Tokyo: Irifune Sushi (入船寿司)

[Introduction chit-chat]

Should I feel guilty for ignoring this blog for so long? I should!
What makes it worse is that I have this blog save as draft for almost half a year but never really come back and finish it! My bad *tsk tsk*

So anyway I met up with MK from http://sleepwalkingintokyo.wordpress.com/ last month when I was in KL and she asked me what happened to my blog. Yeah, so that's why I'm here. I will try my best to clear the backdate stuffs since I'm having 3 trips in the 5 months from now and obviously I'm gonna eat a lot. I also think that maybe the direction of my blog will be reviewing of food I ate when I go on trips, more than everyday, general eating in Bangkok. So sorry about that if anyone looks forward to that sort of content (I don't think nobody cares anyway - haha)

So move on to the review!

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This was the place I looked forward to the most, for my October 2013 trip in Tokyo. Read the review on tabelog and I went mad with the pix I saw people posting, all those maguro/akami/chutoro/otoro! If you are crazy about Otoro, this restaurant is a place you should not miss. I HIGHLY recommended!

The place is called Irifune Sushi. It situated a very short walking distance from Okusawa station but also not far from Jiyugaoka station. Very easy to find since it is on the main road.

I got there like 2.30pm something. It was already passed the lunch hour so I was the only customer there. I ordered their most famous Otoro Aburi Don (大トロのあぶり丼) which is basically a rice bowl top with partly grilled Otoro.

I think the uncle who took my order and worked on the fish is also the owner of this place. So we had a bit of chit-chat when I told him I came from Thailand. He was surprised then thanked me - you know how Japanese people are like! He then showed me this tray with pieces of maguro. From left to right: Otoro, Chutoro and Akami. He then spoke to me in English "Otoro Number 1!" - I couldn't agree more really.

Then I was served with a small bowl of cold starter - I think it was salmon boiled with soy sauce then put in the fridge coz the soup bit turned into this gelatin-like. I know, it sounds scary from the way I explained, I was horrified when I was served with that too since I didn't come from culture that eats cold food. Anyway, it was quite nice.

Then the real deal arrived. It looked like yakiniku (grilled beef) right? Can I also tell you it also smell like it too!? Oh my, just looking at the pic now makes me starving! The uncle told me I don't need to use shoyu since they already put some sauces on and just ate with the grated fresh wasabi on top. You would think it looked small - just don't let the look from pic deceived you...coz it was nowhere near small! I almost could not finish it - HELLO, ME?!?!?! 

Anyway, taste wise - when people described things like "melt in your mouth", I usually had no idea what they mean. However, in this case, I got it. When you put the aburi otoro in your mouth, you can really feel those fatty things melt in your mouth. It's super yummy and totally worth the money and time I paid to have this meal. Now since I talked about the price, you might be a bit scary to hear that this bowl of rice is 10,500yen (now it would be 10,800yen with the new 8% VAT). I know, I know! A meal that worth the price of decent hotel fee for one night in Tokyo. But it's really worth it! Worth the experience also. If you love otoro, this place is really a must. I would definitely go back when I have trip to Tokyo, definitely!

Irifune Sushi (入船寿司) 

Okusawa, Setagaya, Tokyo
Tabelog: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1317/A131711/13003244/

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Kobe : Moriya (モーリヤ)

Oh my, I didn't realise I have been abandoned this blog for ages. Well, same excuse as ever - please accept my apology!

When I planned to go to Kobe this summer, Kobe beef was top on the priority list that I must conquer. After some research, I decided to try Moriya (モーリヤ) since they have lunch set menu with decent price.

I arrived at the restaurant at 11.35pm and the shop was already crowded. Moriya do have other branches around so if this one is full, they will take you to other branches so no worry. I got seated at the counter so got a good view of teppan chef cooking for me and others!

I ordered 菊安土井 (KIKUYASU DOI) (A4, BMS value No. 6 or 7) SIRLOIN STEAK 170 g for 6,200 yen. They then brought out the meat to show me first. The chef just kept encouraging me to take more photos of the meat. He then asked how I would like my meat to be. I always like my meat medium rare but decided to ask what the chef would recommend for me, he also suggested medium rare.

While chef prepared to cook my meat, the soup and salad were served. Soup was cold Vichyssoise (potato & leek) which was perfect for summer day. Though I'd prefer one at Triplets Brasseries more.

Chef cooked the garlic first, then vegetables and meat. He suggested I should try with salt first then try the meat with wasabi. I really like having the meat with wasabi as it brought out the sweetness in meat. 

I know Moriya is not the cheapest place in town for beef but it was still a great experience for me. I definitely wanna try higher rank meat next time when I'm in Japan or Kobe!

Moriya (モーリヤ)
Kobe, Japan
JR station: Sannomiya
Website: http://www.mouriya.co.jp/en/head/index.html

Osaka: Hokkyokusei 北極星

I think secretly I am a fan of Omu-rice coz I am always drawn to Omu-rice whenever I go to Japan (since we didn't get decent Omu-rice restaurant in Bangkok until recently). Hokkyokusei (北極星) was one of the place I found from reading Kat's Our Adventure in Japan blog. It has branches in Shinsaibashi and at Daimaru Umeda so it's very convenient for me as I was based around Umeda when I stayed in Osaka.

Hokkyokusei at Daimaru Umeda was located in B2F and has about 10 counter seats. Their menu only focus on omu-rice or omlette rice with different meat; chicken, pork, beef, mushroom, crab, prawn, ham and shellfish.

I ordered beef omu-rice. The sauce may look like it's just a ketchup but it isn't. It's tomato sauce with some onions and seasoning. Inside the egg is fried rice with beef and ketchup. It's quite home-taste. It's definitely a comfort foood. I guess if you are a hungry shopper, this is definitely good for quick and tasty meal. Another choice for omu-rice in Umeda area.

Hokkyokusei (北極星) 
B2F Daimaru Umeda
Website: http://www.hokkyokusei.jp/
JR Station: Osaka


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Osaka: Yamaya (博多もつ鍋やまや梅田店)

 

As a mentaiko (marinated roe of pollock) fan, when I found about Yamaya, a restaurant specialized in Mentaiko, around Umeda where I would be staying in Osaka, I was so eager to try that place out. Somehow, all my meals during my stay in Osaka were booked so I made a dedication to try this place out when I stayed in Himeji instead. (To be honest, it wasn't bad as it was like half and hour train ride for rapid train and that was a free day for me so I didn't intend to stay in Himeji all day as I only have thing to do at night).

Anyway, for Yamaya, at night it's an izakaya or drinking restaurant/bar-ish but during lunch, they sell set meal for office people and others around Umeda area. The price is reasonable like 700/800 yen for a main dish of your choice, refillable rice, soup and salad. The real highlight of Yamaya is that they provide free flow of mentaiko for you to eat with your rice and even have Mentaiko dressing for your salad. This is definitely mentaiko lovers' paradise! 

Anyhow, don't think you would just eat mentaiko like crazy since the taste is actually quite strong. It's quite salty so you only need small amount of it to eat with rice. They also provide pickled vegetable and it did compliment the taste of mentaiko. It's pretty nice and feel quite like a home-made meal.

The main dish I ordered was Buta Shogayaki or ginger pork. The taste was rather strong if you take it only. It's quite nice to have with rice actually. 

If you are mentaiko lovers, Yamaya is highly recommended. If you look for something nice and home-y food in Umeda, let's try Yamaya then!

Hakata Motsunabe Yamaya Umeda (博多もつ鍋やまや梅田店)

Umeda, Osaka, Japan

JR station: Osaka

Tabelog: http://tabelog.com/osaka/A2701/A270101/27054168/

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Osaka: Tsurutontan TOP CHEFS (つるとんたん TOPCHEFS)

I just checked the last time I blogged and realised I have been abandonned my blog again! Please forgive me. August was a really crazy month as I lost my grandpa just two weeks for my birthday. That was quite something isn't it?

Anyway, let's go back to my Japan post. I am following quite a number of bloggers who live in Japan, esp. foodies, and Our adventures in Japan is one the best Osaka/Hawaii-based blogs I came across with. Kat has shared many good local eats in Osaka and I definitely picked up some as part of my adventure in Kansai&Chugoku this year.

Kat has reviewed about this udon place in Daimaru Umeda. She said they served quite decent udon with huge white bowl. Upon the first day of my arrival in Osaka, I decided that I shall try this for dinner.

I walked back from Umeda Sky Building so you can imagine that I was soaking with sweat since that was in July, the middle of summer season. I couldn't tell you how pleased I was to be in air-conditioned environment. It was around 5pm and the place, Tsurutontan TOP CHEFS (つるとんたん TOPCHEFS), was quite empty at that moment. I was seated at counter as usual for solo eater. I ordered my food and my beer. Couldn't tell you how blissful it is to have nice cold beer after being under the sun all day.

I couldn't remember my order exactly. Maybe it was rei-shabu udon with Kobe beef? It's basically cold udon with sesame sauce on top. It was very delicious. I'm a big fan of sesame sauce/dressing so I was really happy to have this. The portion might seem small but trust me, it's more than enough for a meal.

Aside from cold udon, they also have ones and seems to be famous for kare udon. It's quite convenient if you happen to shop at Daimaru umeda or stay nearby in umeda area. Definitely worth check it out.


Tsurutontan TOP CHEFS (つるとんたん TOPCHEFS)
B2F Daimaru Umeda
website: http://www.tsurutontan.co.jp/umeda/



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Osaka: Jiyuken (自由軒)

As a foodie, when I identify places to visit, my priority is to find eating places in such city. Jiyuken is also one of the restaurants in Osaka that I feel like I HAVE to visit. Somehow, when you talk about summer in Japan, people will talk about Kare or curry as summer food. I was browsing through tabelog which is like Japan's version of Yelp and found Jiyuken. This place seems to famous for kare rice in their own style and it happens to locate in Namba which is so convenient so definitely I wouldn't miss it!  

I got there around 11.30am and the queue was already formed. As I observed, this place is quite famous for both local and foreign tourists. I saw a couple, probably from Taiwan, opened guide book which has detail about this place so I guess you would have no problem in terms of ordering the dish even you can't speak Japanese.

Everyone must order this dish 名物カレー. Now now, the problem is I'm not actually how to pronounce this dish! Japanese man in front of me said "Menbutsu Kare" (which I thought it was the name also) but the restaurant lady just said "Nama Kare" back to us so I guess it's nama kare. It's basically rice mixing with curry like how you would make fried rice then top with raw egg. Normal dish it would be just one egg but since I'm such a big eater, I went for 大カレー(Dai Kare) or big one with two eggs! If you hate raw egg, you would hate this (obviously) but if you don't mind it or even love it, then it's simply delicious! Their kare is quite strong in terms of taste so it was very nice to have raw egg simplify the taste (if that's correct verb for it!).

If you are shopping in Namba, this place is definitely worth a visit. Aside from kare dish, they also have many other dishes so please try!


Jiyuken 自由軒 
Namba, Osaka, Japan
Website http://jiyuken.co.jp/index.html



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New York: Yakitori Totto

Finally, I am finishing my foodie entry in New York. I know I have taken so long to finish it but it cannot be helped when I was so busy with work and too lazy to do anything else!

As I mentioned before that Tee from Passports and Postcards has given lists of places to eat in NYC and Yakitori Totto was one the place people raved about. When J, my friend whom I met in Tokyo 2010, failed to recommend me places to eat during our meeting in NYC, I took the power in my hand and say we shall meet and eat at Yakitori Totto.


We got there around 6.30pm and were really lucky to be seated at last two seats the counter (counter again!). If we arrived 5 minutes later, we would have waited for at least 20 minutes!

Everyone said you must order their Yakumi Zaru Tofu so we did since both me and J are big fans of tofu. We weren't disappointed at all. The tofu itself was very soft and creamy. We had it with some bonito, grated ginger, sesame and soy sauce and it was heaven - simple food, simple taste.


After that are plates and plates of grilled meats/vegetables to satisfy our craving (and I just realised while blogging this that Gonpachi is also yakitori place so me and J always meet for yakitori somehow, even though we change countries!).

First plate came with "Ton Toro" or pork neck and "Kamo Negima" or duck with Japanese leek. The duck didn't smell so that was good enough for me. Ton toro must have been pretty medicore since I have no memory about it at all.

Next were "Negima" or chicken with Japanese leek. The grilled leek was sweet, it did compliment the chicken meat.

The left one was quite shocking; it was "Hotate" or scallops. I thought it would be bigger than these small things (I can't even describe!). So a bit of disappointment when I saw it but taste wise, it was actually quite good. They sprinkled some spices on and it did bring out sweet taste of the scallops. However, J, my Korean-born American friend, said it was too spicy for her. She really disappoints all Koreans since she can't eat anything spicy at all! The right one was my most favourite of the night - "Yaki Nasu Miso Dengaku" or grilled eggplants with miso. Their miso was divine - it mixed very well with the eggplant. I love it!

The last two are "Harami" or beef steak and "Tsukune" or minced chicken - these two were equally good. The steak ones was actually quite tender, not chewy at all.

Tori Dango

Oyako-don

It was actually quite amazing that we were still up for ordering main course/rice dishes after those skewers. J picked up Tori Dango which was like steamed rice dumplings with chicken stuffing inside (that sounds very fancy isn't it?!). I ordered the boring Oyako-don or chicken and egg on top of the rice. My Oyako-don was too soggy. Taste wise was alright biy J's food was much more interesting.


Overall, I can see why people rave about this place. They made simple food taste good. I'd say if you are in NYC and look for real Japanese taste, this is the place. Actually, any Totto restaurant is the place for authentic Japanese cuisine. For those in Bangkok, you can visit their branch in Bangkok at J Avenue at Thong Lor and I heard it was as good as the one in New York too - Hooray!


Yakitori Totto
251 West 55th Street 2nd Fl
New York, NY 10019(Bet. 8th Ave and Broadway)
Website: http://tottonyc.com/





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New York: Soba Totto

I remembered that day we had meetings from 8am til 8pm. Me and A, my Norwegian colleague, knew we would had a long day so we need a place to dine and probably drink around our hotel. Japanese food seems to be the safest choice since A is vegetarian and only eat seafood. Long story shorts, I found Soba Totto on yelp. So after the long day we went for the food.

 

It was already 8pm but only counter seats were available. That's a good sign for decent food. We weren't mind so we sat down by the bar which had this lovely female bartender making drinks for us.

I ordered Lychee Martini which was absolutely heaven. New Yorkers are not timid with their alcohol at all, I must say. The drink was perfectly sweet, yet very strong. Just one glass already made me tipsy. Anyhow, our lovely bartender made the order by mistake so she ended up making two glasses instead of one so in the end, she let us have another glass of Lychee Martini for free so me and A just shared the second glass and we did end up having a very good night sleep!

Food-wise, like the name of the restaurant, their specialty is soba. I ordered duck soba, which seems to be my "standard" soba dish that I have to order whenever I go to soba shop. Comparing this with what I have had at Mukoujima sumida and Gonpachi, this one has the lightest broth and their duck didn't smell much at all which I would say it is really pleasant. You wouldn't really expecting that quality and authentic taste outside Japan but they really can do it.

Soba Totto is also part of the owner who owns Totto Ramen and Yakitori Totto (I will blog later about) , which I have visited during my time in New York. If you like Japanese food and are in New York, I would recommend to visit any Totto restaurant because they all are wonderful!

Soba Totto

211E 43rd St New York, NY 10017

Website: http://www.sobatotto.com/


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Tokyo: Seibu Depachika

It is as if I have abandoned this blog for good. I am sorry about this but lack of updates happened due to my responsibility in conducting regional workshop, advisory committee meeting and regional seminar of my office.

Anyhow, I'm back now and will clear my Tokyo posts (which only one left!). This entry, I'm bringing you to visit one of my most favourite place in Tokyo - Depachika or food hall of Seibu Ikebukuro Department Store. Depa is shorten from Depato or Department Store and Chika means underground so it means basement level of department store which is Japan, they usually sell food. Seibu Ikebukuro's Depachika must have been one of the best places for food shopping since it has massive choices of food you can choose to buy for take home or eat there. They also separated into savoury section and sweet section. I gotta be honest that most of my time there, I spent most of my time in savoury section.

Aside from stalls selling food, there are small restaurant with no more than 8 seats available for hungry soul. I made a stop to try Soba from Mukoujima sumida (向島 すみ多). Everyone was going for original cold soba set but I decided to go for my favourite soba soup with duck meat.

sitting at the counter watching them cook freshly made food for you

The smell of duck was a little stronger than the one I had at Gonpachi. However, it was heaven sent dish. The soba was freshly made and it was perfectly done. They have some lemon zest as condiment to add in the soup which made the dish very refreshing and summer-ish.

in the hot dipping soup with leeks & duck meat

Half way through eating, obachan handed me the Soba's boiled water - now that's authentic Japanese way of eating soba! I think it was about 1350yen for this meal. It might not be the best but quite worth the money.

Then next day, I decided to try Hayashi rice from Taimeiken which I was originally going to visit their original branch for Omurice but didn't coz of my tight schedule.

Hayashi rice is probably best to describe as stew rice. It wasn't spicy and quite buttery - by the time I finished this I quite wanted something spicy and tangy as it was too buttery for me. However, the beef in hayashi was amazing. When people said the meat melt in their mouths, I never quite get it coz I never experience it. But after eating this Hayashi rice from Taimeiken, I so know what they mean! The meat was tender and melt in your mouth. I wasn't expecting this coz the meat was like small and shredded so you would have thought they didn't use much of good quality meat. I was wrong. Definitely urge you to try or even visit Taimeiken main branch for their omurice and steak. Next time, I so won't miss it!

I made some purchases for sushi at their take home stall. They are fresh so people don't worry about getting low quality food. I don't think low quality food is existed in Japanese Department Store's dictionary.

I bought this 4 pieces of ikura gunkan for 300 yen - dirt cheap, so cheap that I want to live in that country forever.

This Toro set is only 1,300yen with Otoro, Chutoro, negitoro and makuro. I used to say toro wasn't my favourite thing. Well, I take it back coz I never had fresh stuff like this and it's cheap too. I want to eat this again, worth every single yen I paid for.

It would not be a good entry if I didn't have any sweet to show. Since I was in Tokyo during summer, they have this shop from Nikko selling their famous shaved ice.

What makes their shaved ice special is the ice they used is made from water in Nikko area that claimed to be natural with good taste. I know this shop before from watching Japanese TV show, Himistu no Arashi-chan when they had a special episode filming in Nikko couple years ago. So I sorta know how they made their ice and store them through out Winter/Spring in order to have enough ice for summer. It was quite cool to actually get to try stuff you see on TV!

I had melon shaved ice. The ice itself was very fluffy. I can't comment on good taste thing since I think ice taste probably the same like water but It was good esp. for summer. I read that this stall was only going to be in Seibu til mid September so they may come back again in Summer next year. Please look out for them.

Depachika

B1 level

Seibu Ikebukuro

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Tokyo: Hitsumabushi Bincho, Ginza Branch (ひつまぶし名古屋 備長 銀座店)

As I mentioned that meeting friends was one on priority list for this Tokyo trip, I arranged meeting with my classmate during my postgrad year in Ginza. It was Saturday's afternoon and the street on Ginza was closed so people can freely roaming around the street. It was pretty cool to see car empty street but as soon as the clock ticked 6 pm, the cars were back on street again.

We met up around 6 pm and R decided to take me to eat unagi at "somewhere" around Ginza. He said he hasn't been in Ginza for 2 years now so hopefully it's still there (He was working in Kosovo for 2 years and only got back to Tokyo for 6 months). With a little of hesitation, we finally found the place we were going to dine at - "Hitsumabushi Bincho" (ひつまぶし名古屋 備長 銀座店)

Hitsumabushi is actually Nagoya style of eating grilled eel. I quoted this from Time Out Tokyo website as it's good to describe what is hitsumabushi quite well:

"Hitsumabushi involves eating your unagi in stages: first as it is, then mixed with a selection of seasonings, and lastly in an ochazuke style, with a dashi broth poured over the top. It's a meal that bears the hallmarks of Japanese tradition – as much a ritual as as a refreshment – and, as far as we're concerned, it's all the better for it."

R was being kind and asked for English menu for me. When I said to him I didn't need it as I can read some basic kanji and Japanese, he was surprised and asked me to read things on menu to show him I was really okay. He asked if I can still speak Russian which I also asked him the same. Neither of us no longer speak the language we got degrees on - I guess it has been too long since we last met which so many things have happened between us!

before opening the pot

We ordered Jo-hitsumabushi (上ひつまぶ) which I think has more meat than just normal hitsumabushi. The unagi was grilled very crispy outside. The sauce tasted absolutely wonderful. It didn't have smell of soil like what you usually find in unagi in Thailand.

Unfortunately the lightening in the restaurant was quite poor and I didn't feel like using my flash to disturb people around. Only one picture from hitsumabushi came out - The one with dashi soup. I gotta be honest, it was my first time eating it like ochazuke. It was an experience but not my kind. I would prefer eating the unagi just the original way, as it is, the most.

It was such a delightful meal to catch up with old friend over nice decent food. R was also being so kind to treat me for my dinner which I told him to come visit me again soon so I can pay for his meal in Thailand. He said he will, let's see if he will actually come or not.

Hitsumabushi Bincho, Ginza Branch (ひつまぶし名古屋 備長 銀座店)

14th floor, Marronnier Gate

東京都中央区銀座２丁目２−１４
website: http://www.hitsumabushi.co.jp/tenpo_ginza.html

大きな地図で見る