Cho-Tabetai

Shark Fin Soup

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:00:49 +0000

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.

Soba-ya

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:46:04 +0000

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.

Shirokuma

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:58:29 +0000

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.

Italian food in Kagoshima

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:43:40 +0000

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.

Bacon yakitori

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:51:19 +0000

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!

Traditional Kagoshima food

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:14:28 +0000

My lovely host Shoko was kind enough to take me out for a traditional Kagoshima meal. It felt like the healthiest meal I had in all of Japan. Even though there were fried items, they were so light and airy. It’s kind of a shame that modern Japanese food, heavily influenced by western culture, is so unhealthy in contrast. The pink item in the tempura picture is ebi coated in sakura. The ebi in the last picture was dipped in egg before cooking, making it yellow.

Kuro tori (raw chicken)

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:05:04 +0000

I have had chicken liver sashimi before (thoroughly bathed in salts), but I was a little surprised to walk into a bar (not even a restaurant) in Kagoshima, and chicken sashimi on the menu. Shoko told me that it’s a Kagoshima specialty, made from the black skinned chicken that is native to the area. I had to give it a go. The meat had a fantastic texture. It was firm, not chewy, but had a bite to it. Light and crisp in flavor, but there was a sauce on it, so that was the most prominent flavor. It was delicious.

Kuro buta

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:50:00 +0000

Today is my last day in Kagoshima, and I finally got a chance to eat the famed kuro buta (black pork). It is native to this area, and is in everything. By looking at the meat you can’t tell the difference between regular pork, or at least I can not, but they have a black skin. We had shabu shabu with the pork. Shoko said that was the best way to get the flavor. They also brought us many dishes with the kuro buta in it. The fish you see is kibinago, native to the small island shoko is from.

Gonpachi in Roppongi

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:25:48 +0000

Here are some shots from the restaurant that Kill Bill was shot. I should have grabbed some interior shots, but did not think of it till later. The main shot below is ebi shumai with fried noodles wrapped around it. My favorite was the toro yakitori, which was to die for.

Five dollars!

John (Cho-Tabetai) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:19:23 +0000

On a whim my friend Hilo and I walked into a little family run restaurant on his street, because they were having a 5 dollar special. The interior was very traditional, all tatami and chabudai. They served us a many course meal that was simply out of control delicious.