Pechluck, Author at Pechluck's Food Adventures

Tokyo Weekend: Sushi Dai Recap

March 23, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

Sushi Dai- located right in the Tsukiji Fish Market area, the long line of people queuing for one of the mere dozen seats is a testament to their quality and is an easy way to identify it among the rest of the restaurants along these rows literally just across the parking lot from the Fish Market.

Also, none of these places had English signs, so all I had to go off of was a picture of the front printed from my sister’s photo album and the line of people to mark X is the spot. I wish I had printed out more photos so I could have shown the sushi chef their photos in retrospect. One of the things I definitely learned during my international trip is that I don’t know how I can go back to living without the internet- I always felt uninformed and craved immediate access to information.

All the stool seats are right at the counter, with 3 sushi chefs working their magic directly from their expert nimble and quick hands to the raised counter you sit at (no plates!) with a quick verbal description in Japanese, Chinese, or English. It really is teeny tiny they have no other space- you have to put your belongings up on high shelves behind you like a school student because there is no place else- there is just enough room behind the stools for the lady to bring you soup. Once in a while a lady would come out to organize the line- some of us queue along a side street so as not to block the walkway, and then in front of the restaurant itself, in rows of 4 so that you get sorted into seatings as guests leave.

Everyone knows about the line and politely tries to turnover quickly so everyone can enjoy- there is a little chit chat as the chefs work but everyone is a foodie here and knows about the agonizing anticipation when in line, especially this day because it was winter and quite chilly.

Every group had 1-2 people with their cameras out like I did so I wasn’t embarrassed to pull mine out in front of the chefs either… and I’m so glad to have these photos to drool over and remember the experience.

After waiting in line for a couple hours (and that was after I got in line at 8:45am, a late start because I had to pack and check out, and I got lost… and then walked around for a while fascinated as I watched them wrap up business in the fish market), finally I made it in around 11am.

Starting with the warm towel and hot green tea… looking at the beautiful cuts of fish in the case on my right, and the shrimp on the left, the radish is ready on the raised counter… the exact sushi chefs that I had seen pictured in baby J’s pictures and in other internet sources.

sashimi, Sushi Dai, Tokyo, Japan, Tsukiji Fish Market

And then the fantastic lunch commenced (you can get a set or omakase chef’s choice, don’t be stupid, get the omakase). My Sushi Dai recap with photos is below but you can see toro, so beautiful and fresh, followed by flounder, snapper, sea urchin, mackerel, red clam (still moving a little he placed it down before us), warm sweet egg block, horse mackerel, translucent baby shrimp, traditional maki sushi (with the seaweed wrap), marinated tuna, steamed sea eel, and then my choice of anything for the last piece- which I went with fatty tuna.
sashimi, Sushi Dai, Tokyo, Japan, Tsukiji Fish Market

Look how beautiful each piece is, and how thick the cut is… Every generous piece was so soft, cool but not so cold that any flavor was locked in the temperature or texture, and each slice of seafood was long (2 to3 to 4 inches!). The photos are ordered in the same order I received them during my lunch.

Several of the pieces came with the instruction to not use soy sauce because they had pre-marinated it or added their touches of flavor via lime juice or a sprinkle of salt already in crafting the seafood upon the slightly warm rice. I only used my soy sauce for the traditional maki rolls. Oishi! I was sad that these were so delicious that all they melted in my mouth so fast and then in seemingly no time it was already time to go.

Little did I know that my life would soon suck as I find out that my flight is cancelled back home. At least though, I got to have Sushi Dai before that all broke loose. I thought I knew what fresh sushi tasted like- but this was freaking unbelievable.

That’s it for my world tour through Israel, Germany, China (Shenzhen) and Japan (Tokyo). Next stop- after a few days to try to readjust to the time, to Seattle for a quick overnight and workday.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Travel, Weblogs Tagged With: best sushi of my life, Japan, pictures from Sushi Dai, recap of Sushi Dai, sashimi, sushi, Sushi Dai, Sushi Dai lunch, sushi from Sushi Dai, Tokyo, Tokyo eats, Tsukiji Fish Market

Tokyo Weekend: Visits to Asukasa, Harajuku, Shibuya

March 18, 2012 by Pechluck 1 Comment

The next morning I waded through the crowds cheering on the Tokyo Marathon to go to an area of the city called Asukasa. There, my goal was to see Kaminarimon Gate- bright red colored gate with its 100 kg (220 lb) lantern in the middle- as well as what was past its gate, Sensoji temple. The path to the temple from the gate is Nakamise Dori- a temple market pedestrian walkway lined on both sides with tiny stall after tiny stall, many owned by the same family for generations.

On my way to the main temple, I was drawn in by the bunnies and the cuteness of this one pink stall. They are selling some sort of treat on a stick…skewered sticky round balls rolled in some sort of powder that you had to eat all three at the same time because they were sorta glutinous. When I took my first bite I tried to just eat one ball and it stretched and popped some of the powder into the air onto my coat… and in the air and slight breeze towards other people. Oops. That’s when I noticed how everyone else was eating by putting the whole thing in their mouth. For an additional 100 yen have some warm sweet sake too to wash down the powder.

More treats for sale on Nakamise dori, a pedestrian lane leading to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Lots of local snacks and little things to buy. I wanted to try ningyo-yaki (red bean-filled buns moulded into various shapes using iron pans over a fire) but they came in too many pieces for me to buy and then find out I didn’t like it. I did like watching them make it though- there were two stalls that I found showcasing the man pouring in the dough, adding the bean, and then pouring more dough on top and then placing on the small flames- he was super fast!

I did get what you see below, a bean paste filled sesame bun thing I ate… I guess it is called manju?

I’m a bit of a lemming when I’m exploring- there was a long line at one stall when I passed by, and then on the way back there still was a long line… so I got in line too for whatever treat this was. Famous meatball place apparently- and the fried meatball patty thing was very juicy and tasty. It was so juicy it dripped on my scarf a little bit as I was eating it nom nom nom nom nom

After visiting the temple, and then off to the Meiji shrine, I headed to Takeshita Dori, the teenage fashion street of Harajuku. After seeing several girls walking by me with crepes, and then a long line of crepe waiting peeps… yes, I got in line. I decided to go with the one in the first row third over- strawberry strawberry. I found out what it was called because someone else ordered it and the crepe guy called it out, fortunately… their plastic displays and posters had no discernible numbers to order with. I did do a double take on one type of offering though. Uh what, you put a whole cheesecake slice in there and then surround it with whipped cream!?

You would think after this that I would be sick of being in crowds, but I had another stop after a quick nap (and to rest my feet). When it got dark, I headed on the train to Shibuya Crossing, the nicknamed Times Square of Tokyo for both its busy traffic of commuters day and night and multiple bright screens flashing to advertise to them. After walking through the crosswalk in the herds a few times, I then spent 30 minutes wandering lost but admiring the many neon signage everywhere until I found my goal. I went to Coco Curry House for dinner where I got level 4 heat curry with chicken katsu and mushroom. Thanks for your tips baby J!

One more tip from baby J to explore… a Monday at Tsukiji Fish Market and delicious sashimi and sushi…

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Travel Tagged With: #traveltuesday, Asakusa, Asakusa temple food, Coco Curry, crepe, Harajuku, Japan, Japanese street food, lantern, Sensoji Temple, Shibuya Crossing, snacks, street food, Tokyo, Travel Tuesday, traveling in Japan, Traveling in Tokyo

Tokyo Weekend: Visits to Shinjuku, Akihabara = Noodle Day

March 16, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

Breakfast hot dog? I’m not sure what is the fascination of hot dogs in buns (although the bread for their buns has a slightly sweet taste) as a breakfast pastry. I suppose it’s just a different twist on breakfast sausage.
Breakfast hot dog, Tokyo, Japan

After a visit to TMG, I had a lunch of udon- I’m going for the one at the bottom row for 600 yen- because a sign in the plastic food window says their specialty is buckwheat noodle. One of the quirks of Japanese places is many have machines where you match what you saw in the picture or in the display of plastic foods to what you want to press to get a ticket for that dish which you just hand to your server or the counter. They never need to handle your money and you get to order as quickly as you decide (or go back to the machine for more). The tempura at this place wasn’t as good as my business lunch, but eating the warm soba helped prepare me for the chilly weather of Tokyo that I would be walking through all day.

For dinner I was in the Akihabara area and saw two ramen places right next to each other. I had been anticipating ramen since the beginning of my trip. On the plane from Newark to Tel Aviv, they had individual players for each seat, and usually I like to watch foreign movies since I could get stuck on another plane and be forced to watch the US releases on a cabin screen, so might as well save those for later. One of the movies I watched was about a man trying to invent his own ramen recipe after inheriting his father’s ramen cart, and the movie told their story simultaneously on their pursuit of delicious excellence. Then, in China, I had watched a whole NHK special on unique ramens. So I had to have it.

Inside both little tiny shops that only seated maybe a dozen people, it was packed elbow to elbow with all men on little stools on very little counterspace around the open ramen kitchen, so I walked around a bit more and then came back. I thought I saw a woman in there so stepped up in line. In retrospect maybe it was a guy with dyed reddish hair that was shoulder length. I could not quite slurp as loudly and well as my neighbor though and in retrospect I should tie my hair back, heh. I don’t know how everyone around me was eating it so fast, it was so hot, but I was definitely conscious about the line waiting outside, and also that this was so delicious. It was the only time I had ramen during my visit, though I was tempted every single time I walked by a packed ramen bar. Oh well- yum tonkatsu ramen was still mine!
ramen, Tokyo, Japan

Next post: a Sunday full of snacks

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Travel, Weblogs Tagged With: Akihabara, Japan, ramen, Shinjuku, Tokyo, tonkatsu, udon

Tokyo Food Fotos

March 13, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

Lunch on day 1, a highlight that brightened what was a hard work day that started with a 1am flight from Hong Kong to land in Narita at 6:20am (thanks / no thanks to a cancelled flight by Air China in Shenzhen earlier that day after holding us with no amenities and no information for more than 4 hours and I had to look up and suggest my own alternative flight to get here by morning). There at the Narita airport, there was a quick change into a suit and purchase of a foreigner’s pass to catch the Narita Express to Shinagawa from 7:33-9:06 (I passed out there), a mad dash to drop off our suitcases while removing our work accessories and get back through the rush hour peoples to a train to the customer site by the time the 9:30 train door closes (we made it by like 7 seconds!). Of course it was also raining.

But this fresh lunch after that visit while relaxing in our booth by a window, our shoes put away in little wooden lockers in the front, and a convenient button on the table to call our waitress whenever we needed something, was a welcome breather. The tempura was surprisingly good- the batter was better then anything I’ve had in the US because of its lightness and it almost seemed baked instead of deep fried.

A drinking dinner that same evening included edamame, crispy pan fried dumplings, chicken wrapped around asparagus, tangy shrimp salad, seared scallops, and okonomiyaki that has noodles, aka a certain regional style, Hiroshima-style, as well as Asahi beer.

Another business lunch… The next day we went to a place that specialized in katsu. What I ordered for lunch was the 1200 yen tonkatsu dish with the traditional pork cutlet. My other American peer got the sampler for 1190 that included fried cheese- I had been tempted but went with the traditional. It was the best tonkatsu I have ever had: again the batter was light and crisp that was not oily at all while the pork cutlet was very juicy and perfectly cooked.

A snack while we type up our customer notes that last “work” evening: Takoyaki (Japanese Octopus Dumpling Balls), one with leek and one original flavor.

The last meal of the work week was full of grilled yakitori and other stuffs over charcoal; Kushiyaki-skewers based in a sweet soy based sauce (shitake mushrooms and chicken meatball tsukune); and Miyazaki style grilled chicken that comes out black to the table…

Next blog: the food from my days off of work.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Travel, Weblogs Tagged With: Bento box lunch, Japan, japanese cuisine, japanese food, kushiyaki, Miyazaki chicken, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, Tokyo, Tokyo dining, Tokyo eats, Tokyo Food, tonkatsu, Tonkotsu, yakitori

Eating meats in Germany; Bread and cheese for breakfast in Israel and Germany

March 10, 2012 by Pechluck 1 Comment

The beers are light and foamy fun in Germany- here I am having Krombacher my first evening in Frankfurt. But, the fact they come in liters is ridiculous. I don’t understand how people aren’t constantly visiting the W.C.

The food in Germany was very heavy in meat and carbs- and the plates very large. My favorite dishes were:

At Goldenes Posthorn, in Nurnburg (a stop on the way to Munich from Frankfurt) we started with a bread basket which of course had pretzels. I just don’t like pretzels very much though unless they are fresh and hot and doughy: usually the middle is the best part. However, another plus that I noticed during my days in Israel and Germany was the flavorful seedy bread: why don’t we have more bread like this in the US?

How cool is this “appetizer plate” of pewter we each got the shape of a bell. You can also see we are enjoying Tucher beer yes, at lunch.The famous Nurenberg sausages, with a small side of horseradish, also came in a similar dish but it was heartshaped, aw. The sausages have been a delicacy since 1313 and are actually protected by EU law so they can only be produced here in this city. Per wikipedia, they are pork-based and typically seasoned with fresh marjoram which gives them their distinctive flavour.

They are traditionally grilled over a beechwood fire (which explains as soon as we walked through the door why the place smelled so wonderful- we saw the charcoal grill in the center later as we were leaving). They are served in sets of six, eight, 10 or 12 on a pewter plate (round but also frequently heart- or bell-shaped) with either sauerkraut or potato salad (though we didn’t have this here as it as an appetizer), and accompanied by a dollop of horseradish or mustard. The mustard is in a little jar just out of the frame of the photo to the right. It was great with the Tucher beer (yes, beer at lunch- depending on the region in Germany, this might be expected by the customer to win their trust!)

Nurenberg sausages

The highlight though was the entree. Lunch entree was a braised beef cheek which was very falling apart tender in a rich wine sauce and the little bits of tart here or there from the pomegranate. Also on the plate are dumplings made out of bread (so it’s a bit more like a doughy stuffing), and in the bowl next to it a sort of cheesy greens and rice. That sauce was so delicious.

Dining in Nuremberg, Germany, a braised beef cheek

My other favorite dish was the Roast pork from Bavarian production with crackling in natural gravy with Spaetzle egg noodles at Hofbrauhaus (enjoyed with a Dark Radler, which is their Dark Beer with lemonade- I was slightly beered out after a lot of mugs of Radeberger beer the previous two evenings during work dinners). I saw lots of crackling in the market but didn’t get any until my last night in Germany, and the crackling was as wonderful as I had hoped for.

Roast pork from Bavarian production with crackling in natural gravy with Spaetzle egg noodles at Hofbrauhaus (enjoyed with a Dark Radler, which is their Dark Beer with lemonade

Did I mention how much I loved the seedy bread in Israel and Germany? Also, I cannot object to a breakfast buffet brimming with cheeses and meats. Below, you see the cheese offerings at the Dan Accadia in Israel (included in the room stay), and then the last two photos show the offerings at the Hotel Campo dei Fiori (included as part of room stay) with its location right next to the Viktualienmarkt in Munich.

I had no idea Israel was such a strong dairy producer… though I suppose there have been a lot of sheperds there for a long time, so they definitely have access to the raw goods. Best of all, it wasn’t just pickled (feta) cheese- lots of fresh cheeses, and goat cheeses. Also in Israel I really liked that instead of the dryer baked goods you see at coffeeshops in the US, they offered bureka, a puff pastry stuffed with cheese or potato or spinach. I suppose it’s sorta similar to a stuffed croissant, but the puff pastry is lighter and flakier. Though it probably uses just as much butter…

Breakfast buffet in Israel