Shark fin soup is a delicacy in China, its a symbol of wealth and decadence. A friend of mine recommended a restaurant in Ebisu that had an authentic Chinese experience, so we decided to give it a go. I was underwhelmed by the shark fin (third photo down), which has no flavor of its own and is entirely flavored by the soup, but every other dish there was spot on. I actually don’t think I have ever had an authentic Chinese meal of this caliber. All the restaurants I know in New York are either on the budget side (although amazing), or some sort of Asian fusion. If you can read Japanese, the tasting menu is the last photo.

September 12th, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
3 Comments »

I was taken to this soba-ya in Hiroo when I asked to go to a izakaya. My friend told me there was not a good izakaya in the area, but this soba-ya had many dishes. It ended up being one of the most interesting meals I had during that trip. I did not try their soba, but everything else there was amazing. My favorite dish was the ika. It was cooked table side on the hot stone they are sitting on. The other picture which may be hard to identify is the bamboo (yellow dish). It was a huge foot long piece that was just slightly charred.

July 17th, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
No Comments »

While I was in Kyoto, I was trying to have dishes specific to the area. One dish that numerous people told me I had to have was shirokuma (which means polar bear, or white bear to be literal) . To be honest, I can’t tell the difference between shirokuma and kakigori, but it was delicious none the less.

July 13th, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
No Comments »

Here are some pics form an Italian restaurant in Kagoshima. It was located on the top floor of a very tall building, giving a 360 degree view of the city volcanoes. It was Italian with the slightest hints of Asian influence.

June 19th, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
No Comments »

Inspired by a Yakitori place I went to in Hiroo, I tried to make bacon wrapped yakitori at home. I used my portable gas stove, because it would be easier to clean. All in all, it turned out well. Tomatoes and negi, like everything else, are better wrapped in bacon. One thing I forgot to do was soak the wooden spears first, which would have prevented them from catching on fire. Something about roasting tomatoes makes them 10X more tomato-ey!

May 28th, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
5 Comments »