Comments on: Mitsuwa Japanese Market

By: Christle

Christle — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 04:25:36 +0000

I know this comment is *way* late, but I had to say it anyway. I *LOVE* Mitsuwa!!! My mom mentioned a Japanese market she’d wanted to visit when I was in town visiting her(she’s in Southern California, and I’m joining her there in about two months), and since she didn’t want to go without someone who knew what a lot of the stuff was, she waited until I was there to check it out with her. We didn’t have time to get dinner there that night, but I went the next day and ordered a plate of salt-grilled mackerel. I have a feeling I’m going to be spending a lot of money at Mitsuwa…

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:50:22 +0000

Have you found a good ramen place in Philly yet? I have been searching as well. The closest Mitsuwa is somewhere in North Jersey near NYC.

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:44:56 +0000

Hey,
I also moved from West Coast to Philly recently. What’s the best ramen place in Philly?

By: tannaz

tannaz — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:44:13 +0000

i love mistuwa for: weird beverages, dried kabocha snacks, green tea ice cream, mochi, cheap super-fresh fish in small portions, umeshu, and of course the cozy delicious shoyu ramen at santouka. i’d love them even more if they carried matcha meltykiss — dense cube-shaped chocolate truffles with a bright green matcha center. while i’ve seen other flavors (named ‘meltyblend’ stateside), matcha has been the holy grail for me since i visited tokyo in 2005.

By: John (cho-tabetai)

John (cho-tabetai) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:04:49 +0000

Wow, that seems really intense. I usually don’t spend more then $25 dollars on a bottle since I know I’ll just mix it, but if you have a particular kind you recommend, I’d love to give it a try on the rocks.

By: Jason Truesdell

Jason Truesdell — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 05:48:32 +0000

These days I mostly drink good shochu on the rocks, rather than as a “sour” or oyu-wari… however, it’s hard to find good shochu in most of the US, so it doesn’t happen so often… usually only during a trip to Japan, or when someone brings me something remarkable…

I have tasted a soba-jochu recently that reminded me of whiskey, but I’m pretty sure it was barrel aged, which would explain the similarity.

By: John (cho-tabetai)

John (cho-tabetai) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 01:38:30 +0000

To be honest, I am really a novice with shochu. I can talk sake a lot better. If you asked me what kind of shochu was in my fridge right now I could not tell you, but off the top of my head I know the sake I have (Koshi no Tousetsuka & Kikusai) As far as what I have tasted so far, flavor wise it reminds me a lot of whiskey.

You know what is interesting, I have not really developed the taste for whiskey, but I love shochu! It reminds me of what I think whiskey tastes like (if that makes any sense) but for some reason it’s really enjoyable. Of course I am usually drinking it with cold oolong tea (a dangerous combination) or hot water and umeboshi, so I am sure that takes the bite off it quite a bit.

By: Jason Truesdell

Jason Truesdell — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:59:47 +0000

I think of you spend a lot of time in Kansai you’ll find more anti-nattou sentiment.

By the way, shochu has more in common with vodka than whiskey, and there are rice, mixed grain, sweet potato, buckwheat and other variations. Some of the aged shochu has whiskey-like notes, though. The alcohol content tends to hover around 25% compared to Vodka/Whiskey’s typical 40%.

By: John (cho-tabetai)

John (cho-tabetai) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 22:08:48 +0000

@Jason: You are definitely in the minority. It seems like a really polarizing food, even among my Japanese friends (who for the most part, like it).

By: Jason Truesdell

Jason Truesdell — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:40:06 +0000

Tally me up as the first in your take-it-or-leave-it category when it comes to nattou, then… I don’t hate it, but I don’t exactly actively request it either. If it appears on my plate at a ryokan breakfast or if Hiromi supplements my cooking with a package of frozen nattou put out on the table before I have a chance to wince, I will eat it…