tokyo food file

creamy top — by name and by nature

 

I've been giving Sapporo (the beer company, not the city) a hard time recently, but this one ain't so bad.  It's their new(ish) Yebisu Creamy Top Stout. Not available in bottles or cans as yet, you can only find it on draft in a few locations -- including the Yebisu Oyster Bar, in the Yebisu Glass Square (Yebisu Garden Place). It's smooth (and yes, creamy), lighter-bodied and less bitter than Guinness, and has two major points in its favor: it's really fresh; and it goes just fine with a few oysters on the half shell.

 

On the right: from Hokkaido (can't remember the precise provenance).  On the left: from Matoya in Mie Pref., one of the tastiest bivalves in Japan.

I've been giving Sapporo (the beer company, not the city) a hard time recently, but this one ain't so bad.  It's their new(ish) Yebisu Creamy Top Stout.  Not available in bottles or cans as yet, you can only find it on draft in a few locations -- including the Glass Square at Yebisu Garden Place.  It's smooth (and yes, creamy), lighter-bodied and less bitter than Guinness, and has two major points in its favor: it's really fresh; and it goes just fine with a few oysters on the half shell.

This same Yebisu Oyster Bar also serves Shirohonaka white beer, which is also pretty good.  It's unpasteurized, so it still has a hint of yeastiness, and is served extremely fresh (Sapporo says within 48 hours of brewing).  OK, so it may not be on the same level as a top German weissbier (and not a patch on an aromatic Belgian wheat beer).  But nonetheless this is a nice refreshing brew that I plan to revisit more in the summer months.  

    

daigaku-imo

Some teachers have already finished their terms, but the students still have exams to navigate... In the old days, one of the snack foods that kept them going was daigaku-imo — literally "universtiy sweet potato". The yellow yams are first fried in oil and then coated with a candied layer of sugar, and given a sprinkle of black sesame seeds. Here's a recipe...

Frankly, the sweet potatoes are quite sweet enough on their own, but I guess that extra sugar boosts the brain cells a bit...  Here's an image snagged from a recent newspaper to mark the annual exam hell season.  

Wait, there's more than meets the eye.  It's a 3D retina-boggler.  Just unfocus your eyes and see what you can see... (and if you can't see anything, go down to the image below which has clues added).

 

bitter-sweet endings

Nothing can beat a good meal with great friends in a truly one-of-a-kind setting — not even a great meal with good friends in a nice setting.

Especially if it comes to a conclusion with a scoop of vanilla ice cream served with… k with... kinako; matcha; and a drizzle of treacly bitter-sweet kuro-mitsu.

 

 

And that was how we closed our excellent shabushabu dinner at Kamikozawa-tei...  

pocky galore

Further flavors for the pocky gallery... plus a pretz for good measure.

Caramel, Strawberry, Mix Berry and dark chocolate Men's; and down at the bottom long thin Tomato Pretz. What pleasures/flavors lie ahead...?

 

shuttered images

It's just a suburban train station — one that I sometimes have to change trains at. And it's always pretty dead at night, but at least they give you food for thought as you're waiting for your connection.

All the food outlets are closed after 10 pm, but their shutters are adorned with tantalising pictures of their respective specialities.

No wonder I'm hungry when I eventually get home...

 

But it's this one that always gets me wondering: do they only offer their 'sweets' once a month? What about the rest of the time? Or do they introduce a new variety each calendar month?

Looking at the picture, though, this is the only place I'm not interested in going back to in daylight to discover the answer. 

 

Two more images I just found at the same station: one's for a dimsum outlet called Pao (from the Japanese pronunciation of the 'bao' in baozi); and an outfit selling onigiri riceballs they say are traditional and artisanal.