lioness in japan

If you are serious about your pizza, Da Isa in Nakameguro is just the place for you. The credentials of its chef will send a shiver of anticipation up your spine, too – apparently he got into the top echelons of the Pizza World Cup in Naples for three years in a row (Metropolis review here). He was also cooking over at famed Italian joint Napule where Italian expats dine at.

But I’ve to warn you that this is definitely not a fancy place nor a restaurant you would plan a romantic date. It’s got fluorescent lighting and an open-air eatery feel to it and a feverish never-ending bustle.

It suited my Singaporean gal pal and I just fine because many of the eateries back home have this same “kopitiam” (coffee shop) style and it’s really all about the food. Singaporeans don’t care if they are eating in the dreariest, dirtiest of surroundings, as long as the nosh is fantastic.

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What’s with all the food posts? Well, I’ve to say I’ve been going out quite a bit so it’s really been how my weekends have been like.

I must say that although I’ve been living in Tokyo for four years, there is so much that I have yet to discover. Take this for an example: TY Brewery in Shinagawa has been a long stay in the Tokyo food scene but I hadn’t heard of it till a friend suggested it for the kangaroo’s birthday brunch. By the way, it is under the same management as Cicada where we went for a cosy date for two.

It was a bit of a hike from our place — 22 minutes on the train according to Yahoo Japan but it involved changing trains twice and we took about 50 minutes in all. Okay, that’s nothing in Tokyo but we’ve been pampered by living in a very central location where everything is pretty much 20-30 minutes away by foot or train.

Here are some photos of the harbour front restaurant:

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We’ve been celebrating the kangaroo’s birthday since the weekend before last — he actually declared the whole month as his. He’s been training and dieting for our half-marathon that’s happening at the end of May but his birthday has been a solid excuse for indulging: “Let’s have a beer — it’s my birthday”, “Ooo, that chocolate is soooo good, let’s have another — it’s my birthday”. LOL!

So on the eve of his actual birthday (it was a Saturday), I took him out on a date to Cicada where their anchovy-marinated lamb chops are known to be excellent.

Located in Hiroo, this warm enclave of gaijins, good wine, and big portions is definitely the antithesis of Japanese restaurants. I wouldn’t coin this a very romantic place to dine because it had a bustling atmosphere but the food was most certainly top-notch.

Although the menu is geared towards the Mediterranean, you’d find familiar favourites like seared scallops, pasta, and risotto side by side with chicken tangine, babaganoush, and tabbouleh.

One piece of advice: don’t over order. Treat this like you would a Western restaurant outside of Japan. We ordered two appetizers each plus a main which was way too much, but alas, it was after all his birthday.

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Tempura is easy to prepare and you can find this in any conbini or noodle shop in Japan. But, good tempura is takai (expensive) — don’t ask me why because the ingredients look cheap but perhaps it’s got to do with skill and what goes into the batter that sets aside the ordinary from the superb.

I don’t think I’ve had ridiculously expensive tempura but it’s not rocket science to know what makes good tempura — lightly battered, crispy, and not overly oily in your mouth. The produce has to be fresh, too, because unlike breaded deep-fried food, tempura doesn’t cover up stale goods. I’ve not done any research on this and it’s just my opinion garnered from lots of eating experience.

So one of the tempura restaurants I tried recently was Tsunahachi in Shinjuku’s Takashimaya. I really wanted to eat at their honten, the main branch, but was told they were full on a Saturday night when I called on a Monday. Wow. I was a shade disappointed but all was not lost as I had a delicious meal at another branch.

Of course, I ordered the veggie tempura set that came with miso soup, rice, and two servings of vegetables.

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Hello again, I have yet another food review for you. I know a lot of you like to read about Japanese food, so I’ve been much more diligent in taking food photos.

Okonomiyaki is a fave amongst gaijins, because it’s sort of like a pizza without the crust, and its hearty flavour endears it to almost everyone.

It’s no wonder that the pizza-munching kangaroo would name this as his number one love when pressed to choose his favourite Japanese dish. Thankfully, there’s a good joint right next to Akasaka-mitsuke station, where we live and its plus point is that it’s open on Sundays when many establishments are closed.

Why do I call it “stylish”? Well, the restaurant looks classy compared to most down-to-earth okonomiyaki joints and you don’t make your own, either. The hot plate in front of you is heated gently to keep your okonomiyaki warm whilst you chow down.

That’s not to say there isn’t regular Japanese pub grub available here.

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What’s “neo-Japonesque” cuisine? Well, it’s basically a mix of European/Asian faves and Japanese dishes with a twist. The twist could go either way: a Japanese dish with a European touch or vice versa.

This approach is very common in Tokyo izakayas — you often find pasta and pizza next to hot pots and sashimi salads or what I call Japanese-Chinese dishes like mapo anything (from tofu to prawns) and fried rice, cha-han. Despite the attempt to make things fusion, there is almost always nothing complicated in a neo-Japanese izakaya.

Now there are those who do it okay and those who make it a little more special and I think Gomaya (details here) is a cozy nook in the heart of Shibuya that does neo-Japonesque well.

The dishes are simple but very full of flavour and it won’t cost you very much (3,500 – 4,000JPY).

We started with a few salady things as usual.

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Last Sunday was a friend’s housewarming in Tokyo so I racked my brains to make something that was simple but tasty….

ONIGIRI.

I have eaten many onigiris from the conbinis and izakayas here but have only made it once at home.

I don’t make onigiris at home because I’ve always seen it as a snack, not a meal, and it seems a bit troublesome to make on a whim, especially if I don’t have leftover rice. And I very seldom have any cooked plain rice lying around because the kangaroo doesn’t eat rice and if I do cook rice, it would be a one-pot wonder like porridge or fried rice.

Anyway, here’s my second attempt at making onigiris — all 19 of them… Some of them don’t look very triangular and this is a skill that I really need to practice!

I stuffed them with wakame & sesame seeds, or ume (preserved plum), konbu (kelp), and teriyaki chicken & black sesame seeds.

I used brown rice so I don’t think it was everyone’s cup of tea but the Japanese and gaijin at the party were really nice about it and said they were oishii. I ate a couple and thought they weren’t too shabby.

It’s been a while since I did a proper restaurant review, eh? I know that I made quite a dramatic announcement last year about not being very interested in cooked food anymore.

I think many folks might have thought I transformed into a hermit and only ate at home (or my own bentos). It’s been quite the contrary, I must say. I have been eating out but have not been actively taking photos and posting them here.

The truth is, while preparing food is a great passion of mine, I obviously still appreciate good food, flavours, and textures and find immense pleasure in dining out with friends.

Well, any food reviews from here on in would have a more vegetarian focus. I actually don’t eat at veggie places in Tokyo because my friends aren’t vegetarian, so I hope my reviews will help those who want to chow on veggie dishes in “normal” restaurants. Since the kangaroo is omni, I might take photos of his food and let you know what he thinks of it.

Celeb de Tomato (website here) is one such restaurant that has something for everyone. It’s quite common to find a specialty restaurant in Tokyo, but to give the spotlight to the humble tomato in chic surroundings, now that’s quite unique.

We kicked things off with a couple of salads.

The mixed tomato salad had red, yellow, green tomatoes in different shapes and sizes. Drizzled with just olive oil, I could taste the sweetness and tartness of the different varieties. The freshness of the tomatoes stood out for me, especially the green tomatoes.

The second salad had parma ham, black olives, tomatoes, arugula and crutons. Another simple but delicious dish. My friends kindly took their share of parma ham so I could eat the veggies.

Here’s a photo of my half-drunk Bloody Mary:

I thought it was one of the best Bloody Marys I’ve had — it was mildly sweet instead of salty or spicy like most I’ve tried. There was no hint of celery and it seemed it was just tomato juice and vodka. Even my friend who dislikes Bloody Marys thought it was surprisingly good.

For my main, I had the sundried tomato risotto with black truffles. I think there was a hint of cream or cheese in it and the chef was generous with the oil, so although it looked small in size it quickly filled me up.

My friends had the prawn pasta, tomato carbonara, and lamb dishes, which looked pretty good in terms of presentation. They didn’t ooh and aah but I personally thought my risotto was very tasty.

So what is my conclusion? This restaurant is typically Japanese in that it uses high quality, fresh ingredients and cooks its food with a gentle hand. I would recommend this for a weekend brunch or lunch instead of dinner because of its small portions and subtle flavours.

As promised, here are pictures of the tempura party held at my apartment a few weeks ago. It seemed to be quite a novel idea since most folks have only been to nabe and gyoza parties. A friend who is an avid fisherman got the idea when he caught many tiny fish and thought deep-frying them tempura-style at home was the way to go.

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Although making onigiri is very common in Japanese households, it seems like one of those things that you buy from a conbini (convenient store) or a departo (department store), so to me as a foreigner, I never thought of making my own.

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