Healthy Dining

There are a lot of neighborhood restaurants in Tokyo that serve surprisingly ingenious cuisine. One neighborhood in Setagaya-ku that has a rich eccentric vibe to it, apart from being one of the centers for youth culture in Tokyo, is Shimokitazawa (下北沢). This neighborhood has a lot of specialty boutiques, including ones selling cheaper pre-owned designer goods, bars, cafes, and the usual Pachinko slots. 

One restaurant that serves delightful French food with organic and anti-aging ingredients/formulations is BioMaison. Located in a quieter section of Shimokitazawa, BioMaison is a quaint place that looks more like a nice kitchen nook. It serves French-inspired cuisine with the aim of promoting well-being. Healthy food is definitely on the menu. 

A downside is that the menu is entirely in Japanese, and one would need a dictionary to understand which items to order. For this visit, the fennel bulbs ordered some dishes with more or less familiar ingredients, and all fortunately turned out to be truly memorable. 

For starters, a trio of diminutive hors d'oeuvre was presented (Y330). This is not ordered, but given rather mandatorily. It would be quite rude to refuse as the taste and the presentation are both worth more than its price. From left to right, a succulent sun-dried tomato, parsley, and cheese ball; followed by shaved herbs and cheese over a slice of ham and some greens; and lastly a slice of bread with a vegetable spread. 

Next in line is a shrimp and avocado salad (~Y880). The flavours are delicate and very well balanced. The proportion of avocado, dressing, and shrimps are just enough such that there is a unison of flavour that is unique. And the cherry tomatoes are so sweet!

For the main course, a superb dish of fish cooked in the Corsican style (which uses tomatoes), is served with some freshly-grown vegetables - a slice of squash, peppers, cauliflower, and purple carrots (~Y1880). On the side is bread baked with organic yeast (Y330), supposedly to promote good digestion. Also, the menu says that a lot of B vitamins essential for the health of the nervous system and general well-being are abundant in these ingredients. 

The servings are a bit on the small side though, and more authentic French cuisine can be had elsewhere. But, BioMaison is a homely experience for those who want to experience healthy (and anti-aging, as it claims to be) cuisine. 

*Shimokitazawa (下北沢) can be reached easily (in 10 minutes or so) either from Shibuya through the Keio Inokashira Line or from Shinjuku through the Odakyu Line. 

Tokyo Sampler

The fennel bulbs are off to Tokyo once more, but this time for a much longer time. There will be more opportunities to dig in deeper into the gastronomic diversities the Japanese capital has to offer. One would expect that Japanese food would be definitely on top of the list, but we've decided to tackle dishes from different cuisines and cultures first, just to show that just about everything is being offered in the world's largest city. 

First stop is hamburgers. There are a lot of burger joints in Tokyo, including McDonald's, Mos Burger, and Freshness Burger. Also the burger steak has been incorporated into Japanese cuisine and figures as the baaga-suteki (バーガーステキ) served with rice and topped with soy-based sauce and grated radish. But a restaurant in Jiyugaoka (自由が丘) makes the difference by making top-quality Western-style burgers from purely organic ingredients. 

The restaurant is quaint. The little space it fits in is typical for a lot of Tokyo establishments. The interiors are cozy and one can find most of the tables on the outdoor terrace. 

Guacamole burger set with fried potatoes and coleslaw (Y1640) was ordered. One first gets to taste the buns which are the most perfectly-tasting hamburger buns there could be. It is utterly delicious and fresh, baked bread at its finest, accentuated by the taste of sesame seeds. The guacamole is made from organic avocados, and the beef is likewise organic, and it is Wagyu (和牛). The beef tastes very fresh. Superlatives are to describe this burger as well as the fried potatoes and the coleslaw, which is light and refreshing. 

Moving on to flashier Omotesando, the shopping center Omotesando Hills has some culinary treats to offer. On the ground floor is kurkku3 restaurant which offers an alternative view on how meals should be eaten - its menu categorizes food according to the good and qualitative effects it can do on the body (not necessarily medical). Dishes are tagged as energizing, or relaxing, or mood-uplifting, and so on.

 

The interiors are cool and swanky and one has a view of Omotesando and the passers-by.  

 

First to be ordered is a bowl of Korean Bibimbap (Y1300), with a kurkku3 interpretation. Bits of tender beef are cooked just right and served over rice and topped with poached egg and assorted vegetables (spring onions most markedly). One has to mix together the ingredients and the dish achieves an organic unity, with the poached egg serving as a binder. 

Then comes a Vietnamese style spring roll stuffed with green leafy vegetables and fried eel (Y550 for 1 piece, cut in half). It is served with hoisin sauce dusted with ground peanuts. The richness of the eel, which is fatty fish in the first place, is subdued by the vegetables, achieving a delightful balance. 

Last stop for this issue is a restaurant in a quieter section of Tokyo. Futako-tamagawa (二子多摩川) seems to be another typical Tokyo neighborhood, appearing more suburban. But with the addition of Rise Shopping Center which has very good shops, there's always a reason to visit this place. 

 

 

On the top floor of Dogwood Plaza (still included in Rise S.C.) are restaurants. The liveliest of the restaurant seems to be the Pasta House AWKitchen. It's lively enough to even attract groups of elderly Japanese, although the place seems to be a bit too modern and gives the impression of targeting younger groups.  

For antipasto, eggplant puttanesca (横浜メスプッタネスカ, Y550) was ordered. The tomatoes are fresh and the taste of anchovies delicately punctuate it. The eggplants are cooked just right with no hint of bitterness.

 

Last is the pasta - an olive oil based pasta dish of rigatoni in ground chicken and garlic sauce with lotus root (Y1100). The sauce is cooked together with a piece of dried chili which adds some heat. The rigatoni is cooked al dente and is freshly-made (not dried pasta). The serving is a bit on the light side and won't leave someone feeling bloated from too much pasta. 

Overall, a good experience it is. 

More to come. 

* Jiyugaoka (自由が丘) and Futako-Tamagawa (二子多摩川) can be easily accessed from Shibuya (渋谷) through the Tokyu Den-en-toshi line.  
* Omotesando (表参道) can be accessed either through the Tokyo Metro on the Hanzomon, Ginza, and Chiyoda lines, and can be reached by foot from 原宿 Harajuku station on the JR Yamanote line.

Tokyo for Happy Palates (part 3)

Shibuya is probably the hippest and most vibrant place in Tokyo. It's here where lots of people, mostly young but yes, some elderly people too, hang out, meet each other, shop, and eat. A very famous landmark where people would usually meet each other is the Hachiko exit where one would find a statue of the dog known for his unwavering loyalty named Hachiko as well as murals of the animal.

Just a stone's throw away from the Hachiko exit is the bustling Shibuya Marks Square. A lot of restaurants can be had here, including the famous Midori Sushi-ya, which unfortunately will not be featured here because of the long queue and the fennel bulbs' unbearable pangs of hunger. 

Failing to eat legendary sushi brought them to Brasserie Ginza Lions, which turns out to be a discovery worth noting. The restaurant serves some Japanese dishes and some continental dishes, with a Japanese take on Western cuisine, known as Yoshoku (洋食). 

Above is a picture of a sizzling plate of sausages, potatoes, bell pepper, and onions (~Y800). Some spring onions are sprinkled on top which is quite a Japanese touch. The dish is just as hearty as it seems to be. 

Next is a slender (but still quite for the hefty appetite) plateful of seasoned rice topped with tender garlic beef (~Y1400). The taste is reminiscent of beef teppanyaki, with the typical seasonings of soy sauce and sesame muted a bit giving the garlic more authority over the flavor of the dish. 

Lastly are oyster croquettes (かきコロッケ, ~Y1000 with rice and soup). Croquettes are quite a simple dish, but the quality of ingredients can turn the otherwise taken-for-granted croquette into an exquisite piece. The oysters are fresh, tender, almost purifying in its flavor. The croquettes are fried perfectly without burning the oysters inside. 

After a day soaking the sounds and bustle of Shibuya, it would be lovely to have a dinner in a bit more upscale place. Still part of the Tokyo metropolitan area, the city of Kawasaki offers a lot to those looking for electronics and is only a short train ride away from the port city of Yokohama. La Zona is a sprawling (and very nice) mall located next to Kawasaki station, and has a lot of culinary delights to offer with its restaurants. 

A place the fennel bulbs would love to recommend to those looking for a very nice (rather chic) place, and to those who are not in a very tight budget, is S teppanyaki, located on the top floor of the mall. This restaurant has dim and understated interiors and would be perfect for those on a date. 

A quaint appetizer that would get one going is a small rice bowl topped with rarely-cooked and seasoned Wagyu beef (Y900). Yes, this is just an appetizer as the servings are indeed, meant just to put something into an empty belly. The beef is perfect and melts in the mouth. The spring onions add a bit of tanginess to the dish. 

The piece de resistance for the evening was King Crab teppan (Y2600). The crab is fresh as it can get, and the meat from the thighs and the claws is just delicious. The seasonings, which seem to be limited to salt and pepper, are minimal, and all there is to taste is pure luscious crab. 

S Teppanyaki also serves dessert, which is by no means of negligible quality. Set on a frosted glass dish is strawberry tiramisu (Y650), which made the fennel bulbs very happy. 

Tokyo for Happy Palates (part 2)

Tokyo is such a varied city that one never fails to find new innovative ideas - from fashion to technology to cuisine. A Tokyo chain of restaurants that has recently caught the eye of lifestyle, culture, and travel magazine Monocle is Soup Stock Tokyo. Soup Stock Tokyo was mentioned by the UK publication as an innovative brand upholding a novel concept worth sharing the world. 

And the fennel bulbs guess here's the reason why: 

A set menu comprising 2 bowls of soup of your own choosing plus sesame seed rice. On this tray is a bowl of lobster bisque and cream of leeks. Both are just amazing, both bursting with flavor. At first the thought of having soup and rice for dinner is a bit weird, but it's just very comforting, especially on a chilly evening. This set costs Y990. Soup Stock has branches all over Tokyo, including this one in Fuchu-shi. 

Another remarkable restaurant chain that's worth sharing is Freshness Burger. Founded in 1992, Freshness Burger sells burgers made from fresh and organic ingredients. Even the menu indicates where the beef and the vegetables come from. Another interesting thing to note about this chain is that its branches have a very homely ambience, resembling a coffee shop more than a burger shop. This was taken in a shop at Inagi-shi, just a few steps away from the Keio line Inadazutsumi station. 

And true it is to its mission, the burgers are just the best the fennel bulbs have ever tasted. The lettuce was all green and spotless and the beef was soft, juicy, and just utterly tasteful. The cheese and the onions were also delightful. It was just blissful. Burgers cost anywhere between Y500 - Y700. 

And care to have some hot cocoa (Y250) after those really delicious burgers? 

Tokyo for Happy Palates (part 1)

Tokyo and its consolidated metropolitan area is home to almost 30 million people. It is the world's largest city in terms of population, and also is the world's richest. This city is just remarkable, beating with an energy and drive so palpable and restless. And the fennel bulbs definitely love this beautiful and dynamic city. 


With its position as one of the planet's most global of cities, the dining scene in Tokyo is one that a lot of other cities also look up to. The best of Japanese cuisine can be had in Tokyo, and some of Europe's best chefs have opened up restaurants in the city whipping up the best of international cuisine. 

The best of Japanese ramen in Tokyo is served in Ippudo. This restaurant chain has dozens of stores in Tokyo, and has achieved much renown for the savory broth and its noodles which are hand-pulled inside the restaurant's kitchens (separated by glass, one can just watch how the best ramen is spurned). Ippudo already has branches in New York and Singapore. 

The picture above is a bowl of luscious Akamaru Ramen (赤丸ラーメン). It literally means "red bowl ramen" and is tastier and the broth is denser than its white bowl counterpart. A rich mixture of possibly boiled pork and duck bones and miso characterize the soup. Light soy is added as a contrast to the light colour of the miso, and a rich paste of sesame adds a dimension of nuttiness to the dish. 

Accompanying the ramen are 10 pieces of Hakata-style dumplings, also known as gyoza. These gyozas are a bit smaller than the usual ones you'd find in normal Japanese restaurants, but the filling is just bursting with flavour. Together with the ramen, an unforgettable meal at Ippudo that would most likely fill the belly costs around Y1100, and not pricey at all. 

A popular Japanese food that has enamored people around the world and has become almost synonymously associated with Japanese cuisine is tempura. Affordable tempura with high quality ingredients can be had at Tenya (てにゃ). This restaurant chain has a lot of stores within the Tokyo Metropolitan area. 

On the picture above is a tempura rice bowl with the addition of lotus and moriatake mushrooms. One set comprises the bowl with a smaller bowl of miso soup. At Y680, it is reasonable enough. And the freshness of the ingredients just reveals itself within the deep-fried layers of batter which are crisp and delicious. 

(to be continued...)