The second "kind" of dinners we had were specific restaurants.
One night we had dinner at a Tempura restaurant:
Available condiments were pickled daikon radish and pickled squid. The pickled squid was...interesting...but not a favorite.
I can understand that some might think we had a lot of beer. We did have one with a great many dinners. Frankly, there is no beer so good as a beer after training, and Japanese beers tend to be light.
A paper, hand-written sign advertising the offerings of the restaurant. This is very traditionally Japanese.
Rice, dipping sauce, and the first tempura offering. Instead of coming out on a plate, the tempura items were brought individually as they were completed.
Ebi (Shrimp):
Vegetables and fish. The one on the right is Japanese Pumpkin, which I have never had before. The item in the small bowl is a tempura egg, almost like a soft boiled egg in tempura.
I have no idea. It was good though.
Whitefish:
Another night we had dinner at a restaurant serving unagi (Freshwater Eel), a shop not too far from our hotel on a very narrow street. If you did not know (or have an App), as a tourist you would never have known it was there.
The kamidana, or small altar to the kami:
Opener: Salad, lotus roots (and beer, of course):
Pickles. A small serving of these is often provided at many meals:
The main course (in its presentation box):
And open! Unagi over rice:
Another night, The Ravishing Mrs. TB and I went to a sushi restaurant. I cannot name all of the sushi below, but at about $20, it was a deal (and delicious!).
Another night we went to a Tonkatsu (Friend pork cutlet) restaurant. A starting dish (it happened more than once) was cabbage. This could be refilled as many times as you would like (sadly, not true for the beer):
I had already eaten a pretty big meal before, so I had a small two stick tonkatsu with a side of edamame (steamed soybeans). The bowl on the left is for grinding spices for the katsu sauce.
The front of the restaurant, showing their offerings:
Everything looks so good. Being a fish lover, I'd enjoy all of these meals. Except probably I would decline on the squid.
ReplyDeleteA lot of it seems to be fried. Any idea what kind of oil they typically use?
I'm also curious about the pickled items. Are they vinegar pickled or lacto-fermented?
Leigh, all the meals were good. The squid is, I suspect, an acquired taste.
DeleteNo idea on the oil. A quick look on the InterWeb suggests it could be any number of oils, although historically (apparently) rapeseed oil was popular.
The answer to pickled items: Either or both! Pickling has a long history in Japan. I have a lactofermentation going for a process called nukazuke (nuka being the discarded bran of rice), but of course never get around to posting on it. (Interesting note: Apparently tsukemono (the Japanese word for pickles) are considered "preserved vegetables" instead of "pickles" as they are not primarily made with vinegar. Impacts the tariff rate, of all things.)
There is a nice summary on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukemono
The eel looks far more palatable than the squid TB, what choices are there for non-beer drinkers? An excellent variety of meals, thanks!
ReplyDeleteNylon12, unagi is by far my favorite.
DeleteIn terms of non-alcoholic drinks, tea is standard everywhere (and water of course). Most restaurants have a variety of sake and at least one red and white wine.
Maybe different than most, I would have eaten everything shown with relish. I do like squid and octopus as long as it is prepared right. Often though it is overcooked and tastes like eating tire rubber.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the only thing I would pass on is the beer. I never really ever had a taste for it though I choked it down for many years just to be sociable. Then about four or five years ago, I decided that I didn't need to choke it down to be sociable anymore and nobody has really cared that I just drink water, even in social situations. I think it is more acceptable than it was ten years ago.
Ed, the squid was...not terrible, but probably not something I would seek out again.
DeleteFor reasons someone unknown to me, Japanese beer tastes better than Japanese beer in the US. That said, not drinking has become quite acceptable and in fact fashionable now, with Mocktail bars springing into existence.