Sofuto Kuriimu

If you are in Kyoto this summer you'd be well advised to get yourself acquainted with the local/latest 'soft cream' flavours.   

Now of course vanilla is a no brainer - but top row, middle is Matcha - or powdered quality Japanese green tea and to its right is black sesame.  Both delicious choices in traditional Japanese sweet flavours.  Give them a shot while you are in town. 

Below are Kyarameru (caramel), ramune ( Japanese cider or soda pop) - very refreshing and finally - Miruku (Milk!) yes Milk ice cream is all the rage these days..... because ice cream doesn't normally have milk right???? ;)  Love it! anyway - it's all about the pure milk flavour.... In fact I want one now. And it's getting pretty chilly here! And, to be fair, some ice cream in Japan is made from soy milk - which is also really delicious! Try it!

This is a community service announcement.... no, really, it gets freakin' hot in Kyoto town from June to September but particularly July/August  - be warned. Take ice cream money!

Wine and Confit Ikariya Shokudou

It's  that time of year when Kyoto-ites make the most of the summer heat and the end of the rainy season by eating in the open air, over the cool river. 

The many, many restaurants that line the western edge of the Kamogawa (Kamo river) construct platforms (yuka) that extend from their restaurants out over the flowing water with an uninterrupted view of the greenery opposite.  

Although in reality it may not be so cool and refreshing - it is the impression or the idea of something that should or could be - that makes it all worthwhile in a country where summer is so hot and humid it  is sometimes difficult to breathe. It is really more a stimulus for the mind over actual physical conditions. Which, if you are open to it, and the Japanese certainly are, can make things just a little bit more bearable. 

The thing that originally drew us to Ikariya (opened 2011) was the promise of whole chicken confit on the menu board at the restaurant's entrance... I mean, confit anything and I'll probably give it a go - but the main reason for our excitement is that it's rather difficult to find a whole chicken anywhere in Kyoto. They're not generally sold in supermarkets and food halls etc (unless it's Xmas and you order them in) as so few people have an oven big enough to cook them in  - toaster ovens are the name of the game in pocket sized Japanese kitchens. And let's face it  -whole birds aren't so easy to eat with chopsticks...

 Having said that, I've noticed a roast chicken specialty restaurant had opened recently, and the odd whole chook sneaking in to high end fresh produce stores... so it is clearly becoming more popular.

We were welcomed into 'Ikariya' by a charming waiter who spoke very good English - which was a nice surprise. Furthering our delight was his ability to converse about the wonderful range of wine they had on offer  - many of them by the glass.   

We ate a range of dishes from the eclectic but French leaning menu, all of them good and at a very reasonable price. Some of the yuka restaurants tend to make you pay a significant cover charge for the privilege of being seated outdoors. I think there may have been a small surcharge of a few hundred yen at Ikariya but it was totally worth it. The service was excellent, the food flavoursome and well handled, the wine really lovely and the setting couldn't have been more perfect for an early dinner on a summer's eve in Kyoto town. 

You will find the restaurant entrance on the east side of  Kiyamachi street - south of Shijo street. Look out for the cute Rooster and anchor emblem on the sign out the front. 

Open 5pm - 12am (another lovely surprise as late closes are rare in Kyoto town) 

075 276 2067

Homemade Ume-shu (Japanese Plum Wine)

Hello! This post has been moved to HERE at ZENBU TOURS.

Adelaide . January 2013

So it's June already.... and Adelaide was.. ?? in January. blah. Where do the months go?

It was a quick trip (thankfully as the temperature hovered in the early 40C's every day we were in town - let's not mention the bush fires) so I'll make this post appropriately short in its honour!

First stop on the Gerardo magical whirlwind reminiscence tour of Adelaide was a visit to his old University campus. A rather gorgeous place to be studying your arse off earning first class honours in Oenology. Alas that was long ago and sadly I'm not swanning around playing winemaker' missus, bathing in vino and having grape skin facials... maybe one day.

The following day we stopped for lunch at The Locavore in Stirling, in the Adelaide Hills.

 It was spot on - $15 for a very good burger, hand cut chips and a very nice glass of red - mid week special. No brainer.  Local ingredients, food cooked with care, nice space, friendly service. Must try for dinner next time.

After lunch we took a leisurely drive through the pretty Adelaide Hills area (only about 25 minutes from the centre of Adelaide) and made a random pitstop at the Howard vineyard for a tasting. 

Worth a look if you are in the area - there were a couple of standouts. But don't ask me for their names as those we bought are long gone! However I snapped a pic of the bottle below so am thinking we must have liked it... booze, extreme heat, long drive = mutated memory. 

In the heart of Chinatown, and situated near the rear exit of the Adelaide markets is T-Chow. The  old-school Chinese joint serving very decent food was packed with plenty of discerning looking diners - a really interesting mix of local Chinese folk and semi-hipsters (and us) ! 

Delectably lardy spring onion pancakes 

dumplings with ginger in vinegar

Sweetly spiced E-Shan chicken /greens/Cumin lamb

Salt and Pepper Moreton Bay bugs

G's fond memories of past T-Chow meals were behind his choice of B'day luncheon venue and we were all pretty happy with his menu selection.... even the fried ice cream (yes, it was HIS b'day not mine!).

Afterwards we found it too hot to walk the streets so we took his mum back to watch a movie in our hotel room to stop us all from expiring. 

The next day we scratched the hire car and paid $1000 for the joy of it! 

A short, hot, expensive jaunt.

At least we had some decent food! (and got to spend some quality time with G's mum and brother of course...)

The End. 

Strolling on a Kyoto Summer's Eve

With the weather currently still so cold in Kyoto town it feels a little odd to be posting about summer but that is a direct indication of  how far I am behind the 8 ball with sorting through my images.  

Spring is doing its thing in Japan right now and the Ume (plum) are blooming  - albeit much later than usual due to the long, cold winter the country is experiencing.  (did I mention I am green with envy?) The Sakura (cherry blossoms) will be smiling shortly and I'm craving a visit... fortunately I won't have to wait long... but I digress. As I tend to do. 

Sydney is moving into the slightly cooler weather of Autumn - thank God! I've made it through my first back-to-back summer experience - and concede that Kyoto feels about 20 times hotter and more humid than Sydney.  So in farewell to summers far and near I'm giving you a little taste of the more pleasant side of the season in Kyoto. In previous posts I have vented, in colourful detail, about  my extreme dislike for the incredible heat and humidity experienced from around June to end September in Kyoto's bonchi (basin) so it really is about time I say something positive. 

If I'm honest - the very start and end of  summer are bearable - I'm an Aussie and I can hack it (just) -  but July and August are slash your wrists intense. You will thank me for this warning - don't bother attempting to travel around Kyoto at that time of the year unless you are super hard core or have accommodation with excellent air conditioning and a swimming pool and don't mind living in a slick of your own sweat at all other times - or feeling as though you are going to collapse every few meters as you walk at a zombie like pace through air that is as dense as a swamp.  I did say I was going to report something positive right?... let me see..

It was August so there was no way we were heading out on an adventure at any time other than evening to visit the Gojozaka/Kiyomizu-yaki ceramic festival.  We started our walk at the gates of the Yasaka jinja above. I loved seeing dating young couples dressed in yukata (a lightweight cotton Kimono) - romance was definitely in the air.  Tick.

And that's my boy dressed in his colorful best - all in ode to the season of course - and Uniqlo!

 Looking back towards the city along Shijo dori (street) we had fun spotting the summer roof-top beer bars and watching the usually reserved locals letting their hair down. That's what summer is in Kyoto. It's too freakin' hot to pretend you are feeling fresh and breezy - you just have to drink enough ice cold beer to put you to sleep for the night!

As the sun sank into the mountains the light hitting the vermilion paint of the Yasaka Shrine drew us in like moths to a flame. 

Someone's happy. One of the most important parts of the summer festival is Obon (when the spirits of the dead return to earth to visit their families before being sent back on their way a few days later - the lantern light, floating candles and the bonfires of Daimonji and Co to illuminate their path) - for which fun (and supposedly spooky) seasonal lanterns like these above and below-were displayed along the cobbled streets leading to Kiyomizu Temple area. 

Some lanterns are just beautiful as they are - like this business signage which you can see all year round.

The sun continued to set but sadly it didn't get any cooler - it is a really good thing that Kyoto is so gorgeous....

A gorgeous old noren (split curtain) at a local restaurant

Sake vending machine - almost as important as beer

Rickshaws are popular around Kyoto tourist spots and let me tell you those boys are super-fit  - and often pretty cute. Some of the best -looking and friendliest menfolk in Kyoto are pulling rickshaws - a rather smart initiative on the part of the rickshaw business owners!

Local crafts, bags etc made with Kimono material 

Back out onto the main drag of Higashioji dori we came across the Rokudo Mairi festival (sign above) attached to the Rokudo Chinnouji temple - it marks the commencement of Obon so thought we'd better check out on route to the ceramics festival - it was only a minor detour after all.  And just slightly more important in the scheme of things.

Chinese lantern plant - in keeping with the lantern theme - very popular at this time of the year

Incense  - an important part of temple and home life in Japan

Wafting the incense plume over selves and written prayers for good luck, good health and happiness

Summer means Kakigori time - shaved ice drizzled with sweet syrups

It seems the flavour of the day is Ramune below ( Japanese lemonade)

Floral offerings

The festival continues on the street

More Kakigori - in flavours of strawberry, lemon, melon, grape, orange, apple, cola, black sugar etc

At a temple around the corner a mother shows her son how to get the gods' attention 

Up high I spot a family looking down at us... they all look scarily similar

Back on Gojo Dori (street) we finally reach our intended destination - the ceramics fair. It wasn't exactly what we were anticipating...

Hand cut gourd lamps above and freaky character soft toys and cushions below... not quite ceramics but fun to see anyway

Cold drinks, burgers and cosplay

Walking back towards home we came across the familiar sites and scents of Gion

The Kamogawa (Kamo river) was helpfully lit for strolling during Tanabata (the star festival) - and for spirit guidance ....

The lovely thing about summer's eves in Kyoto town is that you get to see people out and about, having fun and relaxing. During winter most people are tucked up in their homes quite early in an attempt to keep as warm as possible. 

Local buildings are strewn with bright lanterns

Come on - it's time to go home....

Or... maybe just one ice cold beer ( literally on ice) with a couple of delicious snacks from one of our favourite joints on Pontocho - Ajiro (Kushiyaki-ya and Obanzai - ie things grilled on sticks and Kyoto homestyle dishes).

Taro cooked in dashi, a mayonnaise dressed salad of cooked seasonal veg, fried eggplant

Who knew ice + beer could be so damn good. This particular variety is only available in Summer - it was slightly fruity and extremely refreshing. When I returned to the same place in autumn the beer was available in a new seasonal flavour - with slightly more spice in the mix. I LOVE that about Japan. There are enough people to manufacture a beer (or other food or liquor product) just for one season. 

Gobo - burdock in a sesame dressing

Excellent Chicken Karaage

Huge  and deliciousTsukune ( chicken meatballs - yakitori) 

Grilled Bacon and cheese ( bloke's choice...)

This curious medicine shop is on route to our place  - I am always completely fascinated with what's in the window and hadn't noticed until recently how very cheeky that monkey is...

Same to you buddy!

Skulls, snakes, snake eggs... you know that kind of thing...