Black Sesame Ice Cream and Okonomiyaki

I searched for this black sesame ice cream all over Japan and for this trip I only managed to find it here in Kyoto. Strange, last year it was everywhere we went in Japan. When I saw it being offered as a dessert for a set meal, I had to order the meal, whatever it was. My favorite ice cream to date. Roasted nutty flavour, rich, sweet but with a just a hint of bitterness like a good dark chocolate. 

Luckily the set meal was nothing exotic, just some Japanese pancake, okonomiyaki but we had to do the cooking ourselves.  We also had some tofu teppanyaki on the same hot plate. 

Perfectly done.

Splurge on the sweet and sour sticky yummy sauce as much as you can so as to ensure the rest of the garnishings like bonito flakes, chopped spring onion stay on. Here you go, the Japanese pizza. 

These goodies were also part of the set and I must admit, even though I had eyes only for the ice cream, the dango with the mitarashi sauce on the left was delicious. I am sure it is the superior Japanese glutinous rice flour, as to make this dessert is no difference to making our traditional tang yuan but yet this was ultra silky smooth without any of the graininess of the tang yuan I made (no matter how much I knead and how long I leave it to rest). I can easily get hooked on this stuff. 

I am knocking my head now for not bringing home some of these glutinous flour from Japan for our yearly tang yuan!

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

Remember the market I mentioned a few posts ago that has the same namesake as our oldest Japanese restaurant in KK? Yes, the Nishiki. Well, we visited the market here in Kyoto and it was everything I expected and more. 

I was told it is really small compared to Tsukiji Market in Tokyo but it has it's own charm and the good thing is, it is part of a bigger covered shopping arcade that runs endlessly for blocks, the Teramachi Dori (fashion, fashion and more fashion - not my cup of tea) and the Shijo Dori (brimming with electrical goods - not my cup of tea either). They did make a very pleasant window-shopping expedition as they were interspersed with endless food stalls and restaurants (I found the ice cream I was looking for here too).

When I looked up the internet I saw all the lovely food stalls but that didn't prepare me for the walk through the market when my five senses went into an overdrive. The scent, smell, aroma, fragrance, taste, sight plus the hustle and bustle made this 400m walk a gourmet ecstasy if you are a Japanese food freaks like us. 

This stall has all sorts of pickles vegetables in miso paste. The aroma from these tubs hits all the sensory nerves.

A bathtub-size container full of pickled gourds.

More veggies pickled in brine and sake, I think.

Freshly shaved bonito flakes.

One of the many stalls selling fresh seafood.

Fish roe and scallops.

Tasting station for the many dried seafood that are unique to Japanese cuisine.

As many as there are fresh food stalls, there are cooked, ready-to-eat food stalls too. These kebabs are all lined up temptingly. Needless to say, we stood here for quite a while. They were very good.

Fish cakes, fish balls, crab cakes all ready to go.

I would have love these with a piping hot bowl of Japanese sticky rice.

Grilled fish for busy working housewives to bring home for dinner...

Any one for the hottest spice in Japan??

Beside food, this market sells everything related to food preparation too.

Knives, scissors...

All these and more...

Dinner @ Fijisan's Foothill

Note the sashimi at the top of picture, the white flesh, they were soooo fresh and delicious I wanted to have them all to myself. They exuded essence of the sea without a hint of fishiness and so so sweet. I didn't want to mar the taste by dipping them in wasabi/soy sauce, so, for the first time I had sashimi straight.

This is the fish who sacrified for the culinary best of this Japan trip.

Assorted sushi paled in the light of the sashimi but I love them all the same, probably just for the rice beneath.

Three types of grilled fish.

Perfect tempura, so light that I had 4 helpings. Lucky me, I am yet to come across bad, soggy tempura in Japan.

There were lots of other food that didn't leave any particularly fond recollections so I omitted them...but wait, I am not about to forget this...

This was from our breakfast the next morning, I mentioned this because this 'hot spring' egg is one breakfast item we don't like to miss. I am not sure if it is cooked in hot spring but it is the most perfect half-boiled I ever tasted anywhere and it is served cold. The texture of the egg white and yolk is unbelievable. Crack the egg into a very light soy dressing, slurp it in a mouthful or two (no chewing required) and let the smooth silky delicacy slide down the throat. So good...

A Cozy Dinner

Met up with an old friend, T who used to worked in Malaysia for more than ten years. He brought us to his favorite diner here which was tucked in one of the many small alleys of Takayama and I have no recollection how we got there. It was a very warm, cozy traditional eatery serving hearty home-cook food.

We had this exquisite fish roes for appetizer.

What is a Japanese dinner without sashimi...

A Korean kimchi soup which was surprisingly tasty. I am not one to eat foreign food when in Japan but I must say this was very good, especially in the cold weather.

A tofu steak.

Basically just mashed tofu with eggs, seafood and cooked in a cast-iron pan. A little too oily and salty for me.

These yakitori were my favorite, grilled just right, moist and tender with just the right balance of seasoning.

Japanese love their sake as much as their food and many of their food are created to compliment the drinks rather than the other way round.
T was showing us how the taste of sake can change with different serving cups.

The Best Soba

I love soba, a noodle made of buckwheat flour unique to Japan. Whenever given a choice, I would always have it over udon or ramen.

We were strolling around Takayama old town area when we chanced upon this shop.
There was a crowd of people in front taking pictures of this man making fresh soba, so we did what everyone was doing...

I stood there for about 15 minutes just to watch and take pictures of this amazingly skilled noodle maker. He flattened the dough ever so evenly with several sized rollers that were about a meter each in length until the required thinness. It was really amazing as the dough expanded to the size of his working table measuring more than a meter square without a single breakage.
He then folded the thin sheet into this thick pile and sliced through it effortlessly with a steady rhythm. We just couldn't walk away without a sample of this...and so glad we did as we both agreed that this got to be the best soba we have ever tasted.

Cold soba with tempura

Sansei (mountain veggies) soba

Japanese Public Bath

Am blogging this from Heather's computer in Shanghai and although there is so much to tell about this phenomena city I have no pictures to show as this computer cannot upload the pics from my camera. So that will have to wait until we get home.
As I have tons of Japan's pictures, I would like to talk about my favorite, favorite to-do list whilst in Japan. This is a MUST for me whenever the opportunity arises. The hot spring public bath. I managed to take this rare shot as there wasn't a soul (naked or otherwise) around.
The golden rule, first and foremost, you have to be in your birthday suit, no bikinis, towels or handkerchief. Don't worry, public baths are all like-gender only. And whatever you think you see, do not stare.

Then, scrub and clean every inch of you body from head to toe sitting here by the side of the pool. Only then, you can slowly dip your body into the the hot tub. Be very careful, don't plunge in as the water temperature is about 40c - 42c.

This has been addictive for me since my first dip more than 20 years ago. Heavenly. Guarantee a good night sleep after an episode of this.
My dream is the real outdoor hot spring bath, onsen in a rural ryokan. Maybe next trip...

Hida Beef At Its Best

Looking through all the food shots I took in this trip, I was appalled. I didn't realized we ate that much and that, I realised was the main reason why my jeans were so uncomfortable and it wasn't the water in Japan which I blamed for shrinking them. We were constantly overdosed on carbohydrates as I couldn't resist the sticky Japanese rice and hubby the ramen and soba. 

I won't go into the food meal by meal but instead group them. I'll start with the famous Hidagyu (highland beef) and the many different ways we had them.

Hidagyu hoba miso. Grilled atop a piece of magnolia leave with miso, mushroom and veggie over a charcoal blazier. You cook the beef the way you like it - rare, medium or well done. The leaf lends an amazing flavor to the dish. Best eaten with the gorgeous Japanese sticky rice as the miso can be quite salty.

The traditional sukiyaki done in the most unpretentious homely manner. The hida beef was A5 according to the proprietor of this small restaurant we stumbled upon.

She also took the order, cooked, washed and finally, was the cashier too. The one and only staff in the shop.

She spooned two pieces of these beef fat onto my bowl and insisted I eat it. I hesitated, wanted to pass them to hubby but she made gestures which I guessed meant they were good for my face (how did she know I'd do anything for my face???). I took a bite and needed no more persuasion. They were very light and didn't felt oily at all with a very light buttery fragrance, softer than the tenderest tendon. Never tasted anything like this before and hubby never got to taste any :-b. 

The beef in a popular Japanese snack food.

It wasn't that good as the beef was too cooked and I think I still very much prefer the takoyaki, traditional balls with octopus filling.

I saved the best for last...

You have got to taste to believe this beef can be sooo goood. I was lost for words when I took my first bite. Now I understand what it meant when the phrase 'melts in the mouth' is used on meat. This piece of meat is 150g and I could only imagine how much more succulent a 200g piece would taste and hit myself for not ordering that! Can you see how juicy they are?? It was simply cooked with no fuss but perfectly done and the flavor of these black cows is amazing. If you are anywhere near this highland never go away without at least a taste of this. I didn't even bother with the gravy that was provided on the side. 

Writing this post is tormenting.  

This restaurant, about 20 minutes walk from Takayama train station, is actually more famous for its very own brewed beer called Korikori. 

It is called a Be-Pub for beef pub.

The owner who also waits and serves on tables. 

He serves three different kinds of beer with very distinct taste each. You can opt for the set, only 700 yen.

This is called Harmony and is only available during the colder months. It has a rich malty taste with a slight coffee flavor.

The draft handle for dispensing Harmony.

I like this one called Alt. It has a light and honey taste. Very light and soothing on the throat but packed with a mighty punch and after downing one glass, all true spirits emerged...

This is where the beer is produced. The brewery is within the shop and can be viewed through a glass window.