Meiji Hokkaido Tasty Crunch

Meiji has once again provided a worthy candidate for my peculiar obsession with kooky Japanese sweets. Tasty Crunch are nuggets of Hokkaido milk chocolate studded with (the packaging doesn't lie) salted french fry potato chips. And to be honest, it actually doesn't taste half bad!

I have spotted this snack in the Great Eastern (Russell St) and Central Grocery (Melbourne Central) stores around town. So if ya hankerin for both a sweet and savoury snack, this this will surely satisfy - on both fronts - in the one snack.

Takayama Morning Market

Two morning markets are held in Takayama daily, the Jinya-mae and the Miyagawa market held along the Miyagawa River in the old part of town. They started in the Edo period and sell everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to pickles, fish, flowers and crafts.

You can sample most of the food too, which made the walk around very enjoyable indeed. The table above was covered with Japanese pickles, which is something I sorely miss. Why can't we get good, fresh, msg-free and artificial colouring-free pickles in this town? Well we can...I just have to learn to make them!

These beautiful silver saltwater fish come from the smelt family. They are usually grilled and filled with fish roe, commonly known as shishamo. You eat them whole from tip to tail (and yes, that means the head also!). Mmmm...good.

I think this is dried cuttlefish, athough it could very well be another form of cephalopod. I'm not too sure what they do with it, but we did see them shredded and seasoned to eat as a type of beer snack.

Some unusually shaped gourds...

...and some regularly shaped gourds.

And these? I have no idea. If anyone does, please feel free to tell me in the comments.

Dried magnolia leaves (hoba) are popular in the region, both for making the local hoba miso (below) and for cooking miso on a hibachi brazier (see breakfast at Sosuke).

The magnolia leaf acts to permeate the dark red miso with a leafy fragrance, especially when cooked on the brazier.

Small purply black nasu (eggplants). Did you know that eggplants contain nicotine? And eating 20 pounds of them equates to smoking one cigarette? Well...now you do.

Super fresh daikon for 100 yen (equivalent $1AU) each. Look how perky their tops are. They must have been pulled out of the garden fresh that morning.

Three types of dried corn. I'm not too sure if these were for decoration or eating.

Fresh red chillis strung up with leaves (or is it stalk or fronds?) of rice.

Perfect little cherry tomatoes still on the stalk.

Cute cape gooseberries doing their best interpretation of a cherry tomato.

Fresh edamame (soy beans) at $2AU a bag. I could seriously eat a truckload of these things.

Fuji apples of varying quality and weights (and prices). What an excellent selection! And they are so much darker and sweeter than the insipid Fuji varieties we get here.

Now I must admit I wouldn't have recognised this if I hadn't been a fan of Iron Chef. These are the famed matsutake mushrooms, which are kind of like the truffle of Japan. The wild specimens had been picked locally from the pine groves and were $50AU a tray. The seller was very excited and impressed when I pointed at them and timidly enquired "Matsutake?". Arigato Iron Chef.

Takayama Ramen

Hands down, one of the best bowls of ramen I had in Japan had to be the hia chuka in Takayama (EG may well disagree on this point though). The soup itself was shoyu based, which was simple, flavoursome and seasoned just right. The chashu (sliced pork) was lean and tender and the sliced green onion added a bit of bite. I must admit I have trouble finishing a heavy tonkotsu (porky) ramen, so this suited me just fine.

EG went a more wholesome bowl of goodness with a couple of extra slices of chashu (sliced pork), sliced egg, wakame (seaweed) and enoki mushrooms.

The kitchen was very small - just this Chef and his kitchenhand chopping, slicing, boiling, spooning, draining and plating. Economy of space is something they do so well, especially considering those stock pots took up half the space!

Takayama Street Food: Various

There was a real carnival atmosphere on the streets of Takayama, with many stall fronts offering a myriad of food for hungry festival-goers. It was an interesting mix of the traditional and the not-so-traditional (as this post will capture). I always find fascinating what people eat during celebrations.

These conch (sea snails) were bubbling away in their own brine, apeture side up, over hot coals. The molluscy gastropods were very popular - the big pile of empty shells testament to that fact.

These local river fish were salted, spiked, smoked over ruddy coals and absolutely delectable. In the days of yore, the fish were cooked over the irori, or traditional hearths found in Japanese homes (especially the thatched ones). We had them for dinner one night, and I practically picked the bones clean.

The okonomiyaki I am used to are normally round, thick, flat and covered with katsuobushi shavings and aonori. This version had been rolled around a stick (for ease of eating on the street I guess), and came with ketchup and mayonnaise or okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise.

A cute way of deconstructing a potato for crisps - sliced thinly, skewered and deep-fried.

Some more deep-fried goodness, this time wedges of yellow sweet potato, sprinkled with salt and sugar.

EG couldn't resist a foot-long grilled hot dog, smeared with tomato sauce.

What the? Toffee apples in Japan?! I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering the proliferation of other Western imports into the country. We didn't sample these (if memory serves me correctly, I was eating a choco-banana at the time), but looking back, I wonder what flavour the opaque white toffee could have been?

Choco-bananas are pretty self explanatory. Banana, spiked and dipped in chocolate and decorated with different flavoured/coloured chocolate splodges. I actually saw these for sale at the recent Box Hill Japan Festival.

Don't these toffeed grapes look like jewels? OMG..they were absolutely wonderful. Plump, juicy tom-bowler sized black grapes, covered in crisp toffee that shattered when you bit into them.

Takayama: Sosuke Dinner (night three)

1-50-30, Sowamachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken
Website http://hida-yado.net/yado/sosuke/english.htm

Here are the pics and thoughts from our last dinner at Sosuke - what a way to go out!

Crisp vegetable tempura; shitake, yam, shiso, kabocha (pumpkin) and potato. A little patty cake foil contained a seasoned salt, which I liberally sprinkled over my veggies. The shiso especially was a great ingredient to tempura.

Now just a little warning for those uninitiated in the ways of squid sashimi. The dish must be approached singularly and with caution. See how the flesh is cut into strips? Take that as a very definite instruction. If one or two strips are consumed, you will be met with a chewy squishiness that is quite firm to the bite - quite pleasant and palatable. But if you whack the whole thing in your mouth, well, the proteins in the flesh get kind of excited and they bind and knit to become one big fat glob in your mouth. No shit...poor EG was chewing for like 10 minutes!

Another bowl of yomogi udon, similar to what we had on night one.

These little ebi (shrimps) were deep-fried and salted, and could be eaten whole and in one bite. They were absolutely fantastic, and would make a great beer snack.

Chawan mushi is an egg-custard steamed in a bowl or tea cup. The egg mixture was seasoned with dashi and mirin, and infused with tender gingko nuts and small boiled shrimp. A swirly slice of kamaboko (fish cake) floated on top, along with a bright green celery leaf.

Hmm....I wonder what has been baked in this Hoba leaf parcel?

The fish course was a lemon and salt baked mackeral fillet. It had been cooked on the iron before being placed in the leaf, but the Hoba infused a delicate leafy fragrance. It was truly the taste of Autumn.

Takayama: Sosuke Dinner (night two)

1-50-30, Sowamachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken
Website http://hida-yado.net/yado/sosuke/english.htm

Dinner on the second night was just as fantastic as the first.

This local river fish had been smoked and salted, and I just about picked the bones clean it was so moreish (we had seen these cooking on a walk around the market earlier that morning). On the side was was a pickled bamboo shoot, a knot of sansai (mountain vegetable), some candied and skewered gingko nuts and a takoyaki (octopus ball).

A bowl of simple hand-made udon was light but warming, especially as it was rather chilly in the mountainous air of Takayama.

Lightly salted edamame always have me hankering for beer. It was so lovely to eat these fresh. The frozen ones we get here are such a poor imitation.

This long bamboo shaped ceramic dish contained a rather large panko crumbed ebi (prawn), a side of mayonnaisey potato salad and a cute-as-a-button cherry tomato.

This was an interesting take on a nasu dengaku, or grilled eggplant with miso. Usually eggplant is topped with a paste of white miso, sake, mirin and bonito, and grilled. But on top of this, a layer of cheddar cheese had been melted. It actually tasted pretty good! I'll have to try this one at home.

Our hibachi (fire bowl) dish of the evening was another Hida beef braise, this time rich with enoki and shitake. A beaten egg was added as it simmered towards the end to thicken the delicate mushroom sauce.

Along with rice, pickles and miso, another meal was complete.

Takayama: Sosuke Dinner (night one)

1-50-30, Sowamachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken
Website http://hida-yado.net/yado/sosuke/english.htm

Just like the breakfasts written about previously, the dinners at Sosuke Minshuku were just as impressive. The theme of traditional home style dining prevailed, and we were able to sample further specialities of the region including Hida beef and yomogi udon.

We were also treated to a little something extra on our first dinner - a film crew taping a very loud and obnoxious travel guide (the lass in green) pontificating about her dinner. Anyway...

Sashimi course consisted of exquisite slices of white fish, sitting on a perky shiso leaf and doused in a dressing of yuzu and some unfamiliar herb (possibly mugwort?). The taste was as mouth-watering as it looks. Language was a bit of a barrier to ask what type of fish was on offer - but I'm thinking some kind of kingfish for at least one of them.

Agedashi tofu sat in a briney dashi and wakame broth. On top of the block sat a deep-fried pastry-ish round. The tofu in Takayama was great - quite creamy with a hint of whey to it.

One of the specialities of the region is yomogi udon. The noodles contain boiled and mashed buds of mugwort collected in early spring, and like most udon, are chewy yet smooth. It was served in a seasoned dashi with strips of wakame and sliced baby leeks.

This was an unusual little dish, more so because it seemed quite western. The aluminium bom-bom parcel contained chicken and broccoli in a cheesy white sauce. The braising liquor was sweet with mirin and sake balanced by a dash of shoyu.

I am a little unsure what this vegetable was exactly, but I think it was some sort of sansai (mountain vegetable). It was firm to the bite with a little bit of crunch (like a green bean) and had been pickled with a chilli.

A little hibachi (fire bowl) was topped with a ceramic dish containing Hida beef, beanshoots, eggplant, mushrooms, and local green chillis. When we arrived it was covered with a ceramic lid, and it cooked and bubbled in front of us in a delicious sweet soy braise.

And a meal is not complete without sake, served warm as it was quite cold and rainy outside. Takayama is well know for this alcoholic brew (as evidenced by Helen over at Grab Your Fork). A perfect accompaniment to our great meal.

Takayama: Sosuke Minshuku - Breakfasts

1-50-30, Sowamachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken
Website http://hida-yado.net/yado/sosuke/english.htm

We stayed at the most wonderful minshuku (family run guest house) in Takayama called Sosuke. Part of what made it so wonderful was the food; traditional Japanese breakfasts and dinners served in Sosuke's tatami'd dining room. I'll blog the dinners shortly, but following are three breakfasts we had the pleasure of consuming.

Breakfast on day one consisted of the essentials: Japanese pearl rice (to the tooth), small rectangular seasoned toasted nori sheets in which to dip in soy and envelop chopstick-full bites of rice, and an earthy reddish miso soup spiked with spring onions, wakame and blocks of tofu.

The extra day one items included slices of deep-fried firm tofu, slices of kamaboko (fish cake) beside a knob of wasabi, a dish of pickled hakusai (chinese cabbage), kinpira gobo (braised burdock root and carrot), and a dish of boiled and lightly seasoned azuki (red beans).

We also had this dashi poached egg in a ceramic dish, which came after I'd taken the first photo above (and after I had already dug in).

Day two breakfast consisted of the essentials mentioned above (athough this time you can see the seasoned nori sheets in their original packaging), with a sunny-side-up fried egg, steamed mirin/shoyu seasoned kabocha (pumpkin), blocks of silken tofu dressed with shavings of bonito and spring onions, plain boiled sansai (mountain vegetables) and the pickled hakusai (chinese cabbage).

Breakfast on day three provided us with one of the specialities of the Hida region; Hoba miso. Miso and sliced leeks are placed on a sun dried magnolia leaf which sits on foil over a little hibachi (fire bowl). Once the miso gets a cookin', the magnolia leaf imparts a definite pleasant fragrance to the paste, which was just delightfully salty and fresh when scooped up with a mouthful of rice.

We also had tamago, and oh my god, this was fabulous. For the uninitiated, tamago is a rolled layered omelette that is flavoured with dashi, soy, mirin and sugar. You sometimes see it cold and sliced thinly on top of sushi, but this version had been freshly made, and was juicy and flavourful in all the right ways. I must learn to make this myself one day.

Once again another little dish of sansai (mountain vegetables), this time dressed in a creamy white sauce (which was not mayonnaisey).

And lastly was a different sansai (mountain vegetables), this time braised with carrots.

One thing I love about Japanese breakfasts (like the ones experienced here) is the variety. I love having five or six little dishes to eat from - you feel that you are satiated on a physical, spiritual and nutritional plane. A little bit of protein, some vegetables, soy (in one or two different guises), rice and soup. A perfect healthy way to start the day.

Kani Doraku Honten

1-6-18 Dotombori Chuo-ku

6211 8975

http://www.douraku.co.jp/kansai/shop/honten.html (Japanese only)

Osaka's Dotombori area is full of giant neon billboards, many of which advertise a restaurant's particular specialisation. There are giant blowfish (for fugu) and giant octopus (for takoyaki). And of course, there has to be a giant mechanical crab, glaringly proclaiming the bill of fare of the institutional Kani Doraku Honten. A Japan-wide chain that specialises in crab banquets (duh!), the Dotombori eatery is the original edition. Feeling somewhat crabby after looking at some at the Osaka Aquarium, Mellie and I decided to check it out for dinner.

The restaurant has several levels and discrete dining areas. We were seated with a great view of the Dotombori canal, which didn't smell so bad behind glass. Despite the somewhat formal look of the place, Kani Doraku had a pretty casual vibe.

We went one of the crab banquets. Funnily enough, the waitress didn't advise us that you had to order two banquets for two people; we assumed that they would automatically provide enough for the both of us. Alas, we got to share the one banquet, which meant fighting Mellie for the crab legs!! First course was crab sashimi, served on the shell. The meat was very sweet indeed, a characteristic of the crab variety that they serve here (spider crab). These crabs are evil, alien looking things in real life, which we witnessed first hand at the aquarium. They kind of freaked me out then, which made me glad that I was having revenge on them by feasting on their sweet sweet flavour.

Second course was boiled crab legs, which went a treat with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of the salt/pepper mix you see on the green plate. I was very impressed by the sweetness of the meat, but there simply wasn't enough of it for the both of us - doh. This course also came with some rather good chawan mushi (steamed egg custard).

Next course was tempura crab and vegetables. The batter was light, crunchy and not too oily.

The hot plate on our table was turned on for the next course of grill-yourself crab. As you can see from the picture, we were also offered the green goopy contents of the crab's head, also known as kanimiso. We declined to touch it with extreme prejudice.

The grilled crab meat had a nice smokey taste, but again the legs were too scrawny to contain much meat. Spider crabs should get into the gym and do some leg curls or squats.

This course was accompanied by some crab rice - rice that had been cooked with the flavour of crab. This was very tasty, and went well with a bowl of miso soup.

Our meal finished with excellent green tea ice-cream, made with the matcha (powdered tea) that imparted a bitter-sweet flavour to the dessert. Very nice indeed.

If you're a crab fan, Kani Doraku is highly recommended. Spider crab is certainly one of the sweetest crab meats I have ever tasted. Just make sure you order enough food for your dining party! We also noticed other tables tucking into various hotpots, which looked and smelled fantastic. Alas we didn't have enough time to go back and try these. However, you can't go wrong with the banquets and this place seems to be quite good for groups if you are in the mood for a bang-up crab feast!

Takayama Food: Hida Milk

We purchased these cute little bottles of Hida milk in Takayama for AU$1. How delightful is the old-style packaging, sealed with waxed cardboard and protected with cellophane? As I pulled back the top I smiled - the milk was non-homogenised and a thick layer of buttercup yellow cream sat delectably on top, the milk itself, full bodied and sweet.

Milk is not as common in Japan as it is in Australia, due in part to the traditional dietary habits of the Japanese and the reduced agricultural availability of farming land. Unfortunately, with an increase in the cost of cattle feed (corn, barley, oats etc.) of late, the dairy industry is in real trouble. Worrisome times ahead.

Takayama Street Food: Imagawayaki and Taiyaki

You may have noticed a particular penchant in some of my posts - a penchant for the sweeter things in life. Not that I am a big cake eater. But give me a cute little macaron, a delicate pastry, a luscious truffle, some choux filled with custard, or a sweet yeasty dough, and I'm in heaven. Therefore it should come as no surprise that these imagawayaki hit my sweet spot.

Traditionally these festival treats are filled with red bean azuki paste, but we also found ones pumped full of custard, green tea flavoured bean paste, yam/taro and even a chocolate custard version.

The sweet batter is poured into a heated cast cast iron mould, and when the bottoms are browned, the filling is placed on one side and the other side is flipped over on top. It is left to finish cooking and heat through.

As you can see, the imagawayaki are a delicious and filling snack, and certainly not shy on the red bean paste (mmm). As a side note, imagawayaki also go by many different regional names such as obanyaki and taikoyaki, and these days even come in savoury versions (eww).

Another variation is the taiyaki, or sea bream fish shaped cake. Same batter, same filling. And yes, I ate this one too. Just to make sure.

There is much discussion about the origin of taiyaki, but they have apparently been made at Naniwa in Tokyo since 1909.

These smaller taiyaki are being filled with a green bean paste, and come in a small, medium or large bag. I didn't eat these ones as I was full on my other two indulgences.

Do these look familiar? Yes, they are similar to the Emperor's Puff we had in Sydney last year, and are basically a cooked sweet batter. Kept warm over a hot plate, shovelfuls are heaped into bags for festivalgoers. These were particularly popular with the locals.

Takayama Street Food: Owara Tamaten

I just fell in love with this happy chappy, the purveyor of owara tamaten, little cubes of grilled honey-flavoured meringuey/marshmallowy goodness. His cheeky chuckle brought a smile to our faces as I held up two fingers and said "owara tamaten o futatsu kudasai" ("I'll have two please").

A delightful translation of this unusual little treat was posted above the street stall for the benefit of tourists (such as us). Interesting to note that agar-agar, a vegetable gelatin derived from seaweed, is used as the setting agent.

The dexterity he displayed as he picked up the soft meringue cubes with chopsticks was very impressive. They were submerged into a mixture of egg yolk, honey and mirin (for colour and taste), allowed to drip dry and then deposited on a hot plate to toast.

They taste as amazing as they sound and look - cloudy puffs of eggy sweetness, tinged with a sweet honeyed outer coating. You can purchase them in take-away packs, but to eat them straight off the grill became one of those eye-closing, mouth-savouring moments.

Takayama Street Food: Hida Beef Kushiyaki

This street stall along the picturesque Miyagawa River was cooking up mouth-watering kushiyaki (skewers) of Hida beef - a local speciality of the region. Hida beef are raised in the meadows of the Hida plateau for about two years, and are known for their fatty tissue and rich flavor.

The skewers were grilled on the coals and dipped periodically into a tub of sweet Japanese style BBQ sauce. The flavour of the meat was intensely good, battling even the flavour of the baste.

Read about why we were in Takayama (Japan) here.

Takayama Street Food: Mitarashi-dango

One of the more popular street snacks in Takayama are mitarashi-dango, skewers of grilled rice dumplings (mochi) coated in a soya based sauce. In fact, the unmistakable smell of burning vegemite will certainly lead you to their location.

They are excessively salty and extraordinarily chewy, and will keep you chomping for a good five minutes.

Read about why we were in Takayama (Japan) here.

Takayama and the Autumn Hachiman Matsuri

When we were in Japan last year, we were lucky enough to coincide our visits with a number of matsuri (festivals). Our first such experience was in the township of Takayama, a quaint little village in the mountainous Hida region of the Gifu prefecture - five hours from Tokyo by train.

The Autumn Hachiman Matusri is the annual celebration of the Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine. In essence it is a procession of a dozen heavily decorated yatai (festival floats) that are paraded/pulled through the streets (usually by sake soddled citizens) over the course of a couple of days.

The yatai (floats) are absolutely huge, and take real effort to move and manoeuvre. This poor gent obviously provided aesthetic as opposed to any real pulling power.

Several of the floats are installed with karakuri ningyo, mechanical marionettes that move and dance by pulling on ropes and levers within the float. This is a very popular performance, and unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to snap a good shot. But they were lovely to watch, even from our distance away.

On the evening of the first day the yatai (floats) are pulled through the streets of the old town. The yomatsuri (evening festival) is also a highlight - the cacophany of beating drums, clapping hands, chanting and singing enlivens everyone into a festivitous mood. It was awesome.

Now you are probably saying to yourself - but Mellie, why aren't you talking about food? Well the next few posts will be dedicated to looking at the food we found in this gorgeous little township, from the markets to the festival street food.

Takoyaki (Osaka)

Dotonbori, Osaka, Japan

Ah street fare. Is there a more simpler or honest way to sample the local flavours of a place? In countries like Singapore, I often prefer the street and hawker foods to cafes and restaurants, for the price but also for the fantastic flavours and lively atmosphere that such food is cooked and eaten in.

When we visited Osaka, we stayed in Dotonbori, a busy and touristy shopping/eating street next to a rather stinky canal. Movies like Blade Runner were inspired by the sci-fi-esque neon signs of Dotonbori, where spruikers loudly attempt to lure passerbys into blaring pachinko parlours, amusement centres and any one of the seemingly endless number of eating establishments. Despite the gaudiness of it all, there was a certain charm to this mad and chaotic scene.

Street fare also caught our eye, particularly the stall in the picture above (if someone can translate the name, that would be ace!) selling Osaka's famed street snack of takoyaki, or octopus balls. No, these aren't octopus testicles but rather a dumpling-like snack consisting of batter with a filling of diced octopus, which are fried in a special cast iron takoyaki pan that has hemispherical molds which produces the takoyaki's ball shape. After frying, the takoyaki are topped with a moreish combination of okonomiyaki sauce, green laver (aonori), mayonnaise and katsuobushi (fish shavings). The fish shavings have an interesting, if somewhat freaky effect, as they "wilt" from the heat of the balls and look as if they've come alive!

We bought ten or so of the tasty treats and enjoyed them on the Nipponbashi Bridge, as many of the locals did. They were heaven - hot, chewy and doughy on the outside before one reaches the smokey octopus within. The toppings provided a melding of sweet, salty and creamy flavours that went perfectly with the takoyaki. It was so wonderful tucking into these snacks with toothpicks whilst looking out at the neon glare over the bridge. Man I love street food!

Written by Elegant Gourmand

Sushi-bun

5-2-1-#8, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

http://www.tsukijinet.com/tsukiji/kanren/susibun/eng.html

Visiting Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market is a surreal experience. If the 4am start doesn't do your head in, the madness and chaos inside the market definitely will. The highlight of any tour to the fish market is the frozen and fresh tuna auctions that conclude at 7am, after which you will be feeling delirious from the sensory overload and, more importantly, hunger.

What better way to satisfy those tummy rumbles than by breakfasting at one of the tiny sushi restaurants located within the Tsukiji fish market?

Ever since we touched down in Japan*, I had craved authentic super fresh sushi prepared by bona fide masters. Tsukiji didn't disappointment. Located down "sushi alley" are a number of restaurants, some of which have been operated for well over a hundred years by multi-generational families. All restaurants are super tiny, with room for only a small number of customers at a time, resulting in queues. The most famous is Daiwa Sushi, which our learned guide claimed was the "No. 1" sushi eatery in these parts. A two hour wait was not uncommon at Daiwa, and the Saturday that we went was probably no exception, as a line the length of the alleyway snaked from outside Daiwa's doors. Even the "No. 2" sushi place (whose name escapes me) had a very long queue!

We were famished and not willing to wait too long, so our guide took us to the "No. 3" sushi restaurant, Sushi-Bun. We still had to wait 15 minutes to get in, but it was a damn sight better than 2 hours! A sign outside the restaurant encouraged diners to be considerate, and to give up their seats after they have finished, particularly if the restaurant is busy.

We did not take any photos of the interior of the restaurant nor any of the food, as the aforementioned sign also requested that no photos be taken. We respected that. However, the picture above, and a quick look at Sushi-Bun's website will give you some idea of what the place looks like. The website also provides a brief history about the place. My impressions at the time was that it was one of the tiniest restaurants I have ever dined in! A sushi counter dominated the small space, behind which two chefs deftly prepared nigiri-sushi and maki rolls in ridiculously cramped quarters. The space was so small our backs nearly touched the wall!


Sushi a la carte is available, as are three sets. The above picture shows Set B; sashimi is also available. On the recommendation of our guide, Mellie and I ordered Sushi Set C which, for 3750 yen, consisted of "Extra special quality 10 different pieces of sushi, 3 pieces of roll and house made omelette with miso".

As was expected of a place located in Tsukiji fish market, the 10 pieces of nigiri-sushi were ultra fresh and tasty - my favourite being Toro, the fatty underbelly of the tuna, which was so rich, soft and flavoursome, it was no doubt the piscatorial equivalent of foie gras. One piece, which I suspected was Akagai (arc shell), had an interesting crunchy texture. The Anago (sea eel) was sweet and smokey. I had also never encountered the quantity of Uni (sea urchin roe) that we received in our gunkan-maki, but it was nevertheless delicious and creamy, although a little overpowering if eaten in excess. The Tamago (egg omelette) was delicate, light and fluffy, quite unlike the dried out and over-sweetened stuff that passes for tamago in Melbourne. I also greatly enjoyed the miso soup, whose red miso base was greatly enhanced by the addition of small pippies, resulting in an intense but very delicious broth. I was in sushi heaven!

Our sushi experience was over far quicker than we would have liked, but that is the nature of breakfasting at Tsukiji. Respecting the wishes of Sushi-Bun's owners, we didn't dally when we finished and quickly gave our seats up to the next set of eager customers, sadly walking out on one of my favourite dining experiences in Japan. Sushi-Bun far belied its status as the so-called "No 3" place in Tsukiji, and will definitely offer you the sublime sushi experience that Tokyo is famous for. If you can't stand the lines at the other places, Sushi-Bun is well worth checking out!

* The authors visited Japan in October 2007

Written by Elegant Gourmand

Osaka International Beer Festival, Umeda Sky Building

Umeda Sky Building

1-1 Chome, Oyodanaka, Kitaku, Osaka, Japan

http://www.skybldg.co.jp/ (Japanese only)

During our Japan trip in October 2007, we wanted to see both the old and the new, the traditional and the modern in Japanese architecture and culture. So, rather than check out just temples and traditional festivals, we also visited interesting skyscrapers and experienced contemporary festivals. The Umeda Sky Building, in Osaka, offered both. The ultra-modern and futuristic design of the building, resembling a big computer chip, has divided both locals and visitors. We loved it though! In real life, it was a very striking design, and a ride up the glass escalators to the Floating Garden Observatory at the top of the building offered great views of Osaka.

We were fortunate that, on the day when we visited the Sky Building, the Osaka International Beer Festival was also happening in the building's forecourt. Tents and stalls were set up, offering tastings of beers and food from all over the world. You can even purchase tasting glasses, which allow you to sample a number of beers. A few stalls offered games of chance - Mellie even managed to score herself a free beer!

This stall was selling yakitori - skewered pieces of chicken and other meats grilled over charcoal. The waft of the grill from this stall was mouthwatering, although I am unsure what "sausages and Popeye" could be - see one of the signs. Spinach maybe??

As you can see from the flag, this stall had Italian fare, mostly pasta. The beers were also of an Italian flavour, featuring the very tasty Nastro Azzurro.

We sampled a few brews, including this Osakan label called Minoh Beer. I recalled that the pale ale was my favourite because it had floral tasting hops very reminscent of one of my fave beers, Little Creatures. Mellie preferred the weizen (wheat) beer.

We decided to try non-Japanese food at the festival and went with the above Pad Thai from one of the more popular stalls. It was nicely smokey, though I found it to be a bit too sweet. We also made the mistake of putting too much chilli in the Pad Thai, which literally singed our tastebuds and had us clamouring for a beer to put out the fire!

There was also an Indian stall there, selling naan, curries and meats from the Tandoor oven. The smells coming from the stall were irresistable, as were the Indian guys spruiking in accented Japanese but also switching from Hindi to English, depending on the customer - quite a scene to behold! The above dish of tandoori chicken was very tasty, with white fluffy naan that totally satisfied our cravings after a few breadless days.

A band playing easy listening music added to the laid back vibe of the festival, as people relaxed and eased into the afternoon - merry laughter indicating the enjoyment of many beers and good street food. It was a fantastic, cruisey afternoon, and a respite from an otherwise modern and fast-paced city.

Yayoiken

Various locations

The subject of this review was located in Kyoto, Japan

http://www.yayoiken.com/ (Japanese only)

I wish to dispel the myth that Japan is a very expensive country. Don't get me wrong - there are certainly things there that will cost you an arm and a leg. However, as with most countries, if you do as the locals do, things like eating out can become very affordable.

Yayoiken is one such example. Recommended to us by our friendly ryokan owner in Kyoto, and previously visited by other food bloggers like Helen from grabyourfork, Yayoiken is a chain of teishoku-ya, located in numerous places in Japan, and all serving simple, homely and cheap lunch and dinner sets. How cheap? Try around 700 yen (AUD$7) for a set that will contain a meat/fish dish, miso soup, side dish, pickles, and bottomless bowls of rice from a huge help-yourself rice cooker. The chain is also opened 24 hours!

Cheapness in the prices certainly doesn't mean cheap and drab surrounds: Yayoiken is a clean and very pleasant space to dine. Key in your food choices from the vending machine, insert money, then hand your ticket to the waitress, who will show you to a table. Menu choices are vast - everything from tonkatsu and yakitori to healthy grilled whole fish, stir-frys and desserts. They even have breakfast sets!

Over the course of two dinners, we enjoyed some very tasty food:

A simple and healthy stir-fry of pork and veggies was full of flavour, nicely accompanied by a tofu side dish. I had three bowls of rice with this dish!!

The tonkatsu here was obviously not as good as some of Japan's speciality tonkatsu restaurants but it was nevertheless crunchy and yummy. Can you believe that the set above costs less than AUD$10?!

The classic Oyako Don was a no nonsense rendition of this moreish chicken and egg dish. Look how lovely that miso soup is!

What I really love about Japanese eateries is that you can always get fish at very cheap prices. Here, a beautifully grilled and butterflied piece of fresh white fish (we couldn't identify what type) went wonderfully with a wedge of lemon.

For me, Yayoiken debunks the myth that eating out is expensive in Japan. It is a simple chain that serves delicious, straightforward food that is a cut above your normal fast food places, and is certainly cheaper than similar Japanese cafes here in Melbourne.

Tsukiji Fish Market (Tokyo) - Fresh Tuna Auctions

The big ticket drawcard at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo is of course the fresh tuna auction (read about my experience of the frozen tuna auction here). This is where tens of thousands of dollars are spent on pristine specimens of bluefin, southern bluefin, bigeye and yellowfin tuna. Considering Japan is the world's largest consumer of tuna, you can understand the fuss.

The auction commences at 5.30am, and by this stage the buyers/middlemen have been milling around the fish since 3am, checking muscle colour, texture, clarity and fat content. Ultimately the fish should have been longline caught (less struggle on the line) and immediately chilled on board the ship. It should be large in size with bright red flesh that is firm yet translucent with a visible fat content. The more exemplary the condition, the higher the grade and price.

The colour of the meat is one of the most important factors in determining quality. The ideal colour is bright red, though there are variations between species - bluefin will be darker while yellowfin is lighter. Either way, there should be a luster and translucency to the flesh, without cloudiness or a hint of rainbow, which is a result of a chemical reaction which can affect taste. Brown flesh can indicate a lower quality specimen, or one that been improperly handled and allowed to "age". This is no longer suitable for sashimi.

Fat and oil content are also an indicator of quality. Fat appears as the white region just below the skin (think toro, or belly), which is usually checked on the tail cut or head cut. The thickness of the belly wall is also indicative of good fat distribution. It's presence makes the meat appear a different colour; slightly white, orange or pink.

Soapbox: I guess one can not ignore the gross overfishing of tuna from our waters. Yes, Japanese demand is high, but world demand has also increased (think of every two-bit bad sushi joint in Melbourne alone). I don't quite know how I sit with this ethical eating dilemma, especially when some species are considered critically endangered. One can coast only so long in ignorant bliss, huh?

Anyway, the big daddy of the tuna world is bluefin, the most prized of all specimens (and consequently, one of the most endangered). This is primo fish number 1 - the best tuna available on the day. Nary a nick or deformity on the skin, you can see the whiteness of the belly fat on the stomach incision, and the redness of the flesh in the tail cut.