This graphic from blog Clusterflock illustrates better sushi manners. Did you know not to mix wasabi in the soy sauce? Or that you eat sushi fish side down? Or that you can eat with your hands?  Well now you do.

How many times have I snapped my chopsticks apart and started rubbing off splinters? I’ve certainly dunked the rice in the soy. I wonder if Japanese diners at nearby tables watched in horror as I ate… or if they’re used to seeing this sort of thing by now. It’s kind of how I feel seeing northeastern US folks eating fried chicken with a fork and knife

Of course etiquette is also about group behavior. If you’re dining with a group of westerners and everyone starts their meal by preparing their soy sauce… don’t be a douche that guy in the moment. Maybe wait till everyone is enjoying their sushi and then drop a little wisdom on them. At the end of the day, most of us will never truly be sushi aficionados or eating it in a fancy, traditional restaurant in Japan.

So enjoy it how you will… but know that most of how we’ve been eating is wrong

Paul

A culinary tour of Japan in 9-courses

While in Japan, we tried to cover as many foods as possible. My favourite meal may have been Katsudon but in our effort to experience as many food types as possible during our trip, I stretched myself beyond pork perfection Which is why when we were in Kyoto and heard about a special 9-course tasting menu at Grotto that purported to be a tour of Japanese cuisine, we leapt at the opportunity to give it a try.

Grotto is in Northern Higashiyama district, a quiet part of Kyoto rife with temples and shrines. Mr. Tanaka, the chef, is from Kyoto but had extensive international training, having worked in both the US and Australia. Returning to Kyoto in recent years, Mr. Tanaka strives to showcase local ingredients in the thoroughly Japanese tasting menu. We sat at the bar and watched Mr Tanaka prepare each and every course for us…benefiting from his time abroad, we were able to inquire and learn a little about each dish (it is a real luxury to speak English with a chef in Japan).

The nine courses presented included:

1. Cold eggplant soup
A light starter featuring rich smoky, grilled eggplant.

2. Vegetable stew with pork shoulder
This was a lovely stew of finely diced veggies and potatoes with the pork shoulder imparting a smoky flavour.

3. Sashimi of tuna
I am not a sushi expert being new to the cuisine, but Paul tells me the sushi in Japan ruined him for sushi elsewhere in the world.

4. Steamed sea bass and tofu
In a broth thickened with cornstarch, the delicate flavours of seabass and tofu mingle.

5. Assorted bites
Including soy milk skin, bitter cucumber with bonito flakes, Japanese green pepper with baby fish, shrimp cracker, sardines with ginger, eggplant with mustard sauce and steamed octopus. My favourite, to my surprise, were the sardines…I tasted them begrudgingly as this is not a fish I typically enjoy, and was truly surprised how light the flavour was (rather than intensely fishy) and how dense and satisfying the texture was.

6. Sea urchin over rice with soy sauce reduction
We found the sea urchin to be mushy and gritty…tasting like a mouthful of sea mud. Not a highlight of this meal. We were prepared to write off sea urchin until Paul had it again at Tsukiji and its honor was redeemed.

7. Japanese summer salad
A medley of cooked veggies served cold, including eggplant, tomato, pumpkin, potato and topped with a slice of goose.

8. Rice with pike fish and a soft boiled egg
Mr. Tanaka explained the fish was local to Kyoto and was a bit like eel in its taste profile.

9. Corn rice cake and watermelon sherbert
Dessert was light and refreshing.

Overall, all the dishes were small in size with the emphasis on perfect mouthfuls of flavours. As a result, we left full but not overstuffed.

I think what I appreciated the most was sitting at the bar and watching Mr. Tanaka prepare the dishes. Remarkably, much of it was prepared in advance with the cooked vegetables and fish coming from the refrigerator already prepped and ready to be assembled. However, there is something really special and unique about Japanese presentation of food…how it looks is as important as how it tastes and is an art form in and of itself.

If you do try Grotto, please leave yourself plenty of time, as making one’s way through the tasting menu can take 2-3 hours.

Grotto
Imadegawa Dori, Sakyo-ku
Kyoto, Japan
Telephone: + 81 75 771 0606

Dun
Dan
Dun!

This post should really start with the iconic “Kill Bill Theme” theme song from the movie and play throughout. If you’d like to load it up to play in the background get it here : )

We had just finished watching the Tokyo Giants win the game with a homer in the 9th. The hot dog and yakitori we ate in the 2nd inning weren’t holding us over. As we debated food options (surprisingly not a lot around the dome) our friend, who is no stranger to Tokyo, suggested we hit up Gonpachi. The name didn’t register with me at first. Then she said all that needs to be said about the place, “the kill bill restaurant”. Dun Dan Dun. The music immediately started up in my head as a grin spread across my lips. Sure I said coolly, masking the kid-like joy bubbling up inside me.

For some reason I thought the restaurant was located outside of town in the countryside. Not so. It’s right smack in Roppongi, one of the busiest and foreign friendly parts of Tokyo. The building is almost quaint outside… a nice garden, some seats with umbrellas, but nothing flashy hinting at the sprawling room inside.

Inside the restaurant is simply, but wonderfully decorated. There are lanterns hanging from the ceiling and simple lighting throughout the space. The attentive hostess and manager quickly found us a table (unfortunately hadn’t planned this meal ahead of time and booked an upstairs booth) near the kitchen and we sat down to peruse the menu.

I was shocked by the relatively low prices. One would assume, with the fame the movie has bestowed on the place, that prices would be high…it is Tokyo after all. We decided to split a 6 course tasting menu (3500 Yen), and some other items between the three of us. First out was the Natural Tofu House Salad

Next out on the tasting menu was a Fried Shrimp Dumpling & Deep Fried Potato

3rd out was Tempura 3 ways

4th to come to the table was 3 types of Yakitori

Then came Soba noodles, which I didn’t manage to get a picture of and finally the dessert course – Pumpkin and Coconut Ice Cream!

To supplement the tasting menu we also ordered a lovely Blue Fin Tuna Tartare (950 Yen)

Also a Soft Shell Crab Roll from the 3rd floor sushi bar (1350 Yen)

Lastly was the Tataki – Seared Beef with Honey & Truffle Vinaigrette Sauce (780 Yen)

So all in all the meal totaled in about 22 USD per person without drinks….very reasonable for the amount and quality of the food served. The food at Gonpachi isn’t considered fine dining by anyone’s standards…including their own. It’s intended intstead to be an elevated Izakaya experience (modern country-style if you will). And this is why Gonpachi is a success in my book. Sure you can get better Yakitori and Sushi and other more specialized locations… but if you’re a tourist looking for a nice meal in Roppongi, a seasoned traveler who needs to entertain some out of town guests, or just a rabid Tarantino fan Gonpachi is a great value. Also the large space, long tables and secluded rooms are perfect for entertaining large groups. I think everyone should visit at least once, at least for a quick bite and beer before heading into manic Roppongi.

Gonpachi
1-13-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku.
Tel: 03-5771-0170.
Nearest stn: Roppongi or Hiroo.
Open: 11:30am-6am daily
Menu: English/Japanese

Lots of pictures of the market at the end of the article so scroll all the way down

Muslims have Mecca, lovers of Trance have the lovely town of Goa, surfers and single, middle-aged women looking for a spiritual awakening have Bali For lovers of sushi the most sacred pilgrimage of all is to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan.

Tsukiji is not only the largest fish market in the world but is also one of the largest food markets of any kind, anywhere. With nearly 3000 metric tons of fish passing through the market every single day, it’s a fair bet that most seafood getting out to people in Asia and other parts of the world began it’s life outside of the water at Tsukiji.

The night before our journey to the market I ate a quick meal in Shibuya and headed back to the hotel early to rest up. The action takes place early…fresh fish begins to unload at 3 AM and the bidding for the choice Tuna takes place around 5:20 AM. I wanted to be fresh…and hungry (more on that later). You can get to the market via subway (on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line) but I’d recommend you get a group and take a cab. Not because you need to necessarily, but because if you go on a Saturday morning you’ll see lots of Japanese people just going home from night of drinking…stumbling through the streets, friends helping each other along, or even sleeping in their business suits on on a doorway.  Some of them will even be heading to the fish market for a final meal and drink before heading home it is fairly common to make the fish market the final stop on a big night out in Tokyo.

I had trouble sleeping the night before…like a kid at Christmas I wanted the morning to come as quickly as possible. It wasn’t the market that excited me, it was my first full-on sushi meal of the Tokyo trip… something that had been far too delayed for my tastes. You see the market isn’t all that engaging past a certain point for outsiders. People are quickly going about their day receiving, cleaning, and selling fish. And unless you really like to hang out in cold, damp rooms with rushing packing carts flying by inches from running you over, it’s best to plan a short trip to the market.

Outside of the market you’ll find plenty of stores selling sushi knives, Japanese cooking gear, tourist t-shirts, etc. Inside you’ll find row after row of fish stalls selling everything from Tuna to Octopus to crazy creatures of the sea I would have never thought to eat.

Pushing in even deeper to the market you’ll find the Tuna auction house. I was hoping to hear guys calling out 1000-do-i-get-1000 Yen-to the guy in the back-1200-do i get 1200 or something like southern auction houses but with Japanese language. It wasn’t quite like that, but there was lots of barking. Unfortunately they pack all the tourists into a small area and everyone’s vying for shots though all are too far away to really see or hear anything good.

Do ensure you get there early for the action. The day we visited I think they started clearing folks out around 6:30 AM. Afterwards you’re free to continue roaming the aisles of fish. But a smarter person will run to get in line for some food. Since this is the freshest fish in the world, it stands to reason that when you eat the sushi here it’s probably gonna be the freshest you can have short of catching a fish in the open ocean and cutting it up on the spot. It’s incredible, the fish literally travels 50 meters to the restaurant. I’ve never eaten sushi before lunchtime, but a 6AM treat like this is not to be missed.

We put our faith in the Luxe guide and either everyone else was a fan of the guide or the place really was good because there was already a snaking queue three lines of people deep in front of the door to Daiwa Sushi.

Patiently we waited in the rain, eyes droopy from little sleep. After about 45 minutes to an hour our patience was rewarded as we were ushered into the tiny sushi bar. I took my seat in the corner. My back pressed into the wall and my face was probably no more than 2 ft from the chef. Ultra fancy, super-modern sushi restaurant this isn’t…. but you’re here for the fish and man does it shine.

I wasn’t listening to the chef when he asked us for orders as I was looking around for menus, but apparently we agreed to the set everyone in the restaurant was ordering. It’s a beginner’s guide to sushi set. I don’t consider myself a beginner, but I was hungry and looking for anything I could get my hands on.

The dishes served were:
- miso with clams

- Japanese omelet & sea urchin

- shrimp tuna maki roll, fatty tuna, and shrimp sashimi

- yellow tail & eel

and a few other things I wolfed down before realizing I should have taken a picture

Freshness of every dish was unbelievable. Tastes like I’d never experienced before. The Sea Urchin completely redeemed itself from our horrible experience with it in Kyoto (more on that soon).

The Tuna. Oh man, I don’t have the words to describe. I once heard a rumor that the Japanese sort all the green tea they produce and set aside the good stuff for local consumption and then export the lower grade teas to other countries. I feel like they do this with the tuna. There simply isn’t Tuna of this quality in America (I’ve eaten in NYC and Texas, but never in San Fran so maybe there?).

I relished every piece in the set. Thankfully Joanna isn’t big on sushi (but was doing her best to develop a taste and ate quite a bit) so I was able to have seconds of some of the dishes. After the set was over I ordered a few more pieces of the select fatty tuna for good measure.

I left tired, but extremely satisfied. Had the market not been closed the next Sunday I would have probably returned the next morning for another meal. I won’t go back for to see the auction, but I will definitely return for the sushi. If you’re a lover of food and particularly sushi, this is a trip you MUST make. There’s really nothing like it.

Tsukiji
The Tuna Auction Area is off-limits
(except from 5:00AM until 6:15AM)

Daiwa Sushi
Tsukiji Market Part6 Bldg. 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Closed Sundays

Tourist area of the tuna auction

Organic & macrobiotic…not your average Izakaya

Eating healthy is important to me…so when I heard that there was a healthy version of an Izakaya, I was eager to try it. To put this in perspective, an Izakaya is basically a pub serving food to complement the drinking…so in its simplest terms, a bar serving bar food. While the food is quite good in izakayas, healthy is not a word one would necessarily associate with this style of eating. And macrobiotic to boot? – well we had to see it for ourselves.

Gaya is committed to an organic and macrobiotic offering – and in typical Japanese style, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well. No detail is overlooked in considering how each dish can be made more healthful and wholesome – the Caesar Salad features dressing made with tofu, the ice cream is soy-based and all the rice-based dishes use brown rice. In talking to the manager Momoe-san, we learned that the owner had actually changed the direction of the izakaya 5 years ago following a heart-attack. His health scare inspired him to change his life and his food…and today he is running marathons and sharing his view on healthy eating at Gaya.

Fresh squeezed organic veggie and fruit juices are on offer and even the sake is organic. Vegan options are available alongside organic pork and chicken – there is indeed something for everyone.

I opted to try the Vegetable Sushi with brown rice (¥1380 / $14.15 USD). There were 7 types of sushi presented on the plate – and beautifully so. Some even resembling real sushi – the sweet seasonal Japanese ginger known as myoga, shiny and pink in appearance, appeared surprisingly fish-like perched upon a perfect rectangle of rice. The enoki mushroom roll was clever and tasty as well as the sushi of green and yellow strips of pepper. But my favorite was the tempeh and sesame roll. It was full of nutty goodness with the delicate flavors of brown rice, tempeh and sesame blending artfully in the mouth and tasting a bit like tahini.

Paul got the Cheese Risotto with brown rice (¥1250 / $13.10 USD). He was a little dubious at the idea of brown rice replacing the traditional Arborio rice, but curious enough to give it a go. I must admit when I saw Paul’s dish arrived at the table, I was immediately jealous. Presented tableside in an actual block of Parmigiano Reggiano, the risotto is scooped into a bowl and then the block of cheese is scraped by the serving spoon to yield large strips of Parmigiano Reggiano to garnish the dish. The presentation was impressive and so was the taste. While I really enjoyed my dish, I wanted my last bite to be Paul’s risotto ?

Given the success of the entrees we were interested to see how Gaya would do in the dessert area promising dairy free and sugar free desserts. Paul ordered the Cereal / Soy Ice Cream / Coffee parfait while I opted for the Cinnamon Donuts with Soy Ice Cream (both ¥700 / $7.65 USD each). Paul again, dubious…ice cream without cream? Whole grain cereal as dessert? But he was happy to be proven wrong – the soy ice cream (a chocolate orange flavour) was rich and satisfying. It was served with soy milk on the side, and when combined with the parfait, it yielded a healthy and delicious sort of milkshake. We both agreed though that mine was the best…whole grain donuts with the same chocolate orange soy ice cream on the side. Crispy on the outside and moist and cakey on the inside, the donuts made me forget we were eating healthy!

Beyond the food, it also bears mentioning that the staff was incredibly welcoming and attentive…wanting to make sure we were comfortable, explaining the dishes, and just exhibiting an overall hospitality that uniquely set them apart from some of the other dining experiences we have had. Even getting the bill was a pleasure – as it was presented beside an origami swan on a lovely piece of washi (decorative Japanese paper) with a handwritten note full of smiley faces. In fact everyone was genuinely warm and happy and seemed to want to share their good vibes with the customers – maybe it is the wholesome, healthy food that makes them feel so good?

Gaya Organic Izakaya
Basement floor, Kurusu Building
2-2-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo, Japan
+81 (0)3 3498 8810

A quite obvious choice for such an occasion is the Four Seasons Hotel on Rajadamri Road in Bangkok. In the center of the city, the Four Seasons is a colonial oasis tucked up on a hill away from the honking cars and pollution of Ploenchit Road. To visit the Four Seasons for any reason is to be transported into a world where understated elegance abounds. Yet aside from the rather subtle cues of elegance including overstuffed high-back chairs, an abundance of white potted orchids and white-gloved porters…make no mistake people, the Sunday brunch is all about gluttony.

The Four Seasons brunch features many international food stations and sprawls from multiple dining rooms into the courtyard and yes even into the pool. Stations range from a seafood bar overflowing with crab, lobster, river prawns and such…to American, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Middle Eastern stations. My personal favourite is the foie gras station where seared foie gras is prepared to order. And of course, the brunch usuals are present – a robust cheese selection, bakery fresh bread selection, and an omelette station. But my personal advice would be to skip the usual suspects and go with seared foie gras, teppanyaki beef, the custom risotto station, steamed giant crab claws and made-to-order Crepes Suzette. I am personally not a fan of caviar and smoked lox, but my Swedish friend Ana is, and she swears by these two offerings at the Four Seasons. I just like to join her at the caviar station for the sheer spectacle of it – a Thai man stands in black thigh-high rubber boots in the courtyard pool serving the caviar from icy mother-of-pearl dishes. And Paul wanted me to be sure to tell you that the sashimi is superb, really notable in its freshness and quality for a buffet.

My only criticism is the quality of the champagne served. While it is widely known as a champagne brunch, they in fact serve…gasp…sparkling wine!  And a sort of average sparking wine at that – rather disappointing showmanship given the level of detail and planning they put into other aspects of the brunch. I mean they could step up their game with a relatively inexpensive Italian Prosecco or a Spanish Cava, but…in the end, after a few glasses, maybe we stopped noticing.

All in all, I would recommend the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok brunch. At 2,350THB ++ is really is not a bad deal considering the quality and quantity of the food presented. And if you are like me, I simply cannot find room for dinner after these extravaganzas, so when I do it, it serves as my main meal of the day.

A few tips to make brunch even more enjoyable:
•    Make a reservation:  there would be nothing worse than showing up in your Sunday-best and being in a cramped corner of the room, or worse yet with no seat at all. Ask for the courtyard area as this is where most of the action is. Besides, it just feels decadent to sit with legs crossed on a cushy sofa drinking champagne and nibbling lobster under the cover of palm fronds.
•    Wear something festive: this does not mean fancy necessarily….I like to wear a summery dress and heels while Paul likes to wear one of his favourite tailored shirts, jeans and black loafers.
•    Come with friends: take advantage of the party-like atmosphere of free-flowing champagne by bringing some friends. Good friends are great, but by the end of a 3-4 hour feast of food and bubbly, anyone will probably be a close friend by the time you leave.
•    Don’t make any other plans for the day: If you can, skip breakfast and don’t make any afternoon plans. To truly savor the experience you will want to be empty of stomach and not rushed with time. And who knows if you will feel like doing much of anything after a few mid-day cocktails.

Location:
155 Rajadamri Road, Bangkok, Thailand     Telephone: 66 (0) 2 250 1000

Brunch Hours:
11.00hr – 15.00hr, contact Madison restaurant for reservations

Website:
www.fourseasons.com