July seems like the time for great bargains, well, for oyster lovers. If you feel like raw oysters and cool wine, there are several specials in July in Tokyo.
1. Tokyo Oyster Bar in Gotanda
Tokyo Oyster Bar in Gotanda is having a special campaign until July 31, 2009. On a hot Saturday, I had no choice but to go in when I saw the sign for their special offer.
Raw oysters
One oyster - 250 yen
Half dozen of the same kind - 1,480 yen
One dozen of the same kind - 2,350 yen
When we were there in June, they had Kumamoto, Pacific, and 5 or 6 other kinds from the US or Canada.
Prices don’t sound so good to you? When you consider that diners often pay anywhere from 400 to 700 yen per oyster at a restaurant, this is pretty good deal for the oyster lovers in Tokyo!
From July 3rd through August 16th, they offer all you can eat oysters, both raw and cooked, in 60 minutes for 4,980 yen. You have to make a reservation at least 2 days in advance.
Please check out their offer details in Japanese before you make a reservation.
This one is on our hit list. Once, we had one of these all you can eat oysters deals in Roppongi for 2,500 yen per person. We finally left the restaurant after finishing over 70 oysters between two of us!
Restaurant Information:
Fish & Oyster Bar
Shibuya Seibu Department A-kan 8F
21-1 Udagawa-cho
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
TEL 03-5728-7235 Fish & Oyster Bar Web site in Japanese
3. Yebisu Oyster Bar at Yebisu Garden Place
From July 1st through 31st, they serve all raw oysters at 300 yen each.
Please check out the details of the offer in Japanese before you make a reservation.
Restaurant Information:
Yebisu Oyster Bar
SYebisu Garden Place Glass Square B1,
4-20-4 Ebisu
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
TEL 03-5447-1870 Yebisu Oyster Bar Web site in Japanese
4. Water Grill Restaurant in Nishi-Azabu
From July 3rd through August 16th, they offer all you can eat oysters, both raw and cooked, in 90 minutes for 5,500 yen. You have to make a reservation at least 2 days in advance.
Please check out the details in Japanese before you make a reservation.
Last night, we enjoyed a super sake tasting with our über sake otaku friends. Among the many many nihonshu we tried, two bottles from Yamatogawa Shuzo in Kitakata, Fukushima stood out.
The two bottles of Yamatogawa Yauemon from last night were full of surprises from beginning to end. These were produced for the very special occasion when the ninth generation of Yauemon succeeded to the name a couple of years ago. And, these bottles must have been custom-made to celebrate the event.
As soon as we opened the wooden jewel box, we were amazed by the look and colors of the two bottles inside.
Then, when I grabbed this thin, fragile, and very elegant carafe like vessel, it felt like looking at the label through a sepia color film. At the bottom of the carafe, there was an opening where the label was inserted. Also, the dimple made it easy to grasp and pour.
Finally, the taste! Considering the dark amber colors and that Sensei had stored them over 2 years in one of his many refrigerators, we were not sure how the flavor had actually developed. You never know with aging sake; it can come out like takuan pickles or have a lot of hineka. So, I waited sheepishly for someone else to take the plunge. “Very nice! Perfect for dessert sake!” Indeed, one of the two Yamatogawa was Honjozo aged for 9 years at the brewery. The other one was, fukkoku junmaishu, which I believe is junmai-shu brewed using an old method. Both had elegant deep umami and very pleasant sweetness. Perfect either for aperitif or as dessert sake!
Photo: Yamatogawa, aged for 9 years
Photo: Fukkoku Junmaishu from Yamatogawa
If you plan to travel to Kitakata in Fukushima, go there hungry. This tiny town is known for the highest concentration of ramen shops per capita. And, don’t miss Yamatogawa’s beautiful sake museum! I really enjoyed their photos and old sake brewing tools from the last two hundred years.
Yamatogawa Sake Museum
4761 Teramachi, Kitakata, Fukushima
TEL:0241-22-2233
Photo: Yamatogawa sake museum in Kitakata, Fukushima
Photo: Old picture at the Yamatogawa Sake Museum
Photo: Public transportation in Kitakata!: My image of Kitakata!
No, this is not how to make your own stinky-fish treats at home. Although, you could probably make a decent start after watching this video. Previously at Tokyofoodcast, Et-chan described the amazing dishes we had at Kitashina and briefly how Okami-san gave a demonstration of her fish preparation technique.
So, I’d like to introduce my new YouTube channel and share an eight-minute video of the work involved in getting Lake Biwa carp ready to ferment into delectable funazushi. Besides, when’s the last time you went out for for dinner at a four-century-old restaurant and the owner came out to show you how to gut fish on the dining room floor?
In Japanese with a few titles, but the action and responses speak for themselves, I think. Enjoy!
Voila! I managed to take some pictures of the treat I saved for Te-chan yesterday before it was gone. Here are some pictures of Koganeimo, or golden sweet potato.
The filling is made of sweet bean paste colored with turmeric. Then it is coated with powdered Cinnamon sugar. Mmm… Decadent!
I bought this fish from my favorite window-shopping spot in Ningyocho on the way home from my tea lesson today.
Photo: Sweet Ayu
Kotobukido, in Ningyocho, specializes in delicate Kyogashi sweets that always fascinate and lure me to stop and stare in the window. They have such simple but eye-catching displays of seasonal items. This time of the year, they feature Ayu or sweetfish. One of these fishy looking sweets is like a rolled pancake made with flour. The second, the one I bought, is made of sweet nerikiri paste and looks just like a grilled fish.
Photo: Two kinds of Ayu: Flour pancake top, neriki bottom
Usually these are just beautiful to look, but when I tried to leave today, the aroma of cinnamon coming from the shop was just irresistible! So, I picked up this sweet grilled Ayu and Koganeimo to enjoy at home. Their Koganeimo is from a sweet bean paste, colored yellow with turmeric and coated with a very fine cinnamon sugar powder. It looks just like tiny sweet potato golden inside. I ate mine before taking a picture, so until Te-chan gets home to eat his, here’s Koganeimo in the wrapper! Too bad the aroma cannot be sent over the Internet!
Te-chan got me Juji Asahi Junmai Ginjo a few month ago as a gift. He knows Juji Asahi always gives me a big energy boost, so when I was a bit tired, he went to Shimanekan in Nihonbashi to pick up a bottle. I saved it until this week, but with such big changes in the weather recently with swings in humidity and temperature, I was feeling in need of a big power booster. So, on Monday, there it was!
I’ve been trying to analyze my response and find out why I feel so positive whenever I have Juji Asahi. They do have cult-like enthusiastic followers, but I do not usually get religious about sake. So, here are a few reasons I can think of.
Juji Asahi is a short drive from Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine in Shimane, which is dedicated to the god of happiness and marriage. So, maybe Juji Asahi is blessed with plenty of good energy to start with.
Our visit to the brewery was very pleasant. In 2008, we visited Eriko Terada-san, daughter and the successor of the brewery at Asahi Shuzo. Terada-san and her husband are apprenticing under the veteran toji brewmaster they call “Oyattsan”. The young couple’s passion for brewing is just phenomenal, and I feel like they can achieve whatever they set their minds to. They just have that kind of positive vibe!
Most of their sake on the market is aged. One unopened bottle we have at home was brewed in 2000, but I am not in a hurry to open it. As Terada-san puts it, “We don’t know why it is that way, but our sake gets better when aged.” It’s so sturdy and the more it ages, the flavor deepens. They also have average 40 days of moromi time in the brewing tank, which is so much longer when compared with most brewers’ 20-30 day moromi period. So, they allow more days for sake to settle, and that makes their sake contented?
These are my random thoughts around Juji Asahi. To find out what it does for you, you may have to make a trip to Nihonbashi. There you will find Shimane promotional shop, Shimanekan, which always carry them.
About Shimane-kan in Nihonbashi:
Shimanekan’s Web site in Japanese: http://www.shimanekan.jp
across Mitsukoshi Honten
1-5-3 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo, Tokyo
東京都中央区日本橋室町1-5-3 福島ビル１階
TEL: 03-5201-3310
Access: Ginza Line/Hanzomon Line at Mitsukoshi Mae Station, one minute from A1 or A4 Exits Photo: Asahi Shuzo in Shimane
Omi Takashima station lies on the west coast of Lake Biwa in Shiga only one hour away from Kyoto by local JR train. With that kind of proximity to the ancient capital, I was expecting another commuter suburb with an AEON or equivalent generic shopping center and a Tsutaya. When we arrived at the station and saw a giant statue of Gulliver, I thought we slipped back into the Showa period. It felt so different from any other cities. Kombini, Japanese for convenience stores, were nowhere to be found, even vending machines at the station had totally different drinks from what I see everyday. Everything was so old, quiet, and foreign there, in a very nice way.
People from all over the country and in some cases from overseas travel to this town by the lake for the special dining experience at Kitashina. Kitashina has been making funazushi here since 1619 and the first generation chef started by serving the local lord. Their funazushi, the signature dish at the restaurant, has a very deep but mild flavor from their long aging process of around three years or more. Stinky fish isn’t the only thing they are specialized in. The course dinner we had was a showcase of the lake region’s dishes.
Chojifu is specific kind of fu, or gluten. Here it is served with sliced vinegared cucumber, Kansai-type white miso, and goma dressing.
Photo: Fu and cucumber sumiso
Cooked aka konnyaku or cooked red devil’s tongue jelly. Konnyaku is usually grey or clear; red is unusual but nicely fits the name when translated into English. Some historians believe that this was Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s favorite dish.
Photo: Aka konnyaku
Gomadofu or sesame tofu. Te-chan loves gomadofu.
Photo: Gomadofu
Shimaebi to mame nimono tiny shrimp from Lake Biwa and soy beans simmered in a sweet broth: A local version of a standard dish.
Photo: Nimono
Ayu-no-tsukudani baby sweetfish cooked in sweet soy sauce. This was just soooo good and everyone helped themselves to lots them, reducing a big heap to nothing. Great with sake!
Photo: tsukudani
Funazushi kanrozuke Funazushi stored in sake kasu or the lees left over from Hagi no Tsuyu sake brewing. This cousin of funazushi was more of an interest than a pleasure. We’re glad we tried it, but didn’t need extra servings.
Photo: Funazushi kanrozuke
This carp sashimi was smothered with carp eggs and served with a miso vinegrette. This presentation is unusual in Tokyo, but was very nice.
Photo: Koi and koi-no-ko
Yuba, satoimo and unagi wan: This bowl of tofu curd, taro, and eel was served in a thick sweet soy sauce broth. This was a hearty dish.
Photo: Wan
Grilled moroko from the lake served on table-top hibachi grills by the chef himself.
Photos: Grilled moroko
These deep-fried tenagaebi sprinkled with salt were so crunchy and just good. We popped them in our mouths one after another between sips of sake.
Photo: Tenagaebi
Funazushi chazuke or funazushi and rice served with tororo kombu in hot soup
Photo: Funazushi chazuke
To pair with these dishes, they serve their local sake, Hagi-no-Tsuyu. All five bottles went so well with each course. Yamahai tokubetsu junmai muroka nama, nurukan about body temperature went especially well with sweet tiny ayu tsukudani or funazushi!
Photo: Hagi-no-Tsuyu
On the day we dined at the restaurant, the owner was able to buy some nigorobuna. So, Okami was going to stay up till late to clean the fish after we left, because no one else, even her son-in-law who is a trained chef, can do the routine as well as she does. Being such a good host, she put on a special show for us with her magic of preparing the fish. So, next week, I am going to describe how she did it.
Kitashina is really special. Their food is great, but the Shiga hospitality we experienced at the family run restaurant, including from 9 year old grand son, Maa-kun, was really something special that can be only found here.
Funazushi as we see it today is widely known as the signature Shiga dish that has been passed down from generation to generation. Whether because of its stinky nature or just the idea of miraculous micro-organisms hard at work in your food, this dish provokes passionate discussion, splitting people into two groups: you really love it or totally hate it.
As you saw in Tokyofoodcast on the Trail of Funazushi, we started our April trip in Omitakashima, via Kinomoto, then, ended again in Nagahama, going around the big lake. This time, Et-chan and Te-chan were with a group of sake aficionados to visit some breweries in the area and we never intended the trip to be such culinary adventure. As is always the case though, sake and food go together, and the best way to enjoy the traditional drink is to really understand the local cuisine.
Before I continue with the food and sake from our trip, I thought to share what I’ve learned from two books: Funazushi no nazo and Biwako no sachi dokuhon. Hopefully, I can communicate the essence of this food I love.
What is funazushi?
Funa is the fresh water fish crucian carp. Sushi referred to here, phonetically changed here to zushi after the ingredient funa, is not what people recognize as sushi today. More precisely, funazushi is a form of narezushi, which is believed to have been brought to Japan around the 3rd century as a way to preserve scarce sources of protein such as fish and meat. The Engishiki, a book of laws and regulations from the 10th century, recorded that narezushi-style preserved fish, shellfish, boar, and venison were presented to the emperor from various parts of western Japan. Both the Engishiki and another legal record written in the 8th century, the Buekiryo, indicate that funazushi was gift to the emperor from the Omi region–that is present-day Shiga.
When the way funazushi is made today is compared to ancient times, I am sure not much has changed. The fish is cleaned, cured in salt for sometime, cleaned again, then dried. Cooked rice is stuffed into the fish. Then, the fish stuffed with rice are layered on cooked rice in an alternating stack of layers of fish and rice until the big barrel is full. A heavy weight is placed on top just as in pickling, then the barrel is left as-is for a long time to ferment until the rice becomes like porridge.
This dish has been traditional cuisine for locals in Shiga for a long time. If funazush preparation originally served just as a method of preservation, with today’s modern refrigeration it would not be necessary to go through the lengthy multi-year fermentation process. Why is it still made, then? In 1965, 60% of households in Shiga prefecture made their own funazushi at home. According to Funazushi-no-nazo, the dish is still served on special occasions or as part of religious ceremonies and festivals. It also serves as comfort food, in a sentimental way and as a remedy when people are sick. Secret family recipe are carefully protected and passed on to each new generation.
How much is it?
Funazushi made with authentic nigorobunacrucian carp from Lake Biwa is very expensive. For example, one whole fish about 25 cm long is 8,400 yen at Kitashina, one of the restaurants we visited in April.
Why all the raving about this stinky fish?
To someone like me who never grew up eating this pickled fish in rice, it holds no sentimental value. Is it a treat though? To me, the combination of nihonshu and funazushi is just heavenly. Anyone who loves blue cheese, I am pretty sure, will find the dish addictive. In recent years, craving for funazushi is growing from outside the lake region, but there are not enough funa.
Nigorobuna, the species found only in Lake Biwa, is different from regular funa you find in lakes and rivers. As often shown in pictures, the best funazushi still have the ovaries intact. So, it narrows down the options even further. Continuing drastic ecosystem changes in this biggest lake in Japan is making the fish even harder to catch. In 1980, 800 tons of funa, including nigorobuna, were caught in Biwa-ko. 26 years later, the catch is down to 115 tons. There’s not much fish to start with.
At the same time, locals are not going through the trouble of making funazushi at home as much as they used to. The number of households making it has declined to 30% in 1995, half of the number from the census in 1965. When I conducted my own survey and asked to people from Shiga I met if they still make home made funazushi, I got two replies of, “Yes, my grandmother makes it.” So, what used to be made in most homes is now only supplied by a few places, such as restaurants and specialty shops.
Photo: My precious: Nigogobuna from Biwa-ko
Now, I hope you understand why I make such a big deal about the dish. In the next post, I will put together some Shiga regional dishes we had on the west side of the lake.
References:
Biwako no sachi dokuhon 琵琶湖の幸 読本 published by Shiga Prefecture Fishing Co-op.
Funazushi no nazo ふなずしの謎 (Japanese) published by Sun Rise Publishing
Last Sunday, we had a chance to open Hakurakusei from Miyagi, sent to us by @squampton and tried it with very fish-centric food I brought back from my cooking class with Chef Nishikawa.
Brewed this year, as you can imagine, it had very young, fresh feel to it. It started with ripe mango aroma, then the first sip had balanced fruity acidity followed by nice nigami. This is produced in the little town of Furukawa, now officially part of Osaki City, where Andrew used to live. Please make sure to go over and read Andrew’s story behind this bottle at SakeSwap.
As we continued sipping along with tobiuo or flying fish sashimi or kobujime I made in class, Hakurakusei changed its profile-becoming more mellow. Fishy dishes were perfect for this bottle from the North, especially when they had a bit of bite to them from ginger or myoga. Photo: Bento from my cooking class with a “use up every part of the fish” theme.
Living in Japan and curious about this new sake exchange circle? Please visit Andrew at SakeSwap!
Hakurakusei is produced by Shinzawa Shuzo in Miyagi.
If you are wondering what this Sake Of The Week series is about, out of all sake we have had in the week, from Sunday through Saturday, we pick one. So, SOTW is updated either on Saturday or on Sunday.
Last year, I was in Nagahama, Shiga for Funazushi for the first time in my life! This year, we had a special opportunity to sample two very good, but quite different forms of the original sushi. Funazushi has been made of fresh water fish from Lake Biwa since at least the 8th century. Also, we were amazed when we got to watch how a veteran okami at Kitashina prepared her catch of the day for a three year nap in a fermenter!
So, next week, I am going to put together a couple of posts about food and sake from a big circle we made around Lake Biwa. Until next week… Oh, and don’t miss SOTW on Sunday!
Photo: Funazushi at Kitashina, Takashima, Shiga
Photo: Funazushi made by a local lady, sold at michi-no-eki near Kinomoto, Shiga
