culinary paradise: Japan

Sep 24

Sep 24 culinary paradise: Japan

I don't think anybody is surprised anymore that food was one one of, if not the main focus during our trip to Japan. We wanted to try everything and definitely did not cut back on our dining budget. It doesn't mean we dined fancy - not at all most of the time, but we surely got the munching on.
Everybody asks us what was the favourite, and it is so hard to say as every time we tried something new we were as amazed. Kobe beef of course tops the list with the fresh tuna sushi from Tsukiji market in Tokyo, however these are the obvious. Octopus takoyaki (the ultimate comfort food - Maja) or deep fried kushikatsu (Thomas) will also be recalled for a long time. You can see below most of our favourites and if you're interested in our full itinerary you can find out all about it here.

Soba noodles

We were never crazy about soba (buckwheat noodles, usually served cold) so it was very unplanned that it turned out to be our very first meal in Japan. And let me tell you, we're both huge soba fans since then. It was perfect, fresh and full of flavour. This place is located on Tokyo Station's so-called Kitchen Street (floor -1 liend with plenty of restaurants) and is highly recommended!

Yakitori

We stopped for yakitori (grilled skewers) while discovering the Ameyoko street market in Tokyo's Ueno neighbourhood. This bar lured us with a bunch of people sipping on miracously cold beers when there was nothing we wanted more with the overwhelming humidity and temperature of not less than 35° Celcius. But their menu of yakitori was so tempting, we couldn't resist. Different kinds of chicken (marinated in spicy garlic sauce or just pieces of cripsy chicken skin) were heavenly good. We tried pork tongue as well (sic!) but were not as impressed...

Tonkatsu

Is thre anything better than a properly fried cutlet? No. And served with magical Japanese barbeque sauce and fresh cabbage, it's pure heaven. We tried it here in Tokyo Shinjuku area and it was just perfect.

Ramen

There's no visit to Japan without trying ramen at least once, even with the tropical heat outside. We ended up in this restaurant in Akihabra by chance and it couldn't be better. Not entirely sure what we're choosing, we ordered our meals with the machine at the entrance and waited for whatever was to arrive watching the team in the open kitchen preparing those perfectly firm noodles and wonderfully fragnant soup. Yum!

Kushikatsu

We read about kushikatsu before and couldn't wait to get to Osaka to try it. Different kinds of skewers covered in panko and deep fried - it tastes a million times more special than it sounds and it easily made it to the top of our list of favourites. Now, you would probably never enter this place by yourself but you definitely should if wandering through Osaka's Shinsekai area. It's a tiny restaurant with only several seats at the counter but their skewers were absolutely exceptional. The ultimate rule: NEVER dip your skewer twice in the sauce bowl!

Shojin ryori

Shojin ryori is a type of vegetarian cuisine originally eaten by ascetic Buddhist monks. Meals are made using only seasonal vegetables and served in simple but beautiful arrangements. We had a chance to taste this kind of cuisine in the ryokan we stayed in (Mount View Hakone during our Hakone trip) and in the Buddhist temple we visited in Koya-san.

Kobe beef

Being so close to Kobe (well, we didn't have time to visit Kobe itself but Kyoto was close enough) and not trying the famous beef would just not do. It wasn't easy to find a good place though. Everything seemed too touristic, overpriced and simply not good, so we set ourselves for quite a challenge. We found this restaurant online and as it turned out, they just recently opened a new spot right next to our flat. Let me tell you, it was perfect. The restaurant was more than pleasent and the service impeccable. But when it comes to food... well, let's just say you don't want to eat any other kind of meat again. EVER. We were served a big tray of different kinds of raw beef and ate it in form of yakiniku (literally grilled meat) grilling it ourselves on a little plate in the middle of our table.
Comparing to the prices we saw in the other restaurants, we payed a very VERY resonable one and therefore would recommed this place to everybody.

Takoyaki

Takoyaki (a ball-shaped wheat flour-based batter cooked in a special molded pan and typically filled with minced or diced octopus was a number one on the list of our must-trys. I mean, FRIED OCTOPUS BALLS. We saw some relations of several bloggers praising takoyaki stand on Kyoto's Nishiki Market and this is where we went to try tem. Snacks don't get better than this.

Okonomiyaki

Another must. We tried it in Paris before (and were very entertained by the pieces of dry fish slowly moving with the heat) but however good it was, it was nothing compared to this. We had this savoury pancake made from scratch for us in the guesthouse we were staying in in Nara and this home-made touch made it very very special.

Sushi

Another obvious must in Japan, sushi is of course available anytime and anywhere. We did try the famous conveyor belt restaurants and it was wonderful, but to do it right there is one place you can't miss: Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. Known for the freshest and the best quality fish, it is an amazing place to try the best of Japan's flavours. Different kinds of tuna (from the greasiest to the most common one) - unforgettable!

Street food

One great thing about Japanese cuisine is the variety of street food available literally everywhere. From numerous food markets to single vendors on the site of the street, one thing is for sure: you'll never get hungry.

Desserts

From everything covered in matcha (and if you're a sucker for this green powder you will be as happy as I was) to everything filled with red bean paste, sweet treats are everywhere. Personal favourite: mochi rice cake and fish-shaped taiyaki.