Shirihoudai

Found more kancho related products. This time, the Kancho wasn’t as blatant as the first, but the ingredients translation confirmed my kancho finding senses.

Of coure is has the groovy characters on the other side:

Oh, and of course the chocolate filled cookies were quite tasty.

While looking for Japanese grills and charcoal, I stumbled on this “guide” on how to make an usb powered “grill”.  And yes, of course it’s Japanese!

Few highlights from the site:

Just take 30 usb ports and cables. . .

plug it in to your coffee cup warmer. . .

add your meat and you’re good to go. . .

can’t forget the rice!

The inside of your computer also makes a great area to put your tea.

Bwahahahahaha.  I love it. To the designer of this room, great job! Looks like someone reading up on a bunch of asian stereotypes got a little too full and exploded a mosaic of asian crap. Lets analyze this room, shall we?

Click on the tv spots to see the different tv commercials in multi languages. I challenge you to find the one that is different.
Finally, click on the bag of food for a real surprise. Korean and Vietnamese burritos!!! mmm mmm good!

Was in my old stomping grounds of Gardena this past weekend and had a craving for inari and maki sushi. I haven’t gone to Sakae Sushi since I was a kid so the need had to be filled. As you open the door to the little shop, your nose immediately notices the nice vinegar rice smell. Delicate and not overpowering. The menu hasn’t changed ever! Inari, Maki, saba, egg, shrimp, and california rolls.
Ordered a 7 pc mixed set and 7pc california roll so I can taste everything. At around 70 cents a piece, that has to be the best sushi bargain ever! So fresh and comes nicely wrapped in white paper with a green string. The Inari and Saba are my new favorites. Yes, it’ll make you smile.

storefront:

sushi box:

menu:

their sushi (top: egg, california roll, maki; bottom: inari, shrimp, saba) 

Notice how much rice they use? Its done that way for a reason. Eating their expertly prepared rice is a definite experience. Sticky with a hint of vinegar. I’ve gone to sushi shops that sell sushi for 10x this price and their rice can’t match what they do here at Sakae.

1601 W Redondo Beach Blvd Ste 112
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 532-4550

(images via Yelp review)

Amazon is having a sale on Chocolate items with checkout code CLEARMAR. 

Check out the aStore for tons of chocolate goodies.

McDonalds. . .the safe heaven for any traveller.  Where a Big Mac will always be a Big Mac no matter what country you’re in.  Unless you’re in India where they don’t eat cow, then I don’t know what you’ll order there.   In any case, I didn’t include it into my japanese-restaurant-chains post because it is too well known to be a secret.  What you may not realize are the multitudes of menu differences compared to a typical American McD’s.  

The above mentioned Big Mac (biggu makku) is there but no Quarter Pounder - makes sense since they are on the metric system, right?  Another staple is the Teriyaki Mac (teriyaki mack bagaa).  I was addicted to these things until they came out with a seasonal burger called the Kalbi Mac (karubi makku).  Kalbi Mac is a burger with a heaping portion of marinated korean kalbi meat on top - sugoi oishii!  There is the Mega Mac which is way too much McDonalds food for anyone at one sitting, but in a country with the top eating champions, I’m not surprised.

In addition to the Filet-o-Fish (fi-re-o-fisshu), they have the Shrimp Filet!!! Known as the Ebi Filet, I tried the one with sesame sauce and it was good!  Crunchy on the outside and filled with plump shrimps bursting with their shrimpy flavor on the inside.  Couple that with french fries and a drink (iced coffee for me of course) and you got yourself a winning combo.  All around town and on tv, i saw commercials of this hot chick eating the sandwich.  Her name is Yuri Ebihara:

Talk about lucking out with your name.  Ebi = shrimp so of course her nickname became Ebi-chan.  Cute eh?  But the campaign worked. . . doesn’t it make you want to eat one of those? 

Some of the seasonal sandwiches I stay away from are the: Italian Mac, Pizza Mac, Shiokara-Natto Mac. . . just kidding on the last one, but expect to see it soon! 

The big question everyone has when in Japan is “Where to eat?”  There are thousands of options at your disposal, from the convenience stores (called combini) to the high end Michelin star rated restaurants.  What is in between is where I’ll usually dine.  Parsing down that list even further are the chain restaurants that you’ll see now and then usually within close proximity to any train station.  I’ll give you a quick rundown of my favorites. . .

Mos Burger - Great selection of burgers and the food actually looks like the pictures on the laminated menus at the ordering counter.   I’ve tried the fish burger, mos burger, kalbi rice burger among others.  Rice burgers are cool, just like having a gyu-don in the palm of your hand, but watch out, they are piping hot when they bring it out!

Yoshinoya - Don’t try to order a chicken bowl here, it ain’t happening. This is the original giant bowl of rice, beef, and for the hardcore Japanese (or people who think they are), a raw beaten egg poured on top.  yummmmmmmy!  Always a destination for me when I’m visiting.  Gyu-don oomori - thats my usual order.  On a cold winter’s day or typical rainy day, nothing tops this place.

Except for maybe Tenya! I have a weakness for tempura and for a quick cheap ten-don (tempura bowl), this is the place to go.  Just look for the blue and yellow signs.  Part the curtains, touch the black bar to open the automatic doors and let your fried food fantasy come alive!

 Hokka Ben or Hokka Hokka Tei as the sign on the storefront is called specializes in bento box lunches.  Another quality quick meal right here.  Made my days living in rural Saitama a more pleasurable experience knowing I could get a great meal, right down the block that tasted like it was homemade.   Yes, you can taste the love here.  I always ordered the katsumeshi: 

 Lastly there is Ringerhut. Odd name for a noodle place, but do they know how to make their Nagasaki Champon! While in kyushu, I went to the Ringerhut near Sasebo station and got the Champon + gyoza set. Man, that was good! Even tried their Saraudon (seafood over fried noodles) and that was excellent!

Man, now i’m hungry. . .

All pictures were ripped from their respective restaurant sites, sorry for not asking first!

Ah, the Mister Donut experience. . . always one of the first places I visit when I go to Japan. From the fresh roasted coffees to the selection of donuts in every color of the rainbow, Mister Donut is a must try in any trip to Japan.

Yes, they have Dunkin Donut chains sprinkled here and there, and a few Krispy Krap Kreme donut shops in Tokyo, but nothing compares to my good buddy, Mister Donut. The creme filled donuts are done so well, sweet, but not overpowering - I recommend the angel creme filled. The cake donuts are also prepared so they match with their coffee so perfectly.

But most of all and probably the biggest reason I end up spending pocket fulls of yen on donuts is for the PRIZES! You see, they have point cards here. The more donuts you buy (eat), the more points you rack up, leading to better and better seasonal prizes. I still have the gym towel from my time living in Japan in 1997.

Here is a picture of the last donut feast I had there in October 2007.