Cheap Eats Review: Midori Zushi (Tokyo, Japan)

Midori Zushi ***

The famous fish auction at Tsukiji fish market was closed to tourists when we were in Tokyo. So, our initial plan to visit the sushi/sashimi joints in the market area such as Sushi Dai was abandoned.....also, we enjoyed our morning sleep-in. :) Later on, Tong's Japanese friend who actually work in the Tsukiji area reassured us that Sushi Dai was only OK; the other local friend in food industry in Tsukiji haven't even heard of it before. So we were on a mission to find the best 'budget' sushi we can get.

Midori Zushi is located inside Mark City shopping mall facing Shibuya crossing - one of the world's busiest pedestrian crossing. A clue that you are in the right place is the ridiculous queue outside! After a 45 minute wait, we finally got in.....after many passing thoughts of looking for another dinner spot. We were rewarded for our patience!

Apart from the very fresh and totally awesome sushi/sashimi, Midori is popular with both locals and tourists for its affordability. While most go for the more "budget" friendly combos....we wanted complete control of what we had and went for individual orders. Some orders were massive - for instance the conger eel (anago) sushi was served as a whole eel and giant egg (tamago) sushi was....er, giant-sized. Sushi rice was perfectly cooked and seasoned.

There were several highlights: 

 (1) Flame-thrower enhanced marbled fattiest fatty tuna sushi - the flame caramalised the top & the tuna had a creamy texture. The meat just crumbles & melts in your mouth as you eat. AWESOME!

(2) the uni (sea urchin roe) sushi - BEST EVER, it was creamy, sweet & best of all, the sweetness lingers on long after you finish the uni.

Here were the rest.....

Salmon & fatty tuna

Mackerel

 

Fish roe spawned on kelp. Not sure we liked this one: texture of fish roe was crunchy but I found the bitter after-taste of the roe slightly unappealing. Our curiosity prompted us to order this as we have never seen this before.

Scallops

This was easily the best "budget" sushi I've had and definitely well-worth the wait and repeat visits. It costs us just under Y4000. Our Japanese insider approves too! For those with unlimited budget, may be worthwhile checking out Michelin-starred sushi/sashimi restaurants in Tokyo.

Rating for Cheap Eats: 18/20

By Gastronomic G.

Rating explained:

Scores 18 to 20 = *** (3 stars) = World class and close to perfection

Scores 16 to <18 = ** (2 stars) = An exceptional and special dining experience

Scores 15 to <16 = * (1 star) = Very good to great dining experience

Scores 13 to <15 = Good but not memorable

Scores 10 to <13 = Acceptable

Scores <10 = Are you sure you want to eat here?

Tokyo Vintage: PASS THE BATON

PASS THE BATON is probably the BEST second hand or vintage shop I've ever been because the quality of goods in the store was simply AMAZING.

Founded by Masamichi Toyama, the store described its concept as 'New Recycle'. PASS THE BATON is a recycling & reused shop with a difference. It is not only the ONLY vintage store that I have come across that has its store concept explained; the business idea, branding, marketing & creative, & channels was so well executed that it was a delight learning more about this store. (I'm a marketer, so these things fascinates me as well.  :) Though I am unsure about  its profitability, on the surface, this venture seems pretty successful to me!)

I took a copy of their catalog, and I just LOVE how they explain the store concept: the meaning behind PASS THE BATON & new recycle. (lucky for me, there's English translation). :)

"PASS THE BATON is a contemporary select recycle shop.

Our concept is 'New Recycle', our products / items are gathered from private individuals - objects with memories, items in disuse, but can't be thrown away. They are sold, along with their stories to someone who understands their use and value. 

Not a recycle shop as you've seen before, that carries only either brand name or low price items, we are a NEW recycle shop that handles items portraying an individual tastes and sensibility, items PASSED down from their original owners."

Isn't that brilliant?!

Started off with one store in Marunouchi, the second store in Omotosendo (which we visited) was larger & has a more gallery feel. Designed by Masamichi Katayama, the store was so well curated that it doesn't have the usual chaos in a vintage store and you'll be amazed at every directions you look. 

*Masamichi Katayama is listed #54 as one of the 100 most Creative People in Business & one of the hottest designer in Tokyo. Click here to read more.

The store in Omotosendo holds exhibitions, talks, live performances and special events by artists from around the world, selected with an PASS THE BATON eye.

While probably not the best store to find a bargain, if you love frequenting vintage store. This is a MUST visit in Tokyo because it's truly a vintage store like no other. :)

I have sequenced the photos from the entrance leading into the store so you can have a closer experience as ours. Enjoy!

 

Chandeliers made from cups

Temporary exhibition space

The Quirky One

Goodbye 2010 & Welcome 2011!

 2010 has been interesting & represents a huge change for us in many different ways. We've moved from Canada back to Sydney, changed jobs etc. All for the better.. I hope! 

We've made some great friends in North America & would like to thank all our friends for their great companionship all these years. WE MISS YOU & we're sure we'll be seeing some of you in 2011 'coz we'll be coming to visit SOON!

For our friends here, thanks for being here for us & helping us when we were away! Life would have been very difficult if not for you guys and we are very blessed to have you guys around.

For everyone else who have chanced upon our blog & started following (subscribed by email or followed through Google Reader), welcome!

We'll continue to post our adventures i.e. things we love on this blog: design, art & scavenging adventures for me & obviously for Keith, his endless obsession with food. So.. come visit often! We probably won't be a nuisance & post every blog updates on FB.

NY resolution? 

Tong: Less procrastination & more prioritization to get more things done! Keith's resolution apparently is not to have any NY resolution. :)

O.. & hopefully get our dream home soon!

 *Image Credit

The Quirky one & Gastronomic G.

Fine Dining Review: Chihana (Kyoto, Japan)

Chihana ***

Chihana is hidden in a small alley in the Geisha district of Gion, Kyoto. Being a 3 Michelin starred  and only a 10 seater restaurant, we were pleased and fortunate to get a booking through Tong's Japanese friend well ahead of time.

Established in 1946, Chihana has remained an intimate "over the counter" style kaiseki restaurant; kaiseki being the traditional multi-course Japanese cuisine and best expressed in Kyoto.

We started with bonito sashimi cured with pears and citrus. This was an impressive start (10/10 rating).

This was followed by chicken meatball with lotus and burdock roots (7/10 rating).

Next is a multi-dish course consisting of: (1) gingko nuts gently fried and precisely seasoned, (2) whipped soy "milk", (3) local greens with sesame sauce, (4) best ever salmon roe and (5) tiny anchovy-like fishes. The salmon roes burst with intense sweet roe flavours and the tiny fishes so naturally sweet and salty; the whipped soy milk amazingly textured - creamy, fluffy and simply unbelievable. This was top-notch (10/10 rating).

Fourth course is raddish with miso dressing (7/10 rating).

The 5th course is another masterpiece; crab ball with dashi. The head chef guided me to slide the yuzu garnish into the broth for some subtle infusion. The broth is clear and not overpowering but simply sublime and sophisticated (10/10 rating).

Next is tuna and flat fish sashimi accompanied with 3 different saltening accompaniments - some salty konbu (seaweed), dried kelp and the usual soy sauce. The tuna is spectacular and best I've ever tasted and the dried kelp dazzling. The flat fish provided a completely different texture - chewy and almost crunchy sashimi texture - slightly strange but interesting (8/10 rating). I am more than impressed by Chihana's sourcing of ingredients.

Seventh course is a fish stew with red bean tofu and raddish. This is a hearty and heavy course; the fish broth exceptional (8/10).

Following this is small prawns and jullienned root vegetables. This is not your usual tempura - the batter light and accompanied by a Japanese lime and some salt to taste (7/10).

The 9th course is a vinegar, palate refreshing dish of pumpkin and raddish (6/10).

The final course is perfectly cooked rice topped with pickles and finely jullienned shiso (Japanese mint) (5/10).

We ended with a shot glass of Japanese mandarin juice.

This was a complete dining experience - perfection was aimed for in every possible way and it made sense why Chihana has 3 Michelin stars. Food sourcing is exceptional, dishes pride themselves in colour, presentation, texture and taste, cooking is precise; courses were served in beautiful antique wares and service is attentive, polite and thoughtful. Everything is fresh...very fresh.

Since it was lunch time, we did not try any sake or sochu. With the chefs observing your progress throught out each course, portion sizes are adjusted depending on how much more food you can stuff yourself with.....this is the true essence of kaiseki but not usually practised in reality. Service was so good that both the head chef and maitre d' accompanied us out all the way to the street exit whilst chatting with us on our dining and travel experience.....imagine Robuchon, Ramsay or any other 3 Michelin starred chef doing that!

Rating for Fine Dining: 18/20

By Gastronomic G.

Rating explained:

Scores 18 to 20 = *** (3 stars) = World class and close to perfection

Scores 16 to <18 = ** (2 stars) = An exceptional and special dining experience

Scores 15 to <16 = * (1 star) = Very good to great dining experience

Scores 13 to <15 = Good but not memorable

Scores 10 to <13 = Acceptable

Scores <10 = Are you sure you want to eat here?