Feasting Pigs

in tokyo, japan (jan’24)

another ramen spot i’ve been wanting to try, known for their shio ramen also a journey out of the city center. luckily they open at night as well, so came by for quite a satisfying second dinner.

their shio broth is mainly niboshi based, composed of dried fish, kombu and vegetables which is different to most other shio i’ve tried which are seafood based with hints of chicken/pork. flavours of the broth here are noticeably flavourful but still very clean, but not my preferred style of shio as i prefer the subtle sweetness from the use of clams and other shellfish. i don’t know much on the old school style of niboshi, but i think the version here definitely is one of the more notable and good demonstrations where the umami is maintained without being overpowering.

we also sampled the shoyu, and it was similarly clean but bolder in flavour profile without the sweetness to finish and doesn’t really have the balance and roundness i enjoy. noodles were nicely cooked, with a pronounced wheat aroma. but the chasiu was slightly overdone and somewhat chewy, and the chasiu don on the side was okay. considering the price and value of the bowls, as well as its long opening hours, its definitely worth seeking out, but not my preferred style so just trying once is enough for me.

塩そば 並 (¥800)
+ 味玉 (¥120)
醤油そば 並 (¥850)
肉丼 (¥380)
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would revisit: try once
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥1000
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📍成城青果
location: 3-1-12 minamikarasuyama, setagaya city, tokyo
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in tokyo, japan (jan’24)

a ramenya which has been on my list for as long as i remember but was hesitant to travel given its distance away from the city. but so glad i finally visited, becoming on of the top shoyu ramens i’ve had in the city. the bowl is a bit small compared to most, but really loved every component here from their freshly made noodles in house to the light but umami filled soup with an elegant soy finish. their broth is based from mainly duck, pork and chicken too, mixing proteins to bring layers of umami. chasiu was considerably soft, almost sous-vide and a thick cut slice which was a bit too fatty for me, but the wonton was also nice.

shio on the other hand was okay, not too memorable as it didn’t have the same level of depth, but condiments were equal to that of the shoyu. highly recommended spot for shoyu ramen lovers, worth seeking out as the queue moves relatively quickly as well.

特製中華そば special shoyu ramen (¥1480)
ワンタン塩そば wonton shio ramen (¥1280)
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would revisit: yes
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥5000
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📍中華そば しば田
location: 2-25-20 wakabacho, chofu, tokyo
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in tokyo, japan (jan’24)

another pastry shop i’ve been dying to try and thank you fairy godmother for inviting me. they take normal reservations from omakase for afternoon hours, but around dinner time or after 20:30~ are members only, so actually a great spot to hang out for desserts after dinner.

since it was strawberry season, had to try her parfait and infamous shortcake. loved the simplicity in her parfaits, just highlighting the jewels of the season, comprised of strawberry jelly, pickled strawberries before her cream, fresh strawberry and grated iced strawberries were added. also tried her strawberry daifuku which i loved more than the parfait, it had pastry cream with nuggets of mochi inside, ice-cream, anko, and diced strawberries.

her shortcake was also very very good, different style to ucchi’s i’d say, this had a richer eggier sponge and a very light cream - versus ucchi’s which is definitely creamier and milkier. so i really enjoyed this as a post dinner dessert with huge chunks of strawberry inside. to each their own, both shortcakes were incredibly good and worth trying for sweets lovers like myself.

also tried her freshly baked financier and slices of maple basque cheesecake to go which we devoured the day after. would really love to be back for her other parfaits, shortcake flavours and her canele. thank you for having me!

いちごのパーフェstrawberry parfait (¥3,850)
いちごの大福strawberry daifuku (¥1,760)
✨「とっておき」苺のできたてショートケーキstrawberry shortcake (¥2,090)
✨焼き立てフィナンシェplain financiers (¥1,100)
✨バスクチーズケーキ maple basque cheesecake
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would revisit: yes
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥5000-¥10,000
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📍PÂTISSIÈRE MAYO
location: 2/f 7-10-2 roppongi, tokyo
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in tokyo, japan (jan’24)

so beyond happy i was invited to try the counter cafe of my favourite milk cake shop. they serve one table per seating and you preorder the number of desserts you want but you don’t know what they are.

we preordered 5 the day we went and got a bunch of seasonal ingredients with our sweets, such as a mini version of the milk cake with strawberries sandwiched inside. his milk cake is still my favourite amongst the shops i’ve tried, creamiest and the richest milk flavour with a light sponge and this time with slices of strawberry.

we also got a mousse on the day we went, which was also sandwiched in cake, strawberry and mousse like strawberry cream which was super tasty. apart from that i also loved his crepe, lightly chewy and fragrant, filled with a light custard and strawberry. as it is also sweet potato season, we sampled his ‘jelly’ made of only sweet potatoes water and sugar, and a yurine tart with a buttercream base. love his sweets, so simple but so delicate, not overly sweet, really want to try his chocolate tart and souffle next time at the cafe, and his different seasonal renditions of his signature milk cake. thank you ucchi san and k-san as always.

5 desserts: (¥6500)
✨いちごのムース strawberry mousse cake
✨いちごのクレープ strawberry crepe
✨いちごみるくstrawberry ‘milk’ shortcake
さつまいものゼリーsweet potato jelly
ゆりねのタルトyurine tart
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would revisit: yes
reservations: members only
price range pp: ¥5000-¥10,000
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📍おかしやうっちー
location: 3-27-9 sendagaya, shibuya
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in kyoto, japan (jan’24)

my first visit to the higashiyama branch (second shop) of ogata - one of my favourite shops thus far in kyoto. this visit was end of january, so the tail end of kani season with influences of fugu and shirako season and a peek into spring.

my visit with ogata san himself present and cooking set the standards very high (he’s in this shop on some occasional sundays), but still seemed a bit shy from the honten. the course was definitely smaller than i remembered, ingredients though good seemed a bit lacking especially considering the sky rocketing price-tag. nonetheless, the atmosphere here is much more ambient and spacious, facing the gorgeous back garden.

really wow-ed by the fresh ise-ebi and its miso, the back of the tuna cut was also so so good. really enjoyed the various fugu dishes also, from the fugu sashimi in a shirako ponzu sauce with a dash of shijimi, to the fugu karaage freshly brought out by the kitchen. as we were getting into the groove of the meal, the shime courses were already served. today’s courses were a deep fried oyster one with sansho, gyudon which was a bit salty for my liking and a karami daikon with homemade udon. ended with a lovely yurine and red bean filling wagashi and matcha. will be back to the honten for another season, but my favourite is still spring here.

おまかせコース (¥60,000)
うずみ豆腐uzumi tofu
マグロの背側 ise ebi, shima maguro
カラスミの餅karasumi mochi
鱈白子の揚げtara shirako age
河豚と白子ポン酢fugu with shirako
河豚唐揚げfugu karage
丸大根と蕪maru daikon, kabura

牡蠣ご飯kaki gohan
牛丼gyudon
辛味大根うどんkarami daikon udon

ゆりねあんこ和菓子yurine anko wagashi
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would revisit: honten only
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥60,000-¥100,000
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📍東山緒方
location: 1/f 91-5 okazaki enshouji-cho, kyoto
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

exploring more onto the ramen scene in kansai, and stopped by this toripaitan specialised store which is super popular. arrived around 1pm ish on a weekday and had to queue for over an hour and a half to get inside.

quite unique that we could select between a shoyu or shio base for the paitan which is whipped by a hand-held blender for its light foamy texture. it was rich and flavourful, a bit too much as i personally found it a little bit salty but maybe good for those who like bolder flavours. noodles were slightly thicker than most shops but still held on well with the rich soup. 2 slices of pork chasiu and chicken breast were very tender and succulent, really enjoyed the ajitama as well.

a nice ramen spot, especially for those who love toripaitan. would potentially be back for shio based which hopefully is less salty and when the queue isn’t as bad as its not worth the long queues personally.

鶏白湯 しょうゆ (¥950)
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would revisit: yes, if queues are short
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥3000
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📍ラーメン家 あかぎ
location: 2-2-1 zuiko, higashi yodogawa, osaka
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in osaka, japan (march’24)

a really remarkable italian meal in osaka, with some of the nicest staff which engaged with me throughout my solo dinner. a rather big course with bold flavours, reflecting most food i’ve had in osaka. very solid cooking too with a contemporary spin on classic japanese ingredients like takenoko, without being shy on the use of evoo and balsamico making this one of the most remarkable spots i’ve visited in osaka recently.

started with a rich bite of potato made into strands like pasta, in a butter parm sauce topper with caviar which was very good. another dish i really liked was the white asparagus risotto with anchovy butter, with bits of white asparagus inside the risotto as well as several grilled pieces on top.

before the mains, the famous segment of ham was served, the same bon dabon ham used at sugalabo by tada san, served unlimited with salad, homemade mozzarella and a super tasty apple balsamic. 2 pastas of the evening included a parmigiano filled ravioli, truffle shavings and grilled nanohana, and the main one which was a very simple tomato sauce pici which was surprisingly sweet due to the use of japanese tomatoes. the proteins served was a mix of beef and lamb in small pieces, nicely grilled but loved the super sweet and jammy sweet potato and shiitake served alongside. ended with a pistachio panna cotta and an orange granita and sorbet.

really really lovely meal, highly recommend seeking a seat here despite the year long waitlist for good vibes, value and a nice break away from japanese food in kansai.
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おまかせコース (¥24,200):
✨ジャガイモ「パスタ」 potato pasta
冷たい蟹の茶碗蒸し ずんた トマトゼリー
cold crab chawamushi with crab
✨白アスパラりリゾット white asparagus risotto
✨多田さん生ハムペルシュウprosciutto ham
ラビオリ チーズ菜の花 parmesan ravioli
牛フィレ肉/ラム肉 grilled lamb, beef
✨トマトソースピチ tomato sauce pici
✨ピスタチオのパンナコッタ pistachio panna cotta
デコポンとせとかのシャーべット orange sorbet
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would revisit: yes
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍TOM CURIOSA
location: 3/f sakura building, 1-2-7 sonezakishinchi, osaka
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in osaka, japan (march’24)

super popular ‘izakaya’ in osaka, but unlike most it serves a tasting course, but remains to be a booze oriented casual experience on stools.

for the price of the course, the quality and variety of seafood he serves are definitely extremely remarkable. would say trumps many sushiyas with his sourcing and simple preparations to highlight them to extract the best flavours. it literally begins and revolves around a ‘tasting’ of all the fish he has available, then ankimo and homemade korean influenced mentaiko on ritz crackers. before a cooked cabbage and beef brisket which tasted a lot like hk’s, and some carbs as well - like a lightly grilled tachiuo gohan, fugu shirako and egg yolk dashi served with rice in the end for all the sauce. ended with a perfectly grilled hire steak with sansho peppers, a really really nice potato salad with tonkatsu sauce and toasted soba seeds.

though i wasn’t at all full from this light course, the bill around ¥10k yen with ample drinks which i thought was very reasonable. the price, quality and experience at this 6-seater and one man counter experience is definitely worth trying if given the opportunity to, thank you again to the dear friend who passed me the seats.

omakase course (¥8,800):
蛍イカ hotaru ika
石鯛 ishidai
焼きホタテと酒盜 scallop with fermented bonito innards
のどぐろ nodoguro
ホタテ raw scallop
縞鯵 shima-aji
平貝tairagai
燻製のさわら smoked sawara
赤貝 akagai
焼きさわら grilled sawara

あん肝と奈良漬 ankimo narazuke
自家製明太子 homemade mentaiko

太刀魚のご飯 tachiuo rice
タコの子 tako with its eggs
佃煮ウニ cooked marinated uni
河豚白子 卵黄だし fugu shirako, egg yolk dashi

牛肉と白菜の煮込み stew of beef and cabbage
ヒレ肉とポテトサラダ tenderloin and potato salad
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would revisit: yes
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥6000-¥10,000
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📍和洋酒菜 ひで
location: 2-1-3 shinsaibashisuji, osaka
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

mega-convenient late night munchies in kitashinchi, one of the most renowned and i believe the pioneer for these ‘bite sized’ gyozas. fried to order with ample amounts of oil and pressed to make them extra crispy.

orders are a minimum of 15 pieces (20 if you order from the english menu) and a drink, which seemed doable but i found them too oily and greasy for me. but after some late night drinking i can see how these could potentially be extremely appealing. friendly staff, and seemingly welcome to foreigners too. a good introduction into the vast range of bustling late night food scene here in osaka.

餃子 15個 (¥1000)
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would revisit: if in the area
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥3000
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📍天平
location: 1-8-12 soneza kitashinchi, osaka
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

further down away from osaka city in sakai, this sushiya is known for some of the best maguro in the area. i enjoyed his strong shari, bold and very sizeable nigiris which worked well with his strength in maguro. his tsumami were also done by the book and well, particularly liked his lightly grilled sawara, second time trying saezuri of kujira which was also really warming.

his sequencing order and general menu was quite similar with arai-san’s - with first 2 pieces of maguro first then again in the middle of the course, which i’ve later learnt that he was learning a lot from him. his maguro from yamayuki was enjoyable, particularly fond of the first two pieces of chiagishi and back cut. tora fugu shirako don and his anago were very nice, and ended with a negi toro maki which i wish the negi was more thinly sliced but thats a matter of personal preference. ended with a super castella like tamago which i loved and a piece of futomaki.

a very big course, considering taisho’s nigiris were fairly sized. a great meal but overall quite pricey for outskirts of osaka, taisho was also very quiet and was a bit intimidating rather than a warming experience. a solid spot in kansai for maguro but not a place worth trecking to osaka for.

dinner course (¥48,500):
蕪の出汁kabura dashi
鯛tai
✨タコtako
✨さわらsawara
うおぜ魚の焼き grilled butter fish
鯨のさえずりと愛菜出汁 kujira tongue dashi

✨ 血合いぎし chiagishi
✨背のトロ back of maguro
スミイカ sumi ika
白甘鯛 shiro amadai
小肌 kohada
✨中トロchutoro
✨大トロ otoro
馬糞ウニ bafun uni
✨虎河豚白子の丼 fugu shirako don
葱トロの巻き negitoro maki
太巻き futomaki
✨卵焼き tamagoyaki
いちご ichigo
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would revisit: try once
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍鮨おおが
location: 1-2-7 ochohigashi, sakai
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