japanese | Sugared & Spiced

2011/07/162015/08/31

[Shanghai] Organ (3)

Organ

Add: 66 Ziyunxi Lu, near Loushanguan Lu 紫云西路66号, 近娄山关路
Tel: 5206 5937
Hours: 11:30am-10pm
Website: blog.goo.ne.jp/organ0417
Price: [lunch] 40~50 RMB [cakes] 25~35 RMB
Visited: Jul 2011

NOTE: Organ has closed and reopened here.

You can tell from my first and second posts on Organ that this discreet little Japanese cafe is one of my favorite lunch spots near my office, so I was very sad to hear that they are moving to Hongmei Lu area in August. Where will I go for lunch from now on?

As the new location is too far from my office, I know I need to seize my last chances to lunch at Organ before they move. So here I am!

The tofu burger (48 RMB), one of my favorite dishes at Organ, was a delight as always. The patty was soft and tender, perfect with the scoop of chewy mixed-grain rice served on the side. What made the dish spark was a mound of shiso leaves and a bit of grated turnips topping the tofu burger, each adding a refreshing layer of flavor.

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2011/06/222015/09/24

[Shanghai] Sushi Oyama 大山鮨 (2)

restaurant

Sushi Oyama 大山鮨

Add: 2/F, 20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Lu 東湖路20號2樓, 近淮海路
Tel: 5404 7705
Hours: 6:30pm-10:30pm (closed Sunday)
Price: 800 RMB/person, drinks extra
Visited: Jun 2011

Once in a while I eat a meal so perfect that I can’t help but grin from ear to ear until long after the meal has finished. Such was the case after my dinner at Sushi Oyama, an omakase Japanese restaurant with menu that changes nightly. It’s a small but elegant place. The decor is simple, the air is filled with light-hearted jazz, and the focal point of the room is an open sushi bar where Oyama-san and a couple of helpers slice, scorch, press, fold, and roll with determined confidence.

I’m charmed by Sushi Oyama beyond remedy.

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2011/05/112015/08/31

[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋

tokyo

Toraya 虎屋 Add*: Galleria B1F, Tokyo Midtown, D-B117, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Tel: 03-5413-3541 Hours: 11:00am-9:00pm Website: www.toraya-group.co.jp Tokyo Midtown Galleria B1F is a foodie wonderland. Sleek and stylish shops of Sadaharu Aoki, Henri Le Roux, Jean-Paul Hévin, and Maison Kayser bewitch passerby with their alluring display of bright colors and fancy garnishes. Admist all the hustle and…Continue Reading “[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋” →

2011/04/032015/08/31

[Taipei] Cafe Megane 眼鏡咖啡

taipei

Cafe Megane 眼鏡咖啡

Add: 5 Lane 52 Si Wei Rd, Taipei 台北市大安區四維路52巷6號
Tel: (02) 2708 4686
Hours: 12-10pm (closed on Tue)
Website: coffeemegane.com
Price: [drinks] 100~220 NTD [food] 180~280 NTD

Somewhere near the Tun Hwa/Hsin Yi intersection hides this stylish little café with an attitude. The decor is warm in a subtle palette of natural wood and yellow lighting, but the the wait staff serves with a cool nonchalance – not a frosty or rude manner, but it’s just not the usual warm friendliness typical of Taipei. This irked me a little bit (it’s amazing how fast I’ve grown used to remarkably amiable service in Taipei in the few days I lingered in the city) but this disinterested, thanks-but-I-don’t-really-care-what-you-think mannerism fits perfectly with the general vibe of the café.

There’s a table of four and a table of two, plus 6 slots at the bar and a few outdoor seats. It’s a tiny space, and no, they don’t take reservations. We were lucky to have the whole space to ourselves for a weekday lunch, but it’s not surprising that this place gets packed on weekends.

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2011/03/192015/08/31

[Shanghai] Organ (2)

restaurant

Organ

NOTE: Organ has closed and reopened here.

I was absolutely enchanted by this cozy, unpretentious Japanese cafe during my last visit and knew I’d be back very soon. The same warm colors, the same eclectic decorations, the same soothing music on the background…despite the disturbances caused by a few kids running around, Organ is still a charming little oasis.

Here are more of Organ’s handmade menus. Just lovely.

FYI, Organ is donating 5% of their earning to Japan’s earthquake relief effort.

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2011/03/052015/09/24

[Shanghai] Organ

restaurant

Organ

NOTE: Organ has closed and reopened here.

“How do you find these places?” – asked my fellow luncher as we sat down at the table. It is true that Organ is not well-known outside of the Japanese community here in Shanghai. It’s not even listed on SmartShanghai or City Weekend, and has a mere 60 reviews on Dianping (versus 6000 reviews for popular Chinese restaurants). This discreet and unpretentious cafe, with its warm colors, eclectic decorations, and soothing music on the background, is instantly charming. From the handmade hamburger steak to the signature soy milk chiffon cake, everything at Organ taste fresh, healthy, and delicious. It’s one of those places where you can spend the whole afternoon basking in the sun next to the window, or curl away on the ultra-comfortable couch in an inner corner.

The 1st floor of Organ is an elongated space consisting of a bar and an open kitchen. Head up to the 2nd floor and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how spacious it is.

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2011/02/282015/08/31

[Shanghai] Tenya 天家

restaurant

Tenya 天家

Add*: 1/F, Mandarine City Clubhouse, 1129 Guyang Lu, near S. Shui Cheng Lu 古羊路1129号, 近水城路
Tel: 5422 3373
Website: www.tei.com.cn
Price: 200~300 RMB/person
Visited: Feb 2011

When describing a piece of supreme fatty tuna, melt-in-your-mouth becomes an understatement. Pale pink, almost white in color with a richly sweet flavor and a soft, buttery texture…it’s a luxurious sensation in the mouth. Tenya, which prides itself in sourcing the freshest Southern bluefin tuna straight from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market and employing a specialized defrosting process that preserves top quality, is naturally the go-to place in Shanghai for this luscious delicacy.

*Several locations available in Shanghai, check SmartShanghai for the locations.

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2011/01/292015/08/31

[Shanghai] Spark Soup Curry

restaurant

Spark Soup Curry

Add: E7 2F Peace Plaza, Shuicheng Lu 18 / 水城路18号和平广场2楼 E7
Tel: 6295 6523
Hours: 11:00am-01:00am
Price: 70RMB/person
Visited: Jan 2011

Soup curry specialty restaurant opened by a Sapporo (Hokkaido, Japan) native, who won ten million yen in a national competition which helped him open his first non-Japan branch in Shanghai. It was a full house when I went on a Saturday, filled with mostly Japanese patrons.

The menu is self-explanatory. Pick the curry, choose the spiciness level, the amount of rice, and any additional toppings you’d like. I picked level 3 for spiciness and it was barely (if at all) spicy. There’s also a jug of chili oil on the table for those needing a heavier dose.

Typical Japanese curry is fairly thick as it uses a roux base that includes fried flour, but soup curry is thin and accented with heavy spices. We tried the chicken vegetable soup curry (68 RMB), which had a little bit of everything in it – lotus root, pumpkin, broccoli, onions, bell peppers, etc., plus a chicken leg. The chicken itself was rather bland, but the soup – stewed for 8 hours with 32 different spices – was excellent. It was thin, light, but very flavorful, perfect with a bowl of rice.

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2010/11/182015/09/01

[Kyoto] Okutan 奧丹

kyoto

Okutan 奧丹

Add: 3-340 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto / 京都市東山区清水3-340
Tel: 075-525-2051
Hours: 10:30am-5pm (Closed on Thursdays)
Website: webkyoto.com/okutan/
Price: Yudofu set meal ¥3,150; traditional tofu meal ¥4,200

Kyoto is to tofu what Naples is to pizza. It goes without saying that when in Kyoto, you have to have a tofu meal. This is not what you can get as prepackaged squares from supermarkets, we are talking about delicate handcrafted tofu, produced every morning in small shops by artisans who have been making tofu for decades. Okutan, one of the oldest and most authentic tofu restaurants in Kyoto, is a perfect place to have a tofu meal. Founded about 350 years ago as a vegetarian restaurant serving Buddhist monks, Okutan serves just two things: a tofu set meal (yudofu) and a traditional tofu set meal.

Okutan is located near the crossover of sannen-zaka (三年坂) and ninen-zaka (二年坂). If you visit Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) early in the morning, which you should as the famed temple gets crowded later in the day, Okutan would be an ideal place for lunch. Come early at 11:00am to avoid the wait.

After putting our shoes away at the entrance, we were led through the garden into a spacious tatami room. The huge windows lets in plenty of natural light and takes in the garden in plain view. Hot tea was promptly served, a godsend for us after a whole morning out in the cold Kyoto December air.

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2010/09/272015/09/01

[Shanghai] Tonkatsu Hamachan 浜ちゃん

restaurant

Tonkatsu Hamachan 浜ちゃん

Add: 176 Jiaozhou Lu, near Beijing Lu / 胶州路176号，近北京西路
Tel: 6256 8674
Hours: 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10pm
Price: 65 RMB/set
Visited: Sep 2010

Located right across from Urbn Hotel in Jing’an area, Hamachan is a small 6-table restaurant specializing in tontaksu – Japanese style fried pork cutlet. Rumor has it that this place serves THE best tonkatsu in town…

The pork cutlet comes in two varieties, ロース (fatty) and ヒレ(lean), both at 65 RMB/set. Actually, there isn’t a significant difference in the meat itself other than the extra layer of fat on the fatty cut, which I prefer because it’s slightly juicier and the crust is thinner. All tonkatsu is served with special tonkatsu sauce and yellow mustard. The set also includes pickles, miso soup, shredded cabbage, and unlimited refill of rice.

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Tag: japanese

[Shanghai] Organ (3)

[Shanghai] Sushi Oyama 大山鮨 (2)

[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋

[Taipei] Cafe Megane 眼鏡咖啡

[Shanghai] Organ (2)

[Shanghai] Organ

[Shanghai] Tenya 天家

[Shanghai] Spark Soup Curry

[Kyoto] Okutan 奧丹

[Shanghai] Tonkatsu Hamachan 浜ちゃん

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