Happy new year, everyone out there in the blog world. It is safe to say that 2013 was filled with moves on the career front, changes in my personal life, and discoveries in the culinary world that made the year quite memorable. I can only hope that 2014 will be full of unforgettable moments as well. Before we traverse across to the delicious things I've already eaten so far in the new year, I want to finish off a post from my birthday in November and a series of posts from my trip to Taiwan in July.
I had been eagerly anticipating the gigantic bowls of fresh fish, seafood and uni over rice for the longest time. My bowl, in particular, was stocked with both salmon and tuna, scallops and sea cucumber, fresh, boiled and salted sea urchin roe, salmon roe, and sweet Japanese tamago. It is a big, big, big bowl. Come hungry, and come early before the massive lunch crowd arrives. Thank you to Vickee, Kevin, and Brian for treating me out the entire weekend. Maruhide Uni Club was a great start to my 28th birthday. Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.
ML - 20131122
Showing posts with label rice bowl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rice bowl. Show all posts
Friday, January 3, 2014
Friday, August 23, 2013
141. Tokyo - Kitsuneya Gyu-don: Our Second Breakfast / きつねや 牛丼 (Tokyo: Chuo-ku, Tsukiji / 東京: 中央區, 築地)
Walking out of Tsukiji Market (築地市場) down the main street of Shin-Ohashi Dori, we passed by many stands that offered sashimi over rice and some shops that sold ingredients for sushi making like dried nori and fresh wasabi root. These stores are also part of Tsukiji Outer Market. There was even a small food court just behind an entrance shielded by traditional blue Japanese curtains. What really caught our attention was Kitsuneya (きつねや), the token food stand that sold hot beef bowls. It smelled so damned good that it stopped us in our tracks.
We ordered a gyu-don (牛丼) just to try it out. The thinly sliced shreds of beef were infused with its own juices, and even the little curls of onion were browned, sweet, and bursting with beef broth. This bowl of bountiful beef was an unexpected but very welcomed way of finishing off one of the most memorable breakfasts of my life.
Just a few primitive instructions makes it is possible to find this stand without knowing any Japanese. There is only one stand that sells beef rice and noodle bowls on the main street of Shin-Ohashi Dori (新大橋通り). Just past Harumi Dori (晴海通り) there are two freestanding makeshift stainless steel counters on the sidewalk near the curb of the street where people stand to eat their rice bowls. Patrons with piping hot bowls of motsudon noodles eat while sitting at the counter. There is a navy blue awning that reads きつねや in white Japanese lettering. There is also a wicked eldery obasan who ladles broth at the stand. She does not smile. She does not like foreigners. She does not like two people who split one bowl of rice and ask for two pairs of chopsticks. If she is spotted, then that is where Kunetsuya sits.
Good luck. Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.
きつねや / Kunetsuya
東京都 中央区 / Tokyo Metropolis, Chuo Ward
築地市場外 4-9-12 / Tsukiji Outer Market, 4 Chome 9-12
新大橋通り / Shin-Ohashi Dori Street
For more shots of the Kitsuneya gyu-don, check out my Flickr set here.
ML - 20130628
We ordered a gyu-don (牛丼) just to try it out. The thinly sliced shreds of beef were infused with its own juices, and even the little curls of onion were browned, sweet, and bursting with beef broth. This bowl of bountiful beef was an unexpected but very welcomed way of finishing off one of the most memorable breakfasts of my life.
Just a few primitive instructions makes it is possible to find this stand without knowing any Japanese. There is only one stand that sells beef rice and noodle bowls on the main street of Shin-Ohashi Dori (新大橋通り). Just past Harumi Dori (晴海通り) there are two freestanding makeshift stainless steel counters on the sidewalk near the curb of the street where people stand to eat their rice bowls. Patrons with piping hot bowls of motsudon noodles eat while sitting at the counter. There is a navy blue awning that reads きつねや in white Japanese lettering. There is also a wicked eldery obasan who ladles broth at the stand. She does not smile. She does not like foreigners. She does not like two people who split one bowl of rice and ask for two pairs of chopsticks. If she is spotted, then that is where Kunetsuya sits.
Good luck. Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.
きつねや / Kunetsuya
東京都 中央区 / Tokyo Metropolis, Chuo Ward
築地市場外 4-9-12 / Tsukiji Outer Market, 4 Chome 9-12
新大橋通り / Shin-Ohashi Dori Street
For more shots of the Kitsuneya gyu-don, check out my Flickr set here.
ML - 20130628
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
140. Tokyo - Tsukiji Outer Market: Early Breakfast at Bentomi Sushi / 寿司弁富 (Tokyo: Chuo-ku, Tsukiji / 東京都: 中央區, 築地)
Immediately following the tour of the tuna action, Ken and I went on a hunt for authentic Japanese rice and fish. With the long lines at some of the most popular sushi restaurants, we selected a relatively busy spot that looked more traditional based on the lack of English and just a bit of racial profiling. The menu at this spot featured Edo style sushi as well as donburi (丼), which is basically rice in a bowl with food covering it. Thinking about Yoshinoya? Yup, those beef bowls are also considered donburi.
We each got donburi bowls filled with fresh tuna sashimi and other fish, seafood, and assorted deliciousness. There were at least two grades of tuna, including both the more common maguro (マグロ) and the more fatty toro (トロ).
Mine consisted predominately of sea urchin (uni / うに), which is a personal favorite. The freshness of the seafood was pretty much guaranteed considering that many of the restaurants from the Tsukiji Outer Market purchase their products directly from the wholesalers in the Inner Market.
Even the egg (tamago / 卵) was freshly made. It could almost be described as buttery smooth even though I can almost guarantee that there was no butter used in the preparation.
I still could not believe that Ken and I were having sashimi for breakfast. It was not even 7:00 in the morning yet. This meal was definitely one of the highlights of my time in Tokyo. Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.
寿司弁富 / Bentomi Sushi
築地中央卸売市場内 8号棟/ Tsukiji Market Central Wholesale Building no. 8
東京都 中央區 / Tokyo Metropolis, Chuo Ward
築地 5-2-1-8-4 / Tsukiji District, 5 Chome 2-1-8-4
Bentomi opens at 5:00 a.m. every morning, and they are closed on Sunday. For more pictures of our breakfast bowls, check out my Flickr set here.
ML - 20130628
We each got donburi bowls filled with fresh tuna sashimi and other fish, seafood, and assorted deliciousness. There were at least two grades of tuna, including both the more common maguro (マグロ) and the more fatty toro (トロ).
Mine consisted predominately of sea urchin (uni / うに), which is a personal favorite. The freshness of the seafood was pretty much guaranteed considering that many of the restaurants from the Tsukiji Outer Market purchase their products directly from the wholesalers in the Inner Market.
Even the egg (tamago / 卵) was freshly made. It could almost be described as buttery smooth even though I can almost guarantee that there was no butter used in the preparation.
I still could not believe that Ken and I were having sashimi for breakfast. It was not even 7:00 in the morning yet. This meal was definitely one of the highlights of my time in Tokyo. Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.
寿司弁富 / Bentomi Sushi
築地中央卸売市場内 8号棟/ Tsukiji Market Central Wholesale Building no. 8
東京都 中央區 / Tokyo Metropolis, Chuo Ward
築地 5-2-1-8-4 / Tsukiji District, 5 Chome 2-1-8-4
Bentomi opens at 5:00 a.m. every morning, and they are closed on Sunday. For more pictures of our breakfast bowls, check out my Flickr set here.
ML - 20130628
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