Tokyo Tonkatsu

We had just taken a wander down Harajuku Street in search of the cosplay girls – unfortunately we didn’t come across many weird and wonderful costumes, but we did manage to track down a fantastic Tonkatsu restaurant not far away.

Maisen has the reputation of serving up some of the best Tonkatsu in Tokyo, and it was certainly popular when we visited. We had to sit and wait around twenty minutes for a table, despite the large capacity of this restaurant - although the front of the restaurant has counter-style dining, through the back this former public bathhouse offers a cavernous dining area.

Once finally seated we ploughed through the extensive menu. Maisen provides this deep fried delicacy in every which way, including a choice of different cuts of pork with each option – luckily we had a Japanese friend with us to translate or we would have been there even longer trying to figure it all out.

I couldn’t resist trying out the kurobuta - it’s what the place is famous for after all – and while Mr Greedy Glutton opted to have his served straight up, I chose the special of the day which had my Tonkatsu accompanied by a selection of interesting dishes.



As good as each accompanying dish was (I have no idea what half of them were, but I didn’t have any complaints about any of them), the highlight was undoubtedly the famous Tonkatsu – the pork was thick, juicy and meltingly tender, the breadcrumb coating crisp and light – and smothered with the sweet, tangy Tonkatsu sauce, it was just heavenly.



So if you find yourself in Tokyo with a Tonkatsu craving, you could do a lot worse than head to Maisen – it really does deserve the reputation that precedes it.

Maisen - 4-8-5 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku

Tokyo Ramen

The best thing about staying with locals when you visit a new city for the first time is that they can help you track down hidden gems you would never have discovered on your own… just like Man-Riki-Ya, a cozy and casual ramen joint in the charming neighbourhood of Azabu Juban.



The place was pretty crowded when we arrived, but they managed to squeeze us in on one of the shared wooden tables, so we could partake in some hearty noodle slurping.



Between us we ordered up a wide variety of ramen dishes, which were all swiftly churned out of the open kitchen. My pork version offered up a generous serving of tender roast pork swimming in a flavoursome clear broth, which despite its excellence, I struggled to finish.



Not that we needed it, but we couldn’t resist a side order of Gyoza, and if you check out the picture below – you’ll see why. These proved to be a worthwhile accompaniment – crisp on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside, tasting every bit as good as they looked.



So two meals down in Tokyo – and two very satisfied Greedy Gluttons.

Man-Riki-Ya, 2-3-2 Azabu Juban - http://www.adhams.co.jp/manrikiya/

Okonomiyaki

From Beijing we flew to Tokyo, where we began an eight day love affair with Japanese cuisine. I had arrived with a long list of all the different food I wanted to check out, and our genial hosts helped us kick this off, with some homemade Osaka-style Okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki is often described as Japanese pizza – but in reality it is nothing of the sort. There’s no pizza dough or tomato sauce for starters – and it isn’t even oven baked. Instead, a base of batter and cabbage is mixed together, and then (like a pizza, I grant you) a selection of ingredients are selected according to taste. Unlike a pizza, these are all mixed in together before being pan-fried to crispy perfection. This evening, we were treated to such seafood delights as octopus, prawns and squid, with the dish being finished off with strips of bacon.



Once ready to eat, we smothered the piping hot patties with lashings of okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and dried fish flakes.



Sounds so simple… tastes so delicious (or “oishi!” as I learnt to say in Japanese)… A promising start to the love affair.

My Book is Published!

Here it is... the moment I have been waiting for...



My book finally hit the shops this week! It's a very exciting time as I'm sure you can imagine. So if you fancy a look at In Singapore: 60 Fabulous Adventures in the City, then get down to a good book shop now! (overseas peeps may need to wait a while longer).

Of course there is an 'Eat, Drink and be Merry' section - it just wouldn't be a Greedy Glutton book without it!

Here is the blurb from the back cover to give you a bit more of an idea of what it is all about:

If you’ve ever heard or said “there’s nothing to do in Singapore except eat and shop”, then this book is for you. The pages are jam-packed with fun and interesting activities to keep you entertained during your stay in Singapore. From exploring World War II tunnels, to swinging through trees, taking a trip on a Chinese junk boat or tucking into a plate of chilli crab, there really is something for everyone in this fast-paced, ever-changing city-state.

Highly illustrated with photographs and complete with all the important information you will need, sections include Take a Hike, Cultural Interest, Eat, Drink & Be Merry, Entertaining the Kids, and Just for Fun. Whether you are visiting for a weekend or staying longer-term, you need never be at a loose end in Singapore again.

Enjoy!

Oodles of Noodles

We did our fair share of fine dining in fancy restaurants in Beijing, but one of our favourite finds was the Noodle Bar. This unpretentious little place only seats twelve noodle slurpers at a time at its u-shaped counter, emulating a Japanese sushi bar with its fun communal dining in an intimate space.



In full view of the diners, the two chefs busy themselves tending to the large vats of soup and entertaining their guests with their impressive skills as they knead and hand-pull the noodles.





Large steaming bowls of noodles are served up within minutes of you making your order, and this doesn't take long it itself as the menu is rather limited – Beef noodle soup with a choice of brisket, tendon or tripe, and thin or thick noodles. They also had a special ‘noodle of the month’ when we visited – Noodles with Pork Ribs.



We checked out both the Pork Rib special and the Beef Brisket and… oh my goodness, this is possibly the best noodle soup I have ever tasted.



The broth was rich and flavoursome, the noodles just the right side of chewy and the meat just melting off the bone... For a noodle soup fan like me, this was pretty close to heaven let me tell you…

If you happen to find yourself in Beijing – do yourself a favour and get down to the Noodle Bar, and if you have to queue, then queue – it will be worth the wait, I promise.

The Noodle Bar, Beijing
1949 - The Hidden City. Courtyard 4, Gong Ti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
(Opposite Pacific Century Place South gate)

Dinner in the Hutong

We were utterly exhausted after dragging ourselves round Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Beihei Park, Houhai Lake, and up the Drum Tower… so were delighted to reach the many bars of Nanluogu Xiang in the Dongcheng Hutong area to sit down and partake in a few Tsing Taos.

Once our feet had finally stopped throbbing and our thirst was eventually quenched, we set off down the dark backstreet alley of Banchang Hutong to find our dining destination of the evening – The Source. This cosy little restaurant is housed in a renovated traditional Qing Dynasty courtyard house, where private dining rooms surround the pomegranate trees of the outdoor courtyard area.

It being October, the weather was too cold for us to enjoy any alfresco dining action, so we made ourselves comfortable in the main dining area, where the antique style furnishings and strains of Peking Opera made us feel like guests in the home of some wealthy old Beijing family.



The staff too went out of their way to make us feel at home and showed us round the courtyard on arrival and checked our eating preferences – was there anything we didn’t eat? How spicy could we take our food? This being a Szechuan restaurant, we were slightly cautious but bravely told them it was ok, we enjoy the heat!

There followed a procession of delightful Szechuan specialties (dining is by set menu only at the Source), kicking off with some pickled green beans with chilli and peanuts, and some mushrooms with a spicy dip. These were closely followed by a chicken broth which was perfect for warming the bones on a cold Beijing evening.

Next up was a Cold Spicy Beef salad served with Salad Leaves in Vinegar



And then the main courses – a fiery Duck with Chillis and Beans



The sumptuously sweet and sticky Pretzels with Rolled Bacon



And Green Beans with those tongue numbing Szechuan Peppercorns.



This innovative selection of dishes were all delicious and, as you can see by the dose of chillis and peppercorns in the dishes, pretty darn spicy! But given that there is no heating in the Hutong, we were glad of the internal heat.

The friendly staff attitude didn’t end with the meal either… The chef came out to speak to us once we were finished to check we had enjoyed the meal (we had!) and to ensure us that if there was anything we didn’t like she could adapt the meal to suit us next time. And once we were ready to leave, those helpful folk at the Source insisted on walking us out down the alley to the main road and stayed with us until we’d managed to flag down a cab – now that’s service!

The Source, Beijing - http://www.yanclub.com/wwwsite/source/SOURCE.htm