Tokyo 2024 day 5: nigiri for lunch

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Everything on our schedule is shifted a little early today, and we needed a quick and early lunch to fit into that schedule. It was fortuitous, then, that Geruhage very kindly offered me his 11 a.m. booking at Sushitokoro Yamato (鮨処 やまと) this morning. It's one of his newer discoveries and he was so impressed with this place that he insisted that I go try it.

I have never had the pleasure of dining at Nihonbashi Kakigaracho Sugita (日本橋蠣殻町 すぎた), so knowing that Yasui Yamato (安井大和) spent 5 years there and, when he chose to open up his own shop, received the blessing of Sugita-san, kinda felt like I was getting the consolation prize. And of course I have full confidence that we would enjoy our meal given the high praise that Geruhage heaped on the chef.

The restaurant, like so many others in Japan, is on the street level in a nondescript building. One can barely guess that this is the door to a restaurant by looking at the wood-and-glass door before the place official opens, because that's when someone comes out and hangs up the noren (暖簾) bearing the name of the establishment.

Tokyo 2024 day 4: Bonneau and birdie

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It's been more than a year and a half, and I'm back together with my Tokyo gang for another round of wines. This time around H-man booked us a private room at YAKITORI燃, which specializes in Californian wines and is, apparently, happy to let us bring more than 1 or 2 bottles to dinner. For someone who normally stays away from yakitori joints due to her disinterest in tasteless chickens and a dislike of innards, Foursheets is having her second yakitori dinner in just 3 days. We did tell the restaurant that she wishes to avoid innards, so they offered her substitute skewers.

The Moe Course (燃コース) includes 7 skewers, a warm dish, a cold dish, a carb dish, plus dessert for a pretty reasonable price.

Oden (おでん) - with tofu, egg, maitake (舞茸), and spinach.

Tokyo 2024 day 4: Instagram-famous tonkatsu

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Over the years, the core group of alumni from my high school in Tokyo living in Hong Kong has gradually shrunk, as friends move back home to be with family. A few guys have relocated back to Tokyo, and I'm taking the opportunity on this trip to meet up with them. While I had originally thought about going back to a curry shop I visited a few years ago, or even checking out a biryani restaurant I had heard about, I eventually left the choice up to the locals.

I was pleasantly surprised that my friend suggested lunch at Tonkatsu Marushichi (とんかつ 丸七), as it was kinda on my "hit list" for Tokyo. The place is "Instagram-famous" thanks to its very thick cuts of tonkatsu (とんかつ), and I always wondered whether the pork cutlet actually tasted good.

Since no bookings could be made for this popular chain of restaurants, I suggested that we visit the Fukagawa Fudo (深川不動) branch as they have 14 seats at the counter, versus 8 seats at the nearby honten or 6 seats at the Ginza branch. This would increase our chance of getting seated early and, hopefully, in the first round.

Foursheets and I arrived 15 minutes before the official opening time of 11 a.m. and there were 4 other tourists with their suitcases at the front of the line. I guess that fits with their Instagram fame. We were relieved that we would be seated in the first round, and I got to spend some time chatting with my alumni friends while we waited for the doors to open. Meanwhile, a long line started to develop while we waited.

I was surprised that the restaurant only opened up and seated us around 11:30 a.m., which was 30 minutes late and quite unusual for Japan. As we had pre-ordered everything while waiting in line, the cooks inside simply waited until they had fried all the pork cutlets for everyone in the first round, then served us within a couple of minutes after being seated. Well, I would have preferred to wait for my food while sitting down inside and not stand outside for an extra half hour...

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BABY, THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR! OF COURSE I chose the thickest cut, as did the other 2 guys. Foursheets, though, took the "half portion" of the same cut of pork, so she "only" had 180 grams instead of 300 grams of pork.

Tokyo 2024 day 3: Isojiman, Mon Amour

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The main reason for taking this trip to Tokyo was to see an old friend. My first visit to Tamanegiya (酒たまねぎや) came in the summer of 2010, and ever since that fateful night, I have made sure to visit Master on every single subsequent visit to Tokyo. Nine visits over the space of 14 years may not sound like much, but my relationship with this place is longer and more meaningful than with any other hospitality establishment in all of Japan.

On my first visit back there last year after a 3-year absence due to the pandemic, Master mentioned that he was thinking to close up shop and retire this year, as he would be turning 70. That was, of course, not good news for long-time fans like myself, and I resolved to come back to see him before the place becomes history.  

Master organizes around a dozen or so vertical tastings each year of sakes from breweries he is friendly with, drawing on his extensive cellar to showcase a single bottling in a way that few others could accomplish. Usually the president or the toji (杜氏) of the brewery would also be present. I had thought about joining one of these events in the past, but for various reasons I chose not to pull the trigger. Until now.

Today I joined about 20 others for a tasting of Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), covering 16 vintages beginning from the very first in 2009 to the 2024 vintage that has literally just been released. As if these weren't enough, Master has thrown in an additional two bottles to make it even more interesting.

Photo credit: Kinoshita Takayoshi

After shelling out a big wad of cash to Master just outside the door, I walked into one of the function room at Hotel Metropolitan Edmont to find 3 tables set up and a wall of sake. Since it's free seating, I hurriedly put my bag down and saved seats for Geruhage and V as well. As luck would have it, we were seated at the same table as brewery president Teraoka Yohji (寺岡洋司).

Tokyo 2024 day 3: Instagram-famous tongue

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In preparation for a heavy drinking session this afternoon, I have very wisely scheduled a very big lunch to make sure my stomach is full and can handle all the alcohol. 29 Terrace (29テラス) is a place I found thanks to it being "Instagram famous", and when I saw a video of their ox tongue stuffed with spring onions I knew I wanted to come and try it. As V also needed a big lunch before joining me for this afternoon's festivities, I figured he should come along with us.

Even though we were the first to be seated today, I wanted to make sure that we got the signature ox tongue, so I pre-booked the most expensive set menu. It looked like a lot of beef to take down, especially for lunch, but I figured what the hay...

Korean salad (チョレギサラダ)

Kimchi (キムチの盛り合わせ)

Yukhoe (ユッケ) - this was pretty good with all the diced spring onions.

Tokyo 2024 day 2: Takasaka chicken

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I haven't seen Geruhage since my little detour to Kyoto earlier this year, and a lot has happened since then. We met up for dinner tonight at Yakitori Kyotamba (焼とり 京丹波), and I managed to rope in V for our little soirée. I'm really happy that he looked well and hasn't slowed down much, and even looks chic in his new accessory. 

Takasaka chicken (高坂鶏) is one of the famous breeds used in yakitori, and it's rare to find a restaurant like this where everything is done using this particular breed, as often a restaurant will use it for a few skewers only. We were pretty excited to try this place for the first time.

We were presented with a menu in English for the Chef's selected course:

A plate of assorted Takasaka chicken sasimi aged for 5 days (高坂鶏の刺身) - this included a slice each of thigh (もも), kelp seasoned breast (ささみ昆布締め), and fatty liver (白肝) along with some gelée. The abundance of perilla flowers added wonderful fragrance to mask any potential pungent flavors.

Tokyo 2024 day 2: pizza day

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After a night of insomnia, I really needed some coffee this morning. I had planned to hit a few Instagram-famous places on this trip, and it starts with a kissaten (喫茶店) famous for its crème caramel (プリン). Hekkerun (ヘッケルン) opened more than 50 years ago, and the place certainly looks like it's been around for a while... even from the outside.

Unfortunately while I was rearranging our itinerary and moved this visit from another day to this morning, I had forgotten to check which days of the week this place actually opens... and they're closed on Saturdays. So I've come all this way for nothing! Well, we still needed coffee, and ended up at a Caffé Veloce nearby.

I took a classic "Morning Set" that is common in cafés in Japan, with a cup of coffee and a ham and cheese toast. This did the job of getting some caffeine in me so I could get through the rest of the day.

Tokyo 2024 day 1: airline food

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I'm taking my first overseas trip after the end of my self-imposed travel ban, and our first destination is Tokyo. As we were flying JAL today, we got access to the Qantas Lounge at the Hong Kong International Airport and checked it out for the first time. I had done a quick search online as we headed to the airport, and there was something I was really looking forward to.

Unfortunately, the bar only serves up char siu rice (叉燒飯) and other main dishes after 4 p.m., so we were visiting just a tad early for this.

But wait! There's a dim sum cart being pushed around in the lounge! I've never seen that, even in the Cathay Pacific Lounge! I was pretty excited about this, and learned that they offer 2 options daily - one savory and one sweet.

Shenzhen with MO day 2: elevation 388

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After a much-needed and restorative massage at The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, the team took us on a tour of the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen to show off some of the facilities and fantastic views. This included taking us up to the rooftop helipad at a height of 388 meters, where we got a 360° view of the city as the sun was setting.

As night fell, we settled into our seats at the counter facing the open kitchen of OPUS 388 for dinner. Chef Alessio Durante is relatively new to Shenzhen, having recently joined from Alain Ducasse at The Morpheus in Macau. I would imagine he's still learning the peculiarities of this market, although the menu that had been prepared had a few interesting things that piqued my interest.

Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, dégorgée le 22 Janvier 2024 - a little mineral and flint on the nose, and good acidity on the palate.

The dinner started by having our napkins sprayed with a perfume that was meant to smell of bread...

Then came some grissini along with other breads.

A coral from the sea - the amuses bouches were presented on a ceramic coral stand, which certainly made an impression...

Shenzhen with MO day 2: Up the Hill

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Woke up to another beautiful day in Shenzhen, although I didn't get to sleep until very late while watching events unfold in Korea. I finally rolled down (or actually up) to breakfast at Bazaar, the café where guests at the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen take their morning meal. This is buffet-style but one could also order up some noodles, eggs, or even beef noodle soup for something a little more substantial. I opted for a lighter breakfast so chose none of those.

I was really intrigued by how cheese names are translated in China. Gruyère into "古老也" is a phonetic and slightly funny take, while Emmental being called "大孔芝士" - literally "big hole cheese" had me sideways.

Shenzhen with MO day 1: tapas night

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Believe it or not, after my delicioius lunch earlier today, I actually went to the gym at the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen for my usual quick run. I can't remember the last time I worked out in a hotel gym while traveling, but it was good to get back to it.

I desperately needed to rehydrate after running, and fortunately the hotel provided me with a bottle of pear with white fungus (银耳雪梨汤), which was very helpful.

After watching the sunset in my room, I headed up to dinner at Tapas 77, with commanding views of the Shenzhen skyline. Chef Ivan Arroyo has had an interesting journey in his culinary career, but now focuses on introducing the local clientele to classic Spanish fare.

Shenzhen with MO day 1: back at The Bay

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On my first trip back to Shenzhen last November, Foursheet and I had a very enjoyable dinner at The Bay by Chef Fei (东湾 - 由辉师傅主理) in the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen. When an invitation came to spend a couple of days at the hotel, including a meal at the restaurant, I didn't hesitate to say 'YES' once I figured out my travel schedule.

The jouney by car on a weekday morning took just less than 1 hour, and we were greeted by the ladies from the hotel upon arrival. Minutes later I stepped into the Skyline View Suite the hotel had prepared for me, and the view over the city was just fantastic.

After soaking up the calm above the city, it was time to head to The Bay by Chef Fei for our lunch. This time we were placed in one of the private dining rooms and not in the main dining room. A few of the nibbles were already laid out on the table when I arrived.

Almond wafers (杏仁酥片)

Pear

Not sure what filling came with these cookies...

Sesame cookie balls (开口笑)

Then came the series of starters:

Poached stem lettuce, marinated chili (冰爽扇形青笋) - I love celtuce (莴笋) stem when it's blanched and served cold with a little bit of chili oil kick on top of acidity. So refreshing.

These were sliced and then arranged so that the shape resembles the iconic "fan" of the Mandarin Oriental group.

Cantonese barbecue pork, honey (蜜汁叉烧) - this had nice, fruity flavors in the marinade, and the fragrance of Mei Kuei Lu (玫瑰露) was pretty noticeable.

Although there was a nice amount of marbling, the black pork (I didn't ask which type of 黑豚肉 this was, but I'm guessing it's unlikely to be Japanese kurobuta) was on the firm side, with more bite than many other plates of char siu I've had recently. This was not a bad thing, just different.

Poached squid, chili oil, pepper (红油南澳大鱿鱼) - this was very tasty, as the chili sauce (烧椒酱) was mild in heat but delivered nice flavors. The squid itself, of course, was fresh and had quite a springy and crunchy texture.

Crispy Bombay duck fish, caviar (鱼子酱香酥峰巢九肚鱼) - I've had deep-fried Bombay duck since I first arrived in Hong Kong three decades ago, but it's not often that one sees it battered like this in the classic "beehive (蜂巢)" presentation.

Very crunchy batter surrounding the soft and fluffy fish inside. I guess the little bit of caviar added a bit more salinity to it.

Double boiled Chinese silk chicken soup, fresh ginseng (鲜人参太和乌鸡炖花胶) - the fish maw was nice with collagen that stuck to my lips. Good flavors of ginseng in the soup to nurture our bodies.

Poached chicken, ginger-dip (贵妃白切葵花鸡) - too bad Foursheets chose to stay home and not join me on the trip, because here's her favorite chicken! This may look like any other poached chicken, but the flavors of these chickens fed with sunflower seeds are so much better.

Blanched Canadian geoduck, basil (金不换煮加拿大象拔蚌) - kinda interesting to see basil being used here, but apparently it's an ingredient often used in Chiuchow cuisine.

The geoduck was pretty nice.

Boiled Chinese cabbage, tomato, crispy pork fat (番茄油渣煮潮州黄芽白菜) - I love Chinese cabbage, and I'm not sure I've ever had it together with tomato. The best part, of course, were those little cubes of deep-fried pork lard!

Boneless crucian carp congee (挑战刀工极限无骨鲫鱼粥) - the ladies had apparently read my comments on this dish from my last visit, and wanted to make sure that their signature dish would outperform what I had last time.

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I don't remember whether this was cooked tableside on my last visit, but today we had the chefs come show us how it's done. It is said to test a chef's knife skills because crucian carps have lots of small bones, which is something I definitely remember from my childhood days.

The fish from Xinfengjiang Reservoir (新丰江水库) a.k.a. Lake Wanlü (万绿湖) didn't taste as muddy today, although it is difficult to get rid of it completely even with the help of lots of white pepper that the chef added. Still, I was happy with this congee with the lovely milky broth.

Dim sum combination (豪华点心拼盘) came next:

Black pepper char siu puff (黑椒天鹅叉烧酥) - very cute. I could certainly taste the black pepper.

Pan-fried dumpling with black pork (黑豚肉锅贴) - with a "sail" attached to wish diners smooth sailing (一帆风顺) in their lives.

Dumpling with black truffle and rehydrated dried celtuce (黑松露贡菜饺) - the translucent wrapper looks pretty.

Shanxi jujube pudding (山西枣皇糕)

Chinese yam and rose cake (玫瑰山药糕)

Mongtong durian puff (金枕榴莲酥) - I love durian so I was happy to have a little piece of this.

Kiwi (猕猴桃)

I was really happy to be able to return for another delicious meal. Very grateful to Brother Water, the team, and the ladies for their kind hospitality.

Maybe I should hit the gym and burn off some of these calories...

Six stars in Kowloon

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Chef Sung Anh (안성재) has become a global household name this year, thanks to his part in the Netflix series Culinary Class Wars. Although he was already well-known in the culinary world after opening Mosu in Seoul and receiving 3 Michelin stars, it was only after the airing of the Netflix show that those who don't regularly patronize fine dining establishments became familiar with his name.

Mosu Hong Kong opened in the first half of 2022 while Hong Kong's borders were still closed, and I've had the opportunity to dine there twice - although I've not been back in some time. When it was announced that Chef Sung would be in town for a collaboration with Jimmy Lim of JL Studio - making it "6 stars" in the kitchen - I was pretty excited to see how the menu would look like. I had thought about grabbing a table when booking opened, but hesitated as I was still unsure of my travel plans around this time. Thankfully an invitation came to join a tasting today with other media and "KOLs", and I happily crossed the harbor on a beautiful day for lunch.

I was a little apprehensive about the seating arrangements today, as things didn't work out so well the last time I accepted an invitation to join a tasting at one of restaurants from this group. Thankfully they seated me with the boss man, who got so tired of my company that he started to socialize with guests at other tables...

We started with a few small bites from both kitchen teams:

The welcome drink was a Korean rice wine, with grains of (glutinous?) rice, cinnamon, ginger, and interestingly lemongrass for a touch of Southeast Asia.