Hiroshima's okonomiyaki hall is a well known place to visit and try the specialty. There's 24 vendors to pick from although I couldn't tell much difference between them all. I'm sure by now people have found their favourites...
This one I tried is called Itsukushima.
I only reason I went to Kobe was to try Kobe beef teppanyaki. Before the easily accessible information online, the recommendations came from guide books and this one from The Rough Guide.
It wasn't as good as the remarkable sirloin from 511 in Tokyo (https://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/511-tokyo-01-2012) but I'd honestly have to go back to Kobe to try again.
After fawning over the remarkable Lost in Translation, a pivotal place to visit was the New York Bar high up in the Shinjuku Park Hyatt. Since I stayed on the funkier east, walking to the business west actually took a lot longer than anticipated.
The views and the majesty are equally matched by the prices and meats are available from around the world at a premium. I seem to recall paying $60-70 for a steak from Australia (which after the fact seemed unnecessary considering I get Australian steak all over Australia usually... but you live and learn).
I don't think I need to go there again, but I'm glad I have once in my life.
I wouldn't ordinarily have gone out to try Buon Appetito but my ex-Italian flatmate insisted it was some of the most authentic Italian she had eaten in London and would only order her UberEats Italian food from there. Since it was a short walk through the meadows of Victoria Park it was worth one visit.
- Deepfried squid with homemade tartare sauce;
- Super diavola (tomato, mozzarella, spicy salami, blue cheese, mushrooms, olives) £12.9;
- Homemade papardelle with wild boar ragu £13.9.
It's definitely on the more expensive side but there were Italians and non enjoying the food. It is very good in all aspects. I can't say it's the best/my favourite, but I'd be happy eating it again.
After years of religiously watching the original Iron Chef Japan on SBS each weekend and marvelling at the rushed creations of Michiba, Sakai and Chen, it was natural that my instinct was to find their restaurants in Tokyo. Sakai has La Rochelle but French isn't my favourite. Chen's dishes interested me with the chilli and heat but I thought Michiba was the most invincible (other than the German chef who beat him in the peppers battle) and his food being modern Japanese would be the most memorable.
On the 8th floor of this building in Ginza, the two of us were the only non-Japanese people in the restaurant. They did have an English menu translation and so I'm sure there have been tourist Iron Chef fans before us to make that worth their while.
Although Michiba wasn't there himself, the meal was spectacular. Tradition mixed with modern, in combinations well before their time in the world of fusion. The flavours were strong and typically Japanese with a little something extra.
One of my favourite meals of all time.
Hors d'oeuvre platter
- Deep fried scallop & yam ball coated with broad bean bits;
- Konbu seaweed infused seabream sushi wrapped in cherry leaf;
- Grilled cheese aged in miso & sake lees;
- Boiled tiger prawn with vinegared taro potatoe in saffron jelly cube;
- Tender simmered sweet-soy flavoured baby turbo shell;
- Blanched nobiru chives served with a vinegared miso;
- Fragrant new season's bamboo shoot sprinkled with bonito flakes.
Soup
- Soft-shelled turtle ball rolled in tapioca, served in a delicate bonito broth, sprinkled with chopped leek & ginger juice.
Sashimi
- Bonito, sea bream, squid.
Grilled Dish
- Grilled hairtail, octopus, tripe & steamed vegetable salad, served with a truffled dressing, garnished with salmon roe. This dish was truly remarkable in flavour.
Simmered Dish
- Sharkfin in a thickened golden bonito broth, served on a savoury egg custard with soybean-milk-skin & nameko mushroom.
Refresher
- Green leaf pickle sushi.
Main Course
- Fresh fish of the day simmered with burdock in a sweet flavoured soy sauce;
- Japanese lobster served simmered in a sweet miso sauce.
Rice & Noodle Dish (served with pickles)
- Mackerel aged 3 years in rice bran (nuka-saba) on rice with a light dashi broth;
- Michiba style "curry udon" (thick wheat noodles served in a curried broth).
Dessert
- Seasonal fruits, apple sorbet, sampokan citrus jelly served in its own cup.
During the last 3 weeks of my time living in East London (probably ever in my life) I decided it was time to branch out of my local enclosure at Mile End/Bow and venture up toward Hackney. It has always been a cool area, perhaps too cool for me, but considering I always get trapped in Broadway and Netil markets and nowhere else, I had to make a dedicated effort to try something else. It isn't the most convenient area to get to from King's Cross - sure it's only a long(ish) bus away, but I think I'll be spending that travelling time exploring newer areas to me.
Of all the cafes in the area, Rawduck seemed like a good choice and I even went twice within the 3 weeks. The first time I actually missed where it was as you don't see past the Honest Burger and construction. But someone has handily scrawled the name of the restaurant on the construction around the corner in true hipster style.
Golden Almond Milk £4.5 was an expensive but warming nut and turmeric drink. It wasn't overly strong but that's what you get with almond milk.
Brown rice & miso porridge, kombu, bonito & a poached egg £8.50 is a classic Asian "porridge" aka congee. This was a distinctly Japanese version with the miso, seaweed and fish flakes creating a lovely umami experience. I haven't had congee like this before and the overwhelming flavour was very welcome.
This experience led me back a few weeks later for lunch. The menu has some of the breakfast items on it and on this Sunday they also offer specials and roasts.
Tarka dahl, a poached egg, charred naan £8 was nice but kind of standard. I'm sure it's healthier than the typical curry house version.
Sunny fried eggs, kimchi, pickled cucumber, sesame & brown rice with fried chicken £14 had 2 small but heavily seasoned and tender chicken pieces. Unfortunately there was a lot of plain rice and the other ingredients didn't really do enough to lift it.
It was a slightly disappointing second visit but if I'm ever in Hackney again, I think there'll definitely be other things for me to try.
In a case of mistaken identity (well actually I recall signing up for something to do with them...) I received an email addressed to Stuart offering me the opportunity to try their new tasting menu at 50% off. After reading the divine menu, I couldn't help but make an appointment. I used my real name and there was no issue so I feel less of a charlatan. Additionally a few days before the night, I saw that they were offering the same deal to the public for the 2 weeks after this VIP special.
I barely venture to Mayfair and the last time was actually very near in the form of the unrivalled pie pub The Windmill.
However this more refined venue had chefs at the window with some seafood on display. The Spicy Tommy's (ocho blanco tequila, san cosme mezcal, yuzu, spiced agave) £11.5 was an incredible drink with sweet, sour and smokey all on full display.
- The New, Improved "Black Roe" Poke - tuna, salmon and a whitefish I can't recall were expertly combined with Spanish onion, spring onion, nori, avocado, coriander and black roe. It was light, refreshing and tangy citrus;
- Confit Duck Leg Salad (rocket, pine nuts, pomegranate, diced pineapple) - a light salad of reasonably tender mildly flavoured duck with sweet, nutty and bitter elements;
- Katakuriko Crispy Squid (tossed in an oyster dressing) - the squid itself with crisply coated and flavoursome. I didn't think the oyster sauce worked that well with it;
- Steamed Mussels (in a fragrant coconut broth) - sweet mussels with chilli served in a broth reminiscent of an excellent tom kar;
- Waimea'n Sticky Lamb Ribs (barbecued with the flavours of Hawaii) - there were only 2 ribs each and they were a bit fatty but still had a good amount of meat browned and glazed and sweet;
- Sauteed Broccoli - so simple a dish was strongly seasoned;
- Steamed Whole Lobster (in a ginger scented broth) - the masterpiece arrived with its firm meat already separated for ease. It was delicious and could only be improved by egg noodles to mop up the ginger broth;
- Dessert - semifreddo with some kind of fruit (possibly plums?). Average but a nice sweet cool finish.
£40 for this menu is a bargain. £80 would require a bit more consideration but at least you know it will be good.
This original Temper in Soho had been on my list as my worship of Neil Rankin continues since the original Pitt Cue Co. After an outstanding (and half price) experience at the curry fusion version in the city (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/temper-city-london-07-2017). Although I've also been waiting to visit a restaurant/bar that specialises in Mezcal, the occasion and the follow-up viewing of Black Panther meant that it will have to wait to the next time.
The initial intent was actually to have Sunday roast. But the a la carte menu was actually a more interesting read with plenty of variety available for the first timer.
- Smoked beef £10 - the slices of brisket were firm and smooth and streamlined. Seasoning was mild;
- Smoked goat £11 - a set of textural slivers although not the most tender. The seasoning was mild too;
- Burnt end Thai larb £5.5 - the ends of the brisket were tender and turned incredibly flavoursome with a spicy tangy Thai dressing. Really enjoyed these flavours and with torn flatbread formed an excellent sandwich;
- Grilled corn, black bean, lamb fat bernaise £4 - the healthy dish with corn kernels and popcorn;
- Beef fat potatoes with Ogleshield £5.5 - I expected chips and ended up with small roast potatoes gloriously coated in thick rich heavy cheddar. Not for the faint hearted but your taste buds will thank you.
I also witnessed the beef chilli and bone marrow (which looks excellent) and the whole plaice (although I think smoked meats are what you should come here for).
After a mixup with the orderings, a complimentary dessert Deep Dish Brigadeiro "cookie" with fior di latte icecream was in fact soft, sweet and mildly granular. More of interest to me was my choice (and paid for) Butterscotch kouign amann with dulce de leche icecream £6 reminded me of the rich sweet thick versions in Brittany. It wasn't as good as those originals but it was heavy and satisfying nonetheless.
Next time I would order the beef chilli and bone marrow or lamb birria. The other smoked meats on flatbread do require a sauce if I'm honest and the green sauce is probably the one to go for. Sides of Thai larb and beef fat potatoes would complete a decadent meal.
To celebrate the new weekend brunch menu at Fancy Crab, they were offering 50% off to taste their offerings. I had nearly been once before but the online reviews were extremely mixed which had deterred me. However the very short menu, the discount and my own need to be in the area one Sunday all coalesced together harmoniously.
The restaurant is quite large, even more so once you go to the bathroom and see the additional downstairs space. The upstairs is very bright with high ceilings and giant crabs are amusingly inserted into many paintings and comic book covers. There's also the actual giant sized crab shell that seems to make its way from table to table.
Luckily the king crab is extremely good, reminiscent of the king crab I had from the expensive markets in Bergen (maybe they are the exact same type). Each sweet tendril of soft crab was a delight and best eaten simply with minimal obscurations.
- King Crab Benedict (picked red crab, toasted muffin, avocado, smoked chilli, Yuzu lime hollandaise) £11.5 - the crab was smothered and overpowered by the hollandaise unfortunately. There wasn't much smoke or chilli noted either;
- Crab & Nori Waffles (hot waffles, picked red crab, poached eggs, wild rocket, gruyere cheese sauce) £9.5 - the cheapest dish was the best combination of all with crab chunks, a soft poached (slightly overdone) egg and a thick black sauce (maybe the seaweed butter from the has dish?) that added extra salinity to the already excellent flavour;
- Fancy Crab Hash (potato & kale hash, marinated heritage tomatoes, duck egg, seaweed butter) £10.5 - from hash I sort of expected fried potato (ie. hash brown) but it was more of a warm salad and lightly flavoured. This dish had the most amount of crab in it which was welcome and in the end I ate sections separately to savour the meat. I'm not sure where the seaweed butter was, perhaps in the waffle dish...
Overall the crab meat is delicious and able to be eaten amply by itself. In terms of the dishes themselves, I'd happily pay full price for the waffles and possibly the hash.
The award winning (I found out later it was a Timeout award for best pizza in London) pizzeria recently opened in Fitzrovia and the 50% off opening special made for a great reason to brave some windy and icy weather and test it out. Many an Italian were also enjoying their fill, using the technique or folding the pizza over into some kind of sandwich. I suppose it's helpful for these pizzas with thin floppy centres.
The pizzas are all unevenly hand shaped and large to fill the plates with puffy, soft crust edges and an ultra thin core. The crust had a little seasoning, a discernible touch of char flavour and bouncy texture. In true Italian fashion they are not precut at all.
San Francesco (tomato sauce, mozzarella, peppers, courgettes, aubergines, parmesan) £9.45 was a simpler pizza with the vegetable flavours standing out. It wasn't overly seasoned/salted and could have used a little. I probably would have preferred the old version listed there with the artichokes.
Santa Rosa (tomato sauce, smoked mozzarella, salame Napoli, roasted aubergines) £9.95 was a tastier more savoury version thanks to the salame. The mozzarella didn't have a very noticeable smoke element.
It's a very good pizza. I'll look forward to trying the San Gennaro complete with anchovies and capers next time.