Japan Photo Guide » Food of Japan

Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki

babibubebo — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:37:26 +0000

Going back to food, two of my favorite dishes in Japan are shabu shabu and sukiyaki, both of which are kinds of “nabe.” I like to describe this as Japanese fondue, except there isn’t cheese or chocolate (which is a too bad). Nabe dishes are ones where the ingredients come raw and you cook them in some kind of soup stock at your table (hence the Japanese fondue comparison). One major difference with this is that the beef (or sometimes pork) comes sliced very thin so the cooking time is just a few seconds, depending on how you like you meat cooked of course. After cooking, usually there is something to dip your food in. For example, for shabu shabu there are two sauces, a ponzu sauce and a sesame sauce and for sukiyaki it is common to dip your beef in raw egg (I am not a fan of this one to be honest). Of the photos below, the one of the left is sukiyaki and the one on the right is shabu shabu.

In addition to being very tasty, eating these nabe dishes are a good and fun experience and a must while visiting Japan, especially if you like beef. You can find places all over Japan, both local shops and chains; however, there are two that I want to recommend (both of which are “all you can eat”)!

The first one I want to recommend is called Shabuzen, which is the place that the above photos are from. There are Shabuzens all over Japan and most of them are more or less the same, but here is a link to the Roppongi Shabuzen. Shabuzen has the reputation as being one of the highest quality shabu shabu restaurants and doesn’t come at a cheap price. If you just go with the basic all you can eat course, which includes all you can eat beef and vegetables, it will cost around $40 USD. If you want you can upgrade the quality of beef or get seafood or other dishes. I think the prices go up to as high as $150 USD per person! I have not tried that one, but I can vouch for the basic one as being super delicious.

The other place I want to recommend is called Nabezo, also a chain throughout parts of Japan. I have been to the ones in Asakusa and Shinjuku. I actually prefer Nabezo for a couple of reasons. Not only is Nabezo a lot more affordable (starts around $18 USD), but also there more choices for soup stocks and for vegetables (in the form of a salad bar). Another possible advantage, depending on your carnivorous preferences, is that you automatically get pork and beef while some Shabuzens I could only get beef. Anyway, let’s take a look at the menu.

As you can see, there are four choices of broth/soup stock to cook your food in. Starting from number one (top left) and moving counter clockwise, we have your regular shabu shabu, then sukiyaki (which is a little sweet), then kimochi style (spicy) and last tonkotsu (which is pork based stock, a little salty). Another great thing about Nabezo is that you can choose two different ones to cook your food in. Below I decided on tonkotsu and sukiyaki. If you can read Japanese, here is a list of the Nabezo Restaurants and here is a link to SunnyPages.jp about the Nabezo in Ginza.

Nakamoto Spicy Ramen in Ikebukuro

babibubebo — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:29:13 +0000

Before I had ramen in Japan, I thought ramen only came in the form of “almost tasteless instant ramen” that costs like 30 cents for a single bag. I had no idea how many different kinds of ramen there are(Sapporo and Fukuoka quickly come to mind as two of the most famous kinds) or exactly how delicious ramen can be. If you go almost anywhere in Japan, you will find tons of ramen ( ラーメン ) shops and probably will get something decent at most places. That being said, I have decided to share with you an excellent place in Ikebukro, Tokyo, Nakamoto with their spicy ramen, or I think they call it “tantan-men.”

If you like ramen and/or spicy food, you will like this place. First a warning though, it is REALLY spicy. Let me repeat that, it is REALLY spicy. I am not talking about wasabi spicy, I am talking super red chili pepper spicy. On their menu, they have a rating system from 0 to 5, of course 0 being not spicy and 5 being beyond comprehension spicy. As for myself, I like spicy food so I thought I could handle it and went with a level 3. This was barely eatable but after adding a lot of vinegar to cut back on the spiciness, it was delicious. My friend got a level 2 and it was still really really spicy, but much more eatable. After eating, we both got upset stomachs, but it was so good that even despite that, my friend wanted to go back the next day before he left Japan to go back to the USA. The next day we both went with level 2 and we both added a little vinegar and that was about perfect for me, just below my tolerance level for spiciness. If you make the trip, I suggest starting with 1 or 2 and then working your way up. Trust me it is spicier than you think it will be.

I made a very simple map for you. Basically, from Ikebukuro station, go out the exit OPPOSITE side of Sunshine City (Sunshine 60) and look for Maru Ichi Maru Ichi (circle one circle one, sometimes called Marui or Oi Oi). It is very close to there on the second floor. It is somewhat famous so if you ask somebody in the area where is Nakamoto, they can probably get you close.

Another warning, if you go at peak times you might have to wait a while to get a seat…

My friend suffering from eating two bowls in two days of Nakamoto’s spicy ramen.

Not really actually, I just wanted to use this photo of him assimilating to Japanese culture.

Here is another photo and some information about Nakamoto Ramen at World Ramen and another account of just how spicy it is.

Chashuman

babibubebo — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:38:49 +0000

Chashu is “Chinese” style pork that is usually boiled or grilled, and served sliced or sometimes in chunks. I used quotes because I have only had it Japan, so for all I know it could be different in Japan, you know like how in America, Chinese food isn’t really Chinese food and Japanese food usually is not really Japanese food (in my 3+ years I have never eaten or even seen teriyaki chicken). Anyway, chashu is usually served atop ramen, but sometimes you can order it as a side dish, or as my favorite, Chashuman. Chashuman comes in a couple different variations, but the one that is the best is this one that you can get from Family Mart. Don’t be fooled by impressions, notice the unique shape of this one (hint: it is not round)!

Chashu by itself is quite delicious, but there is something about putting it inside one of these doughy buns that just takes it to the next level. Be careful when eating it though, as it tends to be juicy and the juice tends to be pretty hot. First time I ate one of these, the juice definitely spilled on my shirt…but it was worth it!

So in conclusion…
Chashuman easily gets a 5 out of 5.

Gyozaman

babibubebo — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:05:27 +0000

Like pizzaman and chocoraman, gyozaman combines two things that I love, gyoza (which is the Japanese version of Chinese dumplings. In the USA often they are called “pot stickers”) and the fluffy, warm, doughy goodness of nikuman. So you might think that I am all about the gyozaman…

And in general, you would be right! To be fair though, I have somewhat of an obsession with gyoza, so it is hard for me not to like gyozaman. Also, they are a little more difficult to find compared to the others, so that adds to the appeal. The one complaint I do have is that it might be a little too doughy. I mean I know that is the nikuman part, but I think I prefer just the strait up gyoza to the gyozaman. By the way, if anyone is a super fan of gyoza like myself, I STRONGLY recommend checking out Gyoza Stadium, in Namja Town of the Sunshine 60 Building in Ikebukuro.

So in conclusion…
Gyozaman barely gets an 4 out of 5.

Pizzaman

babibubebo — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:54:03 +0000

I have already brought you chocoman and the run of the mill nikuman, now I present to you their Italian cousin, pizzaman! I love pizza and I live these doughy balls of goodness, so…
Compared to real pizza, pizzaman actually doesn’t quite cut it, but compared to Japanese pizza, it might be a step up! Seriously though, it is quite tasty; however it is a little heavy on the sauce side and not enough cheese. Also, usually the “toppings” are almost non existent. Actually, to be honest, I am not completely sure what is inside. There is some kind of tomato based sauce and I promise there is a little cheese (even though you can’t see it in these photos–really it is a little) and maybe some meat and a few vegetables. Maybe.

So in conclusion…
Pizzaman gets 3.5 out of 5.

Chocoman (chocolate “man”)

babibubebo — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:32:38 +0000

No, not Chocolate “Man” like a person, but pronounced “mahn.” Anyway, not too long ago I wrote about nikuman and mentioned that I would be missing it a lot. Like I said, there are many variations of nikuman and one such–and probably my favorite– is the chocolate one. There are a couple different chocolate ones I have found but the two I have photos of are just the regular chocolate “man” (commonly called chocoraman or chocoman) and the ever so sweet Belgium chocolate “man” (also known as Belgi chocoraman).

What is the difference? Well, besides obviously the color, the Belgi one is a little sweeter but if you are a chocolate lover (or just a liker) you will not be disappointed. Seriously, eating one of these is the perfect fix for any chocoholic. They are kind of like a warm chocolate cake with a hot chocolate fudge filling…. Yummy! Too bad they are usually only sold during the winter months….
Chocolate

Belgium Chocolate

So in conclusion…
Both of these get a perfect 5 out of 5!

tonkatsu

babibubebo — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:54:49 +0000

Sticking with the food theme, I have to share another food with you, tonkatsu. According to wikipedia, tonkatsu is:

Tonkatsu (豚カツ, とんかつ, or トンカツ), invented in the late 19th century, is a popular dish in Japan. It consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet one to two centimeters thick and sliced to bite-sized pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage. Either a pork fillet (ヒレ, hire) or pork loin (ロース, rōsu) cut may be used; the meat is usually salted, peppered and dipped in a mixture of flour, beaten egg and panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) before being deep fried.

I have a couple more months left in Japan, and before I leave I am on a mission to find the best tonkatsu in Japan. I have been to many restaurants and tried many different kinds of katsu, but so far my favorite has been a place called Saboten. There are two main kinds of tonkatsu, pork loin and fillet, I prefer the fillet because it has less fat. Of course Saboten has these but they also have many different variations like dishes with cheese, shiso and ume, minced meat, chicken or shrimp. Also, you get a small bowl of sesame and (i think?) poppy seeds to grind and then mix with the tonktasu sauce. Below is a photo from saboten’s site that shows one of their meals.

Anyway, I like I said, I am looking for the best tonkatsu in Japan, so if anyone has any recommendations, please please share them with me!

nikuman

babibubebo — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:18:02 +0000

I know this is Japan Photo Guide but since I will be leaving Japan around September I have started to think about what I will miss most. Besides the friends I have made and photographing Japan, the one thing I will miss the most is by far certain kinds of food that I will not be able to readily get (decent tasting anyway) back in the states. So I will be sharing with you some of my favorite foods that I will absolutely crave after leaving Japan.

The first one I am going to share with you is nikuman (肉まん). Nikuman is a hot flour dough bun filled with chopped pork. This is the basic kind and there are many different variations that I will be sharing with you later (such as pizzaman and chocoman)! These little delights are served mainly at convenient stores all over Japan usually only during the fall and winter seasons (sometimes you can find them in the summer randomly). These are great snacks that I will truly miss when I go back home.

So in conclusion…
Regular nikuman gets a 4 out of 5.