Feasting Pigs

in shiga, japan (june’24)

last stop of my june road-trip was at hira sansou, a legendary spot slightly outer kyoto known for their bear, but also for their matsutake in autumn and ayu in summer. their ayu course was particularly special since most ayu of japan are located within the proximities of shiga, so its known to be one of the most famous places to try this summer fish.

the course began with a small sashimi platter of koi, unagi and grilled beef, followed by a junsai in dashi. next was a beautiful hassun with inoshishi, tenaga ebi from biwako, hanasansho zuke, ayuzushi (salted and aged ayu). before two rounds of ayu were served, from different lakes and streams, both grilled in salt. first one was a tennen one from lake biwa, grilled whole, followed by the one from ado-kawa, a small river leading from shiga where it is deboned, with its bones crisped up and made into senbei.

we next got an add on kuma nabe which was personally my favourite from the whole lunch, not as sweet and fatty compared to them at their prime, but loved the dashi so much that i would love to come back next winter or spring for them at their prime moments. before an ayu gohan was served, where the ayu were pre-deboned, then they remove the head and all its bitterness on the table mixing it into the rice. the final serving was made into ochazuke, i didn’t love this as they used a strong soba-cha which dominated the mellow fish flavour. ended with a sansho ice cream with anko which was interesting to eat.

a beautiful estate facing a gorgeous blossoming garden with a lake full of koi fish. can’t wait to return another season for their kuma nabe.

夏あゆのコース (¥33,000):
お造リ: 鯉、鰻、肉 koi unagi niku
旬菜のだし junsai dashi
✨八寸 hassun
天然琵琶湖の鮎　塩焼き biwako ayu
安曇川の鮎　塩焼き ado-kawa ayu
✨春の熊鍋、たけのこ bear hotpot
✨鮎ご飯、お茶漬け ayu gohan, ochazuke
山椒のアイス、あんこ sansho ice-cream
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would revisit: yes (for spring / winter)
introduction only
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍比良山荘 HIRA SANSOU
location: 94 katsuragawabomuracho, otsu, shiga, japan
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in shiga, japan (june’24)

following yukimoto, we drove towards lake biwa to this beautiful estate for a dinner and stay. the restaurant is very focused on sourcing from its surroundings, from ingredients, plates and even some of the wines from its pairing.

started with lightly grilled spring peas with amago roe and pickled sakura from the previous season, a simple sea bream sashimi salad plate with a light touch of ume dressing which i loved. as its ayu season, one of them gems of the summer season in lake biwa, was really looking forward to sampling how they’d creatively prepare this widely available summer ingredient. it was fried in a fritter along with bitter herbs, balancing the bitterness of the fish well, so good. one of my favourites of the night was the barbecued zucchini in a hona leaf, with a sabayon dip from zucchini seeds and a homemade furikake. main dish of a local wild deer, served with a deer heart and deer sausage was excellent before ending the savouries with a gohan, which was burdock and heshiko (dried and salted masu).

a long and very substantial menu, with everything unique to its terroir applied with a innovative twist, as well as a super welcoming team and the most beautiful stay, all-in-all making it an extremely worthwhile journey. its also only an hour-ish drive from kyoto, so definitely a place i’d recommend for families or as a quick getaway, especially during the beautiful spring and summer months.
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dinner course: (¥20,000)
✨snap peas, amago roe, sakura
shiitake, dried duck ham, lemon
sea bream salad
✨crispy ayu and bitter herbs
✨bbq zucchini, hoba, biwako furikake
amadai, wakame, watercress
✨wild deer and young alliums
✨burdock and heshiko rice
✨amazake, hassaku, dill
mint, sansho, adoberry
last bites
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would revisit: yes
reservations online
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
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📍RESTAURANT SOWER
location: 2064 nishiazaicho oura, nagahama, shiga
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in nagano, japan (june’24)

so happy i finally got to try yukimoto, one of the highlights this trip. it was one of those places where i thought their gold award was truly deserving with no faulty dish and a breathe of meat and cooking served in our course today.

began with a marinated veggie platter, with an ayu senbei and a mutton soushi. followed by an onion dashi, made with kombu, kabu which was so simple, but so sweet. really loved the local nagano style ohaki meat pocket, stuffed with veggies and pulled pork, before panfried so outside was crispy.

ayu harumaki was also surprisingly good, they fried the head on its own, before stuffing it into the spring roll with the body which removed all the bitter taste. suppon was a bit tough, maybe as its still too early on in the season. but extremely happy to have gotten a spring bear nabe, with burdock, chives, egg and takenoko, as well as a homemade chilli sauce on the side. this unique spring bear feeds off kinome and strawberries, so the meat itself is soft and sweet, as opposed to the winter bears which focus on the high levels of fat. off-menu shime is highly recommended if they offer it, their mutton curry and the mutton miso ramen, wish i had the stomach for a second bowl cuz it was so so good.

really really love this place, except for its extremely hard to get to and suburban location. would definitely be back for matsutake and gibier soon.

六月スペシャルコース (~¥30,000)
✨前菜 starters
✨新玉葱、蕪と昆布だし onion in dashi
羊肉のたたき lamb tataki
✨豚、山菜のおはき pulled pork pocket
ザリがにの茶碗蒸し crawfish chawanmushi
✨あゆの春巻き ayu springroll
豆とじゃがいもの揚げ出し peas & potato fried tofu in dashi
焼きすっぽん、紫バジル grilled suppon, basil
✨小熊の鍋: ごうぼう、たけのこ、卵、チャイブ spring bear hotpot with burdock, takenoko, egg, chives
✨マトンと野菜カレー mutton veg curry rice
✨マトンの味噌らーめん mutton miso ramen
✨梅とミルクの最中 ume and milk monaka
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would revisit: yes
reservations online
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍柚木元 YUKIMOTO
location: 2-21 towacho, iida, nagano
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in tokyo, japan (june’24)

working in the kaiseki industry before training under yoshitake san, murayama is one of the more interesting sushiyas which incorperate kaiseki as its tsumami before the nigiri segment.

with a range of fried, raw and even showcasing an owan, each element was done extremely well. particularly loved the katsuo of the day, the konowata and karasumi chawanmushi, as well as the fried ayu were also very nice. highlight for sure was his awabi, perfect texture but most importantly its kimo sauce was incredible.

the nigiri here follows yoshitake style very much, extremely similar in knife-work and preparations, similar to shikon in hong kong as well. like the tamagoyaki, and the double uni of murasaki on top and bafun below. the shari is definitely stronger in acidity which i prefer personally, balances well with the neta. everything was solid, and comfortable to eat but there wasn’t a piece that stood out. overall a really nice sushiya, taisho and team were also super friendly and speaks good english. very good price but crazy difficult to book with next rounds being one year later, which i can’t seem to justify.

六月のコース (¥36,000)
いちじく、あん肝、味噌 ankimo, fig, miso sauce
マゴチ、ポン酢 magochi, ponzu
女性／男性シャコー girl/boy shako
✨カツオ katsuo
このわた、カラスミの茶碗蒸し sea cucumber innard & karasumi chawanmushi
あゆと万願寺唐辛子の揚げ fried ayu and pepper
✨鮑と肝ソース abalone and liver sauce
はもとなすのお椀 hamo and eggplant owan

イカ ika
のどぐろ nodoguro
✨春子鯛 kasugodai
小肌 kohada
赤身 akami
中トロ chutoro
大トロ otoro
✨あじ aji
馬糞、紫ウニ bafun/purple uni
✨車海老 kuruma ebi
穴子 anago
✨卵焼き egg
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would revisit: try once
reservations on omakase
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍鮨むらやま
location: 7/f 7-6-2 ginza, tokyo
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in tokyo, japan (june’24)

newly opened from okayama to tokyo, they retain their title of the highly rated pizza shop of japan. and indeed it is till now my favourite dough from all the shops i tried.

really love their light dough and extremely puffy crust, slightly burnt in my opinion but doesn’t takeaway its texture. in terms of flavour, sampled the margherita, signature blue cheese and honey (fnt), and a seasonal one with corn egg and bacon. all were good, but the one which stood out was their signature, was a bit difficult to eat as the cheese sauce was extremely liquidy but along with the squeeze packs of honey it was one of their best flavours.

a very nice spot for lunch i recommend, a bit tough to book on tablecheck 2 days before but definitely worth the hassle. may visit the main shop if i’m ever in okayama, but otherwise would love to be back to sample more seasonal pizzas and walk around the lovely neighbourhood.

マルゲリータmargherita: (¥2200)
トマト, モッツァレラ, バジル
tomato, mozzarella, basil

FNT: (¥3300)
オリジナルブルーチーズソース, マスカルポーネ, 蜂蜜
original blue cheese sauce, mascarpone, honey

マイスー: (¥2500)
コーンとピューレ, イタリアのベーコン, ポロネギ, 燻製モッツァレラ
corn and puree, italian bacon, leek, smoked mozzarella
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would revisit: yes
reservations on tablecheck
price range pp: under ¥5000
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📍400°C PIZZA 神楽坂
location: kif annex, 102 13-1 wakamiyacho, shinjuku
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in tokyo, japan (june’24)

trained under furuta after being in pastries, tsushima is another one of the most recognisable chukas in tokyo, with waitlists over 2-3 years. was hesitant in trying with the range in feedback i received but overall i really enjoyed this meal despite some hits and misses.

began with an asparagus with a scallion oil, beef braesola and caviar, a unqiue combination and which with the ‘signature’ caviar bifun, didn’t really understand the significance of the caviar apart from justifying the price of the course. really loved the ‘nodoguro don’ with sakura ebi and a sweet and sour sauce which hit the spot in flavours. the oolong tea cooked octopus, fukahire and tantan men were also enjoyable, in which the base chicken broth was very proper, adequately rich with hints of junan ham. didn’t understand the chasiu as there was no char and grill on the lean pork, chahan flavour was good but the rice itself was too wet to be fried.

the innovative dessert parfait of miyazaki mango and yogurt sorbet was also very very good. thank you for the invitation, so far still enjoy testing out different chukas in japan.

お誘いありがとうございます！

六月のコース: (¥60,000)
ネギ油、白アスパラ scallion oil white asparagus
✨のどぐる唐揚げ、桜海老 fried sweet & sour nodoguro
キャビアの冷製ビーフン caviar cold bifun
漢方豚紹興酒焼き ‘chasiu’
毛蟹の春巻き kegani spring roll
✨フカヒレステーキ fukahire steak
烏龍茶煮たタコ oolong tea cooked octopus
毛蟹と玉子炒飯 kegani egg fried rice
✨担々麺 tantan mien
✨宮崎マンゴーのパフェ、ヨーグルトアイス mango parfait with yogurt sorbet
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would revisit: try once
introduction only
price range pp: ¥60,000-¥100,000
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📍對馬
location: 3-2-3 motoazabu, tokyo
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in tokyo, japan (june’24)

back to one of my favourite places in japan, a uniquely delicious fruit-focused dessert course which i look forward to revisiting almost every-time i’m back in tokyo.

this season is one of my most anticipated, the miyazaki mango season (from may to june) and it didn’t disappoint at all. i love the starting caprese - which is a regular item throughout all the seasons, comprised of a milky panna cotta, tomato jelly, olive oil and basil granita. followed by a melons which were so sweet, and a sansho ice-cream with fresh sansho picked by chef katsumata-san himself.

the mango terrine made of only the ‘cheeks’ of the mango with a coconut sauce, as well as the mango spring roll with coconut sugar were both so insanely good, even in the technique or frying the spring-roll exceeds a lot of chinese restaurants i’ve had in japan. highlighting the jewels of this summer period in such a creative and elegant manner. the savouries along with their pairing was also very good, and this time i finally tried his infamous sesame ice cream which was one of the best i’ve ever had, if only i could buy it in bulk home. topped with a homemade seasame oil and sesame sauce it was so rich but not overpowering, with layers on layers of toasty sesame flavour. ended with his mango montagne, a dome shaped meringue with carefully piped kabosu citrus cream and a ginger ice-cream, breaking the gorgeous all white piece with spoons and spoons of fresh mango and mango sauce added on, oh so heavenly.

definitely one i highly recommend to all sweets and japanese fruit lovers. their soft pairing is also so well thought out and matches so well with each dish. can’t wait to be back here.
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宮崎県産マンゴーのコース(¥28,800)
✨ カプレーゼ caprese
山椒メロン sansho pepper & melon
✨ マンゴーのフィレ mango fillet terrine
初夏の新緑 fresh verdure
沖縄のキッシュ tomato quiche with paprika
パイナップルのブリュレ pineapple brulee
✨ マンゴーの春巻き mango spring roll
✨ 胡麻のアイス white sesame ice-cream
✨ マンゴーのモンターニュ mango montagne

✨宮崎県産マンゴーのチラシmiyazaki mango & citrus chirashi (¥7,800)
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would revisit: yes
introduction only
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍山
location: 6-16-14 shirokane, tokyo
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in tokyo, japan (june’24)

one which has been on my list to visit since before exploring japan, the 6 seater italian temple which has been extremely highly regarded and also extremely pricey.

his menu is divided into two segments, first the main cooked dishes and followed his infamous ham segment before desserts. as a somewhat pioneer of italian japanese cuisine, his delicate flavours in his cooking was indeed eye-opening, such as pairing akami and burnt eggplants with balsamico, awabi with basil. one of my favourites of the night was his lightly poached shima ebi and asparagus shoots in a light shima-ebi broth, and of course his pasta made a-la-minute, kind of wish he had more pasta courses. since it was summer, his rendition of uni pasta with fruit tomatoes was one of the best uni pastas i’ve had. as such an overused ingredient, he balanced the sweetness of tomatoes with the brininess well with a perfect al-dente on the pasta as well.

his ham segment was also a true highlight and wow moment for me. there was only 3 forms of ham served, a beef braesola, served on its own then also served with fennel and ricotta, a classic prosucitto cotto, also served on the most amazing homemade 2 year aged potato focaccia. and lastly his most famous proscuitto, wrapped in risotto rice, shako and served on gnoccho fritto which were all sublime. ended with a deconstructed tiramisu with a mascarpone ice cream, meringue and espresso powder which was also so so good. a memorable meal, with a very solid italian wine pairing - back vintages and reputable producers, somewhat justifying coming once.

五／六月のコース: (¥110,000)
イサキ、サルサヴェルデ
✨縞海老、アスパラソヴァージュ
石鯛、ジロール茸
黒鮪の腹身 藁烧 、賀茂茄子、25年熱成モデナ産バルサミコ
鮑、肝のピュレア、バジリコ
✨手打ち”タリオリーニ”、熊本天草紫うに、フルーツトマト
和牛フィレ肉、赤万願寺唐辛子の”ペペロナーダ”
✨ティラミス

izaki salsa verde
✨shima ebi, asparagus shoots
ishidai, girolle mushrooms
grilled tuna harami, burnt eggplants, 25 yo balsamico
abalone, liver puree, basil
✨tagliolini with uni and fruit tomato
wagyu fillet steak, manganji peoper peperonata
✨tiramisu
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would revisit: try once
reservations on omakase
price range pp: over ¥100,000
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📍ペレグリーノ
location: 2-3-4 ebisu, shibuya, tokyo
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in tokyo, japan (may’24)

most probably tokyo’s most famous unagi shop, one not for the faint of heart with the full nose-to-tail preparation and dining through the lengthy experience here.

as i came with someone who has visited not so long ago, we were allowed the option to sample a side by side of natural and farmed unagi through the meal. the late lunch began with a series of skewers, from liver to fin and tails. quite a unique experience to get such fresh innards and the whole top to bottom experience of unagi. with some from farmed and some natural, as well as some prepped in kanto style (only grilled) vs kansai style (steam then grilled). these skewers indeed had a rich smokey flavour from the grill but was overall enjoyable.

through the servings of skewers, taisho butchers the fresh and very much alive unagis in front of you, in which he takes the live, beating hearts of each to be served and eaten (or shall i say swallowed) within 10mins of their butchering, to demonstrate the freshness of the unagi when served.

we then got a selection of farmed and fresh unagi shiroyaki (no sauce), then followed by a side by side of the 2 types in kabayaki (with tare) and rice. in which, i found the flavours in the farmed stronger, but enjoyed the soft texture of the natural one more. he also serves the tare pre-grilled to sample the difference the natural ‘oiliness’ brings to the tare.

a truly memorable experience that was worthwhile for all unagi lovers, also a good learning experience on the whole process as well as understanding the difference of farmed/natural, kanto vs kansai.
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うなぎコース (¥18,000)
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would revisit: try once
reservations on omakase
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
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📍うなぎかぶと
location: 2-53-2 ikebukero, tokyo
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in kanazawa, japan (may’24)

completely in awe of my meal here as i finally made it to one of my dream restaurants, located in kanazawa. so so so grateful for the invitation.

mind-blown by the simplicity yet immense depth in their dashi, using only kombu, katsuoboshi and fresh water from the mountains every morning grounds the foundation of the amazing meal i had here despite not being an ideal season for washoku.

began with an amazing yomogi tofu, before an owan made with the same dashi which was just served, in which was a perfectly cooked ainame and yomogi men, one of my favourite dishes of the afternoon. the sashimi platter was simply the most flawlessly executed rendition i’ve had, beautiful knifework in the ika, plump botan ebi and the most naturally flavourful hirame i’ve had. first time trying local style dishes such as the pressed sushi of kuruma ebi, amadai and celery, served with beautiful broad beans. the suppon dashi with mochi and teardrop peas was also incredible, so sweet and of the perfect crunch. the shime course was one of the memorable, from nodoguro to aji and my favourite tkg i’ve had to date, need to get a big size or two next time. ended with his perfectly shaped socarrat made into ochazuke, and a ginger infused warabi mochi which was so heavenly.

kataori-san re-imagines my concept of ‘minimalism’, focusing on extracting the best flavours of the ingredients to create seemingly simple but thought-provoking dishes. its a new level of simplicity which is still so powerful and a level of a true true master of its craft. it was a true pleasure to be invited here, without doubt the best meal i’ve had this year and wouldn’t hesitate to come back any chance i can get.

五月のコース (¥40,000)
✨よもぎの豆腐
✨一番だし
✨アイナメのお椀　よもぎの麺
✨お造り:牡丹エビ、ヒラメ、アオリイカ
あゆとアスパラの天ぷら
あじ、よもぎたたき
天然虎河豚の味噌焼き
✨甘鯛、芹、車海老の寿司
✨すっぽんのだし　すバップエンドウと餅
蕗の信田巻き、牡蠣ポン酢
スズキの千草巻き
〆: 白ごはんと牡丹エビの味噌汁、のどぐろ丼、あじ丼、✨卵たけごはん
✨お焦げと梅干しのお茶漬け
✨生姜蕨餅　抹茶
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would revisit: yes
reservations: intro-only
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍片折
location: 3-36 namikimachi, kanazawa, ichikawa
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