Foodle

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.
-
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)
-
would revisit: yes
introduction only
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
-
📍山
location: 6-16-14 shirokane, tokyo
-
#2feastingpigs_tokyo
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

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
-
would revisit: try once
introduction only
price range pp: ¥60,000-¥100,000
-
📍對馬
location: 3-2-3 motoazabu, tokyo
-
#2feastingpigs_tokyo
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

in nagoya, japan (june’24)

nagoya is also very well known for their unagi, with numerous unajyu shops open for a casual lunch or/and dinner. one of the more notable ones are ichibiki, located in the city center, never fails to have queues for a slot for lunch. i arrived just before 8am on a sunday morning, as tickets for lunch releases at 9:30am, and was 8th in line and got one of the last tickets for the first slot of 11:30am. recommend a weekday if possible, and do recommend arriving before 8:30am to guarantee a slot here.

came back for my unajyu, ordered a slightly larger version with 4 pieces of unagi and wow. they use kansai style preparation, in which they directly grill the unagi without steaming. soft and tender meat with a crispy edge, tare was also perfectly rich without being overwhelming. the char-grill flavour was also exceptional, not too strong and balances well with the thick and fatty meat. the set comes with an osuimono which is the innards in dashi, as well as pickles. truly worth the queue for me as one of my personal favourite renditions of unajyu so far.
-
✨うな重(上丼）　(¥4500)
-
would revisit: yes
reservations daily at 9:30am
price range pp: ¥4,000-¥8,000
-
📍イチビキ
location: 1-3-16 meiekiminami, nakamura ward, nagoya
-
#2feastingpigs_nagoya
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

in bangkok, thailand (june’24)

ever-since my meal at saeng tha-tian, i’ve been wanting to visit more of these home style kitchens in bangkok, as i do prefer these to fine dining now a days. one which has been very popular recently is keawloon, with recipes passed on for generations in the family including influences from nakhon si thammarat (southern) and sukhothai tani (north bangkok).

their most famous dishes here are the black rice, which is
steamed with squid ink and topped with mud crab, and their turmeric rice with a piece of fried fish. i did very much enjoy the black rice, mixed with a zingy spicy seafood sauce. the slightly sticky texture of the rice mixed with a clam based sauce was quite flavourful and enjoyable.

their unique dishes here was the reason i wanted to try this restaurant, as some dishes served here are not regularly seen in other thai kitchens. other plates i loved tonight include the sweetened toddy palm braised pork, as well as their squid dishes, of squid ink and in a simple chilli spring onion stir fry. their squid is noticeably fresh, with good ‘crunch’ in its texture. i couldn’t really eat the the southern pork curry as it was insanely spicy, and the rest of the dishes were okay, a nice try with nothing jumping out for me. regardless was still surrounded by excellent company, service here was also very good.
-
june menu: (฿6,928 per table)
sweet shrimp, relish with sour vegetables, chilli paste
mushroom in fish sauce
salted fish, omelette
✨pork ribs in toddy palm
✨mud crab black rice
turmeric rice with fried fish
✨stir fry squid with spring onion
shrimp fried in shrimp paste
curry with pork cartilage
stir fried spinach in pork neck
preserved mayongchid with ice

+ fried pork (฿256)
+ ✨stir fry squid in squid ink (฿456)
+ ✨stir fry liang leaves with eggs (฿189)
+ spicy fish salad (฿456)
-
would revisit: try once
reservations by dm
price range pp: ฿1000- ฿3000
-
📍แก้วลูน KEAWLOON
location: 21/3 saeng chan, phra khanong, khlong toei, bangkok
-
#2feastingpigs_bangkok
#2feastingpigs_thailand Less

in copenhagen, denmark (april’24)

some (recovered) images from this years ocean season.

some hits & missed in terms of flavour as anticipated, but overall prefer this season over game and forest season. still one of the coolest experimental kitchens with out of the box thinking despite them getting lazier and more commercial. bookings aren’t impossible too, as long as you enter the site on time with a timeslot or two in mind + a registered tock account logged in and ready to go.
-
ocean season menu (3995dkk)
+ juice pairing +1600dkk
✨whole cooked langoustine
mussel broth with bergamot
✨seaweed á la crème
✨blue mussel and golden beets
✨fresh sea urchin and hazelnuts
raw squid on grilled koji
cod roe waffle
hand dived scallop
cod head: tongue on the bone, eye pie
throat and young garlic
jaw with smoked pumpkin
barbequed burbot
hazelnut with kelp
✨sweet oyster
✨snobrod
clam gel
-
📍NOMA 2.0
location: rejshalevej 96, copenhagen
-
#2feastingpigs_copenhagen
#2feastingpigs_denmark Less

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
-
would revisit: yes
reservations online
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
-
📍魚喰い切り壮士 SOHSHI
location: 5-18 tatemachi, naka ward, hiroshima
-
#2feastingpigs_hiroshima
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

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.
-
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
-
would revisit: if in the area
reservations online
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
-
📍ヴィッラデルニード VILLA DEL NIDO
location: ko-313-2 kunimicho taira, unzen, nagasaki
-
#2feastingpigs_nagasaki
#2feastingpigs_kyushu
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

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
-
would revisit: try once
reservations online
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
-
📍MAKINONCÎ
location: 25-18 yamanouemachi, kanazawa
-
#2feastingpigs_kanazawa
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

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
-
would revisit: yes
reservations by phone/online
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
-
📍菊鮨
location: 3-51-3 kasugakoen, kasuga, fukuoka
-
#2feastingpigs_fukuoka
#2feastingpigs_kyushu
#2feastingpigs_japan Less

🇮🇹
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.
-
november 2023
-
✨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)
-
would revisit: yes
price range pp: €30-€60
reservations: call, or walk-in
-
📍OSTERIA DEI SOGNATORI
location: via macrino 8, alba
-
#2feastingpigs_alba
#2feastingpigs_italy Less