Food chronicles: Three cities in Japan

I would like to disclose right at the beginning that, from our second day in Japan onwards, I ate tonkotsu ramen once a day everyday for the rest of the two-week trip, except the one day I could not and regret that very much. Tonkotsu ramen is made in a thick pork broth and has juicy slices (usually round) of pork on top, and to this I would add a soft-boiled egg, roasted nori (seaweed), spinach and a generous amount of each of the spices and sauces kept on the table at the restaurant. I should also tell you that, instead of sampling different kinds of ramen, I would just order this one, with these add-ons.

I was more adventurous with the other meals, that is, as much as my palate would allow. Since I’m non-vegetarian, not too many recommendations in this post are vegetarian – these are in orange text for your convenience. And although plenty of vegan options are available, I had very few of them and these are in purple text.

I’ve eaten all the items described in this post and the places listed here are those I have visited, unless indicated otherwise. Except for Sukiyabashi Jiro (the Roppongi branch) and Kaiseki 511, all of the eateries we went to happened to be close to the areas we were staying at or sightseeing. Given that we averaged about 16 kilometres a day walking or hiking, we ate very well and felt good throughout. Whatever I wasn’t pleased with, including lacklustre ramen (such a thing does exist), has been omitted. For example, I did not like Japanese curry and okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake) so these aren’t mentioned.

As for the legendary, best-of-the-best, I’ve been asked if I’d recommend Jiro over Kaiseki or vice-versa. Between Jiro’s sushi blessed with multiple Michelin stars and Kaiseki serving the world’s top-quality beef actually graded as such, my answer depends on your preference for fish or beef. That said, while the food at Kaiseki is genuinely phenomenal, the experience at Jiro is like no other. A quick note on planning: these restaurants require reservation which should ideally be made well in advance. If you wish to visit both, may I suggest keeping at least a few days’ gap between the two and including lots of walking, maybe a hike or whatever exercise you like, the day of your visit so you work up an appetite befitting the feast that will follow.

You’ll see I was inconsistent with taking photos; sometimes it was worthwhile to interrupt a meal and tap the phone screen furiously and sometimes it wasn’t. Doing that at Jiro in the sushi chef’s presence, for instance, would have been disrespectful and a companion diner was even reprimanded for it. So exactly two photos were taken of the most exquisite sushi I’ll ever eat.

I’ve had a blast reminiscing about our food journey. If all the gushing seems disingenuous, let me assure you that anyone who’s been to Japan will rave about the food. To say the magic lies in the umami-enhanced flavours would be a great disservice to the Japanese culinary ethos. Their food, not unlike their art, infrastructure and technology, reflects a commitment towards achieving that which cannot quite be described as perfection; it is something beyond. The food tastes as if it’s been prepared with the consumer’s satisfaction and convenience in mind. Also, you’ll notice the produce, dairy, fish and meat is generally outstanding, comparable and maybe superior to the finest quality available elsewhere. When such ingredients are cooked and served as only the Japanese can, a joyful meal is to be expected just about anywhere.

Here we go, in no particular order:

Favourites across Japan

Tonkotsu Ramen

In case you came straight to the list and skipped the very specific description in the introductory paragraph, please scroll up and read it. There is something inimitable about the lightness of noodles kneaded and rolled fresh, and when combined with thick, soft slices of delicately-flavoured, excellent-quality pork in a fragrant broth served piping hot, it is a meal both decadent and comforting. I encourage you to try different variations and regional specialties of ramen, because what you get in Japan – in tiny shops and not the famous chains – is likely the best you’ll ever eat.

Location: Look up local favourites in the area you are staying at or visiting. They will have long queues during mealtimes so plan accordingly. If you are in the Shibuya area in Tokyo, go to Fuunji (https://goo.gl/maps/WssjT5tcb7ByVLjJ8) where we found an hour-long queue, so we went to this hole-in-the-wall place (https://goo.gl/maps/XPWTBaa4cFjzWpDi6) instead and that is where I fell in love with ramen. Kyushu Jangara in Ginza, Tokyo (https://goo.gl/maps/YbJW7dMxSnfiZR43A) was my favourite – more on this later.

I carry your photo with me (I carry it in my phone)

Chicken Kara-age

Who doesn’t love good old fried chicken? This bar staple is not only thrice-fried (!) but also boneless. What makes these lightly-flavoured, un-oily bits of succulent chicken fantastic is that they are served with Japanese mayonnaise, a one-of-a-kind condiment I can’t praise enough. I hope you’ll slather the chicken with this incredible mayo.

Location: Available, or can be prepared on request, at any izakaya (gastro-pub). If you are in the Asakusa area in Tokyo, go to Karaage-ya Oshu Iwai (https://goo.gl/maps/sRBwVwzZ194Mi6HS7).

Pork gyoza

This is a nice accompaniment to ramen if you’d like to nibble on something on the side or are too hungry to wait for your ramen to cool down. A must-try for momo-lovers; I promise you won’t miss the spicy red chutney because the flavoured soy sauce is good enough. My favourite gyoza was at Yarou Ramen in Akihabara in Tokyo (in the first photo below). I prefer the gyoza here because it’s more momo-style than gyoza-style, although the latter’s charred bits (in the second photo, which is from a restaurant in Kyoto mentioned below) are delectable. The ramen they serve here is quite good, too, save for the absurd heap of beansprouts on top.

Location: Pubs and restaurants serving ramen will nearly always have gyoza on the menu. Yarou Ramen (https://goo.gl/maps/Z9AbtDfSSRbyKxrg9).

Gyoza vs. Gyoza

Matcha Latte and Ice Cream

If you need caffeine to battle the late-afternoon drowsiness that sets in after a heavy lunch, there are plenty of beverages to choose from. Japan’s third-wave coffee culture has birthed a number of roasters which I did not visit but you might like to look them up. Giving coffee a miss, I opted for either chilled, sweetened matcha lattes or matcha ice cream (which is divine!) instead of hot matcha tea whose taste I found too grassy. Tsujiri in Kyoto is an iconic teahouse and sells a variety of matcha teas and products; they have stores in Tokyo as well. In Shinjuku, Tokyo, there’s Nana’s Green Tea and if you’re in Ginza, go to the Tsujiri store there or to Nakamura Tokichi. In Asakusa I had a matcha-and-dark-chocolate swirl, which was humungous and tasted as good as it sounds. There are kiosks selling matcha swirls covered in gold leaf outside the Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) at Kyoto, if blingy dessert is your jam.

Sweet green 😀

7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson

The cut-and-packaged fresh fruit sold at a konbini (convenience store) are a tasty snack if you guilt yourself into eating healthy amidst the vacation fare or are fond of eating fruit. The fruit in Japan taste and smell extraordinary. And should you expect convenience-store food to be unremarkable, the pillowy egg salad sandwiches will surprise you – the ones at FamilyMart were my favourite and I’d eat them for breakfast whenever I did eat breakfast. Another happy konbini discovery was the onigiri which reminds me of a samosa: it’s a triangular snack comprising of three layers – plain cooked white rice wrapped in a roasted nori sheet with a filling inside. I tried the shrimp, salmon, tuna and shrimp varieties, salmon being my favourite. 7-Eleven’s packaging is meant to ensure you eat the onigiri without your fingers touching it at all and if you follow the instructions, you’ll be able to do just that; if you don’t follow the instructions, the rice will break apart and fall all over your clothes and you’ll have to clean up the mess you just made – that’s what I hear from other people, it didn’t happen to me or anything. Other konbini favourites include Calbee’s green pea chips and matcha Baumkuchen, a soft German cake sold at 7-Eleven.

Location: All markets and neighbourhoods will have a konbini (or two, or three, or four) and you won’t have to walk very far to find one.

Is there anything as cool as cute food?

MOS Burger

This is a Japanese chain serving up slightly gourmet iterations of American fast-food-style burgers, in the sense that they use organic ingredients and cheese slices made of gouda. Burgers here are worth a try because they have unusual items like rice burgers. If you like the Filet O’fish at McDonald’s, you should order MOS Burger’s fish burger, it’s superb.

Location: All over Japan. I went to the one opposite the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima (https://goo.gl/maps/Wjp7VadeZwGcMAwv6).

There’s a special place in hell for those who eat a hamburger right before visiting a museum dedicated to the atomic bomb attack

Lotte Almond Chocolate (Bitter)

Highly, highly recommended if you love the pairing of dark chocolate and almonds. You may be inclined to finish a packet by yourself and unwilling to share. Be sure to leave space in your suitcase to bring some back with you (if my friends are reading this, you are expected to bring a pack for us, thank you ❤️, and don’t you dare eat it).

I wonder if there’s any chocolate in the fridge

Suntory Horoyoi Peach Beer

It’s sweet, crisp and light, and you’ll feel the buzz after. Make sure you buy the pale pink can. You won’t get this in India so drink up.

Location: The beer and chocolate are available at all convenience stores and candy stores. Rather than including them in my konbini items’ list, I wanted to highlight them separately as they deserve special mention.

That is exactly what a ‘Japanese peach’
looks like, Google it

Cremia Softcream

Cremia is a Japanese company that makes something called ‘Softcream’ which they say is “neither ice cream nor gelato”. I had a vanilla swirl with matcha and cocoa dusted on top – I’m not fond of ice cream but would give an arm and leg to have eaten this again. Don’t have any pictures as the ice cream was melting in the July heat. Sadly, I did not get the chance to try another Softcream after that.

Location: Available at select kiosks, cafes and shops across Japan. I went to Café La Mille at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo (https://goo.gl/maps/1wR9DgtHQerkhnRa9).

Tokyo

Sukiyabashi Jiro, Roppongi

We went to the branch at Roppongi Hills, run by the sushi master Jiro Ono’s son, Chef Takashi Ono, because it’s very difficult and expensive to get a reservation at the Ginza branch. Without strings to pull, you and I can rely on concierge services to dine at the Roppongi branch (link below). Other reasons to select the Roppongi branch over Ginza are that the food at Roppongi is reportedly better and the concierge service significantly cheaper than Ginza’s. The restaurant has a dress code and certain other rules, so do check the website for details before you visit.

The omakase (chef’s tasting menu) for nigiri and sashimi has about 20 pieces. Please come here with a stomach as empty as possible, skip breakfast and lunch if you have to, because, believe me, you’ll want second helpings of the otoro (pink fatty tuna) and chutoro (medium fatty tuna) which are magnificent. They dissolve in your mouth immediately. Now, you shouldn’t expect every single item to blow your mind – my dishonourable mentions include the uni (sea urchin), baby octopus, eel, sardines and kurumaebi (boiled giant prawn). You can ask not to be served certain items if you don’t eat that particular fish or are allergic. Also, do try the warm sake here, the brand they serve (in the photos below, on the right) is quite good and can be found in liquor stores around Japan.

To be honest, I wouldn’t return for the food as superlative sushi is found all over Japan and indeed around the world. Neither would I extol this as the best sushi or sashimi experience solely because of the food: for me, it was the service that made it memorable. We were three groups of diners, a total of about seven people, who were attended to by four professionals – Takashi-san, two apprentice chefs and a gentleman who served beverages. Each piece of fish was brushed gently with a soy sauce mix and served by Takashi-san himself, frequently with a smile or nod, and the interaction between him and his apprentices was fascinating to watch. This was our first international high-end dining experience together and felt very special.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/AdYhcXS7Mes1LrYh9. The concierge service we used was https://www.govoyagin.com/activities/japan-tokyo-reservation-for-sushi-jiro-roppongi-michelin-2-star-tokyo/1690#track-reviews.

Do I have a sari in this shade of pink? | Google Translate is not always a friend

Kobe Beef Kaiseki 511

Eating this world-famous Kobe beef has been, to date, the high point of our travels. Beef graded ‘A5-11’ was being served the day we visited, not the elusive ‘A5-12’ which is considered the very best. I can tell you that no meat (fish excluded) we’ve eaten comes anywhere close to as magically tender, flavourful and melt-in-the-mouth this was. You can choose from the dining sets or get à la carte steaks as we did, they are served with vegetables and a soy sauce mousse. It is a meal meat lovers would enjoy enormously. Do bring your appetite and someone you love.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/3ub3ueRNsK8aqe6u7.

Forgive me, [NAME], for I have sinned

Tsukiji Fish Market

People come here for the freshest sushi on the planet, what we ate was a donburi (rice bowl) from one of the little shacks inside the market. An otoro donburi, if we are being specific. You can order any fish you like and they’ll cut slices up for you, arrange them prettily (as is the norm in Japan) on a bed of rice, top them off with a bit of wasabi, egg, gari (pickled ginger) and leave you to season your meal with soy sauce as you wish. I would go back to Tsukiji and eat this again and again.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/ZbQVvSwJV4usEJxn7.

Colour palette for wardrobe, home décor, cutlery and stationery is sorted

Matsurokuya, Roppongi

When this eatery opens at 11:30 in the morning, only the first 20 people in the queue are allowed inside – they’d typically have been waiting since 10 o‘clock. We didn’t get a table until 2 in the afternoon by which time we were ravenous. The lunch set includes several accompaniments like vegetables and a gorgeous silken tofu together with perfectly succulent A5 wagyu slices, and after inhaling all this you’ll definitely feel sleepy as you explore Roppongi on foot later.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/g29ErDMfKCfWUMk69.

Nothing is too pretty to eat, don’t be silly

Kyushu Jangara, Ginza

Thin noodles, garlic-flavoured pork broth and the addition of spicy tree ear mushrooms (the brown things in the photo) made me love the ramen here the most. The retro pop music played was lovely, too.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/YbJW7dMxSnfiZR43A.

For beautiful you are my ramen

Path, Shibuya

I picked up a pain au chocolat from here and wandered around the bustling Shibuya neighbourhood eating it. Someone at the adjacent table had ordered Dutch pancakes, which certainly looked deserving of their fame. A convenient place for breakfast or a snack especially if you’re staying in the area, or if you get hungry while shopping or exploring and don’t want to eat ramen.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/17afRkREbubHCVKk6.

Kyoto

Katsukura, Tokyo Station Building

A friend recommended this restaurant chain for its tonkatsu (different from tonkotsu mentioned above), which is breaded, deep-friend pork. I don’t enjoy deep-fried red meat (tabaq maaz is the only exception because it is fried in mustard oil), so this was too heavy for my liking. I ate everything in the photo because I was famished at the time and the accompanying vegetable broth and rice reminded me of my go-to meal at home. The crab tonkatsu (the round cutlet in the photo) was my favourite here, wonderfully creamy and flavourful, you must order it.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/7VttedJrMiau1Q9P6.

Konichiwa, NRI sibling of Mocambo’s pork cutlet, I eat you with bhaat

Kiosk on the side of the road outside the Ginkaku-ji

You have to see this orange. The smiley face was drawn by me, as you may’ve guessed. When, right after a long trek up and down the Ginkaku-ji (Temple of the Silver Pavilion), you see a tiny shop selling fresh, plump oranges and offering black markers to doodle on them, you don’t think twice before reaching for your wallet. The shopkeeper drills a hole into the orange and sticks a straw inside it (pink for me, please), and you enjoy the refreshing orange juice inside while scribbling around on the skin. The whole thing is as kawaii as it gets.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/VJvtaiRwm1wy15fg7

Husband says that is my face

Restaurant near Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Each element of this cold noodle dish came together perfectly: the gentle, chilled soup, the crispy prawn-and-vegetable tempura, the mild spices. Couldn’t have imagined a more satiating lunch after two long hikes.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/P7W1NWeANp6q4wWy7

While eating this I thought, oooo #glutenfree #dairyfree #cleaneating #organic

Ajinotentoku Kyoto, Pontocho alley

Abura-soba is soupless ramen, a Kyoto specialty. I prefer the soupy version although this was terrific. Also, the charred, crispy gyoza here (pictured under the paragraph on gyoza above) is the fried momo’s elegant cousin and you will love it. This tiny restaurant is located in an alley by the Kamo river and the area lights up and sort of jumps to life after dusk. A very pretty walk.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/SG3sFzPBFHr5nHFv9.

Ramen, walk walk walk, repeat

Man on the Moon, near Kyoto Station

The place is always packed in the evenings. We went on a weeknight and had two Irish car bombs each. Made friends with a British family at the next table who were enjoying a meal of steak and burgers, and they encouraged us to drink more which is precisely what we did.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/5GXneusnMdCmMQcv9

Two for joy

Conveyor-belt sushi, near Kyoto Station

A week after ploughing through 22 pieces of raw fish, I craved some more otoro. I also wanted the ‘authentic’ experience of conveyer-belt sushi and this place was close by in the Kyoto Station area. They didn’t have any otoro but the nigiri and sushi rolls with tuna, salmon, hamachi (yellowtail) and crab we had were fresh and did not disappoint. We spotted funky things on the conveyor belt, like octopus sushi (did not try) and hamburger sushi (pictured here) which wasn’t spectacular, as the blob of ketchup should tell you. Each plate had two pieces of sushi/nigiri/sashimi and we put away a few…plates.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/4t8q95A49KcHQByG7

Sushi that didn’t make the photo

Hiroshima

Kemby’s Brew Pub, Naka Ward

We wish we’d discovered this gem earlier instead of our last night in Hiroshima, would’ve eaten here every day. The menu is extensive, with an assortment of Tex-Mex, barbeque, pizza and burgers. We ordered as many favourites as we thought we could eat – creamy Avocado bruschetta, salmon carbonara, chicken wings, a double-patty cheeseburger and two desserts: vanilla-raspberry panna cotta and chocolate torte – all were delicious. They have Indian Pale Ale, too, and funky sweet beer like apple and mango. This was such a happy meal.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/Z25bLLPyhaiuZzfx5

Date night of our dreams

Café Ponte, near the Aioi bridge

The restaurant belongs in this list because they agreed graciously to customise my order of oysters – the green sauce in the photo is made using fresh basil, green chillies, garlic and lemon because I am *that* Indian lady who requests the chef for hari mirch in her food. Only because I’ve never liked oysters and wanted to try them ‘my’ way before dismissing them as terrible. All I’m going to say about this innovation is that the chutney was delicious. Also, the restaurant is the place to unwind after a long day exploring Hiroshima by cycle and on foot. It’s right next to the Aioi bridge a.k.a. the T-bridge and gives you stunning views of the Motoyasugawa river, the staff is sweet and courteous, the drinks are great and best of all, it’s pet-friendly so you will want to photograph/coo at/play with the impeccably-dressed fur babies. There’s good Italian food on offer, unless you’d rather eat oysters.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/rcRx8jgZjtfAg5tFA

Food I’ll never eat again | And you think you are chic?

Restaurant at Miyajima

This adorable café located at the foot of a hill is where you’d want to down a glass of chilled orange juice/iced coffee after hiking around in Miyajima Island. And when the meaty, tangy pasta has potatoes in it, the heart smiles.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/Z25bLLPyhaiuZzfx5

You can take the Bengali out of Calcutta but you can’t take the alu out of the meat gravy

That’s all, folks!

Hope you enjoyed reading the post as much as I loved writing it! My recommendations for sightseeing, activities and shopping will follow in a separate post. Do let me know your Japan favourites, we’d love to try them out.

Take care, stay at home, wash your hands, don’t touch your face!

:):) Roshni

Raahein..

Memoirs of a Traveholic