Bessie, a pig's foot and a bottle of beer.. and some incredible oysters

Ricky and Mitsuko know good food. They are responsible for introducing me to Kyoto's superb and sprawling wholesale markets, helping me acquire my prized soba knife, recommending fine restaurants with reasonable prices and most recently, providing a small bunch of us with a very special Sunday lunch.

We kicked off with champagne and huge, uber fresh oysters served with momiji oroshi daikon (finely grated daikon and red chilli), spring onions and lemon before moving onto Mitsuko's famous gelatinous, sticky pigs feet simmered in soy and mirin - nibbled to the sounds of  Bessie Smith's "Gimme a pig's foot and a bottle of beer".  

Steamed rice with sweet lap cheong and vegetables and a shredded raw cabbage salad with crisp, fried noodles and a light soy dressing would have made wonderful accompaniments on their own but then Bridget turned up with young brussel sprouts tossed with a sesame dressing and some teensy baby cabbages from the Ohara farmers' market which Mitsuko quickly blanched and drizzled with oyster sauce  - and the feast suddenly grew - perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon's grazing.  If I recall correctly there was a certain amount of excellent sake and beer consumed. 

Roll Keeki (Swiss roll)  - the cake of the moment in Japan  - was served for dessert with some delectable citron and cassis macarons before great coffee, liqueurs and Mitsuko's superb naked almond florentines were brought out....   all under the watchful eye of our little piggy friend (no not me!)  - presented to our hosts by the lovely Dr Ana in honour of the occasion. 

It was yet another fine Kyoto meal in great company. Feeling rather tipsy I would have absolutely loved to have rolled home to bed afterwards (spot the telltale pic of drunken silliness - a group effort...)  however I had a  Korean banquet to attend. Directly after our long, leisurely lunch I walked over to another friend's place where we commenced dinner - there would have been half an hour between meals.... It is a good thing I am well practiced.... And that Korean is so light and fresh  - I soon forgot that I was already well stuffed - more on that soon!

Mayumi's Kitchen

My friend Mayumi is a natural born cook and a wonderful source of foodie information for me. I'm constantly picking up hints and tips about recipes and Japanese food culture. Mayumi was taught how to cook from an early age by her mother - a tradition that has been dying out in Japan over the last few decades.  

Recently I was invited to a wonderful dinner with her family and she allowed me to snap away at some of her creations.  Tempura of early spring vegetables, a huge chawan mushi,  kaki furai (fried oysters),  furofuki daikon and tofu with homemade miso, daikon greens with chirimen and umeboshi,  yuba donburi and pickles.  Heaven. 

After which we retreated to a cosy room upstairs (where Mayumi performs tea ceremony for friends and spends quiet time sewing together the most gorgeous crafty projects - this lady is truly talented in the home arts!) for coffee and a custard cream pie baked by Myong Hee!

An unexpected seaside mission

 

I wasn't planning a trip to Miyajima, a tiny island off the coast of Hiroshima, but as the tram drew closer to the port I felt I had no choice but to hop off and onto a waiting boat.  Very 007 of me. 

It was around midday by the time I had taken the 1.5 hour Shinkansen trip from Kobe so I grabbed an oyster croquette and a Chikuwa (fish paste wrapped around a stick) - for the lengthy 7 minute ride over to the island, god forbid I should starve during the journey. I chose Tako-negi (octopus and spring onion) which was surprisingly good but the selection above included asparagus and bacon, potato and bacon, cheese and bacon ( there's a theme here), crab, squid, oyster, burdock, red onion and shiso, prawn, or fish roe..  highly recommended street food. This stand is just in front of the ferry entrance but there are plenty more vendors once you reach the other side 

 

The Itsukushima jinja (shrine) is said to appear to "float on the water"... in high tide that is. Clearly my timing was a little off but fortunately I had previously experienced it in all its glory so it was a good opportunity to watch both kids and adults excitedly playing on the recently revealed sandbank.

And yes, there are sacred deer roaming the island but they are clearly so over the tourists that they mostly ignore them or arrogantly nudge their pockets looking for a snack - cash or cigarettes, I am not quite sure which. They honestly appeared so damn bored and depressed I felt like putting them out of their misery.  One woman spent about 10 minutes cajoling this fella to simply look in her direction and I am pretty sure he gave her the bird before yawning and resuming his gravel gazing.  Last time I was here, about 10 years ago, they were happy, wide-eyed little deer wishing to play.... awwww... Time, and too many tourists, will take its toll on all of us. 

Souvenirs are always in plentiful supply around large shrine or temple areas in Japan and fortunately foodie items feature heavily. There are also a plethora of places to eat - can you guess what local specialty is in season right now?

OK, if you didn't guess oysters you do not get to pass go, do not collect 20,000 yen. Freshly shucked, grilled over a hibachi, musubi (onigiri), au gratin - or go for the set lunch above including kaki furai ( crumbed and deep fried) and sunomono (fresh with vinegar dressing).

And it did. Take home a pack of Anago-man (conger eel steamed buns) or stop and try one on the spot - they were light as a feather with a filling of delicious anago in a slightly spicy ginger sauce.  Or try another chikuwa perhaps?

Of course Okonomiyaki is a staple in Hiroshima and on Miyajima you can find them filled with, yep you guessed it - oysters or ... chikuwa!

Sweet-tooth? Try the soft serve ice cream made from delectable local Mikan (mandarins) or the Momiji ( maple leaf shaped cakes filled with sweet bean paste, custard, chocolate, mikan jelly or cream cheese). I prefer mine straight but if you want em battered and fried - go right ahead. 

So now the little buggers decide to show off for the cameras....

and they weren't the only ones.... cheers boys

erm.. time to head back to town then....