Takenoko Time! たけのこ

 In Japan the months of April and May are when skyward shooting bamboo have their lives cut short in order for the tender young shoots (takenoko) make their way into stores,  restaurants and onto the dining tables of discerning home cooks. The store above and below, in the northern section of the Teramachi shopping arcade, always showcases the very best fresh bamboo shoots (at a price). Some are preserved or pickled for use in the off season.  The store also showcases very fine quality, expensive mushrooms such as matsutake when they decide to pop their heads out of the earth in the autumn months. 

Below one of the store workers peels and trims the coarse, papery skin from the raw bamboo shoots

A few minutes away in Nishiki koji - a long, narrow food market also referred to as Kyoto no daikokoro or Kyoto's kitchen you can also find the prepped bamboo, often already boiled in water with nuka (rice bran) to remove any impurities - and ready to prepare any way you like. Think canned bamboo shoots only a million times better! Cooking bamboo from scratch requires a bit of work so many people buy them already prepped to this stage. 

Bamboo shoots in season are wonderfully sweet and nutty - with hints of sweetcorn and young coconut  - it is a real treat to consume these beauties fresh and young before they start to become more fibrous. A very simple and common way of preparing them is to simmer in dashi with some wakame through the end - the flavours marrying so well together - a vegetarian surf and turf if I may be so crass (recipe in my book Zenbu Zen - see Wakatake no Nimono). I love the mellow, earthy but seaspray fragrant combination.

Slices of the young bamboo shoot are also great crumbed and deep-fried or added to soups or simmered dishes. Also Takenoko Gohan or bamboo shoot rice is delicious, the flavour made more nutty by the addition of small nuggets of golden fried tofu (recipe also in Zenbu Zen).   Kinome (fresh sansho leaves also in season at this time) finely chopped through the rice adds a refreshing peppery, citrus like accent  - just deeevine. All simple dishes which showcase the natural beauty and pure flavours of the ingredients at their peak. 

I recently enjoyed this dish below in one of my favourite izakaya's in Kyoto - bamboo shoot sushi! Seasoned rice with finely chopped, aromatic shiso leaves, tucked into bamboo shoot rings and served with a little mellow umeboshi (pickled plum) paste. Served with good quality salty soy for dipping. So good.

Wantsuchi Ramen - Kyoto

Kyoto's Wantsuchi (10,000 pigs) restaurant,  situated just outside the western exit of Nishiki Market (just a couple of shops in from the corner where Nishiki and Takakura streets intersect) is famous for their black sesame tantanmen (a spicy noodle soup related to the Chinese/Sechuan Dan Dan noodles with pork mince and loads of roasted black sesame seeds) among other Chinese influenced porky delights. Aren't all porky things delightful....??

To be perfectly honest the Tantanmen was not completely to my taste - pleasant enough to begin with but I found the flavour just a little overwhelming by the time I reached the bottom of the bowl. (no of course I didn't think to stop when I'd had enough...)  This particular dish was rather spicy too which is always a little lost on me but I know many ramen afficianados who would be very happy to dive into the molten mass. 

It's a jumping joint, like most ramen eateries - people are generally in and out, slurping and sliding. 

We were a group of about 8 in for some starch to soak up our farewell party martinis so we probably lingered a little longer than normal, annoying a small, hungry mob waiting for tables but it meant we were able to try some of their giant gyoza.. ( Note the size of the regular gyoza below to the right.)

 and a couple of other, non soupy noodle dishes like the version below with pork mince and plenty of black sesame and spring onion - minus the broth.  I have it on good authority that their pork belly dishes are very good and that means I need to return.. so more on that some other time.  

It was a nice change to be able to order some greens alongside your ramen..

The grapefruit sawah (sours) are a very refreshing accompaniment to all that rich piggy goodness. I love that the fresh citrus is brought to your table for squeezing into your glass as much or as little as you like... you don't want to water down the alcohol too much right?

All in all it got the thumbs up from the group (documented below) but it's probably not my favourite Ramen shop in Kyoto town. It it however, one of the most convenient if you are in the city shopping area/CBD - and to be honest, I'm pathetically fussy so do try it for yourself and let me know your opinion.  And try the pork belly for me ! It is open for lunch from 11am and for dinner  - closing at 11:30 pm.   

Here's a link in Japanese - remember to use Google translate. There is a map to help you. 

*Hot tip if coming from Shijo street -  find the eastern corner of Daimaru department store and head north up that street until you hit the west exit of Nishiki market. Turn left - and it's just a couple of doors up on your left. Look for the pigs inside on the wall! 

Thanks for the recommendation Jesse S.