Here’s another fantastic food experience from our Japan trip back in ’07.  Having an insatiable propensity towards pork, I was dying to sample some bona fide tonkatsu in its native surrounds.  We timed our visit to Harajuku with dinner at the Lonely Planet- recommended [...]]]> Jingumae 4-8-5, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Phone +81-33-470-0071

Here’s another fantastic food experience from our Japan trip back in ’07.  Having an insatiable propensity towards pork, I was dying to sample some bona fide tonkatsu in its native surrounds.  We timed our visit to Harajuku with dinner at the Lonely Planet- recommended Maisen, which was apparently one of the top tonkatsu specialists in Tokyo.  Well, it turned out to be one of our best dining highlights, not just in Japan, but ever!  EVER, I tells ya.

That is, until we had found the f##ker.  We spent hours trying to find the joint but literally kept walking around in circles in Groundhog Day fashion.  Hey Mel, haven’t we already seen that freaky goth with blue hair and Hello Kitty backpack twice already?? The Lonely Planet “map” didn’t help, nor did our attempted pronunciation of Maisen when we asked hipster Harajuku shopkeepers for directions.  We thought it was pronounced French-style, as in La Maisen Derriere haw haw haw, but actually we had to inflect the “i”, as in my-zen.

We’d nearly given up but thought we’ll give it one more round and, there, at the end of a side street that we had somehow missed the previous six friggin’ times we’d walked past, emerged Tokyo’s venerable House of Hog.

Maisen occupied a pre-World War II public bathhouse, and the building itself was HUGE.  There was a little takeaway section on the outside where one could purchase tonkatsu bento boxes.  Just inside the entrance they had a small shop and meet and greet area, selling things like their delectable range of tonkatsu sauces.  We signalled our intentions to the host and, after a short wait, was led through a bar section with a long wooden counter into the cavernous main dining room.  You could definitely see elements of Maisen’s previous incarnation.  The room was dated but it was very pleasant, comfortable and casually retro.

Like the best steakhouses, the tables were set with all manner of condiments to accompany the bill of fare, including the aforementioned tonkatsu sauces.  This sauce was simply devastating and completely bends the stuff you get in a tube well and truly over the barrel.  No wonder Maisen used to be a bathhouse, because I wanted to bathe in a tub of this sauce.  It’s the sh#t.

We were handed menu’s, which helpfully had pictures depicting the six or so different types of pork you could have but unhelpfully they all looked exactly identical to each other.  Doh!  We couldn’t read Japanese so had to go by the different prices, choosing one which we hoped was something between the best cut and the house cut.

We weren’t disappointed!  Just look at that perfectly fried tonkatsu in the first pic, with  bread crumbs so well preserved through the frying process that it made the tonkatsu look like a fluffy pillow.  It rested on a metal rack that ensured that any excess oil dripped onto the plate, though the tonkatsu was already very well drained.  The meat was truly sublime, crunchy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside, especially when matched to the fruity tonkatsu sauce and plain white rice.  Maisen uses pork from the black hair pig, which has a moist, juicy texture and subtle yet flavoursome taste.  It shat all over previous tonkatsu that I’ve eaten before, and have eaten since.  The shredded raw cabbage was a perfect foil for the richness of the meat, and what’s more, it was all you can eat!  Dainty mama-sans roamed the floor, replenishing cabbage with cheery dispositions.

The tonkatsu set also came with miso soup and a refreshing tofu salad dish, but really they were mere backdrops to the magnificence of the tonkatsu.

Alas, the meal eventually had to end, and we were so saddened to leave.  It was a memorable meal and one that I knew there and then would forever ruin tonkatsu for me when I came home *sniffle*

Kyoto is an absolutely fascinating city, known for it’s Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces, gardens, architecture, culture, food and of course, geisha.  We’d spent much of the day roaming the streets of Kyoto, [...]]]> Address unknown
but it’s on the west side of Hanamikoji Street, just south of Shijo, Kyoto

Kyoto is an absolutely fascinating city, known for it’s Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces, gardens, architecture, culture, food and of course, geisha.  We’d spent much of the day roaming the streets of Kyoto, and in the late afternoon met with Peter MacIntosh for a geisha walking lecture, where I was able to snap the beautiful photo above.  Peter took us down to the Gion quarter, where we were able to see and learn about geisha schools, okiya (geisha boarding houses), ochaya (tea houses), and geisha life in general.  Afterwards, we asked Peter to recommend a restaurant where we could sample kaiseki ryori, a traditional multi course Japanese dinner of the highest order.  What a recommendation he gave us!

So without further ado, here is our fabulous meal at Mitokou.

We started with sashimi, and yes, that is toro you see before you, two wonderful fatty melt-in-the-mouth slices.  To the right, delicate slivers of kingfish.  I just love the detail of the presentation – a shiso leaf underneath, a ball of freshly grated wasabi, and a little pink flower bloom.

The saké was served from a length of bamboo submerged in a slurry of ice.  I think saké should always be served like this – how neat.

The two white poppy seed encrusted slices were (I think) made from fish or prawn paste (or both), and it was served with a shelled prawn, a slice of fresh wasabi root and small gingko nuts (in the little bowl).

A little nama-fu (wheat gluten) maple leaf adorned the next dish – a sweetly braised egg-filled shishamo, although it was larger than ones I’ve eaten previously (perhaps something other than smelt?). Either way, I popped the whole thing in my mouth – head, tail, eggs and fins.  Yum!  A couple of pieces of simmered daikon sat to the side with a textured white miso and mirin paste.

I was surprised to see a dobin-mushi served next, my first ever experience with such a dish. The dobin is the name of the earthenware teapot – notice how the lid is actually a cup turned upsidedown?  The “mushi” part comes from the verb, musu which means “to steam”.

On removing the lidded cup, the steam unfurled wonderfully brothy aromas.  Our waitress indicated that we should squeeze the yuzu into the pot, which we do, and then we dig in with our chopsticks and retrieve singular pieces of prawn, chicken, fish and finally, the king of mushrooms, matsutake.  Well, it is autumn after all   After consuming all the little morsels we pour out the yuzu’d spiked broth – oh wow, simple but stunning.

I absolutely adore tofu, and was pleased to be served two types.  The one above, served chilled in a lightly seasoned dashi, was delicately sweet and decorated with a little wasabi and a goji berry.  It tasted just like the tofu cheese we’d had at Itsukushima in Miyajima, but only more silken.

We were also served plain silken tofu, simmered in paper.  One has to be ever so careful in extracting the tofu from the liquid so as to not destroy the integrity. You then dip them into a mix of shoyu, grated ginger, sliced green onions and bonito shavings.

Miso glazed and grilled cod came next, topped with wilted chrysanthenum leaves – oh my, this left Nobu’s dish for dead!  Next to that was a fresh ginger sprout (where can we find these in Melbourne?!), and a whole chestnut that had been simmered/candied in red wine. May I draw your attention to the lovely autumn plate…isn’t it divine?

This fresh onigiri was filled with little pieces of roasted chestnut, and I half suspect they used the sweeter glutinous rice to make it.

Not exactly sure what this dish was, but it consisted of a thickened mushroom stock that held plump grains of barley and whole mushrooms.  It was wonderfully umami.

I adore this photo – just check out those perfectly cooked Japanese pearls of rice, topped with crunchy chirimenjako (whole salted fish).  It is hard to express the pleasure of eating a mouthful of soft rice, and having that hit of fishy salty crunch.

Of course, no meal is complete without having tsukemono, which literally translates as “pickled things”.  We had a lovely slice of daikon (uh huh, not that bright yellow stuff we usually get down here), a ball of shiso pickled greens, and some pickled gourd.  Oh…how I yearn to have such pickles here in Melbourne!

The other requisite of the meal is miso, and this particular bowl had some added extras; yuba (tofu skin), mitsuba (herb)…but damn if I can remember what those little balls were!

For dessert we had a mind blowing kanten jelly that was served with roasted kinako (soy) powder.  Oooh…how I so wish I knew what the flavour actually was; it was slightly floral and fruity, but just magnificent. Unfortunately my paltry Japanese was unable to figure this one out.

This really was one of our memorable meals in Japan – so much so that I can still remember and taste much of what we ate, two years later!  (yeah, I know…I’m slack with these Japan posts!)

In the residential backstreets of Itsukushima sits a quaint little restaurant that has been serving up anagomeishi, eel in a spicy sauce over rice, since the Meiji era.  We almost walked right past the door, such was its innocuousness.

A quick digression – the large wooden [...]]]> 125-2 Miyajima-cho, Itsukushima

In the residential backstreets of Itsukushima sits a quaint little restaurant that has been serving up anagomeishi, eel in a spicy sauce over rice, since the Meiji era.  We almost walked right past the door, such was its innocuousness.

A quick digression – the large wooden shakushi (spatula) hanging above the window to the right is used to scoop cooked rice. Apparently the implement was invented by a local Monk, and as such, you can find replicas in just about every souvenir store across the island.  And for those who can’t get enough shakushi, there is even a giant 5 metre version!

The meal was simple, but in that, it was purely magnificent.  To the left, a clear smoky osuimono broth looking rockpool-like with pippies and floating coriander stalks, tasting of the fresh sea.  A small dish of homemade tsukemono (pickles) were to add a nice contrast to what was to come. Then there was the bowl with the wooden drop lid.

Underneath was the most perfectly cooked Japanese pearl rice layered with thin slices of sweet sea eel, grilled to caramelly and smokey goodness.   There was silence and smiles at the table as Dan and I consumed our bowls. This was one we didn’t want to end.

Traditional Japanese breakfasts are just the best, and both Dan and I eagerly anticipated our meals at the beginning of each day during our trip in Japan. Normally I have somewhat of a sweet tooth, and would probably choose toast and [...]]]> 1162-3 Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima, Japan
Phone 81-829-44-0700

Traditional Japanese breakfasts are just the best, and both Dan and I eagerly anticipated our meals at the beginning of each day during our trip in Japan. Normally I have somewhat of a sweet tooth, and would probably choose toast and jam or cereal over bacon and eggs.  But Japanese breakfasts just hit the spot with me, perhaps because of both the freshness and variety.

To start with (or to end with to be more precise), steamed rice and a small bowl of pickles.  The main salad in the centre consisted of shredded carrot and daikon, lettuce, cucumber and tomato petals.

A generous still warm slice of freshly made tamago (Japanese omelette) sat next to grilled shishamo, small saltwater fish filled with their own eggs.  Their name comes from the fact that the fish look like willow leaves.  Mmm.

Lastly, a beautiful earthernware pot filled with simmering blocks of silken tofu.  A small little seive/strainer helps to lift the very delicate blocks out of the water, and you can dip the tofu into a bowl of light shoju (soy sauce) seasoned to taste with grated ginger, sliced spring onion and katsuobushi (shaved bonito).  I took the rather uncouth option of throwing the whole lot into the shoju. Tasty!

Yamaichi Bekkan is a delightful ryokan just a stones throw from the ferry terminal on Itsukushima Island.  As you can see from the photos, the food was absolutely exquisite!  First up, some textbook perfect slices of sashimi with freshly grated wasabi.