Chilean Sea Bass in Sweet “Saikyo” Miso メロの西京味噌焼き

We have posted about Chilean sea bass or Patagonian tooth fish* previously. This time, I made sweet “Saikyo-miso 西京味噌” marinated Chilean sea bass. I am experimenting with various methods to “grill” fish in a frying pan using parchment paper. This method worked very well and emulates grilling. The miso marinade made a nice brown crust but did not burn. The fish meat came out flaky, moist and pleasantly oily. The sweet miso made a nice savory crust and the flavors really went well together. I served this with shredded cabbage (lately I have been using Taiwanese cabbage which is closer in texture to the Japanese variety) with Campari tomato dressed with a mixture of ponzu shoyu ポン酢醤油, olive oil, and a splash of dark sesame oil and Dijon mustard which I added to the dressing mostly as an emulsifier.  In the picture the dark object on the left lower part of plate is boiled edible chrysanthemum 春菊 dressed with concentrated Japanese noodle sauce and topped with bonito flakes 鰹節. We also had a bowl of freshly cooked rice. We really enjoyed this combination.

*Japanese name is “Mero メロ” which appears to originate from a spanish name in Chile or “Gin-mutsu 銀ムツ”.

This time we had an appropriate sweet white miso called “Saiyo miso 西京味噌 (#1 in the composite picture)” famous in Kyoto. So this dish is called “Saikyo miso marinated” without qualification.

Ingredients (two servings):
2 filets of Chilean sea bass, thawed and patted dry

Marinade:
3 tbs Saikyo miso
2 tsp sugar
1 tbs Mirin (or more until the marinade consistency is spreadable but not too runny)
Yuzu zest (optional, I used the last of the frozen yuzu zest)

Directions:
Cover the cutting board with plastic wrap. Place the filets on the plastic wrap and smear the marinade thinly on the back of filets. Turn them over and smear the marinade covering the rest of the filets. Wrap the marinade covered filets tightly in the plastic wrap (#3). Marinate in the wrap at least 20 minutes to a few hours in the refrigerator. 
Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom of a frying pan (#2)
Unwrap the filets and scrape off the majority of the excess marinade from the surface of the filet leaving only a thin layer of the marinade on the fish (#4)
Place the filet on the parchment paper in the pan.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a medium low heat for 5-7 minutes (#5), the surface should brown but not burn.
Flip the filets over and cook another 3-4 minutes with the lid on.
You can judge the doneness by looking at the breaks of the flesh of the fish which develop during cooking. (#6) When they are opaque the fish is done.

The parchment covered frying pan method works well. Since no oil was used, it emulates grilling. The pan  remains clean. I think this is a better method than baking to cook fish especially marinaded fish which can burn easily.

Izakaya in Sapporo Part 1 札幌の居酒屋パート1

We went from Tokyo to Sapporo by train rather than plane. We rode the Hokkaido Shinkansen 北海道新幹線 from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate Hokuto 新函館北斗. (We rode the Hokkaido Shinkansen for the first time in 2017 from Oomiya 大宮 to Shin-Hakodate since we started in Niigata 新潟.) Initially I thought we would have to take a shuttle train from Shin-Hakodate back to Hakodate to catch the limited express narrow gauge “zairai sen 在来線” train to Sapporo. Then I discovered a zairai sen actually went through Shin-Hakodate. So all we had to do was get from the shinkansen platform to the zairai sen platform to get the limited express Hokuto 北斗 to our final destination Sapporo 札幌 (my home town).

We didn’t have much time, however, to get from one platform to the other at Shin-Hakodate. But we would essentially be on the train all day so we would need some food for the trip. The question was what to do about ekiben 駅弁? Should we get some in Tokyo or at Shin-Hakodate? We decided, we would not have enough time to buy ekiben  at Hakodate, so we bought two in Tokyo. It was a good thing we did because we just made the transition between the two platforms in time; if we had stopped to get an ekiben we would have missed our train.  Purchasing those two ekibens, however,  required a bit of effort. We were leaving Tokyo early in the morning and it was too early for the ekiben stores on the basement floor of the department store connected to the station to be open. Still, we got two decent ekiben from a small kiosk in front of the SevenEleven which was open. They came with an advisory that they needed to be consumed by 1 PM that day for safety reasons. We were able to comply by eating them just after we took off to Sapporo from Shin-Hakodate just making 1 PM deadline.

1.  Yakitori-no- Ippei Sappro Minani 4 Store 焼き鳥の一平南4条店

札幌市中央区南4条西3丁目9-1 12Mビル3階

12M bldg 3F
Minami 4, Nishi 3, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

For reservation: 011-281-0006, Credit card accepted, Smoking allowed

Since we were in Hokkaido, I thought going to a yakitori-ya 焼き鳥屋  that specialized in “Muroran” yakitori 室蘭焼き鳥 was appropriate. Muroran is a port town located south east of Sapporo about one and half hours by car or train. It had been famous for its steel industry but now it has been in decline. My mother’s relatives including her (my grand-) parents lived in the Muroran area and I remember visiting them as a small child, although I was too young for yakitori. Muroran yakitori differs from regular yakitori because it is made with pork and onion rather than chicken and negi scallion and side of yellow mustard

Later I learned that this izakaya is a family company started in Muroran with multiple stores in Muroran, Sapporo and other places in Hokkaido. There are two stores in Sapporo and the one we went is the smaller of the two.

It is located very close to the main Susukino intersection (picture above). We first tried Muroran yakitori (pork and onion). It came with yellow mustard. It was very good. We also ordered chicken yakitori. We had “shiro-reba or white liver which is sort of foi gras of chicken. It was soft in texture and something we have never tasted before. (We usually have and like regular chicken liver.) Besides yakitori, we tried some fried dishes. One of the recommended items was grilled shell-on boiled quail eggs 殻付きウズラの炭火焼き. I was tempted but was not sure how the shell could be eaten. One of the young customers sitting next to us ordered it and started crunching. I asked how it was. He said hard but good. We also had “cheese karikari-age” チーズのカリカリ揚げ or crunchy fried cheese (picture below). It was very good but appeared to be a  premade frozen product since we encountered exactly the same item at another izakaya. We had a dish of fried squid and ama-ebi which was also very good. We finished with “Nasu-yaki” a grilled eggplant. This was a variation of “Yaki-nasu 焼きなす”. It came with a small bowl full of bonito flakes. 

2. Susukino Kaisen Izakaya Kobachi すすきの海鮮居酒や小鉢

札幌市中央区南6条西4-1-11 TM 29 1F

TM-29 bldg 1F
Minami 6 Nhishi 4, Chuo-ku
Sapporo

For reservation 011-533-6555, Credit card accepted Smoking allowed

Judging from reviews and photos, this place is run by a chef who specializes in fresh seafood and is famous for live squid and crabs. When I called to make a reservation, I was told that they didn’t have any live squid today which was fine with us (we had live squid sashimi in Hakodate 函館 some years ago. We are not really sure if we like “live” squid sashimi.) In any case, this place was on the first floor of a small building. The entrance was far in the back after you enter the building.  Our expectations were high for some nice Hokkaido sourced seafood. We sat at a small table and across from us was a semi-private room with the sliding doors open. Four or 5 middle aged men were feasting literally; cult sake, crabs etc. The chef and his wife were appropriately paying close attention. In any case, we started with sake and assorted sashimi. The wife (waitress) recommend a few sakes which were pretty good. 

The chef himself delivered the sashimi for us and explained the various items. A few of them he specially prepared and recommended we enjoy them without the addition of any soy sauce. We also had sea urchin in salt water 塩水うに which, even though from Hokkaido, was not that special. The rest of the sashimi was good but not outstanding. We had some grilled fish and fried oysters. I am sure we had some more. The place was very smoky (thanks to guys in the semi private room). The sake and food were basically good.

Pea, Avocado and Mint Blini グリーンピー、アボカド、ミント ガスパッチョ

When we made “Pea, Avocado and Mint Gazpacho”, we were not particularly wild about the “grassy” taste from the peas. The original recipe called for fresh uncooked peas which we thought must have tasted starchy and even more grassy. In any case we used frozen peas, so they were not “uncooked” but the grassy taste was pronounced. We thought, maybe cooking it would reduce the “grassy” taste. In addition we had a lot of the gazpacho left. My wife suggested she could use the extra to make gazpacho blini since she had many successes using additional ingredients/flavors in previous versions of blini. The pea blini seemed to cook up nicely but, although we did not take pictures of the cut surfaces, the center did not show the many uniform  bubbles/holes we would expected in a blini. It had a nice crunchy crust but the center was soft and mushy even though the blini were thoroughly cooked. In addition the “grassy” taste was still as strong as ever (if not even more pronounced). We tried eating some for breakfast, but decided the bottom line was we did not like either the taste or the texture. So we designated them a “failure” and tossed them out. But wait. My wife, who has had multiple “failures” in her cooking career (remember the tart crust made of nuts that even the squirrels would not eat) does not let them discourage her cooking experiments. She does this by maintaining the philosophy that it is not a “failure” if you have at least learned something from it. So what did we learn from this experience? If you do not like the flavor of the initial ingredient using it to make something else such as a blini will not necessarily result in an improvement. Also, pea, avocado and mint gazpacho does not work for us in any form. So we decided to blog this “failure” to remind ourselves of this cooking philosophy and not let a lack of success discourage us (or our readers). 

Ingredients  (made 15 blini):
2 cups of  “Pea, Avocado, and Mint gazpacho”
6 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup sour cream
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup + 2 tbs. cake flour
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
enough additional cream or buttermilk to make it the texture of pancake batter

Directions:
Put the gazpacho in a bowl. Add the egg, the melted butter and sour cream, then add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended. (You may need to add more cream so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.)

In a cast iron platar, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Use the melted butter to grease each of the platar cups before adding the batter. Pour the batter into the cups until they are mostly full (#1). Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until set, about 5 minutes per side (#2 and 3). Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

We thought this would be a great way to use the left over gazpacho as we did using mashed potatoes. The outside was crispy but the inside was mushy and lacked uniform bubbles which characterize a good blini. Despite cooking, the grassy flavor of the pea came through. Although certainly edible, we did not enjoy it. But we learned something so we will not be discouraged from experimenting with other ingredient variations to make more /other blini.

Tottori Izakaya and Shinkansen “Izakaya” 鳥取の居酒屋と新幹線居酒屋

Tenchou ヽ兆

鳥取県鳥取市栄町752 ホテルレッシュ鳥取駅前 1F

Hotel Resh 1F
Sakae-cho 752, Tottori

For reservation 0857-51-1248, Credit card accepted, Smoking allowed

We came to tottori to see the sand dunes or “sakyu 砂丘” but it was rainy and we just saw it from a vista point but could not really walk on it. The sand museum 砂丘美術館, however, was quite impressive with large and amazing sand sculptures.

We stayed here only one night so we visited just one izakaya. This was just across from our hotel in the 1st floor of another hotel but the entrance was from the side street. This is a hybrid between izakaya and restaurant. A single young woman was at the counter eating her dinner. Eventually 2 other young women entered both dressed in almost the same frilly white dresses. (We noticed that frilly white outfits many of which almost looked like wedding dresses seemed to be quite popular among the younger set). The sake selection and food were quite decent, although we cannot recall exactly what we drank and ate.

Shinkansen Izakaya 新幹線居酒屋

Next morning, we took a limited express train from Tottori 鳥取 to Himeji 姫路 starting around 10:30 AM. Then, we transferred to the Shinkansen bullet train heading for Tokyo. So, this was a perfect time for "Shinkansen Izakaya" and lunch. During the layover between trains we had an adequate time to get two ekiben 駅弁; we got one with all drinking snacks in 9 compartments (picture) and one with Tonkatsu over  rice トンカツ弁当. We also got two small bottles of sake; one was particularity good called “Senhime Daiginjo 千姫大吟醸酒” which is the local sake

So, we shared these nine dishes with a sip of sake. They were amazing tasty little morsels; just the right amount and difference in flavor to make the whole thing extremely interesting.We also shared the tonkatsu bento. As scenery went by, this was as good izakaya as we can imagine. Finally, in the mid-afternoon, we were back to Tokyo.

Pea, Ricotta ad Mint Gazpacho えんどう豆、リコッタチーズとミントのガスパッチョ

We are having very hot and humid weather with customary severe thunderstorms in the afternoon. When my wife saw the recipe for nice fresh green pea gazpacho on the Washington Post website, she had to make it. We happened to have mint growing in our herb garden. We also had all the other ingredients except parsley so we made this without the parsley. This is a refreshing rich gazpacho with the peas (we used frozen baby peas) imparting a somewhat grassy taste which was not unpleasant. We topped it with our favorite Spanish extra-version olive oil. (Shown as the darker green in the pic).

Ingredients:
4 mini-cucumbers, seeds removed and cut into cubes (14 ounces total)
Flesh of 1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
2 cups frozen baby green peas
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup water (we used chicken broth)
(We omitted parsely)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 clove garlic
Fine salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Directions:
Prepare the peas. Since they were frozen we simply thawed them in a bowl with some hot water. In a Vitamix, combine the cucumber, avocado, peas, ricotta, scallions, water, chopped mint, lemon juice and garlic and puree until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and blend again, just to incorporate. Taste, and add more lemon juice, as needed.

We served this in a small bowl. The puree had a thick consistency which made us think of a pea smoothy. We made it a bit more soup-like with the addition of milk (or cream) and a drizzle of oil.  The pea and avocado flavors dominated. As mentioned the overall flavor was a bit grassy but it tasted more fresh than unpleasant. A great way to eat your veggies in the hot humid summer. 

Kyoto Izakaya in Kyoto Station Area Part 2 京都駅駅付近付近の居酒屋 パート2

2. Yakitori Tsujiya 焼き鳥つじや

京都市下京区塩小路西洞院西入ル北不動堂町522-9

5229 Kita-fudoudoucho, Shimokyou-Ku
Kyoto

For reservation 075-341-1819, credit card accepted, Probably smoking allowed
Ordering by QR code (You need a smart phone with internet access)

As I was writing this up, I looked on the internet for information about this place. The TSUJIYA GROOVE is the holding company. Judging from their web site, they run two separate but similar chains. One is “Yakitori Tsujiya 焼き鳥つじや” with one store which is where we went. Another is “Sumi-bi Kushiyaki Tsujiya 炭火串焼つじや” with 4 stores. The difference between these two chains is uncertain to me based on their write-ups. Both serve chicken on skewers grilled using a charcoal fire.  Judging from the pictures, the latter appears to be in at the higher end of the price spectrum.

This was a low-key yakitori place. We were lucky we could make the reservation. Although we were 5 minutes late, they kept our seats at the corner of the counter just next to the “yakiba 焼き場” where yakitori is grilled. So we had a good view of how the grilling was taking place. They gave me a slip with a  “QR code” printed on it and asked that I order through their web site. Luckily, I had my iphone connected to a portable hot spot. We ordered sake from their recommendation and ordered the usual suspects of yakitori dishes; chicken thigh, liver, tuskune, wings, negima etc. Meanwhile the place was packed. A number of people came to the door but were turned away including some foreign tourists. (Japanese refer to these customers as “inbounds”. This is where I saw the head waitress use an internet translation program to communicate the “lack of space” and expected “long-time wait” to the foreign “inbounds” who came to the door.)

The yakitori was very good. It had a nice highly pronounced charcoal flavor. All the dishes were pretty good but we really liked the liver and ordered seconds. We ordered more sake and other dishes and our “shime 〆” ending dish was a grilled rice ball.

During our stay, people started coming down from the second floor where, I understand, they have tables for big parties. But the people kept coming, coming, coming in a steady flow. Finally, I asked how many people they could accommodate on the second floor. They laughed and said “many”.

This was really good experience with excellent yakitori.


3. Irodori 京の四季いろどり

京都府京都市下京区東塩小路町577 大将軍ビル3階

Daishougun Bldg 3F
Higashi-shiokouji-cho 577
Shimokyo-ku, Kyoto

For reservation 075-343-9266, Credit card accepted, No smoking

The day I called for a reservation they said none was available so I asked for one the next day. They had seats for two at the counter.  The place was just across from the station/our hotel.  This is run by a company which also runs grilled meat “Yakiniku 焼肉” restaurants (two) and pachinko parlors (two) but only one “Irodori”. The place appeared quite large. Our counter was quite spacious and guests were seated quite far apart. This counter may have been used as a sushi-bar at one time but the cold case was empty.  A sliding door inside the counter connected to a large kitchen.  Noise and laughter wafted and there appeared to be many tables and rooms which we could not see.

They offered a Kyoto local sake tasting. We chose 6 between the two of us. This was a good move.

Among the 6 we tasted the one third from the right called “Ine-mankai 伊根満開” meaning “Full bloom in Ine” really stood out. This is because of its “rose wine” color and its amazing taste. We wanted to know what produced this unusual color and since I had my phone I quickly looked it up on the internet. I found out this was brewed from “ancient red rice 古代米” by a woman “touji 杜氏” brew master at the sake brewery “Mukai shuzo 向井酒造” . This. brewery is located in “Ine-cho 伊根町”. Since the flavor was so specially memorable we chose it as our starter sake.

As usual, we ordered assorted sashimi. A middle aged man who must have been the sushi chef, brought the sashimi plate. It had obligatory “Tai” perch which we had else where and tended to be sinewy/chewy but not this one. Nicely soft with much more flavor. I asked if it had been aged and the chef said when he tested it he determined it was too firm so he aged it for a few days. Some sashimi fish especially white fish can be improved in texture and flavor by aging. We had some other dishes including roasted duck breast. All were quite good. Although it lacked the usual Izakaya atmosphere, the sake and food as well service were great.  We will definitely go back.

Vinegar Cured Mackerel Sushi with Shiro-ita Kelp バッテラ

“Battera バッテラ” is a type of molded sushi or “oshizushi 押し寿司” popular in the Osaka 大阪 region. It is made from vinegar cured mackerel or “shime-saba しめ鯖” and specially prepared kelp called “shiro-ita konbu 白板昆布” (more description later). I posted molded sushi using vinegar cured mackerel and smoked salmon but I did not have shiro-ita konbu, at that time. Later I found a product where the shime-saba was covered with shaven kelp. Using this, I made sushi similar to “oshizushi” called “bo-zushi 棒鮨” without using a mold. We were quite satisfied with this version. Then, I found “shiro-ita konbu” listed on the website called “Japanese Taste”. This company sells authentic Japanese items including groceries. So, I bought the konbu to make a more authentic battera but again I did not use the mold.  (I was just a bit lazy. I would have had to find the mold and then soak it in water before I could use it). In the serving picture, you see the mackerel is covered with a thin layer of kelp. On the left most side I included sushi rice wrapped with “shiro-ika konbu”. They were good but I am not sure the konbu made a big difference in taste. I served this with cucumber and nappa cabbage asazuke 浅漬け and vinegar cured lotus root “su-renkon 酢レンコン.

Ingredients:

1 package of vinegar cured mackerel or shime-saba, thawed

One strip of “shiro-ita konbu 白板昆布 (#4)” about the same size as the mackerel

About 1/2 cup (or enough to make one roll of sushi) of sushi rice

Directions:

Season the kelp as per the package instructions (simmer in the mixture of dashi broth, soy sauce, sake and sugar, but the more standard seasoning uses sweet vinegar)

Remove the thin skin from the mackerel (#1)

Place the mackerel, skin side down on a silicon sushi mat (or plastic wrap on the top of a bamboo sushi mat), make a cylinder of sushi rice on the top and form a tight cylinder using the sushi mat (#2)

Place the seasoned kelp and form again (#3)

Wrap it in plastic wrap to let it settle for 5-20 minutes before slicing

A bit about “Shiro-ita konbu (#4)” and “oboro konbu おぼろ昆布 (#5)”.

“Shiro-ita  konbu” is the center part of kelp after the surface has been removed as “oboro-konbu” by shaving off the surface of the kelp making very thin strands. The package shown in #5 states this is hand-shaven showing the illustration of a guy shaving the kelp. This shaven kelp can be added to soup or udon noodles with broth. It does add some umami flavor but the texture is a bit “slimy”. So, I don’t know which is the main product and which is the byproduct “shiro-ikta conbu” or “oboro konbu” or vise versa.

From “Japanese Taste” I also got dried gourd peel or “kanpyo 干瓢” (which I have not been able to get for some time. The only kind available was pre-seasoned and could not be used as a tie for kelp roll). I also got “Hidaka Kelp 日高昆布”.  “Hidaka” is a place in Hokkaido famous for producing a good quality eating (as opposed to broth making) kelp.

Kyoto Izakaya in Kyoto Station area part 1 京都駅付近の居酒屋 パート1

We spent 3 nights in Kyoto. As usual, we stayed at our favorite hotel Granvia Kyoto グランビア京都 with a north and Kyoto tower view room. This means we went to 3 izakayas during our stay. In the past, we went to izakayas in other areas but this time, we limited ourselves to izakaya near the station including our favorite “Kurakura”.

1. Kurakura 蔵倉

京都市下京区飴屋町244木村ビル

Kimura-bldg
Ameya-machi 244, Shimokyou-ku
Kyoto

For reservation: 075-351-0347, credit card accepted, smoking allowed

Although I posted about this izakaya previously,  I did not mention the origin and meaning of the name “Kurakura”. The name “Kurakura” is a double entendre; this izakaya is housed in a renovated “warehouse” or “kura” in Japanese. “Kura” can be written in kanji 漢字 as “倉” or “蔵”. Although both kanji sound the same, “倉” is a grain/food warehouse and “蔵” is where family treasures are kept. So, the name of this izakaya is “蔵倉”  covering both kinds of warehouses. But “kurakura くらくら” written in phonetic letters also means “dizzy” or “state of being enchanted”. Appropriate for the state of inebriation. 

As you can see in the picture, this place is quite recessed from the narrow alley and the majority of the front appears to be a garage (I am not sure to whom this garage belongs). Then you had to walk narrow passageway on the left to the entrance of this izakaya.

Although we made a reservation, the place was not crowded and remained that way while we were there. Besides not being as crowded as the last few times we visited, the owner/master appeared to have delegated his position to the young chef who appeared to be in charge while the owner hung back out of the way. The young chef was in the center and front of the cooking area and when we asked for a dish, he was the one who repeated the order in a loud commanding voice. Another change was the absence of the owner’s (we presumed) wife/casher/sake sommelier. 

We had decent sake and food including sashimi and fried taro “satoimo 里芋 ” but, at this point, nothing  else sticks out in our minds. We liked when the old guy was in charge and his wife recommended many wonderful sakes.

Topping of Katsu-Don カツ丼のあたま

A few days ago, I made “tonkatsu トンカツ” or pork cutlets from frozen pork chops we had in the freezer. I made much more than we could finish in one evening meal. To use up the left-over tonkatsu, I made katsu-don or “katsu-don-no-atama カツ丼の頭 which was the katsu-don pork topping without the rice base. (We were not hungry enough to eat the addition of rice). Japanese refer to this dish as katsu-don head. Since I used left-over tonkatsu which was heated up in the toaster oven, I did not simmer the tonkatsu in a broth or add the egg on the top. Instead, I simmered sliced onion in seasoned broth and when the onion was cooked, I added a beaten egg and cooked until most of the egg was cooked but some was still uncooked (I used a pasteurized egg). I added salt broth soaked snap peas スナップ豌豆の塩びたし for color. Then, I placed the sliced tonkatsu on top. Without rice, this was a perfect sized dish for us that evening.

Ingredients:
Tonkatsu (pork cutlet sliced) (Either freshly cooked or left overs heated in the toaster oven.)
1/2 small onion, sliced
Green beans or snap peas (cooked) for garnish
One egg, beaten (I used a pasteurized egg)

Cooking liquid (the amount is somewhat arbitrary, you can make it to your liking, either sweet or salty by adjusting the sugar and soysauce)
1/3 cup Japanese dashi broth (I made it with the usual dashi packs)
1tbs mirin
2 tbs soysauce
1 tbs sugar


Directions:
In a small frying pan, add the onion and the cooking liquid and simmer for a few minutes or until the onion is cooked. Pour in the beaten egg, cover with a lid and cook until the egg is just set (to your liking, runny or more set). Add the greens and slide the entire contents onto a shallow bowl/plate. Add the slices of ton-katsu on top.

The topping of katsu-don is considered perfect as drinking snack. For us if we make “Katsu-don”, we usually divide one serving into two.

Izakaya in Kanazawa 金沢の居酒屋

We have visited Kanazawa 金沢 on a number of our trips to Japan.  This time, we stayed in Kanazawa only one night. As a result, we went to only one Izakaya but this was a very special one. We usually stay in the hotels near Kanazawa Station 金沢駅 but this time, we stayed at a hotel near “Oomi market 近江市場”.  We visited Oomi market in the afternoon after we arrived and had a late lunch. Not all but some stores were open. We looked into many restaurants/izakaya in the Oomi merket, but many looked like tourist traps.

1. Shukou Yuunagi 酒肴夕凪

I looked into finding an izakaya where we could go in the evening. So many places popped up within easy walking distance of our hotel in Google map search. Using my usual criteria of menu, review, pictures available on line, I chose this place. I quickly called and made the reservation for the evening. Although it was very close to our hotel, I misread the Google map and turned into the first alley way when I should have turned into the second alley. In any case, I called and the person who answered the phone helped us get to the right place.

The place was almost full. It is run by a single owner with a young helper. Initially, we interacted with the young helper. when I asked him to recommend a sake, he consulted with the owner and asked what kind of sake we usual drank so I said we like diaginjo style; a clean and fruity sake. He brought out Kokuryu Daiginjo Fuku 黒龍大吟醸　福  (#1) which was fruity and clean tasting. Since I saw a bottle of  Tengumai Junnmai Yamahai-shikomi 天狗舞純米山廃止込 on the shelf, I ordered it. (Despite the fact we usually  prefer “Daiginjo  Tengumai”, which is actually our “house sake”). We have tasted and posted about Yamahai Tengumai sake. We like this sake served warm at home. This was served at room temperature. This order appeared to draw the attention of the owner. (Initially we had a difficult time engaging the proprietor directly which left us dealing mostly with the young helper. We ordered several special sakes and it turned out the bottles only contained a partial serving which the helper served us anyway. (It is our understanding we were not charged for these partial servings.) Eventually after these various orders, the proprietor realized we liked and knew sake and he warmed up; personally taking care of us suggesting various unique sake varieties.

Meanwhile we had couple of nice dishes including sashimi and an extremely good smoked oyster in olive oil (#5). (The taste of this dish was special; unique and very memorable. We have never experienced this combination of flavors and textures before. ) When I asked for other recommended sake, the owner himself brought out the next sake saying “if you could handle Yamahai Tengumai, you might like to try this.” The sake he bought was an aged sake or “koshu 古酒” called “Takesuzume Yamahai Junnmai BY28 竹雀山廃止純米酒　BY28 (#3). “BY” is brewery year. BY28 means it was brewed in “Heisei 28 平成28年” which is 2019 so it had been aged for 6 years. I assume this was cold aged since the color was still light. Although we usually do not prefer “aged sake”, this was quite a sake with almost sherry-like but clean taste which went perfectly with the smoked oyster (#5). He served “Yoshida-kura u Ishikawamon 吉田蔵 u Ishikawamon” (#4) which is made from a rare sake rice from Ishikawa prefecture 石川県 called “Ishikawamon 石川門”. This one was much fresher tasting than the previous aged one. Although I learned later this was supposedly  “slightly effervescent”, we did not feel that.

By far, this was one of the best Izakaya experiences with interesting sake and food. The customers appear to be all locals. It would have been difficult for tourists (like us) to find and fully enjoy this place. Next time we vist Kanazawa, we will try this izakaya again.

Matcha Almond Pancake (again) 抹茶アーモンドパンケーキ

Having just come back from Japan, when we saw this recipe for matcha green tea pancakes on the Washington Post web site the word matcha caught our attention and we decided it was a “must-make” for breakfast recipe. But as I was writing this up, I happened to search our blog and found out we had already made these and posted this exact recipe 2 years ago. It turns out this was just another one of the green pancakes collection we had previously presented.  Apparently, WP posted the exact same recipe used 2 years ago again and we did not realize it. In any case, this was a pretty good pancake. We definitely tasted matcha green tea flavor.  As before my wife made the batter and I cooked the pancakes using 4 small non-stick frying pans (picture #2).

Ingredients: (we doubled the recipe this time making 7 pancakes, picture #3, two were already served)
1cup whole-wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 cup almond flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon matcha
2 cup buttermilk
2 large egg
2 tablespoon neutral oil
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Butter and Maple syrup, for serving

Directions:
In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the pastry flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Sift the matcha into the mixture and whisk again to thoroughly combine.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, oil and vanilla until combined. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just to combine. Do not overmix; it’s okay if there are some small lumps. Let the batter hydrate for 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until hot. (To test, drop a dime-size amount of batter into the skillet and if it starts to bubble and brown right away, the pan is ready.)

Ladle the batter into the skillet. Cook until bubbles form on the top and the underside is nicely browned, about 2 minutes (#2), then flip and cook until browned on the other side, and cooked through, 2 minutes more (#3). Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent the pancakes from browning too fast before they’re cooked through. Serve with maple syrup. 

Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 4) 東京の居酒屋 東京駅八重洲京橋付近 パート4

7. Wasabi Tokyo Station Yaesu Branch 和菜美東京駅八重洲店　

東京都中央区八重洲1-7-17 八重洲ロータリービルB1

Yaesu Rotary Bldg. B1

Yaesu 1-7-17, Chuo-ku

Tokyo

For reservation: 03-4405-1480, Credit card accepted, smoking allowed

This is another large chain izakaya. Later we learned that the holding company is called NBM which also runs several other chains. I called for a reservation one day ahead. This is a bit like  ”The restaurant with many orders/conditions 注文の多い料理屋” by Kenji Miyazawa 宮沢賢治. When I called, a man answered. I asked a table for two, date and time.  He said “A table is available” and “Are you taking a course menu?”. I said “No”. He sounded disappointed and said, “You have a table for 2 hours and minimum orders of one drink and two dishes per customer are required”. I said “okay” and thus we got a table for two for two hours.

The place was located in the basement floor of a building just across from Yaesu-guchi 八重洲口 of Tokyo station. Going down the steps triggered a chime and a man appeared. He ushered us to a small table. Although this place advertised “all private rooms”, this was a table with an opaque fabric partition on one side through which we can sort of see the next table/room. The other side was a Japanese style sliding door which was very close to the table. We got to the table by opening the sliding door. The guy repeated the conditions with which we could have our table for 2 hours. We ordered sake and several dishes (see below) immediately fulfilling their strict conditions we agreed on.

As we were  waiting for our orders to come, a large group of people came into the room/table across the aisle. The same server was taking care of this party. In a very loud voice (shout), he started outlining the precise conditions and rules for the “all-you-can-drink” deal. This was indeed “the restaurant with many conditions”.

Shortly, our orders started arriving. The assorted sashimi (#1) was decent but again the “Tai” perch was on the chewy side. One interesting item was fried fava beans (#2). Boiled or grilled (in pods) fava beans are common but fried was new to us. They were very good. We also ordered “crab cream croquets カニクリームコロッケ” which were excellent. Finally we had a dish of  “branded” chicken thigh (a special brand of chicken unique to the regional area) with french fries”. The french fries were clearly previously frozen and the chicken did not taste any different from any other chicken we have eaten but over all it was good.

We ordered more sake and some more dishes. Despite our initial misgivings, we had a good time here. Later we learned they have a store even in Sapporo (the last destination of our Japan trip). But we learned this only after we got back from Japan.

8. Fukube ふくべ*

東京都中央区八重洲1−4−5

Yaesu 1-4-5, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo

For reservation 03-3271-6065, credit card not accepted, smoking allowed

Without realizing it, we stumbled into a genuine Izakaya of Showa 昭和** era. This izakaya was first opened 75 years ago with a period of closure due to the world war II and reopened 60 years ago. I made the obligatory reservation the same day. The first floor was small with only a L-shaped counter. One wall in front of  the counter had tall shelves with many large bottles of sake on display. Although the counter was all crowded with “salary” men, we sat at the very end of the counter (thanks to the reservation). The stools were very closely placed (cozy).  There is a second floor which appears to be for larger parties but some people who came in after us were sent upstairs.

There was a stack of two sake barrels in front of us and the sake recommendation was “Kiku-masamune Taruzake 菊正宗樽酒”. We ordered it. The guy behind the counter removed the wooden bung from the front of the large sake cask and poured sake into a large copper funnel with an “ochoushi お銚子” sake serving bottle underneath. A  “Ichigo-masu*** 一合升”  was located in the bottom  the funnel. Then, the sake in the “masu” Japanese wooden measuring cup was poured into the ochoshi and served. They had only “ichigo” size ochoshi sake serving bottles. (so if you order 2-go, you get two ochoshi bottles). The taruzake had a cidarly flavor as expected. Not our favorite but in this atmosphere, this was really enjoyable. They served other sakes either at room temperature or warmed. We had a few more sakes. The food menu was very small and simple. We got grilled tarako cod roe, tuna sashimi and others. The dishes were  not fancy but perfect for this place. The salary men around us were enjoying themselves and some were getting quite drunk. This was quite a genuine izakaya experience.

*”Fukube 瓢” is a traditional Japanese vessel made of hollowed out “hyou-tan gourd 瓢箪”  used to store and carry liquid especially sake.

**Reign of Showa emperor 1926-1989. I am firmly from this period since I was born and grew up in the showa period.

*** “Masu 升” is a traditional square wooden measuring cup. “Ichigo 1合” is about 180ml.

Lemon Crumb Bar レモンクラムバー

One day, my wife announced she was going to make this lemon cream bar from a recipe she saw on line. She had purchased a similar item from Whole Food and thought she would try making a similar one herself. In any case, the end product was a nice crunchy, sweet candy bar like cookie thing. We did not taste any strong lemon flavor despite using the juice and zest of one lemon as called for in the recipe.

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt (1/2 tsp in dry ingredients, 1/4 tsp in the sweetened condensed milk). 
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled or quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 or 2 lemons
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x10-inch baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, positioning them perpendicular to each other and making sure they are long enough to hang over all four sides by at least 1 inch to form a sling. Toast the oats in the toaster oven until brown and fragrant. Set aside until cooled. Cut 1 stick unsalted butter into 8 pieces and melt. Add the vanilla to the melted butter. Add 3/4 cup packed brown sugar in the butter and stir to melt the sugar. Put 1 cup AP flour and the 1 1/4 toasted oats in a bowl. Add 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a flexible spatula until no dry spots remain. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for topping.

Transfer the remaining crumble mixture into the baking pan. Pat into an even layer. Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the lemon filling. Finely grate the zest of  1 or 2 lemons (about 2 tablespoons) into the bowl. Juice the zested lemons until you have 1/2 cup, then add to the bowl. Add 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and whisk until smooth.

Pour the filling over the hot crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture evenly over the filling. Return the baking pan to the oven and bake until the edges are lightly browned and set, 22 to 24 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. If the filling is softer than desired, refrigerate for 30 minutes once completely cooled to firm up. Grasping the excess parchment paper, lift the slab out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 12 pieces.

This is nice, sweet and crunchy almost like a cookie. The toasted oats gave it a nutty aftertaste. The evaporated milk became slightly solid and added a pleasant creamy texture and taste. We didn’t notice much lemon flavor, however. This definitely satisfies the sweet tooth.

Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 3) 東京の居酒屋 東京駅八重洲京橋付近 パート3

5. Sake Ryoma 酒龍馬

東京都中央区京橋2丁目7−15鈴木ビル

Suzuki-bldg.
Kyobashi 2-7-15
Chuo-Ku, Tokyo

For reservation 03-3564-1171, Credit card: Accepted, Probably no smoking

This place was not as expected from my information gathering. The female owner has a vast collection of rare and cult class sake. We made our reservation one day ahead. This is a small place with only counter seating which may accommodate 8-10 people. There is a small table in the front but it appeared to be used only as a place for customers to sit and wait for counter space to open up. When we got there 4 people (apparently all regulars) were already seated on either side of our seats. They appeared to be deep into their own conversations. Then we were presented with a tray full of small dishes (12 as shown in the picture). We thought we were supposed take one or two as “Otoshi” but “No”, all of them were ours. To our surprise the tray was the full meal already organized and presented for our enjoyment. (No ordering from a menu necessary). Luckily all the dishes were quire good and it was not any trouble “cleaning the plate”.

They also have many cult sakes including many varieties of “Ju-yondai 十四代” and “Ji-Kon 而今” alike. We had two kinds of “Juyondai” sake. At this point, the initial stiffness had worn off and we were interacting with the young staff. Then the mama (owner) started talking to the customers who sat to the right of us introducing various rare sakes to them. She poured them a glass which they tasted then all of sudden, the guy in a suit sitting sat next to me excitedly started talking to me about how good the sake was and offering us a taste of the rare sake they were having. It was exceptionally good. Then as if all communication barriers came down at once the two men sitting on the other side of us joined in the conversation. All four, 2 seated to the left and 2 to the right of us started talking to us and each other.  Apparently they knew each other and all were sake connoisseurs. The group to our right were actually certified sake sommelier and started offering us tastes of various rare sakes, which the group to the left countered with tastes of the rare sakes they liked best. It was almost like they were in competition with each other in their sake offerings. So when they learned we liked sake too and would not be turning down any other their offers we found ourselves drinking all these rare sakes amidst fairly animated conversation. They even gave me their business cards. In any case, at the end, we are not sure how checks were handled but ours was high (as compared to other izakayas we visited) thus far but not unreasonable considering all the cult sake we drank.  It appears the bill for most of the rare sake we tasted went to these regulars. Although we did not ask for it, the receipt (a formal one which can be used to get reimbursement for business expenses) was included suggesting they thought we were there on business and like many of their customers needed the receipt to have the expense of the meal reimbursed.  

6. Kyo-Sushi 京寿司

東京都京橋2丁目2−1 エドグランド1F

Edogrand 1F
Kyobashi 2-2-1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

For reservation 03-3281-5575, Credit card accepted, probably non-smoking

I wanted to go to at least one sushi bar. I was envisioning asking a sushi chef to serve us series of small dishes including sashimi (otsumami おつまみ) and finish with a few sushi. I managed to make the reservation for this sushi place one day before. This is a small sushi bar and the reviews are mostly about the reasonably priced lunch they offer; “Kaisen-Don 海鮮丼” various sashimi on rice in a bowl. In any case, most of the time we were there we were the only customers. A middle aged woman came in and had a omakase nigiri sushi. After she left, the chef told us she was an actress based in Osaka who stopped by every time she was in Tokyo. Although the sashimi and sushi were decent, the selection lacked variety (the only white meat fish was hamachi).

“Renkon” Lotus Root in sweet vinegar 酢れんこん

We received fresh “renkon” lotus root from Weee. Since it was quite a large amount of renkon, as usual I cleaned, washed, dried the surface, and wrapped each segment in paper towel and vacuum packed it. This treatment makes renkon last for a longer time in the refrigerator.  Although I made quite a variety of renkon dishes, I have not posted this rather basic renkon dish called “su-renkon 酢蓮根”. Actually more elegant version called “hana-renkon 花レンコン” or “hanawa-renkon 花輪レンコン” is always included in Sushi Taro osechi box. In this rendition, I did not bother to make a decorative cut and also added seasoned strips of kelp called “shio-konbu 塩昆布” which added flavor/umami but colored the renkon a bit. I served it with salt-broth soaked snap peas スナップ豌豆の塩浸し”.

Sweet vinegar 甘酢
There are many variations. The basic is rice vinegar, sugar and salt but this combination can be made milder by adding broth or water. The recipe shown below is the current sweet vinegar recipe we like. Not too strong but not too watery.

Ingredients:
For sweet vinegar
75 ml rice vinegar
75 ml water
20 gram sugar
1/4 tsp salt

2 inch segment of fresh renkon, 2 inch, peeled, sliced in 1/5 inch (3mm) thick, immediately soak in cold water (I sliced it a bit thickly for a nice crunch).
1 dried japanese red  pepper, seeds removed, cut into small rounds, optional
1/2 tsp Japanese salted kelp strips (shio konbu 塩昆布), optional

Directions:
Boil the renkon 3-4 minutes (you want to leave some crunch), drain, salt lighly while hot, set aside
In a bowl, add the renkon, red pepper and salt kelp and add the sweet vinegar so that all is just covered.
Marindate 2-3 days in the refregerator.

It came out really nice. The renkon is crunchy and fresh tasting but not too harsh. I removed the visible red pepper flakes especially for my wife but it was not spicy at all.

Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 2) 東京の居酒屋 東京駅八重洲京橋付近 パート2

3. Tsukiji Jikan Kyoubashi Branch 築地十干京橋店

Tokyo Square Garden BF1
Kyobashi 3-1-1
Chuo-Ku, Tokyo

For reservation 03-6260-6936,  Credit card accepted, Non-smoking

Although details are a bit unclear, it appears that there are two branches; one in Kyobashi and the other in Meguro. This izakaya might be run by the same entity which has a dried sea food store called “Hoshimon-ya Tsukiji Jikan 干しもんや築地十干”. It is a retail store for dried sea food but it was reported to transform to standing izakaya in the evening. In any case, I read that this place offers fresh sashimi, sushi, meat dishes, and oden. It was walking distance from our hotel. I found the building, in which this izakaya is located, called “Tokyo Square Garden 東京スクエアガーデン” easily enough. I somehow missed that this place is on the basement floor. On the front side, several restaurants were visible in the first (ground) floor but not the one we were looking for. It took some effort but we finally found it. You have to go into the building and take an escalator to BF1. By now we had learned the secret of  “you must make a reservation” to get a seat. Accordingly we had made a reservation but it was on the same day we were going to eat. As a result, seats were available but only at the counter. Once we got there, a middle aged waitress greeted us (very motherly person). The seats at the counter were extremely high stools. She immediately, worried that the tall stools at the counter may not be suitable especially for my wife. But there was a small shelf under the counter on which we could rest our feet so we were OK with that. She recommended a couple of sakes and as she served, she placed sake bottle in front of us for me to take a pic.

Her sake recommendation was quite good. From the counter, we could see the open kitchen. Several young cooks and two much older guys; one preparing sushi and the other mostly cooking meat items. We started with sashimi. Despite the “Tsukiji” name which emphasized the access to good fish, the sashimi was average. We had a few more items including lamb cooked in a skillet. We had some sushi as a shime dish. The sushi was ok but my wife thought the rice was not well seasoned/vinegared. Overall a good evening experience with a motherly waitress taking care of us. Next time, we should make a reservation a day or more before we would like to go and ask for low table seating (they have high tables with high stools as well).

4. Sakana-no-Mekiki 魚の目利き東京駅八重洲口店

東京都中央区日本橋3丁目2−16マスヤビル7F

Masuya-bldg 7F, Nihonbashi 3-2-16
Chuo-Ku, Tokyo

For reservation: 050-5486-4394, credit card accepted, only heated-tobacco allowed*

*We learned that “kanetsu-shiki tabako or heated-tobacco 加熱式タバコ” is a type of “vaping” popular in Japan. By heating (but not burning) tobacco leaves instead of using liquid tobacco extracts as is done with vaping, nicotine containing vapor can be inhaled. This type of “smoking” was permitted in this isakaya and when we were there, we did not detect any “cigaret” or other type of tobacco smoke.

The name of this Izakaya means “connoisseur of fish”. The owner must have a close tie to the fishing port called “Misaki 三浦”  on the Izu peninsula 伊豆半島, Kanagawa 神奈川 near Tokyo.  Fresh fish from Misaki was emphasized on their web site. This appears to be a one-store establishment (i.e. this is not part of a chain but also it is not a mom-pop-run izakaya either). It is on the 7th floor of a small building but it has an elevator.

This was one of the most enjoyable izakaya we tried. We made a reservation. Our table was separated by hanging semi-opaque fabric barrier which made it somewhat private. They have a number of interesting dishes but as usual, we started with  assorted sashimi and sake. The sashimi was quite good. “Tai” perch had a bit sinewy part but it was confined to the part under the skin. Better than the “Tai” we have had else where (it appears this year’s “Tai” perch is chewy/sinewy). We also had “Tuna shuto with cheese マグロ酒盗チーズ” which was unusual and good. Another one which is a bit usual was“al ajillo” of small shrimp and small bait fish. The baguette came with this could be better, though. Another interesting dish was “iburi-gakko kurimu chizu いぶりがっこクリームチーズ” (I made a similar dish getting idea from this dish which is a subject of another post).

We had more sake and couple of other dishes. All quite good. 

Cream Cheese with Pickled Daikon クリームチーズ 沢庵入り

While we were in Japan, we had cream cheese with  “iburi-gakko いぶりがっこ” at one of izakayas we visited. “ Iburi-gakko” is a local food peculiar to the northern part of the main land Japan (Tohoku region 東北地方).  It is made by hanging daikon radish over the hearth (old farm houses had open fire hearths) which dried and also smoked the daikon. It was then cured (not with vinegar but with salt and rice bran mixture). This produced “iburi-gakko”. It is crunchy with a slightly salty and smoky flavors.  The combination of cream cheese and iburi-gakko was really great. Although we did not have “iburi-gakko”, I made a similar dish using the pickled daikon I made.  I served it with cucumber and nappa cabbage “asazuke” (picture #1).

This was a part of small “otsumami おつまみ”  dishes (picture #2). From left to right, baby artichoke hearts and olives dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, renkon in sweet vinegar or “Subasu 酢蓮” (subject described in a separate post) with salt-broth soaked snap peas スナップ豌豆の塩びたし and cream cheese with pickled daikon. These are just nice small dishes that go with cold sake in the evening.

Ingredients:
1/3 block of cream cheese, warmed up to room temperature
1 inch home made picked daikon, cut into small dice

Directions:
In a bowl, add the daikon and cream cheese and mix.
On the plastic wrap, make a log about 1 inch in diameter, roll and wrap it tightly (picture #3)
Refregerator at least one hour before slicing

Although, it lacks the smoky flavor of “iburi-gakko”, the salty and sweet crunchy daikon, really worked with the cream cheese. I will be making this again for sure.

Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 1) 東京の居酒屋 東京駅八重洲京橋付近 パート1

We have not posted for sometime. That is partly because we were in Japan for several weeks. In any case, we are back. Mostly for our own benefits, I am listing the izakayas we visited while we were in Japan. This is not an endorsement or criticism of the places. Just our impression/description for the reference next time we go to Japan. I choose izakayas based mostly on their location, and review, menu, and pictures available on line. 

Just some observations on the current izakaya situation in Japan compared to our previous experiences on our previous visits the last in 2017 (8 years ago). In the past getting a table at an izakaya was a relatively low key affair. You would find an izakaya where you wanted to eat. You would then in stick your head in the door ask if there was room (which there usually was) then entered to be seated. No reservation required. Once seated that spot was yours for the duration. There was no specification of allotted time, or the number of dishes or drinks you had to order in that specified time. Things are quite different now. It seems that Japan has been inundated with foreign tourists especially from China. The izakaya have been flooded with foreign customers and seating is limited. We saw many people turned away or told there would be a long wait before they could be served. In addition there are now a number of other restrictions including a maximum allotted time to use the table and required numbers of orders of food and drink.  After some lack of success in appropriating a seating at izakaya we had selected we found the secret was to make a reservation even if it was only several hours before you wanted to eat. Once we discovered this secret we had much more success but it required us to plan more in advance. Things were not as spontaneous as before. Another difference we noticed is that many Izakayas in this area (many office workers) are into serving lunch and sometimes lunch is more emphasized than evening Izakaya. As a result, many of reviews on line are about lunch.

Tokyo Yaesu Kyobashi area 東京 八重洲, 京橋付近

1. Uokichi Sakaba Tokyo Branch 魚吉酒場東京店

東京都中央区京橋1丁目4−13 初音ビル 1F

Hatsune Bdg 1F
Kyobashi 1-4-13 Chuo-Ku, Tokyo

For reservation 050-5594-1328
Credit card accepted, Smoking allowed

This is a classic chain Izakaya. We went there because it was close to our hotel. We did not make any reservation and went there around 6 pm. We were told that we could have a table until 7:30 pm. The inside appeared to be newly renovated and very bright. The staff is all young and most of the customers are also young. The Sake selection was OK but not extensive. The food menu was also very classic for a chain izkaya. We had a sashimi assortment and several other dishes including fried food. Nothing extraordinary but not bad and the service was average. The reason we had to vacate by 7:30 became apparent as a group of people with cameras started gathering in front of the store. Apparently a YouTuber was making “contents” starting at 7:30.

2. Ichinokura Kyobashi-ten 一ノ倉京橋店

東京都中央区京橋1丁目4−13
Kyobashi 1-4-13
Chuo-Ku, Tokyo

For reservation 03-3517-1570

Credit card accepted

Non-smoking with smoking area 

We visited this Izakaya 8 years ago. We came here because it was next door to Uokichi and, for nostalgic reason, we decide to try it again. This was slightly more upscale than “Uokichi”. The entrance is at ground level, but you had to go down one floor. We had not made a reservation. Again, we were told we could have a table until 7 pm since the only available table had a reservation starting at 7:30 pm which left us about 1 hour. So we were ushered to a semi private room/booth. The server tried to be as efficient as possible. I asked for a sake recommendation first. He recommended one sake so we said “yes” but he came back and said “sorry we are out”. As compared to 8 years ago, the sake selection was not as extensive. Our first order was assorted sashimi which came in a shallow bowl covered with a dry ice induced fog, which entirely obliterated the view of sashimi (see below). Although nothing could be seen because of the fog the server pointed into it “identifying” the unseeable fish varieties that were supposedly there and explaining what kind of sashimi we got.

The sashimi was ok except for Tai perch which was so chewy my wife could not eat it. So she chewed for  a while and spitted it out and hid it under the garnish of “Otoshi”. That did not escape the keen eyed server’s notice. He asked “Oh, she cannot eat raw fish?” I answered “Yes she can but this was too chewy even for me” which shut him up. (This chewy Tai repeated in other izakaya we visited except for one in Kyoto called ‘Irodori” (more details later).) In any case, we were less impressed with our experience at this izakaya than we were 8 years prior and made an early retreat.

Carrot Salad Muffin 人参サラダ入りマフィン

My wife made this muffin to finish the left-over carrot salad which she made for a company dinner we had some days ago. She remembered that she made carrot muffins from shredded carrots before. So she used the same recipe and substituted the carrot salad for the shredded carrots called for in the recipe. Although the original carrot salad had many spices including cumin, cayenne pepper, and ginger, they mellowed in the muffins. The muffins came out quite moist and had a great flavor due to the muted tastes of the spices.  The crumb topping also worked well.

Carrot salad: (We posted it in 2012. We are listing the recipe again in a standard format. The recipe is based on the spiced carrot salad recipe found in the "500 appetizers" cookbook.)
Ingredients: (for carrot salad)
2 cups of shredded carrots (in the food processor), cook in the micro wave for 30 seconds, stir and cook about another 30 seconds until the carrots get a bit tender but still have crunch).
1 cup raisin 
1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 
1 tsp. cumin, 
1/2 tsp ground coriander, 
1/2 tsp paprika, 
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 
Candied ginger, finely chopped,  to taste, 
4 tsp. sushi vinegar plus juice of 2 limes
3 Tbs. olive oil, 
2 tsp. chopped mint.

Directions:

Mix all the spices together with the liquid ingredients and poured the dressing over the carrots and raisins. I let it sit for several hours for the flavors to marry (as a matter-of-fact the salad gets better every day).

Muffin: (we used the recipe from carrot bread muffin which was posted 
Ingredients: (for muffin)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp. sour cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot salad

Crumb topping: (This is the crumb topping used for other muffins)
Ingredients: (for crumb topping)
1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1/4 tsp. of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
to make the crumbs combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
Add the butter, and mix with your fingers until the mixture forms crumbs.

To make the batter for the muffin in a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. In another large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients; melted butter, brown sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir the carrots, into the liquid ingredients until thoroughly blended. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter. Divide the batter among the muffin tins. Spread the crumbs on the top of the muffins. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

These were very good muffins, dense in texture and moist. The muted taste of all the spices added depth of flavor. The crumbs on top came out with an almost cookie texture and crunch while they added a pleasant burst of sweetness. These were actually much better than we expected.

“Cotton Candy Grape” Panna Cotta “わたあめブドウ“ パンナコッタ

When my wife made “cotton candy grape” muffin, there was a small amount of the grape puree left and she decided to make “cotton candy grape” panna cotta. Since she has made quite a few panna cottas in the past, for this one, she just used her CCK (Common Culinary Knowledge) to come up with this panna cotta. It was quite good. The consistency is soft creamy; not too solid like Jell-O.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. gelatin
1 cup 4% milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grape puree
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Using an emersion blender puree enough grapes to make 1/2 cup puree. In a double boiler using 1/2 cup of the milk, bloom the gelatin for 15 minutes. Turn on the heat until the gelatin has completely dissolved into the milk. (Stir with a whisk if necessary to make all the gelatin dissolve). Add the sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved. Take off the heat and add the remaining milk, heavy cream and grape puree. Pour into small ramekins or Pyrex dessert bowls. Put into the refrigerator until set. 

This was a very delicate delicious dessert. It was very smooth and soft in texture. The pleasant slightly sweet flavor of the grapes came through. 

“Cotton Candy Grape Muffin” “わたあめブドウ” のマフィン

This is a muffin my wife came up with using our favorite “Cotton Candy Grapes”. These are seedless (mostly) green table grapes which are sweet and really taste like “cotton candy”. We really like them and as a result, this time, we over did it and bought too many. A small remainder of the batch we bought was getting to the point we had to use/eat them fairly soon before they went bad. My wife decided to make a muffin using the grapes cut-up as well as pureed. She thought she could modify her “ apple pie muffin” recipe. This turned out to be quite a good muffin. The grape flavor was a bit muted but the cut-up grapes did add real grape flavors (the cut grapes shown as light green shapes in the first picture). This is unqualified success using a bit unusual ingredients for muffins.

Ingredients:
For the muffins: 
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour,
1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 
1 tsp. cardamon
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened,
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/3 cup grape puree, at room temperature.
1 to 2 cups cut up grapes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Using an emersion blender puree the grapes to make 1/3 cup puree (#1).  Cut 1 to 2 cups of grapes into pieces and set aside (#2). In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat granulated sugar and butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, about 30 seconds. Add the sour cream and grape puree stirring to combine completely.

In a medium bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, baking soda, flour, cinnamon and cardamon. Add cut up grapes and stir until coated with flour. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until flour mixture is moistened. 

Spoon batter into bottom of each paper liner (#3). Bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 12 to 18 minutes, rotating pan halfway. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. (#4)

These muffins had a dense but tender texture. The grape flavor came through mostly as a mild sweetness. The cut up grapes for the most part disappeared. Maybe they were absorbed into the dough (or maybe not well distributed). Although the use of grapes was a bit unusual it worked. 

We have a quite few amaryllis which my wife keeps alive and thriving for many years. Many of them keep blossoming every year, either for Christmas or  Easter. Although she marked the amaryllis which bloomed the previous year Christmas (2023) and started tending them at Thanksgiving so they would bloom at Christmas (2024).  They remained completely dormant. Finally about a week ago they decided to bloom. Here is a pic of the flower that gave actual meaning to the phrase “late bloomer” Meanwhile the Easter ones are quickly catching up. But better late than never. We really enjoy these flowers.