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Takoyaki is something that has made its way to Vancouver, and is especially popular at our Richmond Night Markets. Speaking for myself, it is something I have to get during each visit. I don’t really know where else to find it. Traditionally “Takoyaki” are ball-shaped pancakes with a chunk of octopus inside. It is usually topped with a sweet sauce, mayonnaise and pickled ginger. In Vancouver there are variations using shrimp, crab, and even chicken; though all operate under the same title: “Takoyaki”.

I found some during our visit to DiverCity Mall, specifically their food court. This was one shoppe out of a handful surrounding the exterior of an extensive dining area. I do not have any photos of the shop as I was told to “stop”. As soon as one of the three employees saw my arms with phone in hand go up, I was given the X-factor “X”. The international symbol for no photos.

There were four versions of Takoyaki available. Without English letters and with the inability to make out certain ingredients by sight, I choose the one that most closely resembles what I have had in Richmond. The only one with green flakes sprinkled on top.

The line was brisk. Balls were constantly being prepared across several, familiar iron presses. Cast iron moulds of circles, rows upon rows. A pre made liquid batter goes in on one side. A piece of octopus tentacle follows. The top shuts, and the press is flipped upside down to ensure a coating of batter on both ends. When baked, the press opens, and excess batter is scrapped away before the balls are served. This ensures each pancake is a perfect one bite round.

The balls are presented in their unique boat shape disposable container. Staged in three rows of two, they are then topped generously. In this case, from what I can tell by taste and sight: a sweet brown sauce, Japanese mayo, and ground green chives. How it differed from what is offered at night market is, no bonito flakes and the inclusion of a hard boiled egg purée.

The taste was as I expected it. A crisp outer shell, a gooey middle, and a surprise of rubbery octopus at its core. The toppings added another level of gumminess. Silky mayo and luscious egg yolk made each bite a decadent one. Great as a snack and better when shared. Though not the most filling when having it for an entire meal, as the taste and texture does eventually wear on you. Don’t deny your cravings.

Would I come back? – Yes.
Would I line up for it? – Yes.
Would I recommend it? – Yes.
Would I suggest this for someone visiting from out of town? – Yes.

TAKOYAKI

Here it is worth mentioning how different the food court experience is in Japan. It all starts the same, you order at your desired stall and bring your meal to your desired seat, so long as it isn’t occupied. How it ends is where it differs. Uneaten food and dirty dishes are taken to one of several cleaning stations located in the centre of the court. Here sinks are provided for liquid waste, and labelled bins have you sorting between compost-ables and those that have no choice but to wind up in the landfills. Rags are suggested for a thorough cleaning. From there the dish ware and trays need to travel back to their original stalls. This is also for you to do. Each food court shop has a specific corner, out of the way for your to drop off your used and bussed dishes at. It also seems like extra work to eat at a food court. Where if you spend a little more, or even the same amount, all this is done for you at a fast food restaurant.

Hello Kitty Edibles
DiverCity mall, Odaiba.

A Hello Kitty (HK) fan not only enjoys collecting HK memobelia, but eating items crafted in her image as well. And that is what actually drew me in to the “Hello Kitty Japan” store. This food stall shares its space with the gift store and earns just as much attention. With HK’s face on the awning, her likeness in the banner that lines the front, and stickers of her and a few friends adhered on the walls in the back. But this version of kitty had a fish over her left ear, instead of her usual red bow.

In the window you can see the metal presses use to make the snack cakes they sell. Rows and rows of little hello kitty moulds front and back. A full figured HK in her trademark overalls and ribbon over ear.

Each cake starts with the same breading base then differ by their filling. Shame, each flavour doesn’t also earn its own image. Though logistically the cost of that may be too high to do. Especially given that they do have seasonal flavours on rotation. Today there were four flavours, separated in their own crate, dumped in a pile. “Plain”, “Custard cream”, “Chocolate cream and cornflake”, and their newest flavour an “apple and custard cream”.

On the counter it had the snack pictured in a box, and displayed up right like fries. Guess it was for display purposes only as our serving was scooped into a plastic bag, tied off then put into a paper bag with her face on it. Guess it was so you could keep the paper bag as an collector’s item after? A momento of a cute snack once had at $8 Canadian for a pack of 15.

With the option, we decided to mix and match and get a chance to try each. Overall it was descent, but nothing special. We were clearly paying for the use of her image. Too much dough and not enough filling. The plain was a waste. The chocolate the best, but there was no crunch of cornflakes to speak of. The custard was great on its own, and did better without the chunk of apple in their newest creation.

The same cakes are also available as accents in a soft serve parfait. In milk, green tea, or a twist of both. Once again a very viable ordering option if it weren’t so cold outside. I guess its a good enough reason to come back in summer to enjoy it. Don’t deny your cravings.

Would I come back? – Yes.
Would I line up for it? – No.
Would I recommend it? – No.
Would I suggest this for someone visiting from out of town? – Yes.

Then there was a newer addition to the mall. “Cafe de Miki with Hello Kitty”. A British style cafe, with HK as its mascot. The British part was emphasized in their choice of wallpaper, blue and red plaid featuring the Union Jack. The background to drawings of things that come to mind when we think Britain. Teddy bears dressed as the Queen’s Guards wearing the full-dress uniform of red tunics and bearskins hats (Ironic). Tea trays, tea pots, and tea cups; that also spoke to what they serve. And even an old British style taxi cab.

What attracted the most attention was the a large plush Hello Kitty doll wearing glasses. Her frames helped to promote her line of eyewear that was available in their gift shop. This along with other useful collectables like cell phone cases, stationary, and tumblers; all done up in the same British inspired HK pattern that dressed the exterior of the restaurant.

Shame we weren’t hungry because if we were we’d be getting drinks and dishes with Hello Kitty’s face on it. A pancake stamped with her image. A tea in her own branded cup. Or a pie with her likeness as an edible decoration. Instead I was content with enjoying what was already available in their showcase. Two colours of mocchi, an individual sized cheesecake, and a slice of apple pie. I had the former in her classic image. A one bite treat filled with red bean paste. Once again, another item you pay more for because it is of Hello Kitty, not necessarily because it is of better taste or value. You pay for the label and the brand. This was about $3 Canadian. Don’t deny your cravings.

Would I come back? – Yes.
Would I line up for it? – No.
Would I recommend it? – No.
Would I suggest this for someone visiting from out of town? – Yes.

Tempura (天ぷら) Restaurants

This term is used to blanket all restaurants that serve tempura-ed ingredients over a bowl of rice. In Japan there is a great variety of such restaurants ranging from street vendors to five star establishments. Tempura restaurants can get very pricy, some such places set about perfecting their cuisine to parallel that which is considered to be of fine dining quality. In this post, the term “Tendon” restaurant is more appropriate. “Tendon” is often used to refer to the more inexpensive versions of tempura dishes, as below.

Tempura Tendon Tenya
Asakusa Tokyo, Yoyogi Hacheman

It’s day four and I can’t seem to escape fried food. In my best efforts to find something out of that wheelhouse I ended up here for some rice. Or at least some rice with my deep fry.

My partner wanted burgers, so we agreed to order our own things and take out, to eat out, together, else where. Not planning to dine in, I attracted the lone waitress’ attention through the take out window. Peering inside through the automatic door, I could see down the length of the restaurant. A counter stretched the same expanse. On one end the clerk took orders and refilled cups of tea. Across from her each stool was seated. All kinds of people from all different walks, eating in silence.

There was no English menu to refer to, but the menu filled with pictures looked easy enough to guess at. And if you wanted a more 3D view; artificial, yet hauntingly accurate displays of the very same dishes appeared behind showcases at the restaurant’s exterior. They were a common sight, and served as a good way to lure customers in. You eat with your eyes first after all.

In general, everything pretty much looked the same, in the same colours. It was all battered in a tempura mix. Tempura meats, tempura seafood, and tempura vegetable over rice. I eat anything, so there would be no worse case either way I pointed.

Still wanting something not fried. I choose a combo that not only had the tempura and rice base, but came with side of udon soup as well. This I hoped would balance my need for something less greasy. That and it was the only combo with an egg pictured, and that I could make out beans and lotus root as part of the vegetable tempura mix. From taste alone, I am guessing this is a teriyaki and wasabi mayo, tempura-ed chicken cutlet, with tempura-ed green beans and lotus root, on top of steamed white rice. Served with a side of udon and a soft boiled egg. Some assembly required. Gathered in my take out bag were three individual containers. A bowl for the noodle soup, a box for the rice dish, and a small container just for the egg, still in shell. Everything except for the napkins and cutlery I excepted, and took for granted would be a given.

There isn’t many small restaurants that offer in store seating, nor are there really any public spaces to rest and picnic at. There weren’t many parks in our area, neither were there any benches. So we found a ledge with a little ray of sun and proceeded to unpack. This is where I learned a few valuable lessons. Tables are not always available, take out may be a complicated affair; and judging by the stares from pedestrians passing by, eating curb side may be a faux pas in Japan.

The dish was amazing. It was everything I had hoped for and more. Though shame it wasn’t in its intended presentation, and I mistakenly cracked my soft boiled egg into the noodle, instead of over the rice. Yolk on rice is ever so nice. It was not until I took my first bite did I realize the meat was not pork, but chicken; and that the mayo had some wasabi spice to it. The sauces were the most appealing part of the dish, as I knew they would be. In Vancouver I have had many delicious rice dishes coated in Japanese mayo and topped with a soft boiled yolk. The combination of a creamy sauce and runny yolk, partnered with crispy battered tempura over soft rice is one hard not to enjoy.

So I came back again, to enjoy it as how it was intended to be. Freshly fried pieces of tender white chicken breast, breaded to a crisp. Enjoyed with sticky rice soften by a runny yolk. It did not disappointed.

I came back a day later to enjoy their shrimp tempura rice bowl and noodle soup combo. This time doing so in house. I grabbed an available stool by the bench, and pointed to what I wanted from one of the menu situated between every two seats. With it there were an array of condiments and utensils available for self serve. A caddy of chopsticks, a jar of additional pickles in green and pink, a jug of soy sauce, a shaker of salt and one for seasonings, and tooth picks with napkins in their own cases.

The food came fast, as intended. This is Japanese fast food after all. You come in, dine in silence, then leave. I suspect such places are popular as many individuals do not have a full kitchen in their apartments, like the one we were staying at for the week. Either that, or with all the hours of work they were clocking in, they rather not spend any free time cooking. It’s easier to let someone do that for you. There is so much of it available all around, after all.

It wasn’t until I started picking through the rice bowl did I realize there was only one piece of prawn tempura. What was left was a tempura pancake of tiny fish. I believe they were dace, I made them out from their eyeballs. This was new to me. They didn’t really have a taste, instead they picked up their flavour from the teriyaki sauce that coated them. And sadly this bowl did not come with a drizzle of mayonnaise. Though the sauce used was plenty, giving it more than enough taste. I just missed the creaminess and the sweetness of Japanese rice over such dishes.

The noodle in my side dish was also not what I expected it to be. I think it was a buckwheat noodle, cooked in a light chicken broth. The side of pickles and slice of fish cake went right in. They gave the noodle a different texture. And a shake of seasonings gave it additional spice. This was great bowl to have on this cold and rainy night.

The bill comes with your meal, it even has its own acrylic. As soon as you have had you fill you take it to the register by the door to pay. I felt the clerk’s eyes on me as she waited me to do just that. The norm is to eat and go, and here I was sipping my complementary tea.

Would I come back? – Yes.
Would I line up for it? – Yes.
Would I recommend it? – Yes.
Would I suggest this for someone visiting from out of town? – Yes.
Yes and yes! It was delicious. And at 900yen, approximately $9.50 Canadian for the first meal and 740yen, $7.90 cdn the second both were a deal. All this good food, at a price I can afford daily. After two times I would indeed return a third, to try more. I was left content and full for hours to come. No complaints. Don’t deny your cravings.

This is best described as the Japanese equivalent of Korean barbecue. Both have similar principles: you cook your own meat, over your own grill, at your own table. “Yakiniku” translates directly to “grilled meat”.

Japanese BBQ in Nakano

Its day four and I finally get an authentic Japanese experience. Perhaps even the most authentic I will get during this entire trip. We had Japan natives guiding us on this culinary tour. Our hosts took us to their neighbourhood of Nanako. They led us beyond the Nanako Broadway, pass its narrow allies and bold lights, to this very traditionally Japanese dressed lane way. Tiled roof tops, cloth banners, red lanterns, and bamboo poles. The kinds of buildings I expected to see and wanted to see more of. There was even a panoramic photo taken to commemorate this.

With just my partner and I, tourists in a foreign country, we would never approach such a place hoping for service. First its name was only in kanji characters; and with only a showing of black cast iron pots on display, we couldn’t be sure if it was even a restaurant. There were also no menus posted out front, no photos to refer to. Just looking at it you couldn’t tell what they offered. And even if we ventured in to look, how could we have asked?
And let’s say we managed to get seated, the language barrier alone would have prevented us from ordering anything. As was the case with the exterior, there were no photos to refer to, just lines of script on an black and white sheet of paper. Luckily we were not alone, and our hosts lead us through this truly authentic Japanese meal.

The first floor was their bar, with stools circling the room. Those behind the counter greeted you in unison. Our hosts, having been here before, led us straight up the flight of stairs. At the top you remove your shoes. You either leave them on the shelves and in the bins provided, or borrow one of their plastic bags to keep them in and off the floor at your table side. Here inside and outside space is differentiated, a concept explained to me when I took Asian Studies at UBC. You keep the inside clean, meaning public articles like shoes need to be removed. The room we were about to enter in to was an elevated platform of woven fibres. Each table had its own pit, with a recess allowing your legs to hang in comfort. Sort of like sitting on the floor with an extra place for your feet. Thankfully, as not everyone can cross their legs for an extended period of time.

To start you are given a hot towel to wipe up. Though because of the delay in busing tables it remained table side and was available to use well after it cooled. Looking around the room, some patrons even more bibs. I guess barbecue is a messy affair. The space was traditional in look and feel from the seating, to the setting; from the removing of shoes, to the charcoal grill being used. However the restaurant was modern in its method and technology. Our server used a held device to input our order.

The room quickly became hot like a sauna. A high level of cheek redding heat from the confined space and a grill firing up at each table. Though above each table there was ventilation system in place. A black pipe hanging low to alleviate some of the smoke created by the cooking process. None-the-less it had us sweating and finding that eating became more and more difficult. Though our hosts kept us lubricated with tall pints of Sapparo. This kept us cool, along with slowly removing our multiple layers.

Given the language barrier between our hosts and ourselves, and the lack of written English on any menu, I can only assume the below is what we had. Using my best to guess at the dish from what I saw and what I tasted.

We began our meal with a light salad: spinach greens dressed in a miso vinaigrette, topped with homemade mini croutons. I don’t normally eat salads as I don’t prefer the texture of all those leaves in one bite. But in order to be polite I did finish the portion I was given. The leaves were fresh and the sauce salty, leaning on tangy. I can see the value in such a dish as more of an add on, a side to later accompany all the meat.

A humourous mis-translation had this dish introduced to us as “hormones”, whereas by its looks we decoded it to be beef tripe. I have never seen any meat product this shade of grey before, let alone try any of it. Though this off putting colouring was improved by the presence of the cucumber slivers and sesame seeds. I am familiar with tripe and knew what texture to expect, a ridged rubberiness. But got those who have never seen it, let alone try it, this may be a texture that is hard to get past. The dish came with a serving of chilli sauce and sweet soy for dipping. Both gave the tripe a more palatable and familiar flavour.

Kimchi flavoured rice cooked in a stone bowl. It looked and tasted like Korean-style bibimbap. A stone bowl is heated. Inside, many ingredients are presented neatly over a bed of rice, and finished with an egg cracked overtop. In Vancouver the rice is mixed immediately by a staff member, here it was a self serve affair. Better for me as I got a before and after photo this way. One of our hosts took the responsibility of stirring the pot. Using the spoon provided she mixed the lot, coating it in egg. Then flattening the mixture to further cook it with the resonating heat from the bowl. It also tasted like Korean style bibimbap. Crispy rice flavoured in pickled kimchi.

The rice came with a side of soup a light broth that we were too full to touch.

Once again and unfortunately, without an English menu, and even with our host’s best attempts I was unable to identify all the beef parts we had over the barbecue. So below are photos of how they were presented raw, and of them being cooked on the grill. In general they were all well marbleized with plenty of fat. A few more than others. These were not cuts we were use to, and we both secretly wanted leaner cuts.

The first was the most similar to the beef we enjoy on similar barbecues in Vancouver.

Beef tongue. The tongue was the next leanest protein, but even then it was ridiculously chewy because of all the sinew. I forced the metal image of a large tongue out of my my and the ironic thoughts of me using my tongue to eat this tongue, to be able to get this one down. I have never had to chew my food more, and longer it took to break down, the more nauseated I felt. In Vancouver I have only had this served in paper thin slices. This was a hunk. Surprisingly my squeamish partner was able to get it down and keep it down better than I.

From here the pieces of beef got fattier and fatter. The whiter its shade the fattier it was. Most strips just melted in your mouth, I am not sure I like my meat doing that.

The entire process reminded me of the Korean barbecue experience in Vancouver. Except, the grills there are often built into the tables and sprinklers are always installed above, mostly as a precautionary measure. Also the cuts of beef used and the flavours in which they are seasoned set the two a part. Here, it is fattier beef dressed in simple seasonings, to really allow its natural flavours to come through. A dish of lemon juice is available for dipping into. The zest of the lemon helps to better accentuated the salty marbling of the beef. Though if this is not enough flavour for you, there is also a sauce available for use. Although we personally found the meat to be already pretty tasty. Plus we didn’t want to mask any of it, so enjoyed it as is. We were paying top dollar for this after all.

When needing to use the facilities, slippers are provided for you within. An important fact, given you had to remove your footwear before you entered the dining area. And an interesting note, smoking is allowed indoors here.

Would I come back? – Yes.
Would I line up for it? – No.
Would I recommend it? – Yes.
Would I suggest this for someone visiting from out of town? – No.
Our guests promised us an authentic Japanese dinner, and they certainly delivered with this one. It was quite the experience, with the spaces we were able to visit and the variety of dishes we were able to try. One for the books, and one that I could not hope to duplicate. Not just because of the communication issues, but more I wouldn’t know how to get back, and I don’t even know its name. Plus, like my partner we deemed this cuisine not really our scene. Good to try, but at the predicted price (our hosts wouldn’t let us see the bill, let alone pay for if), this is not something I need another go at anytime soon My partner especially so, as he had a hard time digesting it all after he left. Don’t deny your cravings.

Gyuudon (牛丼) Restaurants.

“Gyuudon” is used to refer to pan fried, thin cuts of beef over a bowl of rice. Such restaurants also offer a pork variation, and less seldom a chicken one. Gyuudon chains are usually fast and cheap.

Yoshinoya, rice bowl
Shinjuku

The allure of teriyaki and something not deep fried for lunch lured us in. These bowls of meat and rice were a familiar sight on the photographic menu out front. Something my partner and I felt we could be sure of when we ordered it. 

On the busy intersection outside of Shinjuku station it seemed to be a hot spot for those looking for a quick meal. As a group of two we were directed to the second floor, with a point. The restaurant had two levels, both serving the same function with similar layouts. We grabbed a seat on one of the bar stools that snaked around the room. The lone clerk approached us with her hand held device to take our order. She worked fast and spoke with purpose. She even had enough English vocabulary under her belt to clarify that what we wanted was indeed beef and pork.

Each bowl comes with your choice of size: small or large, with the possibility of making it a combo. A combo with soup and a variety of side dishes. We didn’t want to push our luck by asking what the little bowls pictured were so just stuck to meat and rice. 

Our food came a little later, despite others around us getting their’s first, and seating after we did. I suspect that they were regulars, or their orders were placed ahead of time. As soon as the faces walked in their orders were acknowledged and their trays came minutes after they settled into their seats. We suspected they were on lunch break and had a very minimal window in which to walk to their destination and dine within. And at 1040yen for two smalls, about $5.50 each Canadian. This is definitely something that can be enjoyed every work day.

We had no place to go and no issue waiting the five more minutes the clerk assured us it would only be, she did so with palm opened, five. Our bowls came on trays sent up from the lower level, with a push of a button and a ride of a mini elevator.

You are presented with a small cup of water. If you want more, a jug across from you is there for you to help yourself with. Water, along with everything else you would need to eat with is available for sharing between every two seats. Chopsticks in a box, a container filled with pink ginger, a jug of soya sauce, and a shaker of mixed spices. We found that we didn’t need additional seasonings, that what we had was already very flavourful.

Beef teriyaki bowl with sesame seeds. Chewy slices of tender beef over steamed rice. Coated in just the right amount of sweet and salty teriyaki sauce. 

Pork teriyaki bowl with green onion. Thin sheets of pork, some drier than others, others fattier than some. The green onion gave things a nice freshness.

The speed in which the bodies dining rotated was amazing. Customers sat, ate, others took their place. There wasn’t even a wait, the line moved so quick. I felt slow in my eating and was forced to keep in step, using chopsticks to shovel food from bowl to mouth.

Would I come back? – Yes.
Would I line up for it? – No.
Would I recommend it? – Yes.
Would I suggest this for someone visiting from out of town? – No.
The food wasn’t super amazing, but it sure did hit the spot. A well needed break from deep fried foods and a reprieve from the fatty cuts of meat the night before. It was the best thing that I have had in a while in Japan, because it was what my body had been craving. Don’t deny your cravings.

This is the version of Gyuudon we has at the DiverCity Mall food court. It came as quick, cost as inexpensive, and tasted about the same, just with green onions instead of sesame seeds. And with this portion we ordered a piece of fried chicken on the side.