I have always wondered what makes the simplest staples such as buckwheat soba noodles taste so good. What is the secret that sets some restaurants apart from others?

Last February, Sake Brewery Tours group learned how to roll out soba from Sato-san, a master, who joined us in a historic building at Kariho sake brewery in Akita. For many guests, it was their first time making soba. Under Sato-san’s very good instructions–and with some hands-on help–we kneaded, rolled, and cut our own fresh soba. While we were waiting for the noodles to boil, Kariho’s toji, or brew master, told us some amazing tales. He took us back 30 plus years to when he had started working at the brewery. When the noodles were ready, we enjoyed them with some just-brewed Kariho. Nothing could have tasted better. Everything was just so magical and that whole experience at the brewery was definitely one of the highlights of our five day in the snow country!

The soba master, Sato-san and his family own a restaurant in Kakunodate where the group spent the night. So, the next day, some of us visited him at his shop called simply, Kakunodate Soba. Again, we watched him roll out soba. This time he was in his own soba station with a huge wooden board on the counter next to the giant green soba grinding mill. He does this behind a glass wall so the diners can see his work as well as taste it. Just like the previous day, the soba I had was great-simple, but perfect.

Last week, I went back to Kakunodate to finalize arrangements for the 2012 Akita tour in February. I stopped in at Kakunodate Soba before they gets busy for lunch. As I was waiting for Sato-san to pack some of his soba for me to bring back to Tokyo, I noticed his father was carefully picking through a tray full of something. “Is that what soba looks like?” I asked. He said this batch was just hulled in the back of the restaurant, but there were a few black pieces left in the layers of yellow seed. He picked out any unhusked soba one by one because they change the color of the noodles. “It’s a lot of work, but we do this everyday. Otherwise, flavor and aroma of soba noodles are not so good.”

I know many soba shops grind the seeds to make their own flour, but I had not heard of a place where they husk the soba in-house. When Sato-san came back, I expressed how taken aback I was to learn how much work goes into preparation. “Do you have some time?” He invited me to the back of the restaurant to see his workshop where his seeds are prepared before milling. After learning the whole process, I was even more surprised to see how much care and time go into a simple bowl of noodles. Sato-san’s approach reminded me of sake brewing.

First, he showed me the giant refrigerated room dedicated to keeping the bags of buckwheat after it comes from a grower. Then, in the back room, he had two big green machines, one was tall and another one was low. One looked like a small rice milling machine like you might see at a sake brewery, so I assumed it is for husking. But, I could not figure out what the other short machine was for. Sato-san scooped black seeds from a blue bucket and said, “These are pretty clean when the growers ship them to us, but first we have to polish them. We clean off any trace of dust or unwanted bits by running a batch through this machine.” Then, he picks up metal plate with many holes all the same size. He explained the next step to sort the polished seeds by running them through the screen. There is a series of ten screens with ever smaller holes. Thus, everything is sorted by size before the soba goes into the tall husking machine. This kind of attention improves the husking process. Even after all of this, there are going to be a few unhusked ones in the mix. So, he uses a metal sorting plate again to separate husked and unhusked ones. Unhusked ones go back to go through the machine again.

Before getting to the point where I watched Sato-san’s father working on in the kitchen, an unimaginable amount of care goes in. “Do people know that you put in this much time and attention everyday before serving them a bowl?” I asked. In February, we had no idea how much went into making the flour we had in front of us. “I don’t think so. The prep work is time consuming but it makes all the difference in taste and aroma. Also, it is not as hard as finding the right growers and doing business with them. That’s the hardest thing and I sometimes have to ask my shisho, or master, to help me out.”

We did not even get into his dashi broth at all. Nut, his soba sauce has just the right balance of dashi and soy sauce. I imagine the same philosophy he has about noodles goes into his sauce. I never knew how complex it was to make this simple meal. I finally found the answer to my question. Now I know the secret.

If you are visiting the beautiful, yet very relaxing historic town, Kakunodate in Akita, you can try their soba yourself! They are open for lunch only and close once they have served all soba they prepared for the day.
Kakunodate Soba
Address: 17 Iwase, Kakunodate, Senboku, Akita
秋田県仙北市角館町岩瀬町１７
Tel: 0187-53-2054
Access: Kakunodate Soba is located between Nishinomiya-ke and Ando Jozo. It is a few houses up the street from Nishinomiya-ke.
Web site in Japanese:http://www.hana.or.jp/hana/kigata/kakusoba/sobatop.htm

Please join the Sake Brewery Tours to Akita in 2012 to taste and see the sake and soba master craftsmanship yourself!

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As life in Tokyo gets back to normal, so does our life. During the Golden Week holiday, many people made last minutes plans to get in or out of the city. We traveled one and half hours on local trains to Chigasaki, Kanagawa to spend the afternoon at Kumazawa Brewery, makers of Tensei label sake and Shonan Beer. Just like their fermentation, at Kumazawa Brewery, they have perfected blending old and new ways to create their own local art and food community.

One toughest choice that day was between Mokichi Trattoria or Tensei for our late, low-key lunch. Both eateries are part of the Kumazawa Shuzo compound and are run by the same people. They just differ in styles and atmosphere. Mokichi Trattoria is a kid-friendly pizza centric place with more of the beer theme. Tensei serves fusion dishes from right next to their sake brewery. You can see the roomful of fermentation tanks through the big glass walls.

Having been to Tensei a few times, but not to Mokichi, I thought we’d try their wood oven pizza with sake this time. Te-chan was excited about sausage from a local farm and micro-brewed beer.

So, here we are, at Mokichi Trattoria. Everything at Mokichi was impeccable but at the same time so comfortable and relaxed. We loved it here, especially the last glass we had- Tensei Junmai aged for five years in sherry casks. And, it is not available anywhere but in these two restaurants.

About Mokichi Trattoria
Information in English: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g246300/lang/en/
Address: 7-10-7, Kagawa, Chigasaki-shi, Kanagawa
Phone: 0467-52-6111

About Tensei
Information in English: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g246301/lang/en/
Phone: 0467-52-6115

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After San Francisco and New York, Joy of Sake is coming to Tokyo for the first time on November 2nd! The main sake tasting party will feature sampling of over 300 kinds of sake, appetizers from 12 leading chefs from Tokyo and the US, and Hawaiian music. English-language sake and food tours in and around Tokyo are not to be missed!

For more information, please visit joyofsake.com

Foodies should take a peek at restaurants at Joy of Sake Tokyo
For more about optional English sake-scene tours before and after Joy of Sake Tokyo, please visit www.joyofsake.jp/tour2010.

There’s event coverage in the Japan Times too.

Tickets are available at Joy of Sake Web Site in English or Japanese e-plus in Japanese for residents in Japan

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Ayu Gohan at Igarashi

Despite the ruthless heat and humidity, there are may things I really look forward to in the summer – all of them food related. Some are as simple as juicy peaches, boiled corn in season, or the inviting sensation of a whiff of the burning smell of sweet sauce from unagi grilled on the charcoal when passing by a restaurant.

Last night, I had my first ayu gohan of the season at Igarashi. This simple dish, lightly grilled fresh water fish cooked with rice in a clay pot, is so distinctively summery to me and I especially appreciate the bitter taste of the sweetfish with rice.

I love how Igarashi-san masterfully balances the bitterness with other subtle flavors. That’s one reason I called them yesterday as the place for a dinner reunion with my best friend who just returned from New York. But, there was another reason I had to visit them….

Igarashi

Address: Hagiwara Bldg. 2F, 4-9-15 Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo
東京都渋谷区恵比寿4-9-15 ＨＡＧＩＷＡＲＡ　ＢＬＤＧ．５　２Ｆ
Phone: 03-3447-9893
Map and information in English: bento.com
Please take a look at the July summer course menu at Igarashi. And, to match the summer theme, we started with Kozaemon Tokubetsu Junmai Origarami.

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Kamonasu Takiawase at Shinme, Kyoto

The first thing I review with expats moving to Tokyo is how to find places. With a Roppongi address as an example and a big map, I usually point out that we do not have a street and number system in Tokyo. Three sets of numbers at the end of a Tokyo address zeroes in from a big area, then to a specific block, and finally ends at a specific unit on that block. Then, just to make things interesting, I add that there’s no set direction for how the numbering goes up and down. It’s confusing, but at least that’s how I am so used to associating numbers and places.

Early this July, I had a chance to explore Kyoto at night on my own, so I decided to stop at a few sake places I had been told to check out. I had the bar names, so as usual, I looked them up on the web.

One of them, Shinme, gave me Kyoto, Kamikgyo-ku, Senbon-nakacachi-uri-agaru as the address. Not knowing how exactly the address system works in Kyoto, but having a map, I showed the cab driver where it was and he got me right at the intersection where I spotted the big sign for 神馬.

Takahashi, Kyoto

After a very pleasant conversation with the lady behind the counter and some excellent sake-centric Kyoto dishes at Shinme, I decided to try one more place. Takahashi, I was told, had good soba and sake, but this one was a bit harder to find any information about online. When I looked it up, I got two completely different maps for the single address I was able to find. This read: Kyoto, Nakagyo-ku, Shijo-takakura-sagaru, east-side, second floor. “Am I really going to find this place with this?” Having had a few drinks and being a bit tipsy I caught another taxi. “Do you know the name of the building?”, the driver asked. “No, this is all I have.” So he took me to the spot and said, “From the address you gave me, it’s around here somewhere, but I don’t know where.” I got out of the car, looked around, and there it was! There was a very modest wooden sign for Takahashi in front of me. I thought to myself, “Taxi’s in Tokyo often get lost even with exact addresses and GPS navigation systems. Kyoto drivers must really know the streets.”

I am still not 100% sure how people find places without specific numbers in Kyoto. I guess people know the cross streets and directions and use this unofficial system rather than the official address system.

“The system works by naming the intersection of two streets and then indicating if the address is north (上ルagaru), south (下ルsagaru), east (東入ルhigashi-iru) or west (西入ルnishi-iru) of the intersection. What this means is that a building can have more than one address depending on which intersection is chosen.”
-quoted from Japanese Addressing System/Wikipedia

If you are in Kyoto, find these places for sake and food!

Shinme
Senbon-nakacachi-uri-agaru
Closed on Sundays
Tel: 075-461-3635

Old style izakaya with very elegant Kyoto food.

Takahashi
Kyoto, Nakagyo-ku, Shijyo-takakura-sagaru East side 2nd floor
I do not have their phone number

It’s very modern and hip sake bar with good soba and tsumami.

Kyoto Sake Dining

Front page header photo CC from Mmonhsi.

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Yongo Nama

Tenmamichi Shimokitazawa has a great selection of sake and “a-te” sake food. But, that’s not the only reason why sake geeks find this izakaya so special. They have access to special bottles you will not find other places, even in Tokyo sake heaven. On our visit last Friday, rather than selecting sake ourselves, I simply asked for Takamura-san for his recommendations and enjoyed all eight or nine selections.

“Please disregard the labels on this bottle. I want you to pay attention to only the part that says yongo.” As Takamura-san brought out the fourth bottle to the table, he started to tell us the story.

“This one is sold by a brewer, but actually this is brewed in collaboration with Taguchi-sensei in Akita.” Each prefecture has a designated research institute for sake to improve overall quality of local production. Mr. Taguchi from Akita Jozo Kenkyujo brewed five tanks last season with a brewer to try different brewing methods. Yongo is tank number four from these batches.

Yongo tank, kimoto muroka junmai ginjo, was brewed with Akita Sake Komachi rice using the old kimoto method, then pressed using a centrifuge. We fully enjoyed this special bottle that started with lots of flavors bursting on the palette, but finished very clean.
Tenmamichi Shimokitazawa
City Hotel Lefa B1
2-20-2 Kitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo
Phone: 03-5486-0088
Directions: From Shimokitazawa Station South Exit, take a right and walk along the tracks for about one minute. You cannot miss the big sign for Hotel レファ.

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Deadly fish for sale for practice

Last week at Tsukiji Wholesale Market, I spotted signs for “practice fugu” at a couple stalls displaying whole blowfish. Winter is the season for this highly praised delicacy, so it must be for taking the certification test, I thought. “The test is coming up soon and chefs are getting ready,” one wholesaler confirmed.

Hmm… So, you can practice to take a test to be a licensed fugu chef? Well, actually regulations do not make it so easy for just anyone to treat the deadly puffer fish that’s accounted for many deaths throughout the history–some even as recently as last year. Or, at least that’s the case in Tokyo.

Each local government grants a license based on safety standards set prefecture-by-prefecture. The license is not nation-wide, so, it’s a bit like getting a driver’s license issued in your home state, but with a big question mark. That license is only good close to home and does not allow you to drive anywhere else.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health site, there are some extra hoops to jump through before even qualifying to take the test: two years experience working under the licensed chef in Tokyo, a minimum of two years of experience in another prefecture after obtaining the license there, or being a license holder from one of 18 approved prefectures. The written exam for Tokyo is scheduled in July. After passing, the second part which includes identifying the pieces and remove toxins of the fish, is in early August.

If you want to know the details for the test, here’s the site for Tokyo in Japanese. Deadline to submit an application is coming up soon.

Tsukiji Rules

Even if you are not aiming high to become a fugu master, seeing the various pieces of blowfish is quite entertaining. Check out our other posts on Tsukiji before you go!

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mame gohan in May

The other day, I was going through my pictures from May to finally organize them on my computer. As I was clicking through the pictures from dinner at Kishiyoshi in Higashi Nakano, I paused at this picture and just sighed to let all the tension out.

Many thoughts crossed my mind looking at this picture of the simplest of meals. “It’s already past May, past fresh green pea season and I had only one mame gohan!” I thought. Then, I smelled the aroma of just-cooked rice with the distinct fresh greenness. Slight saltiness mixed with nut-like fresh pea and sweetness of rice filled my mouth. My mind, then, wondered off thinking of the daily green pea gohan in early summers at home and my chores of shelling peas as a kid.

I just cannot believe it’s rainy season already and Tokyofoodcast has been dormant for a long time, since April. In case you are wondering what happened to us, we are here and our passion for sake and food are here, too. We were a bit overwhelmed by some new projects. We are back, well, almost back!

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I challenge anyone to eat one of these chou a la creme and not wonder:
1. How do they stay in business selling these for ¥180?
2. Why are there still any left on the shelf?
3. Can I hoard these for later, because sometimes there aren’t any left on the shelf?

These little treats make the end of the week just that little bit better. Actually, they make the end of the week a lot better; especially when it has been a long and trying week, or even when it has been an ecstatic week. These confections just work that way.

The fact that this bakery is on my walk home from the gym may explain why going to “work out” does not result in any weight loss.

Shop: Le Fromage
Where: Exit Gotanda Station to the east and look just past and down the side-street to the left of the Mille Feuille shop.
When: Weekdays 11 am to 8 pm.

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Tamagawa Daiginjo Shizuku Muroka Nama Genshu

Whenever I travel, finding a good restaurant that carries good local sake can present some degree of challenge. When I was in Kyoto over the weekend, I was just about to head out to one of the sake bars on my list to try. Then, I had a hunch to look a little further. So, I did one more quick search and saw the sake menu at Inaseya near Karamuma Oike with great list from Kansai, in particular, from Kyoto.

Tamagawa by Philip Harper was what brought me to Inaseya. So, I ordered Daiginjo Shizuku Muroka Nama Genshu. As soon as the fresh exquisite brew from this year was poured into a cup and the rather soft yet full aroma filled the air, I sighed and thought “this” was why I love this season! From the middle of the winter on, you find these fresh just-pressed brews everywhere. Then, I thought how often do you find shizuku that is muroka nama genshu at a restaurant? Shizuku to me is almost a synonym for contest class special sake that takes unimaginable time and effort to craft. Muroka nama genshu is unfiltered, undiluted, unpasteurized with almost as close to what you get fresh right after murky moromi is pressed with lots of flavors and aroma. So, this is the combination you do not see out there. “This is the latest batch Harper-san sent us.” the guy working behind the counter said.

Then, I noticed that almost all of Inaseya’s sake menu is muroka nama genshu, such as Yadorigi Tobindori Junmai Ginjo from Eikun or even one year aged Frosen! “It’s not like we don’t like hi-ire pasteurized sake”, he continued but he admit most of their sake is pretty close to what’s just pressed at a brewery and that’s what they like!

In the next few month, I will be in Kyoto a few more times. I am sure I will add more good sake bars on the list, but Inaseya is definitely the place to go back for to check out what other funky crazy new muroka nama genshu they have in stock!

Entry to Inaseya Honten

About Chiso Inaseya
Address: Aburayacho 93, Yanagi-banba Sanjo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto (I am not sure if this is the right order for address system in Kyoto)
柳馬場三条上ル油屋町93
Phone:　075-255-7250
Website in Japanese: http://homepage3.nifty.com/chisouinaseya/
Map on Bento.com:http://www.bento.com/kansai/rev/7155.html

Tsukidashi and Tsuki-no-katsura Nigori

Sashimi

Ikidako no kara-age

Furosen and Chicken namero

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