Cooking Across 4 Generations

Our second day in Tokyo I took Mum for a special treat. I have never been to a Tea Ceremony so decided to treat Mum and myself to one. I had booked us in at Toko-an at the Imperial Hotel in Hibiya on the other side of the railway line from Ginza.

Toko-an is located on the fourth floor of the Imperial Hotel and we were not expecting to find the setting for the tea ceremony to be a replication of a traditional tea house. It was a very pleasant surprise. A huge bank of windows looked out to a lush garden as you walked along the stone pathway to the tea room.

After taking off our shoes we entered through the nijiriguchi( a small door that you need to crouch down to get through) and then into tatami floored room(4 1/2 tatami mats) and took our place seiza style on the floor.

To our right was the Tokonoma(scroll alcove) which featured a seasonal scroll and small arrangement of flowers.

Across from us in was the sadoguchi which allowed the host access to the room and along from that the Furo(brazier) on which was placed the Kama in which the water is heated. A small table was to the side and on top were the Futa-oki to hold the kama lid, the Hishaku (water ladle) and the Natsume(lacquered tea caddy). Underneath was the Mizubashi holding cold water.

While the tea was being prepared we were given wagashi, a sweet treat filled with red bean paste. We ate half befor eht tea was prepared and then watched while one of our two servers performed the ceremony and the other lady explained the process.

I was quite prepared for the tea to be bitter but was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t. Can’t believe everything you read!  The tea served to us was Ujicha from Kyoto and does not have the bitterness of some other types of matcha.

Here we are enjoying our tea,not very elegantly seated. My cup had a depiction of pine branches and Mum’s had fans in autumn colours.

Then it was back out in to the chill morning and over to Asakusa and Kappabashi Dori. After leaving the station we happened to stumble upon our second wedding of the trip. The first one was at Hama-rikyu Onshi Teien.

We only had a quick look in Asakusa as I knew we would be back on Friday with our guide so we pretty much headed straight to Kitchen Town.

We managed to find one of the Kappa statues. Google Kappa to find out more.

Nearly a kilometre of shops all dedicated to different aspects of restaurant and hospitality trades. I have posted on Kappabashi Dori on previous trips so will just say I bought A LOT. Then back to Shimbashi via Tawaramachi Station which was another first for me as I have previously just gone back to Asakusa station.

Stay tuned for the next adventures where we catch our third wedding!!

Earlier in the year I was planning to go to Tokyo by myself. I knew Mum had a bit of annual leave accrued so decided to see if she would like to tag along, which she did. I got all our bookings arranged and then just had to count down to the departure date.

As I wanted to fly in to Narita we had to have a stop over in Brisbane on the way. By the time we got from the domestic terminal to the international and went through customs, we only had about 30 minutes before our gate opened. The flight was uneventful andmanaged to grab a little sleep as well as watch the latest Star Trek and Independence Day movies.

We caught the train from the airport to Shimbashi and then walked to Hotel Villa Fontaine in Shiodome.

After a good night sleep we went down for breakfast. Hotel Villa Fontaine serves a Japanese style breakfast andas it was quite busy I grabbed a table while Mum went for food first. I think she was quite lost with what to have until I came back with my tray. On offer was, meat balls(delicious) Tamagoyaki, pastries, rice, pickles, natto(nope, still haven’t tried it), 3 soups (including miso), cereals and fruit.

Our first day was clear blue skies and quite warm so a stroll through a park was first on our list. Hama-rikyu Onshi Teien was the grounds of a former Shoguns Palace. From the Meiji Restoration in 1868 it was a Detached Palace for the Imperial family until 1946 when it was taken over by the government of Tokyo and opened to the public.

There is a great deal of history within the garden walls and great care is taken in preserving the gardens. Two kamoba(duck hunting sites) are preserved and now make great spots for taking photos of wildlife with in the park. In the trenches leading to the kamoba we saw crabs and fish enjoying the tidal waters while ducks bobbed around on the outer lake.

There are three restored tea houses in the garden, two on the lake shore and one on an island in the middle of the lake accessed by three bridges.

We wandered around past the old wisterias trained over pergolas, along the river bank, past the fields that are planted to different varieties each season, we saw the last of the cosmos, past the Ume (plum) grove and around to the majestic 300 year old pine tree.

One of the most amazing trees in the garden is the 300 year old pine tree planted by the 6th Shogun Ienobu. The tree is majestically sprawls over its patch and due to its age many of the branches have supports to help them.

Then it was a short walk over to Ginza to have a wander through the shops and the fascinating back lanes.

Nissan caught our eyes with some concept cars they had on display. I put the Gripz on my Santa list and Mum put the IDS on hers.

After a good look around we headed back to Shiodome for dinner and a good night sleep.

Stay tuned for more of our busy week in Tokyo!

As I was having a friend come to visit I thought it would be nice to bake something. I haven’t made melting moments for quite some time, so that was my biscuit of choice. I couldn’t find the recipe I wanted so I used the Classic Melting Moment recipe from Donna Hay.

I did however jazz them up a bit, I omitted the lemon from the recipe and used mandarin instead. You could of course use orange or lime if you chose to.

They are quite an easy biscuit to make, although creaming with a hand mixer is a slow process. Here they are before baking.

And here are the completed biscuits. They were quite delicious!

Thanks for dropping by!!

Way back in April I attended MADSYD – a day of talks about the future of food. Held in the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera house, the day featured talks by some of the biggest names in restaurants both local and international. Chefs such as Rene Redzepi, David Chang, Neil Perry, Massimo Bottura, Kylie Kwong, Clayton Donovan, Peter Gilmore among others. Talks also by Chido Govera of The Future of Hope Foundation, social researcher Rebecca Huntley, Gayle Quarmby from OutBack Pride.

It was a great afternoon hearing about where some of the top chefs think food is headed in the future. One thing I took away in particular is that we really need to look at the food sources that are indigenous to this wonderful country. Rene Redzepi and David Chang were both taken aback at how little of our native plant and animal produce we actually use.

So it is time to go out and try what grows best here and add it to our food repetoire. You can see more of the day and other MAD events at http://www.madfood.co.

Thanks for dropping in!!

I recently participated in the RSL & Services Clubs Kokoda Leadership Challenege in Papua New Guinea. After we finished our trek we headed back to the lodge to freshen up and after lunch headed in to Port Moresby to visit the Bomana War Cemetery and then on to a much needed coffee.

The coffee shop in question is Duffy Cafe. Located in a dark building behind two security doors and 2 metre high security fence , it was a welcome relief after 8 days of instant coffee to have a latte (and cheesecake). The interior is light and bright and an al fresco area at the front makes great use of the light. The interior has a European feel, dark grey and white tiles, bare brick, white wooden shutters and dark furnishings.

There is also a creperie and all baked goods are made in house. Amazing selection of both savoury and sweet food to have with your coffee.

And of course the long awaited coffee…….

Upstairs is Duffy fashion. Both businesses are the result of a smart father who backed his entrepreneurial offspring. So if you happen to be in Port Moresby drop in to Duffy for a coffee or bite to eat.

Recently while I was in the city, I developed a craving for a Japanese lunch. As I was near Town Hall there were many options, but my choice for the day was Izakaya Yebisu in Regent Place. Regent Place has many Asian dining choices and the way it has been designed and decorated gives you the feeling of being anywhere but Sydney. Being in the CBD it does tend to get a little busy at lunch time.

Izakaya Yebisu has a main restaurant area and also a bar running along the length of the glassed kitchen area. Menus in the bar area are on tablets so ordering is simple, select the menu course screen, press the item you want and then press order and presto the order is delivered straight to the kitchen or bar. If you need help there is a button to attract a wait person. I had a question about the types of Umeshu they had on offer and a waiter was there very quickly after pressing the “assistance” button. After ordering my Umeshu it was time to decide on my lunch choices.

First course was Gyoza you have a choice of two sauces so I chose the classic ponzu.

For my main I opted for Chicken Kara-age set which came with salad, miso soup, pickles and 2 slices of sashimi. The chicken was nice and crispy and served with Japanese mayo(possibly Kewpie brand) and rice was under the chicken.

There was also a sign for a discounted dessert for dinners who are members of Washoku Lovers Club, so I quickly joined online and ordered the Tempura ice cream. A generous serve of strawberry ice cream dipped in tempura batter and deep fried. Sort of like deep fried ice cream you get at a Chinese restaurant but battered instead of crumbed. The batter was light and crispy and the ice cream had hardly melted. Topped with chocolate sauce and served with cream and strawberry.

Another great find for a delicious Japanese lunch. Might have to head in another couple of times before my next trip to Tokyo later in the year.

Thanks for dropping by!

While I was on my flight to Brisbane, I decided to flip through the Qantas magazine. There was an article on the spicy food trend in Australia. Of particular interest was a review on Fire Tonkotsu Ramen at Taro’s Ramen and Cafe in Brisbane. It is always handy to have some dining suggestions before landing in a city.

After checking in to the hotel and relaxing a little it was time to head out and explore a little. On my way in to the CBD I happened across Taro’s Ramen and Cafe while walking down Edward Street. It was nearly 12 so definitely time for lunch.

I forgot to order the Fire Tontotsu Ramen and instead ordered Tonkotsu Ramen with extra soy neck charsiu (Bangalow pork). I also ordered a glass of Choya Umeshu, a Japanese alcoholic beverage which I have never tried before.

Both were delicious. The creamy looking soup base is cooked for 2 days using bones from Bangalow pork. The charsiu pork was tender and tasty. The noodles nicely firm and slurped down a treat. Perfect for the cool Brisbane day. The iced Umeshu was sweet but went well with the ramen.

Then it was time to head back out and explore Brisbane, a city I lived in for 10 months many moons ago, and see the changes that have happened in the past 25 years.

On my recent trip to Brisbane (AKA Brisvegas) I walked from the city to New Farm to have lunch. A pleasant walk that took about half an hour led to James Street, a lovely tree lined street that is the main shopping precinct of New Farm. Reminded me a bit of Double Bay in Sydney.

Upon reaching my destination the rain came down. Naturally I didn’t have an umbrella as I was taking the risk that it wouldn’t rain. So that meant it was time to eat rather than window shop.

There were several dining choices but I decided to try Cru Bar|Cellar. Located at the front of James St. Market it was a perfect spot to watch the world pass by while it rained.

The word cellar in the name got me expecting a great wine list, which it definitely was. Such a huge range of wines by the glass including many great Bourdeaux’s and wines from Burgundy, the USA, Italy, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. I decided to kick off with a glass of Louis Roederer Champagne, one that you don’t see too often by the glass.

For lunch I chose pressed crispy skin pork belly, daikon, green apple and seeded mustard remoulade, soft potato, artichoke and crispy flat parsley. Truly delicious! The pork belly was so soft and tender, the skin crisp with a nice crunch, all the flavours were a great combination. Perfect choice for lunch while it rained.

Rather than dessert I chose the Charles Arnaud Comte (18months aged) cheese, served with lavosh, pide, Iranian figs and quince paste. I chose a glass of Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2014 to accompany my cheese.

As I finished my wine and cheese the rain stopped and the sun tried to make an appearance. It was safe to leave the dry environs of Cru Bar|Cellar and head back out to the shops, top of my list was Pottery Barn and West Elm. Behind Cru Bar|Cellar in the market were some great providores of ready to heat and eat meals, and greengrocer, butcher, fishmonger and deli.

After my look around it was time to head back to the hotel and rest after all the walking.