Tokyofoodcast

Nagomi

… Finally, I think it is the people that makes this tagine ryori and nihonshu place so comfortable. Shimada-san and Ichikawa-san behind the counter are perfect professionals, but their passion for nihonshu kind of rubs off. It’s just fun to sit at the counter and watch them and chat about sake when they have a moment. They do not have an English menu, but don’t worry. If you have nihongo-phobia, Shimada-san and Ichikawa-san can guide you through their menu and drinks in English.

Sake of the week #036: Juji Asahi Orochi no Mai 15BY

Back home, I started a pot of polenta going and layered some in a dish with gorgonzola to finish in the toaster oven. Then, I put the fennel, carrots, kabu, leeks, daikon, and onion in the roaster to get started. Two of the pork steaks got a little black pepper but that was about it before a searing in the pan and then deglazing with calvados and Heering cherry liqueur. The steaks went in the roaster with all the juices and some bits of dried fig too.

At this point I had posed myself a problem without giving it any thought. What sake was going to go with a roasted dinner like this?

San’in Trip: Day Four-Izumo-Land of Myth and Faith

Then, we were off to the Izumo Grand Shrine which is believed to be the oldest shrine in Japan. And, it is rich with myths and legends. In October, all gods from throughout Japan gather at this central location. What do they do? They hold conferences and discuss various topics such as liquor production, marriage ties, and the yield of grain during the previous year. Where do they stay? There are special guest houses on the premises to host gods while they visit the shrine! Even today people believe in the uber-power of the kamisama here and pay a special visit.

San’in Trip: Day Three-Fished out! And Monsters Too!

After the crabfest at Gyosantei, we started our third day at a hotel which also serves as a dormitory for sailors by the port of Sakaiminato. Although not a soul besides us seemed to be wandering the harbor or the streets on that sunny spring morning, the clear sky at this working port town was filled with the “clang, clang, clang” from the shipyard echoing through an otherwise very peaceful neighborhood.

San’in Trip: Day Two–Follow the crab

“You are lucky, it’s the last day of the crab season…. Where did you come from?” the owner asked as we were leaving. Then the natural flow of question lead to why. “To visit Chiyomusubi Shuzo”, we responded. “Haaa, Chiyomusubi-san????”

Kaiseki Journal 5: Choyo-no-Kaiseki

Chōyō (重陽）is the Japanese term for the Double Ninth Day which falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. In Japan, September 9th is Chrysanthemum Day, one of the five seasonal festivals in Japan. To me, today is the most tranquil festival of all five, even compared with the rather quiet nanakusa day on January 7th.

Tokyofoodcast’s fastfood lunch picks under ¥400

The other day, I was sitting at CoCo Ichi for a quick lunch and realized that ¥400 could can get me a relatively decent lunch around Tokyo. So, I decided to pull together a post with my fast food lunch picks under ¥400. Just because I’m being cheap, doesn’t mean I don’t have some standards…

Kaiseki Journal 4: Asa chaji no kaiseki

The asacha tea gathering is held early in the morning to avoid the summer’s sweltering heat. Or, at least, the idea is to avoid the midday sun and heat that makes it hard to breathe, just like when you step into a sauna. Imagine the heat from the air combined with burning coal and boiling water in an iron pot in a small tea room!

The ceremony starts around 6:00 am and I wonder what time the host starts to prepare for the early morning. One answer I got from my sensei is around 4:00 am.

The August kaiseki menu was rather simple and light for asa chaji.

Ultimate summer food and sake pairing: Part 2

I loved everything that night, but I have such a soft spot for Kochi from my trip to Kami-no-kae. My favorite pairing for the night was a bit of lightly-warmed Tsukasa Continued from my previous post: Ultimate summer food and sake paring – Part 1…

Botan Hacchu Funasaku with katsuo-no-tataki. I was lucky to be sitting next to my sake otaku friend who always has his low-tech portable kan gadget to warm up the brew. Grilled hoya with Urakasumi Junmai Nama was a tie. What’s your favorite?

Japanese Language for Japanese Food

I’d like to share a truly useful resource for acquiring Japanese. This comes dangerously close to crossing over from my role as food and sake otaku to my day job of language otaku, but here goes anyway. Smart.fm is a website for learning, especially for learning language. That sounds very simple, but the tools they provide are based on sound cognitive science research and work well. If you want to learn more about how Smart.fm works, please watch this short video, or just take my word for it that the system works and read on to the good stuff-food.