Feasting Pigs

in milan, italy (march’24)

another old school and traditional trattoria in milan, large ambient dining room full of locals upon our visit. but was a shame the food was a bit subpar of expectations.

portion sizes here were huge, one of the most generous spots we visited. we loved the gnocco fritto with the selection of ham and salami. got the veal milanese as opposed to the pork, which was okay, not bad but didn’t jump out for us. i’m sure there are better renditions out there but didn’t have the chance to try several to compare this trip. the ossobuco here also wasn’t my cup of tea, the sauce didn’t feel meaty and rich enough to lift up the bed of risotto, the diced root vegetable in the sauce also made it a bit strange. risotto had a great texture and seasoning was just right, but it was more food colouring than saffron. ended with a chocolate tart with a piece of sugared pear, nothing remarkable.

salami selection with gnocco fritto (€14)
risotto alla milanese with ossobuco (€28)
fried milanese veal chop with baked potatoes (€26)
chocolate tart with pear (€6)
-
would revisit: no
reservations by phone
price range pp: €30-€60
-
📍TRATTORIA MADDONINA
location: via gentilino 6, milan
-
#2feastingpigs_milan
#2feastingpigs_italy Less

in tokyo, japan (march’24)

got extremely lucky to have received a last minute invite to this acclaimed spanish/japanese innovative restaurant which relocated to tokyo from kyoto a couple years back.

been eyeing their signatures for quite sometime, from their kohada bocadillo to their paella, but what surprised me were the unexpected dishes in between. began with a lovely snap pea caldozo, followed by their kohada bocadillo and a lovely grilled nodoguro. their ‘herb salad’ with 24 types of vegetables were quite special, with an almond based ajoblanco poured over. was not too fond of their version of the kuruma ebi and fugu shirako ajillo, slightly overdone and i guess with this i prefer a more fragrant oil. the homemade bread that came with it was also borderline passable. one of my favourites of the evening was their serrano ham broth with hana sansho, so so good, and of course really enjoyed their hotaru ika and takenoko version of their paella, limited to spring. enjoyed the desserts and herb tea and overall was a nice meal.

happy i finally tried it but was indeed more leaning towards an ‘innovative’ cuisine with a spanish influence more so than a spanish meal. can’t really compare it with any places i’ve been to in spain at all, stylistically different and profiles here are definitely more delicate and sensitive. would like to come back for their other paella renditions and their sobrasada - but not in a rush to return.

dinner course (~¥50,000)
✨スナップエンドウのカにルドソ
✨小肌のボカティージョ
✨のどぐろの炭焼き菜の花
24種の野菜とアホブランコのサラダ
車海老と河豚白子のアヒージョ
✨ハモンセラーノのスープ
佐賀産ヒレの薪火焼き
鹿児島サーロインの薪火焼き
✨蛍烏賊と筍のパエリア
京都産の亀岡女峰苺
✨プリンと山羊のアイスクリーム
アマゾンカカオとスペイン産チョコレート

✨snap peas caldozo
✨kohada bocadillo
✨grilled nodoguro
herb salad with ajo blanco
kuruma ebi and fugu shirako ajillo with bread
✨serrano ham consumme
grilled saga beef fillet
grilled kagoshima sirloin
✨hotaru ika, takenoko paella
kyoto strawberry
✨pudding and goats milk ice cream
amazon cacao, spain chocolate
-
📍ACA
location: 2-1-1 nihonbashi muromachi, tokyo
-
would revisit: yes
introduction only
price range pp: ¥60,000-¥100,000
-
#2feastingpigs_tokyo
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

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)
-
would revisit: try once
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥1000
-
📍成城青果
location: 3-1-12 minamikarasuyama, setagaya city, tokyo
-
#2feastingpigs_tokyo
#2feastingpigs_japan
#2feastingpigs_ramen Less

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)
-
would revisit: yes
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥5000
-
📍中華そば しば田
location: 2-25-20 wakabacho, chofu, tokyo
-
#2feastingpigs_tokyo
#2feastingpigs_japan
#2feastingpigs_ramen Less

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
-
would revisit: yes
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥5000-¥10,000
-
📍PÂTISSIÈRE MAYO
location: 2/f 7-10-2 roppongi, tokyo
-
#2feastingpigs_tokyo
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

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
-
would revisit: yes
reservations: members only
price range pp: ¥5000-¥10,000
-
📍おかしやうっちー
location: 3-27-9 sendagaya, shibuya
-
#2feastingpigs_tokyo
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

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
-
would revisit: honten only
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥60,000-¥100,000
-
📍東山緒方
location: 1/f 91-5 okazaki enshouji-cho, kyoto
-
#2feastingpigs_kyoto
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

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)
-
would revisit: if in the area
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥3000
-
📍天平
location: 1-8-12 soneza kitashinchi, osaka
-
#2feastingpigs_osaka
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

in niseko, hokkaido (december’23)

right inside the shiki hotel at hirafu city center is kitchen, kamimura’s more casual outpost serving creative and seasonal japanese cooking. price was also very justified, cooking was really solid and really good service. but because the space is really small, the dining time limit was quite firm, as they serve 2/3 rounds per night.

thoroughly enjoyed everything tonight, from the salad, to the fresh seafood like grilled scallop with the aged potato, crab and the lovely brown rice risotto. the focaccia was also really lovely we had to get another round as the meal was quite light. ended with a lovely banana ice cream and a mashed pumpkin as well as a warming hojicha. a nice post snowboarding dinner, great place to get together with friends. would love to try out kamimura next door next time.

dinner course menu (¥8,800)
rausu kinki fish: seaweed, cucumber, yuzu
hokkaido king crab: eggplant, ginger
hokkaido strawberry & prosciutto salad
grilled scallop: aged potato, maitake mushroom cream
salmon roe and brown rice risotto
char grilled beef tenderloin, farofa
roron pumpkin, banana ice-cream
-
would revisit: yes
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥20,000
-
📍KITCHEN NISEKO
location: 1/f shiki niseko, 190-4 aza yamada, niseko
-
#2feastingpigs_niseko
#2feastingpigs_hokkaido
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

🇯🇵
one of the up and rising stars of the ramen scene in tokyo located in ikebukuro. they used to do daily registrations when i went but now seems to take bookings in advance on tablecheck. came for a bowl each of their shio and shoryu ramen, which both were very well made just depending on personal preference. i’m more of a shoyu person so i enjoyed shoyu more, with its soy flavours balanced adequately with sweetness from the use of assorted seafoods like small asari clams, hamaguri, scallops on top of chicken. the shio had a more distinct flavour of clams and seafood which was equally delicate and balanced. for the choice of shio, an option of thick noodles could be chosen, but both thin and thick noodles had great wheat flavours and texture. very well made toppings of chasiu, duck and sous vide chicken; but expected more from their wontons and ajitama. a very solid bowl, definitely worth trying and one of the ones worth queueing up for.
-
december 2023
-
特上醤油らぁめん (¥1600)
特上塩らぁめん (太麺変更) (¥1600)
-
would revisit: yes
reservations: yes on tablecheck
price range pp: under ¥3000
-
📍JAPANESE RAMEN 五感
location: 2-57-2 higashi-ikebukero, tokyo
-
#2feastingpigs_tokyo
#2feastingpigs_ramen
#2feastingpigs_japan Less