Category: Restaurant Reviews

Crying a Thousand Beautiful Tears into my Tofu

On my business trip, I had an overnight in Kyoto, and my coworker and I stopped to get lunch at Kyoto Station before going to our hotel. While I’m partial to the “solid tofu”(katatôfu [堅豆腐]) of the Kaga region, I also love Kyoto’s yuba (ゆば, 湯葉), the “tofu skin” and didn’t want to leave the city without eating…

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The Best Sakura Soft Cream in Town: Kyokusuien

I had a hell of a time looking up the name to this hole-in-the-wall ice cream shop, but it’s actually hard to miss the storefront! Located at the base of the hill leading up to the Ishikawamon (石川門) Gate of Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen, Kyokusuien (曲水案) specializes in Japanese flavors of soft ice cream. While…

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Baudrillard and the Food Truck: Dragon Fest 2013

One of the aspects I hadn’t anticipated as much regarding my culture shock expectations was adjusting to Americanized- and fusion Japanese food, especially for foods that I encountered for the first time in Japan. This isn’t to say that American-Japanese food isn’t delicious–quite the contrary–but it can be a bit alarming at times to see…

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Kitchen Library 2013.06.11: Welcome to Seattle!

During my first week here, my friends took me out to some of their favorite brewpubs (and some new ones) and for once in my life, I’m grateful for the jet lag, since it’s the perfect “excuse” to drink all the coffee. Came to the right city for that! Six Arms/McMenamins I missed you, cheese!…

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Yes, You Should Try Soy-Sauce Ice Cream (Yamato Soy Sauce & Miso Company)

I probably don’t need to mention how much I love “weird” local flavors of ice cream. In fact, I’m not sure I really need to preface this post with an explanation about how soy-sauce ice cream sounds a bit odd to people unfamiliar with Japanese “savory” flavors used in sweet ice cream.

Hug Chai Works: Get Your Bagel Fix in Kanazawa

Hug Chai Works (ハグチャイワークス) Location: Sainen, Kanazawa (Kencho Road/60 near Kanazawa Station) Type: Lunch, café Dietary: Meals are not vegetarian-friendly, but bagels and baked goods are. Language: Japanese Part of the reason I learned how to make my own bagels was that in Japan, really good bagels are not easy to find, especially outside of major metropolitan…

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Veg* Out in Kanazawa: Aashirwad

Aashirwad (アシワード) Location: Kohrinbo, Kanazawa Type: Indian/Nepalese; lunch, dinner Veg status: vegetarian friendly Languages: Japanese and English (menus, staff)

Noppo-kun (Veg* Out in Kanazawa Series)

Noppo-kun (のっぽくん) Location: Nonoichi (near Kanazawa) Type: Café, Lunch Veg status: all vegetarian; vegan friendly Language: Japanese (but most of the dishes are on display on the counter)

Earth Café (Veg* Out in Kanazawa Series)

Earth Café (アースカフェ) Location: Kanazawa City, Ishikawa pref. Type: Café, Lunch Veg Status: Completely vegan Languages: Japanese, English (bilingual menus and staff) To put it simply, Earth Café gets vegan food right. Despite enjoying cooking vegan food at home, I am often wary of it in restaurants. Just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy–…

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