A Foodie's Tour of Japan [ part 2 ]

Day 4: Kyoto
- lunch: street food @ Kitano Tenmangu Ji (the nearby market fair)
- #1: 'Chicken skin'(kawa) yakitori - Fattening it may seem, but it's taste is fantastic... crispy skin with teriyaki sauce.

- #2: taiyaki - Fish shaped pancake with sweet red bean filling. sounds simple, but tastes great.

- #3: oden - some sort of 'steamboat' food... radish, konyaku, beef, fishcake (you can choose what you want) boiled in a special broth and then served on a plate with mustard. perfect winter dish.


- mid-day - went into a shop that sells wagashi, Japanese candy that is craftfully made into artistic masterpieces. Costs a bomb but well worth the money.


- dinner: Tonkatsu @ The Cube, Level 11, Kyoto Station. Tonkatsu normally refers to fried pork fillet in bread crumb batter (well, i think it's bread crumb). Havn't had such tender tonkatsu, ever. crispy on the outside, not too dry on the inside. The interesting part is that we have to make the sauce ourselves..pounding the sesame then adding our preferred amount of sweet sauce. this makes the meal more interactive and overall a very pleasant experience.

Day 5: Kyoto
-breakfast : korokke @ Nishiki Market. Korokke (croquette) is something like 'fried mashed potato', probably of Western origin. However, this snack is quite popular in Japan these days. It has a fried bread-crumb exterior but soft and melts-in-your-mouth interior. It has a variety of fillings these days, eg. cheese.


- lunch : tempura moriawase @__ . Tempura refers to food that is fried with a light and crispy batter. Not easy to get it to the correct texture. Here, we had Tempura set for just 1000yen.Rare find in Japan. and the braised pumpkin in the top right corner tastes mild but nice.


- dinner: Kaiseki dining @ Kyoto Station 11th floor. Japanese meals that are served using really nice presentation. See the set meal Aik had - it was 'charcoal udon' in the bowl on the left, and the big container on the right opens up to a variety of delicacies!

- snacks: Check out the green tea Kit Kat! Tastes like white chocolate with matcha flavour.








Day 6: Kobe, Himeji
-lunch: shabu shabu @ Kobe. Japanese steamboat. But with premium beef. There was miso paste provided which I 'assumed' is to be added to the broth, or made into D.I.Y miso soup, whichever suits your fancy. We were also served a bowl of (chopped) radish that enhances the sweetness of the meat/vege when eaten together.

-dinner: Yakitori @ Ichiban Yakitori, Kyoto. THIS PLACE IS VOTED MY #1 FAVOURITE for the entire Ja-Plan trip. I really miss the food and the atmosphere there - inside this small yakitori bar you see the boss cum main chef taking a puff in between grilling the pieces of meat (or occasional vege), then as you take a sip of Asahi beer you watch the chef skillfully prepare your food, and the moment it is served to you directly from the counter, then taking a bite... a taste of heaven. [2nd pic: grilled chicken(mi: boneless leg meat part), pork (butabara). 3rd pic: grilled onigiri(riceball) served with pickles, 4th pic: grilled sparrow (suzume). Not in pic: gyurosu(sirloin) and aigamo(duck)]

Day 7: Nara
- lunch: Oyako-don @ Za-Don ("The" Don). Simple food joint that specialises in nothing but donburi (rice with topping served in a bowl). I still remember Koji and the other Jap exchange students making this dish for the ISD Hawker's Night back in October '07, so I thought I'd just try it right here in Japan! Oyako means "father son", in other words it means something like 'family'. Most popular dish at the restaurant, and it is very easy to make. Chicken cubes cooked in a sauce made from mirin, soy sauce and dashi, then cooked together with cabbage and egg. *slurp

- dinner: Omuraisu @ Kyoto Station, Lower Ground Fl. Isetan. 'Omuraisu', or omelette rice, is interesting in that the rice is actually wrapped inside the thin omelette layer. The omuraisu I had came with crab meat sauce and a piece of korokke. My friend, Piro actually brought us to try omuraisu after many many attempts at suggesting something to eat that me & Aik have not tried(Japanese specialties, of course). To think that we've gunned down most of the famous eats in 7 days is very impressive I think! [inset: omuraisu cut open to reveal the treasure within!]