Sushi: Sushi Sets, Bentos and Takeouts at Shizuoka City Department Stores-6

A great set for two, but don’t fight over the single items! LOL

Due to the incredible wealth of fresh fish all year round, there is an enormous consumption of sushi at every level in Shizuoka City, from very cheap takeouts to expensive ( but certainly not as expensive as in Tokyo, qulity fro quality!) sushi restaurants.
Next time you come to Shizuoka City for a few days and are looking forward to budget sushi do visit the local department stores where you will have the surprise to discover tasty, from reasonably fresh to very fresh, and reasonably priced sushi sets, bentos and takeouts you can take beck to the hotel or into a park for instant pleasure.
Naturally I would advise the foreign (and Japanese) residents to do some homework!
As for prices count 100 yen for 1 US $ or 130 yen for 1 Euro!

This is unfortunately the last installment, but I will come with another theme next time!
Isetan Department Store’s display is not wide-ranging as the other other but it is nonetheless worth a visit and a long look. Be aware that their offerings go fast, so come early!

At 1,500 yen (but with a 100-yen disount!) the price seems a bit high for this one, but it includes “hon maguro/blue fin tuna”, ikura and raw salmon among pricey items. Note the menegi/leek sprouts sushi nigiri!

Two very reasonable set for 580 yen (minus a 100-yen discount):
Hirame Tsukushi/Sole (halibut, grouper) sushi nigiri
An all tuna set with sushi nigiri, grated tuna/negitoro gunkan and tekka maki!

An individual sushi set for 780 yen including tuna, flying fish roe, negitoro gunkan and cuttle fish!

Two different individual all-tuna sushi sets for 580 yen! Now, this is cheap!

The day Special sushi set!
15 sushi pieces for 1,780 yen! A whole dinner!
Including pricey items such as hon-maguro, mebachi tuna and conger eel!
What would you pay for that even in a sushi restaurant?

4 inari zushi for 210 yen! The perfect accompaniment to another set of fish or fowl for example!

All kinds of sushi rolls (2 per pack cut into 4 pieces each) from 210 yen to 420 yen! An embarrassment of choices!

kaisen donburi/Fresh seafood bowl with 7 different ingredients including tuna on a bowl of sushi rice! Only 680 yen! A whole meal!

A Shizuoka specialty: Anago donburi!
Broiled conger eel and tamagoyaki atop rice!
At 580 yen, a real bargain!

Right, that is all for sushi sets, bentos and takeouts at Shizuoka City Department Stores!
Of course if I have the opportunity to visit other Department Stores in a different city of our Prefecture I’ll be glad to report on them!

Any suggestions for the next theme based on food you could buy at Shizuoka City Department Stores?

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

BULA KANA in Fiji
Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in kanzai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Sushi Restaurant: Myouken in Gotemba City!

Service: Very friendly and attentive
Facilities & Equipment: Great general cleanliness. Superb washroom.
Prices: Reasonable~slightly expensive
Strong points: Oshizushi, local sake, traditional Japanese gastronomy.

The other day when I went to interview a local soy sauce maker in Gotemba City (article coming soon) I found myself with plenty of time at noon and decided to explore the vicinity of the Gotemba JR Station!

A few minutes walk away from the station I found this sign announcing Myouken/妙見, a local sushi restaurant…

Gotemba City at the foot of Mount Fuji is quite far from the sea, but you never know, so let’s have better look…

Founded in 1935! Now, that sounds as a venerable establishement but it had obviously been recently redecorated…

I had noticed one very important detail which encouraged me to enter the restaurant… but let’s take a picture first!

Remarkable decoration of the “lobby” created with real local rice stalks!

Now, these are delicious-looking take-aways!
Remember that Gotemba City is famous for its outlets with a lot of visitors from Tokyo!

Modern seating at the wide counter!

Beautiful Japanese tatami mat room!
Actually, there are more private rooms, some of which can be made non-smoking!

The lobby decoration has the added advantage to offer some privacy even at the central table I had chosen!

The all-important detail which encouraged me to discover the restaurant: Myoken has its own sake brewed by Takashima Brewery in Numazu City!

Now, apart of the delicious sake, what did I have for my first visit?
An enormous Hamaguri/蛤/Clam soup!

I opted for the sushi lunch set and one more local specialty!

The local specialty, a must: Fujinomiya no Benimasu Bougata Oshi Sushi/富士宮市産の紅鱒棒形押し寿司!
Rainbow Trout from Fujinomiya City served as pressed sushi, whole!
The founder of Myouken had come all the way from Nara City in 1935, a city famous for its pressed sushi!

For a better look!
I ate the lot, head included (I was complimented for that last detail!)!

The sushi lunch set!

From left to right: Chutoro Maguro/Tuna Chutoro, Tennen Hirame/Wild Sole-Flounder, Maguro Akami/Tuna lean Part and Aji/Horse Mackerel!

From left to right: Uni Gunkan/Sea Urchin as gunkan/mothership sushi, Ikura Gunkan/Salmon’s Roe Gunkan, Akagai Nigiri/Blood Clam Nigiri and Ebi Nigiri/Slightly seared Prawn Nigiri!

And for dessert: Local Japanese-style Yuzu/Lime Jelly!

Simple but perfect dessert!

As I have to visit Gotemba City regularly, expect another visit!

MYOUKEN
412-0043 Gotemba City, Shinbashi, 1983 (2 minutes walk from Gotemba Station Mount Fuji facing exit)
Tel. & fax: 0550-82-0142
Opening hours: 09:00~14:00, 15:30~20:00
Closed on Tuesdays
Credit Cards OK
Car park available

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in kanzai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Sushi: Wagyu Chirahizushi by the Dragon (the real one!)

The other day when the Missus/Dragon cooked her karaage chicken for the family who had come r place she also prepared chirashizushi/decoration susi as well!
The little difference was that when she had asked me to buy some ood beef for another dish found out I had bought some extravagant wagyu beef!

As the Japanese, especially the Dragon’s family, cannot conceive a meal without rice she decided to make a special sushi with wagyu.
She prepared the usual sushi rice (I did have to help with stirring/cutting the rice once steamed and addd with rice vinegar!). Her proportions arefor 2 large tablespoons and a little more of rice vinegar for 1 go/Japanese rice cup.

While the rice was steaming she cut the wagyu beef into small thin strips and fried them in soy sauce, sake and mirin. Once cooked she let it cool completely.
She prepared some sweet egg soboro/fine Japanese scrambled eggs.
Once the rice was ready she added the wagyu beef, finely chopped konbu seaweed, egg soboro and finely sliced cucumber and mixed the lot inside the large wooden sushi vessel.

She topped the whole with plenty of fresh daikon sprouts for decoration and balance.
The sushi vessel was placed in the middle of the table and people served themselves directly for it!

A good idea for a party?
A good accompaniment for a BBQ?

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (12/16): Vegetarian Te-mari Sushi. Bento!

Te-Mari Zushi/手丸り寿司 means hand-made sushi balls in a spherical shape originally designed for geishas to eat easily. Mine are a bit bigger than the ones found in Kyoto. After all I’m of the male gender!

The Missus made three types, all with local vegetables and rice:
From left to right: Home-pickled (amazu sweet vinegar) myoga on sushi rice seasoned with black sesame seeds, boiled stick broccoli on sushi rice seasoned with hijki sweet seaweed, minced pickled red cucumber and black sesame seeds and lotus root home-pickled in umeboshi amazu over plain sushi rice.

The side box contains at least three desserts:
Left to right: on top sweet Japanese-style candied green peas above home-made kumquat compote, boiled broccoli and mini tomatoes in the middle and tamagoyaki containing cheese and parsley!

Once a again a very colorful and really yummy bento!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (12/14): Irish Salmon & Shizuoka Dekopon Sushi Bento!

Using orange with the rice of sushi?
Yes, it is definitely a good idea when you consider it balances the saltiness of the fish so well!

It also makes for beautiful colors!
The Missus having prepared the sushi rice as usual mixed it with chopped parsley and shredded dekopon orange from Mr. Onuma’s Farm!

She then made a well in the middle to provide for a bed of lettuce on which she rested a couple of roses made up with smoked salmon just brought to us by an Irish friend decorated with pink pepper seeeds and lemon.

As for the salad (no need for dessert with all the orange!) box, plenty of boiled of Brussels sprouts, boiled shrimps and cherry tomatoes with a little mayonnaise, and plenty of boiled black beans (for dessert?)

Very colorful and so tasty!

Sushi: Kawahagi-Filefish Sashimi & Sushi at Sushi Ko in Shizuoka City!

Service: Very friendly and always accommodating
Facilities: Great overall cleanliness. Superb washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Great use of local seafood. Will try hard to accommodate any requests!

Kawahagi, or Filefish or Leather jacket in the Land of Oz, must be one of the most underrated fish in the World!
Some people go as far as to say that penny for penny it is worth more than overpriced globefish/fugu!

As we sat at Sushi Ko, our favorite Sushi Restaurant in Shizuoka City we noticed “Kawahagi Tsukuri”/カワハギ造り/Filefish sashimi Plate written on the small board featuring the “specials” of the day!

The live filefish taken out of the tank by the chef!
The fish had been caught off Sagara in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Sushi Ko has a great list of local sake, but I had to order one from Masu Ichi Brewery in Shizuoka City as this might well be the last bottle as the brewery closed down following the untimely death of its owner/master brewer. An incredible loss for the Shizuoka Sake World!

Tuna Tartare as the snack for the first drink!

The filefish sashimi plate!

You roll the fine slices of filefish around some thin leeks before dipping it in its sauce!

The dip sauce!
It was made with the fresh raw liver of the filefish finely chopped and mixed with ponzu!
A true delicacy!

The chef had kept apart a little sashimi and liver for two more morsels!

A nigiri with chopped thin leeks under the fish topped with its liver!

A gunkan/”mother ship” with the sashimi topped with its liver and chopped thin leeks!

And the deep-fried jowls of the fish you eat with your fingers (that you lick later!) to cap it all!
Have I convinced you to look for that fish next time you see it on a market?

“Pon kara maguro”/deep-fried tuna cubes with grated daikon seasoned with chili pepper!

Of course the filefish was only the beginning of our dinner.
So for the record here we go including the above picture!

Maguro Zuke/Marinated lean part of tuna!

Hotate/Scallops!

Amaebi/Sweet shrimps!
(sorry for the fuzzy pic, as my mind was getting a bit fuzzy with all the sake!)

Geso karaage/Deep-fried squid tentacles!

The same, to eat with your fingers!

Ankimo/Frogfish liver or “Japanese foie gras”!

Anago to kyuri maki/Broiled Conger eel and cucumber roll!

Ika shiso to mentaiko maki/Squid, perilla leaf and cod roe pickled in chili pepper roll!

Shirako yaki/Baked cod sperm sacs!

Rainbow California Roll!

Containing: avocado, tamagoyaki/Japanese omelet, salmon, salmon roe, prawn, cucumber and akami/lean tuna! Seven of them of course!

Kanpyou maki, the roll for the vegetarians and vegans!
Kanpyou is made with the shavings of a gourd, first dried and then marinated in sweet sauce!

Asari miso shiru/Miso soup with cockles!

To be continued…

SUSHI KO
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho. 2-3-1 (Aoba Koen)
Tel.: 054-2512898
Business Hours： 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 （Sundays）
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London
Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (12/10): Chirashizushi & Omelet Bento!

For once the Missus this morning combined Eastern and Western gastronomies in my bento!
Chirashizushi is probably the most popular form of sushi when it comes to bento in Japan, while omelets as their name indicates apparently originated in France (my home country)!

The ingredients found in the sushi box are basically the same inside and on top of the rice.
The Missus having prepared and let cool down the sushi rice mixed it with boiled shrimps, cheese, cut black olives, red sweet pimento slices and sliced Golden Ameera Rubbins Pearl Tomatoes.
She added walnut and red cabbage sprouts for the last touch.

For the side dish she prepared a plain omelet she seasoned with vegetable and tomato sauce on a bed of baby leaves and sprouts.
For added color and taste she added lemon and a red Ameera Rubbins Pearl Tomato.

Looks simple enough, but very tasty, healthy and appetizing!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Ekiben/Railway lunch Box: Oku Suruga No Iso Chirashi in Mishima JR Station!

Yesterday I suddenly had to go all the way to Mishima City, about half an hour and two stations away by Shinkasen from Shizuoka City and just had the time on my way back to sample a new ekiben/駅弁/Railway Lunch Box (or boxed lunch)!

Nice packaging!
Oku Suruga No Iso Chirashi/奥駿河の磯ちらし basically means a chirashi/decoration-style sushi made with ingredients from the far corners of Suruga Bay!

Can you see the little sign in the left top corner?
It is the registration as a “True Japanese Ekiben”!

Tounakaken Co in Numazu City advertises precisely all the contents. And there certainly were a lot of ingredients!

A rigid transparent plastic cover protects the contents.

Now, what do we have?
Actually a lot!
As the ingredients are all a bit “mixed up” I’ll give them right away. Let’s see if we can distinguish them later:
Sushi rice, Nishiki ko Tamago/shredded omelette, octopus, simmered shiitake, Sakura Ebi/Cherry shrimps, crab, gari/pickled ginger, tobiuo tamago/flying fish roe, cucumber, ooba shiso/perilla, white sesame seeds and seaweed!

Cucumber, omelette, Flying fish roe, octopus,…

Pickled ginger, shiitake, omelette, flying fish roe,…

Omelette, crab, cucumber, sakura ebi, flying fish roe,…

Here you can see that the sushi rice was first topped with konbu seaweed and simmered shiitake!

Eating local sushi on a train! What more can you ask? LOL

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (12/03): Sushi Roll Feast Bento!

When you are short of ideas just keep rolling away!
The Missus was short of inspiration for today’s bento as she said, so I told her, “Why not making sushi rolls with whatever you can find in the fridge?”

Simple ideas are usually the best!

And here is the result!
The Missus and I wrap our rolls in lettuce instead of dry seaweed whenever possible for better colors, balance and taste.
Making the sushi rice was simple enough. The first roll includes carrot thinly cut lengthwise, the second tinned white tuna from Yui in Shizuoka City and thinly cut cucumber, and the third one soft ham from Sanoman Co. in Fujinomiya City and sliced black olives!

This side dish must have been one of the most colorful ever with no less than three different mini tomatoes from Fuji City, yellow, red and blackish red, boiled Brussels sprouts and a Missus’ boiled egg atop a tartare sauce bed and topped with a sliced olive!

A very solid bento, I guarantee you! And yummy!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass, Einfach Bento,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Sushi Set in a Shizuoka City Supermarket!

There is this kind of quaint rivalry between Tokyo and the rest of Japan when it comes to gastronomy, a situation which is fueled by some famous/notorious guides of international repute/disrepute for obvious financial reasons.
How many times was I told almost brutally by other expats living the grand life of Tokyo that nothing compares with the metropolis when it comes to gastronomy…
Admittedly some regions of Japan are grudgingly granted some kind of recognition, i.e. Kyoto, Hokkaido, etc. under the leadership of the media cited above, but for the rest….
The case of Shizuoka is particularly acute. Tokyo expats (not all, mind ou!) go as far as considering Izu Peninsula and Mount Fuji as their own back gardens!
The situation is purposefully exacerbated by most famous restaurants in the Capital who certainly do not wish people at large to know too much about Shizuoka Prefecture for the simple reason that many of them wouldn’t exist without the myriads of vegetables, meat and fish varieties produced here.
Just visit a supermarket in Shizuoka City and you will understand my meaning! Actually, I stopped completely eating in Tokyo! My money is better spent looking for the hidden treasures of faraway Prefectures.
Enough complaining, and just allow me to show you an example to illustrate this topic:
As the Missus was working today I was responsible for the shopping.

This is what I found at the nearby Shizutetsu Supermarket: a sushi set prepared by Uogashi Company (they have a branch in Yokohama), a fish and sushi company located in Numazu City, in the Eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture.

The price: 980 yen! Less than 10 Euros or 13 US $!

And all the ingredients are clearly indicated!
Actually, you could buy in lieu of a bento box!
All the fish comes from nearby seas!

Now, what do we have?

From top to bottom, left to right:
Maguro & maguro akami/鮪赤身/tuna lean part. Not the bluefin tuna, but most probably mebachi maguro/目鉢鮪/big eye tuna.
Ika/烏賊/Cuttlefish, most probably surume ika/鯣烏賊/Japanese flying squid.
Shiradai (also called Shirodai)/白鯛/”White seabream” (Gymnocranius euanus Günther).
Sanma/秋刀魚/Pacific saury topped with chopped leek.
Tachiuo/太刀魚/Scabbard fish or largehead hairtail.

From top to bottom, left to right:
Ika/烏賊/Cuttlefish, most probably surme ika/鯣烏賊/Japanese flying squid.
Suzuki/鱸/Japanese seabass/seeperch.
Tamagoyaki/玉焼き/Japanese omelette.
Tachiuo/太刀魚/Scabbard fish or largehead hairtail.
Shirasu gunkan/シラス軍艦/A gunkan style sushi topped with raw sardine whitebait seasoned with chopped leek and ginger.
Sakuraebi Gunkan/桜海老軍艦/Cherry Shrimps seasoned with grated ginger.
You will not find the last two in Tokyo except in ridiculously priced exclusive restaurants!
Soy sauce and grated wasabi.

You will not find such a set at that kind of low price (if you are lucky enough to discover them fresh) for such variety and quality in Tokyo!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (11/64): Oyako Bento!

“Oyako/親子” in Japanese means “Parent and Child”. It is used to describe two different combinations in Japanese Gastronomy, Chicken & Eggs or Fish & Roe. The Missus opted for the latter this morning with smoked salmon and salmon’s roe! Mind you, I could have called it a “Russian Bento”!

All orange color, the official color of Shizuoka Prefecture (though we do not have salmon here!) and that of my rugby club back home in France!

The Missus prepared sushi rice she actually mixed with tiny bits of seasoned seaweed and filled one box with it.
She covered half with seasoned smoked salmon.

She covered the other half with soy sauce-seasoned salmon roe from Hokkaido.
She separated the “Parent ” and the “Child” with fresh cress, sliced black olive and half a sudachi lemon for extra seasoning.

Plenty of colors again for the salad and dessert box!

Spicy burdock root/gobo (cooked) and water spinach sprouts/空心菜/kōngxīncài (raw) seasoned with gomadare/sesame dressing.

The Missus’ specialty, tamagoyaki, this time containing finely chopped parsley and red carrot, lettuce, Ameera pearl tomatoes and Red Heart Kiwi fruit!

Very, very tasty and very satisfying again!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (11/61): Kanikama Chirashizushi Bento!

Kanikama stands for Kani Kamaboko/Crab imitation paste made with steamed fish meat!
The Missus found a very interesting kanikama on the market and decided to use some for today’s bento!

The best way for color and design was to prepare it as Chirashizushi/Decoration sushi!

Having steamed the rice with plenty of konbu, she then prepared it as sushi rice. She mixed it with pieces of Kanikama, thin slices of cucumber, pimento, avocado cubes, cresson and home-pickled sanshyo/Japanese pepper. She decorated the top with the same!

The salad and dessert box was very colorful, too!

Salad of violet potatoes and boiled black beans on a bed of lettuce!

Dessert with plenty of fruit: Nashi/Japanese pear, grapefruit wedges and Red Heart Kiwi Fruit slices!

Very colorful and so tasty again!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Today’s Bento/Lunch Box (11/59): Sakura Inari Sushi & Sakura Ebi Tamagoyaki Bento!

Yesterday was the official opening of the Autumn Season (as opposed to the Spring Season) for sakura ebi/桜海老/Cherry Shrimps caught exclusively off the Shizuoka shores!
Naturally, the Missus bought some at a local supermarket!

This time she prepared the rice as inarizushi!

The pouches for inari zushi are made with deep-fried tofu sheets readily available in any supermarkets. You first cut them in halves and then cut inside with a sharp knife to form a pouch. Of course you can also buy them as the finished product!
The Missus prepared sushi rice and mixed it with sweet preserved sakura/cherry blossoms for a cute color!

A side box with beautiful colors again!

The Missus made tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette with sakura ebi and leeks! Soooo tasty!

Fresh lettuce, pickled fuki/bog rhubarb from Nagano Prefecture, Shizuoka plum tomatoes and home-pickled cucumbers seasoned with golden and black sesame seeds!
For dessert, red heart kiwi fruit. Incidentally Shizuoka Prefecture is a major producer of kiwi fruit!

Did I say I loved it? LOL

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Deep-sea Fish Restaurant: Uoshige in Heda, Izu Peninsula!

Service: Very friendly and family-style
Equipment: Old and basic. This is real rural Japan!
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Deep-sea gastronomy!

Heda is real rural Japan but it has so many merits making it a must visit in Izu Peninsula:
The small but very efficient Heda Tourism Office will provide you with all kinds of information including the full list of restaurants serving the real local food!
And the local food includes a true local specialty: deep-sea fish!

Some time ago the locals decided to create their own brand of “hanpen/はんぺん/fish patty with the deep-fish caught in their nets chasing other fish. Throwing back these fish into the sea was simply stupid waste and unecological. Some of them found their way on the plates in the form of succulent and rare sashimi or deep-fried fish but the rest were minced and mixed with local vegetables into patties to be first deep-fried into “hedatoro hanpen/ヘダトロはんぺん/Heda Fish Patties before being served cold or heated! The other reason, would you believe, was to find a way to have children eat vegetables! These Hedatoro Hanpen of course are made in every home according to individual recipes!

We decided to visit Uoshige among the 8 recommended restaurants because we found that it was a meeting point popular with bikers who come in great numbers to enjoy the roads and views of Izu Peninsula!

Live Takaashigani/高足蟹/Japanese Spider Crabs in the aquarium just as you enter the establishment!

Poster of the local deep sea food served according to seasons!

I ordered deep-sea fish sashimi set lunch!
All meals are served with “shiokara/塩辛/preserved salted squid”, but they were kind enough to serve my lunch without it as this is one of the very rare foods in Japan that don’t agree with me!

Freshly steamed rice and beautiful miso soup full of local seaweed!

The sashimi that you will not find anywhere else!
On the left very tender, “Mehikari or Torobchi/めひかり・トロボチ/Brighteye” and on the right both tender and crispy with fine soft bones, “Megisu/めぎす/Large-eye Sillago”!

“Mehikari or Torobochi/めひかり・トロボチ/Brighteye”!

“Megisu/めぎす/Large-eye Sillago”!

The Hedatoro Hanpen/Heda Deep-Sea Fish Patties!

They even have a leaflet all over town introducing the 10 restaurants and shops serving/selling them!

Uoshige’s patties are arguably the most celebrated as many TV Channels came all the way to report on them. Very light, tender, healthy and so yummy!

These patties are also made with “Mehikari or Torobchi/めひかり・トロボチ/Brighteye” and “Megisu/めぎす/Large-eye Sillago”!

Tofu, o-shinko/Japanese pickles and local mandarine to finish!

The Missus had the enormous Tendon/天丼/Tempura Bowl Lunch Set.
I did have to help her finish it!
Can you see the shiokara/塩辛/preserved salted squid in front…

Her very generous tempura consisted of large prawns/kuruma ebi/車海老 and two other deep sea fish:

Gehou/げほう, or officially Toujin/トウジン/Caelorinchus japonicus (Temminnck and Schlegel)!

Donko/どんこ, or officially Nodoguro/のどぐろ/ I could not find the Latin name, rare as it is!

Succulent little monsters that many a Japanese wouldn’t mind crossing the country to taste!

If I have not convinced you yet to visit Heda, look forward to more articles very soon!

UOSHIGE SHOKUDOU/魚重食堂
Heda, Numazu Shi, Shizuoka ken (in front of the bus stop and Tourism Information Bureau)
Tel.: 0558-94-2381
Business hours: 11:00~15:00, 17:00~19:00 (Snack open on the 2F from 19:30)
Closed on Tuesdays
Smoking allowed

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Shizuoka Seafood: Heda Fishmarket in Izu Peninsula!

Although a small village, not even a city as it is part of enlarged Numazu City, Heda in the north west of Izu Peninsula is nonetheless a major shipping harbor in Shizuoka Prefecture with more than 1,400 years of officially-recorded history!
It is the only place where for example you still can see live Takaashigani/高足蟹/Japanese spider crab, the largest crab in the world!

Yesterday I had the occasion to visit the Heda Fishermen Cooperative Direct Sales Fishmarket/戸田漁協直売所.
It is not big as more than 95% of the fish and seafood caught in Suruga Bay by the fishing boats of Heda will at once been dispatched far and away (especially Tokyo!). But at least that little establishment gives you an idea of what beauties are caught in the vicinity!

Let’s have a good look at what we have here…

Enormous te-naga ebi/手長海老/Scampi/Gambas!

Megisu/目鱚/a variety of sillago found in very deep sea, a specialty of the region!

Aka ika/赤烏賊/Red squids caught overnight! I actually saw the boats coming back home!

Madai/真鯛/True Seabreams!

Kawahagi/カワハギ/Threadsail Filefish/Leatherjackets, a most underestimated delicacy!

Budai/ブダイ/Calotomus japonicus (Valenciennes) and Kasago/カサゴ/False kelpfish; Marbled rockfish (smaller one)!

Ridiculously low prices for such fresh beauties!

Warasa/ワラサ/Young Japanese Amberjack!

Kinmedai/金目鯛/Spledid Alfonsino, a top-class fish on Tokyo tables!

More warasa at ridiculous prices!

Takahasigani/高足蟹/Japanese Spider Crab! A small one, although it already reaches almost a meter from leg tip to leg tip!

Sazae/サザエ/Turbo shells! Another expensive delicacy on Tokyo tables!

Live Iseebi/伊勢海老/Spiny lobsters!

Izu Peninsula is celebrated for its extravagant salt: Ida Shio/井田塩 gathered in Ida near Heda!

Top-class nori/のり/seaweed!

Izu Peninsula produces half of all sun-dried fish and seafood/Himono/干物 in Japan!
Aji no Himono/鯵の干物/Dried Horse Mackerel!

Kinmedai Himono from Heda! Again ridiculously low-priced!

Saba Himono from Heda/鯖/Mackerel!

And this is only one of many reasons to visit Heda!

Access: Go down at Mishima JR Station, take the local train/Izu hakone Line to Shyuzenji at the local station just beside the Mishima Station Entrance (30 minutes, 510 yen). Take a bus from Shyuzenji Station to Heda, terminal No 6 (54 minutes, 1,000 yen)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery