KIKU & SHUNGIKU

Kiku is chrysanthemum, a key ingredient is Japanese cuisine, especially when it is in season, right about now. It is used in Kai-seki presentations, in the form of edible flowers, normally in yellow and purple. The leaves are chopped as shown for garnish and the stalk has a flavor that resembles the 'Tong-Ho' in hotpot, in fact Sensei said it is popular in Shabu-Shabu here. From Google - called Chrysanthemum Coronarium - they might be the same family as they like alike. The flowers come in neat petals, we poached them in boiling water, then into water with ice cubes to stop the cooking. Squeezed dry they are served as veggie balls with grilled food in Kai-seki.

Taking advantage of the season my favorite is Shungiku, a bowl of Soba with chrysanthemum deep fried Tempura style, for Y350 or HK$27. It is labeled as 'Ninki' or loosely translated 'best selling house special' because it is fresh, aromatic, and flavorful with great texture, no wonder everyone orders it.

KICHITORA @ SHIBUYA

You must try this special Ramen place in the middle of Shibuya. I do not have an address but you can sniff it out. The noodles are home made, they come in 5 sizes, at the same price. A neat marketing ploy as there is simply no way one can have more than the regular size (with red strip) without the dipping sauce, unless one is prepared to inhale them Japanese style, dry and plain or order extra sauces. Without question the sauce is the star. It is a super creamy, code for fatty, concoction with generous pieces of chicken and the quintessential marinated bamboo shoots. Interestingly this 'Prosperous Tiger' as translated has a branch in Manila, of all places, where pork and not chicken reigns.The picture was taken around 6pm but by the time I stepped out, around 630pm, a queue of 30+ appeared.

YAKITORI @ SHINJUKU

One of the 'must-do' things as a Tokyo first timer is that little smoky lane just off the Shinjuku Odakyu Department Store where one can find many small and old Yakitori 'bars' ... you cannot call these restaurants but I do not have a word for it either. Dinner trade was vibrant, luckily I found a stool spot, sandwiched between a young man who must had quite a few, and an old guy who might be Chinese (but spoke fluent Japanese) as he was playing non stop an er-hu VCD on his I-Pad. The screen showed old China, accompanied by that melancholy sound only an er-hu can produce. A rather strange mix of emotions brought together by a half drunk lad, an older man who missed his past, and another older man who also missed his past, but was too hungry to care.

I ordered the Tei-Shoku or Set Meal of Chicken : wings, meatballs, nuggets, skin and leek. The appetizer was a pickled Renkon or lotus root salad that opened up my appetite. While waiting my street foods curiosity took the better of me and next thing I knew the Motsunikomi, translated as 'intestines - simmer' appeared. A dish of Korean origins it was pieces of tasty pig innards, with tofu, Konnyaku in a Kimchi soup, splashed with Wakegi ... wonderful for a chilly evening by a smoky charcoal pit. With a tall glass of Oolong Tea - I decided to stop drinking altogether for no reason - the damage was Y2900 or HK$223. Not bad, but this is the same price as a plate of mid-price Sushi in the Tsukiji neighborhood. The ingredients could only be 50% of the bill, if that, but the 'ambiance' was priceless, especially the er-hu tunes.
 

FOOD FESTIVALS

If you still do not believe in the Japanese infatuation with food, all you need to do is to look for 'Food Festivals' around the city on weekends. I did not actually look for them but I ran into 4 this past weekend ... in Otemachi, Akasaka, in Shinjuku and this last one is at the Tsukiji Hongwanji complex near me. These events, organized by food companies, have only one goal in mind, promotion and sales. People seem to eat it up (forgive the pun) and truly enjoy themselves. I saw families across the generations, dating couples, young people, seniors ... all loving the fun, the festive spirit, the music, and of course the food served in the form of inexpensive 'tasting menus'. I had a sample plate of Japanese smoked meats and a couple of perfectly grilled smelts for Y250 ... a give away.

'STAND UP MEAL'

Remember Sensei said something about Tokyo folks being always in a hurry, and they have no time to wait for their food? Well, here is further proof ... they eat on their feet. I am not talking about 'standing room only' but 'standing while you eat'. I rather think this is less a matter of patience but a creative solution to a basket of issues between the customer and the vendor.

Customers : want quick fix, no time to sit, do not want to sit, eating alone, do not want to pay for space, prefer self service, food quality at reasonable and stable prices above all, nothing else matters.

Restaurants : do not want to spend $ on rent, do not want to hire service staff, self service across the board, costs mostly on ingredients, fast turnover, assembly line operations, customers just another widget.

These Stand-Only places, literally translated as 'Stand-Eat', offer the perfect marriage. The Soba joint on the left is a stone-throw from my hotel, and where I go for breakfast if I am hungry. The Sushi joint is a bit further down the road, they both know me now. Prices are 30-35% below the competition in the neighborhood and business traffic, including and especially Soba breakfasts, is brisk from what I can see. Why not? If all one looks for is honest-to-goodness comfort food to fill the stomach in between meetings or errands. It certainly beats trashy fast food and I am sure at time it even beats sitting down to eat. This is so characteristic of city life, and so charmingly convincing in Tokyo.

Did you notice the billboard above Chiyoda Sushi that advertises an international sushi school? My next stop, perhaps?      

CHIYODA LINE

The Chiyoda Line starts with Yoyogi-uehara in the west, and ends with Kita-ayase, the 20th station to the east. I thought I would start with Kita-ayase but somehow took a local train that took me to Abiko or 'My Grand Child' which was another 30-minutes further out, for a real taste of Tokyo's suburbs. A tourist, I made the 3 mandatory stops on this line which, believe it or not, took almost 4-hours between walking, taking pictures, watching, wondering, reflecting and of course resting, but no eating. I was a good boy, resisted all temptations after that breakfast Ramen.

Akasaka is a yuppie community with nice modern apartments along the tree lined streets. Omote-sando & Meiji-jingumae stations, together with 2 main avenues Aoyama-dori & Meiji-dori, basically define this huge shopping haven known as 'Harajuku' in inverted comas, even on the Tokyo Metro maps.

I do not like the main thoroughfare where mass humanity and name brands reign, they bore me to death. This is how I became 'shopaphobic' in my family of 3 women who are card carrying 'shopaholics'.  At Omote-sando I always prefer this small avenue, shown here with a statue at the entrance where one finds sanity, not to mention tasty, up-market and exclusive (definitely not cheaper) brands. I can deal with that and not the vulgairty on the left.  Who needs it, really?

BREAKFAST RAMEN @ TSUKIJI

Most tourists on their virgin pilgrimage to Tsukiji will almost always start with a bowl of Ramen, to fire up the adrenalin, before venturing into this world class abyss of seafood. Herding instincts will automatically direct them to the one on the right, with the line. While it is perfectly human to think 'line = good' this is obviously not the case here. Sensei, through her deep network around the Tsukiji Market, confirms that the smaller shop on the left, usually with less of a queue, is the Real McCoy where the Tsukiji community patronizes.

Literally a Mom & Pop shop, they served a mean bowl of Ramen, one that certainly woke me up this morning. First of all, it was the super tasty soup, then the noodles, but what brought tears was that egg, standing tall against 4 (not the usual 3) pieces of slim cut pork belly. Sensei calls this 'Ramen Tamago' which is a special recipe to prepare eggs for noodles. Super delicious, adding so much to the bowl overall. Mama-san looks after front-of-house, directing the traffic and counts every Yen, while Papa-san plays chef, deeply entrenched in preparing every bowl with precision. Like Dora, he frowns when he is focused and one would think something went wrong that makes him unhappy.

Y600 or HK$46 .. it is such a hefty bowl I did not bother with lunch, bought 2 pears in season off a hawker instead.  Look at the picture, make a mental note, and do not mix them up ... remember to go with the Under-Dog, he is better!

Ramen-Tamago : boil the eggs x 3 minutes, peel shells gently - marinate in a mixture of soya sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic & ginger - dilute with a bit of water but not too much - make sure all the eggs are submerged - keep in the fridge for 4 days to 1 week before serving.  I should charge you, how would you like to pay for this star recipe?

'ITS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING'

 
Today is Sunday, and it is a 'Beautiful Morning'. My plan is to start with a bowl of weekend breakfast Ramen, and then explore the other key Tokyo Metro line, the Chiyoda Line.

I stepped out of the hotel shortly before 8am and received this greeting, there was literally nobody, no nothing in fact on a totally empty street. I then took the train to Yoyogi-uehara Station to the west, where the Chiyoda Line starts and look at the morning traffic into the city. What would you rather have?

LET US QUEUE

If there is one thing the Japanese likes more than their food it will be lining up, patiently, for their food ... as well as other things, in fact anything, that can attract and warrants a line ... a consumer marketer's best wet dream.

The line on the left is for Ramen at the front of the outer-market in Tsukiji with say, 40-50 customers. The line on the right is for Garrett's popcorn at Omote-sando with at least 100+ around the block. We are talking about Popcorn, you hear?

Nike also has a huge line, selling a trendy wrist band or something like that and the queue, near Harajuku, must be at least 300+ youngsters, and counting. Unbelievable!

 

MTR CHALLENGE

This is a sign on the Chiyoda Line which leads to a 'Women Only' carriage, between the hours of 710am (!!!) - which must be a decision based on comprehensive research - to 930am every morning of the 5-day working week. Given the infrequent but still annoying sexual harassment or even assault incidents on MTR trains I wonder if this is doable in Hong Kong. Are we 'too proud' to copy what others do well around the region, sitting on our soon-to-collapse perch as ... Asia's World City ... a term that makes me cringe, every time. It is such a major PR disaster, whoever created it should be really ashamed.