Gusto Journals Japan

Ibaraki is often seen simply as another suburban city near Tokyo and overlooked as a tourist destination. While I had a similar image of Ibaraki, a day trip was enough for me to wake up to the potential of this quaint prefecture and to appreciate its local gems hidden out of sight just an hour's distance from Tokyo.

Here's the itinerary of my day trip which can hopefully inspire others:

1. Kodokan (pics 2-3): A traditional Japanese building with absolutely stunning aesthetics, Kodokan was founded as a Samurai school by the Togukawa clan in the late Edo period. This is an impressive historic site to witness a slice of the lives of Japan's last samurai generation - in the shadow of the revolutionary change to come.
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2. Kairakuen (4-5): A spacious Japanese garden teeming with plum blossoms. The strikingly pretty teahouse in the center of the garden reminds me of Ginkakuji with its thatched rooftop.
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3. Restaurant Iijima (6): Hitachi beef is a local delicacy of Ibaraki and Iijima offers many different ways of enjoying it. I particularly liked the succulent hamburg, elevated by the high quality beef.
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4. Treehouse Bonsai (7-8): Ran by an American bonsai professional, this bonsai garden not only hosts many beautiful pieces, but it also offers a rare chance to learn about the art of bonsai in English.
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5. Tsukuba Vineyard (9-10): Besides beer and nihonshu, Ibaraki is also a famous wine-producing region within Japan. There's some noteworthy wine and warm hospitality to be enjoyed in a visit to Tsukuba Vineyard.

As most of Tokyo&Kyoto's most famous sights are getting overcrowded to the point of being not enjoyable anymore, it is good to remember there is always more to see and discover in Japan outside of the hype. Less

Ibaraki is often seen simply as another suburban city near Tokyo and overlooked as a tourist destination. While I had a similar image of Ibaraki, a day trip was enough for me to wake up to the potential of this quaint prefecture and to appreciate its local gems hidden out of sight just an hour's distance from Tokyo.

Here's the itinerary of my day trip which can hopefully inspire others:

1. Kodokan (pics 2-3): A traditional Japanese building with absolutely stunning aesthetics, Kodokan was founded as a Samurai school by the Togukawa clan in the late Edo period. This is an impressive historic site to witness a slice of the lives of Japan's last samurai generation - in the shadow of the revolutionary change to come.
◾
2. Kairakuen (4-5): A spacious Japanese garden teeming with plum blossoms. The strikingly pretty teahouse in the center of the garden reminds me of Ginkakuji with its thatched rooftop.
◾
3. Restaurant Iijima (6): Hitachi beef is a local delicacy of Ibaraki and Iijima offers many different ways of enjoying it. I particularly liked the succulent hamburg, elevated by the high quality beef.
◾
4. Treehouse Bonsai (7-8): Ran by an American bonsai professional, this bonsai garden not only hosts many beautiful pieces, but it also offers a rare chance to learn about the art of bonsai in English.
◾
5. Tsukuba Vineyard (9-10): Besides beer and nihonshu, Ibaraki is also a famous wine-producing region within Japan. There's some noteworthy wine and warm hospitality to be enjoyed in a visit to Tsukuba Vineyard.

As most of Tokyo&Kyoto's most famous sights are getting overcrowded to the point of being not enjoyable anymore, it is good to remember there is always more to see and discover in Japan outside of the hype. Less

Ibaraki is often seen simply as another suburban city near Tokyo and overlooked as a tourist destination. While I had a similar image of Ibaraki, a day trip was enough for me to wake up to the potential of this quaint prefecture and to appreciate its local gems hidden out of sight just an hour's distance from Tokyo.

Here's the itinerary of my day trip which can hopefully inspire others:

1. Kodokan (pics 2-3): A traditional Japanese building with absolutely stunning aesthetics, Kodokan was founded as a Samurai school by the Togukawa clan in the late Edo period. This is an impressive historic site to witness a slice of the lives of Japan's last samurai generation - in the shadow of the revolutionary change to come.
◾
2. Kairakuen (4-5): A spacious Japanese garden teeming with plum blossoms. The strikingly pretty teahouse in the center of the garden reminds me of Ginkakuji with its thatched rooftop.
◾
3. Restaurant Iijima (6): Hitachi beef is a local delicacy of Ibaraki and Iijima offers many different ways of enjoying it. I particularly liked the succulent hamburg, elevated by the high quality beef.
◾
4. Treehouse Bonsai (7-8): Ran by an American bonsai professional, this bonsai garden not only hosts many beautiful pieces, but it also offers a rare chance to learn about the art of bonsai in English.
◾
5. Tsukuba Vineyard (9-10): Besides beer and nihonshu, Ibaraki is also a famous wine-producing region within Japan. There's some noteworthy wine and warm hospitality to be enjoyed in a visit to Tsukuba Vineyard.

As most of Tokyo&Kyoto's most famous sights are getting overcrowded to the point of being not enjoyable anymore, it is good to remember there is always more to see and discover in Japan outside of the hype. Less

▪️Indochinoise (Kuramae)
▪️Southeast Asian Cuisine (Dinner Course: ~10K)

Tucked away in the upper floors of a residential building in a quiet part of Taito-ku, Indochinoise is ran by a Japanese couple who used to live in S.East Asia. The eclectic course includes stunningly colorful dishes inspired from Laos, Khmer, Vietnam cuisines.
◾
Now, I am in no place to comment on the authenticity of the food. In this case, I don't believe it's a metric of significance either. What I can say is that, I have never experienced the flavors Indochinoise kept throwing in front of me anywhere else in Japan. Besides the striking visuals, each dish was so "vibrant", bursting with fresh and spicy aromas. The "zing" element I got introduced in the eateries of Thailand was elevated to new heights here, through the chef's unrestrained cooking style.
◾
The opening dish - a khmer salad with boiled octopus - already opened the gate to a new world of flavors with its addictive green chili based spiciness that kept me devouring each spoon whilst I struggled to stop the tears in my eyes. The mix of fresh, fruity, spicy, nutty flavors and the variation of textures created a unique and unforgettable plate. The following dishes continued in the same vein, not because they were spicy but because they presented an exceptionally rare interplay of potent flavors mingling with each other without any restraint.
◾
In terms of other notable dishes, it is worth to note the Laotian "Laab" served with glutinous rice. A terrific mix of fresh greens and spices. Overall, it is incredibly rare to find the likes of Indochinoise, a restaurant that can truly transport you out of Japan by the mere ingenuity of its cooking. A must-try for every adventurous foodie in Japan.

Thanks to @hiro.yummydays for the invite! Less

▪️Trompette - Nihonbashi, Tokyo (French / ¥15K)

"What is your favorite restaurant in Tokyo" may be an impossible question to answer, but every time I am asked this question, my two dinners at Trompette keep flashing before my eyes nonetheless. How does one describe the feeling when biting into the Bistro's signature dish: a succulent pigeon pie, sandwiched with a generous slab of sea urchin, swimming in a luscious red wine sauce? A sense of overwhelming pleasure, the intensity of which is undoubtedly difficult to match in any other of the thousands of eateries in town.
◾
But what makes the experience in Trompette powerful is not only its remarkably heavy and delicious food, but also the fact that this is a one man show through-and-through. Both times, we reserved the tiny 8-seater Bistro for a private dinner, thanks to the courtesy of @hiro.yummydays . The Japanese chef of Trompette runs the whole operation by himself with an unwavering dedication and passion as intense as the flavors he puts in each of his plates. The dishes at Trompette are rustic, and they get across the love that has been put into them to the customer more powerfully than the refined French offerings ubiquitous in Tokyo.
◾
In the year between my two visits to Trompette, the place has gotten deservingly popular and almost impossible to book. Yet in my last visit, I was most pleased and not surprised at all to see that this growth in popularity did not come at the expense of quality. This alludes to a fact that makes Tokyo's dining scene pretty unique in today's world: quality is rewarded for quality's sake, and not because the craftsman succumbs down to populism for mass appeal. Trompette didn't even raise its prices after being so popular, and continues to offer a feast paired with beautiful French wine at a fraction of the price you would find in high-end eateries in Tokyo and around the world.
◾
All this combines to make dining at Trompette a unique experience to treasure, and an irrefutable example of why the Japanese are unrivalled in cooking any cuisine they put their hearts into. Less

Early May, I had the pleasure to visit Kodama, a Kaiseki-ya in Nishi-Azabu recommended by Vedat Milor.
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Kodama retains the classical elements that make kaiseki courses special, showcasing the seasonal bounties of spring in a subtle yet striking manner. But what makes dining here special is the innovative touches from the chef that elevate the course to new heights. A good example is the signature abalone dish: noodles made from abalone paste served with liver sauce in an abalone shell on ice. Not only this dish visually dazzles, but it also demonstrates the chef's deft control over both texture and temperature to create an unforgettable dish from a luxury ingredient.
◾
In essence, Kodama is a gallery of fine craftsmanship. This is not limited to what is on the plate, but includes the plates themselves. Take the vessels used to serve sake, pieces of arrestingly beautiful pottery that look like they belong in a museum. Overall, the course is an aesthetic feast displaying beauty in different forms, be it subtle or astonishing. The whole experience is further brought together by the humble and welcoming demeanor of the chef.
◾
The restaurant is also fairly priced and easy to book, a rarity for the level of quality it presents. Highly recommended and I look forward to being back to try different seasonal menus. Less

"Zing" would be the word I'd use to describe Thai cuisine's definitive characteristic: the barrage of bright and zesty flavors in each dish, overwhelming the senses and stimulating the taste buds to the max through a chaotic interplay of sweet, sour, and spicy elements.
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There's much less emphasis here on the ingredient compared to Japan. The techniques are not refined like the Japanese, as the pursuit of perfection is replaced by a strive for 'playfulness'. Different aromas and techniques are easily combined to create an array of dishes with vivid, explosive flavors. Most of the cuisine centers around earthy flavors from the inland Thai jungles, spices from China and India, and Chinese stir-frying. The result of this fusion is never boring or monotone, but always impactful and memorable.
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In my short Bangkok trip, I found Prai Raya to be the restaurant that showcased traditional Thai cuisine the best, serving exemplary dishes to educate your taste buds on the wonders of the Thai culinary culture. I had my first meal in Thailand there, which was so impactful that it made me return for a second time to have my last one, desperate not to leave before tasting their remarkably flavorful dishes again.
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The dish on the cover photo, stir-fried crab meat with lemon chili sauce, exemplifies the three components of Thai cuisine very well. Earthy flavors like lemongrass intermingle with the hot and sour sauce to create a stimulating experience. The stir fried crab itself is delicious, but it is not allowed to be in the center stage, wrapped in a barrage of flavors in each bite. This was the most memorable dish of my trip.
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Other classics I've tried include their Tom Yum Goong, an iconic Thai Soup dish which was head-spinning with its impactful spicy sour flavor. The milky green curry was yet another blast, and I would recommend ordering the glass noodles next to it.
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While my experience with Thai food is obviously limited, Prai Raya would be my first recommendation to any serious food-lover going to Bangkok. I'll talk about the city's vibrant bar scene in the next post.

#gustojournals_thailand
#bangkokfood
#thaicuisine
#tomyumgoong
#greencurry
#prairaya Less

▪️Indochinoise (Kuramae)
▪️Southeast Asian Cuisine (Dinner Course: ~10K)

Tucked away in the upper floors of a residential building in a quiet part of Taito-ku, Indochinoise is ran by a Japanese couple who used to live in S.East Asia. The eclectic course includes stunningly colorful dishes inspired from Laos, Khmer, Vietnam cuisines.
◾
Now, I am in no place to comment on the authenticity of the food. In this case, I don't believe it's a metric of significance either. What I can say is that, I have never experienced the flavors Indochinoise kept throwing in front of me anywhere else in Japan. Besides the striking visuals, each dish was so "vibrant", bursting with fresh and spicy aromas. The "zing" element I got introduced in the eateries of Thailand was elevated to new heights here, through the chef's unrestrained cooking style.
◾
The opening dish - a khmer salad with boiled octopus - already opened the gate to a new world of flavors with its addictive green chili based spiciness that kept me devouring each spoon whilst I struggled to stop the tears in my eyes. The mix of fresh, fruity, spicy, nutty flavors and the variation of textures created a unique and unforgettable plate. The following dishes continued in the same vein, not because they were spicy but because they presented an exceptionally rare interplay of potent flavors mingling with each other without any restraint.
◾
In terms of other notable dishes, it is worth to note the Laotian "Laab" served with glutinous rice. A terrific mix of fresh greens and spices. Overall, it is incredibly rare to find the likes of Indochinoise, a restaurant that can truly transport you out of Japan by the mere ingenuity of its cooking. A must-try for every adventurous foodie in Japan.

Thanks to @hiro.yummydays for the invite! Less

▪️Trompette - Nihonbashi, Tokyo (French / ¥15K)

"What is your favorite restaurant in Tokyo" may be an impossible question to answer, but every time I am asked this question, my two dinners at Trompette keep flashing before my eyes nonetheless. How does one describe the feeling when biting into the Bistro's signature dish: a succulent pigeon pie, sandwiched with a generous slab of sea urchin, swimming in a luscious red wine sauce? A sense of overwhelming pleasure, the intensity of which is undoubtedly difficult to match in any other of the thousands of eateries in town.
◾
But what makes the experience in Trompette powerful is not only its remarkably heavy and delicious food, but also the fact that this is a one man show through-and-through. Both times, we reserved the tiny 8-seater Bistro for a private dinner, thanks to the courtesy of @hiro.yummydays . The Japanese chef of Trompette runs the whole operation by himself with an unwavering dedication and passion as intense as the flavors he puts in each of his plates. The dishes at Trompette are rustic, and they get across the love that has been put into them to the customer more powerfully than the refined French offerings ubiquitous in Tokyo.
◾
In the year between my two visits to Trompette, the place has gotten deservingly popular and almost impossible to book. Yet in my last visit, I was most pleased and not surprised at all to see that this growth in popularity did not come at the expense of quality. This alludes to a fact that makes Tokyo's dining scene pretty unique in today's world: quality is rewarded for quality's sake, and not because the craftsman succumbs down to populism for mass appeal. Trompette didn't even raise its prices after being so popular, and continues to offer a feast paired with beautiful French wine at a fraction of the price you would find in high-end eateries in Tokyo and around the world.
◾
All this combines to make dining at Trompette a unique experience to treasure, and an irrefutable example of why the Japanese are unrivalled in cooking any cuisine they put their hearts into. Less

Early May, I had the pleasure to visit Kodama, a Kaiseki-ya in Nishi-Azabu recommended by Vedat Milor.
◾
Kodama retains the classical elements that make kaiseki courses special, showcasing the seasonal bounties of spring in a subtle yet striking manner. But what makes dining here special is the innovative touches from the chef that elevate the course to new heights. A good example is the signature abalone dish: noodles made from abalone paste served with liver sauce in an abalone shell on ice. Not only this dish visually dazzles, but it also demonstrates the chef's deft control over both texture and temperature to create an unforgettable dish from a luxury ingredient.
◾
In essence, Kodama is a gallery of fine craftsmanship. This is not limited to what is on the plate, but includes the plates themselves. Take the vessels used to serve sake, pieces of arrestingly beautiful pottery that look like they belong in a museum. Overall, the course is an aesthetic feast displaying beauty in different forms, be it subtle or astonishing. The whole experience is further brought together by the humble and welcoming demeanor of the chef.
◾
The restaurant is also fairly priced and easy to book, a rarity for the level of quality it presents. Highly recommended and I look forward to being back to try different seasonal menus. Less