Tag: Tokyo

New kitchen

Last weekend we moved in our new apartment in Tokyo so the past days have been pretty busy juggling with work and getting used to our new place. While we got familiar with it quickly, the kitchen may have been the biggest change. It’s a tiny apartment so the kitchen is also tiny but it is opened on the dining/living room with a direct view through the window. It means it’s a lot more enjoyable than my previous one that, though larger, was really dark and felt isolated from the rest of the apartment. It’s been only a few days I’ve cooked in there, but already I love the late afternoon light that bathes it (the perks of working from home). I’m now getting used to the gears, and I had to give up my oven until we do proper renovations. Hopefully both our previous and new apartment are in the same building, and we still have our former apartment for 2 more weeks, so A. uses it as an office during the day, we both use it as a pilates studio in the evening, and I still go to bake there!!! Honestly, I don’t know how I will survive without an oven… I need to start thinking about pot baking and steam breads… though I usually have a lit less time in Tokyo than in Isumi to make tests. But I see it as a great opportunity to learn and test new techniques, so if you have any experience I’ll be happy to learn from you!

You may not have noticed yet, but one thing that is new also is my setup for taking pictures of the food I prepare. I used to have a straightforward cooking-plating-picturing stream… now it has gotten a little bit more complex, but I kind of like the new setup. You tell me if you do to…

Regarding food… well I must say that the past days, I have been preparing very simple things: often Japanese rice, or pasta, because every minute I had available was used to unpack something, to hang artworks, and I am happy to say that we’re almost done!! A. has worked really hard to make it happen! And cooking has been a bit rushed these days!!

But I’m happy that spring is now coming fully with it’s collection of greens, new something and the freshness that goes with it. I’ve cooked new onion a lot these days, new potatoes and snap peas too. For example altogether in a pan fried version, separately with rice, in chahan, or in a quiche version.., and they are always delicious… the pictures speak for themselves, and I assume no recipe is needed!

Typhoon…

Yep! The now worldwide famous typhoon 19 was passing over Tokyo last night. It rained a lot and the wind blowed hard. It’s a typhoon, something we experience a few times every year between August and November in Tokyo… They said it was more powerful than usual, but from the cosiness of our Tokyo apartment, things didn’t look so terrible, though I would lie saying I wasn’t worried about our house in the countryside (which is apparently fine!!!), but there was definitely a end-of-the-world feeling in Tokyo. All highways around and within Tokyo were closed. All train lines stopped, metros had also altered routes and schedule, and all shops, museums, theaters were closed all day or closing at noon and didn’t reopen until Sunday noon or later. We thought we would spend the day in a cinema or in a museum or both but not even… While looking at the empty streets and roads and this morning walking under a perfect blue sky in a rather empty city was quite unfamiliar. A city emptied of its restless inhabitants or visitors going here and there in an almost frantic agitation is so refreshing that it felt really good just walking around. And the morning view was just stunning…

Though I knew the typhoon was coming I didn’t forecast that all grocery stores around our place would be closed so I had to cook 5 meals with what was left in the fridge, which was very little as usually I pack fresh food in the country on Saturday and even less than usual as we are leaving tonight for the whole week on business… and what I have in the pantry in Tokyo now is very limited as I hate pest and I noticed that organic food (in particular that I bring back from Europe) is more prone to pest. So I felt that this forced time at home was a good opportunity to browse a few old cookbooks and do some old recipes with a twist: classic pancakes, grilled miso eggplants, cocoa cupcakes bites for tea, and grilled bacon lentils with radishes and radish tops… and then a bit of leftovers with poached eggs. Nothing really fancy but just right for the little activity we had while at the same time fulfilling.

Blind Donkey

It is difficult to find new nice restaurants in Tokyo, not that there is none but rather that the offer is to wide. And because of our busy schedules, finishing work late pretty much every day, the idea of eating out is rarely an option. But we have guests or visitors we’re always happy to take them out and on these occasions we usually postpone a bit of work to finish early. That’s exactly what happened this week with P. and E. staying at our place. And in March we were recommended a restaurant in Tokyo, very close to our place actually, by a friend working in permaculture in Isumi. She emphasized the background of the chef and the sourcing of the products they use in the kitchen. We tried to go when we had visitors in April, but the restaurant was closed for a month for some rework of the menu or so, and finally I got a reservation for June. I have standards for restaurants that are not necessarily easy to meet. I’m picky with the food for sure, but also service, decor and overall atmosphere. I like places that are not packed, not too noisy, and where the staff is nice since being overly obsequious or marketed. And well… to be honest the Blind Donkey met all my expectations. I like the location, the space and the food, service was a bit rushed but nice and friendly, space between tables is nice, and you can have a conversation with your party without feeling you have to shout and becoming deaf. The food was great. The ingredients, the preparation, and the plating. All was simple but delicious. No extra.

So if you are in town you should try it.

The blind donkey

3-17-4 Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Pictures are from the restaurant instagram.

Memories

No cooking or recipe talk today… just talking about me and us. About what February 24th means…

12 years ago today A. and I got married… it took us years to find where and how we would do it, but suddenly, one day, in Tokyo, we found the place and everything was settled in less than two months. Planning for years is not really our style… The whole idea was to have fun and share that with friends and family here in Tokyo. This day ended in a flash, everything was so quick that every year I wish I could do it again… wear that beautiful off white kimono, walk to the shrine, share sake with A., enjoy the plum blossoms, and then take every one to a very unique kaiseki restaurant, and finish with champagne and plenty of friends, a shamisen performance from A.’s group and a memorable lion dance by our friend K.. I also perfectly remember not having time to eat and scavenging our room and ending up eating a whole box of macarons M. offered us!!! I am so grateful so many people came from all over the world to share that moment, and many more, with us… and thanks to those that were with us by thought.

I wish you a lovely Sunday!!!

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Spring savory delights

Nothing to do with the recipe I am presenting today, but the other night we went to check the newly opened Tokyo midtown Hibiya. A new building with many shops, a large Toho cinema and a terrace garden with a view on Hibiya park and the imperial palace. The place just opened so it was very crowded in apparence but the overall place was quiet and walking around was smooth and nice. Shops are for the most the same as elsewhere. Brand names, big and small, chains. Nothing really to impressive. The only thing that I found fun and interesting was the retro corner on the 3rd floor, with some craft, a barber, a book store and some sculptural clothes.

There is one trend tough that I find quite interesting. 15 years ago when we arrived in Tokyo there a few cinemas, mainly old, that little by little were closing down, until it was a real pain to find one. Recently many of the new shopping places downtown have a large dedicated cinema. Toho cinemas are really spreading and now it is really easy to find a screening in original version too. Yet movies release is still super delayed compared to other countries and we usually watch the “new” movies on the international itunes store before they are available in Japanese theaters!!! And what to eat with a good movie? Pasta or a good and simple Japanese vegan meal with rice and sautéed vegetables. To celebrate spring I really like snap peas, for the crunchy texture, the little tart and sweet taste, and the brillant green. And I also love the salted sakura flowers with rice in particular, but not only ( I made some sable last weekend and it was great!). And since I still have some lotus root (I bought a giant one!) I cooked the all thing to be served together. Sautéed in a little of oil for the lotus root, then add a little of water to steam the snap peas on top, finish with soys sauce. For the sakura, I wash the salt in water and add them to the cooked and hot rice. Serve all and eat happily while watching a movie!!

Kitte

When we first arrived in Japan there was a huge post office close to Tokyo station. Quite convenient at the time for tourists because post offices where the only places or so where you could withdraw cash from an ATM with a foreign credit card. But the building didn’t resist the whole tide of renewals in the Marunouchi area, the construction of the Shin Marunouchi building, the opening of brick town and the revamping of the station. Opened since 2013, Kitte (which means “post stamp” in Japanese) is the shopping mall in that very former post office in front of Tokyo Station (Marunouchi south). They basically kept the facade and some of the inside such as the old postmaster office. Otherwise it is a shopping mall like many others, with a flair for Japanese brands and local products. I’ve been visiting it a few times and I find it nice to stroll in because it is usually little crowded. There are two places I like there:

北麓草水 Hokuroku souui, a brand that sells mainly soaps and body soaps and a few cosmetics and skin cares made in Japan with simple ingredients. They have two main fragrances for their body soaps and most of their products, so it’s quite limited but it’s just enough because both smell super delicious: hinoki and yuzu. I find hinoki perfect for every situations, it is both stimulating and soothing at the same time. It smells our first trips to Japan, when we were bringing back charcoal soaps with hinoki fragrance as souvenir. It smells a long time ago!!!

 Intermediatheque is the other place worth seeing at Kitte. It is a giant “cabinet de curiosities”, a museum  (linked to the University of Tokyo museum) with free access that is worth the detour and spending 30 to 90min in or even more. There are many inspiring things on display of various biology, anthropology, physics, engineering… the organization is such that it gives the impression to wander in the attic of a museum with all these treasures kept secret. Yet a very sleek one!! The top pictures was taken there, but no spoilers, go and check out yourself!

 

Whaou!

Quite a week, and it’s only Thursday!!!  So let’s get back to when I left you last Saturday… Sunday evening we had 4 guests (mix of French and Japanese) for dinner at home in Tokyo so I cooked some of my half new recipes: creamy cauliflower soup with curried croutons (recipe below), pork cutlet with roasted roots: lotus, taro, sweet potatoes, turnips, deglazed in soya sauce, and for dessert hasaku with spices syrup (ginger, cinnamon and cardamom) served with sesame and kinako biscuits. A. picked many Japanese and French wines to accompany my food. Oh… and I also made some plain and olive fougasse, with the olives from the garden in Aix that my mother prepared! But that was Sunday and it seems ages already!!!

And then Monday it had snowed, quite a lot actually, so I came back home earlier than usual to avoid being stucked with train problems. And I was happy to work from home eating left over sesame-kinako cookies with a hot chaï late. And having nothing to prepare or so for dinner since I hade made too many roasted vegetables! I like to recycle leftovers and do new things with them. So I added fukinoto and topped with sprouts for a perfectly balanced dinner. It was a great flavor experience! Fukinoto bring so much!! They are also the taste of coming spring with plum blossoms! And then there was this workshop I co-organized at the French Embassy. Everything went great, I met amazing people, now I can think about what’s next (and there’s plenty) and go back to the work routine for a short while!!

How is your week doing? 

Cauliflower soup with curried croutons (6 servings as starter)

– 1 cauliflower

– 1 potato

– 150ml of cream

– 4 slices of bread (I used half rye bread I made) 

– 2tsp of curry

– oil for the frying the croutons

– salt, pepper  

In a large pan I boil the cauliflower washed and chopped and the potato, peeled and chopped too. When they are very soft I blend everything. Add water if it’s too thick. Then add the cream.

In a fry pan add oil and the curry, cut the bread in cubes and fry them while turning them regularly. When golden take them out and keep them on cooking paper. When serving heat the soup, add salt and pepper if you lile, serve and top with the croutons. I added a sprinkle of tumeric for adding a bit of color.

A nice custom

In Japan when you go to a bice restaurant there a nice custom of leaving the restaurant with a present, generally food present. Many of the Japanese restaurants we jave been practice this custom, but I don’t know where it comes from. I need to investigate more!!!! 

I remember some delicious pound cake from Robuchon, sometimes so breads or some cookies or chocolates in French restaurants. In Japanese restaurant it is often some pickles or some rice and this time we had again dinner at Itosho, a Shojin cuisine restaurant, it was some nice green peas rice. To which I added a scrambled egg to make a perfect quick dinner the next day! A very nice way to prolong the experience!

Have a beautiful Sunday! 

Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi – 三越日本橋

I often go to shop at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi because it is the closest department store from our place and it offers some really amazing services that I hve never found somewhere else: an excellent antic jewelry repair corner, a fur reform service, a nice shoe repair center, a huge corner for patisserie and bread making, with organic flours, fresh yeast… and of course, some Italian products and European products. I don’t use often the fresh products corner, but they have some nice fishes and vegetables. And only once in a while I shop there for prepared food. When we have visitors from Europe and we don’t want to eat out, but I am too busy with work to prepare a proper Japanese dinner, I like to go shopping there. First for the gyoza… the shiso and seaweed gyoza are just super delicious. They have a beautiful choice of seasonal food with pickles, tofu, crackers, and sweets. Going there with your foreign visitors you can be sure they will enjoy it and be amazed. The fact also that you can taste many of the products is really perfect. And during weekdays it is not even crowded. They often have exhibitions of Japanese craft related to fashion in the big lobby. This time, with my parents that freshly arrived in town, I knew that Mitsukoshi would be a great place to go for a walk, in particular on a rainy day. They love gyoza and it is almost a tradition now that the day they arrive in Tokyo we have gyoza for dinner at home. But this time we bought much more than just gyoza!!!! Sakura daikon pickles, rice crackers, yuzu mochi… A real shopping spree! All more delicious than the other!

Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi – 三越日本橋 :

Tokyo Chuo-ku Nihonbashimuromachi 1-4-1

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