Food Fun Friday- Hanaya Yohei

I have been meaning to post about Hanaya Yohei for ummm- since last October?  Better late than never I suppose?

Hanaya Yohei's website 

http://www.hanayayohei.co.jp/index.html  (sorry the link function isn't working properly)

Hanaya Yohei is described a family style sushi and Japanese food restaurant.  It is a chain restaurant, and can be found everywhere.  The atmosphere is like Coco's in the US, very family friendly with large booths and no frills.  the first time the kids and I went was when we first got here.  It was a challenge to order our food and we were afraid to push the button on our table to ask for more water.  I think I have mentioned it before- the waiters and waitresses in Japan will not bother you or ask you to take your order.  You have to summon them.  At first it seems like they are ignoring you if you are used to American style dining.  But then you realize it is NICE.  No one comes by to ask how your food is a million times- and every time you have a mouthful of food.  And no one rushes you out with your check and a meaningful look that says "please leave" so we can clear this table.  Here in Japan all of the places I have been to do not blink an eye if you sit around a chat for an hour after you have finished your food.  I am sure part of that is because Japanese people do a lot of family and friend get-togethers in restaurants.  Their houses are too small to host people, so they meet and socialize over meals.


Anyhoo-  the last time I visited Hanaya Yohei was with my good friends Jaime and Jason.  It was "Beer Garden Friday" and we usually liked to go eat before we headed to the beer garden.  The menu involves many different combos and it is difficult to choose.  There seem to be at least five different things in each selection on the menu.  The sushi is very good, and my favorite thing to eat there.  I did try fried octopus"fries" that night.  They are so delicious!  I would take them over french fries any day.


If you are willing to be adventurous and try things you have no idea what they are, this is a great place to go.  And if you like sushi, this is also a nice change of pace from a sushi go-round.

my meal- cold ramen noodles (I think it is called "somen" when cold?) and tempura.  Yumm!

fried pork or chicken cutlet

sushi- *nom nom*

chicken cutlets

Cheers!

~Nancy

Food Fun Friday- Peruvian food in Japan

Besides the newly discovered Brazilian BBQ joint, Hubby's favorite restaurant is a little place in Yamato called Keimi.  It is a Peruvian restaurant- their specialty being lomo saltado.  

Essentially it is a dish of stir-fried strips of beef with red onions and tomatoes- served over French fries.  (I think the rice is the obligatory nod to Japanese tastes).  It is very good, and Hubby orders it each and every time we go.


I have no room to talk- I order the same thing every time as well.  I am in love with their ceviche.

This ceviche is made with a white fish and pulpo (octopus).  I am not really a big fan of octopus, because it is usually too rubbery.  But I really think that octopus was intended to be cooked in lime juice and served up with red onions, cilantro and whatever white fish they use (I'll have to ask what kind it is next time I go.)  The octopus is actually a little tender, and so tasty.  The red onions and the octopus give the ceviche a little bit of a purple tinge.  My mouth is watering as I type, it is that delicious.  If you like fish at all, this would be the dish for you.

The restaurant is on a side street off of a side street.  In the States it would be called an "alleyway"- but it is a bonified street.  It is one of those places that you find out about from a friend- who actually takes you there.  No one gets directions, but someone actually drives them there or at least shows them the way.  We remember how to get there by landmarks: "turn left at the bicycle shop, and then left again at the dance studio."  You can't park at the actual place, you will need to back track and park at the pay lots you passed on the way.


When you walk in, you may or may not be greeted by the restaurant's owners right away.  Sometimes you will sit there and wait a few minutes before someone pops their head out of the kitchen.  Keimi is owned by a Japanese man- "Caesar" and his Peruvian wife- "Mili".  They speak Japanese, Spanish and English- but mostly Spanish.  They know us by name and we are always warmly greeted as old friends.  Caesar is very charismatic and extremely intelligent.  His Spanish is perfect, and I believe he speaks more language then he lets on.  He loves loves to chat.  Mili is sweet and always has a hug ready for you. I was told she taught Peruvian grammar at a Peruvian university.  Last time I told that my son was ill- she made sure to tell me how to make him feel better.  She is one of those women that is everyone's mom. I adore her.


After being greeted, we usually wait another 10 minutes before they take our orders.  The food is served at all different times.  We once went with a large group, some people were done with their food by the time others were finally being served.  At any other place one might get angry- but for some reason it just makes the place feel unique and "quirky".


It is very hard to leave the place, even after the bill has been paid.  Caesar and Mili act as if they don't want you to leave.  They will talk to you all night if you let them.  If you want to go somewhere quick, this is not the place to go.


In addition to the lomo saltado and ceviche, they also make empanadas on the weekends.  Wow, they are the very best.  They make their own drink made from purple corn- "chicha morada".  Hubby loves this drink, it is very different, but very good.  Caesar and Mili say it is good for people with high blood pressure and it lowers cholesterol.  It is probably true- but we drink it for the taste.  And they do serve Inca Cola- it seems to be what everyone looks for when they eat Peruvian.  It is good, but I like the chicha morada better.


This place has become very dear to our hearts.  I don't think we will ever find another restaurant experience like this anywhere else.  This goes on our list of things we will miss when we leave Japan.

Food Fun Friday- The Great Chip Adventure!

Happy Friday everyone!  I just love Friday.  I don't have to work, and Friday is the day I go to eat Hot Caesar Salad with my ladies.  If you haven't tried it- trust me it is delish.  The lettuce isn't hot- only the toppings- which consists of (you actually fill out a ticket to say if you want all or some of the following items): green peppers, mushrooms, onions, bacon, garlic, chicken and/or shrimp.  They stir fry it up and toss it with lettuce, croutons, and dressing.  Sooo good!  I even got fellow blogger Jes from Bleu Dress and Dress Blues to join our group every Friday.  The company is even better than the food- I so enjoy chatting with my girls every Friday.  When I am having one of those weeks- I have something to look forward to.

Today I don't have a restaurant review- but I thought I would show some of my favorite  chips.  I am on a low carb diet- so of course I am dreaming of  chips- ha!  Seriously though- Japan has some pretty awesome chips- in all different flavors, shapes and colors.

Yesterday I cheated on my diet with these lovely curry flavored chips.  Japanese curry rice is a favorite of mine- so imagine my excitement when I found these lovely chips at a convenience store.  I meant to only sample one and then pass it off to the children.  But the children didn't eat them all- so I finished them off myself. *blush*

I originally titled my post "potato" chip edition- but not all of these chips are potato chips.  I have found all sorts of chips- corm chips, vegetable chips and even chips made from bread (thinner than bagel chips and therefore qualify as a real chip in my opinion.)

These can be found anywhere and everywhere in Japan.  They have mastered the art of snacking!

The sliced bread chips.  They were thin and crispy- and quite tasty with the strawberry flavoring added.

The guy on the left is actually a box of creme filled cookies- they are quite tasty and I pick them up whenever I see a new flavor.  The bag in the middle is lime and chili- very good!  And the bag on the right is the front side of the bag of bread chips.

Wasabi chips on the left.  On the right- butter and honey chips.  Very unusal flavor for a potato chips- but these are my favorite.  Unfortunately our dog Brownie found them quite tasty as well and stole the bag off the counter while I was out of the house. *sad face*

Ok- obviously the stuff in the bag on the left are not "chips"- but the little dried fishies are considered "snack food".  I haven't been brave enough to try- but I sent them to my in-laws with the Christmas presents the year before last.  The bag on the right I think is also a fish falvored chips- apparently it goes well with beer!

I thought I had more pictures than I do!  I will have to take more.  Stay tuned to Part II of The Great Chip Adventure!

Food Fun Friday- at long last!

Gasp!  A post from me, the as of late reclusive blogger??  I was just looking for inspiration!  (and I will keep telling myself that too).

Last Friday I joined Hubby on a night out with his fellow co-workers.  So imagine riding the bus and train to Yokohama with 11 sailors.  We weren't exactly what you would call "inconspicuous".  Lucky for me, two other wives showed up.

Where did we go?  We went to Chinatown in Yohohama.
 To eat Chinese food, right?
Wrong!

We went to a place called Travesso Grill.  They serve Brazilian BBQ.  So yeah- we went to Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan, to eat Brazilian food.  Makes PERFECT sense!!

http://www.mizunobubrooks.com/en/travesso-en.htm


I have to say, it was worth the trip.  It is all-you-can-eat, so come with a very hungry and empty tummy.  You start with the buffet- which offers all sorts of fruits and vegetables, salads, beans, even tortillas chips.  My favorite was the pumpkin salad.  I can't begin to tell you what was in it, I think it was squash, and not actually pumpkin.  They have English labels on everything- but I think there are a few mistranslations.

I picked up a wide assortment of things to try out- salad, mushrooms, heart palms, squid, squash, tomato with basil, chips and salsa...

The fried banana was really good.  But due to the unfortunate proximity of the ketchup to the fried bananas- I didn't realize that it was indeed ketchup (I thought it was a sweet sauce to go with the bananas).  I do not recommend eating fried bananas with ketchup. Just trust me on this one, ok?

After we had settled with some num nums and our drinks (we paid for the all you can drink along with all you can eat)- the men with the meat came.  They have meat on long metal stakes and come to your table and slice it and serve it to you.  They started off with sausage and chicken legs.  While they were good, I would skip it next time.  Seriously- what follows will make you wish you had more room.

They bring out what must be 7 or 8 different kinds and cuts of meat.  There is pork, beef, and lamb.  It is all delicious!  Hubby was in man-heaven.  You know- he is the meat and potatoes kind of guy and this restaurant was a dream come true for him.  At one point he told me it was "so good that he felt like crying."  This is a man who doesn't cry.  It was the funniest thing I have ever seen!

Look how his eyes sparkle- he is waiting for his meat to be cut!

one of our waiters.  I think he has chicken hearts.  THAT I did not try!

a Caipirinha- Brazilian for "holy sh##!"  Seriously- it is a Brazilian "mojito".
It has Brazilian rum- but it tastes more like tequila (read- ta-kill-ya).
Make sure you stir and stir, before you take that first sip.
 Pretty tasty after you get over the slap in the face it gives you on the first sip.

We had two hours to eat, last call for drinks was 30 minutes before that time was up.  The restaurant does not disappoint- they keep the meat coming!  I had to send them away after a while- I seriously felt like I would bust a seam if I ate any more.

feeling "fat and happy"

The best part of the night, besides the food, had to do with two giant rib bones.  One of the guys asked the wait staff if he could take them home for his dog.  After a lot of hand language and broken English and Japanese- it was determined that the restaurant has a strict policy about NOT taking food home (because it is all you can eat).  That makes sense, but they wouldn't even allow the bones, already stripped of any meat, to leave with the customers.

So what do they do?  One of the guys grabs one of the bones for his dog and proceeds to roll it up in a napkin- just as one of the waiters is bringing drinks to the table.  The other guy follows suit and they hide the bones in their jackets.  My friend Michele laughed so hard at this I thought we were going to have some sort of intervention.  On the way out everyone joked that they (the wait staff) were coming after us- looking for bones.  It doesn't sound so funny typing it out- but trust me- "you just had to be there", it was funny.

What about dessert?  Well first off they have grilled pineapple they bring out- sprinkled with cinnamon.  So good.  And then next to the buffet table they have all sorts of desserts- mini cheesecakes with different fruit toppings, creme brule,  lychee (not to be confused as "chocolate covered strawberries as one of the guys did), chocolate-mocha cake, and even an ice cream machine.  I didn't think I could eat any dessert- but I did!

The restaurant is a bit pricey, so I wouldn't recommend bringing your kids, unless you know they will eat their fill. Also, if you have people in your party who want to drink, then everyone has to pay for the all-you-can-drink (2,000 Yen), regardless if everyone is drinking alcohol or not.  I chalk that up to too many people sharing drinks with those who didn't pay to drink- sad face.

I am sure we will be returning to this place, I don't see Hubby staying away too long!

Food Fun Friday- Gyoza

Know what the number one thing (besides sushi), that we looked forward to eating when we arrived in Japan?  Gyoza!!  What is gyoza, you ask?  Basically they are little pot stickers filled with meat and veggies.  They can be steamed or fried.  They are to be eaten while still hot, and dipped in a combination of soy sauce, garlic, oil and red pepper (or any combination thereof.)  


The reason we looked forward to gyoza was because Hubby had made several trips to Japan before we moved here, and each time he brought home packages of frozen gyoza.  It was simply delicious, and we knew it would be even more delicious when eaten fresh.  We were right!  The favorite go to place around here for gyoza is the Gyoza House (also called Mankin) in Sagamihara.  There we order gyoza by the dozen and they bring it out scalding hot and mouth watering.  The gyoza here is a little different here than the typical gyoza sold in other restaurants.  Instead of being pinched into a crescent shape, these are folded into little bundle-like balls.  They cook them in a frying pan and come to our table all stuck together and cozy like they were cooked.  Usually we commence to poking holes to let out the steam so they can cool enough for us to eat.  The first couple are eaten with open mouths as we are trying not to burn our tongues, it is too hard to wait!!  If I could take back three food items with me to the States, it would be gyoza (from Gyoza House), curry rice, and sushi (like they make it here.)


There are several different options for dining, and three floors I believe.  Downstairs they have tables and a long counter.  Before heading upstairs one must remove one's shoes.  Upstairs- they have the low tables where you sit on the floor.  I think the kids enjoy it more.  I still can't get my legs to appreciate sitting on the floor.  Women don't sit cross-legged in Japan.  They demurely sit on folded legs or delicately folded to the side.  It hurts my American legs!!  


We sat at the counter for the first time at our most recent visit.  We were too hungry to wait for a table!


It's 8AM and I am already thinking of lunch!!

we had to wait outside, it was Sunday night, a very busy night for going out to dinner!

someone was grumpy- he needed FOOD!

little balls of goodness!  See the cokes?  I normally don't like regular coke (I am a diet coke kind of gal)- but the cokes here are delish.  I think it is because they don't use high fructose corn syrup in Japan- sugar tastes so much better!

I wish I could get a better picture than this.  Did I mention I am hungry?

where the magic happens.  The guy in the back in steaming the gyoza in a pan.  The red and white stripped package in the forefront is how they wrap the frozen gyoza to take home.  They even give you little miniature bottles of dipping sauce with it.

One thing is for sure, I always end up with garlic breath after eating here!  But it is SO worth it!!!

Food Fun Friday- Yakiniku

Happy Friday lovely readers!  I am so so happy for Friday!  Happy even though I can't go to the Beer Garden.  This has just felt like a long week.  How about you, how was your week?  Of course, if you are stateside (or a different part if the world), you are thinking- "Hey, it's only Thursday!"  That is one of the pleasures I take in being in Japan, I get to brag when Friday comes early for me!  But I also spread the joy with my Food Fun Friday, right? *smiles*


Last week Hubby took us to his favorite restaurant here, called Great Viking Restaurant.  Now what kind of food would you think they serve?  {Here is where you discuss amongst yourselves.}

There she is, on the second floor.  Hey, do you see how everyone had backed into their parking spot?  That's how they roll in Japan.  I am learning the art of backing in, though I do get nervous if someone is waiting on me.

It is a yakiniku restaurant.  I thought originally that it was a Japanese thing, but it turns out to be Korean!  I also found out that many Japanese people love Korean food.  I equate it with American's love of Mexican (I am a big fan anyway).


So what is yakiniku, you ask?  It is a "cook it yourself" kind of place.  You get your meats, veggies, and fish, and take them to your booth where a grill awaits you.  It's right in the middle of your table.  Hubby LOVES this place!

The grill on our table.  We've got corn, beef, pork, onion, mini hotdog and yes- that's a baby octopus!  I do not recommend the octopus, by the way.  I do like octopus, but not this way.

I forgot to take a picture of the meat and veggie spread they have, where we go through buffet style to pick out what we are going to grill.  Ok, confession- it was really crowded and I was too embarrassed to take pictures.

They also have plenty of already cooked food to choose from.  They have sushi, ramen, rice (of course), salads, french fries, and a bunch of other things that tend to vary.  And the desserts and ice cream- yummm! Oh, there is a large assortment of different sauces for the meat as well, very delicioso!

It is "all you can eat" at this place.  Basically you pay for the amount of time you plan on eating, if you go over you pay extra.  If you waste food, you pay extra (we did not waste food of course!)  We paid for 60 minutes, which is the smaller amount.  If you have a lot of people, 90 minutes is better since you are sharing a grill.  You can add all you can drink beer as well.  But honestly, I don't know how anyone could drink beer with all that food, where would you find the room?

This place is always busy when we go, sometimes there is a line going out the door and down the stairs.  It is a great place for families to go out to eat.  Last time we saw a table of only kids.  The older kids were helping the younger kids cook their food.  It was very cute, but a little scary too!

Sissy brought her Littlest Pet Shop animals with her.  She had to hide the octopus, however.  She couldn't let him see his brother being cooked on the grill!

Have a great Friday and weekend!!

Cheers!

Food Fun Friday- Crunky Nude Balls

I'm going to start this post off with a picture- so ya'll don't think I am being dirty:

I found these at Lawson's (it's a convenience store like 7-11).  The title alone said "buy me because I have a funny name and you can put this on your blog".  (Isn't or is it sad that I am always thinking if I can put this or that on my blog?)


"Nude" actually refers to the color of the inside of the little cookies- which is a beige-ish color.  So what else could we call these- "Beige-ish crunky (or crunchy as I believe they were going for) balls"?  Honestly, I couldn't think of a better name than Crunky Nude Balls. 


Awesome.and.delicious  Oh yes they were!  They were especially delightful to eat in the inebriated state I was in after another wonderful night at the Beer Garden.  Have I mentioned the Beer Garden?  We go every Friday night- Jaime, Jason and I.  It has become our weekly ritual.  It gives us something to look forward to every week.  And tonight I am especially excited.  My hubby will be going with us as well (because he is home)!!  Yay!!


Oh- I thought that was all I had for you- but here is a picture of the delicious Chu-Hi's I bought that same night (but did not drink THAT night- honest!).  Chu-Hi's, not to be confused with hi-chu's- are delightful little cocktails in a can.  They are kind of like wine coolers, but with a little carbonation.  I especially liked the orange whiskey- which I drank at a later date!  Oh- hi-chu's are are little chewy candies- like Starburst- but bigger with more flavors.  I'll get a picture for you next time.  But for now- Chu-Hi's:

Gotta go- Beer Garden is calling...

Food Fun Friday- There're POPROCKS in my ice cream!

Sissy and I enjoyed a little sushi at our favorite (and cheap) sushi go-round last week.  We decided to top off a perfect lunch with the perfect dessert from Baskin Robbins.  Yes- my dears- we have Baskin Robbins in Japan!  I don't know why- but I waited all this time to finally try them out.


We ordered a Halloween Sundae to share.  The two flavors we picked  were Halloween Lantern (had white and chocolate swirls with little candy pumpkins) and Magical Mint Night (purple and blue ice cream with candy bits.)

The sundae was topped with the requisite whipped cream, nuts, brownie bits, some lovely little sugar cookies and chocolate bats.

The best part was the ice cream.  I bit into the Magical Mint Night- so delicious.  And then, surprise!!  All of the sudden there was a popping in the back of my mouth!  I had no idea there were Pop Rocks in the ice cream!  Who knew that was even possible?  Apparently if you carefully coat them with more candy- they won't "pop" until you bite into them. 

Best. Ice Cream. Ever.

This is a true work of art- and it tasted as good as it looked.

see that green piece of candy? that's a candy coated POP ROCK!!

Japanese Halloween pumpkins are much happier than American pumpkins!

I am going back this weekend to get Brother an ice cream cake for his birthday party, can't wait!!

Food Fun Friday- how NOT to eat your curry rice...

See this dish folks?  This is curry rice- or karai raisu as said in Japanese.  Usually it comes with the curry sauce/gravy already on the plate (in this case it is in the gravy bowl.)  The breaded pork shown is tonkatsu.  It is all VERY delicious.  This is what I ate for dinner at the Royal Coffee Shop in the Narita airport on my way back from Singapore back in August.  Delicious food and great service (which is the norm in Japan- and there's no tipping!)

Today Jaime and I went to my favorite store in the world (yes WORLD)- Yuzawaya!  If you aren't sure what Yuzawaya is- see this post from last year...  Shopping five floors of awesomeness makes one hungry- so we found a noodle shop on the corner and upstairs.  We both picked a couple of pieces of tempura (I got shrimp, acorn squash, and sweet potato)- and we both ordered curry rice.  It was similar to the above picture- except ours came with big chunks of potatoes and carrots.  The food was mighty tasty and we were enjoying ourself immensely- our stomachs were no longer growling and our treasures from Yuzawaya were neatly stashed beside our chairs. 

Out of no where this older Japanese woman stops at our table and hands each of us a spoon.

A spoon?  I didn't need a spoon, neither did Jaime- we were rockin' the chopsticks man!

She insisted on the spoons.  While I know very little Japanese, I understand the words 'Japanese' or nihon-jin (as in a Japanese person) and 'curry rice'- karai raisu.  She was telling us that JAPANESE people DO NOT eat curry rice with chopsticks, they use SPOONS for goodness sake!  She repeated herself a few times- yes I know this for a fact.  She was obviously on her way out the door, so as she was backing away and heading to the exit- she continued to admonish us for eating our curry rice the WRONG WAY.  All the while her friend was covering her mouth as she stared at us and giggled.

I have never seen Jaime's face get that red.  My face was pretty hot as well.  EVERYONE in the restuarant had stopped eating/talking/picking their nose/whathaveyou- and were staring at us.  EVERYONE.  I had my back to them, so I didn't see them staring, but I could FEEL it man! 

So of course neither of us could pick up the damn spoons to finish our food.  Luckily we had some tempura left- chopsticks are ok there!  Damn if I was going to pick that spoon up right away so everyone could watch!  Eventually, after I felt everyone had lost interest- I picked up the darn spoon and finished off my curry rice.  That stuff is tha bomb- and the spoon was easier to use.  All the same- the chopsticks were doing their job too!

So people- learn from our mistakes!  Use that spoon for your curry rice!

Consider yourself warned...

Food Fun Friday- Singapore Style

Yes, it's October and I went to Singapore back in August- sorry.  Sometimes these things take me a while.  I am a busy lady!

Singapore is an awesome place to go if you like to eat.  There are so many different cuisines to choose from.  You can get Chinese, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Turkish, and Singapura style foods.  really there are more kinds than that- I just didn't see them all (or eat them all.)  

The prices ranges vary too.  If you eat at one of the places on the river at Clarke Quay- you will pay premium prices for the view and atmosphere.  If you want cheaper food (but still good), one only has to duck into one of the train stations and find the food court.  We had some lovely Korean food at the train station at Clarke Quay.  I tried kimchee for the first time- not too bad!

Korean- very delish



Now I don't know if I mentioned this before- but one of my favorite things to eat in Singapore was an ice cream sandwich.  Hubsie had told me about it.  It is a slice of ice cream wrapped in bread.  Literally- it is a 'sandwich'.  I have to say it sounded a little weird and I wasn't sure I would like it.  Let me tell you now it is DELISH!  The bread is sweet, with pink and green swirls.  I have no idea what it is called.  Not only are the delicious with many different flavors of ice cream to choose from- but they are cheap (one dollar) and can be found everywhere.  The vendors literally pedal them out on wheels and set up shop on the sidewalks, complete with an umbrella for shade.  We ate them for breakfast and whenever we were starving and couldn't decide what restaurant to eat at.  It is one of those things you have to try for yourself.



Ice cream vendor making my ice cream sandwich- this was right oustide the Youth Olympic Park.

My very first ice cream sandwich- mint chocolate chip- yummmmm!!

I don't have pictures- but our favorite place to eat was in Little India.  The best Indian food I have ever had.  The first time we ate there,  the waiter (who has quite THE salesman), had us ordering all kinds of food.  We had way too much!  I felt so bad when we left food on the table.  They wanted to pack it up to take back with us.  but honestly, we didn't have a good place to put it and it would have made our hotel room smell like Indian food.  It is a good smell, just not for the place you are sleeping, ha ha.

Some other notable eats were the shwarmas (sp).  I believe they are Turkish- kind of like a thin tortilla with yummy meat filling.  We also ate at Hooters.  I know- not a very 'cultural' experience.  We were just craving some good American food- and we were not disappointed. 

One thing we learned was that you have to be assertive about getting your check from the waiter.  They will let you sit at your table all night if you don't pipe up!  On one hand, that is nice if you want to sit back and enjoy the company of your friends, without having the waiters breathing down your neck trying to get you to leave so they can clear the table for new patrons.  But one night I literally had to go track down the waitress, we waited at least 30 minutes or more just so we could leave.  She had taken my credit card and I was worried she was never coming back with it!  But all in all, eating in Singapore was a grand experience, can't wait to go back.

I am really hungry now- where should I go for lunch today??

Food Fun Friday- Ramen Baby!!

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Food Fun Friday.  It's already 9PM here, but for you state-siders it is still pretty darn early.  I am sad to say we only got off base to eat once this week.  Today I was on a mission to eat sushi, but unfortunately the whole dang town had the same idea and the line was out the door at our favorite "cheap" place to eat sushi.  Instead of driving to the nicer (more expensive and probably crowded as well) sushi joint, Sissy and I headed to the mall once more.  This time we hit one of the little restaurants, instead of eating in the food court. 

In Japan you'll notice that most of the restaurants either have big colorful pictures of their food, or an actual plate or two (and sometimes many many plates) of "display food".  It is like they prepared the dish, but then preserved it somehow so that it can be on display.  It reminds me of the fake fruit bowls back in the 70s and 80s.   Except of course everyone knows better than to try and take a bite of the food dispplays here.

So we picked by looking at the food display- a little ramen restaurant.  Here they have the  ticket machine where the customer places his or her order.  Usually they have the menu items in English, but not this place!  Lucky for us the waitress spoke very good English and she helped us place our order.  A kids plate for Sissy, pork ramen for me, and some gyoza to share.  Sissy's plate had fried rice, orange Fanta, and peach Jello.  Of course it was all very delicious (oishi).

entrance to the ramen restaurant at the mall

food display in front of the ramen restaurant, kind of weird, but it is very helpful for those of us who can't read sticks!

"kids' set"- they don't say "combo" they say "set" here, so I always ask for the kids' set for Sissy.  She got a toy as well.

My delicious pork ramen.  The white thing with the pink is a slice of boiled egg with a design done with food dye of some sort.  Did you know that slurping your noodles is totally acceptable in Japan?  In fact, it can be considered a compliment to the chef.  The men are much more boisterous than women in their slurping.  I have to say it always make me giggle.

GYOZA!  If you are unsure of what to order (read- scared), then order the gyoza, I haven't seen anyone mess it up yet- it is always TASTY!

For desert we stopped at the crepes place.  I LOVE CREPES.  Yum.  I have always ordered the dessert crepes, with ice cream or whatnot.  But next time I think I will try one of the savory crepes, for example the teriyaki chicken looks mighty delicious.

Atlanta Crazy Crepes, these guys are everywhere- very popular (and yes I have a punch card.)  Their motto is "Hold it in your hands, Love it in your Tummy!"  Yes indeed!

our crepes, best food invention ever

My final mention for food is a favorite of mine we discovered in one of the millions of convenience stores.  (I plan on devoting a post to 7-Eleven in the future.)  We thought it was just frozen fruit- but when you bite into them you not only get the fruit, but vanilla ice cream on the inside.  So yummy!

fruit/ice cream balls, what more can you ask for?

Itadakimasu!

Food Fun Friday- Octopus Balls!

One of my favorite things about living in Japan is sampling the different kinds of food!  Some things are inherantly Japanese- such as sushi and udon noodles, while other nations' cuisines have a Japanese "twist" on them, and can be suprisingly delicious! 

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and never eat out.  Here on base the choices are limited to mostly American fast food (yuck). So to get out of the food rut we must venture off base, which lately Brother has a big problem with.  The kid would be happy to hang out  the rest of our time in Japan in this little fish bowl of a base- ugg.  But once you do get off-base- the choices are endless.  The problem is- well- trying to figure out WHAT kind of food that place makes, is that chicken or pork, or WHAT kind of fish is THAT?  Many of us find ourselves pointing to pictures- not quite sure of what we will get in return.  I have learned to point and say "kore-wa kudasai"- translated- "I would like that one please".  Sometimes I will get asked a long string of questions in Japanese, all I can do is either nod yes (hai!) or shrug my shoulders "wakarimasen?" (I don't know/understand?)

Well we have definitely gotten out of our food rut as of lately.  It has been too damn hot to cook, so going out seems to be the only option.  We have also made many trips here and there in the past few weeks- so eating out is what we do! 

Last Friday Sissy and I took the train/subway to Hiro-o (hee-ro-o) Station to pick up her modeling pay (cha-ching!)  I offered to go eat at the amazing ramen restaurant that is nearby- but like my good daughter she is- she chose Starbuckys!  I ordered a vanilla frappucino (not realizing it wasn't the coffee kind), and a slice of quiche for me, a shrimp/egg sandwich for Sissy.  The quiche was delicious and familiar.  The shrimp and egg sandwich sounds gross you say?  Actually, I helped Sissy eat it and it was VERY good.  It was like an egg salad sandwich with some small yummy shrimp thrown in for good measure.  It was surprisngly tasty and may be something I pick up again in the future.  I know Starbucks doesn't sound that exciting for those who are stateside, but when there isn't one very close to where you live, you get excited about these little things.

I know- not that exciting- but it was to me!

Sissy enjoying her shrimp/egg sandwich at Starbucks, that's my quiche of the left.

This week I have been bitten by the shopping bug.  Right now the stores are all having their summer sales- so that could be a good or bad thing- depending on how you look at it.  Wednesday Sissy and I strolled over to Vina Walk, which is in Ebina.  It is a nice little mall, conveniently placed next to the train station, as many malls are here.  Vina Walk has an Outback Steakhouse, for those who are looking for American fare.  I have been there once, it is pretty good actually.  It is pretty pricey, but actually when you factor in the tip you would have paid stateside- you end up paying the same.  Here in Japan people do not tip in restaurants, cabs, etc.  They are actually paid a decent wage and are expected to provide excellent service (which they do about 98% of the time). 

Vina Walk also has a nice food court- which is where Sissy and I headed for lunch.  We had Indian.  The guys at the Indian restaurant are so friendly and actually speak very decent English.  In this food court they use the pagers you see used in the waiting areas in restaurants.  Once your order is ready- you go pick up your food.  That gives you the chance to find a table in the mean time.  Very efficient the Japanese are!  Oh, you don't ever have to pay for water or even order it most of the time- there is a little water station available for everyone to use, I love it!

butter chicken and nan- yummm!

The next day Brother, Sissy and I went to Ayase Town Hills, which is a small sized mall in Ayase.  It is connected to Viva Home- which I can only describe as a Japanese version of Home Depot.  In the food court Brother ordered Indian (because he missed out the previous day, Sissy ordered potatoes and a pizza dog, and I ordered tako-yaki.  What is tako yaki you ask?  OCTOPUS BALLS!  But not THOSE kind of balls, it is octopus meat and dough fried up into tasty(?) balls.  I have tried them once before, but they had gotten soggy in the plastic take out container- so I thought I should give them another go.  I ordered 6 octopus balls with "cheezu" (cheese).  They used a little blow torch to melt the cheese on top.  It looked mighty tasty.  But I only was able to eat two.  It just didn't do anything for me.  I am very disappointed.  I would love to tell everyone how much I enjoy octopus balls, but that would be untruthful.
I tried, right?

Gindaco's- here is where you get y'ur Octoballs!

tako-yaki AKA Octopus balls

he loves curry too- butter chicken just like Sisy had the day before...

Sissy being silly- and an example of one restaurants' menus in the food court at Ayase Town Hills.

sorry for the blurry pic- this is the machine where we ordered Brother's curry.  These are popular in Japan.  You put in your money and make your selections.  The machine gives you tickets for the menu items you ordered, which in turn you hand to the wait staff.  It is pretty fool proof, unless nothing is in English- then it gets hard!

 fried potato faces, Sissy loves them

Thank you for joining me in my food adventures, hopefully if I have any kind of follow through at all- I'll have something new for you next Friday!