Fujiya

Fujiya is another haunt I used to frequent as a student, which I revisited on this trip to Tokyo. On Kagurazaka-dori (my favourite part of the city), this is the only store in Japan that turns Fujiya’s mascot, Peko-chan, into cakes! Well, Japanese-style cakes. Peko-chan yaki are a play on taiyaki, the traditional Japanese sweet of a pancake-waffle like shell filled with red bean paste. Peko-chan yaki are available in a range of flavours, including mango, custard and chocolate, the latter of which I picked. There’s quite a lot of the cake shell to get through to reach the centre, but when you do, I can only liken it to the best chocolate fondant you’ve ever had – the chocolate was slowly solidifying, but was melty enough that once you bit into it you got both cooled and liquid chocolate. The quality is excellent, and makes you feel a bit less guilty for biting into that cute face! It’s quite a filling snack, so if you want to try lots of flavours I’d recommend getting them take away, but they’re definitely best when eaten fresh out of the store. A fun take on a traditional sweet.

Fujiya, 1-12 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan                                      http://pekochanyaki.jp/

Sushi Zanmai

I know I’ve blogged about Sushi Zanmai before, but my experience on this visit was incomparable. We went for dinner, and surprisingly didn’t have to line up (win!). Sitting at the counter, our sushi-san started chatting to us, as they usually do, but this guy was a comedian, and kept us entertained with jokes and impressions all night. Not only did we get the amazing nigiri sushi I ordered, chuo toro (mid-grade tuna), aburi salmon (my ultimate favourite), unagi (top grade eel), saba (the tastiest mackarel ever), we were also treated to a complimentary cube of the most delicious tuna I’ve ever eaten – it was tiny, but had been seared on all sides and salted and it just melted in my mouth. Amazing. To top it off, the gentleman sitting next to us, who was dining alone and joined in on the conversation and jokes, gifted us bowls of miso soup – it must have been their premium soup, as it was packed with fish meat, and had an incredibly complex and hearty flavour. I can’t really explain how much this place makes my heart swell with joy, but I can say that it epitomises everything that I love about Japan. Thanks for another special experience Sushi Zanmai.

Sushi Zanmai, 1F Yodabashi Camera building, Akihabara Tokyo     http://www.kiyomura.co.jp/ (Japanese only)

Little Ramen Bar

There really is nothing like a steaming hot noodle soup on a chilly night, and of all the noodle soups, ramen surely must be the most comforting. On an overnight visit to Melbourne I braved the cold to seek out ramen at one of Melbourne’s quaintest little establishments, Little Ramen Bar. I had about a 10 minute wait for a seat, but my order was taken while I waited so the food came out quickly once I was inside the cozy nook of a restaurant. I had the ‘most popular’ chashu tamago with a shoyu broth, and a glass of umeshu (plum wine) on the rocks. The ramen arrived quickly and was exactly what I felt like. The tamago (egg) was still gooey in the middle and the pork slices were tasty, although marbled with quite a bit of fat. The broth itself was fattier than I expected, but it wasn’t overly salty and I ended up drinking most of it as it had such a beautifully rich flavour. The noodles had just the right amount of bite and my craving was completely satisfied. Definitely a spot to come back to.

Little Ramen Bar, 346 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC                                 http://www.littleramenbar.com.au/

Sosumi Sushi Train

My colleague recommended a sushi bar near our meeting venue at lunchtime, so off I went into the GPO building seeking a light meal and some raw fish. Sosumi didn’t disappoint. The staff were professional and attentive, and I launched right in with a plate of salmon sashimi. There were 4 slices on the plate with a small salad underneath for garnish, and each slice was plump, tender and very tasty. Yes the pieces were smaller than you would get in Japan, but by Australian standards, it was quite good. Next up was the seaweed salad, which was quite generous and had a flavour just like those I’ve had in Japan. I tried a plate with four mini raw tuna rolls, which were quite small but also very tasty, and I was then lucky enough to scoop up an aburi salmon plate (my absolute favourite) – the salmon was thin and there were only two pieces, but it satisfied my craving for sushi nicely. Be warned though, Sosumi offers quality, not value, so don’t expect to walk away full without a significant spend.

Sosumi Sushi Train, Lower Ground Floor, GPO, 1 Martin Place, Sydney NSW     http://www.gpogrand.com/sosumi-sushi-train-sydney-cbd.html

Ujicha Gion Tsujiri

After an amazing dinner on Pontocho-dori, we wandered across the river to Gion, Kyoto’s famous geisha quarter, also famed for its tea stores. I had a real craving for icecream, and was a bit sad to see so many stores closed for the night along Shijo-dori, the main street. But when I spotted a couple of people walking along with soft serves in hand, we kept going and eventually found Ujicha Gion Tsujiri serving take aways. Yes! I hadn’t had many traditional-flavoured icecreams on this trip, so I picked the more exotic of the two options – hojicha, rather than the standard matcha. Hojicha is a green tea that’s been roasted over charcoal, giving it a more complex, smoky flavour. This was evident even from the colour, which was more a khaki than bright green. I absoutely loved it. The flavour had more bitterness than your standard icecream, but the roasted flavour really added a lot of depth and it tasted like what I imagine tea with cream would be like. The texture was rich and creamy, as soft serves should be, and I devoured the little cupful happily.

Ujicha Gion Tsujiri, 573-3 Gionmachi Minamigawa Shijo Dori Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto http://www.giontsujiri.co.jp/gion/store/kyoto_gion/#_=_

Gogyo

I remember my first meal at Gogyo very well – it was first time I really fell in love with ramen. Here wasn’t just an oily or fatty broth, here was broth with some serious flavour. Years later, it was just as good as I remembered. After exploring the Nishiki Market, we lined up to be the first in for dinner at Gogyo. The service is quite excellent – the staff are attentive to your every need and are really professional. Dining on a weekend, we received a starter for ¥300 and had a choice between ‘radish’ or ‘chicken’. I picked radish and enjoyed the warmed little dish with its mysterious sauce (whatever it was, was delicious). Next up was a plate of fresh cucumber with a spicy sesame seasoning – a nice contrast between the heat of the seasoning and the cool cucumber. Then the main game – the burnt soy ramen. Yep, bring on the black broth and its rich, salty flavour. The ramen themselves have plenty of bite and the pork was lovely and tender. I adore soft-boiled ramen eggs and this was one of the best. All the ingredients combined to make a really special ramen unlike any other I’ve ever eaten.

Gogyo, 452 Jumonjicho Takoyakushi Sagaru, Yanaginobamba-dori, Kyoto Japan http://www.ramendining-gogyo.com

Gumshara Ramen

My first visit to Gumshara was simply fantastic – I was amazed at how authentic the flavour of their tonkotsu ramen was, so on this visit I was keen to try one of their other broths. I picked the shoyu ramen, which is made with a light fish broth, with added soy sauce. Gumshara’s bowls are huge, but somehow always seem to be the right amount of food for dinner. Unlike many ramen places, here the noodles always have just the right amount of bite, and they’ve recently started offering thin noodles as an option. I picked the thick noodles and after a short wait sat down with my big bowl of happiness. The pork slices were lovely and thin and melted in your mouth, and the fresh spring onion added flavour and texture. There were plenty of noodles and the broth itself was light as promised, although that certainly didn’t mean watery – it just wasn’t as rich or fatty as the tonkotsu, which suited me fine. There’s no post-ramen-drink-three-litres-of-water saltiness, just incredible flavour. Whilst not the cheapest bowl of ramen in town (expect to pay around $13), I would have to say that this remains my favourite ramen in Australia.

Gumshara Ramen, Shop 211, 25-29 Dixon Street, Haymarket NSW, no website.