Eating Kyoto

Kinkakuji- the Golden Pavilion

The highlights of Kyoto for me were Kokedera: the moss temple, the Imperial Palace and Gardens, the gorgeous autumnal colours of the maples and ginko trees, the rabbit warrens of backstreets but also some real gems when it came to eating.

Kokedera- The Moss Temple

Kamo River

Dad had discovered a lovely looking place not far from our hotel called Kyoto Sakagurakan  which turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. A modern interior with a welcoming feel. The omakase, or chefs choice was mixed with taster plates on the menu and worked like tapas, which was great for the two of us to taste and share with our drinks, for dad a draft beer and for myself a yuzu cocktail.

We started with the omakase of 6 and the scallop and mushroom

Our six-tasting small dishes consisted of pumpkin is a vinegar dressing, a mushroom and steamed greens dish I think the third was tofu, potato salad which would become a staple of my diet, a wintery pork stewed meat and veg dish and boiled veg in one of the most flavoursome and nurturing broth.

The scallop and mushroom was deep fried and crisp in the style of a chunky pakora and was very tasty indeed.

We followed on with a sashimi platter which turned out to be one of the best and freshest we had all trip. I couldn't tell you which fish were served, but the one in the back with the dark scored skin was utterly incredible.

This was, prepare yourself, and I'm not even going to describe it cause you know how good it was when I tell you what it is: Deep fried Gyoza wrapped in chicken skin. Yep.

 

Beautiful and succulent duck breast.

Deep fried camembert served with salt. Magic.

image courtesy of restaurant

image courtesy of restaurant

This unassuming coffee shop, in the backstreets served me a lovely late lunch. Takagi Coffee.

image courtesy of Ichi Oka

I'd actually popped in here for a toasted sandwich, because toasted sandwiches are my comfort food and I just needed some comfort, but alas, sold out of bread. But their coffee was lovely, as was their fish croquette and potato croquette. And of course, potato salad. As I type this I realise how carby this photo is, and I'm okay with that.

Another 'quick bite for lunch' turned out to be another amazing surprise. This was JuicyMeat Shijo Karasuma and this is their perfect Philly Cheesesteak. God it was GOOD. Dad had a steak from here and the steak was a stroke of genius, and neither were expensive at all. Very very good.

Another wonderful discovery, and we totally chose it for it's wonderful and whimsical name: Madam Clink. We had a couple of wonderful French Malbecs (one of my favourite reds) and wanted some nibbles to go with.

This is our assorted pate plate of oyster and spinach, chicken liver and citrus, salmon and olive and mushroom and almond. All delicious.

And the assorted meat plate: with salami, proscutto and mortadella, with gerkins on the side.

Some delightful eats in Kyoto. Please note, I will be dividing my trip into cities: Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka and Tokyo and also 'Conbini', or convenience store foods (which were INCREDIBLE!) And not all meals are included cause I was on holidays.

Unfortunately I can't supply prices on all meals as I didn't put in the usual diligence I would with a blog post, but know that eating and drinking in Japan is very, very CHEAP! Everything was outstanding value, and most of our lunches with drinks were under $20 per person, and fancy dinners including wine and cocktails or beer never topped $100 per person and was always more than one course (and more than one wine!)

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Jetstar Business Class Brisbane Osaka Tokyo Brisbane

I went to Japan! It was great!

I will have more posts coming covering all the deliciousness that was Japan.

Lets look at this edition of plane food.

We flew Jetstar Business from Brisbane to Osaka and the return route Tokyo Narita back to Brisbane. It was a very lovely flight, it was very comfortable and the 9 hour flight there and 8 and a half hour flight back were easy and manageable. Jetstar Business class is equivalent to International Premium Economy or domestic Business class, so no lay-flat seats or lounge access, but a good sized seat with lots of room and recline, a toilet for just the 21 seats up front, plenty of check in and carry on luggage and of course, full service on board.

The flight from Brisbane was delayed for around one and a half hours and the lack of communication meant we weren't at the gate for priority boarding, but once on the plane we took our seats of 1A and 1C (bulkhead) and were offered sparkling wine, juice or sparkling water. Father and I both had sparkling wine.

Before we had taken off we were brought menus and asked what we'd like for our lunch and also for the later snack service and what we'd have to drink with those meals.

Shortly after take off drinks were brought around with pretzels. I had another sparkling. Very shortly after that meals were delivered. I had selected the salmon, and Dad had the lamb shank.

Also served was a salad of lettuce, pumpkin, edamame, sourdough bread and butter as well as a dessert.

It was an all-round lovely meal, no complains at all. the main was fine if not forgettable, but the bread was fresh and warm, the salad was lovely, and the dessert was a blueberry cheesecake which was delicious

I tasted some of dads lamb shank and it was much better than my salmon, very delicious. He had a Byron Bay lager with his meal.

After the meals we got comfortable and enjoyed the journey. There was plenty of room for me to wriggle in my seat when I got ants in my pants. I watched North Country with Charlize Theron and the travel map.

After a bit I got peckish so asked for some cheese and crackers and olives to accompany the Australian Cab Savs I was enjoying.

And after a bit I asked for some chocolate: Lindt- nice.

This photo also shows the wonderful amount of legroom available. Even in Business class I always try to get the front/bulkhead seats to save anybody reclining into my space, This meant I could easily get to the loo without disturbing dad. 

About six hours in, our next meal was brought out, vegetarian pie which was really nice. I had forgotten I had requested sparkling with both meals, so I had Cab Sav as well as Sparkling with my pie. This was also served with the lovely bread and this time a tasty and moist orange and almond cake.

It really was a very comfortable flight, and reminded me of how flying used to be before stakeholders and cost cutting. Our delay meant we did get into Osaka a good 3 hours later than expected at around 10pm. I think the service was a little underwhelming and less than I had expected but that aside it was a MILLION times better than economy. 

Our return flight two weeks following was a late night flight. It was just as comfortable, however I found the service to be of a much higher standard on this leg.

Dinner was an Asian-inspired soy fish dish which was absolutely delicious, the salad was radicchio, fresh coconut, green bean and was fantastic. I had this with a gin and tonic and the dessert was a baked cheesecake- also delicious.

I didn't sleep on this overnight flight which is somewhat unlike me, but watched a great HBO doco called After the Bite which was very good, and requested some cheese and crackers and peppermint tea at something ridiculous o'clock. 

A breakfast service came out around 4 or 5 am which I allowed my father to tuck into while trying to close my eyes for a moment or two before my Brisbane transit and following flight.

Jetstar Business flights are around twice the price of standard flights and I think absolutely are worth the price. Flights are so often the worst part of trip and to be able to eliminate that is priceless. I think this style of Business class or regular Premium Economy which are comparable and usually come in at similar prices are fantastic value.

Looking forward to writing my next posts from Japan. 

Thank you for reading.

The Shed at Derwent Estate

July in Tasmania: Cold, cloudy dreary. But... not this weekend. The first weekend of July this year was quite special for me as it was my 40th birthday. Doubly special as I had my two best girlfriends visiting from Brisbane to celebrate with me.

I had decided to try the newest restaurant in the Derwent Valley, The Shed. A new project from the Winery 'Derwent Estate'. 

We were met with an absolutely perfect day, actually the whole weekend was lovely blue skies, and still days with maximums around 15 deg C.

Grapevines, sheep and lambs with Mt Dromedary in the background

My girls and the sheep and adorable lambs

The menu alone had been my reasoning for selecting The Shed for my birthday lunch. We have wonderful options in the Valley now for dining (see posts on Osteria Vista and Agrarian Kitchen) but I thought with the group of us dining, this menu would provide something for everyone including my slightly less adventurous Gudgeon.

But of course, we selected a bottle of Derwent Estate Sparking to begin with and it was delightful.

The Shed is set back from the cellar door and offers magnificent views of the Derwent River. The setting is casual and perfectly suited to a sunny day. I cant begin to imagine how spectacular it would be to lunch here on a summers day with those bistro blinds up and a breeze wafting across the river.

Stoneground beer bread with nasturtium butter

We order bread for the table. Absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure if it was the bread or the nasturtium butter but the saltiness that came through was gorgeous.

scallop, oyster, croquettte

For entrees we all choose a few bites from the snacks menu. I opted for the Raw scallop with mandarin and chives, the Bruny Island Oyster and the parmesan and leek croquette with lemon butter.

raw scallop, mandarin, chive

What a delight this scallop was. Texture was retained by the curing from the citrus and the sharp sweet and tartness of the mandarin was spectacular. This was one of my highlights of the meal. The croquette was crispy and crunchy and salty and potatoey and cheesey. Just great.

oyster, buttermilk, parsley oil

I love an oyster. I especially love a Tasmanian oyster: smaller but sweeter than many others. This oyster didn't do it for me though. Milk and oyster is not a combination I would recommend... ever. Very pretty though.

butter poached blue eye trevella, oyster and yuzu cream, kohlrabi

Ordering fish as a main.... I've said it before... it's risky business, I've found it will either be mediocre, not bad, but forgettable or it will be the best thing you ever had. I have found as a gambler, that the odds are 5-1 for a truly spectacular fish main, something you'll remember for a very long time, and today I backed a winner.

The texture was velvety smooth and flaked off beautifully. A lovely fresh fish flavour which was almost chicken-like. The oyster and yuzu cream was a gorgeous savoury accompaniment and the kohlrabi was a clean and fresh finish. This may have been THE best fish main I have ever had.

sides

To go with our mains, we ordered the octopus and raw tuna from the small plates menu and the charred cos and pinkeye potatoes from the sides menu.

octopus, black garlic, chimichurri

I first tried octopus in Barcelona and in both that dish and furthermore in Rome I found the octopus to be very strong in flavour. Not this dish however, very fresh and tender. I'm not sure if I would order it again but nonetheless, delicious.

charred cos lettuce, anchovie, prosciutto

This little side packed a punch, and with lettuce going to about $1000/kg at the moment, how could we not. I loved the POW of the anchovy in this dish. Lots of saltiness to contrast with the charred cos.

pinkeyes, creme fraise, saltbush

Oh Tassie, how are you so good at potatoes? These were crispy, beautifully seasoned and a great side.

raw tuna, ponzu, black sesame, wakame

The raw tuna dish was a favourite all round. When tuna can be caught so close, it makes perfect sense to serve it in it's purest form.

chicken breast, cauliflower puree, oyster mushroom, artichoke velute

All three of my guests had the chicken. It's very rare for me to order chicken when dining, it's hard to do magnificently or even 'not boringly', however when I tasted some off their plates I was utterly blown away. I think the photo shows how succulent that breast is, it was more than succulent, it had the texture of triple cream brie- it was mind blowing. The combination of cauliflower and artichoke was a revelation and the mushrooms were jewels in the crown. 

date pudding, kunzea butterscotch caramel, malt cream

We order a bottle of iced Riesling to have with dessert, a beautiful semi sweet chilled white wine and my favourite dessert of all time Sticky Date Pudding. Guest Anna described it as "probably the best sticky date she had tried" and it was certainly up there for me also... I do have to always compare it to the one that made me cry  and I reckon it was a solid second place after that one. Moist with crispy edges a slight almost whisky flavour, lightly whisked but beautifully flavoured cream. My goodness... what an end to a meal.

In conclusion, I am so happy with The Shed; divine outlooks in a charmingly understated setting with beyond friendly staff that make you feel right at home. The food overall was excellent with some crazy high highlights and one or two experiments that I may avoid next time. 

I will happily be adding this to my 'will visit again' list and will be one for our future guests. I would say a definite must-do if venturing north of Hobart to our beautiful Derwent Valley.

photo courtesy of Derwent Estate facebook page

Derwent Estate Winery

Phone: (03) 6263 5802

Address: 329 Lyell Hwy, Granton TAS 7030

https://www.derwentestate.com.au/

Sono Portside

A very thoughtful gift from my best friend of a gift card for Christmas and the fact that Papa is a retired explorer now about to head off on another mission felt like a great reason for us to indulge in a delicious lunch at the beautiful Sono Restaurant at Portside Hamilton.

Sono took out the award for Best Japanese Restaurant in Australia in last years' Restaurant and Catering Awards. Having eaten there before, I knew it was well deserved.

photo courtesy of The Weekend Edition

My father visited Japan not long ago and the cuisine was one of the highlights for him. Me, I just love pretty much anything Japanese and am a fiend for good quality sashimi.

It's a scorching hot day in Brisbane, and we start with a refreshing beer. I order a Nigata Sparkling Mango Beer ($14), and papa, a Suntori Premium ($12).

The Mango beer reminds me of the fruity undertones present in many German Kristals, lots more "beery" than a Matso's and quite creamy.

Having already assessed the menu situation I pipe up immediately to suggest a Large Sashimi Platter might be in order ($55). Dad makes his choice of  Gyu Tataki (Seared Wagyu) ($18) and Scallops with Miso Mayonnaise ($23) we choose to round the meal out with Potato Salad Japanese Style ($14).

The service is impeccable here, the wait staff so pleasant , efficient and smiley.

First to come out was the Wagyu. It was delicately seared, still showing the gorgeous marbling that Wagyu is known for. I haven't raved about Wagyu in the past when I've had it as a steak, but I think that's because to truly appreciate it, it needs to be served just like this.

Accompaniments of garlic, ginger and chili all fresh and minced, finly cliced spring onion and soy to dunk. By adding combinations of each made for such a wonderful mouthful. A touch of lemon pushed it up a further gear.

Next out was the delicious potato salad and green salad.
As German's we know potato salad, and this one was deleicious...mashed, seasoned perfectly... would have as a meal on its' own.

 The large sashimi platter is stunning. Absolutely beautiful presentation and fresh, fresh fish, including but not limited to: salmon, salmon belly, tuna, kingfish, snapper and trevella.
The salmon belly was perfect, as was the regular salmon and tuna, but when fish is this fresh, you just tastes beautiful.

Our scallops with miso mayonnaise came out just after our sashimi, and the scallops were lovely, but it was the totally drinkable sauce that made this dish, we ended up saucing up everything and asking for a spoon so we could savour every last drop.

We enjoyed every bite and every moment of this lunch. It would be very easy to go overboard and order a million meals off the menu, but it would certainly rack up on the bill quickly.

I can't wait for my next visit though.