food

Good food

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Japanese Kaiseki cuisine at its finest

Japanese Kaiseki cuisine at its finest

Last week I got to take photos at Nihon Ryori Ken in Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt. It's an intimate new restaurant hidden away in a quiet street and it's simple exterior bellies the fact that inside the restaurant, there's a Japanese essence to the place, people and food that is hard to find anywhere outside of Japan. If you know what shiso, yuzu and good raw tuna tastes like after being to Japan and feel like you have been disappointed by Japanese restaurants by owners who don't even speak the language, then you must try here. If you do go, a counter seat offers the possibility to view the chef close up and really appreciate the amount of care and attention that goes into each dish. The menu changes monthly too, so there's no fear of running out of flavour sensations.

 

Everything including the desserts are handmade

Everything including the desserts are handmade

Bamboo Shoot

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 They are bigger than they look!

 They are bigger than they look!

Dug up a bamboo shoot for the first time ever! There was only 2 or 3cm of the top poking out of the soil but somehow a kind man had found it and let me dig it up. They have seriously strong roots and took me about 15 minutes to dig down and under it before prising it out of the ground! We dug up for in total and put two on a fire to roast in tin foil and kept this one for dinner. They look and taste nothing like the bamboo shoots you might get in sweet and sour dishes in the supermarket back home.

Day 126

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Tai Chi cake

Tai Chi cake

On weekends, I spend a lot of time and energy practising Tai Chi and try to coach other practitioners the things I picked up in Japan from my teachers. It was one lady's birthday this weekend and as she is a very special person (I think she is over 85, but not sure of her exact age) she is always happy and smiling and lightens the mood whenever she is around, I decided to make her this cake!

Edit: it turns out she turned 90! I hope I have half of her energy when I am that age. Apart from tai chi, she paints, plays guitar and makes all kinds of art!

Day 54

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Yatai worker (Canon 7 RF Fuji Natura 1600)

Yatai worker (Canon 7 RF Fuji Natura 1600)

The streets of Fukuoka are famous for the street food vendors known as yatai that sell Japanese dishes like ramen, yakitori, oden and other delicacies at certain junctions around town. They set up in the afternoon and keep going until late at night serving food and beer to 8 customers at most sat around the vendor's cart. I've seen the before and after of their business and while Japan is usually quite strict about food preparation, I can't say it looks the most hygienic!

An abandoned yakiniku restaurant

Rural Japan is changing as much as in the big cities as Japan readjusts to its adding population and changes in the country's wealth and economy. While many places stand the test of time, others get left behind like this yakiniku restaurant I found in the middle of nowhere up a mountain road.

empty tables

empty tables

It has always puzzled me how restaurants are hidden away and impossible to find unless by word of mouth first gain a reputation and then maintain it over the years. In Japan it is quite common to drive a couple of hours just to visit a particular coffee shop or udon restaurant, but with strong competition and Japan's general love of new things, restauranteering in the middle of nowhere must be a risky business.

 

snake skins are supposed to bring money

snake skins are supposed to bring money

Oddly enough although the front doors were locked, the back door was wide open. The are a few nonvenomous snakes in Japan but there are always signs warning of mamushi which have a bit of a reputation even though I am sure not many people have seen one. The mamushi has distinct head markings but I didn't check this skin.

Chairs and tables still set up for customers.

Chairs and tables still set up for customers.

the sign says they are getting ready for customers

the sign says they are getting ready for customers

There were a lot of items left behind that were in good condition like this tiger, loads of glasses and a tape printer machine that must have been from the 90s but seemed to have still been in use. I wonder what for...perhaps, regular customer's bottles of sake?

I love this cheeky little tanuki that looks like he's about to run away.

I love this cheeky little tanuki that looks like he's about to run away.

My favourite find was this tanuki with hat and even little grass shoes on (草履) . I would have taken him with me if it were my last day working at that restaurant!

the office and toilet

the office and toilet

It was quite a small freezer for a meat restaurant...I looked inside and was glad there were no dead bodies or snakes.

It was quite a small freezer for a meat restaurant...I looked inside and was glad there were no dead bodies or snakes.

The washing machine could do with a clean.

The washing machine could do with a clean.

I am not superstitious but when entering an abandoned building, I am always hyper alert for any sounds of movement from humans or animals and don't like any disturbing noises like having to walk on broken glass even of it is obvious that nobody has been around for months or years. However, there is something a bit spooky about a place that has lost its purpose. It is as if the place feels sad, lonely and probably a bit embarrassed about having guests at short notice without having cleaned a little. So I found myself saying "お邪魔しました" (sorry for disturbing you) so that I left the building politely anyway.

Day 4

Japanese Belgian beer: shironigori nippon beer. The can is printed and stocked on shelves upside down. Maybe you're supposed to open it upside down too. More citrusy with a creamier head than regular Japanese happoushu.

Japanese Belgian beer: shironigori nippon beer. The can is printed and stocked on shelves upside down. Maybe you're supposed to open it upside down too. More citrusy with a creamier head than regular Japanese happoushu.