Search Results for: totoro

New Japan Series Part 1: Totoro, Fall Foliage, Tofu Kaiseki

August 16, 2018 by Jennifer Che

We begin a new series on Japan! In fact, this series will be divided into two parts, mostly because I visited Japan TWICE since moving to Hong Kong. Ha ha, Japan is quite close now, only a 4-5 hour flight away, so I've taken the opportunity to visit as often as I can (since I do love visiting Japan so much).

My first visit to Tokyo was in November 2017. I had only been living in Hong Kong for about two months by that point in time. However, it was the first time ever that I would be missing the beautiful fall foliage for which Boston is famous.

I vowed I would see foliage somewhere, even if I couldn't fly back to the US. I was thrilled to find out that Tokyo's fall foliage season is later than Boston's, and would peak right around Thanksgiving holiday!

When a friend told me she needed to go to Tokyo over Thanksgiving for work, I jumped at the opportunity to hop along for the ride....

Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory - Totoro Cream Puff

October 31, 2016 by Jennifer Che

This is the thirty-first post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series. Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

Hello Totoro cream puff!

It had been my goal for years to visit this cute Totoro-themed cafe and try its signature Totoro cream puff. It's the only cafe that has the licensed rights to make all of these Totoro-themed desserts (call it the "official" Totoro Cafe). The cafe is owned by Hayao Miyazaki's sister-in law. Hayao Miyazaki is the founder of Studio Ghibli and creator of My Neighbor Totoro along with many other well-known movies.

I was so excited to finally be able to set aside the time to make the 30-40 minute journey from my hotel to this quaint little cafe off the beaten path.
...

Totoro Eggs

October 23, 2015 by Jennifer Che

My church has a program called Meals for Moms where volunteers sign up to make food for parents who have just had a baby or adopted a child. I sign up pretty regularly. I enjoy cooking, and it's a nice way to help a sleep-deprived mom not have to worry about dinner as well!

Typically, I team up with another friend of mine who's the best prep chef you could ever have. She's super meticulous, enjoys prepping ingredients, and we have fun together. A typical menu I make often includes a subset of the following dishes: Taiwanese Meat Sauce over rice, Beef Noodle Soup, Three Cup Chicken, Tea Eggs, Chinese Chives + 5-spice Tofu, and stir fried Baby Bok Choy.

This past week, I signed up to cook for a friend, Christina, who absolutely loves Totoro. I knew I had to incorporate Totoro into the food that I made for her....

Totoro Soy Sauce Eggs (Totoro Eggs)

December 28, 2014 by Jennifer Che

Starting about three months ago - 83 days ago to be exact - I began a fun little series on my social media accounts which I tagged with the hashtag #Totoro100Days. My goal was to post a Totoro a day, sort of a photojournalistic record of all the Totoro things that I have amassed or made over the years.

I've always been a bit spontaneous in nature and I enjoy taking risks. I had no idea whether I really owned a hundred Totoro items or not. I'm not sure what compelled me to choose "100 days" as my target, but for some reason, I began the series.

As time started going by, I started to realize that I most likely *didn't* own 100 Totoro things....

Totoro Valentine Cookies (Matcha)

February 11, 2014 by Jennifer Che

Do these cookies look familar?If you're a long time reader of this blog (and I mean several years long), you maybe recognize this because I made another version of them back in 2011 (has it already been that long??).

For some reason, shortbread cookies have been on my mind a lot lately. Surprisingly, I've been baking a lot more than normal. I've been experimenting with this particular cookie recipe lately, trying out different types of natural food coloring. While the results have been mixed (fruit pulp most certainly changes the texture!), it's been an interesting experiment.

I'll report the results once I get a handle on what are the best options.

Meanwhile, playing with all this colored dough has inspired me make all sorts of multicolored cookies. Here's a super cute one - Totoro heart cookies!

These cookies are made with matcha (green tea) "bodies" and plain shortbread "bellies". I pretty much used the same overall technique as I did in the original Totoro Matcha Cookies post, so I would definitely refer to that post if you want more detailed instructions and more step-by-step photos.

After making the two different colored doughs (see this post or recipe below for full details), refrigerating it for at least 30 minutes, and rolling it out, cut out hearts from the pink dough.

Don't have a heart cookie cutter? Don't worry, you can easily make your own out of simple plastic packaging and a little bit of tape or a stapler, like this.

Cut out Totoros (I used a tulip cookie cutter), and then using the heart cookie cutter, cut out a heart shaped belly from the Totoro. Fill the bellies with the pink hearts.

Using tweezers, gently put on a black sprinkle for the nose.

Totoros are ready to be baked!

Bake at 375°F for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your cookie. Definitely keep an eye on it. The moment it starts to brown slightly at the edges (like in the photo above), take it out and let it cool on a rack.

Use tweezers to add eyes, such as using white chocolate and sprinkles or a food-coloring marker. See the original post for more instructions on how to decorate the Totoro.

Enjoy!

Totoro Valentine Cookies (Matcha)
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar (optional*)
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
3 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 T matcha powder
coloring (artificial or natural, such as beet juice)

Cream butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed. Add egg and then vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add in flour until just combined.

Divide the dough in two sections, with one section roughly twice as large as the other section. Mix in matcha powder into the larger section. Mix pink coloring into the smaller section.

Place each section between two sheets of parchment or wax paper and roll out the dough into a ¼ inch thickness. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F, placing the two racks on the upper third and lower third of the oven. Working with one batch of dough at a time, roll out the dough to ⅛ inch thickness.

Use either a well floured surface or a Silpat liner and plastic wrap. Cut out the totoros from the green dough and then cut out a heart inside each one. Cut out hearts from the pink dough. Put the pink hearts inside the green heart shaped space in the green Totoros.

Take remaining dough, reroll it, and cut again. The dough should only be re-rolled out once.

Bake until cookies are slightly golden brown at the edges, around 8-10 minutes depending on how large the cookie is. After baking, immediately transfer to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!

*If you want to use superfine sugar, you will get a more delicate, crispy cookie. To make superfine sugar, just put sugar in a food processor and pulse it a few times.

*Note, I simplified this recipe and slightly modified it from the original for simplicity's sake. I reduced the butter to 2 sticks (versus 2.5 sticks) just because I didn't want to deal with having a half stick lying around. I also omitted the milk, which seems to be OK.

Of course, you aren't limited to Totoros with this dough.

Feel free to make flowers with green matcha stems and leaves (oops, clearly I overbaked these a bit; the stems are ideally green).

Or you can always just bake hearts, tulips, or wavy rectangles.

Wrap them up in stacks with pretty ribbon. Awww, so cute.

Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

Birthday Totoro and Domo Fun

November 18, 2013 by Jennifer Che

We interrupt the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series just briefly for a fun post on some Japanese anime inspired dishes I made for my birthday.

Yes, today's my birthday.

It's been interesting looking at my blog and seeing what I've done in past years to celebrate. Time flies so quickly, it's kind of crazy!

Back in 2009, Bryan and I went to New York City to enjoy an exquisite dinner at Daniel, a meal that just felt perfect in every single way.

In 2010 I had the privilege of being in Tokyo on my birthday (what a treat!), where I shopped for fun kitchen gadgets during the day in Kappabashi and then enjoyed a wacky, creative tasting menu at Tapas Molecular Bar in the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo - complete with stunning views of Tokyo down below.

In 2011, we stayed in Boston, enjoying a fabulous white Alba truffle tasting at the Chef's Table at Menton. And in 2012, we were in Australia celebrating Bryan's parents' retirement. After hiking all day in the Blue Mountains, we headed over to Din Tai Fung in Sydney for dinner. Yep, they let me pick any restaurant I wanted and that's what I chose.

What a crazy past five years!

This year I had a bit of fun with some Totoro and Domokun themed dishes that I made. Here's how I did it.

I made the Totoro Carrot by carving out one of my big carrots from my Siena Farms CSA. This mainly involves having lots of patience and using high quality knives. The eyes are cut from the thin root tip of a parsnip (I picked a part of the root where the circumference was the right size).

The belly is also parsnip, from a thicker part of the root. The eyes are black sesame seeds, and the nose is cut out from a purple carrot, though you can use almost any sort of dark colored thin sheet (e.g., eggplant skin, nori, etc). The leaf on his head is cilantro and his belly lines are bits of leeks.

Totoro soba noodles are really easy to make. Once you make the cold soba according to the package's instructions, just lay the noodles down on a plate (ideally on top of some sort of green background, like a bed of lettuce + scallions) and shape it accordingly. The eyes are parsnip, the eye balls are purple kohlrabi skin (though you can use eggplant, nori, etc), and the belly is kohlrabi as well. I used either a sharp knife or a pair of scissors to cut out the appropriate shapes.

I carved out the Domokun from a huge purple kohrabi I had received in my farm share last week. The pink inside his mouth is a thinly sliced watermelon radish, which I sort of tucked inside underneath the teeth. The rest of him is kohrabi. I drew the eyes with edible food coloring markers.

I also made a Domo "Taiwanese Meat Sauce" (lower right corner) by using Shitake mushrooms as his eyes, mashed beets as his mouth, and teeth hand cut from a thin kohlrabi slice. The Domo cake on the left corner was brought by a friend.

Fun times!

Tonight, I'll be headed to Uni Sashimi Bar with Bryan. It will be the first time I'm trying it since Chef Tony Messina joined on. I haven't tasted his cooking since 2009 when he won the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef's competition in New England. He was working in the burbs for awhile, but just last year joined Uni Sashimi Bar.

I can't wait!

Totoro Cookies

November 30, 2011 by Jennifer Che

This post is part of a larger series: An Asian Twist on a Traditional Holiday Meal. Other posts in this series include Chinese Oven Roasted Duck, and Keroppi Cookies.

I've always been a sucker for matcha (green tea) cookies.

Until now, I never even considered trying to make them myself. Instead, I would purchase them at specialty bakeries, usually Japanese or Taiwanese.

However, when Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program called for bloggers to participate in the GLAD Cookies for Kids Cancer cookie exchange, I decided it was time to challenge myself and try my hand at baking these cookies myself.

Of course, I couldn't just make any ordinary cookies.

Not if I'm going to give them away.

Alas, Totoro Matcha cookies were born.

Matcha is finely milled green tea often used in sweets such as green tea flavored ice cream, cakes, and cookies. Because matcha is made from high quality tea buds and requires more time for grinding, it is usually more expensive than other teas. For example, the little 1.0 oz tin that I bought costs $12.

I took a simple butter cookie recipe from The Joy of Cooking (my go-to basics book!) and modified it by adding matcha (Thanks Talida for the inspiration!).

In order to make Totoros, you need two different types of cookie dough: a green matcha one for his exterior, and a white one for his belly.

I did not have a Totoro cookie cutter, bit I found a rabbit egg mold that sort of resembled Totoro's shape. It wasn't perfect, so I still had to use a knife to cut out the ears. However, it was useful to have the mold as a guide, keeping all the Totoros roughly the same size.

Since I don't usually bake, I don't have a lot of the normal baking supplies that a baker would have. In order to cut out the belly, I found a plastic spray bottle cap to punch out a belly hole in the green Totoros. I also used the same cap to punch out the white belly, which I then inserted into the hole.

Frankly, a tiny circular cookie cutter would have been A LOT easier. The circular cut-out periodically got stuck inside the plastic cap, and I constantly found myself trying to pry it out with a chopstick. Overall, though, it made perfect circles that were just the right size for Totoro's belly.

Here they are, all ready to be baked! Before baking, I placed a large black sprinkle in the center as Totoro's nose (not pictured in this batch!).

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the edge of the ears (the thinnest part!) start to brown. Though the cookies taste better when they are slightly browned, they look better if they are not browned because the ears stay green.

At this point, I was really wishing I had bought some candy eyes. Since I had not, I melted some white chocolate chips over a boiling water bath. I then gingerly used a chopstick to dip tiny eyes onto each Totoro. Using tweezers, I put a black nonpareil on each chocolate piece as the eyeball. As a last step, I melted chocolate chips in the microwave and used a sharp object (toothpick is perfect), to "paint" his little belly markings.

It's painstakingly slow and takes a ton of patience, but the results are so worth it!
Aren't they super cute?

As a participating blogger in the Cookies for Kids' Cancer cookie exchange, I received a bunch of GLAD containers in which to give my lovely cookies away! They also sent other awesome baking supplies, such as a gorgeous nonstick cookie sheet (I don't own one, so I was thrilled!), various holiday themed cookie cutters and decorative elements, as well as other cool baking tools (frosting deco pen anyone?).

Having all this cool baking stuff makes me want to try my hand at baking some more!

I hosted the exchange at my house over Thanksgiving (where we also enjoyed lots of other yummy food). I sent my sister's family home with a GLAD container full of Totoros and Keroppis. In exchange, I was rewarded with these lovely whole wheat chocolate chip cookies.

If you want to help GLAD raise money for GLAD will donate $.10 to Cookies for Kids' Cancer for each virtual cookie sold, exchanged or given this November and December 2011 – up to $100,000! Check out their website here for more details.

Enjoy!

Totoro Green Tea (Matcha) Cookies
dry ingredients
3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

wet ingredients
20 T (2 ½ sticks) butter (softened!)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 T milk
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

2 T matcha powder

1. whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar on medium speed until well blended. Add egg, milk, and vanilla to the "wet ingredients" bowl. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until everything is well blended and smooth.

3. Divide the dough in two sections, with one section roughly twice as large as the other section. Mix in matcha powder into the larger section. Place each section between two sheets of parchment or wax paper and roll out the dough into a ¼ inch thickness. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.

4. Position oven rack to the center and preheat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheets if they are not nonstick!

5. Peel away the wax paper for one portion and put the dough between fresh sheets of wax paper. [Note, since this is a labor intensive cookie, I would cut the chilled dough in half and leave the other half in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut that one too. The dough becomes harder to handle once it's warm]

6. Cut the cookies with a cookie cutter. Roll the dough scraps together and continue cutting out cookies. If it gets too soft, just re-roll it out, chill in the refrigerator, and cut once it's cold.

7. Make Totoros according to the detailed instructions above. Decorate accordingly.

8. Bake until cookies are slightly golden brown at the edges, around 10-15 minutes depending on how large the cookie is.

Totoro Rice

August 30, 2009 by Jennifer Che

Totoro rice is part of a larger Japanese character based meal titled "Kyaraben on Steroids" featured in August's Foodbuzz's 24-24-24. Click here to see the entire meal.

Here is the tutorial for Totoro Rice.

First, you must make the gray rice by mixing ground up black sesame seeds with rice. I typically use a small spice grinder and grind up about 2-3 T of black sesame seeds.

One you have made your gray rice, take a glob of the rice using plastic wrap, and form an oval out of it. You can also form the ears of the Totoro.

Next, make a mound of white rice and put another layer on as his belly.

I then cut out eyes with a straw using fish cake (kamaboko).

I cut out his eyeballs and the designs on his stomach from seaweed using a pair of scissors.
Next, decorate around Totoro using whatever you have. In this case, I used Korean Spinach Salad as the "grass" underneath him.

Finally, I cut out some carrot flowers and red bell pepper flowers. You can make the carrot flowers by cutting 3 notches into the side of the carrot and then slicing it.

With the tulips, you can cut with scissors the old fashioned way.

Definitely check out Anna the Red's Bento Factory for much more detailed tutorials on how to make Totoro bentos.

Totoro Rice Crispy Treats

August 30, 2009 by Jennifer Che

I made these treats as part of a larger Japanese character based meal titled "Kyaraben on Steroids" featured in Foodbuzz's 24-24-24 in August 2009. Click here to see the entire meal.

Make Rice Crispy Treats according to the package instructions except stop at the step before you press the marshmallow-rice mixture into the pan. Instead, while the mixture is still hot, using either well oiled or wet hands, pick up glob of rice-marshmallow mix and shape it into a Totoro.

Dip the Totoros into melted chocolate. Make melted chocolate by heating baking chocolate chips in the microwave for about 1 minute. You may have to stir the mixture and heat for an additional minute. If the mixture is still hard to stir, you can add a little bit of canola oil to soften it up.

Let the Totoros rest while the chocolate hardens (it may not harden all the way if you add too much vegetable oil - so use it sparingly only if you have to!)
To make the eyes, take white chocolate chips and insert them (pointy side first) into the rice crispy. Using a toothpick, take a dab of the melted chocolate and dip on the eyeballs.

Serve!

Totoro Bento #2

June 17, 2009 by Jennifer Che

Just for fun, I had some leftover rice, orange chicken, and snap peas, so I whipped up a bento for lunch tomorrow.

Totoro Bento

June 10, 2009 by Jennifer Che

I was inspired by Anna the Red and her awesome bento making skills. Here is my first attempt.

Sushi Suzuki Tokyo

June 21, 2024 by Jennifer Che

I’ve loved things associated with Japan for as long as I remember - whether it be Sanrio characters (hello Keroppi!) and Totoro when I was young*, or deciding to study Japanese language when I went to university - I’ve always been drawn to Japan.

That also includes Japanese food, which is woven through Taiwanese cuisine due to their tightly tied history.

However, Bryan was not the same way, and actually didn’t really like Japanese food when we first met. His only exception was sushi, and only the very best sushi.

When he started traveling to Japan more frequently for work (starting around 2008), I would tag along on these trips. Each trip, due to his narrow dining preferences, we’d mostly visit famous sushi restaurants. It was a crazy time, dining at Sukiyabashi Jiro, Sushi Mizutani, Sushi Sawada, and other “greats”. However, we only occasionally tried other cuisines, mostly noodles (Bryan loves noodles), and maybe an occasional kaiseki.

Since Moving to Asia . . .

In more recent years, Bryan’s palate has broadened a lot. He can actually enjoy curries and coconut milk (something he used to HATE), and he’s more open to a wider variety of Japanese food. This is why our trips (and this blog’s content!) have expanded to include all sorts food types, such as tempura, tonkatsu, yakitori, ramen, soba, udon, kaiseki, shabu shabu, tofuya, sukiyaki, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, teppanyaki, . . and even wackier things like a hedgehog cafe, maid cafe, dog cafe, and more.

But we still love sushi. And ever since Hong Kong banned seafood from 10 prefectures (including Tokyo) due to Fukushima wastewater issues, it’s hard to know what we can get in Hong Kong now.

So this trip, I decided not to consult the Michelin guide. Instead, I went to Tabelog, the go-to reference that Japanese people use. Japanese diners are particularly tough critics, and scores on Tabelog tend to be a bit lower than those on sites like Yelp, Google, Travelocity, OpenRice, and Dianping.

This is all a very, very long prelude to explaining how I came upon Sushi Suzuki. This restaurant is rated very, very highly on Tabelog. Based on that alone (and availability during the Easter weekend), I decided to book it and give it a try.

It was our only sushi meal the entire trip!

Then & Now

Suzuki-san opened his own shop in 2015, after working for 12 years at Sushi Aoki. In fact, when I went back to my Sushi Aoki photos (from our visit in 2013), I was tickled to see photos of him. I guess he served us 11 years ago!!

His own shop is a tiny operation. It appears to be run by just Suzuki-san and his wife. Perhaps there are hidden apprentices in the back? We couldn’t tell.

Omakase Sushi Dinner at Sushi Suzuki

We entered a small, windowless, blond wood paneled room on the 5th floor of an office building in Ginza (very, very typical). Suzuki-San greeted us with a friendly smile and asked us what we wanted to drink.

His wife took our coats and attended to our drinks while Suzuki-San began preparing the food.

The restaurant only has 8 counter seats. The night we went, there were only two Japanese speakers (a man and a woman, both solo diners). They sat near the middle (near Suzuki-san), presumably because he would be able to chat with them. As it turns out, he chatted mostly with the Japanese lady. The Japanese guy was on his phone most of the night. From time to time, chef Suzuki would try to interact with us and the other foreign visitors. We didn't find out until later, but the other three diners were also from Hong Kong!

It turned out to be a really great and interesting meal! Suzuki-san definitely threw some unusual surprises into the mix. It may not be for everyone (you‘ll see why).

Small Appetizers

Next was Katana (or tachi-uo), a Japanese samurai sword fish that swims vertically. Apparently it swims with its head up while it is "hunting", and when it finds prey will "strike out" and catch its dinner. Chef Suzuki pulled up some photos to show us how the fish swim. It's so interesting!

The fish was amazing, so incredibly tender and really, really delicious.

Next course included steamed squid (filled with roe) and abalone + liver sauce. Both were very good.

Some unusual "exotic" dishes

My mouth almost dropped when he told us what the next dish was: fugu shirako plus rice.

Hold on, wait . . . shirako is the male gonad of a fish, right? I can eat it, but I’ve never been a huge fan. But fugu is the puffer fish, the potentially poisonous “tingly” (numbing) fish that - if not prepared properly - could kill you.

”Mix the shirako with the rice.”

It felt like a Japanese, “Russian-roulette”, exotic version of a creamy risotto. I was a bit nervous, but what can you do? Honestly, it turned out OK, and I didn't even get a hint of the “numbing feeling” (which I think, means there really wasn’t any poison??).

It’s not our first time having fugu, but after not being that wow-ed by it the first time, I didn’t really plan on eating it again . . .

The exotic unusual dishes did not stop there.

Part II: Nigiri Sushi

Signature Tuna Trio

Next came the tasting of tuna: maguro, chutoro, and otoro (lean, medium-fatty, and fatty). All were very, very good.

Sake

We learned how to describe the sake we were drinking, which had an element of salinity: sweet + salty is “amai” + “shuopai ”. Shuoyu is soy sauce (ha!), so it makes sense.

Concluding Thoughts: Sushi Suzuki + this Japan Trip

It’s been close to 5 years since we’ve had high-end sushi in Japan (due to the pandemic). Not that we’ve been deprived of sushi (Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong is equal to the best in Japan). But it still felt like a homecoming of sorts to finally be back in Japan eating sushi like we used to in our early days traveling to Tokyo.

The quality of the food at Sushi Suzuki is excellent. You may try some more unusual pieces, which may not be for everyone. Of course it's better if you speak Japanese (he tried, but had a hard time communicating with us). He's certainly friendly. It made me wish I had worked harder to preserve my Japanese language skills from college. (perhaps it's not too late!)

This trip was special for other reasons. We were thrilled to catch good weather and the beginning of the cherry blossom season (which was super late this year - so glad we caught it!). We also had a chance to spend time with dear friends from the US, which was precious. Finally, the exchange rate between USD and JPY is ridiculously favorable right now, so we also went shopping!

Can’t wait until the next time I return!

Sushi Suzuki Tokyo
Japan, 〒104-0061 Tokyo
Chuo City, Ginza, 6 Chome−5−155F

*OK full confession, I still love all these Japanese characters

Shinjuku Hoshi No Naru Ki - Kaiseki

June 19, 2024 by Jennifer Che

The ask was high: Could I find a traditional Japanese restaurant that was family friendly, reasonably priced, had great food, nice ambiance, and convenient location? I was thrilled when I discovered Shinjuku Hoshi No Naru Ki, a Japanese kaiseki place (with private rooms!) with a location right in the heart of Shinjuku.

Our plan was to visit Shinjuku Gyoen (my favorite cherry blossom viewing spot in Tokyo), so this restaurant's location was perfect, a convenient 7-minute walk away.

Shinjuku Hoshi no naru Ki Tokyo — *The first cherry blossoms we saw in Tokyo was when we came out of the subway in Shinjuku on the way to this restaurant!*

Shinjuku Hoshi No Naru Ki is a Japanese kaiseki restaurant that focuses on nature and the seasons. They blend traditional and modern Japanese food concepts together into their kaiseki meals. Seasonality is key, and ingredients can come and go depending on what's available right now. During the springtime, there was a huge emphasis on flower.

The restaurant offers a variety of set menus. We pre-ordered the mid-level Kaiseki Hundred Flowers lunch set meal for JPY4400 (USD$28) per person. This seemed like a phenomenal deal, considering their dinners go upwards of JPY220,000 and more.

Private Rooms

Shinjuku Hoshi No Naru Ki was particularly great for us because we had a slightly larger party (6 people), including two kids. Shinjuku Hoshi No Naru Ki offered the option of multiple private rooms, which you can book. This is a great option if you have children, want a quiet space to talk, or just want to have some more private space to relax.

Booking the private room cost an additional charge of JPY5500 (US35), which I thought was reasonable considering the benefits of having such a room.

A few caveats to note: the cancellation policy is quite strict here. I had to pay for the entire meal up front. If I canceled within 3 days, I would lose my entire deposit. I guess they've been burned by enough tourists canceling at the last minute. Additionally, my hotel would not let me book anything within 6 hours of my arrival time (I guess people's delayed flights have caused other issues).

Thankfully, after we successfully arrived in Tokyo at 7AM (red-eye flight from Hong Kong!), our hotel allowed us to move our lunch booking a bit earlier.

Kaiseki Hundred Flowers Lunch

Warm Dish

Sashimi

Main Course

Dessert

General Thoughts about Shinjuku Hoshi No Naru Ki

Overall, the food was pleasant, the service was excellent, and we really enjoyed a relaxing, unhurried lunch in our private room. The meal felt like a steal, likely bumped by the strong dollar and weak yen.

It was raining outside, so we really appreciated having the ability to enjoy being indoors, eating beautiful seasonal food while catching up with old friends. The kids loved it too, and commented multiple times on how much they loved the food.

For us, the timing could not have been better. The rain stopped, and the sun came out right after lunch! We quickly pack up all of our stuff and walked over to Shijuku Gyoen.

What a fantastic first day in Tokyo!

Shinjuku Hoshi No Naru Ki
Rainbow Village (Building) 9th Floor
3-5-4 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0022

Updated: Jen's Japan Recommendations

September 12, 2022 by Jennifer Che

Japan is one of my favorite countries in the world. I fell in love with it when I lived in Tsukuba (right outside of Tokyo) as a college student during a summer internship. Since then, I've traveled back over ten (!) times (usually tagging along on one of my husband's business trips). As a result, I've had quite a few opportunities to enjoy the fabulous food this country offers.

I've had enough friends ask my for recommendations about traveling to Japan that I thought I'd write a brief guide on my favorite places to eat, shop, and hang out. The last time I was in Japan was 2019, so this guide is only as current as that trip. Unfortunately, Japan is still not open to regular tourists yet, and I have not been able to return. I miss it so much, and I can't wait until I can return again.

Favorite Places to Eat

As for real dining - the options are endless depending on how much you want to spend.

Tsukiji Fish Market used to be THE MAIN attraction for trying fresh sushi and for watching the traditional sushi auction at either 5:30AM or 6AM (there are two shifts). The market closed in 2018 and moved to a new modern space at Toyosu, which I have not visited yet. To see our entire old-school Tsukiji Fish Market experience (for which we waited in line starting at 2AM), check out this full post.

Favorite Tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet)

Butagumi is a cute restaurant serves all sorts of different breeds on pork including tonkatsu made from the famous Iberian pig in Spain. It's a little off the beaten track, so if you're short on time, you can still enjoy excellent tonkatsu at Maisen, which has several locations around Tokyo.

Favorite Ramen

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Rokurinsha has a history of having long lines out its door - which is a sure sign of a good ramen place in Japan. Visit the location at Tokyo Station on "Ramen Street" or go to the new Tokyo Sky Tree and enjoy it there. They specialize in "tsukemen", or dipping noodles. If the line at Rokurinsha is too long for your liking (it often has the longest line at Ramen Street), head over to Ramen Honda, which is still excellent. You can also go for breakfast, when the lines are only about 20 minutes long. For a lighter, yuzu-flavored ramen, try Afuri. For an authentic experience (no English menus!), check out this charming little ramen shop in Shibuya called Suzuran.

Favorite Tempura

Tempura Kondo in Tokyo boasts 2 Michelin stars and churns out the most delicate tempura using the freshest ingredients all over Japan. Try the sweet potato (even though it costs extra). This is supposedly one of the best items on the menu, though I haven't had a chance to try it since it was not in season when I went. Another one that rivals Kondo, but at half the price, is Tempura Fukamachi, which offers a fantastic vegetable tempura option (which I loved). Mikawa Zezankyo (1 Michelin star) is also very good, though I personally prefer the other two.

Favorite Shabu

Seryna (Kobe beef) serves melt-in-your-mouth Kobe beef for shabu. Though it's extremely expensive (think over $100 USD for about 8 slices of beef!), it's by far the best shabu meat I've ever had in my life.

Favorite Steak/Teppanyaki

Ukai-tei is a beautiful and elegant 1 star Michelin restaurant with superb service and excellent steak. They offer steak from specially bred black cows from a region very near Kobe. According to Bryan, it's the best steak he's ever had in his life. The steak standwiches from Shima are also legendary. The catch is that you can only get a sandwich as a take-away after dining in the restaurant and ordering a steak. It's worth it, though, the steaks are phenomenal!

Favorite Sushi

Sushi Yoshitake (3 Michelin stars) is pricy but fantastic, and we love both the original Tokyo location and also regularly visit their Hong Kong location, called Sushi Shikon. I used to love Sushi Ya and I found the prices to be very, very reasonable during lunch. The chef at Sushi Ya, Chef Ishiyama, left and opened his own place, Sushi Ishiyama, which is also very good.

Legendary experiences include Sushi Mizutani (now closed) and the famous Sukiyabashi Jiro (very hard to get in). Sushi Saito is another, which I've never visited in Japan (only in Hong Kong, which is not the same). Back in 2013, we got our Jiro reservation by having one of Bryan's Japanese colleague contact the restaurant to make the reservation. They had to follow up by personally delivered the 20,000 yen cash deposit to the restaurant. Things have changed a lot now. The restaurant has become so exclusive the Michelin Guide removed its stars, saying it was too hard to book. Jiro Ono is 96 years old and doesn't make sushi as much as he used to.

Favorite Yakitori

We had amazing yakitori at a hard to find "hidden" spot called Nakameguo Iguchi. We've also had very good yakitori at 1-Michelin starred Birdland, which is partly famous because it is also in the basement of Ginza station right next to the legendary Sukiyabashi Jiro.

Favorite Izakaya

One of my favorite casual izakayas where I discovered my love of yuzu kosho and tried chicken sashimi for the first time is this family-run restaurant called Kago, founded by a retired Japanese baseball player.

Favorite Noodles

We haven't explored soba too much, but the handmade ones at Kaoriya, Matsugen, and Matsuya Kanda are excellent. We loved the udon at Omen, a charming noodle shop in Kyoto within walking distance of the Silver Pavilion, one of the most famous temples in Kyoto.

Favorite Kaiseki

In Tokyo, our kaiseki meal at Azabu Kadowaki was memorable for two reasons. One, I ate fugu sashimi (!) for the first time. Second, they have an amazing signature truffle rice at the end that is sooooo good. Kikunoi Akasaka, a 1-Star Michelin restaurant in Tokyo whose uber famous sister restaurant in Kyoto has three Michelin stars, is also very good.

Kyoto (birthplace of kaiseki) has many top restaurants, and we have enjoyed many incredible meals there. Nakamura, though pricey, is one of those unforgettable kaiseki meals with exquisite service, fantastic food, and an overall unique and very traditional Japanese experience.

And for something completely different: Try some of the modern, creative cuisine that's popping up all over Tokyo. Aronia de Takazawa serves extremely creative, whimsical, and beautifully (and sometimes unusually) plated food. They also have a large selection of Japanese wines, which is unusual. Ryugin is one of the most famous modern kaiseki restaurants in Tokyo. Boasting three Michelin stars, it has some really fantastic dishes (though at the end it wasn't my favorite restaurant). Tapas Molecular Bar is all out molecular gastronomy located in the top floor of the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo. The views are breathtaking and the meal is fun, though the flavors of the dishes are only OK.

Florilege is a French restaurant helmed by a very talented Japanese chef who cares deeply about sustainability and bringing out the flavors of local ingredients. Il Ristorante Luca Fantin serves excellent Italian food in a stunning space at the top of the Bulgaria building in Omotesando.

For a Nightcap: check out Bar High Five for great cocktails. In the past they had an incredible selection of Yamazaki whiskey, and we could even get Yamazaki 30 for about $50 USD a shot, which is a steal considering that a bottle probably costs many thousands of US dollars now.

Enjoy the Seaons! It's fun to eat the seasonal ingredients too. During my 2019 trip in the fall, matsutake mushrooms and gingko nuts were in season, and I loved trying both in several different ways.

Where to Shop and Walk Around?

Ginza is the ritzy part of town lined with high end boutiques. It is great if you're shopping for high-end stuff, but it's pricey! On Sundays they close down part of the street to traffic, so it's fun to walk and shop during that time. I do like to visit Toy Park there, and we like to buy shoes in Tokyo since we have wide feet. One of our favorite stores is actually the Asics store, which sells Asic's nicer lines of dress shoes, the Pedala (with their comfy Asics soles!).

Harajuku and Omotesando (adjacent areas) are really fun too - you'll see a bit younger crowd, especially in Harajuku. One of my favorite shops in Omotesando is Kiddie Land, which has one of the best selection of Totoro stuff in Tokyo (even better than Studio Ghibli itself).

Shibuya is not too far away, and sometimes I'll walk from Shibuya to Harajuku and then to Omotessando. Definitely check out the famous crazy crosswalk at Shibuya! Between Shibuya and Harajuku is the NHK Studio, which has a fun shop that sells all sorts of Domokun stuff (Domo is their mascot). Shibuya is where I first fell in love with the Isse Miyake Bao Bao bag (before it became crazy hot and hard to find). It was just displayed at a shop, and I was drawn to its geometric shapes. It was the first bag I bought in Tokyo.

Tokyo Station Character Street. If you like "kawaii" (cute) Japanese characters, "Character Street" in Tokyo Station is a phenomenal place to shop. There are dedicated stores to many characters, such as Hello Kitty, Domokun (NHK), Totoro, Snoopy, and many, many more.

As a food person, my favorite kitchen shopping neighborhood is Kappabashi Dori and (pre-2018), Tsukiji Fish Market (for knives!). At Kappabashi, which is the restaurant supply neighborhood in Tokyo, you can pick up tons of cool Japanese kitchenware for really low prices. Make sure to bring cash, as a lot of places don't accept credit card. I have many beautiful dishes I hand carried back to Boston (and then to Hong Kong), that I still use to this day. They are amazing because they are hardy enough for restaurants, yet still beautiful for nice meals, and ridiculously reasonably-priced. This is also the place where you can buy plastic fake display food which make fun gifts to bring back.

One stop away from Kappabashi is Akihabara. Bryan absolutely loves Akihabara for electronics. The largest electronics store (possibly in the world) called Yodabashi Camera is there. They sell everything from electronics to kitchen appliances to even luxury handbags. It's sensory overload but definitely worth seeing. We've bought many cool water bottles, iphone cases, and random useful electronics. (I even have a cute Miffy charging cable.)

Akihabara is also not too far from Asakusa, where you can sample all sorts of fun Japanese snacks on the path leading to the huge temple (freshly made sembei crackers, red bean filled cakes, fresh mochi, etc).

Speaking of snacking, don't miss roaming around the basements of the high-end department stores (called depachika), where you can gaze at (and sample!) endless amounts of incredible food. Definitely check out the basement of the department store called Isetan in Shinjuku, which houses many of the world's most famous bakeries (yes, I buy a Pierre Hermes Ispahan macaron every time!). I love the grocery store at the basement of Isetan, where I always stock up on yuzu kosho and other spices.

Even if you can't make it out to Shinjuku, there are plenty of department stores in Shibuya, Ginza, and other areas with fun basements in which to explore. I would highly recommend grabbing lunch at least once from one of these places. You can also come back to purchase exquisitely wrapped food-focused gifts to bring back home. Nobody tops the Japanese when it comes to beautifully wrapped cookies, cakes, and other snacks as gifts.

Things to Do

Cherry Blossoms

The seasons in Japan are gorgeous. If you can, go during the spring during the famous sakura cherry blossom season, usually at the beginning of April, though tit varies year to year and by location. Different trees flower at different times. We arrived "late" one year but still got to enjoy phenomenally beautiful later-season cherry blossoms at Shinjuku Gyoen, a beautifully sculptured park that is easy to access and boasts over 500 different varieties of cherry trees (so you have a better shot of at least seeing some blooms!).

Fall Foliage

Fall is yet another beautiful time. The foliage is lovely, and certain ingredients such as matsutake mushrooms and gingko nuts are in season and featured in a lot of dishes.

Imperial Palace

You need to book in advance if you want to visit the Imperial Palace. Guided tours are offered at set times, and you need to book pretty early. I'm not sure how the pandemic has affected all this. We were super lucky during our tour and we saw Empress Michiko Shōda drive by!

Disney Sea

There is only one Disney Sea in the entire world, and it is in Tokyo. An ocean-themed park, this slightly more adult oriented park is beautifully designed, still fully Disney, and really, really fun. The rides are excellent, and the seven themed ports are all really nicely designed. I was so nostalgic because the "American Waterfront" port totally reminded me of Boston! I loved the park so much, I would certainly go back again.

Visit Totoro

Miyazaki fans will love Studio Ghibli, a museum dedicated to all of Hayao Miyazaki's art. You can see what his studio looks like, gaze at numerous sketches that he's made, and enjoy many elements from his movies in this three-story museum that includes an open air rooftop garden, a cafe, and a small theater where you can watch a short film. Kids will love playing in the giant neko-bus on the top floor.

Definitely also check out Shirohige Cream Puff Factory, a super cute cafe opened by Hayao Miyazaki's sister-in law on the outskirts of Tokyo. It is the only officially licensed "Totoro Cafe" in the world.

Ghibli Park is opening November 1, 2022 in Japan! It is located east of Nagoya, about a 3-hour train ride from Tokyo. I really really want to go, and will certain try to go as soon as Japan fully opens its doors to tourists.

Hiking - Mt. Fuji? Or maybe just Mt. Takao

Mt. Fuji Japan — Climbing Mount Fuji when I was in college!

Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan and a very, very popular place to visit. I climbed Mount Fuji in the middle of August 1997 when I was at university, 25 years ago. Back then most people did a night hike, taking a bus up to the 5th Station around 10-11PM, and then hiking up to the summit (takes 6-7 hours) to see the sunrise. Mount Fuji is a very popular climb, and it can actually get really crowded at the summit (see photo above of the "traffic jam" that slowed us down when we reached the top.) The climb is fantastic and worth doing at least once in your life, but you definitely should be at least somewhat in shape to do it.

If you don't want to do something quite so ambitious, consider taking a half day trip to Mount Takao, a hiking spot only about 50 minutes away from Tokyo by train. This mountain takes 2-3 hours to climb and there's plenty to see on the way up. Mount Takao is considered a holy Shinto mountain, and therefore the mountain includes temples, statues, various religious relics, and mountain street vendors selling all sorts of snacks.

Hakone

Another popular day-trip from Tokyo is to Hakone, where you can see an active volcano, enjoy hot springs, and check out some pretty cool art exhibits. Definitely a fun day trip visiting an area that is very different from the crowded metropolis.

* * * * *

It is impossible for me to write a sufficient comprehensive guide to Japan. As you can see I've been there over 10 times, and every time I try to do something a little different. It's such an amazing place, no matter what, you'll find plenty of things to enjoy, and reasons to return over and over again.

Listing of all Japan-related posts

{last updated August 30, 2022}

2019 Japan Trip
Easter in Japan - Trip Report (trip report)
Tempura Fukamachi Tokyo (tempura, 1 Michelin Star)
Disney Sea Tokyo (theme park)
Sushi Ishiyama (sushi)
Imafuku Sukiyaki Tokyo (sukiyaki, 1 Michelin Star)
Il Ristorante Luca Fantin Tokyo (Italian, 1 Michelin Star)

2018 Japan Trip
Totoro, Fall Foliage, Tofu Kaiseki (trip report)
Potsura Potsura Izakaya (izakaya, bib gourmande)
Sushi Ya with Takao Ishiyama (sushi)
Tokyo Shiba Tofuya Ukai - Tokyo Tower (tofu)
Hakone, Akihabara, and only-in-Japan Experiences Crony Tokyo (modern, 1 Michelin Star)

2017 Japan Trip
Kyubey - A follow-up visit
Tsukiji Fish Market Auction & Sushi Bun Breakfast
Shima Steak Tokyo - The Famous Steak Sandwich

2016 Japan Trip
Sushi Ya (sushi, dinner)
Afuri (ramen)
Dominique Ansel (bakery)
Bird Land (yakitori, 1 Michelin star)
Bar High Five (cocktail bar)
Matsuya Kanda (soba)

2015 Japan Trip
Hiking at Mount Takao in Japan
Florilege (French, 1 Michelin star)
Sushi Harutaka (sushi, 2 Michelin stars)
Rokurinsha (ramen breakfast)
Azabu Kadowaki (Japanese, 2 Michelin stars)
Nakameguro Iguchi yakitori (中目黒いぐち) (yakitori)
Sushi-Ya (すし家) (sushi)
Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory - Totoro Cream Puff (bakery)

2013 Japan Trip
Matsugen (soba)
Sushi Iwa (sushi, 1 Michelin star)
Ramen Honda (ramen)
Ryugin (modern kaiseki, 3 Michelin stars)
Omen (udon)
Shouraian (tofu)
Dotonburi (Osaka street food)
Taian (grill, 3 Michelin stars)
Sushi Sho (sushi)
Nakamura (traditional kaiseki, 3 Michelin stars)
Sushi Taku (sushi, 2 Michelin stars)
Sushi Yoshitake (sushi, 3 Michelin stars)

2012 Japan Trip
Sukiyabashi Jiro (sushi, 3 Michelin stars)
Sushi Sawada (sushi, 2 Michelin stars)
Sushi Aoki (sushi, 1 Michelin star)
Kikunoi Akasaka (kaiseki cuisine, 1 Michelin star)
Mikawa Zezankyo (tempura, 1 Michelin star)
Ukai-Tei (teppanyaki, Kobe beef; 1 Michelin star)
Kaoriya (soba)
Rokurinsha (ramen)
Omotesando Koffee (coffee)

2011 Japan Trip
Post Quake Japan
Kago (Kagoshima cuisine)
Daisan Harumi (sushi)
Tempura Kondo (tempura, 2 Michelin stars)
Sushi Mitani (sushi)
Inakaya (robotayaki)
Aronia de Takazawa (modern cuisine)
Sushi Mizutani (sushi, 3-Michelin stars)
Kappabashi Dori (Kitchen shopping street)
Masamoto Tsukiji (Knife shopping)

2010 Japan Trip
Part 1: Kappabashi Dori (shopping)
Part 2: Tapas Molecular Bar (modern Japanese, 1 Michelin star)
Part 3: Suzuran (ramen)
Part 4: Matcha and Azuki Breads
Part 5: Masamoto Tsukiji Knives (shopping)
Part 6: Maisen (tonkatsu)
Part 7: Snacking in Japan (snacks)
Part 8: Sushi Kanesaka (sushi, 2 Michelin stars)

2009 Japan Trip
Everything I Learned About Sushi I Learned from My Mom . . . . And Kyubei (sushi, formerly 1 Michelin star)
Seryna (Kobe beef shabu)
Sometaro (okomokiyaki)
Maisen (tomkatsu)
Kyubey (sushi, formerly 1 Michelin star)
Suzuran (ramen)

Happy 20th Anniversary! A look back . . .

September 1, 2021 by Jennifer Che

20 years???

In some ways it's really hard for me to believe that I have been married for 20 years (the years flew by!). Yet in another way, when I look back and think about all the different things we've gone through together -- how we've both grown, changed, and experienced so many different chapters together in so many different ways -- then it does feel like it's been a long time.

I met Bryan when he was 17 and I was 19. We were mere kids, not really knowing anything about our futures, where we would go, what we would become. We got married soon out of college, still figuring out our directions in life.

Marriage is truly a step of faith and also commitment (especially when you're really young and you still don't really know yourself!).

We got married on September 1, 2001. It was ten days before the horrific attacks on 9/11 that changed America and our lives forever. We were on our honeymoon in Italy at the time, and started out our marriage stuck in Brussels for days before finally catching a flight to Montreal and driving down the Boston.

I thought it would be fun to reflect upon how we have celebrated our anniversary over the past 20 years. Of course, our 20 years of marriage is defined by so much more than just food or annual celebrations. However, it has played an important part of how we enjoy time together as a couple, and (of course), it is the focus of this blog. 🙂 Enjoy!

2002

2002 was a different time, define by a post 9/11 world and yet pre-digital and pre-social media. Although we received our first digital camera as a wedding present, I woefully have very few photos from that era, and I can't remember for the life of me how we celebrated! All I remember is that I gave Bryan a coffee grinder and Illy espresso cups for our first Valentine's Day, which we use to this day.

2003 - 2007: Staying Put in Boston

I changed careers in 2003 and started attending law school at night and working full time during the day. Needless to say, we started out our marriage being quite busy! Although my weeknights were filled with classes and weekends full of study, we still played in our church band together, ran a Bible study group at our home, and enjoyed local trips around New England.

2003: *Outlet shopping in Freeport Maine*

2004: *Hiking, lobsters, and blueberry pie at Acadia National Park in Maine*

2005: Attending a friend's wedding and celebrating in Boston's North End at Prezza for dinner

2006: I love biking, and one of my favorite activities is to bike the minuteman trail (from Cambridge to Lexington) for ice cream at Rancatore's, and then bike back for a nice dinner in Cambridge. This time, we took a day off of work and ended the day with a French meal in Harvard Square.

2007: Tiny Urban Kitchen is Born

When I graduated from law school, I was so ready to explore a plethora of hobbies (after being "cooped up" for 4 years studying law during my freetime). I threw myself into trying new activities, such as sewing handbags, oil painting, running, capoeira, cooking, and starting a food blog.

In the early days, the blog had no photos (!). I really just wanted to keep a journal of the restaurants I ate at, and also my mom's recipes. Because of that, my write-up of our 6th anniversary meal at Craigie Street Bistrot (one of the earliest blog posts at Tiny Urban Kitchen) is shockingly photo-less.

As life would have it, as I became "freer", Bryan started traveling more and more for work. At our first anniversary apart in 2008 (due to one of Bryan's many business trips), Bryan sent me roses at work for the first time.

Tiny Urban Kitchen is Christened

In 2009 I started to blog more seriously. Bryan had bought me a lovely little camera that took really good photos of food. I changed the name of the blog, joined an ad network, and started to write more seriously about both my cooking and my dining out.

That year, we celebrated our anniversary with a lovely meal at Boston's classic No. 9 Park.

2010: 9th: Menton

2010 was a momentous year. I won Project Food Blog: The Next Food Blog Star, and I started blogging a lot more. We celebrated our 9th with a lovely meal at Barbara Lynch's flagship restaurant Menton, where we enjoyed New England inspired food elevated to the highest level Boston had ever seen.

2011: Las Vegas

For our 10th anniversary we did something crazy. Our friend, a wedding photographer in Las Vegas, offered to treat us to a photoshoot in the desert! We brought along my wedding dress and took all sorts of fun photos, the below being one of my favorite.

We also enjoyed a mind-blowing meal at 3-Michelin starred The Mansion at Joel Robuchon. Truly an unforgettable meal.

2012: 11th Uni Sashimi Bar!

2012 was a special year because Bryan's parents retired that year. Bryan had so many airline miles from his years of travel that he gifted his parents a choice of two first class tickets anywhere in the world.

They looked on a globe and picked the farthest location they could find: Australia and New Zealand. Oh, and they wanted to go together as a family. In 2012, we took a 3+ week vacation (longest we'd ever taken!) and traveled around that stunning region. I woefully have never given it a proper write-up on the blog, but there are a few food posts I was able to write.

Due to the crazy travel in November that year, we took it easy for our anniversary (and also for Christmas), not traveling at all but just resting and staying put. We celebrated 11 years of marriage with a lovely Japanese-inspired meal at Uni Sashimi Bar, back when it was just a small corner of Clio, pre-Tony Messina. How things have changed!

2013: 12th Sonoma!

I have such, such fond memories of California's wine region. I got to know the region when I used to travel there annually to cover the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competitions. For years we went back annually, savoring the beautiful scenery, amazing food, and in Sonoma and Napa. I have many, many fond memories of those trips, and am so thankful for the numerous opportunities we had to visit that amazing region.

2014: 13th Berkshires!

Boston's own backyard, the Berkshires, is a lovely place to visit in the summertime. For our 13th anniversary, we finally enjoyed a picnic while listening to a concert at Tanglewood, the quintessential New England summer experience!

2015: 14th in the Midwest and Around the World

Our friends asked us months earlier whether we wanted to make a special trip to Chicago just to dine at Alinea, one of the most famous fine-dining restaurants in the US. It had been years since I had visited Chicago, and I fell in love with the city! I guess my Midwestern roots are still strong, and perhaps a part of me felt at home there. The meal at Alinea was also really special, especially because we got to spend this anniversary with some of our best friends.

2015 was also memorable for me because that fall Bryan took me on an "Around the World" trip to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was a momentous and crazy trip. We visited wineries in Bordeaux, explored museums in Paris, sampled white truffles in Alba (even went on a truffle hunt!), learned all about the barbaresco and barolo regions, savored Tokyo's food and culture, and also stopped by Hong Kong, Bryan's favorite city in the world. At that time, we never would have ever imagined that we would move there some day.

Finally, I started a new job as head of IP at a biotech start-up in Cambridge, which was super exciting. What a year!

2016: 15th Saison San Francisco

In 2016 I got to enjoy one of my favorite meals (ever) in the US, our anniversary dinner at Saison in San Francisco. I loved how the chef incorporated so many Japanese concepts and ingredients into the tasting menu.

2017: 16th Bergamot Boston

2017 was an unique year. It was the year I moved to Hong Kong. At that time, Bryan had already moved to Hong Kong first and had returned to Boston right before our anniversary to wrap up our move. For our anniversary, we visited our favorite hangout spot Bergamot and enjoyed a boisterous meal at the bar with close friends.

2018: 17th Bergamot Boston

After moving to Hong Kong, we started to value and cherish our times at Bergamot more and more. We returned again in 2018 for yet another anniversary celebration at the same bar. Little did we know that would be our last time . . .

2019: 18th Anniversary in Amber

We couldn't make it to Boston for our 18th anniversary. Instead, we decided to book Amber in Hong Kong in the midst of an intense time of social unrest in Hong Kong. It was a crazy story of how Bryan barely made it out of the airport (which was overrun with protestors) right before the police locked down the airport. Many people were stuck in traffic for hours. I was so thankful Bryan was able to make it back in time for us to celebrate together. I am even more thankful he had the foresight to book a night at the Landmark Mandarin so we wouldn't have to worry about how to get home afterwards.

2020: COVID-19

It goes without saying that 2020 has been the most upended, unpredictable, and crazy year to date. 2020 meant we had been "locked in" working from home for close to two months. In late August, Hong Kong finally started to open up a bit. We ventured out, cautious, celebrating our first "socially distanced" dinner out at Xin Rong Ji.

2021: Our 20th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary!!! Here we are at our 20th. We are so, so thankful that the Covid situation in Hong Kong is quite good, with no local cases in months. We've been enjoying an extended week of celebrations, visiting some favorites such as Sushi Shikon, Ando, Mott32, and Din Tai Fung, just to name a few.

Sometimes it's shocking to me how little we knew ourselves and each other when we took the plunge and decided to tie the knot at such a young age. However, I truly believe it's because of God's amazing grace that we have been able to grow so much as as couple these past 20 years.

The 20th anniversary gift according to tradition is China, while the modern version is Platinum. It's fitting, considering we currently live in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, and Platinum is the material we chose for our wedding bands and my engagement ring so many years ago.

I feel very, very thankful and blessed beyond measure.

Happy Anniversary!

Easter in Japan - Trip Report

January 6, 2020 by Jennifer Che

We kick off a new series about Japan!

Despite the fact that I am now a 5-hour flight away from Tokyo (as opposed to a 12-hour flight in the past), I still only managed to travel to Japan at about the same rate as before, roughly once a year.

In 2019 Bryan and I traveled to Tokyo over the long Easter weekend (a 4-day holiday in Hong Kong!). Because we only had four days, we tried to make the most of it, leaving Thursday evening on a red-eye flight to arrive in Tokyo first thing Friday morning.

...

50 Posts in 50 Days - Take 2! Exploring Hong Kong in 2018

October 21, 2018 by Jennifer Che

Time flies!

Back in January of 2018, after my first 100 days in Hong Kong, I took a challenge upon myself to write 50 blog posts in 50 days. It was modeled after similar challenges I had done in the past (31 posts in 31 days in May of 2014; posting every weekday for the month in 2015). In both cases, the commitment to post caused me to write many posts I never would have gotten around to writing.

Writing those 50 posts back in January was a lot of work and took a lot of discipline! What helped a lot was that I wasn't working a full time day job yet, nor had I started studying Mandarin Chinese intensively (that happened in April, when blog writing activity slowed down for a couple months).

After accomplishing the 50 days of straight posting in Hong Kong in mid-March, this blog took a "break" from Hong Kong and traveled to other parts of the world, such as Tokyo and Hakone (Japan), Sonoma (California), Yunnan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Xiamen (both in China).

Well, now my backlog is HUGE and in much great need of another boost. So, I've decided to do ANOTHER 50 posts in 50 days, starting tomorrow! 😬😱

This time, I'm working a full-time job, still trying to study Mandarin Chinese, and taking conversational Cantonese lessons. Heh, I have my hands full, but I'm committed to doing this. I know that if I commit to it, it will get done.

I may play around with different formats of writing up posts for restaurants, so don't be surprised if things look a bit different sometimes. Heh, if I'm really inspired, I may even write up a recipe or two. I've resolved to start cooking more again, so we'll see where that goes. The richness of the produce that is available in the farmers markets around here is too tempting . . .

Anyway, enjoy the ride! There will be lots of new posts about cool day trips within Hong Kong as well as all the various restaurants I've tried in Hong Kong in the past six months!

Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car - Lantau Island Hong Kong

DONE! COMPLETE LIST OF ALL 50 POSTS
Cheung Chau Island (Hong Kong day trip)
Kin's Kitchen (Cantonese)
Mercedes Me Brunch (European)
Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle (Cantonese)
Old Bailey (Jiangnan, China cuisine)
Saravanaa Bhavan (Indian)
Mott32 (Peking duck)
ICHU (Peruvian)
Tsukiji Yamataka Seafood Market (Sushi)
Mercato Hong Kong (Italian)
Tsukado Nojo (Japanese beauty hot pot)
Santorini Hong Kong (Greek)
Day Trip to Tai O Fishing Village (egg waffle, HK seafood)
Lantau Island and the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car (Hong Kong day trip)
Brass Spoon (Vietnamese)
Galician Beef at La Ramba (Spanish)
Chifa Dumpling House (Chinese Peruvian)
Yardbird (yakitori) (Japanese grill)
Okonomiyaki Dohtonburi
The Chairman Four Person Set Menu
Northern Yuan Dumpling
Zhejiang Heen (Jiangnan, China)
Crabtain (crab congee)
Fishteria (Western style seafood)
Chachawan (Northern Thai / Issan)
Ning Po Restaurant (Shanghai area)
IM Teppanyaki (Japanese grill)
Che's Cantonese Restaurant (Cantonese)
Frites Belgian on Tap (Belgian mussels and fries)
Madame Ching (modern Chinese)
The Flying Elk (Scandinavian)
Putien (Fujian Chinese)
Xiangshu (Sichuan, Hunan Chinese)
Xihe Yayuan (Peking duck, Chinese)
Town by Bryan Nagao (Japanese, French, Spanish)
Ovo Cafe (Vegetarian)
Kyoku (Teppanyaki)
Santé Wine Bar (Spanish/French)
Arcane (European)
8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana (Italian)
Sushi Nakamoto (Edomae Sushi)
Shiwei (Knife Shaved Noodles)
Wai Kee Bowrington Road (Cooked Food Centre)
Epure (French)
China Tang
Sohofama (modern Chinese)
Motorino (Neapolitan pizza)
The Yuan 原汁原味 (Cantonese)
TeppanRoom Grant Hyatt (teppanyaki)

Tokyo Shiba Tofuya Ukai - Tofu Kaiseki at the foot of Tokyo Tower

September 5, 2018 by Jennifer Che

This is the fourth post in the extended Japan Series 2018. Other posts in this series include Totoro, Fall Foliage, and Tofu Kaiseki , Potsura Potsura - Japanese modern izakaya, and Sushi Ya with Takao Ishiyama plus new Sushi Ishiyama

At the foot of Tokyo tower lies an unlikely oasis tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Nestled inside a stunning Japanese garden complete with a tiny stream, bridge, and perfectly manicured trees, Tokyo Shiba Tofuya Ukai is a Japanese kaiseki restaurant that specializes in tofu, one of my favorite foods in the world. The tofu is homemade using specially chosen high quality soy beans and spring water.

Entering this oasis feels like a trip back in time. You are whisked away into the Edo period, experiencing what Tokyo was like 200 years ago. The buildings reflect the era, and the servers all wear traditional dress.

The restaurant is located inside of a 200 year old sake brewery (transplanted here from Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture) within a samurai-era merchant's residence. The building is huge, with 55 rooms, and seats over 500 people. Most rooms are private tatami rooms, although there is at least one larger room with several tables, useful for small parties or solo diners like me who don't need a whole private room.

The focus on high quality and impeccable service is characteristic of the Ukai group, who run three other well-known restaurants in Tokyo, including the fantastic Ukai-Tei Teppanyaki in Omotesando (where we had some of the best beef we've ever had)....

Sushi Ya すし家 with Takao Ishiyama plus new Sushi Ishiyama 鮨いしやま

August 25, 2018 by Jennifer Che

Chef Takao Ishiyama

This is the third post in the extended Japan Series 2018. Other posts in this series include Totoro, Fall Foliage, and Tofu Kaiseki and Potsura Potsura - Japanese modern izakaya.

This post describes a meal I had at Sushi Ya Chef with Takao Ishiyama back in November of 2017. Little did I know at that the time the he would be leaving Sushi Ya very soon to open up his own place, Sushi Ishiyama 鮨いしやま, really soon!

Chef Ishiyama left Sushi-Ya in April 2018. Another alumni from Sushi Kanesaka (honten), Chef Hashimoto, has taken over Sushi Ya as executive chef. Chef Ishiyama opened his own place in Ginza on July 25, 2018.

I have not seen too many reports of it thus far (at least in English!), but I am personally quite curious what it is like, and will definitely plan on trying to visit my next trip to Japan! If you're curious, you can read through the initial reviews and look at photographs on tabelog by Japanese people who have visited. It definitely looks quite similar to the food at Sushi Ya, with some minor differences.

So, I write this post sort of as a memoir instead of as information for meals to come. Although Takao Ishiyama will most certainly incorporate many elements from what he was doing at Sushi Ya, he may try to establish his own signature stamp onto his own restaurant.

This dinner was delicious, but it was way too much food for this person who is usually happy eating about 10-12 pieces of sushi. The dinner omakase had a whopping twenty-four courses, and some of those courses were not small (see, for example, upper right corner which is half a crab).

In any event, I think the size of lunch omakase suits me better, even though sometimes I think they save the good stuff for dinner....

Potsura Potsura Tokyo - Bib Gourmande Izakaya ぽつらぽつら

August 21, 2018 by Jennifer Che

This is the second post in the extended Japan Series 2018. Other posts in this series include Totoro, Fall Foliage, and Tofu Kaiseki.

If you're looking for something that's casual yet a bit different from the traditional izakaya, noodle, or sushi joint in Japan, consider Potsura Potsura (ぽつらぽつら), a modern izakaya that focuses on fresh ingredients from the sea and the farm.

The restaurant sources its vegetables daily from its partner farm Matzuzawa Farms in Azamino, Kanagawa. The restaurant also emphasizes "openness". Chefs prepare food in an open kitchen that patrons lucky enough to score a counter seat (like us!) can observe and enjoy. Head chef and owner Yoneyama Yu truly has a passion for showcasing local ingredients.

The restaurant has received a lot of recognition, bib gourmand by the Michelin Guide and top 100 restaurants by Tokyo Calendar. They offer a nice selection of Japanese wines and sake as well.

It seemed like the perfect place for me: one of my favorite cuisines (Japanese); a strong focus on fresh vegetables and seafood; recognition for excellent cooking at a good value; and the ability to try lots of small dishes (izakaya format).

I made the reservation through my hotel a couple weeks before the trip, just in case.

...

Happy New Year! A look back at 2017

January 1, 2018 by Jennifer Che

Happy New Year!

Oh what a year it's been.

I feel like I've been so busy with my cross-global move from Boston to Hong Kong that I haven't really had time to reflect upon this past year. For sure the move has made 2017 the most eventful year (maybe ever) in my life. I've only moved/uprooted one time before - at the age of 18 when I moved from Ohio to Boston for college. That was eventful, but not like this one. At that young age, I was ready and excited to move. Settling in was easy because I was amongst a whole class of freshmen who had also moved to Boston from all over the country.

This move is different. After 20+ years in Boston, there's a lot more to uproot, move, and resettle, both physically and emotionally.

It's been a whirlwind three months since I landed in Hong Kong in early October. We've been living in a serviced apartment for several months, but finally signed a lease for a real apartment at the end of 2017. Our stuff from the US arrived in mid-December (yay!). We worked tirelessly throughout the weekend to unpack as much as possible before flying out to the US for the holidays. On New Years Eve, we spent our first night in the new apartment.


Loving my Totoro painting done by a friend	view from the kitchen window!

Finally, I'm starting to feel a bit settled! It's nice to have all of my own kitchen stuff back. My new kitchen is smaller than my old one, so I'm back to having a true tiny urban kitchen again. 😉

Here's a look back at 2017. I realized that this was the first year in about a decade that I did not visit a new country, though I did re-visit many favorite ones multiple times (hello Japan and Taiwan!). Here's a recap of this crazy, crazy year. I have no idea what 2018 will bring, but I'm excited for the endless possibilities, especially being out here in Asia!
...

PAGU Cambridge - Japanese Spanish fusion

February 7, 2017 by Jennifer Che

PAGU in Central Square is finally open!

I have been anticipating this restaurant opening forever. I've known Chef-owner Tracy Chang for several years now. She first reached out to me back in 2011 (right after I won Project Food Blog). It was a time when I was just getting serious about food blogging and she was heading off to the Basque region in Spain to train with 3-Michelin starred chef Martin Berasategui.

I got to know her through Guchi's Midnight Ramen and some of Chef Jason Doo's amazing pop-up meals. We've become friends, sharing a Taiwanese heritage, a love of Totoro, and a keen interest in food (of course!).

Tracy's creative food direction is largely inspired by her childhood memories and her travels, which have brought her to Spain, France, Japan, and China (among many other destinations).
Tracy grew up around restaurants. Her grandmother owned the restaurant Tokyo in Cambridge (1988-2000), and it shaped many of her early experiences with the restaurant industry. After graduating from Boston College with a degree in finance, Tracy spent two years working at O Ya before heading off to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to study patisserie.

She then traveled to San Sebastian, Spain to work at three Michelin starred Restaurante Martin Berasategui before returning to America. In Boston, Tracy focused her energy on a variety of local projects, such as the insanely successful pop-up Guchi's Midnight Ramen, the Harvard Science + Cooking series, and the Alícia Foundation.

PAGU (which is the Japanese word for pug), is located in the Takeda building at 310 Mass Ave right near Central Square, MIT, and many of the area's biotech and pharma companies. The restaurant focuses on Japanese-Spanish fusion food, a nod to Tracy's two favorite cuisines.

PAGU operates on a reservation model that is a hybrid of the pure ticket-based systems you see at places like Tasting Counter and Alinea, and the free (for us) reservation systems (like Opentable or Reserve).

You can book the four-course tasting menu and pay in advance ($60 per person), or reserve an a la carte ticket, which requires a $25 deposit per person. This amount is subtracted from your bill when you eat at the restaurant. The ticket is non-refundable, though you can transfer it to someone else if you can't make it last minute.

The menu consists mostly of smaller plates, priced mostly between $7 - $16 per plate. Most people are encouraged to order two to three plates per person, depending on what you order. I've gone several times and have had a chance to taste many things on the menu. Here's a look!...

Sun Tung Lok Hong Kong - 2 Michelin Stars

December 4, 2016 by Jennifer Che

Sun Tung Lok Hong Kong

This is the thirty-fifth post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series. Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

Luxury Chinese.

It's not something I'm really exposed to here in America. When most people think of Chinese food, they think of cheap take-out, tiny hole-in-the-wall joints, or dim sum. Chinese food is casual, inexpensive, and family-style. In fact, when people try to "fancify" and charge more for Chinese food, our natural inclination is to revolt, thinking that it's "over-priced" because we can get equally good versions of the dish at a cheap hole-in-the-wall.

Bryan and I knew very little about Chinese high-end food. Yes, we'd been to China a few times, but we were totally seeking the hole-in-wall best dumpling, best xiao long bao, best Peking duck, etc. We didn't seek out fancy food because that's not what we associated with China.

As a result, were both interested in seeing what high-end Chinese was all about. Honk Kong, which has multiple Chinese restaurants with Michelin stars, seemed like the perfect place to try it.

Sun Tung Lok is a Cantonese restaurant that specializes in dishes made with shark fin. 🙁 It boasts being one of only two restaurants in the world back in 2011 to earn three Michelin stars (Lung King Heen was the other one). It has since dropped to two Michelin stars in the most recent 2017 guide.

Sun Tung Lok Hong Kong

Interestingly, even before I went, I knew many people questioned why Sun Tung Lok ever received three stars. Neverthless, we decided to try for ourselves and find out....

Din Tai Fung Hong Kong

November 30, 2016 by Jennifer Che

This is the thirty-fourth post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series. Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

Yes, here I am, seeking out Din Tai Fungs around the world again.

There's just something I love about this Taiwanese dumpling chain that has now spread pretty far around the world. I've personally visited close to ten of them worldwide, including ones in
Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and all over the U.S. (Arcadia, Los Angeles, Bellevue). And now, Din Tai Fung Hong Kong.

Interestingly, I still haven't visited the one in Tokyo, even though I've been to Japan probably more times than all those other countries combined, excluding the U.S.

We met friends for dinner at Din Tai Fung our second night in Hong Kong. Our friends have a baby so we decided to meet at Din Tai Fung around 4:30PM to avoid the lines (as expected, there was no wait at that hour).

The Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong is the only one to have ever official received a Michelin star (2010 guide to Hong Kong and Macau). In the new 2017 guide, it no longer has a Michelin star, but is still listed as a bib gourmand (good quality, good value cooking)....

Tim Ho Wan Hong Kong (Central Station)

November 29, 2016 by Jennifer Che

This is the thirty-third post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series. Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

In 2009, a chef from Hong Kong's 3-Michelin starred restaurant Lung King Heen, Mak Kwai-pui, decided to open up his own restaurant in Hong Kong's Mongkok region. Called Tim Ho Wan, this restaurant soon became one of the most popular dim sum spots on Hong Kong. Lines were notoriously long (they don't take reservations).

In 2010, Tim Ho Wan received one Michelin star and immediately became known as the one of the cheapest Michelin starred meals one could eat worldwide.

Tim Ho Wan soon expanded to five additional locations throughout Hong Kong. In the latest (just released!) 2017 Michelin guide, two of these five locations received one Michelin star, which is pretty remarkable (North Point and Sham Shui Po).

We ended up visiting the location in Central, right at a large train station, which is probably one of the most convenient locations to visit. It had a line (though not too bad before 12PM), and the food was excellent. I still have yet to try dim sum at an official Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan, so I can't compare, but this place was quite, quite good....

Fu Sing Seafood Restaurant Hong Kong

November 27, 2016 by Jennifer Che

This is the thirty-second post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series. Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

Welcome to Hong Kong!

Bryan and I arrived in Hong Kong after five lovely days in Japan. This was the last stop of this crazy 3-week trip we had planned for my birthday. Why Hong Kong? Bryan had previously fallen in love with Hong Kong after visiting it on business trips. He really wanted me to see it, and had added it to the end of our itinerary.

Hong Kong is a fascinating city filled with countless food stalls, insane amounts of shopping, and more skyscrapers than you could ever imagine.

The views are stunning and the energy is unparalleled.

And the food!

Hong Kong probably has some of the best food in the world.

Fu Sing Seafood Restaurant Hong Kong

Fu Sing Seafood Restaurant Hong Kong

After an underwhelming dinner our first night in Hong Kong (don't ask, I'm not even going to write about it), we decided to pursue what Hong Kong does best: an authentic Cantonese meal. We chose to have dim sum at Fu Sing, a highly recommended (Michelin bib gourmand) seafood restaurant with three locations in Hong Kong. We went to the original one at Sunshine Plaza. Note: the one listed in the Michelin guide is the one at Causeway Bay.

The interior was classic - many large round tables with white table clothes and covered chairs. We sat at a round table in the corner, giving us a great view of the entire bustling restaurant.

It was so hard to decide what to order. Ha ha, clearly we ordered more than we could eat!
The picture menu, written in both English and Chinese, was very handy for ordering.

Their most famous dish is the BBQ pork, or charsiu, and for good reason. It is simply out of this world. The BBQ flavors are complex and deeply flavorful. The meat is super tender and soft, with a lovely crispy skin.

We really couldn't stop eating it, even though we were pretty stuffed near the end.

I absolutely loved their BBQ Pork Baked Buns.

I had already been blown away by the BBQ pork buns at Tim Ho Wan in Singapore, but after trying these, I was convinced these were better.

These buns also have that lovely sugar-encrusted top and a pop of sweet + savory BBQ pork inside. It was seriously out of this world. It's better than the famous BBQ pork buns at Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong. In fact, this currently ranks as the best charsiu bao I've ever had in my life.

The turnip cakes were also excellent, pan fried perfectly with a delicate thin crust all around the outside.

Yum!

Other dishes were very good as well. We also enjoyed this creamy bone broth with wontons and bok choy. It was warm, nourishing, and tasty.

The handmade wontons were great.

For dessert, we had custard filled steamed buns, which were fine, but not nearly as mind-blowing as the BBQ pork baked buns.

All in all, Fu Sing Seafood Restaurant is a great place to get some of the best dim sum in Hong Kong.

It's well regarded everywhere. Not only is it a Michelin bib gourmand ("quality meal at an affordable price"), it's on the Eater 38 for Hong Kong (38 Essential Restaurants to visit), and shows up in numerous articles and lists of "best dim sum" or "best BBQ pork" in Hong Kong.

As it goes with all popular restaurants, definitely make reservations if you can. Otherwise, show up early to avoid waiting in long lines, especially on weekends and during lunchtime.

Stay tuned as we continue this Hong Kong portion of this crazy series with an aim to finish it all by December 3rd (exactly one year to the date I returned from that trip - can't believe it's almost been a year!)

Fu Sing Seafood Restaurant Hong Kong
1-3/F, Sunshine Plaza
353 Lockhart Rd,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Update - January 19, 2018

We have gone back since moving there and the food is still excellent. Here are just a few more dishes we've tried and enjoyed.

Steamed Shrimp Dumpling

Chicken Feet

Sauteed lotus root with gingko beans, wood ear mushroom, and green beans.

Crispy Chicken

All Posts In This Series

Around the World Birthday Extravaganza
Alba White Truffle Fair
Osteria Dei Sognatori - A Traditional Piedmontese Dinner
Italy Wine Tour - Barbaresco
Lunch at Donna Selvatica in Neive, Italy
Dinner at a Truffle Hunter's Inn - Tra Art e Querce
G.D.Vajra Winery
Trattoria Della Posta in Montfort D'Alba
Nighttime Truffle Hunting with a Dog in Alba
Osteria della Arco - last dinner in Alba
Stunning Images of La Morra and Barolo, Italy
First Day In Bordeaux, France - Une Cuisine en Ville
Chateau Haut-Brion Tour in Bordeaux France
Restaurant Le St. James
Touring Bordeaux Wineries - Day 1 - Left Bank
La Tupina, Bordeaux (traditional French dinner)
Cos d'Estournel Tour
Touring Bordeaux - Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages
Chateau Cordeillan-Bages
A Different Paris
Le Relais de l'Entrecote
Pirouette Paris
L'Ambroisie Paris
Hiking at Mount Takao in Japan
Florilege
Sushi Harutaka
Rokurinsha ramen breakfast (六厘舎)
Azabu Kadowaki
Nakameguro Iguchi yakitori (中目黒いぐち)
Sushi-Ya (すし家)
Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory - Totoro Cream Puff
Sushi Yoshitake

Has It Been A Year Already? Birthday Reflections

November 18, 2016 by Jennifer Che

Barolo, Italy

Today's my birthday.

And what a crazy, eventful year it's been!

I'm shocked that it has already been one year since I stepped on a plane headed for Milan en route to Alba, Italy. In some ways that felt like yesterday. In other ways, I feel like so much has happened.

I started a new job just a little over a year ago at a really exciting biotech startup in Cambridge. I've fallen in love with the energy that's ever-present at a startup. The work is fascinating, the people are great, and the company LOVES good food. It's a perfect match!

Bryan and I have continued to travel a lot, visiting Spain twice (Madrid in June and Barcelona in October - posts for that trip coming soon) and visiting the fjords of Norway via cruise ship in August. We also took a few quick weekend trips to New York, Sonoma, and Chicago.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

I vowed that I would finish the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza trip series before the 1-year annivesary of my trip. I guess technically I missed the 1-year anniverary of the beginning of the trip, but I returned on December 3, 2015, so I still have a couple more weeks to finish off the series. 😉

Kiddie Land in Omotesando, Tokyo

I just recently finished my last Japan post (Sushi Yoshitake) so we will move onto Hong Kong next, the last stop of our trip.

Hong Kong Mid-Level Escalators

Stay tuned for posts about excellent classic dim sum places, a high-end Michelin starred Chinese restaurant, and awesome dumplings.

For now, please enjoy the many other posts from this series!

INTRO
Around the World Birthday Extravaganza

PIEDMONT, ITALY
Alba White Truffle Fair
Osteria Dei Sognatori - A Traditional Piedmontese Dinner
Italy Wine Tour - Barbaresco
Lunch at Donna Selvatica in Neive, Italy
Dinner at a Truffle Hunter's Inn - Tra Art e Querce
G.D.Vajra Winery
Trattoria Della Posta in Montfort D'Alba
Nighttime Truffle Hunting with a Dog in Alba
Osteria della Arco - last dinner in Alba
Stunning Images of La Morra and Barolo, Italy

BORDEAUX, FRANCE
First Day In Bordeaux, France - Une Cuisine en Ville
Chateau Haut-Brion Tour in Bordeaux France
Restaurant Le St. James
Touring Bordeaux Wineries - Day 1 - Left Bank
La Tupina, Bordeaux
Cos d'Estournel Tour
Touring Bordeaux - Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages
Chateau Cordeillan-Bages

PARIS, FRANCE
A Different Paris
Le Relais de l'Entrecote
Pirouette Paris
L'Ambroisie Paris
L'Arpege

TOKYO, JAPAN
Hiking at Mount Takao in Japan
Florilege
Sushi Harutaka
Rokurinsha ramen breakfast (六厘舎)
Azabu Kadowaki
Nakameguro Iguchi yakitori (中目黒いぐち)
Sushi-Ya (すし家)
Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory - Totoro Cream Puff
Sushi Yohitake

Sushi Yoshitake (Tokyo, Michelin 3 Stars)

November 8, 2016 by Jennifer Che

This is the thirty-first post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series. Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

It's been two years since Bryan first visited this tiny, 7-seater, 3-Michelin starred sushi restaurant during a business trip to Tokyo. I'll never forget it. He called me from Tokyo raving about this place. In the same call, he used the words "best dish I've ever had in my life" and “we really have to go back to Japan so I can take you there.”

When we planned the Japan portion of our Around the World trip, Bryan only had one request: Sushi Yoshitake.

Sushi Yoshitake is special for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, Chef Masahiro Yoshitake does not adhere strictly to the traditional Edomae style. He takes more liberties, injecting all sorts of creativity into his preparations. Yes, there is still plenty of traditional sushi, but he also creates some mind-blowing, non-traditional flavor combinations.

The Bryan-proclaimed "best dish I've ever had" is one such dish. Fresh abalone served with a decadent sauce from the abalone liver is absolutely divine. A "trio of uni" that uses two-year aged uni is a revelation.

Masahiro Yoshitake is also very fluent in English, having spent years working in New York city as a sushi chef. He's friendly and talkative, and the atmosphere is relaxing inside his tiny 7-seater sushi bar.

I absolutely loved my meal there. It totally lived up to Bryan's "hype." I would not hesitate to return again the next time I go to Tokyo.

He lets you take photos, but only with a phone (no SLRs or even pocket cameras). I'm glad that smartphone cameras are getting better and better, because these photos actually aren't too bad.

Here's a look at our very memorable meal!...

Hiking Mount Takao (Takao-San}) Japan

October 2, 2016 by Jennifer Che

Hiking Mount Takao Japan

This is the twenty-fourth post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series and the first post in Japan! Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

It’s been my wish forever to hike and enjoy fall foliage on my birthday. Hiking is one of my favorite activities, and I always try to do something I love on my birthday. Unfortunately, my birthday falls in November, which means (at least here in Boston), it’s really cold outside, the sun sets super early, and the leaves have long fallen off the trees.

So I never get to go hiking.

This past year, for the first time, we were not in Boston on my birthday. Instead, as part of this crazy Around the World Birthday Extravaganza, we were traveling through Italy, France, Japan, and Hong Kong.

In Tokyo, fall foliage peaks in November. Finally, for the first time in my life, I would be able to hike for my birthday, as well as be in one of my favorite countries in the world.

Climbers hiking Mount Takao Japan

I chose Mount Takao, a fun, popular hiking spot that is located about 50 minutes from Tokyo via train (390 yen)....

Who is Tiny Urban Kitchen?

Hi! My name's Jen and welcome to my blog!

Tiny Urban Kitchen was born out of a tiny urban kitchen in my tiny urban condo located between my alma mater and the other school in Cambridge. Despite the size, I till managed to do tons of crazy kitchen experiments there - everything from learning my mom's Taiwanese recipes and creating cute Totoro foods to exploring complex techniques like sous vide and molecular gastronomy.

To read more about how the blog started, check out my entry for round 1 of Project Food Blog, which describes not only how this blog began, but really the core of what motivates me and what defines Tiny Urban Kitchen.

Cooking?

If this is your first time here, welcome! Here are some quick tips to help you navigate the site.

If you're interested in cooking, definitely check out the Recipes Index , where you can search a visual gallery of all the recipes on this site by various categories. Some fun recipes to check out include the delicious Thai recipes from my cooking classes in Bangkok, Malaysian recipes from a cooking class I took in Kuala Lumpur, and my large collection of Taiwanese / Chinese recipes.

Interested in the sous vide technique? Here's a primer on sous vide, including links to several recipes I’ve made from famous chefs like Thomas Keller and David Chang.

The top ten recipes I personally used on the blog are Taiwanese Grilled Corn, Grilled Bok Choy, Taiwanese Meat Sauce over Rice, Tea Eggs, Taiwanese Three-Cup Chicken, Milanese Veal Osso Buco, Baja-style Fish Tacos, Crispy Basil Smashed Potatoes, Authentic Roman-style Pasta Carbonara, and Matcha Mochi Cake.

Need Boston Dining Recommendations?

If you're visiting Boston, definitely check out Jen's Picks, a list of all my restaurant recommendations for anyone visiting Boston. If you still want to explore more, check out the Boston Page, which leads to many surrounding neighborhoods. Click on any one and explore the visual gallery that leads you to individual restaurants.

For day trips from Boston, consider the Berkshires (Boston Pops in the summer, foliage in the fall), Cape Cod, Cape Ann, or Portland, Maine.

Travel

I travel A LOT, and I always do extensive research about food before going to a new location. Therefore, if you're planning on visiting a new place, definitely check out the places I've visited and written about in these locations when you're planning your trip.

Start with the Japan Guide if you're visiting Tokyo. There are lots of posts about Japan, since I've been going almost every year for the last 8 (!) years. In Asia, I've also eaten my way around China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

In Europe, we have eaten in some phenomenal restaurants in London, experienced the local cuisine in Munich, spent unforgettable weeks exploring Rome and the Piedmont region in Italy, visited Greece's numerous ruins and gorgeous islands, and spent a week in the resilient country of France just one week following the Paris attacks. We've eaten our way around Spain (both Barcelona and Madrid) and spent a week on a cruise of the fjords of Norway ending in Copenhagen.

There's a ton of really good food in Montreal, Canada, and tons of stuff to see in Australia and New Zealand.

I've traveled extensively throughout the U.S. The cities with the most posts would probably be Las Vegas (I go annually for the CES conference), Napa and Sonoma (wine country!), and New York City (it's just so close to Boston!). In 2014, we went on an extensive 2+ week trip to the Hawaiian Islands (one of the most memorable trips I've taken recently), and we still regularly visit Los Angeles and San Francisco to see friends and relatives.

For a fun photo gallery of all the Michelin Starred restaurants I visited, check out the Michelin Stars Gallery.

What has surprised you most about food blogging?
I think everyone says the same thing, and I have to agree. The community is AWESOME. Most people start food blogging to share recipes with friends and family, or to keep a record of all the restaurants they've visited - at least that's why I started my blog. You never really realize how food blogging can connect you to so many like-minded people around the world. I've had the great privilege to "meet" people from Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, and, of course, all over the US. Things like the Foodbuzz Festival are great ways to connect with other food lovers. I never would have thought that starting a food blog would open the door to so many other friendships, opportunities, and experiences.

What has been the most amazing food opportunity that you've had as a result of food blogging?

One that is up there is definitely my trips to Napa Valley to blog about the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition. In 2010, Foodbuzz and S. Pellegrino had hosted a contest to send one person there. I was thrilled and beyond belief that I had actually won the contest. The trip really opened my eyes to what the food industry is like. The food industry, especially the restaurant industry, is grueling, and it takes a ton of hard work and perseverance to make it. I was so privileged to be able to see this up close. It really gave me a new perspective and added respect for those who choose to follow this career path. Of course, Napa Valley is also beautiful, and I had a fabulous time there just checking out the vineyards and trying some amazing restaurants!

What camera do you use? What's your process in photography?

I switch between my Sony DSC RX1R (which is more pocket-sized so I carry it around with me everywhere I go) and my Canon 5D MKIII depending on the situation. The SLR is really big and heavy, so I use it more during vacations and food events that are clearly "camera-friendly." I would say 80% of the pictures on my blog are taken with the pocket sized cameras. For social media, I mostly use the iPhone 7. I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 to catalog and work up my images, which are all shot in raw format. I then export them to WordPress.

I got the Canon 5D MKIII in 2012 and the Sony DSC RX1R in 2015, so any photos before those dates were taken with either a Sony DSC RX1, Panasonic Lumix GF1, Canon 5D MkII, or Canon 5D , all of which are excellent cameras.

Which posts did you have the most fun creating?

Man, that’s a tough question! Before Project Food Blog, there was a really fun post I worked on called Kyaraben on Steroids. I spent the day making sushi and other foods in the shapes of my favorite Japanese anime characters. It was a ton of work and took all day, but to this day I still love looking at the pictures of the cute Hello Kitty, Domokuns, Totoros, and Keroppis that I made for this post.

I had a lot of fun creating posts for the numerous rounds in Project Food Blog. My favorites would have to be a toss up between the final post in the last round (Final Reflections where I made a moving stop-animation video of Boston constructed out of vegetables (and sang a song!)) and the hand-pulled noodle instructional video that I made for Round 7.

What have been some of your favorite dining experiences ever? In the world?
There's no better place for sushi than in Japan, and all of my favorite sushi experience are there - from the world famous Sukiyabashi Jiro and Sushi Mizutani (Jiro's disciple) to many, many others.

Some of my favorite high-end meals were from places like Le Bernardin in New York City, The Ledbury in London, and Saison in San Francisco, where the phenomenal Japanese-inspired food, warm ambiance, and exquisite service really made for an unforgettable experience.

I love dumplings. Nothing beats a freshly wok-crusted shenjianbao (pan fried bao) from Yang's Fy Dumpling in Shanghai or a steaming black truffle pork dumpling from Din Tai Fung in Taiwan (or China!). The baked chasu pork bun at Tim Ho Wan blew me away the first time I had it (with its flaky, almost butter crust).

In Rome, I will never forget the pasta carbonara at Roscioli or the paper-thin pizza crust at Pizzeria Dal Paino. I will always remember the smoky wok-hei from the drunken noodle at Raan Jay Fai, an an open-air stall in Bangkok. I still dream about the white truffles in Alba, and I fondly remember the chili crab and Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore. And don't forget the delicious freshly baked bagels from Montreal, a treat that is available 24 hours of the day.

Final Thoughts?

I love interacting with my readers through my various social media platforms. Although I offer lots of information on the blog, I have also learned a lot of things from my readers. The communication totally goes both ways, and I love it that way! I realize in the age of social media that people are moving those conversations to a wider variety of platforms.

So please, feel free to say hello via any of my numerous social media channels.

Thanks for visiting!

Warmly,

Chinese Braised Peanuts

April 1, 2016 by Jennifer Che

At my church there is a program called Meals for Moms. Whenever a new mom has a baby, church members sign up to provide a week's worth of food for the family. This allows the new family to have one less thing to worry about during those trying first few months of parenthood!

I've been signing up to cook for moms for over a decade. Through the years, I have settled on several dishes that are healthy, easy to make in bulk, and store well for a week - dishes like Taiwanese meat sauce over rice, tea eggs, three cup chicken, bok choy, and Korean spinach salad. Occasionally, I'll throw in something fun, like Totoro eggs for my Totoro-obsessed friend or fancy chocolate for someone with a sweet tooth.

One of my close friends in Boston has become my most trusted partner in executing all of this. Every time a new mom has a baby, she emails me and asks, "want to sign up? which week works for you?"

All packed up! A week's worth of food for my friend + a special treat for dessert! @burdickchocolat

A photo posted by Jennifer (@tinyurbankitchen) on Mar 15, 2015 at 12:56pm PDT

Throughout the past decade, we've worked out a great partnership. She's a great sous chef and is awesome at prepping the ingredients (and often helps me shop for them, since she has a car!). I do some prep but focus on executing latter steps, like stir frying, simmering, and, in general, overseeing the burners on the stove. We usually get together and spend 2-3 hours chatting, chopping, and cooking. It works out great, and we've been able to make food for so many moms.

Recently, my good friend had her first baby.

Of all the people at our church, she most definitely deserves having someone cook food for her, considering the countless meals she has prepared for others. I was the first to sign up, and I made many of the same dishes we had always made together. This time, however, I snuck in something new....

New Series! Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Trip

January 6, 2016 by Jennifer Che

Happy New Year!

This is a continuation of my post reflecting on 2015, A Look Back at 2015, Part I. This is Part II, and essentially is a very condensed summary of my three week around-the-world trip. It's hard to fit three weeks worth of content in a reasonably-sized blog post, but I'll try my best!

Bryan had seen a sale for "around-the-world" tickets on American Airlines over six months ago. At the time, we had toyed around with the idea of planning a big trip in celebration of my milestone birthday. Since I'm one of those people who can never commit to anything, Bryan went ahead and booked a general itinerary which included Alba (I've always wanted to go to Alba during the White Truffle Fair in November), Bordeaux (a trip we've been meaning to take with friends for years now), Paris (beautiful & romantic + the food!), Japan (my favorite!), and Hong Kong (one of Bryan's favorite cities in Asia).

I promise I will write about all these places in much more detail in the upcoming months (yes, I actually believe it will take that long to cover everything). Of course, I will intersperse those travel posts with Boston restaurant posts and some cooking posts as well.

For now, here's a preview of how we spent our time from mid-November to early December!
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Greetings from Europe and Asia!

November 30, 2015 by Jennifer Che

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday!

So sorry I haven't been posting as much. I have been traveling for two weeks straight throughout Europe and Asia. I thought I would be able to catch up on blogging during my flights in between my trips. Who would have thought that jetlag would totally consume me, and I would end up sleeping most of my flights.

So for now, I've compiled a few of my Instagram posts to give you a sense of what I've been up to. Please feel free to check out the entire feed (also available on Twitter and Facebook), if you want to see more details about my trip so far. Of course, I will follow up with very detailed posts about everything in the next several months to come.

Enjoy!...

Hojoko at Fenway Boston

August 31, 2015 by Jennifer Che

This article was original published in TheFenway.com as an article titled "Rock & Rolls: Sake and Sushi hit the Fenway". This blog version takes the original article and expands upon it, both in terms of my own thoughts as well as additional photos of dishes!

Fenway just got a lot more exciting.

On August 6th, the long anticipated Hojoko, from James Beard Award winning Tim Cushman and his wife Nancy Cushman (also owners of O Ya and Roof at Park South), finally opened its doors inside the Verb Hotel. Hojoko is an izakaya, traditionally a Japanese drinking establishment that serves food to accompany the drinks. Of course, knowing Chef Cushman's talents in the kitchen and Nancy Cushman's expertise on sake, it's no surprise that Hojoko excels at both food and drink equally well. The executive chef at Hojoko is Hart Lowry, who comes over from O Ya....

Sushi Kanesaka Palace Hotel (Tokyo)

May 20, 2015 by Jennifer Che

Bryan, my husband, often travels for work. Occasionally, armed with his trusty little Sony camera (affiliate link!), he will take photos and send me his thoughts on some of the more note-worthy restaurants he has visited. Other posts I've written for places he has visited (but I have not!) are Sushi Yoshitake (3-Michelin stars) in Tokyo, Luce in San Francisco, and Olo in Helsinki. This is also the 14th post of I’ve written in May as part of my #21PostsInMay Challenge where I aim to write a new post every single weekday in the month of May. You can see all posts written in May here.

The Japanese take their national holidays very seriously.

Which is why it's a huge bummer if the one day your business trip takes you to Japan, the city is closed because everyone is celebrating the holiday.

This is exactly what happened to Bryan.

Well, sort of.

First of all, it was a rather unexpected surprise that Bryan was even flying through Tokyo. His trip was supposed to take him through a couple Scandinavian countries before heading to Macau for a conference. Originally, he would fly straight back from Hong Kong. Alas, a last minute business meeting came up, which made him have to reroute his flight plan through Tokyo.

And how can you stop over in Tokyo and not stop by?

As visions of sushi floated through his head, Bryan decided to stay just one night in Tokyo. Essentially he would have time for one dinner and one lunch before heading back to Narita for that lovely (newish) direct flight on Japan Airlines back to Boston.

There was just one problem....

Eating Around the World at Epcot World Showcase

April 28, 2015 by Jennifer Che

This is the first post in the Weekend Getaway to Orlando series.

I remember loving Epcot Center my first time visiting Disney World, back when I was in middle school. My mom, sister, and I took a quick four-day trip down to Florida to visit all the parks. At the time, the Disney classic filsm which would become some of my favorites (Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King), had not been released yet. As a result, I didn't really dig the Magic Kingdom as much, which I felt was more geared towards little kids with Cinderella's castle, Mickey & Minnie, and the like.

However, the little science nerd in me loved the focus on science and innovation at Epcot Center. Additionally, the side of me that loved world travel (even at that young age!) was fascinated with the World Showcase at Epcot. For those who haven't been to Disney World, the World Showcase is like a permanent World Expo, where different countries each have their own "land" where they showcase their culture, architecture, and food.

What's especially cool about the World Showcase is that all the people who work at each "country" are actually natives from that country. Disney has a program that brings over people from all over the world. The one-year program includes housing at a nearby complex, a job at your "country" at Epcot, and a chance to spend a year living and working in America. For those of us visiting the different "countries", we get a chance to meet actual people from that country. Plus, it makes the "country' feel more authentic when all the people are speaking their native languages to each other.

From a food perspective, we had fun walking around the different countries and tasting different dishes (more on that below!). Bryan especially enjoyed trying beers from all the different countries. There is a surprisingly decent selection, everything from Tsingtao in China and Sapporo in Japan to more unusual beers from Germany and Norway. We even tried a local Florida-brewed beer. And yes, unlike at the Magical Kingdom, you can walk around the park with a beer (although you can't enter lines for any rides).

I was pretty impressed with the architecture in the World Showcase. Some may argue that things in Disney World are "fake" and shun it in exchange for the real thing. Of course, there's nothing like actually visiting real places and exploring their cultures by traveling. However, I think Disney does a really good job of creating tasteful (even impressive in some cases) reproductions of some of the world's most famous buildings.

Just for fun, I've peppered throughout this post a couple comparison photos - Disney versus the real thing. You may be surprised at how well of a job Disney has done. Here's also a look at some of the fun food we enjoyed while traveling "around the world."

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La Mer Honolulu

January 14, 2015 by Jennifer Che

We begin our Hopping the Hawaiian Islands series which details our recent trip to Oahu, Maui, Hawaii (aka the Big Island), and Kauai. The series will pretty much go in chronological order, starting with the first island we visited: Oahu

My first sighting of Oahu - the view was so stunning I almost gasped out loud (and yes, this is just a straight up iPhone pic!)

I must confess. We didn't really spend that much time in Oahu.

It was basically our first time in the Hawaiian Islands, and more than one person advised us to skip Oahu if we wanted to squeeze the entire vacation into two weeks. Since our trip was more focused around diving, we opted to focus more on some of the other islands. Still, squeezing three islands in two weeks is pretty aggressive, and in retrospect, I'm not sure if I would advise it (though we did get a good sense of all the islands by the end of the two weeks).

Bryan had used his system-wide upgrades on American Airlines to book us a round trip ticket to Hawaii. I knew that we would be flying in and out of Honolulu. Because most inter-island flights occur in the afternoon, our arrival into Honolulu around dinnertime meant that we would need to stay one night in Oahu before flying out to Maui the next day.

We figured we would have dinner after our plane landed, spend the morning at Waikiki Beach, and then head out to our flight the next afternoon.

Making Sand Totoros on Waikiki Beach as part of my #Totoro100Days Challenge

One night in Honolulu . . . . where to go?

We had originally booked Alan Wong's, a popular, highly-rated Asian-influenced Hawaiian high-end restaurant. However, the night before our flight out of Boston, one of our friends found out we were going to Honolulu and said, "you must try La Mer . . . the food and service are absolutely fantastic. And there's this one table that has the perfect view of the ocean and Diamond Head in the background. The sunset is incredible. Their service is unparalleled."

Amuse Bouche from La Mer: Asparagus panna cotta, asparagus vichyssoise, smoked salmon

Indeed, La Mer has won numerous accolades. It's the longest consecutively named AAA 5 Diamond Restaurant in the state. It's the only restaurant in Hawaii that has a five-star rating from Forbes Travel Guide. It's listed at the top of most "best of" lists. The restaurant says that the food is "[l]ocal Hawaiian ingredients cooked with Southern French style."

Our friend offered to call the restaurant to see if we could reserve the special corner seats facing Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach. How could we say no?

Alas, we soon learned that it's hard to book that coveted seat last minute. Those seats were already reserved during the sunset hours, but they might open up around 8:30PM if we were willing to wait? We decided to keep the reservation, curious to see what this place was all about.
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Happy New Year - A Look Back at 2014 (Part II) - Recipes + Boston restaurants

January 7, 2015 by Jennifer Che

Making authentic Malaysian chicken curry at a cooking class in Kuala Lumpur

This is Part II of a two-part series summarizing my look back at 2014. The first part of the series can be found here: Happy New Year - A Look Back at 2014 (Part I) Travel

Cooking + Recipes

Where did all the recipes go?

Good question. Travel most certainly took up a lot of 2014, which is why Part I of this series is so long! Bryan's been traveling like crazy for work the past several years, so the best way for me to see more of him is to follow him on some of his trips. As a result of this, however, I've had less time to spend in the kitchen. When it's just me at home (i.e. Bryan's away on a business trip), I don't feel like cooking up anything really fancy. I tend to cook really simple, often vegetarian, healthy dinners for myself - nothing that's remotely exciting or blog-worthy material.

Thankfully, time to time I did find some opportunities to cook. I entertained large groups a couple times, once making a huge, beautiful (easy!) oven roasted prime rib, and another time conquering David Chang's famous Bo Ssam.

I also learned how to make a bunch of Malaysian dishes at a cooking class I took in Kuala Lumpur, like chicken curry, roti jala (lacy pancake), otak otak (fish dumpling in banana leaf), and onde onde (rice dumpling dessert).

Below I've shared a couple of my favorite recipes that I wrote about this year.

Chive Pies are among my favorite dishes to order in a Taiwanese restaurant, partly because I just love Chinese chives, but also because it's fun to eat things in little packages (I'm a sucker for dumplings, if you haven't already noticed). I made these after having leftover ingredients from a Chinese New Year dumpling party. They turned out to be surprisingly easy to make! For the full recipe and tutorial, click here.

I finally adapted my Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup recipe for the pressure cooker, and it's been life changing. I used to not make this dish because it would take a minimum of two to three hours to make. Now, with the pressure cooker, I can squeeze everything under an hour, which has made this a very possible weeknight meal.

My mom makes these soy sauce Braised Beef Shanks almost everytime she visits us in Boston. I finally got the recipe from her and was able to make it on a weekend. It's actually pretty easy. The biggest factor is time: it involve braising meat for 2-3 hours, which can take up a whole afternoon. I am seriously considering trying this in the pressure cooker . . .

Of course there are other recipes from the year. Some other notable favorites include the popular Crispy Basil Smashed Potatoes courtesy of Chef Ana Sortun (Oleana, Sarma, Sofra) from my Siena Farms newsletter; the spicy tomato jam I made in partnership with Backyard Farms Tomatoes; and oven baked beet chips (pictured above).

You can always hunt around in the recipes tab on the blog to see what I've been cooking!

Boston Area Restaurants

Though I do travel a fair amount, most of my time is still spent here in my hometown of Cambridge, MA. We discovered lots of fantastic restaurants in the Boston area this year. Below are the highlights.

omakase at Cafe Sushi

We tried our first omakase at Cafe Sushi in Cambridge and totally fell in love. It is now our go-to favorite sushi place. The restaurant serves up amazing chef's specials (both local and from Tsukiji Fish Market in Japan) as well as a phenomenal and reasonably priced omakase. If ordering a la carte, definitely try at least a few things from the specials list.

Thai North, a small family-owned Thai restaurant in Brighton specializing in Northern Thai cuisine, (e.g., Chaingmai) was another incredible find. Make sure to order off of the "Chalkboard Menu" which focuses on regional specialties that you don't typically find on a Thai restaurant in America. My favorite dishes are probably the Chiangmai Sausage and the Chiangmai Noodle Curry (pictured above).

My favorite ramen shop at the moment is Pikaichi in Allston (though I haven't tried Totto Ramen yet). Newcomer Shabu & Mein in Cambridge is conveniently close and serves a very good ramen as well.

New Restaurants

Smoked Uni Toast from Row 34

Several hotly anticipated restaurants opened in Boston this past year to much well-deserved fanfare, such as Row 34 (by the Island Creek folks), Sarma (by the Oleana and Sofra team), Alden & Harlow (from Michael Scelfo, previously of Russell House Tavern), and Ribelle (from Tim Maslow of Strip T's). I even trekked out to Wellesley on the commuter rail to try Juniper, a lovely new Mediterranean restaurant from the folks at Sweet Basil.

Our first meal at Cafe ArtScience in Kendall (on their second night after opening day!) was excellent and I really can't wait to go back. Their drinks and fun molecular-inspired "snacks" are also fun. We tried a tasting menu at the modernist cuisine restaurant Asta, which had a mix of superb courses and near or total misses.

We were thrilled when we heard that newcomer Dumpling House was coming to Cambridge. The media reported that it was related to the very popular Chinatown restaurant Gourmet Dumpling House, though I'm still not positive that is completely true (why does Gourmet Dumpling House have a sign in front saying they are "unique" and there's no one else like them??). In any event, the menus are very similar and the quality of the food is very close. Best thing yet, Dumpling House virtually never has a wait and parking is not too difficult to find.

And Other Restaurants . . .

Paella from Toro

Bryan finally got to try the pig's head for two at Craigie on Main for his birthday (something he's always wanted to try). We visited the super popular tapas restaurant Toro and avoided waiting in line by showing up right at opening time - 5:30PM on a Monday night. We stopped in to try Tasty Burger in Harvard Square one random day and really enjoyed it. "I like it better than Shake Shack" said Bryan. We also had a lovely al fresco dinner at Belly Wine Bar in Cambridge near the end of the summer when they were featuring a ton of different Rosé wines.

For fun, this year I wrote a post about what I thought were Boston's Top 10 Restaurant Dishes. You can also find my recommendation for top restaurants to visit in Boston. Though the post was written in 2013, it's still reasonably current. I would probably add to it several of the excellent new restaurants from 2014, such as most of the ones I've mentioned above.

Miscellaneous

#Totoro100Days Series

I began a fun little series of posts on my social media accounts which I tagged with the hashtag #Totoro100Days. Totoro is a character from the Japanese animation film My Neighbor Totoro. I have loved Totoro since I was a kid and have collected various Totoro themed things throughout my life. My goal was to post a Totoro a day, sort of a photojournalistic record of all the Totoro things that I have amassed or made over the years.

I don't come close to owning 100 Totoro things, so I've had to get a little creative lately to complete my goal (e.g., making sand Totoros in Hawaii, snow Totoros in Boston, or all different sorts of Totoro foods). It's been a fun outlet for my creativity, especially during this holiday time when I have a bit more time at home to create all sorts of fun stuff in the kitchen. I love how these challenges sort of stretch me to cook, make, bake, or even learn new crafts in the pursuit of a goal (even if it's just a silly fun one).

The series is about to finish, seeing that we are on Day 94 today!

If you want to follow the final days of this self-imposed challenge, you can follow along on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook to get the latest update.

New Blog Look!

In October of 2014, almost five years after christening "Tiny Urban Kitchen" as an official blog, I finally switched my blog from Blogger to WordPress. I had been thinking about doing it for a long time but just didn't have the energy to look into exactly what I needed to do. I finally decided that if I was ever going to get this done, I should just hire someone. Even though I pride myself in being able to learn how to do things on my own (e.g., up to this point I had personally designed, drawn, and built every single aspect of the blog myself), I knew for this project it would be worth the time and money to hire an expert.

I finally decided to work with Lisette from Northern Belle Diaries, who was great. Even though she was super busy during that time, she took time out of her busy schedule to walk me through the migration and answer all my burning questions (I had a lot and she was patient!). Overall, the migration went very smoothly and I was very pleased with the results. Lisette did a great job and her prices are very, very reasonable.

Currently, I am using ~~Bluehost {affiliate link}~~ (update! I now use Synthesis WordPress Hosting, which is pricier but fantastic) as my server and Shay Boch's Foodie WordPress theme. Overall I am very pleased with the performance of everything~~, though sometimes I wish Bluehost were just a tad faster (perhaps I need to upgrade to a more expensive plan - I'm on the most basic one right now)~~. Overall, I love the power of WordPress and how the Foodie theme has made it so much easier for me to make photo galleries of all different kinds. The overall blog is still a work in progress (I have seven years' worth of posts to catalog!), but I've already done a lot of work, and overall I am thrilled with the new look and functionality of the blog. I'm hoping it makes my content a lot easier to find!

I keep saying one of these days I want to write a more detailed post about what I did for the migration. I promise I haven't forgotten - one of these days!

* * * * *

Looking Ahead: 2015

I guess being busy is a good thing. Yes, time flies, but in a good way. I love being productive and I enjoy creating things. Traveling, cooking, photography, and writing this blog all allow me to do that at my own happy pace.

Thanks again all for coming on this journey with me. We'll see where 2015 leads. I don't ever make concrete, specific New Years resolutions. However, I always have general aspirational goals in mind.

I want to really improve my photography. Perhaps that means using a tripod at home (I have one - I usually just can't be bothered to set it up while I'm rushing to get dinner out!) or playing around with different filters and such for my landscape photography. Food stying is something I haven't spent much time on, but is something I know would bring my cooking shots to another level. Maybe this year.

I do want to cook more. I am a bit saddened by the paucity of recipe posts this past year. I'm hoping to dig a bit deeper into my Taiwanese heritage and learn some more classic dishes. I got David Chang's Momofuku book {affiliate link} for Christmas, so maybe I'll start working my way through that one.

Haleakala, Maui during sunset

I definitely want to continue exploring new experiences and new places. This past year I overcame my fear of the water and conquered open water diving (something that wasn't easy for me!). I'm hoping to be less scared and more willing to try new things, even if it's not naturally easy.

In the midst of all this busy-ness, I don't want to forget what's most important: quality time investing in my relationships with friends, family, and God. I want to set aside ample time to develop and maintain relationships I’ve made, both past and present. I think there’s some truth to the fact that it’s harder to make friends as you get older. Cherish (and foster!) the ones you already have.

Here's looking ahead to great new year.

2015 . . . here I come!

Up next . . . we continue series Hopping the Hawaiian Islands!

Happy New Year - A Look Back at 2014 (Part I) - Travel

January 5, 2015 by Jennifer Che

Celebrating New Years at home with our homemade Ginger Lime Jalapeno Beers!

Happy (Belated) New Year!

Another year has already gone by and we're in 2015 now. Sometimes I look at that number and it still looks foreign to me . . . like it's far far in the future (like in the movie Back to the Future 2!).

I always like taking time during this week of the New Year to reflect back on what my year was really like. It's helpful to remind myself that even though it feels like it's flying by, there's actually A LOT of stuff that has happened: new experiences, new lessons learned, and lots and lots of memories. It's nice to have this solid block of time to sit down, reflect, appreciate, and be thankful.

It's also a good time to re-evaluate and plan for how I want things to be different (or the same!) for 2015.

This roundup of the year serves as a rough guide to most of the blog posts I've written this past year. Perhaps you'll find a post or two (or even a whole series!) you had missed that you find interesting. Because of the sheer length of content summarized in this post, I've divided it into two posts. Today's part will focus on travel. Tomorrow's will focus on recipes and Boston restaurants from the past year!...

New series! Hopping the Hawaiian Islands

December 30, 2014 by Jennifer Che

Seeing a crazy intense rainbow in Maui from the dive boat

Aloha!

Can you believe the New Year is just around the corner? I hope you all have been enjoying your holidays up to this point.

I am kicking off 2015 with a new series on my recent trip to the Hawaiian Islands.

About two years ago, we visited Australia and New Zealand with Bryan's family. While visiting the world famous Great Barrier Reef, we signed up for an introductory dive. Basically, they teach you some really basic skills and then they allow you to dive with an instructor. Though I struggled a bit with getting used to putting my head underwater, Bryan had no fear and instantly fell in love with diving.
Diving at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I'm the fourth person on the right. Bryan's at the right.

For Christmas following that trip, I gave Bryan a fully paid up SCUBA open water dive certification course.

Life got busy, and things got in the way. We never found a good time to schedule the courses. And thus the certificate sat there . . . . for almost two years.

Finally, about two months ago, we decided to take the plunge and finally get SCUBA certified. The plan? Book a trip to Hawaii and complete our open water dives there (the thought of diving in New England's frigid waters during the winter just sounded a bit overwhelming). In one month, we completed all of our coursework and pool dives in Boston with East Coast Divers (excellent shop, by the way!).

And then, right before Thanksgiving, we were off! ...