drayy

Where to start with Tokyo?… every time I go back it get’s better. This time was far from an exception, possibly 7 of the best days since arriving in Japan 5 years ago. A combination of incredible food at Open Harvest Festival (including seeing a deer get butchered in the gallery of contemporary art!), amazing whiskey in secret dens, sherry pouring show time, 9am cab rides home and a whole lot of energy and stimulation from a city that never, ever, ever, sleeps.

In the space of 20 minutes I had the best and worst food experience of my life… all within 20 metres! The first was a yakitori bar that served volcanic mushrooms, wrapped in bacon, dipped in lava and served – just a little bit hot… but the flavour was worth dissolving my gums and roof of my mouth!! Luckily there were plenty of Japanese business men ready to offer beers for the entertainment I had provided (in my ignorance, and their delight, I put the whole thing in my mouth in one go…fail.). But every moment an explosion of wow! The second was eel. A whole eel. Head to tail, with a special stick of eel liver that tasted similar to what I would imagine a car tyre to taste like if you could put it on a yakitori stick and infuse the rubbery outside with a luke warm burst of bile that explodes into your mouth causing your tongue to climb down your throat to escape. Wost thing I’ve ever tasted except for putrefied shark carcass that I ate in Iceland once. But yes – the experience was absolutely worth every second! Here’s a few holiday snaps from the trip… Flying in with Mt Fuji. Tokyo - Akasaka. Snoozin' on the train. Bright green - easy to be seen? The eel bar. An amazing collection of Yakitori bars in Shomben Yokocho ("Piss Alley") - Shinjuku. Lights. I'm watching you. 1 light. 54 years of eel filth. Soup nazi? I can see you. Sherry pouring ninja - awesome to watch! The last drop of sherry being poured... Origami earrings. Lines, shapes, angles, bliss. Old men playing shogi (Japanese style chess) in Osaka. The contrast of conformity. Bamboo forest in Kyoto.

As summer draws to a close so too does the summer festival scene (only to be replaced by the Autumn festival scene!). Having attended my fair share of festivals over the summer I’m stoked to say that the Hirafu matsuri was certainly a mini highlight. With food and fireworks to rival the bigger festivals, the locals turned up in big numbers for an afternoon of perfect weather! Picturesque The Daiko Drummers! Team Taiko.

Lanterns - a sure sign of food and festivity! Awesome fireworks!

I’ve long lamented the lack of plentiful Mexican food in Japan. Where I grew up, Mexican food was cheap, plentiful, filling, and delicious. There’s a lot of fabulous Japanese food around Hirafu, but sometimes I just want a big plate of chips or a quesadilla.

You can imagine how excited I was to hear that Downtown Cafe would be renewed with a Mexican menu for the summer! A couple of days ago I stopped by for lunch, where I settled on a plate of nachos. As you can see, I was not disappointed. The oven-torched chips were perfectly singed and topped with a mix of onions, tomatoes, avocado, and cheese. Underneath, much to my surprise (and delight!), was more cheese as well as a layer of well-simmered, spiced meat. The meal left me full, and Sai (who enjoyed the rice and pork in the background) left satisfied, too. This is real Mexican, loads of coriander and mixed herbs to provide just the right hints of flavor. Needless to say, Downtown Cafe comes highly recommended. Make sure to check it out as soon as you can! Subscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on FacebookShare this on LinkedinShare this on TechnoratiShare this on del.icio.usPost this to MySpaceBuzz up!Submit this to Script & StyleShare this on BlinklistDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on RedditStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on MixxSubmit this to DesignFloatTweet This!Seed this on NewsvineShare this on DevmarksAdd this to Google BookmarksAdd this to Mister WongAdd this to IzebyShare this on TipdShare this on PFBuzzShare this on FriendFeedMark this on BlogMarksSubmit this to TwittleyShare this on FwispMoo this on DesignMoo!Share this on BobrDobrAdd this to Yandex.BookmarksAdd this to Memory.ruAdd this to 100 bookmarksAdd this to MyPlace

Last night Downtown cafe held its opening party for the 2011 summer season. This year there has been a change in management team and Mexican is now on the menu. I was lucky enough to get a taste of the the Nachos earlier in the day HOLA’ Sooooo good. (click on the images to view them at a larger sizes)

Anyone who has spent time sitting on the deck at Downtown in summer knows that this is THE spot in Hirafu to sit and watch the world go by. The cafe will be open for lunch and dinner so drop on by and check it out. Gracias !

HD Slideshow available at: http://www.benoa.net/japan-themes/food/index.html

Interested in Hokkaido? I would highly recommend checking out Anthony Bourdain’s recent visit to Sapporo and environs. It not only explores unique aspects of Hokkaido’s cuisine and culture, but also touches on life in Japan during the post-quake recovery. I think Bourdain sums up the unique Hokkaido experience perfectly: “It’s cold here. It snows a lot. It looks different from the Japan you think you know. Settled around the same time as the US wild west, a similar kind of frontier mentality developed here. There is a certain freedom to mix influences; to depart from tradition… Hokkaido was Japan’s last frontier. It’s been called the ‘least Japanese’ of all the main islands, and in a way that’s true, especially when it comes to food.” Note – the TV program contains some strong and/or objectionable language. Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations Hokkaido His encounter with Sapporo ramen reminds me of my first experiences with Hokkaido’s unique cuisine and freshest ingredients. “You think you know ramen. I know I did. I didn’t. I didn’t know Hokkaido ramen… Miso ramen is a Sapporo thing, invented in the ’30s. Freaky. They use butter, and corn? That’s not Japanese. Freakier still, it’s awesome!” I know you are going to ask me which Niseko izakaya Bourdain says is better than Tokyo – that’s got to be Torimatsu, a little yakitori shop tucked away just behind Kutchan’s nightlife district. (It is not actually in Niseko-cho, but the neighboring Kutchan-cho.) You think you know chicken skins? Bourdain comments on the chicken skins (tori-kawa) — I agree you have got to try them if you go. Tori-kawa normally consists of skin folded onto the skewer – a tasty, if greasy way to use up excess skin. At Torimatsu, he selects the best parts of the skin and cuts a small amount of meat along with it – keeping the crispy decadence of roast chicken skin layered with the juiciness of the meat. It is truly a next-level yakitori maneuver. The visit also covers Annupuri, Shiraoi, and Noboribetsu.

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嗯～～果然還是很鹹

嗯～～果然還是很鹹

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