been nice to have a choice.

Posada del Sol
03-5300-9970
4-40-7 Akatsutsumi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Closed Wednesdays

親子丼

Today we had lunch at Naka-u, one of my favourite fast-food joints. I had my usual oyakodon, a variety of donburi (rice bowl) that literally means parent-and-child over rice. It's actually tender chunks of chicken cooked with onions, flavoured with dashi (Japanese stock), mirin (sweet sake) and soy sauce, mixed with eggs and seved over rice before the eggs set. Topped with mitsuba (trefoil) and shichimi (seven spice mix) it is both delicious and healthy. On the side I ordered a small haikara udon, which is udon noodles in cold broth with tenkasu (tempura batter), negi (long onions) and shitake mushrooms.

The oyakodon is now on sale for 450 yen (a 40 yen discount from the regular 490 yen), so together with the 200 yen haikara udon I was able to fill myself up with good food for just 650 yen. The sale is on until Tuesday the 11th.

Eating in Nasu

This was a long weekend in Japan, and my friend Emi invited me on a trip to Nasu, a resort town in Tochigi Prefecture just North of Tokyo. I couldn't miss my wine class on Saturday so I went up on Sunday and just stayed for one night. We stayed at Epinard Nasu, a large resort hotel that Emi had some coupons for. And because it was such a short trip, it feels like all we did was eat. Not that that's a bad thing, as we had some excellent food, but there are probably lots of other things to do in Nasu.

Well, we did manage a few long soaks in the hotel's onsen (hot springs). They had several different baths, including 2 rotenburo (outdoor onsen) with a view of a Japanese-style garden with a koi (carp) pond and a little rocky waterfall (pictures here). It was lovely enough just to sit there and take in the garden, but when it began to snow it was just fantastic. Imagine sitting in boiling hot water while snowflakes fall on your face and shoulders-- quite a nice sensation.

But back to the food.

When I arrived in Nasu Emi picked me up in a rental car and we drove to Okamoto, an udon (wheat noodles) shop. After waiting a considerable amount of time (inevitable for a long weekend in Nasu) we both ordered the same thing: yasai tempura kake-udon , which was cold udon topped with vegetable tempura, with a cold soy-based broth served seperately in a little pitcher. The udon was Sanuki style, meaning they were firm and very chewy, which I love. It came topped with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), nori seaweed, negi (gren onions), daikon oroshi (grated daikon) and a lemon slice. With a bit of the broth poured on top, those toppings would have been enough, but the tempura was delicious as well. It was cooked perfectly-- light and crispy, even with the broth splashed over it. At 700 Yen I think this was a great deal, and if I'm ever back in Nasu on a day when there isn't a one-hour line up, I'll definitely be coming here again.

For dessert we went to 1988 Cafe Shozo, a large sun-filled cafe full of retro and vintage furniture imported from England (pictures here). The place is famous for its scones, and although I was still full from the udon I had to order them. They were English-style (as opposed to the giant crumbly American-style scones popular here), only a bit smaller and firmer than usual, and served in the proper English style with clotted cream and raspberry jam. They were probably the best scones I've had in Japan, if not ever. I had them with a delicious cup of Darjeeling tea.

Dinner was shabu-shabu at Fontaine, a restaurant at the hotel (I wrote about shabu-shabu recently here). The meat was Tochigi-gyu (the best wagyu, or Japanese beef, is named for its area, with Kobe-gyu being the best known example outside of Japan). It was sweet and rich from the generous marbling, but had a good beefy flavour, which is something that good wagyu sometimes lacks.

The beef was all-you-can eat, and we had four plates of it, dipped in three different sauces: the usual goma-dare (sesame) and ponzu (a citrusy soy sauce), plus an unusual garlicky miso sauce that turned out to be my favourite.

The meal finished in an ususual way as well: with ramen instead of the usual udon. The rich broth leftover from the shabu-shabu was thinned out with a light chicken broth, a little salt and soy sauce were added, then ramen noodles and shaved negi (green onions) were cooked in it for a few minutes.

It was a fantastic ending. The broth was delicious and if I wasn't so stuffed I would have drunk it all up. There was lots leftover and it made me sad to just leave it.

The next morning we had the hotel's buffet breakfast, but I forgot to bring down my camera. It was actually really good-- somehow Japanese hotel buffets (at least the ones I've been to) manage to offer great food.

We skipped lunch, being full from the buffet, and caught a bus back to Tokyo lamenting how short the trip was. We'll definitely be making it a full weekend next time.

Udon Shounin Okamoto
Udon from 700 Yen
0287-76-6567
1147-236 Takakuhei, Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, Tochigi

1988 Cafe Shozo
Scones and tea or coffee, around 1000 Yen
0287-63-9833
6-6 Takasago-machi, Nasu Shiobara, Tochigi

Hotel Epinard Nasu
1 night with dinner and breakfast from 13,500 Yen
0287-78-6000
1 Takakuhei, Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, Tochigi

Naka-u

Japanese-style fast food at its best:

• On-tama curry: beef curry over rice topped with onsen tamago (poached egg) and fried green onions
• Kamo-oroshi udon: udon noodles in hot broth with duck breast, daikon oroshi (grated daikon radish), nameko mushrooms, and green onions
• Oyako-don: chicken and eggs (oyako means "parent and child") over rice

This was our dinner at Naka-u, a popular fast-food chain. Naka-u specializes in udon (fat wheat noodles) and donburi (rice bowls), especially oyakodon. This is the place to go for a fast, cheap, hot, and (relatively) healthy meal. And as a bonus, the food tastes great.

I love their oyako-don-- they always get it right, with super-soft chicken, perfectly cooked eggs, and just the right balance of salty and sweet. I wouldn't think of not ordering oyako-don at Naka-u, but there are always tempting seasonal items, and this time I couldn't resist the kamo-oroshi udon. The duck was wonderfully soft and tender and the broth was rich with duck flavour, without the gross slick of duck fat found on top of other shops' versions. Surprisingly, at 480 Yen this was one of the best versions of kamo nanban noodles I've ever had-- and I've had a lot. Seriously, I've paid three times as much for greasy broth and tough duck.

Naka-u is an Osaka-based company with shops all over Japan, most of which are open 24 hours. Have a look at their menu here: donburi and curries; udon; and sides.

Students and salaraymen are its main customers, but you'll find all types of people there, including a higher than usual percentage of female diners. In fact, it's pretty much the only Japanese-style fast-food place where I feel comfortable eating alone (like most women in Japan, I would rather die than enter a ramen or kaitenzushi shop by myself). But I prefer to go there with my husband, because he's a big eater and always shares. More to enjoy!

Botan

Last night my husband and I had dinner with an old friend of his at Botan, a wonderful old restaurant in the Kanda Awajicho neighborhood. This is an area that survived the fire bombings of WWII, and although most buildings have since been torn down there are a handful of wooden houses dating from the early years of the Showa era (late 1920's).

Most of them are now restaurants, a few of which we've been to: Isegen, specializing in ankou (monkfish, exterior picture here); Yabu Soba (blogged here and here); and Takemura, serving traditional sweets and desserts (pictures here).

But this was our first time to eat at Botan, which serves torisuki (also called torisukiyaki: sukiyaki made with chicken instead of beef). The restaurant has been around since 1897, with the recipes unchanged. The present building is about 80 years old, having been built a few years after the Great Kanto Earthquake that burned down most of Tokyo in 1923.

Both the exterior and interior are lovely, with several little dining rooms reached by hallways lined with shoji (paper-lined sliding doors) and perhaps an very narrow, steep staircase. The age of the place shows, but in a charming way, with details like a rock-lined koi pond, antique glass in the doors and windows, and tsuchi-kabe (traditional mud-plaster walls) with cut-out windows in shapes like sakura (cherry blossoms) and hyotan (gourds).

Unfortunately, the service was super-fast once we were seated and I didn't have a chance to take any pictures of the place. I was also a bit nervous as the friend we were with brought his brand-new wife, and they both like to talk. It was all I could do to keep up with the conversation, made especially tough as all three of my dining companions are from western Japan and tend to speak Kansai-ben (the dialect of the Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto areas). Combined with the brisk service, it meant there weren't many pictures of the food, either, as I barely had time to take out the camera.

There isn't really a menu: torisukiyaki (6700 Yen) is automatically served. There are a few a la carte items and a small choice of drinks, but this is a perfect place for visitors who can't read Japanese, or people (like me) who take forever to decide what to order.

So here's how the meal went:

We were seated on the floor in front of a couple of doll-sized tables (more like little trays with legs) and shortly two hibachi (small charcoal braziers) were set in front of us. A kimono'd waitress (who looked like she might have been working there since it first opened) set a small teppan (cast-iron pan) on top of each hibachi, in which she melted a bit of chicken fat. Then the torisuki ingredients were added: negi (fat green onions), shirataki (thin noodles), yakidoufu (grilled tofu), and chicken. There was thinly sliced breast, chunks of thigh, liver, and gizzard. Then the warishita (sauce made of soy sauce, sugar and sake) was poured in and it was all left to simmer. Then the waitress left us with more chicken and broth, as well as eggs.

The eggs were cracked into a small bowl and whisked with our chopsticks, and when the food in the pan was ready it was dipped in the egg before eating. It was delicious, but a bit stronger and sweeter than the sukiyaki I'm used to. Luckily there was a pitcher full of lighter broth that we could add to thin the sauce out.

The chicken was incredibly soft and tender, but very mild-tasting. I later read that they use very young birds (2 to 2 1/2 months old). Once there was room in the teppan, we added meat balls, which were really just meatballs-- no other ingredients added (usually there's ginger, egg, and other flavourings added). Very simple but very good and chickeny. Apparently they are made from the meat of year-old chickens, which explains the stronger flavour. I bravely tried the innards but I found them as yucky as I always do (despite really wanting to like organ meats). But my husband and the friend's new bride assured they were delicious.

When the torisuki was nearly done rice was served, eaten topped with the leftover egg and any sauce left in the pans. And when the rice was gone the hibachi were removed and green tea and mikan (mandarin oranges) were brought for dessert. That had to be the simplest dessert I've ever been served in a restaurant-- a humble mikan peeled by myself. But it was good and sweet and somehow fit with the meal.

All in all, an interesting, tasty, and rather rustic meal. And considering they have been serving exactly the same thing for over a century, pretty impressive. I don't think I'll be craving torisuki any time soon-- I think I prefer regular beef sukiyaki, and even then it's not something we eat very often. But this was a great experience, like eating a piece of history.

Botan
03-3251-0577 (Japanese)
1-15 Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

11/19 Dinner: Anago nanban soba

That friend of my husband's who was in the hospital a few weeks back is out and all better, so to celebrate we had dinner at Yabusoba, a wonderful old soba restaurant in Kanda Awajicho. We first went last year and have been looking forward to another visit.

I had the unusual anago nanban soba (soba noodles in hot broth with grilled conger eel), a house specialty. Nanban soba is usually made with duck, but the anago was a nice change- as rich as duck but far less greasy. In the background is ebi kake-age, a deep-fried delight of small shrimp held together in a ball of light, crispy batter.

The picture isn't very appetizing, because we arrived just before closing and by the time our food arrived we were the last customers. With the waitresses standing around watching us eat, I didn't feel like dawdling with my camera. But it was a delicious meal and I can't wait to go back (nice and early, hopefully).

Kanda Yabu Soba
11:30 am to 7:30 pm
03-3251-0287
2-10 Kanda Awajicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Negishi

After visiting a friend of my husband's in the hospital today, we didn't feel like going straight home-- the depressing atmosphere of a hospital always seems to require some sort of antidote. Luckily the hospital is in Kichijoji, where there is no shortage of stuff to do. Especially food-type stuff.

So we had dinner at Negishi, a place known for its grilled beef tongue. We started with cold tofu topped with a poached egg, flavoured with slivers of chili pepper, soy sauce, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Then we each ordered a tongue teishoku (tongue dinner set) with grilled beef and grilled pork on the side.

The dinner comes with mugigohan (barley rice) and tororo (grated mountain yam flavoured with soy sauce); pickled greens; a clear oxtail soup; and thinly sliced charcoal-grilled tongue flavoured with a soy-based sauce.

I never liked tongue until I came to Japan, but now I'm a huge fan of it. This tongue didn't disappoint- rich, juicy, soft enough to bite in two but with just the right amount of tonguey chewyness. And I love the light soup and wonderful sticky tororo, which cut the grease enough that after the meal is over I hardly feel like I ate meat.

And Hideaki's friend? He'll be fine, but may be in the hospital for several more days. We'll be more than happy to visit again-- as long as there's time for a meal afterwards.

Negishi Kichijoji
0422-28-5858
Daia Palace 1-11-30 Kichijoji Honcho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo
Other Tokyo locations listed here (in Japanese)

Birthday dinner

I had my birthday dinner tonight at Kantarouzushi, a nearby shushi bar. We discovered the place a few years ago, when we lived at our old apartment. Back then it was about a 40 minute bike ride away, a trip we gladly made. Kantarou is a wonderful place, with delicious sushi that is quite affordable for "real" sushi (I mean "real" as opposed to the cheap kaitenzushi we usually eat). Yet we haven't made it to Kantarou since we moved, even though it's just 5 minutes away.

The special thing about Kantarouzushi is the preparation of the fish. It isn't just raw fish sliced up and slapped on top of sushi rice- much of the fish has been cooked or prepared as shime or kombu-jime. Shime involves the fish being marinated in a vinegar mixture, while kombu-jime has the fish being wrapped in kombu (kelp). Both techniques give the fish a deeper flavour and soft texture, while cutting any disagreeable fishy odours.

Unfortunately my camera is still being repaired and I had to use my cameraphone. But I snapped a picture of everything we ate, so for this post I'm you're getting quantity, not quality.

Sake with an appetizer of shirauo kazunoko ae (baby whitefish dressed with herring roe).

Tako yawaraka-ni (octopus braised in soy sauce), wonderfully soft and tender. I love this stuff and can no longer eat regular octopus. With freshly grated wasabi.

Hirame (flounder) sashimi, with ponzu (soy sauce with citrus juice) flavoured with negi (green onions) and momiji oroshi (daikon grated with chili pepper). A delicate subtle flavour with a pleasent firm texture.

Kisu (Japanese whiting), a mild lean fish. It was dressed with salt so was eaten as-is, a great way to eat such a delicate fish.

Tai (sea bream), clean-tasting and mild.

Kohada (gizzard shad), rich-tasting with plenty of oil. One of my favourites, so we ordered seconds.

Shinko (baby gizzard shad), the same fish as the kohada above, but tasted completely different. Shinko is too young to have much fat, so is quite light.

Sanma (Pacific saury), another rich oily fish. So good we ordered more.

Aji (horse mackerel), dressed with soy sauce, ginger and negi. Nicely oily but mild-tasting.

Ni-anago (conger eel simmered in a soy-based sauce). Rich and soft, it just melted in my mouth.

Saba (mackerel), another favourite. This is the oiliest and fishiest fish, but the shime preparation renders it almost mild.

Kujira (whale), with garlic. We didn't like this at all. I've tried whale a few times and never really liked it, but it's such a delicacy here that I assumed I just wasn't eating good whale. But if Kantarou can't make it tasty, no one can. So this will be my last time eating whale.

Tobiko (flying fish roe). Sweet and crunchy.

Tako yawarakani, the same stuff we had as an appetizer. Lovely.

Ikura (salmon roe). Unlike the soy sauce flavoured ikura I've been eating recently, this was lightly flavoured with salt. Nice clean sea flavour.

Hon-maguro chu-toro (tuna belly). Normally toro is too rich and oily for me. This toro was rich and melted on my tongue but didn't leave a yucky greasy feeling.

Saba-jiru (mackerel soup), with fu (balls of wheat gluten) and mitsuba (trefoil). The broth was amazingly delicious, both rich and delicate at the same time.

Asakusa-jiru (soup with nori seaweed). Our favourite soup, the fragrant nori giving the soup a rich sea flavour.

We finished with green tea and headed home, completely satisfied. Our favourites of the night: kohada, sanma, tako yawaraka-ni. But it was all great (well, except for the damn whale).

Kantarou-zushi
Lunch 11:30 to 2:00 Dinner 5:00 to 11:00, closed Tuesdays
03-3925-3358
4-23-7 Oizumigakuen-cho, Nerima-ku, Tokyo

Kushi-ya

Tonight we had dinner at Kushi-ya, a kushi-age (deep-fried skewered food) place in Kichijoji. Kushi-ya isn't the best kushi-age restaurant in Japan, or even in Kichijoji. It is not a place where you can really sit back and relax, and the waiters can be hard to find. The cooking can be good, but tends to be uneven- a few of our items were burnt or under-cooked.

But we can't complain, because Kushi-ya is no ordinary restaurant. Not only is it all-you-can-eat, but it's all-you-can-cook-- in a little vat of hot oil right at your table.

It's a simple procedure. To begin, grab a plate and pile it up with your choice of a couple dozen skewered items in a refrigerated case, then choose your sauces. Bring it all back to the table, don a bib, and dip the skewers in batter and panko (flaky breadcrumbs). Plonk them into the oil and cook for a few minutes, let them cool a bit, and dip them into your chosen sauce. And eat. Sounds like a lot of work? I guess. But it's fun. And tasty.

It was all good, but my favourites were kisu (a small fish called sillago), broccoli, bacon, and renkon (lotus root). There was a salad bar and plenty of side dishes as well, like rice, curry, miso soup, shumai (pork dumplings), and desserts, which we mostly ignored. We were there to fry.

Kushi-ya
0422-28-7735
Daiya Palace Kichijoji, 2nd floor 1-11-30 Kichijoji Hon-machi, Musashino-shi, Tokyo