Will the tonkatsu inspire me?

I haven't gotten my groove back from my last trip back to Japan yet. I've been tired, busy, sick, and generally low in energy, and my desire to blog has been minimal. Just to give you an idea of how exhausted I feel, I haven't even had much of an appetite! Now, that's serious...

I'm trying to get myself more energized, but I am going to easy into blogging with this short tonkatsu post.


Amazingly, this perfectly crispy yet moist golden-brown deep fried pork filet, otherwise known as tonkatsu (ton = pork, katsu = cutlet), was something I had at the Narita airport before all hell broke loose. I really liked the fact that it was resting on a cooling rack to prevent the bottom side from getting soggy - now, that's considerate service, fitting of a Japanese establishment!

The tonkatsu itself was quite thick yet crispy on the outside. One of the most common methods used in Japanese tonkatsu restaurants to achieve crispy perfection is to fry it once in really hot oil for the crunchy exterior, followed by a longer frying period in lower temperature oil to cook the inside some more. Most likely, this double-temperature frying method was at work here too.

Along with all-you-can-eat cabbage and rice, this plate of delicious pork reminded me of how the Japanese have really Japanified non-native foods to a whole new level of Japanese-ness...

Let's see if I can muster up enough energy to put together my post about my fugu dinner and more from Japan tomorrow...

Happy Lunar New Year!

Wow, where did the day go? I feel like I just woke up and now it's 11:30 PM. I spent the whole day in a haze!!!!

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! May the Year of the Dog bring you all much happiness!

Guaranteed perfect pour

Since I was trapped in the Business class lounge for longer than I ever care for, I had to entertain myself somehow. So, what does a blogger do with loads of free time? Take pictures! This beer-pouring machine that I am writing about today is worthy of a spot on MED, even I weren't bored out of my mind, but I don't know if I would've actually taken picture of it in action if it weren't for the countless hours and pours I saw this machine produce - each time, with the perfect amount of foam for a beautiful pour!

Right next to the beer-machine is a fridge full of chilled glasses. Funny thing is, during the crisis, one of the biggest complaints from the Japanese passengers was that the beer glass in the fridge was still warm! Chilled beer glasses over showers! Ha, there's my fellow countrymen!

Once you take the glass out of the fridge, you set it in its designated spot on the machine...

and hit the Go button.

The glass tilts on its own and beer comes out of the left spout.

Just as the glass is about to get full, the machine tilts one more time. This time, foam comes out of the right spout, and voila~! A perfectly poured glass of beer with a lusciously enticing foamy head!

I had a few of these the first night, but I decided that I really needed all of my wits to get out of the airport on my second night - I decided to hold off on the drinks until we were in the air, just in case... Must've been some kind of premonition for my looming doom. It was a good thing I stayed away from the beer-machine, because sure enough - my flight didn't go on Round 2 either!

I have close to 200 more pictures from my stay in Japan, so come back soon for more MED - Japan 2006!

I promise...

Tomorrow, I promise to get back into regular programming...

I am tired, sick, and totally exhausted from my trip back...

But just to give you a sneak preview, here are some of the things that are coming soon:

1. Sendai onsen trip report #1 from Matsushima
Matsushima, which directly translates to Pine tree Island, is known for its beauty. It was near this area that I saw a 400+ yr old cherry tree, planted by the renowned samurai lord, Da-te Masamune himself.

2. Sendai onsen trip report #2 from Akiu
Known for its medicinal qualities, the hot spring at Akiu was true rejuvenating. And the kaiseki meal at the resort? Purely divine.

3. Sushi from Shiogama
Shiogama has the most sushi restaurants per square feet in all of Japan because of its availability of unique catch and the highest quality fish for traditional material. I had some fish I have never had in my many years of sushi consumption here.

4. Korean food like only Japanese people can prepare
Japanese-Korean grilled meats that is as much a part of Japanese cuisine as pizza is in the US...

5. Nagoya's best Kaiseki, fit for the royal family
I ate at Ka-se, a kaiseki-style restaurant in my home town of Nagoya, chatting with the Head Chef as he went back and forth between our room and another room - where the Japanese royalty (the Mi-ya ke) were sitting...

6. Odds and Ends
Automatic beer pouring machine that makes the perfect pour each time, Japanese bread so good yet like you'll never find anywhere else, etc, etc.

I promise, promise, promise to start writing all this out before I forget the nuances~~~~~!

Total Insanity

I will get back to blogging about food soon, but I just had to make a quick post about the Narita airport crisis. I mean, crisis is really the right word for that situation. It all started when 5 inches of snow fell on Tokyo an January 21st. Flights were canceled on that Saturday and service did not pick up on Sunday. There were close to 10,000 people who had to stay over at the airport, sleeping on the floor and waiting for food and water to be given out without showers or clean clothes. Many non-Japanese travelers didn't even have the option to leave the gate area, because they had already passed through immigration. The latest report says that there were 51 canceled flights on Saturday and 68 canceled flights on Sunday.

On Saturday night, I ended up spending the night in the Japan Airlines business class lounge. It was crowded with people on chairs and the floor. I had to buy a set of clothes to change into, and since I am a frequent traveler at Narita, I knew to reserve a spot for myself to take a shower at the Refresh Room (~$5 for 30 min). I survived and it was acceptable because - yes, it was weather-related and although I wished they had hotel rooms for us somewhere, I was OK about this whole situation. BUT when my Sunday flight also got canceled, I knew I couldn't do this again. The lounge was filling up at an alarming rate, there food service was dwindling, and the resources of the airport was really stretched to its limits. And really, it hadn't snowed in 24 hrs and most other airlines were flying out just fine. After seeing the chaotic response process from Japan Airlines, I decided that there was no way they were going to recover from this to fly me out on the third try either.

So instead, I spent close to 5 hrs last night trying to get out of the airport. I had picked up two travel companions - two American businessmen from IBM. They were magically able to secure two rooms at a hotel about 10 minutes away from the airport when everything else was completely booked - not even Japan Airlines could find rooms. We hit some snags in the hotel reservation process too, but the problem was nothing compared to what we found when trying to find a cab to get out of the airport. We stood in line outside in 30 degree F weather for close to 3 hours. We had a great rotation system going, where one of us stood outside for 5 min while the other two rested, which allowed us to have 10 min inside to warm up after 5 min of bitter, teeth-chattering chill.　　It was hard, but the reward was sweet - a was hard, but the reward was sweet - a revitalizing hot shower and clean sheets!　　I had a change of clothes with me by this time, because during the process of leaving the gates, I found my checked bag tossed to the side in the baggage claim area. When I saw it, I ran to it, took some essentials out, and left it there, since I was still planning on flying with them at that point.

I am now back in the Bay Area, released from my ordeal. But my bag is MIA, and I did not fly with Japan Airlines. I will likely never fly with Japan Airlines again - if they had it their way, I would have spent a total of 59 consecutive hours in the airport terminal with no clean clothes and limited food and water. Although I was one of the lucky few to get out, there are many who did exactly that. From the stories I heard today on the United flight from fellow Japan Airlines JL 002 survivors, my 5 hr escape in the bitter cold was a blessing. I guess things went from bad to ugly at the gates with violence breaking out and police being called. If you know of a blog or some other post about the Narita crisis, please let me know!

PS
I was here and here~~~!

Amazing~~~~

I am in awe of my own (bad) luck when it comes to flying. Just last June, I ended up spending an extra night in NYC due to a canceled flight. Here I am, again, sitting at an airport for +24 hrs! This time, I am in Tokyo airport, waiting for a 24 hr delayed flight back to San Francisco.

Luckily, this time, I am in an executive lounge in Tokyo airport with amzing things like automatic beer-pouring machines. These things make the perfect pour with the touch of a button. And yes, I did take a few pictures to demonstrate.

I really, really, really hope my flight takes off today. These nice people just gave me a few pastry breads since their flight was announced as boarding. I was telling them that I've been here 24+ hrs, so they wished me luck with sweets. It looks pretty good~!

Well, I have a crap load of pictures of delicious treats and delicate meals from my trip, so stay tuned for MED-Japan Edition 2006!

PS:
Hmmm. I am automatically connected to Blogger on the JP server, and there is no spell check function here... Please excuse the typos!

Off to Japan!

My vacation is finally here!!!!!

I'll be in Japan, traveling around Nagoya, Tokyo, Kanazawa, and Sendai in search of epicurean delights and much needed rest and relaxation!

See you all when I get back next week!

Jai Yun Report, Finally.

The last few weeks of work have been really tough on me, and I find myself unable to motivate to blog or do anything else at the end of the day... My meals have been terse, providing nutrients over pleasure. I keep telling myself things will get better, and surely, next week will be one fit for an epicure. THREE MORE DAYS til I head over to Japan!

But before I jet away, I will finish my report of my meal at Jai Yun. I think my meal at Jai Yun was one of those in which the impression immediately after the meal was vastly better than what I can reflect upon - I feel like I liked the place right after I ate there than I do now. Like I said yesterday, there was absolutely nothing I didn't like about my meal. In fact, I genuinely enjoyed everything. However, now, a few weeks later, nothing is really coming back to me as being striking.



Every dish was carefully prepared, with each vegetable in the stir-fry firm yet completely heated, dressed in just enough oil to satisfy the taste buds without leaving an oily streak all over your lips.



All the sauces were carefully concocted to highlight the sweetness of the vegetables and to unify the meat into the dish.



The starch for the evening were paper-thin transparent noodles, which was delicate and light. Neither overpowering or particularly memorable, it fit right into the course meal as another dish without demanding all the limelight.



And really, the meal was a perfect sequence of dishes - colorful and tantalizing. The course was designed to fit neatly together to draw a beautiful image of Chinese cuisine. Yet, what was lacking was a climax - or any build-up leading to a climax. The entire course was pleasurable, but I don't recall there being one deliciously memorable dish. And to tell you the truth, despite the deliciousness, there were no ingredients or treatment of the ingredients that was utterly unique.

The whole experience was unique and I'm really glad I finally had a chance to check out the infamous reservation-only prie-fixe-only Chinese restaurant. It really was an experience! And although I might be too demanding, for over $60 a person in a no-frill setting, I was hoping for something spectacular and memorable. No doubt Jai Yun was good, but so is Daimo and Saigon Seafood Harbor. And for the same price, I think I will be getting the sampan-style fried lobster next time...

PS: Remember that abalone I was so excited about when I made the reservations? Like most of my meal at Jai Yun, although it was delicious, it just didn't knock my socks off. And no, the abalone was neither previously dried nor as fresh as the abalone sashimi at Anzu...

Jai Yun Report, Really.

Four more days 'til my annual Japan trip! Holy moly, it's going to be busy, busy, busy for the next few days. I leave on Sunday, and guess what I have to do on Saturday? No, not shop for souvenirs. W-O-R-K. Sigh...

Anyway, on a lighter note, I'm finally getting around to writing about Jai Yun, a reservation-only, prie-fixe-only Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. I really had no idea what to expect, and since I really wanted dried abalone in my course, I asked the Papa Bear to call them and ask for the course with abalone included. I have heard so much about how absolutely delicious dried abalone is in the hands of an expert Chinese chef, so I was really hoping to see that one the menu, no matter how small the taste may be...

The meal started out with three small plates of cold dishes - appetizers, if you will. Then, it came, and came, and came, and came until our entire table was full of small bites of carefully prepared samplings - a bite of this, a bite of that. There was something crunchy, something soft, something vinegared, something salty. It was a whirlwind tour of flavors!



The parade of cold dishes may have been the highlight of my meal, although the hot dishes certainly weren't a disappointment in any sense of the word. The extent of variety continued to amaze me, as dishes after dishes made its way from the kitchen to our table.



I was a little bit surprised to see seaweed that was very similar to mekabu in a Chinese dish. I didn't realize that Chinese cuisine also utilized seaweeds like we do in Japan. Because I love the texture of seaweed - a firm bite without being chewy or tough, I found this dish to be very pleasurable. The radish provided a refreshing juiciness lacking in seaweed, while the meat sauce provided the punch a dish needs to satisfy.



What impressed me about Jai Yun's sequence of dishes was the planning itself - a light dish followed by a heavy dish, a dark sauce followed by a clear sauce, a spicy dish followed by a tame dish. Vegetables alternated with dishes heavy in meats to provide for a constantly stimulated meal. I was introduced to a variety of new Chinese vegetables, but unfortunately, none of them come to me now...

Part II of the Jai Yun meal will be posted tomorrow... I'm sleepy!

Jai Yun Report...

It's coming soon, I swear...



It's just that I went to bed at 10 PM last night, and I have a very important meeting today... Urgh, life is getting in the way of blogging again!

In one week!

It's been a whirlwind weekend - Saturday was spent doing errands and recovering from the nasty bug I had all last week. On Sunday (that's today), I was somehow convinced to head to the slopes at Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe, for an 'easy' day of skiing. I was still quite tired, and slept most of the ride sleeping to and from Tahoe. I managed to squeeze a few runs in, and over all, it was worth it to get some fresh air into my system.

I really haven't had a very exciting week, meal-wise, to report of from last week. I've been eating mostly simple home-cooked dishes that can be made in 15-20 min that produce leftovers that pack well for lunches the next day. Spaghetti, cous cous, soups, stews, and porridges - nothing all that worthy of reporting, unfortunately...

BUT, what I will have soon is a week full of delicious notes and photos from my week-long trip to Japan coming up in just a week! I'll be traveling through my hometown in Nagoya, followed by visits to Tokyo, Kanazawa, and Sendai. Crab, fugu (puffer fish), and all sorts of other epicurean delights from the sea are in their prime season right now!

In the mean time, I think I will finally be reporting about my meal at Jai Yun in San Francisco this week. Jai Yun is a reservations-only, prie-fixe-only Chinese restaurant. And this is no fancy-shmancy, fusion-Chinese - this is Chinese food fit for any Lunar New Year celebration! Stay Tuned!

Saizo: Kushiyaki Specialist and More

The South Bay is a hot spot for izakayas, and when the competition is stiff, it makes sense to specialize in something - create a niche, an original menu, a signature dish. Saizo is one such unique izakaya that specializes in skewered items - yakitori and kushiyaki.

More than any other izakaya in the Bay Area, Saizo is suited for slowly nibbling on some skewers and washing it down with cold, premium sake. The sake selection here is very extensive and different - not limited to your usual Otokoyama and Hakkaisan. Because of the nature of skewers being relaxed, easily consumed by hand, it is the perfect accompaniment for a night of drinking and chit-chatting with friends.



Saizo offers a wide range of both grilled and fried items on their skewered item menu. I was impressed by the creative use of asparagus as a skewer in the above pork-asparagus skewer! Everything is definitely above average, although being used to organic meats and vegetables at home, the meat on the skewers often lack truly deep flavor, especially for simple items that are just grilled with a little bit of seasoning like the Classical Yakitori. This problem goes away for dishes where the chef has done something more than grilling the meat - like the delicious and tenderly moist tsukune chicken meat balls or the stuffed shiitake skewers. And the pure joy of sitting around a table full of skewers to be shared more than makes up for the less stellar skewers!

The none-skewered items at Saizo are similar to those at Tanto and Gochi, although Saizo tends to be lighter in salt and in oil. The food at Saizo is definitely more delicate than Tanto (whose last meal and service was so horrible, I am still recovering from the experience several months later!) and simpler than Gochi.



I was particularly fond of the tempura-donburi (tempura over rice) that came with a personal-sized iron pot full of piping hot dashi to pour over the rice at the table. The tempura is actually a kakiage, a mixed vegetable & shrimp fried 'patty'. The kakiage was crisp and the dashi, strong and flavorful.

I would probably go to Saizo a whole lot more if they started using good, organic meats. Simple preparation like what they do would really come alive with free-range, healthy meats... But then again, I don't really need any more temptations for another 40 min drive to Sunnyvale...

No Tartlets Here

I'm a newcomer to the world of egg tarts. I'm not particularly fond of eggs, so I naturally steered away from anything with 'egg' in its name. But then one day, I ventured into the unknown and tried some egg tarts during one of our dim sum sessions. Ever since that fateful day, egg tarts have replaced mango puddings as my last dish at any dim sum meal.


According to my Japanese resources (like Oishinbo and Cooking Papa) Egg tarts are originally Portugese, introduced to Hong Kong where it found a strong fan base to propagate world-wide.

My favorite egg tarts are actually not from a dim sum meal but from the Golden Gate Bakery in San Francisco. These are humongous for egg tarts, measuring about 5 cm in diameter. I'm much more partial the the flakey crust over the crumbly crust; and boy, do they do their crust just right! Buttery yet surprisingly subdued in oiliness, they are the perfect accompaniment to the custard inside. The custard itself is also quite satisfying, soft and cooked to that perfect point of doneness with a pleasant eggy fragrance.

Hmmm. I think I need to make a trip into San Francisco again!

News Flash!

No more caviar~~~~~~~~~~~~!

No worries, everyone. The Japanese have long enjoyed ikura over caviar. Or if I can ever get my hands on them - tonburi. Tonburi, otherwise known as Land Caviar in Japan, is one food item I have been salivating over every time it gets a mention in Oishinbo.

I think the time is ripe for a tonburi export/import business!!!!!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

It's been raining like crazy in the Bay Area - something insane like two weeks straight! Considering it rains for a total of 2 weeks or so in a normal year, it's been a very, very wet winter here. And since I am solar-powered, my energy level has been VEEEEEEE~RY low.

But I managed to celebrate the new year by over-imbibing and over-debaucherizing. I had two nights in a row where the night ended in alcoholic amnesia... One of those nights - the 31st - was more just pure sleepiness, but jeez, I partied up a storm on the first day of this year. I just found some pictures in my camera - none of which I remember! What a way to start a new year! It's fun having a camera handy...

In the two nights of rock-star life style, I tried two new places - Oola in SF and Rokko in Sunnyvale. Oola was delicious, although quite similar in style to what I make at home - the Papa Bear says that he actually prefers my cooking! That funny Bear! As for Rokko, I'm not sure if we really got the full experience, since practically everything we ordered was sold out! I guess they must have gotten a better turn out than they expected - dwindling stock of ingredients didn't make for a full menu...

Besides my evenings out in town, it's been a very relaxing, quiet time off. All this rain has turned me into a mushroom... I've been adventuring like crazy, abandoning my exercise routine. Oh well, I'll have to go back to a healthier routine when I go back to work tomorrow...

I think I'll kick off the new year with my favorite food right now -


Deliciously oozing natto-mekabu-yamaimo sushi! Oh, how I love that sticky, slimy goo with just enough texture to keep things interesting!

Mmmmm. I think it's time to tear myself away from the computer and head down to Sushi Yoshi...