Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Adventure #209: The Niseko Supply Company (Take 2) (Hirafu)

TNSC is one of our favourite lunch time stop overs.  A simple galette and crepe for lunch followed by a nice cup of coffee.  We didn't manage to bring the kids here last time, so we tried to book a table for dinner after our lunch. We were told that they only serve raclette or fondue at night. It's a set menu with crepes for dessert. No choice. And since we have raclette at home a lot, we chose the fondue instead.


Salad and starter. I can't remember what the starter was now but it was not bad.


Here's the fondue! Very nice, especially in such cold weather!

And then the crepes the kids were waiting for! Super delicious!

Simple food, cosy atmosphere. Family. Such happiness.


TNSC
191-13 Yamada, Kutchan-cho
Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 044-0081
Japan
Tel: +81-136-55-8861

Monday, January 27, 2014

Adventure #208: Ezo Seafood (Take 2) (Hirafu)

Ezo Seafood is another of our favourites and this time we went back twice in a week! Once by ourselves and once with the Chans.  We loved it so much, the older one has elevated this to top spot!




The photo we took of James the last time we were here wasn't that good, so we had to make sure this one does him justice.

I am not an oyster fan, but these fresh oysters were just FRESH!

Some uni to get the taste buds going.

And finally THIS is what we were waiting for.  Alaskan crab legs! This time we made sure everyone had at least 1 leg each! The meat so sweet and juicy and the tangy dipping sauce, just took this to a whole new level!


Clear clam soup, so fresh and so yummy! And great for such a cold night.


I tried the clam chowder on the second visit but I think I preferred the clear clam soup better.


Deep fried Smelt.  Delicious! So crispy.  The kids loved the the dipping sauce - thousand island with a spicy twist.

Braised rock fish, always a favourite with the kids to eat with their Japanese rice.

Potato wedges. Nice but have to admit the one at Bang Bang is still unbeatable.

Grilled squid, once again delicious.

Grilled salmon with a lemony sauce.  The fish was wonderful, particularly loved the sauce.

One of the kids wanted udon and for a seafood restaurant, the quality of the ubon is excellent!

Once again, we had so much to eat, we couldn't stuff ourselves with dessert. James gave the kids some free brownies to take home.  Suspect the brownies were homemade because they were, can't think of another word, delicious!!!
Since we all voted Ezo as our favourite restaurant in Hirafu, we will undoubtedly be back again next ski season!


Ezo Seafood
170-165 Yamada, Kutchan-cho
Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 044-0081
Japan
Tel: +81-136-22-3019

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Adventure #207: Bang Bang (Take 2) (Hirafu)

We went back to Bang Bang again because the older one voted it the best restaurant last time we were in Niseko.  This time, we ordered the usual plus a couple of new items......and much to the older one's horror, they ran out of beef that evening!  


Wood fire. So cosy!

The usual - chicken liver and asparagus wrapped with bacon.


The best dish - ever! Potato wedges with a block of butter.

Grilled salmon head.  Not as big as I expected but lots of meat.

Grilled Alaskan crab leg.  Saltier than I expected.
Maybe it was the disappointment of not having beef or maybe the expectation was too high, the older one was very disappointed with today's dinner.  G promised to take her to our favourite yakitori joint when we returned to Hong Kong.

Bang Bang
188-24 Yamada, Kutchan-cho
Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 044-0081
Japan
Tel: +81-136-22-4292


Adventure #206: Niseko Ramen (Hirafu)

We were skiing in Niseko the week before CNY.  We tried some really good restaurants last time we were there and we will be revisiting some of them.  But today after our first skiing lessons, we strolled into the village for a late lunch and decided on Niseko Ramen.





Deep fried dumplings. Different, prefer the usual pan-fried ones.

Spicy miso ramen.  Not too spicy but enough to warm the body up for the sub-zero temperature!

G had the normal miso ramen - with only 1 piece of meat.  Didn't know we could order extra meat till half way through the meal.

G's favourite - onsen eggs.

Noodles were delicious but personally still prefer the noodles at Tozanken.




Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Adventure #196: 班鳩 (Tokyo)

Last day in Tokyo.  Went for a stroll in Tokyo Station before we leave.  And while we were there, we had ramen for lunch.  There were a couple of recommended ramen restaurants there but we chose 班鳩. 



Before 12 and already a queue.

Restaurant is small but well equipped.  And everyone is there just to eat, people moved like a factory line!

Look good, taste good!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Adventure #195: Hiraboku 平田牧場 (Tokyo)

This afternoon we went to the American Pop Art Exhibition from the John and Kimiko Powers Collection at the National Art Center. After which we strolled to Tokyo Midtown for some shopping and dinner.

One of the restaurants recommended by the guide book was Hiraboku which serves deep fried pork from pigs reared in their own farm.  Not a big fan of deep fried pork but we gave it a go.



First to arrive were the salad and a bowl with sesame seeds. We were to crush the sesame seeds then mix with special sauce for the dipping the pork.

The other bits of my set meal arrived.

Although deep fried, the pork was crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside.  Very tender! Excellent!
G had the pork cutlet with curry. 

Food is simple but delicious.  Pork was fresh and succulent! What more can I say other than yummy!





Sunday, October 13, 2013

Adventure #194: Bento Boxes (Tokyo)

Spent the entire day shopping at Shinjuku. Totally knacked at the end of the day.  Didn't fancy sitting in a restaurant, so we bought one of my favourite Japanese food - bento boxes from Marui food court and had dinner in our room.



These bento boxes were beautifully displayed, so full of colours and so inviting. And best of all, they were delicious!

Also bought some desserts and fruits.  Yum!

All department stores sell bento boxes.  They are all beautifully done and reasonably priced.  Great for lunch in the park or a quiet dinner at home.  A must on every trip to Japan. 

Bento boxes often go on sale after 7pm, a good time to pick up some good ones for dinner!

Adventure #193: Tempura Tsunahachi つな八 (Tokyo)

We arrived in Shinjuku for a leisurely shopping day. Walked past Uniqlo and saw a queue forming outside a restaurant. The people in the queue are all Japanese. That’s a sign for good local food. From what little Chinese words there were on the board outside, we learnt that this is a tempura restaurant and they have a rather reasonably priced lunch set. So, we joined the queue.


The restaurant looked small from the outside but it was huge on the inside with counter seats (many different counter areas) as well as dinning seats. We were seated at one of the counters where 2 chefs were working.

The chef at the back worked non-stop preparing all kinds of seafood for the tempura. And the chef in front prepared the tempura and served them to us as soon as they came out of the fryer!


In this picture, the chef at the back was shelling mountains of prawns, that's after he filleted 2 huge fishes!

This is the set we ordered.  The tempura was served as and when cooked.  Cannot get any fresher than this!

In addition to the normal tempura dipping sauce, we were given 3 different types of salt.  From top, plum flavoured salt, wasabi flavoured salt and normal salt.  I think the wasabi salt is really interesting, followed closely by the plum salt.  Made the taste of the tempura so much more interesting.

Clam soup, super delicious!

All done! Yum!
The tempura was great.  Had to eat rather fast as the aircon in the restaurant was rather strong and we didn't want the tempura turning cold.   I doubt if we would have enjoyed the meal as much if we had not sat at one of the counters.  Watching the chefs work took the whole dining experience to a whole new level!