tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53533942446949481402024-03-05T23:43:48.377-08:00Survivalguide For Vegetarians (Not Only) In TokyoJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-47869989587192024142009-05-28T03:40:00.000-07:002009-05-28T04:41:01.484-07:00"Moonshine" Umeshu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3607/3573087314_3b986277a0_m.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3607/3573087314_3b986277a0_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>During my stay in Japan I got to taste some wonderful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umeshu">Umeshu</a>, homemade by a nice <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_the_word_obachan_mean">Obachan</a> with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ume">Ume</a> plums from her garden. Usually I am not very enthusiastic about sweet liqueurs, but that was something special: smooth, with an intense but natural plum flavour and not too sweet. The plums were still swimming in the liqueur and they tasted great, especially with some vanilla icecream ;)<br />Back home in Berlin, I recently found green, unripe plums (or mirabelles?) called "Can Erik" at a Turkish vegetable store. They looked pretty much like the Japanese Ume used for Umeshu. So I gave it a try, bought a bag full of the plums, brown sugar and a bottle of Japanese Sake (couldn't find any <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shochu">Shochu</a> unfortunately) and a big jar and headed home to attempt my first steps of "moonshining". (Hehe, not really, since I didn't distill the Sake by myself - however, I like the idea ;)...)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/3573081472_60be5160bc_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/3573081472_60be5160bc_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />First of all I cleaned the plums and the jar thoroughly with hot water. Then I wiped the plums with a towel and placed them in the jar. I filled in about 750g of brown sugar <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2449/3572277247_fcd3a6fb55_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2449/3572277247_fcd3a6fb55_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />and 1 liter of Sake,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3576/3572279355_476aa9501e_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3576/3572279355_476aa9501e_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />closed the jar,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2476/3573088806_65a03a9843_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2476/3573088806_65a03a9843_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />put it on my shelf <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3310/3573146556_365b99135a_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 175px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3310/3573146556_365b99135a_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />and now I have to wait for at least 3 month (better: 1 year!) until I find out whether it tastes right or not.. I just hope it works with Sake, since Shochu, the alcohol that is usually used for Umeshu is much stronger.<br />We'll see.. I'll keep you updated.<br />Till then: Kampai!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-27225652052830343072009-04-05T07:28:00.000-07:002009-04-05T15:38:22.172-07:00Go and Gather Your Spring Dish!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/3414891750_34f2f09776.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/3414891750_34f2f09776.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />If you happen to be at the Japanese countryside and you have a friendly Japanese (maybe elderly) neighbour or acquaintance - it is well worth to ask them to advise you which of the plants around you are edible. There are so many wild greens, or mountain vegetables (山菜 sansai)as they are called in Japanese, that used to be a staple for the rural poor, as well as a delicacy in the refined Japanese cuisine. Today many young city dwellers only know these green goodies as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura">Tempura</a> on their plates in fancy restaurants or as the ingredient of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/adactio/69006675/">Sansai Soba soups</a> and the like, but often they have no idea how and where those plants grow and how to prepare them. <br />This is a pity since it is so much fun, healthy and for free to go out and gather fresh greens in the mountains and forests of Japan! However what most people luckily still know is, when something is in season. And now it is the season for Tsukushi, Fukinotou and Taranome.<br />Last spring I found all of these on the premises of the little farm in Ibaraki prefecture where I worked at.<br />With eggs kindly donated by our chicken, brown rice and a few condiments they became some of the most delightful homemade meals of my life.<br /><br />Here are the details:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tsukushi</span> (horse tail)<br />You can find lots and lots of Tsukushi sprouts on meadows and at riversides approximatly around the time of the first Sakura blossoms. They <a href="http://www.sanda.gr.jp/cover/20030329-tsukushi.jpg">look like this [click!]</a>.<br />Only take the young ones which did not yet "open their heads" and cut them shortly above the ground, so that you have stem and head.<br />Rinse them thoroughly and remove the outer shells (hakama) that look like little crowns. You may cut the Tsukushi to about 15mm long pieces. Then soak the Tsukushi with a little soysauce, Mirin and a pinch of salt for about 30min.<br />In the meantime wash the rice and put it in the rice cooker with an equal amount of water. Then just add the Tsukushi together with the soysauce-Mirin-mixture and let it all cook until the rice is soft and all the water is gone. The Tsukushi should also be soft and nice now. <br />You can make Tsukushi <a href="http://vegetarianjapan.blogspot.com/2007/07/onigiri.html">Onigiri</a> out of it or use this Tsukushi Gohan (rice dish) as a very fine complement on Tempura for example.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3645/3414896212_d3dc4ae615_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3645/3414896212_d3dc4ae615_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Fukinotou</span><br />Fukinotou is a rather unimpressive looking short pale yellow flower with lots of green leaves, often growing on meadows in the shade of trees or bushes. They <a href="http://trace.kinokoyama.net/photo/sansai/fukinotou/fukinotou-ntan050324f.jpg">look like this [click!]</a>. It is best to harvest them before they are in full bloom, because they tend to be a little bitter, and the longer they bloom the more bitter they get.<br />The most popular way to eat Fukinotou is in form of Tempura. The batter and the frying process takes away a bit of the bitternes, resulting in just the right balance of the taste of the fresh and flowerly green and the rich yet fluffily batter.<br />I confess that I used a ready-made Tempura mixture (containing flour, starch, baking powder and salt in the right proportions) and I just had to add egg and cold water and stir it a few seconds with chopsticks - very easy! <br />After washing and draining the Fukinotou, I dipped them in the batter and then fried them quickly in hot oil. Drain the fried Fukinotou Tempura again to get rid of the excessive oil and then serve it still hot with the Tsukushi Gohan.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/3414214529_aa4e92f2b7_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/3414214529_aa4e92f2b7_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Taranome</span> (buds of Aralia)<br />Taranome are the buds of a very thorny bush and <a href="http://homepage2.nifty.com/shizen/recreation/taranome_mitosan.jpg">look like this [click!]</a>. It is also better to harvest them early, before the grow too big, hard and woody. <br />They are also really delicious as Tempura.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3548/3415026076_4740e3c157_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3548/3415026076_4740e3c157_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The other greens on the first big photo above are Yomogi (mugwort) leaves. This weed grows all over Honshu in a rather epidemic way and most Japanese homegardeners hate it! However it has a nice and fresh herbal taste and is very healthy, so please try the <a href="http://vegetarianjapan.blogspot.com/search?q=yomogi">recipe I posted before</a> or chop it and sprinkle it on a salad, tomato salad for example. Yummy!<br /><br />For more recipes and additional infos in English <a href="http://www.piqniq.jp/node/5109">I recommend reading the interesting blog article</a>.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-22265750679417392232009-02-04T04:18:00.000-08:002009-02-14T15:41:10.589-08:00Comatose CupcakesWow, I definitely gonna try this recipe: <a href="http://www.deliciouscoma.com/archives/2007/05/a_black_sesame.html">Kurogoma Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting!</a> <br />MMMMMHHHHHHHH :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Update</span>: I tried this recipe last week and the cupcakes turned out lovely although I didn't have any black sesame paste at hand. I also took much less sugar (just about 220g) and they were still sweet enough for my taste.<br />Here they are:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3502/3280086730_2989ed98da.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3502/3280086730_2989ed98da.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-74937180145749543582009-01-26T11:04:00.000-08:002009-01-26T12:22:46.249-08:00Crayon House - Hiroba<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3228700777_8ba2798688.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3228700777_8ba2798688.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Again I haven't posted a new article here for a looong looong time and most of the former readers of this blog might already have forgotten about or given up checking for updates. Anyway I hope there are still some people interested in nice, vegetarian Japanese food around, since I have some more recommendations for you. Today I want to write about one of the more well-known <span style="font-weight:bold;">organic </span>restaurants in Tokyo, the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hiroba at Crayon House</span> in Kita-Aoyama, just a few steps off Omotesandô. This friendly place is located in the basement of a building that also houses a toy- and bookstore and a shop for all kinds of organic products, from vegetables to soaps. The restaurant itself is <span style="font-weight:bold;">not</span> 100% vegetarian, but you will be happy to find lots of vegetarian and vegan options and staff that understands what you mean when you ask for vegetarian food... As far as I remember there was only a few a la card dishes, but a huge buffet that indulged us with a variety of savoural sensations. The fare was partly with a western influence, yet always with a Japanese twist and utterly fresh and delicious. There were soups, salads, vegetables boiled, pickled or fried, brown or semi-refined rice, pasta, tofu, mushrooms, seaweed - in short: too many wonderful things for just one plate, so of course I had to get a refill. Or two.<br />I can also highly recommend to try the lovely cakes and tartes - they are as good as they look, if not even better!<br />The price for the lunch is 1260 Yen, not too much for an all organic, all-you-can-eat buffet. You can also find a <a href="http://www.crayonhouse.co.jp/home/restaurant.htm">bilingual menu on their website</a> and have a look at the <a href="http://organic.crayonhouse.org/">lunch set and recipe of the day (in Japanese only)</a>.<br />Yes, the menu is bilingual and so are many of the guests. I spotted quite a few non-Japanese people, many with their (partly Japanese) families. There were many kids around, playing on the patio under and between the tables packed with guest. It is a rather jolly atmosphere and it can get pretty crowded, so do not expect a silent, contemplative place with a Zen spirit, but a friendly restaurant with naturally good food. <br /><br /><a href="www.crayonhouse.co.jp">Crayon House</a><br />Organic Restaurant Hiroba<br />オーガニックレストラン「広場」<br /><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=de&geocode=&q=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B8%AF%E5%8C%BA%E5%8C%97%E9%9D%92%E5%B1%B13%EF%BC%8D8%EF%BC%8D15&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.875284,51.679688&ie=UTF8&ll=35.665699,139.709916&spn=0.007723,0.012617&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr">東京都港区北青山3-8-15<br /><br />3-8-15 Kita-Aoyama, <br />Tokyo, Minato-ku; 3406-6492 [click to see map]</a> <br /><br />open: 11:00am-10:00pm<br /><br />TEL. 03-3406-6409Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-84855868948510656442008-12-06T02:53:00.000-08:002008-12-06T04:04:06.864-08:00A veggie pre-christmas time!Uuuh, sorry, I didn't write here for such a long time in spite of some recommendations I still want to pass on to you.. I returned to Germany in the meantime and was busy with all kind of other things and concentrated on writing on my <a href="http://nimmersatt-in-berlin.blogspot.com/">Berlin restaurant blog</a> (I also changed its design, do you like it?).<br />However I haven't forgotten you guys!<br />One of my primary aims with this blog was and still is to show you that you are not lost and alone in Japan as a vegetarian. There are lots of people around you who also love their veggies. A true lover of vegetables (and music) can be found here:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_GabHGlGm14&hl=de&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_GabHGlGm14&hl=de&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />^___^<br /><br />Okay, no more kidding. One thing I really loved in Japan at this time of the year are all the wonderful citrus fruits I've never seen somewhere else before. My favourite is Yuzu, a fruit that is not that good for eating raw just like it is, but Yuzu juice and Yuzu zest are great ingrediences for various dishes. It has an indescribably aromatic and intense scent that goes along fine with boiled tofu, udon noodles, gives soups and sauces a fresh touch, can be found in dried spice mixtures with chili and black sesame, as well as in form of Yuzu Koshou (literally Yuzu pepper) - a spicy flavouring that can be found in Japanese supermarkets and delicatessen shops. Yuzu is also fantastic in sweets like icecream, Yuzu Melon pan, as a hot tea in wintertime, lemonade in summer, or you can make your own Yuzu marmelade!<br />I did this last winter, alongside several jars of Natsumikan marmelade (another Japanese citrus fruit, that looks a bit like a big yellow orange or grapefruit, but has a milder taste. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2156/2119871725_7f887ff752.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2156/2119871725_7f887ff752.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />All those fruits grow during the summertime (Natsumikan means "summer tangerine")but are very often not harvested since they looks so pretty on the trees in winter. When the weather tends to get gray it is nice to have some bright coloured dots on the trees :) However, if you happen to be on the Japanese countryside or are lucky enough to have such a tree somewhere close-by, you should try to get your hands on some of the fruits before they start to rot. They are just too delicious for not being eaten!<br /><br />For making marmelade: squeeze as much juice as you can get out of the fruits, add some zests (not too much though - it could turn bitter otherwise) and boil with an equal amount of sugar for at least 15 - 20 min. Even better would be jam sugar since you only need half as much sugar and a shorter cooking time thanks to the pectin that is added. However I couldn't find any jam sugar in Japan unfortunatly. <br />To check if it is ready put a teaspoon of the marmelade on a little plate, keep it on a cool place for two minutes to see if the marmelade thickens when it cools. If not cook it a little longer and try again.<br />If it doesn't get firm like marmelades bought in shops, don't worry: the taste will be great anyway and you can also try stiring it in yoghurt for example or as yummie topping on vanilla icecream..Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-31561859781288422882008-05-31T10:47:00.000-07:002008-05-31T16:56:11.282-07:00It's Vegetable<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/2539460476_05b7283e7e.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/2539460476_05b7283e7e.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I already mentioned it in my last posting: this time I will recommend my favorite non-Japanese restaurant in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tokyo</span>! I don't want to deprive this wonderful little place from you, it is a <span style="font-weight:bold;">Taiwanese</span> eatery in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kinshichô</span> called <span style="font-weight:bold;">"It's Vegetable"</span>. And the name is the motto of this place! Everything is made of <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegetables and soy</span> - no meat, no fish, no milk, no egg - let's call it <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegan</span> :) <br />I wanted to check out this place when I visited Tokyo on a saturday to spend a day free of work just with meeting friends, shopping, and eatingeatingeating... After having read about it <a href="http://www.vegietokyo.com/info4vegie/restaurant/r_itsvegetable.html">here</a>, I suggested going there for dinner and a friend of mine wanted to make a reservation for us there. Unfortunatly when she called, they told her that they will have a privat party that night and aren't open for public. I was so dissapointed! However since we had already arranged to meet at Kinshichô station, we thought "let's just go there and see what it looks like. Maybe we can throw a glance on the food and see if it is worth coming back another time". It is not far from the station and we found it easily because of the big sign: <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2539461894_bcd9cfa7ca.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2539461894_bcd9cfa7ca.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />And yeah, it looked so promising that my friend just went right inside and started talking with the guys who were having their party there and with the restaurant owner and told them that she is here with a bunch of hungry vegetarian (ehem, actually I was the only strict vegetarian around, but well..) friends from all over the world, who came aaaaaallll the way, nearly starving etc etc and asked them if it weren't possible that we joined their party! Hehehehe... They seemed to be amused and also happy to have some girls around they could practice their English with, closed ranks and let us to stay. We had to pay a little bit and had all kinds of food and drinks, nice conversations and a lot of fun! And the food was great! Actually so great that I nearly forgot to take pictures. You can see that it is already half-eaten on my photo. It was an array of <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegetables, mushrooms and all kind of Tofu / soy dishes</span> (maybe also Gluten, I wasn't so sure about that) that were <span style="font-weight:bold;">imitateting meat or fish</span> - but in an extraordinary delicious and convincing way! Usually I am not such a big fan of such things like mock chicken wings or Tofu Schnitzel or all that stuff. I don't miss meat because there are so many other awsome things to eat in this world, so that I don't even think of meat as something edible anymore (no wonder after being a vegetarian for more than half of my life). However at "It's Vegetable" it just tasted so perfect, that even my non-vegetarian friends were amazed and loved it.<br />There was a dish that didn't just have the consistency but also really tasted and looked like fried fish, another dish was with slices of vegan "chicken" and there was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_rice">Cha han</a>, fried rice that seemed to have a lot of egg inside, but uh uh, all vegan ingrediences! <br />Very tasty and pretty different to Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukemono">Tsukemono</a> were the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Taiwanese style pickles</span>.. Mmmh, well actually there was nothing I didn't like of all the things they brought out of the kitchen into the small, packed restaurant that night! And I guess that is true for any other day, without Party, too. Ok, I love Taiwanese food anyway, so they didn't have hard times to convince me of their dishes, but please believe me: it was really good: crunchy veggies, delicious mushrooms, many different kinds of tastes from spicy to sour to savoury - just right!<br />For lunch time they offer an all you can eat buffet for just 850yen and during dinner time you can order a la carte or also go for the buffet that is 1200yen then. Very good deal, I think! Beside the fantastic food, there is also just a very nice and homey atmosphere in this family-run restaurant. You can feel that the people who run this place do it with love and are very committed to the goodnes of vegetarian food. It is one of those likeable places you just see and know it will be fine. So please try yourself :)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />It's Vegetable</span><br />4-1-9 Kinshichô, Sumida-ku, Tokyo<br />Phone: 03-3625-1245<br /><br />11:00~14:00 all you can eat buffet only <br />18:00~20:00 all you can eat buffet or a la carteJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-49044147491806804692008-05-24T01:41:00.000-07:002008-05-25T01:49:36.012-07:00Nezu no ya<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/2517507691_3d24a9474d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/2517507691_3d24a9474d.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Sometimes it is strange: something so good is just around the corner, I know it is there, I walk by every day and say to myself "you really have to try it - you know it'll be great", but for some reason or the other I never make it there as long as it is so close.<br />I first have to move away, don't come by for several month, become angry with myself that I didn't walk in right away the first day I saw it and now have to go through quite some effort to check it out finally. Just to see that it is as fantastic as I thought it would be from the first moment I learned of it's existence on. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.miraishop.com/nezunoya.html">Nezu no ya</a></span> is such a treasure.<br />When I came to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tokyo </span>a year ago I used to live just five minutes walk from the little <span style="font-weight: bold;">organic foodstore</span> that hosts a <span style="font-weight: bold;">vegetarian restaurant</span> in its backroom. Everytime<br />on my way to the metro station or during my countless strolls around the neighborhood I had a look on the sample food they displayed and knew that this is a place just the way I love it. For around 1000 yen you can have a meal consisting of a <span style="font-weight: bold;">variety of daily changing, beautiful little dishes</span>, prepared with love for the detail and with organic and strictly vegetarian or even <span style="font-weight: bold;">vegan </span>ingrediences.<br />All nice, tasty, healthy, Japanesy :) Paradise! And believe it or not: although munching myself through veggie eateries virtually all over Tokyo, I never managed to just make the step into the restaurant behind the store that I visited several times! The main reason was that Nezu no ya only offers lunch and if I don't have to get up early for work or something I am rather a late-breakfast-no-lunch-but-tea&sweets-and-early-dinner kind of girl. And during my stay in Nezu there was no need for me to have breakfast early and so I was never really hungry enough for a big lunch like that. This changed when I started working on the countryside but then of course Nezu no ya was too far away to just drop by for lunch...<br />However recently I made it there! I had to drive to Tokyo for a delivery, was early and stopped by at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ueno_park">Ueno park</a> for some Hanami (the classic...). Starving after seeing all the people having picnic under the cherry blossoms I hurried to Nezu no ya - thinking "now or never!" And luckily it became "now" not "never"..<br />It is such a pleasant place! A quiet and very relaxing atmosphere overwhelms you and lets fall off all the stress the moment you sit down. It can really make you forget the hectic outside world for a while. The interior is simple, earthy and comfortable. It wasn't very crowded the day I have been there but also not so empty that you feel lost and lonely - just right.<br />Yet the best thing of course was the food! That's what I came for and that's what makes me wanna go there over and over again! They offer for example a daily changing lunch set, vegetable curry, a Tofu set or a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natto">Natto </a>set, for the more adventurous lovers of authentic Japanese cuisine ;)<br />I tried the lunch set of the day that consisted of a soup, rice, vegetables, salad, pickles and a kind of Tofu patty. The miso soup was a wonderful steaming goodness with seaweed, vegetables, mushrooms and some kind of broad, flat, soft ?noodle?<br />that reminded me of southern German <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Frittatensuppe.jpg/250px-Frittatensuppe.jpg">"Flädle"</a> (pancakes from the other day, cut into stripes and served in a broth). The rice was hearty <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genmai">Genmai</a> topped with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomashio">Gomashio</a>. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukemono">Tsukemono </a>(pickles) of cucumber, Daikon radish and carrots were crunchy and not too salty or sour, so that they still had plenty of the original flavor of the fresh vegetables they were made of. The same can be said about the pink<br />Renkon (lotos root) slices, also a cold dish, marinated in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirin">Mirin </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilla">Shiso </a>(perilla leaves), I guess, and definitely as decorative as they were delicous! The little dish to be seen in the upper left corner of my photo was a savory mixture of carrots, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konnyaku">Konnyaku</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aburage">Aburaage </a>(fried Tofu). And oh, the fluffy-soft Tofu patty was soooo yummie! Especially after sprinkling some juice from the extremely intensive and fragrant mandarine on it... mmmmh!<br />Now that was a feast! Even a much longer way is worth to be made for this kind of food! This is what I am constantly searching for, this is what I write this blog for!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nezu no ya</span> ranks alongside <a href="http://vegetarianjapan.blogspot.com/2007/09/mikoan-in-kyoto.html">Mikoan</a> (Kyoto) and <a href="http://vegetarianjapan.blogspot.com/2007/07/monks-food.html">Monk's Food</a> (Kichijôji) in my personal top 3 of Japanese restaurants! (Next time<br />I will share my favourite non-Japanese vegetarian restaurant in Tokyo with you.. )<br /><br />I had to change my motto from "now or never" to "now and forever"!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.miraishop.com/nezunoya.html">Nezu no ya</a><br /><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=de&geocode=&q=%E6%96%87%E4%BA%AC%E5%8C%BA%E6%A0%B9%E6%B4%A5%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%8D%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%8D%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%94&sll=52.548988,13.409184&sspn=0.012213,0.029182&ie=UTF8&ll=35.718295,139.765213&spn=0.008153,0.014591&z=16&iwloc=addr">文京区根津1-1-14<br /><br />1-1-14 Nezu, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo (click for map!)</a> (on the lively shinobazu dôri)<br /><br />Nezu stn on Tokyo Metro Chiyoda line<br /><br />Tel: 03-38230030<br />lunch served between 11:30 ~ 2:30 o'clock. No dinner!<br />closed on sunday and holidaysJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-5680838393524716592007-12-30T03:21:00.000-08:002008-07-13T04:52:52.357-07:00To-Fu Cafe Fujino<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2272/2148590545_bf3ac4e7df.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2272/2148590545_bf3ac4e7df.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Located in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Roppongi</span>, an area that is definitely not my favourite in Tokyo, the <a href="http://www.kyotofu.co.jp/shop/cafe_6/"><span style="font-weight:bold;">To-Fu Cafe Fujino</span></a> is nevertheless well worth a visit. As the name reveals all dishes feature Kyoto-style <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tofu or Tonyu = soymilk</span> in some form and always at its best! I love the milky, light, pure and slightly nutty taste of soymilk and at this place you can enjoy it in most delightful ways. Be it sweet like in one of their fantastic soymilk <span style="font-weight:bold;">parfaits</span>, ice creams or even soymilk donuts, or savory as fried Tofu cubes in their <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegetarian set meal</span> - it is always such a pleasure! <br />As I <a href="http://vegetarianjapan.blogspot.com/2007/10/tofu-ryori-in-kyoto.html">wrote before</a> Kyoto is the place for all things Tofu and so it does not surprise that all those wonderful dishes are prepared in the style of the former capital of Japan. The casual but stylish cafe is run by the reknowned Tofumaker Fujino who really knows how to do his job! Believe me, the parfaits are just like those in my dreams! I love their standard <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tonyu Shirotama Parfait</span>, with the clear flavour of the soymilk soft-ice and the sticky little riceballs, the sweet azuki bean jam, some cake and all drizzled with brown sugar syrup... (just have a look at the photo above^^).<br />But please also check out their seasonal specials! I had a <span style="font-weight:bold;">Matcha Parfait</span> there more than three years ago and I am still talking about it.. you name it: it was superb! <br />And last autumn I had the pleasure to make the acquaintance with their <span style="font-weight:bold;">Maron (Chestnut) Parfait</span> and it was love at the first sight. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/2148591009_22fc8eb796.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/2148591009_22fc8eb796.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />However, as I said they do not only have magnificant desserts, the cafe also offers some savory dishes. What makes them especially great is the fact that they state all the ingrediences in detail not only in Japanese but also <span style="font-weight:bold;">in English</span> on their menu. This makes it so much easier... And the vegetarian one was absolutly awsome, with fresh, high quality vegetables, a delicious soup with cooked Tofu cubes, a fresh salad with a nice selection of fried mushrooms, pickles, rice and of course fried Tofu that was just perfect! It had a beautiful golden colour like honey, with a texture too good to be true and taste that topped all my expectations by far!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/2148590841_1b38768d71.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/2148590841_1b38768d71.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /> <br />So if you happen to be around Roppongi Hills, drop by and indulge yourself with all the best that can be made of soybeans.. from Kyoto with love!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.kyotofu.co.jp/shop/cafe_6/">To-Fu Café Fujino </a></span><br /><a href="http://www.kyotofu.co.jp/shop/cafe_6/images/map.gif">Roppongi Hills Beauty Plaza, Tokyo [click for Map!]</a> <span style="font-weight:bold;">the address changed: the new To-Fu Cafe is on the 6th floor of Marunouchi building near Tokyo Station!<br />open daily from 10am to 11pm.</span>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-26198111732132383362007-12-24T20:10:00.000-08:002007-12-24T20:24:02.550-08:00Happy Holidays :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2348/2134761394_0bb3b33e5e.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2348/2134761394_0bb3b33e5e.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Have great and yummie holidays and a happy new year!<br /><br />This cake was from the café and shop <a href="http://sundaybrunch.co.jp/english/top.html">Sunday Brunch</a> in Shimokitazawa. Not a specific vegetarian place - but their cakes and tartes are a dream! Although they are not quite cheap, rather something for special occasions.. just right for christmas :)<br />They also have branches in Shinjuku and Kichijôji, but I've only checked out the Shimokitazawa café which is very nice.<br /><br /><a href="http://sundaybrunch.co.jp/english/top.html">Sunday Brunch</a><br /><a href="http://sundaybrunch.co.jp/english/image/05/map3.jpg">2-29-2 Kitazawa Setagaya-ku [click for map]</a><br />TokyoJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-72189960668450722282007-12-19T09:06:00.000-08:002007-12-22T06:59:29.502-08:00Yomogi Pesto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rgm7bLwLs1MrmJmwYkirV9Epk8i5kkl-D5HIWti__RwOoq7yoBBfwMo142Q7PE-0xAb7C8Uxu0znbuA2K4NLYgxbl0H9USiTcWisOpGEJnAvkJkoMyyKpFNqQzAWuPuqLvBUcbVFXCLv/s1600-h/yomogipesto.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rgm7bLwLs1MrmJmwYkirV9Epk8i5kkl-D5HIWti__RwOoq7yoBBfwMo142Q7PE-0xAb7C8Uxu0znbuA2K4NLYgxbl0H9USiTcWisOpGEJnAvkJkoMyyKpFNqQzAWuPuqLvBUcbVFXCLv/s320/yomogipesto.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145733684188110690" /></a><br />Since I spend some time on the countryside at the moment, working at a holidayplace with a little farm, I get lots of fresh, local foods. I have some chicken here, that lay an egg for me from time to time, which I really appreciate a lot. There is a chestnut tree in the garden and although I feed most of the chestnuts to the horses, there are still a few also for me. <br />Unfortunatly <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jusan/1792208622/">Akebi</a> season is over, but at least I had some of this strange but healthy and sweet fruits when I first came here.<br />In the last days I cooked a different dish every day with the huge squash/pumpkin (whatever it was exactly.. I don't know! It was dark green outside, whitish light green inside with lots of seeds and it was bigger than a basketball) that we got for free from farmers around and I still have some of the fantastic <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jusan/1804685130/">home-pickeled umeboshi</a> some ladies gave us as a present...<br />And today I thought about doing something with the forest of <span style="font-weight:bold;">Yomogi (mugwort)</span> that is growing all over the yard. Since I don't have an oven here, I can't bake Yomogi Pan, I have no idea how to make Yomogi Mochi and Yomogi Udon were a little too much work for me today. So I made something simple and quick yet delicious: Yomogi Pesto!<br />I took a handful of Yomogi leaves, washed and chopped them finely. Then I mixed them with 2 big cloves of garlic that I had mashed and added a fair amount of seasalt, sesame oil, a few spoons of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinako">kinako</a> <br />(which came quite handy as a subsitude for ground nuts, that I didn't have here) and a little black pepper.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lonp7hD-FxS85cLH3yRNfe442ayUk3srCIo8WoTqx691WEHvwtJZD_BltUbdwBERSoTslqKYklX4sLD-a9M8yLHoqRPWgC9vq3xDn-LUXSevUoMb23jjU1FnShIPJk7F7aXl7k-NLGWa/s1600-h/DSC05602.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lonp7hD-FxS85cLH3yRNfe442ayUk3srCIo8WoTqx691WEHvwtJZD_BltUbdwBERSoTslqKYklX4sLD-a9M8yLHoqRPWgC9vq3xDn-LUXSevUoMb23jjU1FnShIPJk7F7aXl7k-NLGWa/s320/DSC05602.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145738700709912450" /></a><br />I tried some of this with the squash risotto I had for lunch, just about half an hour after I made it and it tasted pretty good already. However it became even better after a few hours in the fridge, when it was really soaked and the oil is full of the fragance of the herbs. The next day I had it with pasta and it was fantastic! Such a fresh and intensive taste! Wonderful!<br />Another favourite of mine are the combined flavours of Yomogi Pesto and potatoes... mmmh, just a little bit of the Pesto with roast potatoes makes such a simple dish so delicate. <br />Don't hesitate, eat the weed and be happy ;)Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-49758240520886115522007-11-06T08:28:00.000-08:002007-12-12T20:39:36.853-08:00Kobe: Sweets Harbor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2228/2107763498_5bb2a67174.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2228/2107763498_5bb2a67174.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Usually I prefer nice little shops with a comfortable atmosphere to big food malls and usually I am not at all a fan of theme parks and things alike, BUT how can I resist a wonderland of <span style="font-weight:bold;">sweets, pastries, icecreams, puddings, cremes, cakes, shakes</span>... You are right: I can't! That's why nothing and no one was able to hold me back when I was standing in front of the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Sweets Harbor</span> in Kobe. Dream and nightmare in one place! Dream for all the lovers of sugar in its best forms, of delicate beauties, nearly too wonderful to be edible but yet they are! Perfect little works of art, created with all the good things in this world: sugar, cream, fruits, chocolate, matcha (we are in Japan, don't forget that), love and passion - you name it! <br />Nightmare for everyone on a diet or short of cash, cause the prices are just about as high as the amount of calories of the goodies we are talking about. But at least the entry is free of charge unlike in other food theme parks in Japan that I avoided so far, because I think it is kind of stupid to pay to enter shops or restaurants where you have to pay for the food again!<br />Most sweets sold in the Sweets Harbor are European style (with a Japanese touch of course), and there are also typical Chinese sweets with Tapioca, soymilk, sweet beans and the like, but when it comes to traditional <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagashi">Wagashi</a> you might search there in vain. Kobe, being a harbor city trading with the rest of the world for quite a while, is one of the more "international" places in Japan with a lively and touristy Chinatown and some European influences to be seen in architecture and cuisine. Although internationaly more or less only known for the devastating earthquake back in 1995, (and the most expensive beef in the world, but we won't talk about that here..), within Japan it is also famous for good sweets. Especially pudding (<span style="font-style:italic;">Purin</span> - that's the Japanese pronounciation) from Kobe is said to be the best far and wide and is a staple in the range of souvenirs available there.<br />After at least three laps all through Sweets Harbor and long and intensive staring on all those little wonders that might not only delight me but also dentists and cardiologists near and far, I decided to take the beautiful dessert you can admire on the photo above. It was a buttery, flaky pastry filled with lots of rich custard and topped with fresh strawberries.. I think I don't have to describe the taste. I am sure you can imagine the creamy, sweet goodness with the fruity touch of the juicy berries. <br /><br /><a href="http://feel-kobe.jp/english/sightseeing/harbor11.html">Sweets Harbor<br /></a><br /><a href="http://feel-kobe.jp/english/sightseeing/harbor.html">Harborland [click for map</a><br />open everyday: 11:00-20:00<br />weekends and holidays: 11:00-21:00Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-69941003022809670952007-11-05T07:23:00.000-08:002007-11-05T19:42:22.770-08:00Okara<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2051/1813127105_b71ae433ca.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2051/1813127105_b71ae433ca.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Have you ever wondered where all the <span style="font-weight:bold;">soy pulp</span> ends that is left over when producing soy milk, Tofu and the likes? No? Don't worry, most people don't, I guess. This surely is due to the fact that most of this highly nutritious stuff is used to feed up animals, especially pigs as far as I know. But actually there is no reason why humans shouldn't eat this healthy soy mash, too. And by the way: vegetarians have to hear so many "jokes" like "you eat away the food for the birds/cows etc.." - so why not doing it! I love Müsli, lettuce and yes, also <span style="font-weight:bold;">Okara</span> (that is how the soy pulp is called in Japan). Here and in Korea and China people always ate it and they are right: it "is low in fat, high in fiber, and also contains protein, calcium, iron, and riboflavin." (says <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okara_(food)">Wikipedia</a>). And it can be the basis for a tasty dish! It does not have a very rich flavour by itself, rather mild and a bit bland, but you this gives way for so many possibilities.<br />Here in Japan you often find Okara flavoured with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirin">Mirin</a>, carrots, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konnyaku">Konnyaku</a> and some spring onions, as a snack that is thought to taste good with beer. You can find it freshly packed like this in the supermarket or you can get it in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya">Izakayas</a> also. I don't like beer, however that doesn't keep me from loving all those savoury snacks that are served with it.<br />Sometimes they also have Okara in its plain form in the Tofu corner of the refrigerator section in supermarkets. Although the ready-to-eat-versions are convenient, I think they are often too sweet and so it usually tastes much better if you can get the plain stuff and spice it up yourself. You can do that the traditional way with the condiments I mentioned above and eat it cold. <br />Or you can use it for example to bake vegan cakes (i've never tried to make that, but I heard it works out very fine, see a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yocca/170608429/">picture here</a>). Or you can make very tasty <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegetarian patties</span>. I mixed an egg with the Okara, some shredded carrots, salt, pepper and garlic and a little flour, formed patties and fried them. Utterly delicous! Especially with my favourite hotsauce that was sent to me all the way from Barbados as a present recently :)<br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2042/1875380658_aa5adcbc63_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2042/1875380658_aa5adcbc63_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />*thanks again!<br />I just love the flavour of Scotch Bonnett Peppers and mustard and of course it is spicy hot like hell and gives me an immediate hick-up, but that is part of the fun!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-8119361819613999562007-11-02T05:53:00.000-07:002007-11-02T09:45:58.093-07:00J's Kitchen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2113/1827856328_2e636291e3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2113/1827856328_2e636291e3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I just saw that it is quite a long time since my last restaurant recommendation for Tokyo. This definitly falls short of the nice range of vegetarian restaurants that can be found in the city. A real jewel is <a href="http://js-kitchen.com/engindex.htm"><span style="font-weight:bold;">J's Kitchen</span></a>, a light-flooded two-storey place located on the Gaien Nishi Dôri close to <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hiroo</span> Metro station, that keeps the promise to serve "Fine Foods" as written on the marquee over the entrance. Their own definition of "Fine Foods" is that "the vegetables used are all <span style="font-weight:bold;">organic</span> and the seasonings used are all natural, with no preservatives added. The water used is elaborately filtered [...]. Whitened sugar, meat, eggs and animal fat from dairy products are not used."* Furthermore they use the whole product whenever possible. That means they don't peel away the precious nutrients that can be found in the skin of veggies and only brown rice is served. All this deserves to be supported wholeheartedly, especially when the result is as mouthwatering and satisfying as the <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegan</span> lunch I had at J's Kitchen. <br />Two daily changing lunch choices are offered beside Tempeh sandwiches, Soy burgers, Curry and salads. There are more meals on the dinner menu, like Cha-zuke (brown rice in bancha-tea with some side dishes), a vegetable Fajita, Korean-style fried rice with veggies and scrambled Tofu, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijiki">Hijiki</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capellini">Capellini</a> (now that sounds like interesting <a href="http://www.justhungry.com/wafuu-pasuta-japanese-style-pasta">wafû pasta</a>!)... <br />However, I tried "J's Lunch" and it was gorgeous! For 1680 Yen (which is not really cheap, but not overprized either) I got a generous pile of <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegetables, roots and mushrooms</span> with a savory <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seitan">Seitan</a> sauce</span>, a big bowl with brown rice and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomashio">gomashio</a> to season the rice, miso soup, a little salad, and three kinds of pickles and little noshes. My absolute favourite in this dish was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura">tempura</a>-style deep fried <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sato_imo">Taro root</a> / Sato-imo. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/1827852664_bfd327af88.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/1827852664_bfd327af88.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Wonderful! Lots of very fresh and good ingredients, affectionately and carefuly cooked, lovingly arranged, super-friendly served in a pleasant atmosphere - that is even more than what is necessary to make me happy! If all that is not enough for you: the <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegan cakes, cookies, muffins</span> they offer looked extremely tempting and like directly sent from sweets heaven.. and they offer some nice Onigiri, Sandwiches and so on for take-out, if you don't have the time to stay there for your meal.<br /><br />I felt so good (and full!) after eating all that tasty and healthy stuff there that I went for a walk around Hiroo. This is an area that has a lot to offer on the culinary side and thanks to the numerous foreigners residing there, finding vegetarian goodies is much easier than elsewhere in Tokyo. So it is quite worth walking around there, having a look into fancy bakeries (French mainly - oh la la!) and supermarkets that offer a wide range of products from all around the world. I spotted so many unusual things (for Japanese standards) like Matzeballs, real unsugared Müsli, Cous Cous, Olives and in the end I gave some vegan "cheese" with chili a try and it wasn't bad, even melted when grilled on bread in the toaster oven..<br /><br />So if you happen to be in Hiroo check out J's Kitchen! If not take the Hibiya line and go there! <br /><br /><a href="http://js-kitchen.com/engindex.htm">J's Kitchen</a><br /><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=de&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B8%AF%E5%8C%BA%E5%8D%97%E9%BA%BB%E5%B8%83%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%8D%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%8D%EF%BC%92%EF%BC%92&ie=UTF8&ll=35.652101,139.722404&spn=0.004167,0.007296&t=h&z=17&om=1">Gaien Nishi Dôri<br />5-15-22 Miaminazabu,<br />Minato-Ku <br /><br />東京都港区南麻布5-15-22 [click for map]</a><br /><br />Tokyo Metro Hibiya line: Hiroo Stn<br /><br />open mo-sa: 11am - 9pm<br />sundays & holidays: 11am - 5pm<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />*quoted from their leafletJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-30293124953201576722007-10-23T04:26:00.000-07:002007-10-23T06:40:32.335-07:00Autumn Flavours<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2324/1707548041_61e51a23ac.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2324/1707548041_61e51a23ac.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://justhungry.com/">Just hungry</a>, one of my favourite food blogs, <a href="http://justhungry.com/hoku-hoku-fall-and-some-japanese-words-food">wrote about</a> the Japanese onomatopoetikon <span style="font-style:italic;">hoku hoku</span> that can be used to describe the tastes of most autumn specialities:"<span style="font-style:italic;">starchy, dense, sweet flavor and texture. Think of roasted sweet chestnuts, winter squash, and sweet potatoes.</span>" Yesss, all that is omnipresent here in Tokyo at this time of the year and I love it! <br />Last weekend I was at my favourite bakery <a href="http://vegetarianjapan.blogspot.com/2007/07/paritto-fuwatto.html">Paritto Fuwatto</a> again and there I bought a wonderful bread that combined two of the goodies that are in season now: Kabocha (Japanese winter squash) and Satsuma Imo (the purple coloured Japanese sweet potato). They also had other varieties of this beautifully striped bread, for example with walnuts or Yomogi (mugwort) and like always it was hard to decide what to take.. In the end I went for the one you see on the photo above and it was awesome: soft, but still chewy, luscious, moist and with a natural sweetness. Especially with a little chestnut spread (<span style="font-style:italic;">maron kuriimu</span>) it was a heavenly combination of the best autumn flavours. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1116/1453246364_2e8c5bf86a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1116/1453246364_2e8c5bf86a.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon">Kaki</a> (also known as Persimmon) is another symbol of the Japanese autumn. It not only looks pretty, it is also sweet, lush and healthy. You can get them fresh or dried (then they are called Hoshigaki) or even get your coffee flavoured with a nice persimmon syrop (as seen and tasted in a café in Kagurazaka dôri - yummie!). <br />If you buy fresh ones here in Japan better don't take cheap offers at the moment: because of Typhoon No. 9 last month large parts of the harvest were spoiled! The fruits look perfectly fine, but when you cut them the inside is all brown and the flesh is hard and doesn't taste sweet and intense as it should. I had this problem with those you can see on my picture - what a disappointment! They are sold really cheap in big bags at the moment, without letting customers know that they are not quite the way they should be. As so often it is better to spend a few more Yen for good quality. Then Kaki are a real treat for every fruit lover.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-2845754316434518442007-10-12T05:25:00.000-07:002007-10-13T21:34:10.335-07:00Once again to the Vegetarian Fair...Yesterday I came across a quite unappealing perception of <a href="http://vegetarianjapan.blogspot.com/2007/10/vegetarian-fair-vs-namaste-india.html">my review</a> of the Vegetarian Festival on <a href="http://www.veganjapan.net/index_engl.html">Vegan Japan</a> (written on the 8th of October - unfortunatly there is no direct link to the article). Here is my answer that I've mailed to the author of that posting since there was no way to comment directly.<br />I prefer an open discussion where everyone can speak out frankly...<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Hello Herwin,<br />this is Julia, the "vegetarian foreigner" (just like you, right?) whose posting about the Tokyo Vegetarian Festival you picked to pieces in your last entry on your website. Unfortunatly I couldn't find any possibility to comment on your website, so I had to take this way to straighten out some things. It seems like I really offended you personally, just because I wrote that at the time when I came there the Indian festival was nicer... Sorry for that, I didn't want to hurt you with my humble opinion and always try to have friendly relations to my blog-neighbours, co-vegetarians/vegans/foodies etc. That's why I link to your site for example..<br />I never denied, even said it openly in my posting that I might have been too late to see the best times of the Vegetarian Festival. However maybe the party there was over too soon, because at the Indian festival it was still in full swing..<br /><br />When it comes to liking or not liking Indian or Japanese curry - well, that is just a matter of taste! I think it is quite exaggerated to tell me I were in the wrong country and should go to India just because I like Indian curry! Too bad for you that you can't appreciate spicy dishes (if you can't stand the heat... ).<br /><br />I don't believe one has to love everything here and be more Japanese than most Japanese people. I love being here in Tokyo, I love Japanese food (I wouldn't dedicate a whole blog to it otherwise..) but I don't think EVERYTHING is perfect here. But fortunatly the internet as well as Japan are places where you are allowed to have different oppinions and should tolerate other's and even more fortunatly Japanese immigration officers don't ask for the love of Japanese curry before they grant a visa for Japan... <br />By the way: I am not from the "country of the supersized Hamburgers" (oh, I feel honored that you thought I am a native English speaker, maybe my English isn't as poor as I thought..), I have never been to the US and I am not interested in supersized fast food, but I don't like the generalizations you uttered about the people there, just as I don't like generalizations about people from anywhere else: Japan, India, Germany, The Netherlands..whereever! <br />And don't tell me Japanese people in general eat less than people from somewhere else! I had very generous servings in Japanese restaurants and I ate with Japanese people who managed to eat enormous amounts of food while others where just nibbling a few bites.. just like people anywhere else in the world!<br /><br />Finally I suggest that you leave a comment or trackback under articles you refer to in the future, that is part of the netiquette in my eyes. It is quite gutless to pick on someone without letting that person know and without giving that person a possibility to answer. <br />I will post this letter in my blog, with open comments of course. <br /><br />Well, aside from all that I wish you good luck promoting fine veggie foods in Japan, that at least is one interest we have in common.<br />Julia</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Edit: he is just carrying on and on with his backbiting, smattering and generalization.. I take him off my link list now and stop bothering you with this pain in the neck.</span>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-44695703642534380332007-10-10T04:54:00.000-07:002007-10-10T19:21:11.845-07:00Tofu Ryori in Kyoto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2321/1533595926_4a536d8dc5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2321/1533595926_4a536d8dc5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Beside all the much beloved <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matcha">Matcha</a> treats you can find in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kyoto</span> en masse, there is one other culinary favorite of mine Kyoto is famous for. I am talking about the most wonderful, utterly fresh, highest quality <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tofu</span> ever. <br />You definitly do not have to be a sworn in vegetarian to love these perfect white cubes and all the great things made out of it, you just have to have an understanding for the goodness of real pure taste: unspoiled, clean, refreshing and fantastic to relax our overstrained senses. Don't get me wrong: I love spicy food, chili, garlic, herbs and spices, a fair amount of sesame or olive oil, all those wonderful things. However, from time to time nothing is better than the unaltered, straight taste of simple things - nothing can be more sophisticated than that. The preparation of the simplest things is the highest art of cooking in my opinion and deserves a lot of respect. Only ingredients of the highest quality are to be used and everything must be well thought out. Just like a typical Kyoto-style <a href="http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/en/theme/dining/tofu/"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tofu Ryori</span></a> Set. <br />I have to admit that at first I was a little reluctant to go to a Tofu restaurant, because the prices are quite high and there is so much nice and inexpensive food around, so that you start asking yourself: can this Tofu meal really be worth more than threetimes as much as a Soba/Udon/whatever set somewhere else? The answer is yes! And I am very grateful that my friend <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippomum/">Angie</a> told me so and made me have a perfectly marvelous Tofu Ryori at a Restaurant specialized on <a href="http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tofu/r/yudofu.htm">Yudofu</a> called <a href="http://www.to-fu.co.jp/english/index.html"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Junsei</span></a>. It was one of the most delightful food experiences I ever had! <br />The restaurant itself is a grand old building, a former medical school, established in 1839 and remodeled to a restaurant after WW2. It is located just a few meters from the entrance gate to the <a href="http://nanzenji.com/english/index.html">Nanzen-ji</a>, a famous Zen Buddhist temple. This area is famous for its Yudofu meals and you will find quite a few restaurants there dedicated to these Tofu dishes, but Junsei is not only one of the more famous ones, but also the only one with a completely vegetarian set.<br />Because the day of my visit there was rather hot and I was eager for something refreshing I decided to order the cold version of Yudofu: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hiyashitofu</span>, that is plain <br />Tofu blocks floating in spring water accompanied by some icecubes and maple leaves. This is also the option for everyone who wants to be on the safe vegetarian side, because the broth used for boiling the Tofu in a Yudofu set might be made with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsuobushi">Katsuobushi</a>. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/1533597592_21e6b5d476.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/1533597592_21e6b5d476.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The sight of the white cubes, the icewater and the lush green leaves alone is a benefaction and naturally eating it is even more one.<br />But as a matter of course I didn't get the cold Tofu alone, it was just the core of an array of treasurelike little dishes my set meal consisted of. <br />There was beautifully crisp vegetable <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tempura</span></a> - although a deep-fried dish light and with the flavour of the veggies absolutly ostensible, not at all spoiled with the taste of oil and other things fried in it before. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2226/1533604326_1600dbacf2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2226/1533604326_1600dbacf2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />In my little Tempura basket I found a slice of Japanese sweet potato, eggplant, kabocha (a Japanese squash), green beans and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoga">myoga</a> (if I remember correctly) all with the characteristic fluffy, crisp crust.<br />Then I came upon a little plate with slightly sweet, stewed cold vegetables (celery, bambooshoots and something undefined) and a shiitake hat, presented with a pretty maple shaped and coloured piece of wheat gluten.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/1532735225_a19c1e2470.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/1532735225_a19c1e2470.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />On yet another plate a small cube of a firm and intense <span style="font-weight:bold;">sesame-tofu</span>, with a little Wasabi on top swimming in its own special dipping sauce waited to be enjoyed by me. Of course I didn't let it wait too long..<br />Last but not least I savoured the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tofudengaku</span>, two blocks of firm Tofu glazed with a special Miso-sauce and grilled on sticks and served on a wooden tray. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2177/1532736253_0b7def3a60.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2177/1532736253_0b7def3a60.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />All this came alongside a bowl of rice and there was a plate with savory things to be eaten with the Tofu: chopped springonions, freshly grated ginger and thin stripes of dry seaweed (Nori I guess) as well as some tiny dried fish which I happily relinquished to my non-vegetarian friends who enjoyed this fantastic feast with me.<br />As you might be able to imagine after reading this and having a look at the pictures that this was a meal that just makes happy, satisfied, with the warm feeling of having experienced something very special, maybe a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It is clearly not an everyday dish, even if I had the possibility and could afford it: it is nothing to be eaten on a daily basis - this is supposed to be something extraordinary. And that it definitly was! Well worth the 3000 Yen it costed.<br />If you ever have the chance to have a something as amazing as that - don't hesitate!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.to-fu.co.jp/english/_imge/index-map.png"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Junsei</span> <br />Nanzenji-mon mae<br />Sakyo-ku, Kyoto [click for map]</a><br /><br />ゆどうふの順正<br />京都市左京区南禅寺門前<br />Tel: 075-761-2311Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-40626903571246994832007-10-08T00:45:00.000-07:002007-10-08T01:20:26.152-07:00Kuroke to go<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfspIbn2kXq7_RSR701JAQMtPLQJUOxoEcEhjZmhFTSuYWGzo9tCZ5J27_lel3T7-AikTM-JjJxxIY1RNU8_9Eb1Wu86KSANfUJLd_04phDeaCN8aHccptLjwkM3quMahabgsVYK_99zYW/s1600-h/kuroke.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfspIbn2kXq7_RSR701JAQMtPLQJUOxoEcEhjZmhFTSuYWGzo9tCZ5J27_lel3T7-AikTM-JjJxxIY1RNU8_9Eb1Wu86KSANfUJLd_04phDeaCN8aHccptLjwkM3quMahabgsVYK_99zYW/s320/kuroke.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118869849204807218" /></a><br />Ever had a purple croquette? No? Me neither, before I visited <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura%2C_Kanagawa">Kamakura</a> a few weeks ago. One of the souvenir and food shops close to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotokuin">Kôtokuin</a> (the temple with the enormous outdoor Amida Buddha statue) was specialized in all kind of sweet potato treats. They had wonderful sweet potato cakes, ice cream and those funny looking and delicious tasting <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">kuroke</span></span> (that is the Japanese pronunciation of croquette). Just right: crispy outside, creamy inside with a sweet and savory taste... and they were vegetarian of course. You'll find it on the lefthand side if you walk down the street coming from the Kôtokuin.<br /><br />This kuroke was one of the very few snacks (icecream is ok too) I found here so far that can be eaten while walking here in Japan without feeling like doing something wrong and rude. Food to go is pretty unusual here. You are supposed to sit down and enjoy the food (nothing wrong about that), instead of walking, dribbling and bothering others with the smell of your food and your disturbing appearance while gulping down stuff. I guess I lived in Berlin for too long where it is the most normal thing in the world to grab a Falafel or something on the way to care about what others are thinking about seeing me eating. It is quite annoying to search for a appropiate place to sit down and eat store-bought snacks here in Japan when I don't want to go in a restaurant and am not around my appartment. Well, at least I got to know many parks and parkbenches like this...Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-51375171895506230132007-10-01T09:16:00.000-07:002007-10-01T10:47:23.510-07:00Vegetarian Fair vs. Namaste India<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1073/1469218896_a7e0933d11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1073/1469218896_a7e0933d11.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />As written in my previous posting last weekend was the Tokyo International Vegetarian Culture Fair and although rain was pouring heavily all day, I made it there on sunday. However I have to admit I didn't eat anything there. How is that possible you might ask? A veggie foody at a vegetarian fair who doesn't pamper her taste buds? Well, yes and no. I ate, just not at the vegetarian fair.<br />Just a few meters beside the Vegetarian Culture Fair, that made a rather dull and grey impression and where the foodservings were quite small, there also was a much livelier and more colourful fiesta called <a href="http://www.namasteindia2007.com">Namaste India</a>. <br />You have three guesses what was served there! Right! Curry, curry aaaaaand curry! I couldn't resist the intensive scents of spices and freshly baked naan breads. <br />Sorry vegetarians of Tokyo, the Indian chefs upstaged you! Their food was not only smelling nicer, the portions were not only bigger, they were also much more fun and really seemed to enjoy being there - and so did I! <br />While at the vegetarian fair it was kinda lame, most of the offered food was also curry, that smelled and looked rather bland compared to the Indian originals, and one of the sellers made a not very charming remark about my friend and me after we had a look at his food and decided not to take it, the Indian chefs were joking and performing a percussion show on the tandoori oven AND managed to serve a fine curry! It was loud, with Bollywood soundtracks blaring from the boom boxes and sellers shouting out their offers, it was hot and spicy, with my fingers yellow after eating with them, it was monsoonlike, with the rain pouring and it was a hell of a time!<br />After having a nice chai (Indian milk tea with spices) to warm up and finishing off a nice mixed vegetable curry and a naan each, we decided to go for another round and checked out the veggie curry of another foodstall, also with naan - and it was even better! They were more generous with the vegetables - I just loved the eggplant chunks inside, and the curry was spicier. The naan was slightly buttered, crisp on the edges and soft inside, so that it was perfect for shoveling the sauce and veggies into the mouth. This is just one of the best comfort foods in the whole wide world..<br /><br />Maybe I just came to late for the good vegetarian fair food, some stalls were already closing down when I arrived - so maybe I do them wrong. However, all in all Namaste India won my favours!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-40755786974493068002007-09-29T06:37:00.000-07:002007-10-10T19:25:15.637-07:00Vegetarian Okonomiyaki<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1119/1476550525_7dc73045ef.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1119/1476550525_7dc73045ef.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki">Okonomiyaki</a> is a typical festival food in Japan - at every <span style="font-style:italic;">Omatsuri</span> you can be sure to find at least one or two okonomiyaki stalls (except for the Namaste India festival and the Vegetarian Culture Fair maybe..). Osaka is famous for this dish that consist mainly of shredded cabbage and a pancake-like batter, spiced up with beni shôga, pickled red ginger, all fried on a hot plate and topped with a special dark brown sauce and oftentimes mayonnaise. The version from Hiroshima contains fried soba and the ingrediences are not mixed up, but first the batter is fried to something like a pancake and than the other ingrediences are all piled up on it to one tower of okonomiyaki that shrinks during the frying but it still looks like an artistic feat to turn it over..<br />Unfortunatly the usual okonomiyaki is not vegetarian, but made with fish-based dashi (stock), often with those tiny kind of shrimps and topped with my friends the katsuobushi (fishflakes).. <br />Actually it would be no problem to leave those little beasts out, but as it often is in Japan you make people very uneasy if you ask to modify a traditional, original, century old recipe even the slightest little bit. It seems to be a sacrilege, impossible because the dish is just perfect as it is - I don't dare to doubt that, but I prefer an imperfect veggie dish to a perfect one with dead animals in it. Usually it still tastes great and for me personally it tastes better when there are no little sad eyes staring at me from my plate! <br />But it seems like there is no way to make it any different, although the name okonomiyaki implies "fry whatever you want"... Well, yet there is a way: just do it yourself! A few days ago I was invited for a fantastic, homemade, vegetarian okonomiyaki and <a href="http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/445/dining.asp">monja</a> dinner - and a feast it was! Monja (also called monjayaki) is the softer, more liquid and mushy sister of okonomiyaki - a dish originating from Tokyo, to be eaten directly from the hot plate it is fried on, for example in one of the countless monja places in shitamachi. There you also should be able to find veggie versions, but it is also easy to make it at home - you only need a hot plate. There are special ones for okonomiyaki (and monja), but I think it should also work on those hot plates on top of raclette ovens, maybe even in a good not-sticking pan. Although making it in a pan is not an ideal solution, cause the sociable, comfortable and fun aspect of sitting around the hot plate waiting for the next piece of food and watching the batter sizzle. You can easily spent two hours eating like that - nice!<br />Now to the <span style="font-weight:bold;">recipes</span>. I don't know exact measurements, but I think it is a dish that does not require exact measurements. Just try to fry one okonomiyaki and if it is too soggy add some more flour before you fry the next one or add more stock if you think it is too dry - easy as that.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Okonomiyaki</span>:<br />Cut about half of a <span style="font-weight:bold;">cabbage</span> in thin slices.<br />Mix about 3 cups of <span style="font-weight:bold;">flour</span> with 1-2 <span style="font-weight:bold;">eggs</span> and some <span style="font-weight:bold;">veggie stock</span> (less than 1 cup should be enough), add a little salt.<br />Mix the cabbage and the batter and add as much <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beni_shoga">beni shôga</a></span> as you like (don't take too much, otherwise you won't taste anything else anymore).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1095/1476551567_b0ece9ac6d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1095/1476551567_b0ece9ac6d.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Now you can add whatever you like, for example: thinly sliced shiitake, okra, green asparagus, onions or leek, pieces of mochi (sticky not-sweetened ricecakes), corn, even cheese is not unusual and tastes fantastic with it.. Our okonomiyaki-host also added <a href="http://www.cosmofoods.net/products/agedama.html">Agedama</a> (also called Tenkasu), that is something resembling the German "Backerbsen" (are they called soup pearls in English? Until that night I didn't know they exist outside of Germany).<br />Than fry a big spoon of it on the hot plate with very little oil and turn it over when it is still soft on top but golden brown on the underside and fry it on the other side for a short time. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1142/1477409238_ed43d57c93.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1142/1477409238_ed43d57c93.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Afterwards top it with a thick and <span style="font-weight:bold;">sweet soy sauce</span> (since okonomiyaki sauce is usually with oyster extract and worcestershire sauce, that resembles it a lot contains anchovies as far as I know), mayonnaise (if you like it - I hate mayonnaise so I don't use it), sprinkle with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aonori"><span style="font-weight:bold;">aonori</span></a> (dried seaweed). Part it in four pieces with a wooden spatula and serve hot. While eating the next serving is put on the hot plate.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1325/1476623695_33839440ab_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1325/1476623695_33839440ab_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />For making <span style="font-weight:bold;">monja</span> you make the same batter, just add much more water or veggie stock and <span style="font-weight:bold;">grated yam</span> and stir it a bit longer. Then put the cabbage and whatever you want to have with it (I recommend asparagus and cheese) on the hot plate and let it stir-fry for a moment, make a hole in the middle and add the batter. Then everyone spreads out bitsized pieces of it thinly with a wooden spatula, so that those pieces become brown, a bit gumlike and crispy on the edges - these portions are to be eaten directly from the hot plate with chopsticks. <a href="http://letseatmeal.blogspot.com/2006/03/monja_27.html">Here</a> and <a href="http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2007/06/rokumonsen.html">here</a> you can see pictures of monja.<br />Have a nice meal, share it with friends and enjoy a great foody-night, like I did - thanks again Nishi-san and Yuko-san :)Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-28886647542418106732007-09-18T08:03:00.000-07:002007-09-18T08:21:27.575-07:00Tokyo International Vegetarian Culture Fair 2007It seems like there are more vegetarians around here than I ever thought! Just a few days ago I found out about the <a href="http://www.jpvs.org/Eng/ep1/index-eng.html">Japan Vegetarian Society(JPVS)</a> (founded in 2001) and that they organise a <a href="http://tokyovwf.com/">Tokyo Vegetarian Week</a> every year since 2002. The funny thing is the 2007 Vegetarian Week lasts from sept.1st to sept.30th - well, sounds good! Particularly interesting sounds the Tokyo International Vegetarian Culture Fair 2007 (pooh, what a name). It will be held on the 29th and the 30th at Yoyogi Park, in front of NHK Hall (close to Harajuku stn), between 10am and 8pm on saturday and 10am to 5pm on sunday. There will be a flea market, live music and much more. I am hoping for nice food, books and interesting people. See you there :)Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-40638341878675575232007-09-17T03:27:00.000-07:002007-10-24T04:49:41.751-07:00Kyoto: Kuromame Café<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1159/1396826984_8a0483cd35.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1159/1396826984_8a0483cd35.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />If I had to name one really essential and omnipresent ingredient of the Japanese cuisine, I would say: the soybean! There are about one trillion variations how to prepare and eat it: just cooked, fermented as in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natto">natto</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso">miso</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu">tofu</a>, as soymilk, mashed as filling of sweets, ground and roasted as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinako">kinako</a> flour, etc. <br />No wonder there are restaurants specialized in products made of these little superbeans, even in one kind of soybeans, like the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kuromame Café</span> in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kyoto</span> which serves only <span style="font-weight:bold;">black soybean dishes</span>. Since these are all vegetarian (except for a little extra plate with dried fish, but this was easy to avoid), I had to check out the kuromame (black bean) set meal of course. And it was amazing! There was the obligatory miso soup, here made of black bean miso, with some vegetables inside. Then there were wonderful, crisp, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura">tempura</a>-like rolls of a thin sheet of seaweed, stuffed with mashed black beans, dipped in a light batter and fried - extraordinary delicious and a taste I never experienced before. They were to be eaten sprinkled with strong sea salt, that came with them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1363/1395937799_414e37ecfd.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1363/1395937799_414e37ecfd.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Soft and fresh were the two kinds of homemade tofu, one made of black, the other one of white beans. This creamy tofu tasted gorgeous with the sweet preserved black beans. Accompanied and accomplished was all this with rice that was cooked together with - surprise, surprise: black beans. During lunchtime this set costed 1050 yen, definitly good value for the money. <br />On every table were big grindstones (you can see a part of one the first photo, on the right side), that are to be used for making fresh kinako just a few seconds before eating. Interesting, fun, and yummie! <br />For sure a place very worth a visit and conveniently located in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higashiyama-ku%2C_Kyoto">Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka area</a> not far from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyomizudera">Kiyomizudera</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0006712446/M0026011325/">Kuromame Café 黒豆茶庵北尾 清水店<br />京都府京都市東山区清水寺門前産寧坂北入ル [please click for map and infos in Japanese]</a><br />Tel: 075-551-0101<br />open: 11:00~17:30Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-59239587070030070212007-09-05T20:01:00.000-07:002007-09-06T06:58:50.471-07:00Mikoan in Kyoto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1308/1336400704_3bc906b845.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1308/1336400704_3bc906b845.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I love <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Kyoto</span></a>. It is a totally touristy place, I know, but it is just sooo awesome. It is Japan like you know it from pictures - it just is picturesque! There are more temples and shrines then you ever wanted to see, there is Gion, with its oldfashioned wooden town houses, shops, (overpriced but nice to look at) restaurants and Maiko shooing by, some of them real ones on their way to customers, others faked (tourists that pay for getting dressed and styled like a Maiko what takes around 2-3 hours, just to go for a little walk and take some photos), but not less beautiful in my humble eyes. There are lush green mountains with bamboo groves and maple trees that change to the most intensive reds in autumn and cherry trees that are like fluffy pink clouds in spring surrounding the city. <br />And there is the food: the famous <a href="http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=kyoto@86&cur_section=fea&feature=30002">Kyoto ryori</a>! Lots of natural flavours, extremely fresh and tasty vegetables, an abundance of wonderful pickles, lots o tofu in all forms and matcha wherever you look at. My culinary heaven for sure! <br />I have been there just a few days, but I could write a dozen articles about the food in Kyoto.. Let's start with a recommendation of a great vegetarian restaurant.<br /><a href="http://www.mikoan.com/"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mikoan</span> </a>is the name of this bar-like little restaurant that is hidden in a backyard of a narrow alley. <br />I saw a photo of the food served there <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aveline/873881272/">on flickr</a> and decided that I have to find it - and it was a very good decision!<br />Mikoan is <span style="font-weight:bold;">strictly vegetarian</span> (not vegan, but I guess you will find vegan dishes there too) and everything that is served there is supposed to be <span style="font-weight:bold;">natural and healthy</span> - except maybe for the array of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shochu">shochu</a> that is waiting for you at the bar...<br />On their menu you'll find a huge bowl of vegetable <span style="font-weight:bold;">curry</span>, of which I was told that it was very delicious. And they serve wonderful <span style="font-weight:bold;">typical Japanese sets with all kinds of little dishes</span>. That was my choice of the night! Arranged maybe not 100% strictly according to the Five Principles of buddhist vegetarian cuisine, but it was visible, tasteable, noticeable that the Five Colors: go shiki - red, yellow, green, black and white, Five tastes: go mi - salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy and the Five ways of preparing: go hou - simmering, broiling, steaming, frying and raw/pickled (if i remember correctly) were kept in mind. But to tell you the truth: I don't care much about that - it was a very diverse, healthy and most of all delicious meal!<br />Not only were there five dishes (plus rice), but also several different ways of preparing: my set consisted of a miso soup with vegetables (= something boiled), deep fried crumpled <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuba_(food)">yuba</a> (tofu "skin")balls (= something fried), pickles, a kind of salad with seaweed and cold tofu (= something raw), simmered greens with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aburage">aburage</a> (fried tofu) and mushrooms and some other fried veggies. My friend Angie also ordered the set and got some different dishes, so that we could share and try even more things! She had other veggies and some wonderful vegetarian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyoza">gyoza</a>...mmmmh!<br />It was such a satisfying dinner in a very homey atmosphere, with books, cats and all kind of knickknack around. The ladies who are running the place were friendly and so was the only other guest, a yoga-loving middle-aged lady sitting beside us and chatting with us in Japanese-English lingo.<br />Great food, nice place, friendly people in a beautiful city - there is nothing else to ask for! Please go there, whenever you have the chance to do so.<br /><br /><a href="http://mikoan.com/"><br />Mikoan</a><br /><a href="http://mikoan.com/access.html">〒600-8032 京都市下京区寺町通四条下ル中之町570<br /><br />570 Nakano-cho<br />Teramachi-dori, Shijo-saguru, Kyoto [click for map and description of the not-so-easy-to-find-way with photos :)</a> <br /> <br />TEL/FAX 075-361-2200<br /><br />Mo-Fr: 5pm - 11pm<br />Sa: 12 - 11pm<br />So: 12 - 8pmJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-2576760931486794072007-08-31T05:29:00.000-07:002007-09-03T09:42:04.691-07:00Delicacies from Kumamoto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1180/1232131543_5992684bb5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1180/1232131543_5992684bb5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>As I said in my last posting, I was travelling in Kansai and Kyushu in the last weeks and of course the local cuisines were (beside climbing a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jusan/1182789582/">volcano</a>, swimming at a wonderful <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jusan/1181724395/">beach</a> (although I quite often heard I should forget about beaches in Japan, except for I go as far as Okinawa..), strolling through <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jusan/1256608735/">bamboo groves</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jusan/1104546931/">paddy fields</a> etc) the highlights of my vacation. Especially in Kyoto I had spectacular meals, but today I start with something small but not less delicious. Like everywhere in Japan <span style="font-style:italic;">omiyage</span> (souvenirs) are a big thing in <a href="http://www.edutraveller.com/jp/en/places/kyushu.html">Kumamoto</a>, the lovely city on western Kyushu. And also like everywhere in Japan most of these gifts are edible. Beside all kinds of the ubiquitous sweets filled with sweet beanjam, you can also get quite different specialities in Kumamoto, that I've really never saw somewhere else before. One is <span style="font-weight:bold;">karashi renkon</span>: <span style="font-weight:bold;">lotus roots</span> (=renkon) generously filled with a mixture of <span style="font-weight:bold;">mustard</span> (=karashi) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">miso</span> and baked covered with a batter that is also made with mustard. You can buy big pieces of karashi renkon in every supermarket or omiyage shop and cut slices of it that look like a fantastic yellow-beige flower. However, don't trust the harmless looks of it! It is hot! I never had more intensive mustards than Japanese mustards! Karashi renkon feels tangy on your tongue, tickles your nose and can bring tears to your eyes and the sweat to your forehead - but in a wonderful way! It feels like cleaning your pores and refreshing your mind, especially on a hot summerday with more than 35°C, like the days I had in Kumamoto. <br />The lotus root itself is crisp and tingly and like the thin batter, it only does very little to lessen the sparkling feeling of the smooth mustard-miso-paste that is filled in its naturals holes. You eat this goody just like this with a beer or some other drink, if you can eat hot stuff. If you are not that strong, you can also have it with rice and other vegetables, tofu or whatever you like. I even made myself sandwiches with slices of karashii renkon on it! It tasted great, but I guess people from Kumamoto might be horror-stricken to see this westernized version to eat their wonderful traditional delicacy - so better try this only at home when nobody watches. And please don't tell anybody that it was my idea ;)<br />Another tidbit from Kumamoto is filled with red bean paste, but it is so different to most other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_bean_paste">anko</a>-sweets that I want to present it here. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1278/1285593577_88b785bd7a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1278/1285593577_88b785bd7a.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>It is <span style="font-weight:bold;">ikinari dango</span>, a slightly sweet dumpling stuffed with <span style="font-weight:bold;">potato</span> and, as I said, a little <span style="font-weight:bold;">anko</span>. It is steamed, so that the "pastry" that covers the potato-anko-filling still has a very dough-like texture, what I like a lot. And unlike many other Japanese sweets the anko does not dominate the taste of the whole dumpling. It was not that much inside and it was not that high on sugar so that the earthy potato flavour comes to the fore. I bought it at a nice little shop where they sold it still warm.. very delicous!<br />Another speciality from Kumamoto is a kind of stew with all kinds of vegetables and something in it that appears to be somewhat between noodle and dumpling, reminding me a bit of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatzle">Spätzle</a>. But to be honest: temperatures were to high to eat a steaming hot pot of stew, so I have to admit I did not taste this dish. It looked very good however and if I ever come to Kumamoto during a cooler season I will definitly try it. <br />Yet another delicacy Kumamoto is famous for I will surely never ever try: basashi - raw horse meat sashimi! There even is a local <a href="http://p.vtourist.com/3622175-Travel_Picture-Hello_Kitty_Kumamoto_Basashi_Phone_Strap.jpg">basashi-themed Hello Kitty phone strap [click]</a>... well, well...Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-46413461951654969392007-08-08T22:42:00.000-07:002007-10-24T04:50:21.657-07:00Tsuruhan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1229/1058741539_b497900140.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1229/1058741539_b497900140.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />A few days ago I was <a href="http://vegetablejapan.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-first-meme-8-random-things-about.html">tagged</a> by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15449145190852647832">Vegetablej</a> for writing a meme "8 Random Things about Myself". Sorry that I haven't written anything yet, I was quite busy preparing everything for some travelling I will do in the next two weeks - so I guess this will have to wait until I am back. On my trip I will meet my flickr-friend and co-foodie <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippomum/">Angie</a> and I am quite sure that the two of us will discover a lot of wonderful vegetarian food in Nagoya, Kyoto and Kobe together! A detailed report hopefully with lots of recommendations will follow in the next weeks. Afterwards I will travel further south to Kumamoto and Hiroshima - hoping that the local cuisine there has some nice things to offer for non-animal-eaters :) <br />I am so much looking forward to conquer some new territories on my personal travel-map, and of course it will not only be sightseeing but also lots of "foodseeing" (and tasting!!) which is always a major point of interest during my travels (actually not only during my travels.. uhuhu). So stay tuned for my food-travel-diary in the near future.<br /><br />Kyoto is the only place on my route that I have visited before and in anticipation of the fantastic <a href="http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=kyoto@86&cur_section=fea&feature=30002"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Kyoto-ryôri</span></a>, a cuisine with lots of vegetables and famous for its tofu dishes, I will recommend a <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kyoto-style restaurant</span> in Tokyo today. <br />The place is called <a href="http://www.bento.com/rev/2432.html"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tsuruhan</span></a> and it is located in the stunning Tokyo International Forum, a huge modern building, with impressing architecture close to Yurakucho Stn. I have been there some weeks ago and the food was of the highest quality and best taste to be imagined. I shared some dishes with a friend - the best way to get to taste as many things on the menu as possible, and every single one of them was perfect. We had wonderful <span style="font-weight:bold;">vegetable sushi</span>, topped with fresh and lush greens, with a texture that couldn't be more right. The vegetables had still all of their juice and the rice was a dream! <br />Next a plate of yasai-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura"><span style="font-weight:bold;">tempura</span></a>, deep fried vegetables in a light batter, was served and again it was just to the point. Deep frying always bears the risk that the food looses all its flavour, gets soaked with re-re-reused oil and only tastes like that also - but not at Tsuruhan! It was a crunchy delight, not at all greasy, with crisp and juicy vegetables like eggplant, lotusroots, beans, peppers, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoga">myoga</a> and satsuma imo, Japanese sweetpotatoes. Those latter ones were admittedly not juicy, but had a sweet and mild taste that is surpassing. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura">tempura</a> (the name derives from the Portuguese by the way, who introduced this dish to Japan in the 16th century) came with some matcha salt to dip the battered veggies in and fresh lime to squeeze a few drops on the food- heavenly! <br />And then we had the best thing I ever ate and I don't even know exactly what it was. It was very similar to <a href="http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tofu/r/tofudengaku.htm"><span style="font-weight:bold;">tofu-dengaku</span></a>, tofu on wooden sticks glazed with miso-paste, but I think it rather was some special kind of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konjac"><span style="font-weight:bold;">konnyaku</span></a> (this has nothing to do with alcohol, but is a jelly-like Japanese delicacy made out of a root). Anyway, it was absolutly perfect: soft but firm enough, mild but each with different tastes and spices, with intensively-tasting pastes spreat on top of them: one with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzu">yuzu</a>-flavour, so citric-fresh and summerly, one with black and white sesame and a dark fruity-sweet miso(?)paste on it and the third one with mugworth and even little cute flowers. It was as beautiful as delicous - only for that dish, you should really go there!<br />The restaurant itself is nice to, with a huge plant arrangment in the middle, surrounded by the central counter and some tables around. It is not a big place and we had to wait a while to get seated although we called in advance. So it is better to make a reservation. Prices are ok, not cheap, but not overly expensive too and absolutly fine for the quality they offer. For the mentioned dishes and two bowls of rice (and some tea that was for free) we paid all in all a little over 3000 Yen. It was worth it!!!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=de&geocode=&q=%22tokyo+international+forum%22&sll=35.669998,139.770004&sspn=0.015759,0.028324&ie=UTF8&ll=35.685257,139.770041&spn=0.031511,0.056648&z=14&iwloc=B&om=1">Tsuruhan<br />Tokyo International Forum B1F</a> [click address to see map]<br />Marunouchi 3-5-1<br />Tokyo<br />Open 11am-11pm daily.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5353394244694948140.post-14216253710237243182007-07-29T06:17:00.000-07:002007-08-09T02:06:23.622-07:00Paritto Fuwatto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1426/963485806_7f46617b4d_o.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1426/963485806_7f46617b4d_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Coming from Germany, a country famous for its <span style="font-weight:bold;">bread</span>, I have a very distinct idea of how bread has to be like. And as much as I love Japanese bakeries for the pastries, I have to say that the bread usually does not meet my expectations. Most of the bread is just too soft and too sweet. I like bread with a crisp crust and a moist, slightly salty and sour dough. No matter if it is a white or a dark bread - I love both, as long as they are the way I described it. I know, also in Germany there are many big bakery chains and their bread often isn't that way either. But you just have to go to the little bakeries and there you usually still find the good stuff. <br />And in Japan people are so crazy about food that it just surprises me that something as simple as bread of all things has to be so bland and taste like untoasted toast here! And don't tell me it is because people eat rice all the time - it is not true: bakery products are very popular, too. There are good western bakeries in Japan. French or Scandinavian they mostly want to be. They make wonderful sweet things, pastries, brioche - great! <br />Sometimes they also offer "German bread" and oftentimes it even looks like bread in Germany, with a brown dough and some grains and seeds on top. It happened a few times that I couldn't withstand trying one again, hoping that this one could be right. That I bought it and as soon as I was out of the bakery opening the bag hastily and covertly (because it is supposed to be rude to eat while walking on the street in Japan) ripping a piece of the bread to try it: and then it is soft and sweet and with a much too fluffy crumb again and the brown colour is just made with malt, not with wholemeal. <br />Lately however, during one of my countless strolls around <a href="http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/695/feature.asp">Ya-Ne-Sen </a>(Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi), the downtown area where I live, I came across a tiny little bakery that looked so cute and its products so natural that I just had to go inside and check it out. The painted sign in the entrance that said: おいしいパンとお菓子の店 = "shop for delicious bread (pan - from the portuguese word for bread) and sweets", was also very promising. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1432/940700759_bfda7e2531.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1432/940700759_bfda7e2531.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />To put it blundly, they do not bake "German bread", but this is absolutly fine, I don't search for that! I just search for good tasting bread. In fact I think it is much more interesting when things have a local touch. And in this lovely place called <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://homepage3.nifty.com/moon999/paritto.htm">Paritto Fuwatto</a></span> they do taste great! <br />No wonder, they are all made freshly in this neat little shop, directly behind the counter. There a very friendly lady is working, who just stops kneading the dough for serving customers. All over the place where she is baking are <a href="http://www.tainongseeds.com/Kabocha.html">kabocha</a> (Japanese squash), sweet potatoes and all kind of other good ingrediences used for the breads, rolls, cookies and cakes that pile up in little baskets on a nicely arranged table beside the counter. <br />It is a little paradise where it is hard to decide what to take: a wholemeal roll with dried fruits or rather an intensivly green one with lots of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yomogi">yomogi (mugwort)</a>, a bread with a natural yeast dough and grains or corn, dark short cakes baked with black tea... The shop is so tiny, but the assortment is quite large. And everything I tried so far was sooooo delicious! The bread has a rather light colour and also no crust to speak of, but the dough has a firm texture, is not too dry and not to soft, the crumb is just right and *thanks a lot - it is not sweet! Absolutly luscious are the kabocha rolls, also firm, with a golden colour and slightly moist thanks to the little cubes of the squash inside, which is one of my favourite veggies anyway. Also moist and just sweetend with the fruits was the dried fruit roll, with fruits and nuts - a healthy and filling snack!<br />The black tea short cakes had an intense tea flavour, just very little sweetness and <br />with a very nice dry crumb, perfecty matching a cup of milk tea.<br />Apropos <span style="font-style:italic;">milk </span>tea: for everyone who does not eat eggs or butter Paritto Fuwatto is also a great choice, because on their <a href="http://homepage3.nifty.com/moon999/paritto.htm">website</a> they list which of all their products contain these ingrediences (in Japanese only, unfortunatly. But if you are able to read katakana, you will understand most names and behind the names you find the kanji 卵 (tamago) for egg and in katakana バター for butter and o or x (yes or no)- so it is quite easy to understand). And I am sure the lady in the shop is very helpful if you ask her.<br /><br />I couldn't really find out whether the ingrediences they use derive from organic farming, would be nice if someone whose Japanese is better than mine could check that... but with the special atmosphere in the store, the interior with lots of wood and baskets, the fact that they use brown paper bags instead of vinyl, the emphasis on natural flavours and healthy ingrediences, etc. all that point pretty much in an organic direction. Anyway: it tastes great, that is the most important fact in my opinion. Organic ingrediences would just be a nice bonus.<br />And has anyone an idea what the name means? パリットフワット Paritto Fuwatto? Seems like a foreign word, because of the use of katakana.. I racked my brains but couldn't think of anything French, English, whatever that sounds similar and all dictionaries I consulted didn't help either... ideas anybody?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Update:</span> I have been there today again and checked out the yomogipan (bread with looooots of mugwort) and a delicious mikan (tangerine) pastry and both are highly recommendable! The yomogipan has a very refreshing and (at least for me) unusual taste and a fantastic emerald colour! See the top right pic in the new photo mosaic i made.. The tangerine pastry was not too sweet and had plenty of little candied tangerine pieces on top - delicious and such a summerly taste!<br /><br />The address is:<br /><a href="http://homepage3.nifty.com/moon999/paritto.htm">パリットフワット</a><br /><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=de&geocode=&q=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%96%87%E4%BA%AC%E5%8C%BA%E5%8D%83%E9%A7%84%E6%9C%A8%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%8D%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%99%EF%BC%8D%EF%BC%97&ie=UTF8&ll=35.724967,139.756951&spn=0.007874,0.01442&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1">東京都文京区千駄木1-19-7<br />Paritto Fuwatto<br />Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Sendagi 1-19-7</a> [click address to see map]<br />about 5 min walk from Sendagi Metro stn, Chiyodaline.<br /><br />It is open from 9am - 7pm. Closed on mondays.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668743649457163474noreply@blogger.com9