tokyo food file

Pivoya – a pint-sized beerhall well worth czeching out

The sign over the door says everything you need to know, in capital letters.

PIVO is the word for beer in Czech (and also several other central European languages). And that's exactly what you get at Pivoya — premium Czech brews.

 

There are kegs piled up inside and out — and they're all the good stuff. Pilsner Urquell is premium beer, one of the finest in the world. And there are usually some other lagers available, both dark and blond (such as Bernard, below).

 

There's some excellent bar food as well, although it can take time to arrive if the place is busy (as it often is on Saturday evenings). The German-style sausages, served with sauerkraut and sliced gherkin, are superior...

 

…and so is the kuro-pan (black bread) plate – a couple of slices of dark, wholesome rye bread with cream cheese and a colourful selection of vegetables, including a tasty potato salad.

 

There are also excellent Japanese-style snacks. The eda-mame are fresh cooked; there's kamaboko (for thems that like the stuff); the pasta is light and appetizing; and the foil-baked chicken is outstanding.

 

It comes in two versions: regular (above) is cooked with negi and enoki mushrooms, in a savoury miso sauce; the deluxe (below) has added broccoli and tomatoes for extra colour and flavour...

 

Pivoya is small — just three tables besides the short counter space. It's cluttered, with kegs and crates everywhere, and filling one whole wall. And it has a warm, homespun feel, with souvenirs from the Czech Republic everywhere.

In this it reflects the master of the house, Ryosuke Yonehara, a serious (and shy) man, a former salariman who has parlayed his enthusiasm into a classic little off-the-beaten-track drinking hole. It's a labour of love, a modest little classic.

More in The Japan Times, up today here...

NB:  Be aware Pivoya has some unscheduled holidays coming up. It will be closed 21-26 August. It will be open 27-29 August (including an unscheduled Sunday). And then it will also be closed 30-31 August. Check the latest on the Pivoya web site.

This is Pivoya's home page...

And here's a map link...

soba rocks @ Fuji Rock — and other festival food faves

Nobody goes to Fuji Rock for the food... but everyone has to eat, whether you're there for one day or four. This year, as always, the range of food stalls was wider than ever. We enjoyed local specialties, such as charcoal-grilled ayu sweetfish — conveniently located right next to the Niigata jizake stall — and were pleased to find JamRock's tasty jerk chicken alongside the cast of usual international suspects (British, Spanish and quasi-Ethiopian).

There were Russian piroshikis and borscht (not to mention dodgy-looking coils of grilled sausages)...

... and there were always long lines at the pizza stalls (I counted at least three wood-fired ovens this year).

At the Field of Heaven there was plenty of honest-to-goodness fare.

Pumpkin and chickpea Thai-style green curry served from a teepee...

...breads and cookies from the indefatigable Levain bakery...

... and tasty summer vegetable curry-rice topped with fresh tomatoes from the Taiyo Shokudo ("Sunshine Diner").

But the Food FIle's award for the best food on site went to the indomitable folks at the Soba Rock stall, turning out hand-rolled, hand-cut noodles of real quality.

You had to be quick to get it, though, as they were only serving 200 portions a day and they sold out fast.

¥500 for noodles alone; ¥1,000 topped with grated daikon, yama-imo and wild greens; add a dollop of wasabi to taste. 

But at the end of the four days, it's the music that will linger in the memory, along with all the festive scenes, not the food. And that's the way it should be...

This is what I watched while slurping my soba. There's always something going on at the Tokoro Tengoku space!

Gypsy Avalon, the mellowest spot in the whole festival, and this year there was a good microbrew available from the Midorie food stall, up in the NGO 'Village'. This was the crowd for Martina TB's solo set...

A rather larger crowd for the Green Stage later on...

It was a Massive Attack, both aural and visual...

In the thick of an Aragonese onslaught at the Orange Court...

All very tasty indeed!

PS (added Aug.19): There were no stalls selling kabayaki (grilled eel) — but we did find unagi at the camp site...

And these were some of Chef Narisawa's creations...

While his chefs busied themselves in the kitchen, Yoshihiro Narisawa introduced some of his remarkable creations...

 

One of the first surprises is his "forest bread", which is baked at the table inside super-hot bibimbap-style stone pots. The dough (already proved) is poured in the pot, and scattered with a dusting of fragrant powdered wood (let's give it a poetic name, "flour of the woods"). Then the pot is covered with a heavy block of timber and the dough is left to bake slowly into tasty rolls.

 

And then there are Narisawa's amazing carbon dishes — whether vegetable (halves of onion on the left); or meat (right), in this case Matsuzawa wagyu.

 

The black exterior doesn't taste at all of carbon. The meat inside is perfectly cooked, its flavor beautifully sealed in.

As main dishes, unagi with foie gras... and succulent roast pork...

 

With plenty of desserts and chocolates to round off the afternoon...

(apologies for the poor quality of the photos)

Joel Robuchon's Tour de France Gourmand starts: first up the Pays Basque

The Joel Robuchon bakeries in Tokyo have launched a new series of special promotions, themed around the various regions of France and their distinctive cuisines. And first up is the Basque region. There are some great confections and breads, including these loaves made with chorizo and black cherries...

More black cherries in this feuilleté (a kind of Danish)...

A wonderful chocolate dessert called Beret Basque;

...and a classic Gateau Basque, moist with ground almond (also with black cherries inside).

And this is what it looks like inside...  Seriously delectable...

There's some great charcuterie on sale too, including jamon serrano and chorizo, as well as Ossau Iraty cheese (one of my all-time favourite cheeses) — both included in special sandwiches on sale for the duration of this promotion.

More details (in Japanese) here...

stellar curry-pan

Yes, my vote for 'best of category' curry-pan has to go to the wonderful warm — at least if you time your arrival right — fresh-cooked version produced by the Joel Robuchon bakery. Lovely crunchy exterior. Good curry filling, with plenty of bite to the spices. And the fresh green peas are the kind of fine touch you expect from such a top-notch name.

Michelin-starred curry-pan? As I said before: Why not?!