Japanese Food Appreciation Thread:
- Thread starter Etrian Oddity
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Etrian Oddity
Member
It's pretty ridiculous how great Austin's Japanese scene is.
You have:
Just off the top of my head.
FWIW, Maiko over on west 6th is extremely underrated and worth a trip. Happy hour there is great.
You have:
- Uchi
- Uchiko
- Musashino
- Kome
- Hanabi
- Tomo
- Soto
- Maiko
- Imperia
- DK
- Tatsuya
- Daruma
Just off the top of my head.
FWIW, Maiko over on west 6th is extremely underrated and worth a trip. Happy hour there is great.
Zoe
Member
You need to venture north more often 
I like Ryu of Japan (across from the Domain), but I haven't been there in a while. I heard the chef went to Daichi in Cedar Park which is the only place I know of that has katsu curry during dinner. Unfortunately not enough people were ordering croquettes and other fried foods so they took them off the menu before we could try them
Japanese food is more than just sushi people!
I like Ryu of Japan (across from the Domain), but I haven't been there in a while. I heard the chef went to Daichi in Cedar Park which is the only place I know of that has katsu curry during dinner. Unfortunately not enough people were ordering croquettes and other fried foods so they took them off the menu before we could try them
Japanese food is more than just sushi people!
rykomatsu
Member
wow, that's pretty hard to find in the SF Bay Area. The problem with kohada is that it's really easy to foul up and end up with a gamey taste/smell. Good for you
Chicken Teriyaki...actually, that's Californian or Canadian...lol
TheKaeptain
Banned
I've been hanging out with some new buddies and we always seem to eat Japanese food. Yakitori is really great. Any of you Japanese food dudes from LA?
Etrian Oddity
Member
Bah, the farthest north I travel is Musashino. I'm from San Marcos, southside represent!You need to venture north more often
I like Ryu of Japan (across from the Domain), but I haven't been there in a while. I heard the chef went to Daichi in Cedar Park which is the only place I know of that has katsu curry during dinner. Unfortunately not enough people were ordering croquettes and other fried foods so they took them off the menu before we could try them
Japanese food is more than just sushi people!
And I think I'm just indifferent to a lot of traditional Japanese comfort because, well, I grew up with that stuff. My grandma was from Japan, so all of that "exotic" fare was just everyday stuff to me. Sushi and avant-garde Tyson Cole creations are more appealing to me.
Yea, I ran to the car when I saw their Fukuoka catch for the day. The nigiri is all pretty tiny, but I'll be damned if they weren't perfectly crafted.wow, that's pretty hard to find in the SF Bay Area. The problem with kohada is that it's really easy to foul up and end up with a gamey taste/smell. Good for you
Thanks, that's all I needed!
Yes and I need more foodie buddies in LA! Have you given Shunji's a try yet?
TheKaeptain
Banned
Oh pico? Nope. I'll have to add it to my list of omakase places I need to go to. Can never find anyone down to go with me. Most of my friend's think it is too expensive. I've been wanting to go to Mako in Little Tokyo and Sushi Ike in Hollywood.
I'm out of town until Friday but I am going to Kokekokko when I get back. Heard good things about them. I really just want Yakitori. I also heard that Honda-Ya Izakaya is really good.
EDIT: Did you know that area off of Olympic and Sawtelle Blvd is referred to as Little Osaka?
Kokekokko is okay, but their preferential treatment of regulars and only allowing them access to their secret menu is a bit of a turn off and I thought the food was alright. Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori is better but I'd like to try Yakitori-Ya in Little Osaka. That area is blowing up right now, it use to be low key. Hit me up if you wanna do Shunji or N/Naka, another GAFer and I were planning on checking it our in the near future.
So I'm going to try some sushi/sashimi at a local take out place today. What would you guys recommend?
Here's the menu.
I'm not really sure what I'll like. I'm not too big on wasabi and spicy things if that helps. Also, how much is the appropriate amount for 2 or 3 people? I tend to order way too little or too much (from different places of course).
Here's the menu.
I'm not really sure what I'll like. I'm not too big on wasabi and spicy things if that helps. Also, how much is the appropriate amount for 2 or 3 people? I tend to order way too little or too much (from different places of course).
Tamago and maguro nigiri will be taste. Inari is pretty alright too if you like sweet tofu. I usually eat about 8 or 10 pieces of nigiri when I go out. The maki, I love negitoro and cucumber rolls. You'll probably get four or six little pieces in one of those maki orders.
(I tend to stay away from the crazy rice-on-the-outside and wacky rolls mostly just cause you can't actually taste the fish, but secondarily because ironically they are not actually available in Japan with the exception of tempura katsu or shrimp rolls at the grocery store.)
Octopus (Tako)
Squid (Ika)
Red Snapper (Tai)
Sweet Shrimp (Amaebi)
Egg Omelet (Tamago)
Negi Toro Maki
The size of Nigiri is bigger than Japan? looks a bit pricy.
I would choose Yaki Seafood Udon instead
TheKaeptain
Banned
I'm actually going to Yakitori-ya tomorrow night (well planning to go). I've heard some great things about N/Naka. I won't have cash for that until after I finish filming this short for class. All my money is going to that right now.
Have you been to Robata-ya?
Soda water.Good tempura batter is so damned hard to make. You have to not only mix the flour into the water with an exact amount of strokes (so as to let it remain airy and bubbly), but you also have to chill it the exact right amount.
I pull my hair out trying to make good tempura batter.
Yes.
Really.
Come at me, Otaku-Gaf.
Sauteed calamari!
That place is not even real Japanese food...
MisterNugNug
Member
Loved reading that kevinEats review of Shunjis.
There's one near Logan Square that's great called Yusho.
In terms of ramen, Mitsuwa up in Arlington Heights has that big Japanese ramen chain Santouka. Absolutely splendid.
TheKaeptain
Banned
You can't say this and not link!
EDIT: I went to Daikokuya last week. Some of the best Ramen I have had.
MisterNugNug
Member
Lol. Sorry. Here's the link. You know, I wonder what Kevin does in real life to be able to eat at so many of these pricey restaurants. Its insane the tabs he can rack up each night.
Cotton McKnight
Member
Bunch of my friends just got back from Japan, and one of their wives took a picture of everything they ate. My wife became ill just from looking at the pictures, and I imagined I would gain tons of weight just going to Japan to eat all of that food. lol
many places
Member
You can find udon pretty easily around here, but fresh fish is iffy. Some places have good sushi I'm told, but I'm not a fan of fish in general so I wouldn't know. I do enjoy Japanese food like Yakatori and Soba dishes and know for sure there a good places(might be somewhat pricey).
Etrian Oddity
Member
You're talking about cooking at home, no?
Firstly, I advise you look over JustHungry. The author is a Japanese lady who is a total repository of home cooking, and there are a ton of incredible recipes and tips there.
Secondly, "eating the Japanese way" is a lot more than just adding more rice and soy sauce to your diet. There are several philosophic foundations of their cuisine.
Small portions are important. Often, parts of a meal are divided into little cups or plates, all rather puny by American standards. This isn't a problem however as the Japanese prefer to eat with their eyes. Eat slowly, and more importantly, make your food pretty. An old belief in the Japanese kitchen is that each meal should contain the five Buddhist colors (white, black, red, green, yellow). I personally feel like my meal is missing something if there isn't green somewhere in it.
Speaking of greens, vegetables are a big part of their diet. Be they leafy, tubers, roots, etc, you want veggies to be the bulk of what you eat. They fill you up quicker while not making you as fat and they provide outstanding minerals and vitamins.
As far as entrees, fish is the dominant protein. The average Japanese person consumes 3 oz of fish per day, way more than what Americans consume. Some people worry about mercury exposure, and while you shouldn't be eating tuna every day (not even talking about overfishing, either), you can make it work if you have a good assortment of fish.
Besides, I don't have the links handy, but there is a fair amount of compelling evidence that the Japanese longevity -- longest average lifespan, lowest rate of heart disease, and lowest rate of obesity in the first world -- is attributed to the abundant fish oil in their diet.
How you cook your food makes a big difference, too. Protein is generally broiled, which is super healthy and is really convenient if you don't want to bust out the BBQ pit. Veggies are often boiled or simmered (broth is a big deal there), or pickled or eaten raw/lightly treated. There are some fried dishes, but they still somehow end up being light due to a crispy/airy batter or smart ingredients (thin pork, shrimp, veggies).
This is without even opening the pandora's box of rice.
Everyone in Dallas should check out Mr. Max.
It's such a strange place. A little piece of Japan in the middle of a shit area.
Staff speak little English, their handwritten specials menu is all in Japanese, but so friendly and nice and so good.
TheBryanJZX90
Member
So three years ago when I got to LA Daikokuya was one of the only places you could get a bowl of decent tonkotsu ramen, but luckily there are a bunch of new places that have surpassed it in my opinion. Yamadaya is probably the best to me right now, they have 3 or 4 shops open around LA. Also Shinsengumi ramen is pretty good too, they give you a piece of paper and let you customize the level of garlic, oil, and spice just like Ichiran in Tokyo.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Had some seafood okonomiyaki today as I was in Japantown for a job fair. I forgot how filling those can be, I couldn't finish it! Though the small side of unagi-don may not have helped, heh.
many places
Member
I know exactly where that place is but i've never been there. I do eat pho at a place pretty much across the street from it though.
Went to a local all-you-can-eat restaurant 2 weeks ago. I ordered some Beef Udon but i was surprised when it got served. I expected soup but i got baked noodles with some beef?
But it was a one-time visit. A lot of dishes were served cold and the sushi, especially the salmon and tuna were tasteless. There is one restaurant that serves delicious Californa Maki. Maybe i must go to Yamazato once and eat good sushi and live in a box for the rest of my life; i think its worth it.
But it was a one-time visit. A lot of dishes were served cold and the sushi, especially the salmon and tuna were tasteless.
There is one restaurant that serves delicious Californa Maki. Maybe i must go to Yamazato once and eat good sushi and live in a box for the rest of my life; i think its worth it.We need to fix this. Head to Tsujita LA, I can recommend 10 ramen places off the top of my head before I steer anyone towards Daikokuya.
Zoe
Member
Ehhhhhhh
They were nice more than 10 years ago, but when the bf and I went last summer, they used the microwave on almost all of our food.
whatsinaname
Member
Had some Takoyaki for the first time last weekend when travelling. It was amazing. Now I have to find some place in my town that serves it.
Slackbladder
Member
When I was in Japan I had some great home cooked meals. I was also surprised at some of the choices like proccessed cheese and bacon for breakfast ( though maybe that was for my benefit). And the bananas were huge. But the Japanese food, the names of which escape me, were all pretty delicious. It's a shame there's nowhere near where I live that sells any, apart from some dodgy sushi at Tesco's.
FlyingTeacup
Member
I came across "a line" outside a ramen shop in new york when i was there earlier in the year. It's called toto ramen and it's brilliant, especially the spicy ramen.
TheKaeptain
Banned
lol I just like Daikokuya. Tsujita is on my list. I've been to Yamadaya and thought it was okay. Wasn't a fan of the actual noodles but loved the broth.
So I went to Yakitoriya. Fucking great Yakitori but the surprise of the evening was the Soboro rice. It taste just like my friend's grandmother's. When you go there try it out.
Edit: Yesterday I was in Little Tokyo checking out the Hapa exhibit with my Hapa friend. Afterwards we went to Suehiro Cafe because he wanted me to try to Yaki soba. Really cozy casual place and the beef Yaki Soba was really good. I'd probably go back there when I am in LT and low on cash.
Or awake at 2AM and need food.
TheKaeptain
Banned
They close at like 3 am right? If so I know where my late night food spot is going to be.
Let's get a tiny LA-meet up at Yakitoriya. I want more.
Start a discussion in the LA thread? I'm only free Sunday/Monday nights right now though.
I cooked some Okinawan food for my family tonight:
- Jushi (rice cooked with carrots, mushrooms, ginger and pork - but there are lots of variations)
- Hirayachi (okinawan crepe)
- Goya champuru (bitter cucumber with pork and eggs)
If you've ever had this combination, you'll know these three dishes really add up to some nice tastes. If you haven't, I can only urge you to give it a try.
Goya is really bitter though, so I'd say it's an acquired taste.
I hated it the first time I had it. But I really love it now.
- Jushi (rice cooked with carrots, mushrooms, ginger and pork - but there are lots of variations)
- Hirayachi (okinawan crepe)
- Goya champuru (bitter cucumber with pork and eggs)
If you've ever had this combination, you'll know these three dishes really add up to some nice tastes. If you haven't, I can only urge you to give it a try.
Goya is really bitter though, so I'd say it's an acquired taste.
I hated it the first time I had it. But I really love it now.
rykomatsu
Member
I really don't have a problem with this. I might be biased, but a decade or more ago, things like collar, fish sides, exotic parts of tuna etc were on the menus and only natives had at them, so it was relatively easy to order.
Nowadays, stuff like that on the menu is much more difficult to order due to increasing popularity and limited qty they have on hand. The other issue is also an increasing number of people also ordering these things for the explicit purpose of looking special or out of some sense of elitism without really appreciating what they're eating. Quite a few native Japanese chefs are rather prideful and as a result block off these things to people who might not appreciate it.
Suffice it to say, these policies benefit people like me who grew up to appreciate and enjoy these dishes natively so I'm a bit biased. If these dishes were more readily available, I probably wouldn't be so cynical...
Etrian Oddity
Member
So I had delicious, authentic ramen for the first time in my life via Ramen Tatsu-Ya in Austin.
Wow.
Wow.
Yep. When you graduate from Ramen high school, you can get a degree in Nakamoto moukotanmen.
Dat spice.
sesame, garlic and mapo tofu. Makes no sense but goddamn.
And it's the most easily replicated at home. Bonus.
Don't get me wrong, a great version is something special, but Golden gets you pretty close. You can't do that with sushi or tonkatsu.
TheBryanJZX90
Member
You haven't tried my wife's tonkatsu
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