tokyo food file

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

It's the Lunar New Year and the robai are in bloom.

 

Because of the time I spent in Vietnam (a couple of decades back now), this is a blossom I can only associate with the Tet celebrations – especially in Hue, where the city was full of stalls selling these beautiful fragrant hoa mai blossoms.

In English they're called wintersweet or Japanese allspice. In Japan, the name is robai – literally "wax" ume. And the flowers do have definite resemblance to ume, especially when their buds are just about to burst open. Unlike ume, though, they are significantly toxic.

 

 

Needless to say, I can never think of Vietnam without immediately craving the complex flavors and fragrances that make the cuisine so special.

Tokyo is not overly endowed with good Vietnamese food. Which makes it all the more worth while riding the Keihin-Tohoku Line down to Kamata, on the southernmost fringe of of the city. Destination: My-Le. 

It was summer when I wrote it up for my Japan Times column. It's just as good at this time of year – though the walk to and from the station is a lot chillier.

Here's a map link… 

 

And for all those now celebrating the start of the holidays in the Middle Kingdom: Xin Nian Kuai Le 新年快乐, Gong Hei Fat Choy 恭喜发财 or Xing Ni Ju Yi 新年如意 !

uni, takenoko, sora-mame, jewel tomatoes

 

On the menu it's called "tappuri nama uni jure-kake", which translates something like: a generous serving of fresh urchin, topped with dashi gelée.

Except that it doesn't mention the mousse of uni and new-season sora-mame (broad beans) underneath, the wedges of young bamboo shoot on top, and the garnish of jade-green broad beans and jewel-like cherry tomatoes.

Not bad for ¥1,480. Not bad for a yakitori shop!

Just one reason why there are so many people lining up outside just about any day of the week...

 

The "Ore no" group of restaurants — and the way they're shaking up the business model for gourmet dining through their standing-only restaurants — is the subject of my latest Food Matters column in The Japan Times.

Here's the link…

summer heat, spring rolls and plenty more at My-Le

My-Le, as introduced in my Japan Times column last week, lies on a back street lined with love hotels and cheap taverns, within earshot of the JR trains as they rattle through Kamata. It feels as though you've strayed to the wrong side of the tracks — until you see the quaint, welcoming sign outside... 

...the hand-painted decor of the second-floor dining room...

 

...and the care that has been lavished on the illustrated multipage menu.

  

Settle in with a bottle or two of Huda and some spring rolls: There are three kinds to choose from: goi cuon, of course, with the halves of pink shrimp visible inside the translucent rice paper; and also bi cuon (the same, but made with meat) and ca cuon (with fish), which you rarely, if ever, find elsewhere in Tokyo.

 

Our favorite starter, though, is now the banh beo — mini hot cakes of white rice dough topped with bits of dried shrimp, chopped scallions, chili and shreds of daikon and carrot, all dressed with a savory sauce of lightly sweetened rice vinegar seasoned with nuoc mam fish sauce. They're colorful, light and easy to eat, just a couple of bites each, and the subtle blend of flavors in the sauce gently spurs your appetite into action.

We certainly rate the banh xeo — the crisp yellow pancakes folded over a mix of pork and plenty of bean sprouts...

But we may never order them again, now we've discovered the banh khot: Think of these as miniature versions of banh xeo, small cups made of the same yellow dough, but filled with shrimp in a rich coconut cream.

The deep-fried madai (snapper) is another dish that comes with a heaping platter of greens: lettuce, green shiso (perilla) leaf, mint and holy basil, plus slices of cucumber. 

This is what makes Vietnamese cuisine so appetizing, especially when your taste buds have shriveled in the heat. The fresh ingredients, aromatic herbs, colorful garnishes and condiments are all calibrated to stimulate your palate without weighing down your stomach

The fish also comes with dry rice paper along with the standard mound of foliage. You moisten each sheet with a fine spray of water before loading it up with fish and greens. Besides tasting exceptionally good, this is fun, hands-on dining.

 

A few more dishes: stir-fried chicken with onion and lemongrass — it looks plain but tastes amazing...

The Saigon hu tieu, tapioca noodles topped with chicken, seafood, coriander leaf and lots of greens — with some chili and a couple of lemon wedges on the side to give it a bit more of a sour-spicy kick...

And dessert. That's the che chuoi at the front, a warm "soup" of coconut milk with banana, chopped peanuts, small spheres of tapioca and mysterious zigzag strands of green jelly.

Better yet are the chuoi chien, batter-fried small bananas. They're dipped in syrup to give them a nice glaze, before being drizzled with thick, condensed milk.

Here's the map link...