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.

Omotenashi Hobart

I had booked a few months ago for a birthday date with my father. I had no idea at the time what we could possibly be in store for, or how incredible an experience we would have waiting for us. 

A week before our dinner was due I received a text confirming my booking. I looked at the text thinking, "do I still know how to enjoy a fancy dinner? Am I still THAT Beck?" I replied to the text yes, that we would be attending, but had a gnawing anxiety.

What did I know about Omotenashi? I knew it was in a car showroom. I knew it was around 15 courses of seafood and vegetable heavy kaiseki style dining. I knew the seating was only for 10 people.

We drive into Hobart to get in by 5pm. The restaurant requests a prompt arrival by 6.30, so we stop into Grinners Dive Bar for an aperitif. I have a Dr Edge Chardonnay. Fun fact, I spent 2 days onsite at Dr Island wines which is a colab of Dr Edge and Small Island winemakers, learning all things winemaking. The chardonnay was delicious.

We then head to the Lexus showroom.

We make our way down a side alley to a discreet door, we enter, are offered tea and told we may make our way freely through the showroom at our leisure. Inspecting some very lovely Lexus while taking in the ambience. 

We are introduced to one of the owners and chefs, Sophie who gives us a brief rundown of how the night will go and then shown to our table.

Photography: Courtesy of Omotenashi/Luke Burgess

Owners and chefs Lachlan and Sophie are our hosts and welcome us like family. We are introduced to them, their vision and what to expect from the rest of the night. Being such an intimate setting, we the guests all introduce ourselves and before long the guests and hosts are interacting freely and without worry.

The crockery/lacquer wear is all antique, sourced from Japan, including our Sake cups and we are invited to select our favorite from a tray. Matched sakes are included and we are invited to request as many refills as we like by placing our cup on the bar and not to be shy about doing so. 

We watch in awe as Lachlan prepares the starting courses before our eyes with all of the skill and ease of a master sushi chef.

We begin with sashimi scallop, with apple from the Huon Valley and strips of okaka, thinly sliced and dried bonito.

Next up we have abalone, with liver sauce, vegetables and artichoke sushi (rice ball). It is my first time trying abalone which is highly prized in Asia and although sourced in Tasmania, most of ours does make it's way to the Asian market. It was lovely and the umami liver sauce was rich and delicious. The vegetables were were lightly blanched and their fresh flavours shone through. The addition of Chilian Guava berries was delightful and the first time I had seen them on a menu. The sushi was excellent. Can we also talk about the outstanding presentation and addition of wattle flowers?!

Following on was a bowl of warm and I must say, warming dashi broth.

We are then introduced to the sashimi courses. Whiting, rock lobster and bonito.

The whiting is served only with river salt which we are informed is to provide crunch. The fish is excellent and the crunch really elevated the dish,

Rock lobster or crayfish as we call it in Tasmania is not uncommon, especially around Christmas time. I had never had it raw before. It was incredibly delicate. Having sashimi with no sauces or extra accompaniments also really spotlights the flavour of the fish.

I had to google bonito: it's a fish in the same family as tuna and mackerel and looking at it now I can see it in the flesh of the sashimi and also how bonito flakes and dashi have such a meaty flavour. This bonito served with egg yolk and dashi was absolutely wonderful. One of my meal highlights.

To follow we are made individual maki rolls of bluefin tuna. The crunch of the nori sheet sourced from Kyoto is delightful.

We commence our next set of dishes with Chawanmashi, a steamed egg custard. Which is super light but also warming and hearty, if that makes sense?

The sake pairings are excellent and possibly the first time I had tried/enjoyed quality sake. The intricacies of sake is fascinating and the tasting notes are as many and varied as that of wine or whisky.

Following on from this is our second whiting of the evening, served grilled. Whiting is an excellent fish and not one I have eaten much of since the move south.

The next three dishes I think would be considered our main/s. And flavourful mains at that. The first was, I would almost describe as a warm potato salad with brocolli fleurettes and mushroom and was very very moreish.

The hotpot bowl of dashi, vegetables and the most wonderful grilled moshi (another highlight of the meal.

And the gohan dish of scallops on rice which had a flavour which isn't unfamilar to me but difficult to describe The scallops were perfection and the garlicy rice was [insert happy, yummy pleased sound here]. It had that feeling of 'home' when you ate it. And on a cold winter night these three dishes really warmed the cockles.

Then we move onto desserts: Meyer lemon ice cream with lemon curd. Presented in such a perfect capsule. Sophie announces that she could only present it like this to us as we've had such a fun night as a group. The mother of pearl spoon apparently conducts the temperature differently to metal and will affect the taste accordingly.

All I can say is the dessert definitely tasted amazing.

And to round out the night, a rhubarb and matcha mochi .

Dad and I were beyond amazed by this dining experience. The hosts , the food, the experience, the location and even the addition of our fellow guests just made this a once-in-a-lifetime evening (though I hope I can go again soon). I made a statement recently in that this was in the top 3 dining experiences of my life with the 3 Michelin starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay click here to read and the Michelin starred Number One at Balmoral here. I still can't believe how lucky I was to have had the opportunity to dine here. I don't know If I'm still a fine dining Beck, but I had a most wonderful night.

Sophie and Lachlan are amazing and I wish them all the luck in the world. In any other capital city, I imagine this restaurant would have a 3 to 6 month waitlist and charge $500 a head. I'll just count my blessings that I live in Tasmania.

Cost $300 per person.

Omotenashi

Lexus Showroom

Elizabeth Street Hobart