Foodle

in hiroshima, japan (aug’24)

trip to hiroshima was mainly for this sushiya right in the city center hidden in plain sight. not just very good cospa, the neta here were very unique to the coast of hiroshima and the style of taisho himself. steering clear of flashy ingredients but putting unconventional twists and highlighting ingredients from around the area.

we began the meal strong with raw hamo, the first time i’ve tried this method of serving and was surprisingly really tasty, slightly marinated in sake on a bed of hamo eggs. next was ayu, confit and baked with cherry tomatoes almost taking a western approach. raw karasumi with aori ika was also another favourite tsumami here, almost a thick sauce like texture to eat with the aori ika. neta here focuses on shiromi and less on the tunas hence his shari was slightly on the mild end. one of the most memorable was the raw anago, first time trying this as well and was pretty surprising in texture and flavour. ended with a really lovely dashimaki tamago oden style, made a la minute. taisho was also extremely friendly and welcoming, spectrum of great drinks, especially loved the fruit sakes here, highly recommend visiting when in hiroshima.

おまかせコース (¥22,000)
✨生鱧、鱧卵 raw hamo, hamo eggs
✨鮎と焼きトマト ayu confit with tomatoes
✨アオリイカと生唐墨 aori ika, raw karasumi
蒸し鮑 steamed abalone
鰻炭火焼焼き grilled unagi
狩留家茄子の茶碗蒸 eggplant chawanmushi

✨白甘鯛 shiro amadai
剣先烏賊 kensaki ika
✨生穴子 anago
松鯛車海老 kuruma ebi
鱚 kisu
鰺 aji
蛤 hamaguri
鯵棒寿司 saba
鉄火巻 tekka maki
赤うに aka uni
煮穴子 anago
干瓢卷 kanpyo
✨玉 egg
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would revisit: yes
reservations online
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
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📍魚喰い切り壮士 SOHSHI
location: 5-18 tatemachi, naka ward, hiroshima
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in nagasaki, japan (aug’24)

after visiting pesceco, stopped by another notable italian restaurant in the area which is also worth visiting when in shimabara.

food here is a perfect crossbreed of italian cooking and skills supported by the unique ingredients of shimabara bay and its surrounding landscape. began with a homemade cheese topped with fermented onion and fresh onion that refreshed our palate. really enjoyed the potato batter in the fried kue (grouper), paired with a cumin infused vegetable dip. my favourite dishes of the evening were the fermented chicken jus sauce with a punchy cucumber salad and octopus, as well as the cold new onion sauce infused with small clams with local somen. full of umami flavour balanced with the sweetness of these baby onions, soso good. the pasta of the day was a boar meat ravioli with ooba, ginger and garlic which reminded me a lot of cantonese dumplings from home. local lamb was also delicious, and appreciated the changes and different servings of focaccia throughout the menu.

ended with a chilli and vinegar milk with a strawberry and orange granita, and a white chocolate mille-crepe cake. very solid cooking and cute restaurant run by a husband wife team.
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tasting menu: (¥20,570)
湧水パン spring water bread
新玉local onion
魚 raw fish
モリ突き海中神経締め ‘shinkeijime’ in the sea
初夏summer shell
素麺somen
汁river
粉物 pasta
肉local lamb
デザートdessert
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would revisit: if in the area
reservations online
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
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📍ヴィッラデルニード VILLA DEL NIDO
location: ko-313-2 kunimicho taira, unzen, nagasaki
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in kanazawa, japan (aug’24)

stayed a couple days in kanazawa to explore what else the city had to offer. as it was the peak of summer, it was perfect to explore yoshoku (western food) here. one of the most famous would be makino ncî, an innovative japanese french with very unimaginable combinations which surprisingly work well.

was impressed with the ayu and green tomato combo with an ayu cake which mellows out the bitterness well. potato chip with shiro ebi was also a favourite and was surprised by the cocoa on unagi with a refreshing pear narazuke in maki. we had to make our own eggyolk sauce for our fried amadai which was quite interactive and fun. prosciutto wrapped burrata with peach and eggplant was also quite interesting and tasty. ended with a laksa broth with an awabi rice, which was a bit too complicated especially with the addition of gorgonzola on the rice.

super friendly chef and team with fun interactive, unique but tasty courses. super foreigners friendly and easy to reserve. a good try in kanazawa.

ディナーコース dinner course: (¥28,000)
squid ink brioche, aka ika, roe いかといかすみおパン
uni, carrot mousse, consumme jelly うにじゅれ人参
meringue with chicken liver parfait 鶏レバーパフェのメレンゲ
ayu, green tomato, ayu cake 浅野川鮎、鮎ケーキ
botan ebi, soy ice cream 富山えび白ごま豆乳アイス
fried potato, shiro ebi, truffle 白海老トリュフ ポテトチップス
nodoguro steamed 氷見のどぐろ
unagi cacao maki with pear narazuke コーンめしうなぎチョコ幸水奈良づけ海苔巻き
egg yolk, anchovy cream, evoo, sudachi sauce with amadai アンチョビクリーム甘鯛
peach, eggplant, burrata in proscuitto 生ハム へた紫茄子、ブラッターチーズ桃
wagyu, red wine sauce, tomato orzo 池田牛ランプ
awabi gohan, laksa soup 鮑釜飯 トムアムクン
passion fruit パッションフルーツ
pineapple sorbet, chocolate cake パイナップルそるべチョコレートケーキ
chocolate dipped cherry tomato
makino nci cookie
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would revisit: try once
reservations online
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍MAKINONCÎ
location: 25-18 yamanouemachi, kanazawa
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in fukuoka, japan (aug’24)

another sushiya i enjoyed a lot in fukuoka was kikuzushi. a slight distance away from the city, its located in a secluded residential district inside a beautiful traditional house. seguchi san was extremely friendly, even towards foreigners with good english knowledge as he worked overseas in monaco for a part of his career.

there was ample amounts of staff here helping and supporting the back kitchen, but assembly of tsumami and all preparations & cutting of netas were done by seguchi san himself. tsumami were simple but powerful, nigiri was more on the milder end of flavours with its delicate shari. some pieces i particularly enjoyed were the hamaguri, aji, hamo and tachiuo with nori shoyu nigiri.

considering how economical this lunch was, no longer they have such a long waitlist in reservations, mostly filled with extremely friendly regulars from around the area. definitely a great lunch spot when around kyushu.

ランチおまかせコース (¥24,200)
タコ octopus
甘鯛amadai
✨赤ウニ、蟹、赤酢のシャリaka uni, kani, akazu mixed shari
✨真魚鰹の海苔巻きmanagatsuo nori maki
みる貝、蓴菜mirugai, junsai
北寄貝hokkigai
キンキkinki
シャコの茶碗蒸しshako chawanmushi

✨アオリイカaori ika
白甘鯛shiro amadai
鯵aji
✨はも hamo
赤身漬け akami zuke
中トロ chutoro
✨蛤 hamaguri
鯖棒寿司 sababozushi
✨太刀魚、海苔醤油 tachiuo with nori shoyu
車海老 kuruma ebi
穴子 anago
紫ウニ murasaki uni
玉子 tamago
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would revisit: yes
reservations by phone/online
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
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📍菊鮨
location: 3-51-3 kasugakoen, kasuga, fukuoka
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🇮🇹
nestled within the back streets of alba city center, this homey osteria is extremely famous amongst locals living around the area. with great prices and cozy surroundings, and in particular their homemade pastas from the pastaficio across the street.
their menu changes daily depending on what produce they receive daily, but expect ravioli, tajarin, vitello tonnato and typical piedmontese dishes. i would suggest coming in early to walk in or book ahead as they do get busy and would turn away guests when tables are all filled up.
we started with their mixed starters, which began with a machine cut raw beef that i didn’t like the texture of and a great vitello tonnato. followed by a beef sausage and a really yummy passata and red cabbage salad, then what i think is a cauliflower ‘flan’ topped with a mix of garlic and anchovies. we opted for 2 of their most popular pastas, agnoloti del pin in a heavenly butter sage sauce and a hearty tajarin ragu. loved both the pasta dishes and the homey touch, and ended with one of the most remarkable tiramisus i’ve had and a notable panna cotta. highly recommend visiting when in alba, as well as a break from truffles with home style cooking.
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november 2023
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✨mix antipasti (€15)
raw cut beef, vitello tonnato, salsiccia with passata and red cabbage, flan con bagna cauda
tajarin ragu (€12)
✨ravioli plin burro e salvia (€12)
panna cotta (€4)
✨tiramisu (€4)
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would revisit: yes
price range pp: €30-€60
reservations: call, or walk-in
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📍OSTERIA DEI SOGNATORI
location: via macrino 8, alba
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🇮🇹
a very interesting dinner at a house on top of the mountains within the vineyards where we also spent the night. the food is very different to what we have been having as the chef is from tuscany, which is reflected in his bold cooking and specialising in dry as opposed to fresh pasta known to the region.
we went for a la carte and had a total of 5 pasta dishes.
started with a porcini mushroom ravioli in a soothing broth, which despite it being well made wasn’t my favourite flavour-wise as the porcinis used were pickled and had an overwhelming sourness. much preferred the porcini spaghetti, super rich mushroom flavour, topped with fresh porcini which was my personal favourite dish tonight. the duck ravioli and rabbit macaroni were extremely bold in flavour, very meaty and savoury which was a bit too much for me but would definitely be enjoyed by all meat lovers. finished with a white truffle risotto, extremely rich in cheese and got a bit cloying towards the end but still very enjoyable overall. ended with a lovely simple vanilla ice-cream with some meringue in the bottom as a perfect vessel for more white truffles. really good cooking and superb hospitality and ambience, a great break away from pietmontese dishes but in general the style is a bit too heavy handed for me.
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november 2023
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porcino: porcini mushroom ravioli, pickled porcini mushroom, mushroom broth (€35)
✨porcino: porcini mushroom spaghetti (€40)
rabbit: homemade macaroni, ragout, olive, pine nuts (€30)
duck: square ravioli with duck, figs, mustard (€30)
risotto: ‘tenuta margherita’ carnaroli risotto, butter and ‘carlo de clat’ toma fit-milk cheese, white truffles (€80)
✨white truffle ice cream (€70)
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would revisit: try once
reservations: yes
price range pp: over €100
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📍LOCANDA DEL PILONE
location: strada della cicchetta, località modonna di como, 34, alba
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🇮🇹
for our last day we took a tour around the barolo and barbaresco hills, and stopped by for a lunch at osteria veglio in la morra, surrounding the barolo vineyards.
started with truffle and eggs and vitello tonnato. the tonnato sauce here was very light and not as concentrated in anchovy, but the veal itself was so tender and ‘milky’. followed by our last white truffle tajarin this trip and a lovely pumpkin and chestnut gnocchi with a light gorgonzola sauce. for mains, we were so excited for their offal offerings. starting with their tripe stew which they used 牛柏葉 rather than 牛肚 (which are both called tripe in english but are considered different cuts in hong kong). really loved their take on the tomato based jus which is balanced with ample amounts of cheese and a bit of chilli. also finally got to try a proper finanziera, with a rich gelatinous sauce within the stewed meatballs, chicken crown, livers, kidneys. ended with a tiramisu and really enjoyed their affogato.
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november 2023
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fried eggs with truffle (€40)
vitello tonnato (€14)
white truffle tajarin (€50)
✨pumpkin, chestnut gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce (€14)
✨tripe stew (€16)
✨la finanziera (€18)
✨affogato (€7)
tiramisu (€7)
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would revisit: if in the area
reservations: yes
price range pp: €60-€100
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📍OSTERIA VEGLIO
location: frazione annunziata, 9, la morra
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🇮🇹
an unexpected encounter as our last meal on our trip to piedmont which deserves a post. was supposed to go for more italian food but caved in and went for chinese. but truly one of the best chinese spots i’ve had in europe recently (london included).
love the minimalistic interior with the use of blue and white chinas, staff were also incredibly friendly. started with their homemade lamb dumplings and shrimp dumplings, a bit thick wrappings but the filling was flavourful and generous. also got a round of their xlb which was heavenly, the italian pork used was generously fatty and along with the broth so flavourful. noodles were of the perfect texture which isn’t a surprise as we are in italy, perfectly springy and with chew, but funny how the rest of europe tend to overcook the noodles by miles. the dandan mian was my favourite one, mi-xian (rice noodles) with a tomato broth, pork mince and pickled veggies was also nice but could use a bit more depth. a very hearty meal which was a nice finale to our extremely carb-centric trip.
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november 2023
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cucumber salad (€5)
✨xiao long bao (€9)
shrimp dumplings (€7)
lamb dumplings (€7)
✨dan dan mian (€12)
✨xiao guo mi xian (€12)
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would revisit: yes
reservations: no
price range pp: €10-€30
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📍LAO TORINO
location: via giuseppe barbaroux 25, turin
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🇯🇵
christmas in japan, one of my favourite seasons in one of my favourite places in the world. so lucky to be invited by one of my fairy god-mothers to this dessert restaurant’s special christmas menu, and finally trying katsumata san’s creations. as one of the only times of the year he is serving mostly savoury dishes cooked with a french flair, it was truly one of a kind. really loved the elegance, precision yet simplicity in his cooking, served on the prettiest set of christmas plates and cutleries. thoroughly enjoyed everything at our lunch but my favourite today was his very well known beautifully thin chestnut puree, served with foie gras today which worked amazing together. the boar hamburger steak, paired with his tomato water was also amazing, as well as the homemade sesame oil used in the buckwheat and yurine dish which made the room smell like heaven. the palate cleanser ‘caprese’, which was made with pear, yuzu granita and basil infused sort of like panna-cotta was so delicate. ending with his grand christmas montagne consisting of a dark berry sauce, meringue and vanilla cream and his homemade petite four bites which were also so so good. really really hope to have the opportunity to try his dessert course one day and really looking forward to be back soon.
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december 2023
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christmas menu (¥46,800)
mushroom soup
✨buckwheat, yurine, shungiku
somen with butternut squash, uni, caviar
✨foie gras, chestnut ‘silk’ puree
spanish mackeral
✨boar hamburger steak, black truffles
amadai with sansho gohan
✨pear ‘caprese’ with yuzu granita, basil
✨christmas motagne
✨petite fours: sesame choux puff, matcha chocolate, chestnut macaron, satauma creme brulee, strawberry candy, fruit jelly
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would revisit: yes
reservations: intro-only
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍YAMA 山
location: zex shirokane 1/f, shirokane, minato-ku, tokyo
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🇯🇵
one of if not my most looked forward meal in japan this trip, so thankful for the opportunity to try this legendary yakitori-ya humbly standing in the back alley of meguro. a very textbook recipe, nothing lavish or out of the ordinary, just exquisite grilling skills by ikegawa san’s hands of lightning speed turning the skewers so they are evenly grilled all way round. grilling began after one stewed chicken on toast which set the scene perfectly. all were perfectly salted, flavoured and grilled, it does become a bit repetitive towards the end but not a single piece was off. incredible skills honed for may years creating a line of students of their own shops now, but the master still reins as the best at a distance. oyako-don and soboro don were also out of this world, really loved the cartilage pieces within the soboro don. other pieces i loved were the seseri (neck), kawa (skin), liver, sunagimo (gizzard), sauzuri (oesophagus), chouchin (ovary). his vegetables were also insanely good, on top of his legendary broccoli, the sweet potato was also a real highlight, shiitake and gingnam too. if invited, a place i’d say yes to again in a heartbeat, highly highly recommend.
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december 2023
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stop-course (¥15,250)
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would revisit: yes
reservations: introduction-only
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
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📍鳥しき
location: 2-14-12 kamiosaki, shinagawa city, tokyo
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