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Sushi Mitani

December 14, 2011 by Jennifer Che

This is part 4 of my latest travel series: Post Quake Japan. Other posts in this series: Kago, Daisan Harumi, and Tempura Kondo.

Following your husband on one of his business trips has both positive and negative aspects.

On the up side, the lodging, his airfare, and his meals are paid by the Company. This particular flight, my million miler husband even used his points to upgrade me to business class with him.

On the down side, however, I'm left to fend for myself for most of the working day and (occasionally), even during the evenings. Sometimes I'll use the time to do some serious clothing (or shoe!) shopping. Other times, I'll visit my favorite kitchen supply area in all of Tokyo.

It was during one of these rainy, working weekdays when I stopped in for lunch at Sushi Mitani.

OK, admittedly, "stopped in" is hardly the right term to use. I had made a reservation, partly based on a few glowing reviews online about this place. In fact, I sought out the restaurant, and it was surprisingly difficult to find.

A simple wooden door and a sign written in kanji were my only clues.
I entered a serene, modern, yet intimate dining space. Like many high-end sushi places, the entire restaurant is merely a sushi bar, manned by the namesake sushi chef himself.

The next two hours were definitely an adventure, both in concepts and in flavor. Instead of your traditional sushi meal consisting almost entirely of unadulterated, fresh seafood with rice, the omakase at Sushi Mitani comes with no shortage of little surprises along the way, many which deviate from the traditional sushi model.

Omakase

1. Uni (Sea Urchin) Soup
As I settled down into my little sushi bar seat, the sushi chef (Mitani-san himself) welcomed me. I tested my elementary Japanese with him, and he seemed willing to work with me, which immediately put me at ease. Soon after sitting down, he handed me a red lacquered covered bowl.

What could be inside? The traditional miso soup?

I was delighted to discover that I couldn't be more wrong. A vivid orange hue met my eyes. Sweet, creamy, and singing the fresh flavors of uni, this chilled uni and caviar soup was the perfect amuse to what would be an unforgettable meal.

2. Abalone
I then sampled some fresh abalone. This chewy, flavorful shellfish was slightly seared and covered with a seaweed based sauce. Mitani-san told me that the typical season for abalone is May to October, so we were definitely at the tail end of the season.

3. Sama
This fatty, mackerel-like fish comes from Hokkaido, is currently in season, and "very delicious" according to Mitani-san. I agreed wholeheartedly - the thick slices of fish were buttery, slightly salty, and full of deep, rich umami.

4. Saba (mackerel)
This next course was similarly gorgeous, beautifully rich, and full of flavor. It was so soft that it seemed to melt in your mouth.

5. Ebi soup with Tamago
After several pieces of sashimi, we had a second course of soup. Here, a perfect, barely-cooked piece of shrimp sat gingerly on top of a thick, almost gelatinous soup filled with shrimp roe. It was rich, and bursting with strong, flavorful umami of the sea.

6. Akamatsu with Chutoro
Things continued to get more interesting. Next he handed me this double layered fish course comprising two types of fish: red deep sea grouper on the bottom and fatty tuna (chutoro) on the top. The slightly seared grouper was sweet while the fatty tuna was rich and fatty. It was an interesting contrast.

7. Matsutaki Soup (mushroom)
Have you ever had Matsutaki mushrooms? They grow at the foot of pine trees and are hard to find, thus very expensive. Mitani-san made a simple yet delicious broth out of the matsutaki mushrooms. It was earthy, clean, and extremely flavorful. It was a perfect "cleansing" mid-course between all the different seafood dishes. I absolutely loved it, and savored every sip of the golden nectar.

8. Otoro wth Karasumi (from Taiwan)
If you're from Taiwan, you've probably had Karasumi before. Called 烏魚子 in Chinese (wūyúzi), it is the dried and salted roe sac from a fish called the mullet. According to my aunt and uncle, Taiwan is one of the few places that can harvest this because the fish migrate near Taiwan right around the time when the roe is large and ready for harvest.

In this case, the otoro (fatty tuna) is sandwiched between two slices of the Taiwanese fish roe. Karasumi is salty, flavorful, and very rich in flavor. The idea of sandwiching otoro in the middle was quite new to me. The entire bite was rich, salty, and very satisfying. I could imagine it going down really well with sake or beer!

9. Uni + Rice + Ikura Sauce
Mitani-san was quite particular in teaching me how to eat this next dish. First mix up the ikura sauce (bright orange liquid made from mashed salmon roe) with the rice. Enjoy half of each portion separately. Then mix in the uni (sea urchin) with the rice and taste the entire mixture together.

Wow.

I was floored by how delicious the ikura sauce tasted. I asked Mitani-san whether he had added hints of orange or some other bright citrus flavoring, and he strongly said "noooooo . . . only a bit of soy sauce!" The beauty of the ikura flavor alone was undeniable. It was delicious with the rice, and also interesting with the addition of uni (the second "part" of the dining experience). Again, this top notch ikura hails from Hokkaido, the northern part of Japan.

The Sushi

The first part of the tasting had ended, and now the big tub of rice came out. Mitani-san was about to start making sushi. I guess you never know what kind of sushi you're going to get if you're coming as a visitor for the first time. Unlike a true omakase, where the sushi chef knows you and can make things according to your liking, here he just gave me whatever he fancied.

This meal turned out to focus quite heavily on edomae sushi, the traditional Tokyo-style sushi that emerged in the late 1800's in Japan. Edomae literally means "in front of Edo", which refers to fish that come from Tokyo Bay. In the olden days, Tokyo was called "Edo," and raw fish over vinegared rice became a popular item sold on the streets near the fish market in Tokyo. Because of the lack of refrigeration back then, raw fish was sometimes cured with soy sauce or vinegar in order for it to keep longer.

10. Sardine
This first sardine was definitely cured in some sort of edomae fashion. It was very rich and fatty in that melt-in-your-mouth kind of way. I found it to be just a tad salty, but overall it was quite good.

11. Maguro akami zuke
Similarly, this fiery red piece of tuna (the lean cut, akami) was again cured with soy sauce or something salty in the edomae tradition (zuke style).Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this piece much, thinking it way too salty.

12. Hirame (not pictured)
This white fish (fluke) had been pressed between two layers of kombu. The fish was tougher, and (again) cured. Thought not one of my favorites, I still thought it was quite good.

13. Kohada
This fish (gizzard shad) is also slightly vinegared. The rice sort of falls apart and you have to work hard to eat it. Mitani-san makes you eat with your hands. I asked him why the rice was brownish. "Is there soy sauce in the rice?

"No," he replied, "I use red vinegar in the rice instead."

Naruhodo! (I see!)

14. Toyama (white shrimp)
The next course (not pictured) was a raw, white shrimp known as toyama. I found it to be creamy, flavorful, and quite good, but (again) too salty! (Do you see a trend here? Maybe I'm thankful for the invention of refrigeration, which allows us to eat raw but not too salty fish!)

15. Chutoro
Fatty tuna belly is one of my favorite things to eat in the world, and I was so excited when I saw him take it out. Though this piece was not too salty, I found that it had just a tad of "stringyness", which you usually don't experience at top-notch sushi places. He also added a strong wasabi component, probably to offset the fattiness of the fish.

16. Ika (squid) (not pictured)
Although I don't typically like squid sushi in the U.S., I love it in Japan. This particular piece was creamy, reasonably good, but (again) just a bit too salty. I didn't think it was as good as the one from Daisan Harumi (which was excellent). Compared to others we've had in Japan, it was quite average (though it still beats US versions hands down).

17. Shako
Shako, known as mantis shrimp in English, are actually not shrimp at all. Instead, they are sea crustaceans that are named "mantis shrimp" because the look like a cross between a shrimp and a praying mantis. When cooked, they look grayish and taste sort of rubbery. This interesting edomae rendition is cured in salt and filled with roe! It's also presented dramatically, served split in half to show off the bright, orange roe.

18. Anago Sushi
Unlike unagi, which is freshwater eel, anago is the salt water cousin. This particular piece was rich, tender, and piping hot! Though the hot, flaky eel had great flavor, the pieces were unevenly salted. In general, I wished for a greater rice to eel ratio. Although the anago was excellent quality, overall, I felt that Daisan Harumi makes a superior version of this one.

19. Kampio Inarizushi and Maki
Near the end of these omakase meals, it's not uncommon to end with some sort of maki "filler." Wrapping a normal maki with the tofu skins typically used in inarizushi was an interesting twist and worked quite well.

20. Ume (dessert)
Although I am typically not a huge fan of Japanese plum (ume), this was the best ume I had ever eaten! Unlike most pickled ume I've had, this one was not uncomfortably sour. It just had a slight tartness and was actually quite sweet and full of lovely fruit flavors. If all ume tasted like this, I would love ume!

21. Tamago
Some say you can judge how good a sushi chef is by the quality of his tamago (sweet, steamed egg). This egg omelet was steaming hot, creamy, slightly sweet, and had several beautiful layers. I thought it was better than the one at Daisun Harumi but not as good as the epic one from Sushi Kanesaka.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable meal. I was more impressed with the first half of the meal, where creative combinations, unusual yet incredible soups, and high quality ingredients stood out to me. Although the edomae inspired second half was also good, I generally found the cured fish to be a bit too salty for my tastes.

In general, however, there were definitely some aspects of this meal that I thought were outstanding. My favorite courses (the ones I still think about to this day) would be the matsutake soup, the uni + ikura + rice, and the uni soup.

Prices are not cheap. My entire meal (which was just lunch!) was somewhere between $150 and $200 USD (all inclusive). I guess for 21 courses maybe it's not horrendous, but it's definitely a splurge type meal. I basically had to tell him to stop when I got to the point where I felt like I was about to explode. You can always tell him you want to stop earlier!

Related Posts
Post Quake Japan
Kago
Daisan Harumi
Tempura Kondo

Sushi Samba

October 12, 2011 by Jennifer Che

Most of us in America have probably never heard of the marriage of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine. Interestingly, it appeared around the early 20th century when scores of Japanese immigrants arrived in Peru and Brazil to cultivate coffee plantations.

Soon afterwards, cities like Lima in Peru and São Paulo in Brazil exploded with a new cuisine, the integration of Japanese-style dishes with the bold flavors of the South. Called "nikkei cuisine," you see it all over Peru, where thousands of these types of restaurants thrive. Even celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa, who spent the early years of his career in Peru, creates fusion dishes with heavy influences from South America.

Sushi Samba in Las Vegas is inspired by this fascinating "fusion" cuisine, and has put its own twist on the idea.

Though dubious at first, a quick look at the menu on the wall convinced us that we wanted to try this.

As would be expected for a place on the Strip in las Vegas, the vibe at Sushi Samba is clearly very trendy. Though it was the middle of the day on a hot dessert summer day, the restaurant was dark and cool with colorful lights dotting the environment.
Crispy Taquitos
served with spicy aji panca sauce and fresh lime Yellowtail Seviche shiso, avocado, roasted corn miso

We started with some tacquitos, which were excellent. They were filled with yellowtail, shiso, and miso in the Japanese tradition, but they also had vibrant South American flavors, including aji panca, a Peruvian red chili pepper.

Green Envy
tuna, salmon, asparagus, wasabi pea crust, aji amarillo-key lime mayo $13

Though a bit pricey, the maki rolls were overall pretty good. The Green Envy is mostly Japanese in ingredients and form, but adds amarillo-key lime mayo as the South American twist.
Neo Tokyo
bigeye tuna, tempura flake, aji panca 15.00

Similarly the Neo Tokyo is a Japanese-style roll infused with the kick of aji panca, the Peruvian chili pepper mentioned above.

Yamato
tuna, foie gras, osetra caviar, gold leaf 19.00

The most decadant (and by far most expensive) roll we tried was this crazy tuna roll that had fois gras, osetra caviar, and gold flecks! I'm not a huge fois gras fan, so I can't comment objectively on it. Bryan thought it was great, but my guess is that it was the ingredients that spoke for themselves here. I'm not sure what aspect of this roll is exactly Peruvian . . .

General First Impressions
Overall, we had a fun time exploring Sushi Samba's interpretation of "Nikkei Cuisine." The vibe of the place makes it seem like the perfect location for a late night drink or snack. At lunch, it felt a bit weird to be in such a dark and trendy environment (especially when I knew the sun was shining so brightly outside!)

Nevertheless, the food was fun to try and pretty tasty. I would definitely get the taquitos again, and maybe some of the rolls (though I probably wouldn't spring for the crazy fois gras one again). I'm not sure if it's a destination restaurant per se, but if you are living close by and want something fun, a little different, and reasonably good, Sushi Samba is a perfectly fine choice.

This is part 4 of a larger Series The Vegas Anniversary. Other posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro (lunch)
Aureole
Lee's Sandwiches

Sushi Samba
Palazzo
3327 Las Vegas Blvd
S Las Vegas, NV 89109

Project Food Blog Round 9: Everything I Learned About Sushi, I learned From My Mom...And Kyubey

December 5, 2010 by Jennifer Che

Voting is now open! To vote, please click here.

Sushi is one of my favorite foods. I have eaten at many fine sushi restaurants across the US, ranging from Sushi Gen in L.A. to Oishii in Boston to Sushi Yasuda in New York. I have made sushi and sashimi at home many times. And, my mom owned a sushi catering business for years. In fact, I have always regarded myself as a connoisseur of the food.

That is, until I went to Japan.

Eating at Kyubey, one of Tokyo’s oldest and most highly regarded sushi restaurants, showed me that, actually, I didn’t know nuttin about eating sushi.

Founded in 1935, Kyubey is a high-end sushi restaurant tucked away in a non-descript back road in Japan’s ritzy Ginza district and just a 10-minute walk from Japan’s famous Tsukiji fish market. Yosuke Imada is the second generation chef-owner and has won numerous awards for his restaurant, including a Michelin star back in 2008. Kyubey is consistently listed as one of the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo.

I fell in love with Kyubey when I first visited the place in the spring of 2009. Just a couple weeks ago, Bryan and I had the privilege to go back again for a second visit!

Here are the top eight things I learned about sushi from eating at Kyubey:

1. Wasabi Goes on Fish and Is Not for Making Soy Sauce Paste
Whenever Bryan eats sushi, he always makes a thick wasabi paste. The paste has to be thick enough to coat heavily onto the fish so that he can experience “the rush” (as he calls it) when he eats each bite of sushi. Can you imagine his surprise, and maybe even disdain, when restaurants in Japan consistently omitted that familiar green blob from his sushi orders?

Thankfully, the warm and friendly folks at Kyubey helped us out in that arena.

The moment we entered the restaurant we felt like we were visiting someone's home. A warm chorus of Irrashaimase! (Welcome!) greeted us as a woman hung up our coats for us and quickly brought us some drinks. We ordered the omakase, giving our chef, Chef Takeshima-san, free reign to serve whatever he wanted. [see pictures of entire meal at the end of the post!]

Soon afterwards, Chef Takeshima-san handed us our first slice of sashimi. He then picked up a pair of chopsticks, picked up a dab of wasabi, curled the sashimi piece around it, and instructed us, “now dip in soy sauce.”

Wasabi is only for serving with sashimi and never for putting in soy sauce. Since sushi already has wasabi inside it, you aren’t supposed to add additional wasabi to it. In fact, many Japanese restaurants won’t even give you any--in contrast to the large dollops of wasabi that US sushi restaurants typically provide.

Eating wasabi this way definitely enhances the enjoyment of the quality of the sushi itself, if you’re eating high quality sushi like at Kyubey. Otherwise, Bryan still likes to use lots of wasabi paste.

2. Cooked Shrimp is Not Cheap Filler

Around Boston, many of the best sushi restaurants are located in the town of Brookline, which has a large Jewish population. In order to cater to the locals, these sushi restaurants in Brookline frequently have a “no shellfish” kosher option. Even though I am not Jewish, I always order “no shellfish” at these restaurants because, typically, “no shellfish” = “no dry, bland cooked shrimp nigiri.” I have never liked cooked shrimp nigiri and always regarded it as cheap filler food.

Trying cooked shrimp at Kyubey was truly a revelation. These prawns (kurama ebi) were incredibly sweet, with a tight firm texture that exploded into sweet juiciness when you bit into them. I never thought I would like shrimp, but there’s definitely no need to ask for “no shellfish” if I’m at Kyubey.

3. Freshness & Quality Make All The Difference (Duh!)
I have always disliked ikura (fish roe) for its weird texture and off-putting salty “mini-explosions” inside my mouth. Similarly, I hated uni (sea urchin) that I tried in the US because it was stinky and slimy.

Trying ikura and uni at Kyubey was like experiencing flavors I had never tasted before. Instead of being overly salty and off-putting, the tiny delicate balloons of roe popped in my mouth to release a subtle yet definitively clean umami taste of the ocean, tempered perfectly with a small sprinkling of lime zest. Similarly, the uni was sweet and creamy without a hint of fishy-ness. Freshness and quality had completely transformed the humble uni and ikura into masterpieces.

In fact, chef-owner Yosuke Imada is obsessed with freshness and quality. Kyubey serves over 40 types of fish at any one time, and only serves local, Japanese fish. There are no imports here. Being one of the biggest players in the fish market, Kyubey has access to some of the top picks at the fish market, and Imada makes sure he gets it. Case in point: at the beginning of the bluefin tuna season last year, Imada and another sushi owner jointly paid the highest price in 8 years for one bluefin tuna – 9.63 million yen ($116,000 USD using today’s rates). He ended up not even making a profit on that fish, yet he vowed he would do it again. If anyone was going to have the best fish in Tokyo, Imada wanted it to be Kyubey.

uni gunkan-maki

As an interesting side note, Kyubey actually invented the classic uni roll you see at restaurants today. Called gunkan-maki, which translate to warship roll, this vertical roll is filled with rice and topped with ikura or uni.

4. There is no Salmon In Japan
Salmon has always been my all-time favorite fish for eating raw. Imagine our utter shock and surprise when we realized that Kyubey (and other high end sushi restaurants in Tokyo) do not serve salmon! Salmon in Japan is imported, and since Kyubey only serves the freshest local fish from Tsukiji, you won’t find a sliver of salmon there.

It’s quite alright, really. At Kyubey I came to understand why the Japanese love tuna so much. The fresh toro, otoro, and chutoro (different grades of tuna belly) tasted like nothing I’d ever had before - soft and buttery, with a melt-in-your mouth richness that's really hard to describe. You just have to try it. The seared chutoro was especially phenomenal, as the light sear melted just a bit of the fat on the surface, enhancing the beautiful rich and buttery flavors even more.

Honestly, I didn’t miss salmon one bit.

5. Fresh Sometimes Means Live and Twitching

We were about halfway through our omakase when when noticed something jump on the plate in front of us. Chef Gouke-san quickly darted out his hand to cover what turned out to be live prawns on the plate. One nearly succeeded in its escape as it jumped off the plate, but Chef Gouke-san made sure that didn’t happen.

I turned to Bryan, my face a little green, “I don’t want to eat that.”

Suddenly, swiftly and in one quick, humane jerk, Chef Gouke-san twisted their heads off and removed the shells. Moments later, a perfectly formed kurama ebi nigiri was sitting in front of me.

Twitch Twitch

Was I imagining things? We stared intently at the piece in front of us. The flesh was still moving.

Twitch Twitch

I turned yet another shade of green.

“You have to eat it while it’s fresh.”

With my eyes closed, I quickly grabbed the sushi and stuffed the entire piece in my mouth. I chewed faster than I had ever chewed in entire my life, at the same time desperately trying to squash visions of "twitch twitch" in my mouth.

I’m sure that piece of ebi was the most delicious piece ever, but to be honest, I was a bit too stressed to enjoy that one.

Check out the video at the end of the post to see some twitch twitch action plus other footage of the above experience!

6. Yebisu is Sapporo’s Good Stuff
Sapporo is one of Bryan’s favorite Japanese beers, and he likes to order it when eating sushi. The first thing we did when we sat down at Kyubey was to order a “Sapporo.” The server nodded politely and then brought a “Yebisu” over.

“Sumimasen, but I ordered a Sapporo,” Bryan called out to the server, motioning for her to come back.

“Yebisu is Sapporo, but better, higher.” She explained as best she could. And, indeed it was.

Yebisu is Sapporo’s high-end beer, and we have never seen it in the US. It has a much maltier and more complex flavor while retaining all of the typical crispness of a Sapporo. If you order the Yebisu at Kyubey, you won’t go wrong.

7. This is Why Training to Become a Real Sushi Chef Takes So Many Years
When my mom decided to start catering sushi in Ohio on a whim, she spent a few days with this sushi guy to learn the ropes. Within a few weeks she was making and selling sushi to local supermarkets. When Bryan saw my mom doing this, he said, “if your mom can do that, how can it really take 7 years to become a sushi chef?”

Once you visit Kyubey, the answer is quite evident.

a) Rice

I’ve heard that the first few years of being a sushi chef involves just learning how to make rice. Now that I’ve tried sushi at Kyubey, I can totally believe it. I have a new appreciation for the importance of rice texture when it comes to sushi. At Kyubey, the rice was slightly warm, had a perfect al dente texture, and, most importantly, you felt like you could taste each individual grain. I've never had such good rice in the the US before, and I was surprised at how much it enhanced the enjoyment of the sushi. The “training” chefs brought out new rice frequently in small batches, which meant we always had the freshest rice possible with every nigiri piece.

b) Knife skills are important.

Going to Kyubey is like getting front row seats to a show where you never know what to expect.

We were probably on our second course. I was busy taking photos of the fish and totally missed what happened next.

Chef Takeshima-san picked up his knife, paused, and winked at Bryan.

Whirl Whirl Whirl

The knife and the hand became one indistinguishable blur as Chef Takeshima-san’s hands whipped back and forth at lightning speed. Moments later, perfectly chopped leeks emerged from the whirlwind of knife activity.

Whoaaa!!!! came impressed gasps from around the room.

I glanced up, my face having been buried in the camera.

“You just missed it!” Bryan said. “Stop taking pictures and watch!” The curses of being a food blogger!

At the end of the meal, I begged Chef Takeshima-san to show once more the amazing leek cutting trick. Thankfully, he was kind enough to demonstrate it for me again!

Check out the video at the end of the post to see Chef Takeshima in action!

Besides just the knife cutting trick, which I’m sure is crowd pleaser, Chef Takeshima-san demonstrated impeccable skills throughout the night, everything from effortlessly peeling fish skins off to slicing paper thin daikon sheets with a knife.

Jen, Chef Takeshima-san, and Bryan

8. Chefs control the flavors, not you
Although we had access to soy sauce and wasabi all night, almost every time we looked at Takeshima-san and asked, “soy sauce?” he would answer with a resounding “No!” (with a smile, of course).

At Kyubey, Chef Takeshima-san individually custom-tailored the flavors of each bite. Sometimes he would brush the fish with a bit of soy sauce while other times he just sprinkled a bit of sea salt. Lime was surprisingly featured often, either in zest form or juice. I actually loved the bright citrus-y notes that lime added to most of the sushi.

Is Kyubey Really the Best Sushi Place In Tokyo?
That's a tough call.

The quality of fish that you will get at any of these top sushi places is going to be very similar. They all go to the same fish market and bid on the same types of fish. The differences come down to knife skills, presentation, and creative interpretations of the fish.

Though it might be true that some of these other top sushi places (often opened by "graduates" who trained at Kyubey), have more exotic ingredients or more interesting preparations, the chefs at Kyubey are still often much more experienced, something that was clearly evidenced by their amazing knife skills.

photo from Sushi Kanesaka, one of the "graduates" of Kyubey

Mostly importantly, however, the people at Kyubey are really warm and friendly. Kyubey serves a very international clientele and therefore all the sushi chefs speak reasonably good English. Takeshima-san was a riot, everything from winking at us before doing a cool knife trick to jokingly yelling at us for using soy sauce at the wrong times.

In the end, so much of the omakase experience is your interactions with the sushi chef. Many sushi chefs in Japan hardly speak a word of English, and will only take reservations in Japanese. Even if the food is amazing, you miss out on half the value of an omakase if you can't talk to the chef at all about the food you are eating.

In that regard, I do think Kyubey is one of the best choices for a foreigner to enjoy a true omakase experience. Even if you don't get a chance to try every new exotic sushi preparation, you will have an incredibly fun, informative, and awe-inspiring meal.

Us after our first meal ever at Kyubey in 2009

The Nitty Gritty Details
Kyubey is located in Ginza in Tokyo one street behind one of the main roads. We always looked for Toy Park as a landmark (near Shimbashi Station). It's on the street behind Toy Park.

Although Kyubey is actually a large restaurant with five stories, it doesn’t feel that large at all, since each floor is small in square footage. There is a hierarchy here, with the first floor (manned by Imada-san himself) reserved for regulars and important people. Of course, you can try reserving a spot there, but it will be much harder to get than a space at any of the other floors. Though we never made it to the coveted first floor, we totally enjoyed our space in the annex - a cozy sushi counter with two chefs serving just 8 people.

Prices are not cheap, with lunch prices starting at ¥4,000 ($48 USD) to omakase meals that go as high as ¥30,000 ($363 USD) a head. I still say it’s worth the money. Go during lunch, which is a fantastic deal considering how much dinner can cost.

I must warn you, though; you will never look at sushi the same way again. It’s really hard to eat ordinary sushi after coming back to the States. Typically, I think it’s awful, and it takes me months before I can have sushi again. I'm totally willing to take that hit though. It's sooooo worth it.

Us after our second meal at Kyubey in 2010

Kyubei
Link to English Menu

7-6, Ginza 8-chome, Chuo-ku,Tokyo

104-0061, Japan

Closed on Sundays

Tel: +81-3-3571-6523

Reservations Recommended

VIDEO - Tiny Urban Kitchen Goes to Kyubey
warning: for those that are a wee bit squeamish, this video contains footage of live prawns having their heads removed by a sushi chef

All music in this video is royalty-free and composed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution 3.0"

Visual Progression of Our Omakase Meal
(In chronological order)

Thank you so much for your support throughout this competition so far. I can't believe it, but I'm in Round 9!! This is my entry for Project Food Blog Round 9: You're the Critic,where we have been asked to review a restaurant. ~~Voting opens Monday, December 6!~~ Voting is now open! To vote, please click here.

Greetings from Tokyo!

November 18, 2010 by Jennifer Che

Greetings from Tokyo!

Bryan and I are here because Bryan had a business trip out here, so I decided to tag along. I absolutely love Japan, and what better way to spend my birthday (yes, today's my birthday) than in one of my favorite cities in the world?

This afternoon I trekked out to Kappabashi, Japan's premier destination for restaurant and kitchen supplies. This street is AWESOME! Imagine several city blocks worth of kitchen stores, all selling their own special wares. I saw stores dedicated to miso bowls, knives, fake display food (these were hilarious!), woks, baking supplies, store signs, chairs, and the list goes on and on. The prices were very reasonable (beautiful miso bowls for only a few dollars each!), and the variety of choices was astounding.

It was hard not to buy up the whole street (I have this weakness for pretty Japanese dishware even though my kitchen absolutely cannot fit any more things). I exercised tons of self-restraint and limited myself to buying things I could reasonably carry home.

In other food news, we plan on going back to one of my favorite sushi places as well as checking out a few others. While Bryan's been away during the day, I've been exploring Tokyo's depachika (gloriously diverse and bountiful food stalls in the basements of department stores). There's a ton of amazing food in these basements - definitely something worth checking out!

Anyway, I promise to report back on all the gory details of these food trips soon, complete with tons of photographs (and even video!!!).

Finally, as a reminder, today is the last day to vote for Project Food Blog. Check out my entry here and vote if you are so inclined.

Thanks!

Because I cannot access my photos from my actual camera right now, you are stuck with my iPhone pics!

Domo trying to eat Tokyo while Totoros stare off cluelessly in the distance.

Sushi Gen

January 7, 2010 by Jennifer Che

This post is Part III of the larger mini-series titled "A California Christmas." The posts in this series include: Part I: Ten Ren Tea Station, Part II: Din Tai Fung, Part III: Sushi Gen, Part IV: Mrs. Knott's Chicken Restaurant, and Part V: Melisse.

If you haven't figured out by now, I'm a huge fan of sushi, and I try to seek out the best sushi in every city that I visit. Top picks include Kyubei in Tokyo and Sushi Yasuda in New York City.

One particular night, when Bryan went to a Laker's basketball game with one of his other friends, his parents decided to entertain me for the night by taking me to Little Tokyo. Of course, the moment I heard "Little Tokyo," I jumped onto the iphone and started to do some research.

Over and over I kept seeing Sushi Gen show up on various sites as a excellent place to try. It was not until after the fact that I realized I had already blogged about Sushi Gen! My mom had told me that all the Taiwanese people know about this place and rave about it. So funny that I forgot.

So, of course I had to go try it. I had heard that the lines there are super long but it's worth the wait. Luckily, they actually take reservations, and I was able to reserve a coveted 7pm reservation without any problem, calling earlier the same day.

We arrived a bit early and ended up having to wait basically until 7pm for our seats. It seems like the turnover is relatively fast, but sometimes you might still have to wait a bit even if you have a reservation. There's a pretty big sushi bar and also lots of tables (all of which are filled!)

Between the three of us, we ordered a Sashimi Deluxe Combination ($35), a Sushi Deluxe Combination ($26), Steamed Clams ($8), and a few nigiri a la carte.

The deluxe combinations come with a bunch of stuff, such as this deliciously simple salad with greens, bonito flakes, and a simple dressing. It was light, well-flavored, and a great way to whet the appetite!

We also got an interesting side of mountain yam and seaweed. If you have never had mountain yam before, you might be a bit weirded out by it. The texture is sort of slimy. I thought the dish was good, but if you've never had anything like it before, you just might think it's a bit weird.

Of course, there was also miso soup. I did not drink the miso soup, so I actually can't comment on it.

The clams were delicious, and I think they were Bryan's dad's favorite dish. The soup had a beautiful clam flavor, and the clams themselves were fresh, juicy, and delicious. For $8, this was a great value.

And then the most amazing dish of them all - the Sashimi Deluxe Platter. Wow! I was really amazed. This entire platter (including those yummy starters) was only $35! You can look at the picture to see what it includes, but it had at least 5 slices of toro (fatty tuna - yum, my favorite!), salmon, maguro (tuna), mackeral, octopus, squid, and much much more. Everything was really fresh and delicious. I still couldn't believe this was only $35. I kept thinking about Sushi Yasuda, where each piece was about $5 . . .

The Sushi Deluxe, though not as awe-inspiring, was still a good deal for $25. It included a nice array of various nigiri and also some simple rolls. I also got some of my favorite nigiri a la carte, such as salmon, toro, and hamachi belly.

Everything was deliciously fresh and the service was good. I actually really appreciated our server. She suggested that we share a few deluxe orders (definitely the most cost effective option!) and actually dissuaded me from getting an a la carte order of toro sashimi because she knew our sashimi deluxe combo would already have it. She also piped in "I just saved you $35!" I was sooo appreciative. We were stuffed after our meal, and the extra toro order would have been too much!

Is it the Best Sushi In LA?
I really can't comment on that, since I have only been to a few sushi places in Southern California. I would say it is definitely worth the visit mostly because it's such a good deal. The fish is very fresh, the food is delicious, and those deluxe specials are awesome. In terms of over all excellence, it's not quite in the same league as restaurants such as Kyubei and Sushi Yasuda, mostly because their fish options are more ordinary run-of-the-mill fish and not the more interesting and exotic ones you would see at both Kyubei and Sushi Yasuda. Neverthless, if you are looking for expertly prepared fresh and delicious sushi for a great price, Sushi Gen is definitely a great place to go.

Note: I heard lunch is even a better deal because you get the same fish for cheaper prices. I can't verify that the fish is the same, but according to the lunch menu, the Sushi Deluxe is only $12.50 and the Sashimi Deluxe is only $25. Next time I go, I'm definitely going to try the lunch!

Sushi Gen
Little Tokyo
422 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Sushi Yasuda

December 9, 2009 by Jennifer Che

There's plenty of hype surrounding this New York Sushi institution. It has won numerous awards, received high ratings from prestigious institutions, and has been muttered, more than once, in the same breath as Kyubei in Tokyo. While doing internet research for sushi restaurants in Japan, I repeatedly observed comparisons between top Tokyo sushi joints and this place.

Of course, "this place" is Sushi Yasuda.

The interior is bamboo colored, relaxing - almost zen-like. The sushi chefs are very serious about their craft - which is really like an art.

We start off with a small "amuse" on the house - a tiny deep fried croquette of sorts in a light umami broth. Delicious.

We then order the "omakase" - essentially letting the chef decide what to feed us. The waitress asks about preferences and the dietary restrictions. I tell her, I prefer raw fish, and I'm not a huge fan of cooked shellfish, although uni is OK. Oh, and I LOVE toro.

A beautiful tray of sashimi arrives ($38.25). The waitress gives us a description of each fish. Sadly, I can't remember the details anymore (and it's not on my receipt!) All I can remember is that each piece of fish is wonderfully fresh, deliciously sweet, and amazingly good. Fresh, well cut, and simple. Nothing fancy. Just good, solid, delectable slices of fresh fish.

The waitress teaches us the proper way to enjoy sashimi. DO NOT put your wasabi in your soy sauce! Instead, put a tiny bit on top of the sashimi, and then lightly dip the fish in the soy sauce (shoyu). Bryan typically loves wasabi and usually his soy sauce looks more like a thick green paste with hints of soy sauce. Here, he relents and agrees to eat sashimi the recommended way.

Our next course is the sushi. With sushi, you should not put ANY wasabi in the soy sauce. If the chef thinks wasabi is needed, he will have already put the perfect amount inside between the rice and the fish. No need to add more!

Here is what we enjoyed (from left to right starting at the top):

Netoro Maki: this fatty tuna maki was sooo rich and delicious. Toro is probably my favorite sushi of all times ($9 a roll)

Toro: I love love love toro, and this was no exception. The rich fatty flavor of the tuna belly just cannot be surpassed. Absolutely heavenly. ($8 each)

Maguro: Although not as rich as the Toro, this tuna still had very good flavor and texture. ($4.50 each)

Coho: This salmon is the state animal of Chiba, Japan, which is where sushi Chef Yasuda is from. The fish was surprisingly lean yet still soft and flavorful. ($4.50 each)

Shima aji: Striped jack - long considered a luxury fish in Japan, this white fish is reminiscent of yellowtail ($4.50 each)

Sanma: A type of mackerel, this fish was rich, buttery, salty, and just really deep in flavor ($5 each)

Hotate: Raw scallops - these were amazingly sweet with absolutely no hint of fishy-ness ($4 each)

Uni: Raw sea urchin - I had never liked this until I tried some in Japan and realized how sweet uni can be. It's not always stinky like I thought! The uni here was very good, though still not as good as Kyubei ($5 each)

Shirayaki: grilled eel - tender, fragrant, delicious ($5.50 each)

Dessert: mixed mochi ($8) - green tea and red bean. It's OK - nothing special, probably not the best mochi ice cream I've had. I'll stick with the sushi.

Our Thoughts
Over all, we think the food is fantastic here. The sushi and sashimi are all incredibly fresh. The rice in the sushi is also perfectly cooked. Really good texture. Definitely one of the best sushi places I've visited in the US.

Having said that, we both agreed that Sushi Yasuda does not even come close to our experience at Kyubei in Tokyo. At Kyubei we were given our own sushi chef who entertained us for the entire evening, teaching us about each fish and preparing each morsel one at a time. The service was incredible and the experience unique and really fun. Furthermore, the fish at Kyubei is truly top notch - Kyubei is right down the street from Tsukiji Fish Market.

At Sushi Yasuda, even though the food was very very good, the experience felt more normal. A waitress came and brought us our dishes and we ate our food. And that was it.

But then, it's really not fair to compare Kyubei with Sushi Yasuda. Kyubei cost us over $400 USD while this meal was closer to $200.

I still stand by my opinion that this is one of the best sushi places in the US. However, if you ever make it out to Japan, you have to try a place like Kyubei!

UPDATE - 2011
As suggested, I returned to Sushi Yasuda and sat at the sushi bar by myself. I completely agree that the experience at the sushi bar is much more intimate, fun, and more similar to the experiences I had in Japan.

I was also able to get out of there with a total bill of "only" $34 by ordering one of the set-menus (instead of the omakase) and then supplementing with additional pieces that I wanted to try. The sushi was still absolutely fantastic, and I walked out of there a much happier person, having only spent $34 but enjoying one of the best sushi meals I'd had in a very, very long time.

Other posts from this mini New York Series:
Daniel
Le Bernardin
Sushi Yasuda
H&H Bagels
Ess-a-Bagel
A New York Birthday
Me Peche (Momofuku Midtown)

Sushi Yasuda
Midtown East
204 E 43rd St
New York, NY 10017

Godenya Hong Kong (revisited)

June 12, 2025 by Jennifer Che

I first visited this difficult-to-book, sake-focused Japanese restaurant, Godenya, in 2022. Our friends Growing Boy and his wife "Foursheets", who love this place, invited us to join them one day. I fell in love with the restaurant, as it really felt like I was transported to Japan for a few hours.

Last spring, we immediately jumped at the chance to return when they invited us to join them again.

Sake Adventure

Godenya is known for its sake, so enjoying their sake to pair with the food is a must. Below are the two bottles of sake we enjoyed with our tasting menu.

A Taste of Spring in Japan

General Thoughts - Godenya Hong Kong

Going to Godenya is like flying to Japan for a few hours. You really feel like you've entered another world. The chef is Japanese, the ingredients are mostly Japanese, and the whole environment feels like Japan. The food is excellent, and I've enjoyed every single meal I've had there.

I am posting this a bit late - almost a year since I had the meal. I'm very thankful that my dining companion, Growing Boy, so diligently writes up all his meals in a very timely fashion. Reading his post of the same meal helped me remember my own impressions as well.

I do highly recommend this restaurant! It is a slice of Japan right inside Hong Kong!

Godenya Hong Kong
182 Wellington Street (upper G/F)
Central, HONG KONG

Godenya Hong Kong (2022 visit)
Sushi Shikon
Sushi Suzuki

A Look Back at the Past 3 Years - Part III: 2024

January 8, 2025 by Jennifer Che

This is a 3-part series where I look back at the past 3 years (coming out of the pandemic) that just somehow seemed to whiz by.

I used to be really disciplined about reflecting back upon the year. I took a brief look back, and noticed I was quite consistent, publishing virtually annual, even publishing a series of reflections during my "peak" years of 2014 and 2015 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014-1 2014-2, 2015-1 2015-2 2015-3, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021-1 2021-2).

And then suddenly *POOF* it’s 2025?? Where did my summaries for 2022 - 2024 go? The pandemic sort of killed all that discipline as I fell further and further behind in blogging, largely due to the long extended trips I was taking during that time.

I’ve since largely caught up, and hope to be completely on top of my blogging backlog by the end of this month! As part of this greater catch up project, I've decided to kick-start 2025 by writing up annual summaries for 2022, 2023, and 2024 in these first few days of 2025. (Phew!!)

January:

2024 began "quietly", without any major travel. It's always nice to have a quiet month to catch up from the intense festivities of the fall/winter. On New Years Day while jogging along the Wan Chai Harbour front, I discovered a decommissioned East Rail Line MTR subway train, right on the seaside! It was decked out in holiday decorations, and everyone could go inside, sit down, and enjoy the ocean views.

January consisted of hosting out of town friends, hiking, and work. I also took a short trip to Shenzhen to visit our colleagues & friends there.

February: Thailand

In February we visited Thailand for the first time since 2020. It was strange to remember the last time we were in Thailand (January 2020). We were just starting to consider wearing masks, though still not aware of how scarce and precious these resources would soon become.

Our visit this time included plenty of mango sticky rice, sunshine, and relaxing time with friends. We spent a whole day exploring Bangkok with a Thai friend who showed us all her favorite local spots.

March: Taiwan with Mama!

In March my mom went to Taiwan, so I met her there! We lined up at one of Taipei’s most famous soy milk shops to train their famed salty soy milk. It was fantastic, as was their shaobing youtiao (燒餅油條), fried cruller sesame flatbread sandwich. I also hung out in Taichung, my mom’s hometown, where I had some incredible street food, such as the best stinky tofu I’ve had in recent memory (filled with gobs of GARLIC!), amazing egg pancake, and insanely sweet and crisp jujubes, guavas, and rose apples (all are my favorites!).

March: Brussels + Paris + London

It was so nice to visit Brussels, Paris, and London again. In Brussels we went back to Bozar (which now has 2 Michelin stars) to enjoy Bryan's favorite pithivier. Interestingly, this classic pithivier (which includes duck, foie gras, and mirepoix) is no longer on the menu, but they did specially make one for us.

Golden Poppy Dominique Crenn Paris France

One of our favorite meals in Paris this trip was at Golden Poppy by Dominique Crenn. We also ate at David Toutain (which I loved the first time), but this time we were quite disappointed with the pace of the service, which took waaayyy too long (the tasting menu took over 5 hours . . . .)

My favorite memories from this trip involve walking around Paris, jogging along the Eiffel Tower, and meeting up with various European friends & business contacts.

April: Tokyo Cherry Blossom

In late March/early April we traveled to Tokyo to visit friends of ours who had recently moved there. The weather was unseasonably cold earlier that month. Despite it being April already, most of the cherry blossoms were still not out!

Thankfully, my favorite park for cherry blossoms (Shinjuku Gyoen) had plenty of cherry blossoms. I love this park because it has over 1000 cherry blossom trees that all bloom at different times. You pretty much won’t miss the season completely if you visit Shinjuku Gyoen.

Meals I enjoyed this trip included Sushi Suzuki, Shinjuku Hoshi No Naru Ki (kaiseki), and Tawanmarai (soba).

April: Chaozhou, China

We have friends in Hong Kong - a husband and wife duo - whose are originally from Chaozhou, China. Chaozhou (or Chiu Chow in Hong Kong), is especially well-known for its beef. They cut beef into so many different types of cuts that are completely different from US beef cuts.

It was SUCH a fun foodie trip, made even more special because we had locals take us around. Some of the most interesting bites we had included yougan citrus juice, char kway teow (炒粿條), freshly made rice rolls, and Chaoshan beef hot pot. We also visited a tea garden in the Feng Huang mountain area, and we tried the local Kungfu Tea. To read all about what we ate and saw, you can read about Weekend in Chaozhou Part I and Weekend in Chaozhou Part II.

May: Xiamen, China

Earlier this year, Bryan’s Granduncle messaged him and said, “I am coming to Xiamen in early May. Come and meet me there.”

Bryan’s Granduncle is 88 years old (!!!) and was the person who showed us Bryan’s ancestral home in Xiamen the first time we ended up there (sort of happenstance). Granduncle Carl does not know if he will have the physical stamina to make another trip, so this was a very important trip. We knew we could not say no.

Xiamen Fujian China — Che Ancestral Home

The trip was indeed special. We went back to the ancestral home to see what it was like post-pandemic. Sadly, it looked like it was in worse shape. We also heard there may be plans to convert the entire village into a historic preserved area, where the government would take over the homes and make the area into some sort of tourist attraction.

This time one of Bryan’s distant cousins took us around and gave us a really unique and very local street food tour. This cousin grew up in the ancestral home, and thus knows the neighborhood really well. We had all sorts of really great food, such as Fuzhou fish balls, Xiamen popiah (fresh spring rolls), deep fried baby eels, sea worms, and more. It was a really meaningful trip, especially seeing our Granduncle reunite with all his relatives after being separated for so many years due to the pandemic.

Revisiting Xiamen: Xiamen Street Food Crawl

May: Boston + Ohio

Later in May, I flew to Boston to present and exhibit at a patent conference. This time Bryan also came to Boston, so we made many different arrangements to catch up with lots of friends and relatives.

Of course we enjoyed all of our favorite Boston foods, like lobster sandwiches (Alive & Kicking Lobster), Trillium Beer, hot buttered lobster rolls + raw oysters (Row 34), and much much more.

Summer: Doraemon & Friends

Summer of 2024 was so fun because of the Doraemon & Friends event that was happening in Hong Kong throughout the entire summer! It started with an incredible drone show, followed by two excellent Doraemon exhibits (both outdoor and indoor) at Tsim Sha Tsui.

There was also a free outdoor exhibit, including a HUGE inflatable Doraemon that I could see from across the Harbour from my balcony window (on a clear day). Tickets were surprisingly difficult to get (selling out in seconds), so I was happy I was able to grab some tickets for late in the summer.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jennifer Che (@tinyurbankitchen)

I totally got caught up in the Doraemon-mania and bought a bunch of swag myself, haha. There are still many reminders throughout my apartment of the fun Doraemon-filled summer of 2024.

June: Lijiang, China

In June a good friend of mine (the same one whom I met in Versailles!) told me she was going to Lijiang, China in the summer and invited us to join her. The stars aligned and we were able to coordinate our schedules to visit this beautiful city together, along with Bryan and one other friend.

Lijiang is a beautiful village in the mountains of Yunnan province. The area is known for coffee and tea. I was really surprised to find sooooo many excellent artisanal coffee shops in this area. In recent years - as the intense pressures of work and life have overwhelmed many Chinese people - places like Lijiang have drawn many due to its unhurried, simple life style.

July: Kunming, China

In July another friend from Yunnan Province invited me to visit her (and her family). This time, I traveled to Kunming, the largest city in Yunnan Province. I got to try the famous Crossing the Bridge Noodles 過橋米線, visit a minority village, and wander the fun night markets in the city.

Other local specialties I enjoyed included mushroom hot pot, high mountain flatbread, wild free range mountain chicken soup (soooo good!), and local “fries” (deep fried potatoes) tossed in local spices.

August: Shunde, China

Shunde (pronounced SHUN - Duh) in Guangdong Province is known to be the original source of Cantonese food. The top chefs came out from Shunde, and many of the dishes in their most original, traditional form, can still be found here. It’s known to be a very foodie city. Local friends offered to drive us to Shunde across the newly built Zhongshan Bridge (which drastically cuts the time it takes to get to Shunde from Shenzhen).

In Shunde, we feasted on so many traditional Cantonese dishes, such as roasted pigeon, clay pot rice, congee seafood hot pot, double skim (buffalo) milk custard, stewed beef offal, dim sum, and my all time favorite, raw fish salad (pictured above . . . soooo good!). To see everything we ate, check out the post that I wrote: Top Foods to Taste in Shunde, China

September: Taiwan

I flew out to Taiwan in September to see my Mom and Dad. It was my Dad’s first trip to Taiwan since 2019.

We visited my Grandfather’s house in Taipei, the one where my Dad grew up. It brought back memories of my visits as a kid (when my grandparents were still alive). I chatted with my 88 year old aunt who was living there, and was so impressed by her sharp mind, devotion to daily exercise, and an endless hunger to keep learning (she still attends Bible studies to improve her English and Japanese!!).

Of course I had to have my Din Tai Fung fix, this time together with all the other aunties and uncles. It was nice to see them all together, especially with my Dad, whom the relatives hadn’t seen in a long time.

September: Vienna

Bryan had a business trip in Vienna in September. I’d never been to Austria before so I decided to tag along. I also figured I could travel to Munich (headquarters of the European Patent Office) and do a bunch of business meetings.

Vienna is a gorgeous city. However, the first several days the area experienced unprecedented rains. It was (frankly speaking) AWFUL walking around the city with the rain and winds whipping at your face. We were so cold! The flooding was so bad that for a couple days NO trains were going in or out of Vienna. My planned train trip to Munich fell through, and I stayed in Vienna for the whole week.

Thankfully, the sun came out later in the week, and we saw a glorious Vienna under full sunshine (which is SUCH a different experience!). I’m glad I got to see this side of Vienna before leaving.

We ate weinerschnitzel (of course), visited cafes serving coffee + cake, and soaked in the culture rich city. We also tried some excellent restaurants like Steirereck, Mast, and Meirer im StadtPark. Certain days we decided we were a bit tired of Viennese food, and opted for cuisines like Italian or Greek.

Stay tuned for the detailed posts about this trip!

October: Bali

I shared about Bryan’s unfortunately passport snafus last year that prevented him from going to Bali. This year, we finally successfully traveled to Bali, Indonesia together! We visited our friend who lives there, and together we spent time in both Ubud and Kuta.

We even re-visited our favorite night market, just to let Bryan try our favorite egg omelet made by this one street vendor. Yes, he was still there, and this year the line was so much shorter!

October: Boston + DC

In the latter half of October, I took my annual fall trip to Boston and DC (for work). The foliage was in full glory during my time in Boston, which was such a special treat.

My friends introduced me to a new restaurant called Amar in the Raffles Hotel. The tasting menu was excellent, and overall I was quite impressed.

I also revisited an ooooold favorite, the Afghan restaurant in Cambridge called Helmand's. I was thrilled the restaurant felt exactly the same, even after 20 years! Back then I loved their pumpkin kaddo bourani so much I tried to make it myself for a food blogging competition (which I won!) back in 2010.

I fell in love with the pizza from Joe's Pizza in Harvard Square, and also made sure to get a bite of grape nut ice cream from Tosci's.

My sister's family threw an early birthday party for me, which was really special. Living abroad, I don't get to see my family nearly as much as I used to, so I do cherish these times.

November: San Francisco and Napa Valley

I had heard that Waymo had rolled out self-driving taxis in San Francisco. I was soooo curious to try one, though a bit nervous about it at the same time. After trying it once, I was hooked! The cars are comfortable, clean, and it’s kind of nice not worrying about how to interact with a human driver. I ended up taking it several times!

It was also nice to spend time with several friends from college, many of whom I have not seen in years. I actually saw THREE of my previous room / apartment mates. It's such a funny coincidence that virtually all my past room/apartment mates move to the Bay area.

We also spent a week in Napa. AGAIN, we ran into some pretty heavy rains (I saw flooded vineyards), but thankfully had some sunny days in between. Wine tastings at Fialla and Spring Mountain were excellent. On my actual birthday, we had dinner at Auberge du Soleil.

December: San Francisco + Los Angeles + Ohio

I had almost a full month back in Hong Kong before it was time to head out again, this time to visit family for Christmas.

We did a mini family trip out to the Redwood Forests, seeing massive sequoia trees (something I’ve wanted to see ever since I was a kid). Alas, it rained AGAIN during the second half of our hike. Still, the trees were awe inspiring, and we very much enjoyed visiting the park.

We also got to do a really pretty hike at the Marin Headlands, right next to the Golden Gate Bridge. I loved the feeling of the vast expansive sky together with the (seemingly) endless rolling hills. The weather was cool, crispy, and sunny on Christmas morning, and thus hike was the perfect way to start Christmas.

After Christmas we flew down to Los Angeles to see more family before I flew out to Ohio to see my side of the family.

I hadn’t celebrated New Years with my sister since . . . maybe high school?? We taught her kids how to play mah-jong, and then just the two of us (everyone else had gone to bed), stayed up to celebrate the New Year (YES, with orange juice and milk!! - we couldn't find any alcohol at our parents' house, haha).

It was special to be together for New Years for once.

Now I am on the plane finally heading back to Hong Kong after a truly whirlwind year of travel! It'll be nice to slow down during the month of January. I do hope to catch up a bit on blog posts for trips I took in 2024, including trip reports for Vienna, Lijiang, Bali, Bangkok, and California.

Happy New Year!!!! Here's to 2025!

Related Posts

A Look Back at the Past 3 Years - Part I: 2022
A Look Back at the Past 3 Years - Part II: 2023
Eating and Travel Guides
Trip Reports
Travel Posts: by Location

A Look Back at the Past 3 Years - Part II: 2023

January 6, 2025 by Jennifer Che

This is a 3-part series where I look back at the past 3 years (coming out of the pandemic) that just somehow seemed to whiz by.

January: Post Covid Month in China

January, 2023. This single photo sort of captures how the Chinese were out in FULL FORCE after 3 years of being cooped up due to the pandemic.

Just a month before (December 2022), Mainland China had opened up suddenly, surprising everyone. Covid-19 spread like wildfire, and by mid-January, the country had mostly recovered from its massive bout of the disease. The first Chinese New Year (where people could finally travel after THREE years) was finally here, and people were SO READY to travel.

Crazy us, we decided to go to the Mainland for the first time (since 2020) as well. Even crazier, we chose to travel within China during this first Chinese New Year holiday TOGETHER WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

Foreigners navigating a post-pandemic China

We spent a week working in Shenzhen, heading off to the nearby manufacturing city Dongguan over the weekend to visit a friend. We then flew to Yunnan Province, where we traveled to a number of less-known cities (in an attempt to avoid the crazy crowds during the CNY holiday).

It’s hard to summarize a month of travel in a few sentences, so hopefully the below photos give you a general sense. To read more detailed reports, check out the posts I’ve written about the city of Jianshui (ancient walled city known for its well water tofu), Xishuangbanna (where we experienced the bold, spicy, and flavorful cuisine of the Dai Minority Group and Hani, our tour guide's minority group), and Kunming (largest city in the area).

All in all, it was a fascinating trip and we survived! As one of the few foreigners who was actually in China during that time, we did run into some snafus, especially with getting the proper Covid tests needed to return to Hong Kong (alas, Hong Kong hadn’t fully opened up yet!). However, overall it was a really unique and special time that I won’t forget.

Xishuangbanna Yunnan China — Xishuangbanna

Song Hotel Kunming China — The Beautiful Song Hotel

February

February we stayed put in Hong Kong, spending (what would be) our last month having to wear masks in public. As Hong Kong was finally opening up, we started to host more and more visitors to Hong Kong. We didn’t know it at the time, but we enjoyed our last meal at Ecriture (Valentine's Day!) before they closed for good later on in the year.

March: No More Masks! + Hangzhou, China

Hallelujah!!! On March 1, 2023, the Hong Kong government FINALLY removed the pandemic-era mask mandate in Hong Kong. It took a couple months, but by the summertime, most people had stopped wearing masks in public. I suspect the hot Hong Kong summers had something to do with it. XD

In March I visited Hangzhou with several other friends for a “girls trip” of sorts. It was a refreshing time of catching up with old friends and enjoying Hangzhou’s beautiful West Lake (by bike) and the tea terraces (by foot).

April: Guilin & Yangshuo

Guilin Yangshuo China — Yangshuo Fadai Retreat

In April we took the high speed rail (~4 hours) to the beautiful areas of Guilin and Yangshuo. The mountains in this area of Southern China are really stunning. It was such a relaxing few days of exploring this unique mountainous region and the local food + culture.

Memorable meals included freshly peeled locally harvested mountain water chestnut, Guilin rice noodles, Yangshuo beer fish, Guilin oil tea, and food cooked in bamboo!

April: Boston

In April I traveled to Boston for a work conference and business meetings. It was great to be back in the city again. I made sure to enjoy plenty of Tosci’s grape nut ice cream, raw oysters, and time outside along the Charles River.

May: Greek Wedding in Athens

Yes, a Big Fat Greek wedding, for real! We flew all the way to Athens to celebrate the wedding of one of Bryan’s colleagues. It was such a unique experience. Do you know they START the wedding around 7PM, the dinner around 9PM, and the dancing goes on until deep into the night? Haha, the invitation actually said the wedding ended at 4AM (!!). We lasted until around 2AM, and even when we left, there was still a small group of die hard party-ers who were still dancing.

It was Bryan’s first time in Greece, so we visited a lot of the famous ruins In Athens. We sampled all sorts Greek food, from traditional gyros at tavernas to some amazing modern high end meals.

June: Boston for MIT Reunion

In June I flew BACK to Boston to attend my 25th (!) college reunion. It was such a joy to get together with several good friends from my college days. We re-lived a lot of our favorite Boston experiences, like visiting the “Make Way for Ducklings” ducks in the Public Garden, eating Italian food in the North End (Monica’s Ristorante), and even visiting our old dorm (Next House).

June: Taiwan Trip with the Family

At the end of June, my sister and her entire family (plus my mom!) flew to Taiwan for a multi-week trip. Of course I had to join them! It was so fun hanging out with our relatives in Taiwan and visiting some local sites together. Highlights included street food, dumplings at Din Tai Fung, go-kart racing in Taichung, and just spending time with the extended family.

July: Tokyo Through the Eyes of a Tween

In July we ate our way through Tokyo with Bryan’s best friend, his wife, and their 12-year old daughter. Our friends wanted to introduce their daughter to all different types of Japanese food, so we explored the gamut during the trip, tasting sushi, tonkatsu, yakitori, izakaya, ramen, soba, wagyumafia yakiniku, 7-11, and even lining up to go to a Shiba Inu (dog) cafe. Funny thing is, the 7-11 oniri rice balls may have turned out to be one of her favorites . . .

September: Belgium, London, Bilbao

In September we went on another extended European trip, this time to Belgium and Bilbao. I love Spain, and I had fallen in love with San Sebastián the last time we were in this region. At first I was hoping we could go back to San Sebastián, but Bryan’s conference was in Bilbao, and he reasoned that we should explore Bilbao first since we’ve never been there before.

Bilbao turned out to be an amazing place to visit, and I’m glad we gave it the whole week. You still get to enjoy fantastic pintxos, jamon Iberico, and 3-Michelin star cuisine. However, it’s got its own unique attractions, most notably The Guggenheim, and one of my personal favorites, hiking San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (where Game of Thrones was filmed).

Better yet, the Rioja region is very close by. We took a whole day private tour with Tenedor Tours and enjoyed a lovely day (with perfect weather!) out wine tasting.

October: Bali, Indonesia

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia — Sawah Terrace Mandapa Reserve Ritz Carlton

We had a friend who moved to Indonesia in 2022 and she invited us to visit her. Bryan planned out an amazing trip using travel points, including a luxurious stay at the Ritz Carlton Mandapa Reserve.

Alas, a passport snafu occurred with the number of blank pages that were required for a visa-upon-arrival. Sadly, Bryan could not board the flight, and I had to go alone. My friend and I enjoyed a lovely stay in Bali, even though it was really sad Bryan wasn’t able to join us.

Postlude: update! We returned to Bali again in 2024, and thus time Bryan was able to make it! (Blog post about that trip upcoming . . .)

October in Hong Kong

Despite not being able to go to Bali in October, we still managed to celebrate Bryan's birthday in a few ways. We rented a junk boat (on the eve of a typhoon!) and had a Lamma Rainbow seafood outing with a group of friends.

The two of us also enjoyed a lovely yakitori tasting menu at Yamato, so close to our home!

A Junk Boat Birthday on the Eve of a Typhoon: Lamma Island

November

November is my birthday month and also prime hiking month in Hong Kong! For my birthday I chose to go hiking to the Peak with Bryan. We started from our home and got egg tarts at the top! My birthday two-part dinner included a lovely steak dinner at BeefBar and a joint birthday meal at David Toutain’s new restaurant in Hong Kong, Feuille.

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A post shared by Jennifer Che (@tinyurbankitchen)

During the same month, we also took out of town friends to Sharp Island (Sai Kung) and Dragon’s Back (both beautiful and manageable hikes!). Around Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a really fun Pol Roger Champagne dinner at Pang’s Kitchen, where we even took home an autographed Pol Roger bottle from one of the family members who was hosting the event.

December: Taiwan with Nina Simonds

After not going to Taiwan for so many years (despite living in Hong Kong), I felt so fortunate to have multiple opportunities to visit Taiwan in the past 2 years. In December 2023, an old family friend, Nina Simonds (Boston-based James Beard Award winning cookbook author) invited us to go on a weekend food trip of Taipei with her!

She wrote about our trip in a Boston Globe article titled 50 Years Later I'm Still Falling for Taipei.

Back in Hong Kong, We hosted several out-of-town friends and visited Disneyland, checking out the new Frozenland.

December: Christmas in California

Another special Christmas back in California to see family and friends. This time we stumbled upon In-N-Not during their 75th anniversary celebration (so they were giving out hats!). We also re-visited some of our favorite Mexican places that we had discovered during the pandemic, such as Playa Amor. Sadly, Taco Maria (one of our favorite restaurants in LA) had closed in July (boo boo). We were so thankful Bryan’s mom took out the time to make Che family pumpkin cakes, tea eggs (my favorite!!), as well as our traditional family hot pot meal.

We did enjoy an absolutely amazing “Taiwanese Omakase style” meal from chef John Yao at Kato in Los Angeles. It blew me away and I can’t wait to go back again. I can’t believe I still haven’t written up a post for that meal. I will make sure I get around to doing that sometime soon.

2023 . . . .

All in all, 2023 whizzed by. It was the first year where in Hong Kong we actually felt like the pandemic was really behind us. FINALLY, we could travel freely without worrying about having to get clean Covid tests to fly back home. FINALLY, we could host out-of-town guests in Hong Kong again. FINALLY, we could easily go back into the Mainland again, and we went multiple times and visited so many new places.

On a side note, I also took over as Managing Director at my workplace, so even on a professional level, there was a lot going on!

Next up: Reflections on 2024

La Scène Thélème - Paris

June 16, 2024 by Jennifer Che

La Scene Theleme Paris France — *La Scène Thélème - Paris*

It was our first night in Paris. Bryan had arrived just a day earlier to do some meetings in another city. I arrived - jetlagged - and was just so thankful that he had already booked some places for us.

He said “I think La Scène Thélème is right up your alley. It’s French food by a Japanese chef.” We chuckled because we were both thinking of a common foodie “snob” friend. This person is extremely particular about fine dining, and the food he seeks out the most is French food by Japanese chefs.

I can see why. Japanese chefs possess an inherent Japanese ethos and obsession with quality ingredients and artistry. Combine that with the highest caliber of French technique, and you have a combination that's hard to beat.

La Scène Thélème - French Restaurant by a Japanese Chef

You can find this combination a lot in both Tokyo and Paris. At La Scène Thélème, Japanese chef Yoshitaka Takayanagi marries his extensive training in French technique together with inspiration and flavors from Japan. He has even partnered with a local farm (YASAI farm) to grow Japanese vegetables in France. This one Michelin-starred restaurant is a good value for its price, offering 5, 6, and 7 course tastings for €98, €124, and €149, respectively.

The restaurant also is attached to a theater, thus you have a chance to listen to a concert next door and enjoy the "scene."

The Tasting Menu

We began with pea chawanmushi with wasabi and yuzu, which was fantastic. I loved how light and fresh it was, truly showcasing the natural inherent flavors of the ingredients. This first course really reminded me of a Japanese kaiseki.

Next, a single scallop dressed with chive oil, pickled pearl onions, and a flavorful light broth was also excellent.

A white fish with yuzu and rice came next, served with shiso pesto and a beurre blanc sauce. This dish really had elements of French food (hello beurre blanc sauce!), while at the same time exploring "sushi" in the form of wild greens. The flavors were very nice, though we both agreed if the rice were not as soft (“mushy”) and more al dente (like sushi rice), it would be even better.

A single "sausage" with foie gras served with parsnip chips, black garlic, and a flavorful black truffle jus came with a twig, which they warned us not to eat!

Next, cereal encrusted veal sweetbreads was served alongside a few curly ribbons of ultra white tripe, hazelnut, vegetables, and jus.

Palate Cleanser + Dessert

Shiso lime sorbet, apple ribbon, and apple juice.

Lemon pavlova with white sesame ice cream.

Finally, a selection of mignardises including these cute little test tubes!

General Thoughts

Overall, it was a lovely meal where the food was prepared with care, precision, and artistry. The service was smooth. The environment was hushed, but not stuffy. Ingredients were excellent, and the fusion of Japan and France was done tastefully. I recommend this place!

La Scene Theleme Paris
18 Rue Troyon – 75O17 Paris
Tel : +33 1 77 37 60 99
[email protected]

I'm Featured in the South China Morning Post! (SCMP)

July 19, 2023 by Jennifer Che

Hi all!

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm featured in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) today in the Food/Drink Section. I've shared my favorite places to eat in Hong Kong and during my travels. You can read the article at this link. They had to shorten my original interview by a lot because I just had too many places I wanted share! I've included my original responses to the interview below.

Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself

I am a US patent attorney and Vice President & Principal at Eagle IP, a patent firm headquartered in HK with offices in the GBA. I am also a food + travel writer, founder of Tiny Urban Kitchen, a food + travel website/blog that I’ve been writing for over 10 years. I moved to Hong Kong 6 years ago after spending most of my adult life in Boston, MA (USA), where I went to school. I am a second generation Asian American, and grew up in Toledo, Ohio to Taiwanese parents. I also love music and play guitar in my church band.

What did you grow up eating?

In Ohio back then, we didn’t have much access to Asian ingredients, so my mom was really, really creative and resourceful. She loves to cook and try new things, so growing up I actually ate a lot of home cooked Taiwanese foods, such as braised meat sauce over rice 滷肉飯，dried radish omelette 菜餔蛋，tea eggs 茶葉蛋，beef noodle soup 牛肉麵，egg crepe 蛋餅, steamed rice cake in a bowl 碗糕 (“wah guay”), and much much more.

She often modified traditional Taiwanese recipes using US supermarket ingredients. For example, did you know you can make an easy 饅頭 (steamed bun) by using Pilsbury dough? She always cooked from scratch, and every dinner involved 3+1 . . . three dishes and a soup. I still sort of hold myself to the same standard today, though it’s quite challenging to do it every day. I’m not sure how my mom was able to do it AND take care of her work, her aging parents, and us!

I also loved ice cream (I get that from my Dad) and fresh corn (Ohio grows TONS of corn). One particular food memory I have is my mom making her famous grilled Taiwanese street corn while we were at the beach.

What kind of food person are you?

I’ve eaten all kinds of food: slow food, fast food, street food, Michelin meals. I’ve dined at 3-Michelin starred restaurants in Paris, crunched on fried insects in Yunnan, hunted for white truffles in Alba, chewed on snake skin in Hunan, eaten nigiri sushi from the hands of Jiro himself, and the list goes on and on.

After all that, though, I think I actually go back to the basics. Perhaps it’s due to my simple upbringing. Perhaps it has something to do with my slight obsession with health and fitness. I love fresh produce, prepared simply so you can taste their original flavors.

When I’m at home, I am perfectly content just stir-frying or even just steaming or blanching fresh vegetables and eating them with just a bit of flavor. I’m totally OK not having meat, though I do love seafood, and occasionally a really good steak or Iberico pork chop. I also love dumplings of any kind (gyoza, 餃子), raw fish (sashimi, crudo, ceviche, etc.), and milk products, such as cheese, yogurt, and of course ice cream!

I do love cooking, and when I have time I totally get into learning how to make new dishes and acquiring new skills. I won a food blog competition in 2009 where in one of the rounds I learned how to make hand-pulled noodles and produced a video teaching it . . . all in 2 weeks!

If I had to pick a favorite cuisine, it would probably be Japanese, though I also love Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Mediterranean, Thai, and many many more. All cuisines have their unique special elements, and I enjoy many aspects of most cuisines.

In Hong Kong, what are some of your favourite restaurants and why?

Lunch

I told you I love dumplings, and I also love black truffle. Din Tai Fung is one of my favorite restaurants for any meal, including lunch. During the pandemic, I was so thankful that we lived close enough to get delivery of DTF dumplings. My favorites are the black truffle and the pork soup dumplings ( 小籠湯包), pork and vegetable steamed dumpling*, 香干馬蘭頭 dried bean curd + Indian Kalimeris vegetable, and taro dumpling for dessert.

Dinner

Yardbird, a yakitori restaurant that started in Hong Kong, is one of my favorite restaurants in Hong Kong (and probably the one I frequent most regularly). My favorite is by far the skin, but I also love the chicken oyster, meatball, and wing tip. The fruit tomato salad with yuba is fantastic, and the corn tempura is really special. The chicken + egg rice is a great way to end the meal.

For good Cantonese food, I like Kin’s Kitchen. Definitely get their signature smoked chicken and the handmade egg noodles with scallion oil and soy sauce, which are excellent. In Hong Kong, trying steamed garoupa is a must, and I usually like to get the stunning bright green vegetable soup with crab.

For higher end, I really enjoy Simon Rogan’s Roganic. I really like the artful and creative way Chef Rogan showcases vegetables. I also appreciate how the restaurant prioritizes sustainability and supports local farms.

For dessert or coffee, Shari Shari for Japanese kakigori (shaved ice) or Via Tokyo for their delicious matcha ice cream are some of my go-to places. I also love Omotesando Koffee, which I first discovered in Japan over 10 years ago!

Where would you take a new visitor to the city for lunch or dinner?

I’d definitely showcase one of Hong Kong’s most famous cuisines: dim sum! I usually try to book Lei Garden if I can. The food is high quality and consistent, the service is efficient, and the cost is reasonable. Tim Ho Wan is another fun one to visit, but it takes a bit more planning since they don’t take reservations and the lines can get long.

I always take out-of-town guests to one of my favorite egg tart places, Tai Cheong Bakery, to try both types of egg tarts, flaky pastry crust and cookie crust. Honolulu Bakery in Wan Chai also makes an amazing flaky crust version.

Finally, If there’s time, I would take the ferry to Lamma Island and hike from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan, where we’d enjoy Hong Kong seafood specialties at Lamma Rainbow.

For a local “hidden spot”, I might take them to Wong Kee 旺記打冷小菜館, a buzzing Chiu Chow place in Wan Chai that is super local, (menu is only in Chinese!) and makes great Chiu Chow classics like sliced marinated goose, oyster omelette, and many other dishes at super reasonable prices.

I have a soft spot for 1963 Tree 木十豆寸, a Taiwanese eatery hidden away on an upper floor of a nondescript building in Wan Chai. They serve interesting vegetables that are unique to Taiwan, and their Oolong tea smoked chicken is really good. The comfort dishes, like 滷肉飯（braised meat sauce over rice), also make me think of my family.

For a nicer Chinese meal, I might take them to Xin Rong Ji (squid ink rice cakes!), Liu Yuan Pavilion 留園雅敘 (giant sesame bread!), Kin’s Kitchen (smoked chicken!), or Mott32 (best Peking duck!).

Finally, one must try local milk tea. My favorite is Lan Fong Yuen in Central, right next to the escalators. The tea, still made with a sock using the traditional method, is intense, strong, and works great with milk. If there’s time, it’s fun to have a very traditional, local HK breakfast inside.

What is your splurge or celebration preference?

Sushi Shikon is my favorite high-end restaurant in Hong Kong, and I have gone there many times to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. The meals never disappoint and I do feel like I’m transported to Japan for a few hours, yet with a chef who can speak perfect English (Chef Kaki-san lived in the US for some time) and greets us with such warmth each time we come.

In terms of travel, where do you enjoy going for food?

Japan is hands down my favorite destination for food, and I’ve traveled there over a dozen times. One particularly favorite memory is my meal at Shoraian/Syourian, a tofu restaurant located on the edge of a mountain in the bamboo forest of Arashiyama in Western Kyoto. You need to hike a bit to get to the restaurant, but it’s so worth it. We had a fantastic multi-course menu focused just on tofu prepared so many different ways, even ending with a tofu ice cream!

Getaria — One of my favorite casual meals was enjoying freshly grilled seafood at Kaia Kaipe, a family-owned seaside restaurant with great views of the ocean. Must order the grilled turbot (enough to feed 2-4 people). #getaria #getariaspain #spain #tinyurbanspain #tinyurbantravels #grilledfish #grilledturbot #basqueregion #michelinplate

Spain is another favorite destination. The country is cutting edge on the high-end scene, and their local food is also fabulous. One of my favorite food memories is eating grilled turbot from Kaia Kaipe, a seafood restaurant in a tiny fishing town called Getaria (not far from San Sebastian). Even though we couldn’t get a reservation at its more famous cousin Elkano, we loved our meal and vowed to come back to San Sebastian again in 2020 . . . (which never happened due to this thing called the Pandemic).

I travel to Boston at lot. It’s the city where I lived for 20+ years before moving to Hong Kong, and I still have a lot of family and friends there. In terms of food, whenever I’m in Boston I seek out raw oysters, lobster, and local beer. One of my favorite off-the-beaten-path places is a tiny shack in Cambridge called Alive and Kicking Lobsters. They make a great lobster sandwich (don’t call it a lobster roll, they’ll correct you!) that you can eat on picnic benches right outside the shack. I also like going to Row 34, where I can get a hot buttered lobster roll, raw New England oysters on the half shell, and a fantastic selection of local New England beers all at one place.

*as far as I know, this version is only available in Asia. In the US, Din Tai Fung used to serve the version I like, but then one year started warning guests that the pork and vegetable dumpling was 90% vegetable. They eventually gave up and switched to a version that had more meat (which I don’t like as much). I guess even Din Tai Fung had to “localize” their dumplings for the American palate!

Bryan's Birthday at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana

May 10, 2023 by Jennifer Che

I recently asked Bryan what his top five favorite restaurants in Hong Kong were. The first two rolled off his tongue in an instant. "Sushi Shikon" (I'm not surprised, considering the best dish Bryan's ever had) and ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana.

That's why I knew he wouldn't mind when I secretly booked it for his birthday, all while he was traveling in Europe for a business trip. He would return less than a week before his birthday.

It was arguably "slightly" risky. Although Hong Kong had switched to home quarantine at that time, Bryan still had to take a Covid test everyday for 5 days after returning from Europe. God forbid, what if he tested positive? What would I do with my reservation??

Thankfully, everything went smoothly and we were able to enjoy a lovely birthday dinner at ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana. The meal was great, as always. I won't go into detail describing each dish again, since most of these dishes have been on the menu for a long time. You can read the post about our first time here (yet another Bryan birthday meal) for details.

Enjoy this (mostly) wordless post.

Impronte Bergamo Italy — risotto w/ white truffles

½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana

Updated: Jen's Japan Recommendations

September 12, 2022 by Jennifer Che

*Jiro, Jen, & Bryan at Sukiyabashi Jiro*

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.

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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!

The Araki Hong Kong

February 1, 2021 by Jennifer Che

How do you celebrate a birthday during a global pandemic?

On the one hand, we have been pretty fortunate here in Hong Kong. In general the case numbers are not high and we have had months of near normalcy when case numbers were in the single digits and it almost felt like things were back to normal.

On the other hand, it's virtually impossible to plan for anything far in advance, because you have no clue how good or bad the situation will be. Here in Hong Kong, the government is quite strict when it comes to closures. For example, even as our daily new cases hover around 30-50, restaurants are still forced to close at 6PM, which has been devastating for the industry.

My birthday in the latter half of November happened right before Hong Kong's longest and most serious "fourth wave" began. Restaurants were forced to close for dinner soon after my birthday.

I am very thankful that we were able to enjoy a lovely, socially-distanced dinner at The Araki, one of the most anticipated sushi restaurants to open in Hong Kong in the past couple years.

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Nice Yakiniku and Fine Wine Hong Kong

December 28, 2020 by Jennifer Che

Yakiniku literally translates to grilled "yaki" 焼き and meat "niku" 肉. The style of cuisine arose at World War II and began in Korean restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka. Some say that yakiniku is Korean barbecue modified for the Japanese palate.

Even though we live right next to Causeway Bay, arguably one of the most concentrated Japanese food areas in Hong Kong, we haven't come anywhere close to experiencing the variety of Japanese food that you can get in Hong Kong.

This year, being "stuck" in Hong Kong all year, we've come a bit closer exploring many other types of Japanese cuisine in Hong Kong aside from sushi. One of these is yakiniku, which we've enjoyed several times this year.

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Wagyumafia Hong Kong

December 6, 2020 by Jennifer Che

For those obsessed with the top beef in the world, Wagyumafia is at the pinnacle. Wagyumafia started out as a private supper club in Tokyo. Beef exporters Hisato Hamada and entrepreneur Takafumi Horie held private wagyu-themed pop-up dinners in Tokyo showcasing top cuts of beef from the best producers in Japan.

Wagyumafia's claim to fame is the humble beef katsu-"sando" (sandwich). Wagyumafia's version uses the chateaubriand - one of the most highly prizes portions of a cow - and Ozaki beef, from Miyazaki, Japan. Farmer Ozaki feeds his cows mineral water, organic ryegrass, and a 12-ingredient grains mixture that includes barley and corn. He only raises 60 cows a year, 30 for Japan, 30 for the international market.

A full sandwich using this prized beef in Tokyo costs JPY200,000, or close to $200 USD. At Wagyumafia Hong Kong, adding a tasting portion of this wagyu sando (as an optional supplemental to the basic tasting menu) will set you back HKD$1000 (USD$127).

The first WAGYUMAFIA restaurant opened in Tokyo in 2016. This was a members only restaurant, and within a few years, it was virtually impossible to get membership at this exclusive restaurant in Tokyo. In 2018, Wagyumafia opened its first international location in Hong Kong.

As luck would have it, this new Wagyumafia was located just a 5-minute walk from our apartment. We had been curious about Wagyumafia for years (ever since it was open in Tokyo), but never had the opportunity to try it in Tokyo. Now, FINALLY, it was virtually in our backyard.

Bryan signed up as a member and we booked our first Members Only Omakase dinner.

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I'm on a Podcast! Complete List of Restaurants & Posts Mentioned

August 2, 2020 by Jennifer Che

Hi all! I just wanted to follow up from my podcast on Saverocity Observation Deck last week by providing the names and links to the specific restaurants mentioned on the podcast. I've also written a brief summary of some of the content from the podcast, though I highly recommend listening to the podcast to get a fuller picture!

Tell us about how you got "stuck" in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic

We unexpectedly ended up spending 6+ weeks in Belgium this past February and March because Bryan had been in Brussels when the coronavirus situation exploded in China. Basically, his boss thought he'd be safer out there and asked him to stay for awhile. Since everyone in HK was working from home at that point, I flew out to join him. You can read more here. I plan to share even more about my whole European experience in the upcoming weeks on this blog.

Name some favorite memories from that time

We had a blast getting to know Brussels during the first few weeks of our stay. We visited several breweries, restaurants, and museums. However, one of my favorite memories from our whole time in Europe was our weekend trip to Amsterdam. I had never been to the Netherlands. As someone who loves water and bridges, I fell in love with Amsterdam, a city built on canals and full of endless waterways along which to explore.

From Belgium, one of my favorite food memories was eating fresh Belgian Waffles topped with whipped cream from Maison Dandoy.

Bryan had fond memories of Belgium from childhood because his father traveled there for work and would bring back Belgian chocolates as souvenirs. It has been 18 years since we were last in Belgium, where we were stuck for three days after our honeymoon due to the September 11 attacks in the US. Back then, we were mostly pre-occupied with getting back home and only had limited time to explore.

This time around, we especially enjoyed trying a huge variety of beers, visiting the Cantillon Brewery as well as tasting a great selection of beers at Moeder Lambic (ha ha, while doing laundry - a great way to pass the time!).

Name some favorite restaurant experiences in the world from all your travels

Kin's Kitchen Wan Chai — Carbonara from Roscioli

Bryan immediate pointed out Salumeria Roscioli, a food market, restaurant, and wine bar in Rome that makes the best carbonara we've ever had.

Chicken in Hong Kong is pretty amazing in general, but the signature smoked soy sauce chicken at Kin's Kitchen 留家廚房 is exceptional and stands out as one of Bryan's memorable favorites.

We both fell in love with San Sebastian. We had a phenomenal trip there where we ate all sorts of memorable food - everything from casual pinxtos to dining at the best restaurant in the world.

Bryan chose Mugaritz as his favorite high end dining experience. There, we experienced one of the most forward-thinking, mind-bending and fascinating explorations of food, wine, and the intricate interplay between the two.

Bryan shared about one course that paired a single green pepper with vintages of fine wines that had "grassy" notes (Opus One and Chateau Haut-Brion) to highlight distinctive "green pepper" notes from the pyrazine molecule, the subject of exploration in this course.

I also shared about Raan Jay Fai, where I enjoyed chef Jay Fai's legendary pad khee mao ("drunken noodle"), full of wok "hei" and absolutely bursting with flavor. She now has a Michelin Star, and (until the recent pandemic), tourists lined up for hours to try her phenomenal cooking.

Sushi Shikon Hong Kong - November 2017 — Kaki-San from Sushi Shikon

Finally, I shared a bit about my love for Japan, especially its food. Sushi Mizutani is one of my favorites. However, since he is now retired, I also shared some other favorite places, such as Sushi Yoshitake (JP) / Sushi Shikon (HK), Sushi Saito, and Sushi Ishiyama (previously at Sushi Ya, Sushi Kanesaka) for lunch.

What is Life in HK like during COVID times?

Hong Kong never had a complete lockdown. Though we both personally worked from home for periods at a time, many businesses stayed open, and restaurants pretty much continued to run, though with limited capacity and opening hours.

We've mostly been cooking at home or ordering delivery. You can see example photos of our take-out and my home cooking meals over on Instagram.

We've enjoyed some pretty amazing take-out, such the perfectly formed soup dumplings from Din Tai Fung or roast chicken from Michelin-starred Asia's Top 50 No. 6 restaurant Belon. Bryan shared about how ramen places are pretty sophisticated in the way they package delivery, separating key ingredients (e.g., noodles, broth, toppings, etc) in a specially designed container so that everything can be put together quickly and easily at the time of eating.

Hong Kong coronavirus numbers have still not fallen, so, for now, we are still stuck in in this "shelter-in-place" limbo for some time. We take things day by day. These days, I mostly stay at home except to go out and exercise (which I do solo with a mask worn at ALL TIMES) or to pick up essential groceries.

Stay safe everyone!

The Tempura Bar at Shikigiku IFC Hong Kong

February 21, 2020 by Jennifer Che

Shikigiku is a Japanese food lover's dream. This large Japanese restaurant houses a dedicated sushi bar, a dedicated tempura bar, and a dining room area that serves kaiseki menus and teppanyaki.

Known most for its tempura, this restaurant has two locations. One is located in Tsim Sha Tsui while the other is right above the Four Seasons in IFC.

My fellow Japanese food enthusiast friend (we actually met randomly in Japan while dining at Sushi Ya) told me about Shikigiki IFC. It is his favorite place in Hong Kong for tempura. He especially likes coming at lunch because the prices are a steal compared to dinner and the food is still good.

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Kaiseki Den - Exquisite Japanese tasting menu in Wan Chai

January 14, 2020 by Jennifer Che

We never cease to be amazed by the plethora of world class restaurants in our neighborhood, and Kaiseki-Den was no exception. This high-end Japanese kaiseki restaurant is steps away from our front door and serves some of the most elegant flavors and beautifully plated courses I have enjoyed in Hong Kong.

Kaiseki-Den is the first Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong to earn a Michelin Star (back in 2010). It has maintained that star ever since and continues to execute exquisite tasting menus. Chief Executive Chef Hiroyuki Saotome, the mastermind behind these tasting menus, has over 30 years' experience. His signature dishes include uni truffle rice and his wagyu beef dishes(more on those below!).

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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.

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Happy New Year 2020 - Wow a new decade!

January 4, 2020 by Jennifer Che

Happy New Year!

Man, it's been a discombobulated start to 2020, which could explain why I'm several days late to posting my annual New Years update. We "missed a day", leaving for Boston's airport the evening of January 30th and arriving into Hong Kong on January 1, 2020.

Jetlag plus a head cold got the best of me, and I've been slowly recovering since the holidays.

In any event, that's no excuse, and I still would like to spend a little bit of time reflecting on 2019. I'm thankful for a few lazy days at home (between New Years holiday and this weekend) to give me some time to reflect and write.

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Reflections on a Decade of Blogging: Happy Birthday Tiny Urban Kitchen!

October 1, 2019 by Jennifer Che

I nearly missed it, actually.

They say when you get older, you start forgetting your own birthday and anniversaries. Just the other day I had celebrated two years in Hong Kong. Yet I totally missed the fact that on September 8, 2009, I had announced that my baby "blogspot" blog had been renamed to Tiny Urban Kitchen.

Here's what I originally said:

I picked this name because it aptly describes the small kitchen that I work in everyday. Not in the far future, I plan on moving the restaurant reviews over to a new blog. This will become more of a cooking/food blog.
Jen on Tiny Urban Kitchen's "first day" - September 8, 2009

It sort of blows my mind that it has literally been a decade since I began this blog. Never would I have imagined that the blog would grow to what it is today. Nor would I have imagine it would still be here, 10 years later.

So I took an opportunity to reflect a bit about this unique journey.

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Rech by Alain Ducasse Hong Kong

June 13, 2019 by Jennifer Che

Reche by Alain Ducasse Hong Kong — Rech by Alain Ducasse Hong Kong

If you want to experience world class chefs in Asia, Hong Kong is certainly a top destination. We are blessed with top talent from all around the world, with significant representation from France, the UK, Italy, and Japan, just to name a few.

Alain Ducasse is arguably one of the most famous chefs in the world. Bryan and I are no strangers to his cuisine, having tried his flagship, 3-Michelin star eponymous restaurant in London as well as his more casual Las Vegas outpost, Rivea.

The French-born Monaco-naturalized chef received his first three-Michelin star award when he was just 33 for Le Louis XV in Monaco. He made waves back in 1998 when, at the young age of 41, he became the first chef in 60 years to hold six Michelin stars at once (three apiece). He's the only chef to ever have 3 Michelin stars for three different restaurants at once (Paris, Monaco, and New York in 2005 and once again Paris, Monaco, and London in 2010). He currently holds the second most Michelin stars of any chef in the world, second only to Joel Robuchon.

Ducasse has since built an empire, including two cooking schools in Paris (one for the general public, one for chefs), multiple books, and dozens of restaurants around the world, including Paris, Monaco, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Italy, and, yes, Hong Kong.

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Happy New Year! Reflections on 2018

January 1, 2019 by Jennifer Che

Happy New Year!

Wow, what a year it's been. This marks my first full year living in Asia. In a lot of ways, it feels like it has flown by and I am just now starting to get settled. On the other hand, I feel like I have learned so much since moving here and I am sure I have changed in a lot of ways, From that perspective, my life in Boston seems like a long time ago. I started out this year having only spent a few months in Hong Kong. I had no job, hardly any friends, and not a lot of activities or structure around my life. Now - one year later - things look really different. I have a full-time job, I have made some really friends, and I am involved in many different activities. It's nice to have structure, and it's also amazing how long it takes for one to really feel settled.

I'm not fully there yet, but I'm well on my way there. I look forward to what this next year might bring!

For now, here's a brief look at the past year and what I've been up to . . .

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TeppanRoom Grand Hyatt Hong Kong - teppanyaki

December 10, 2018 by Jennifer Che

TeppanRoom Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

It's odd to think that I've had more teppanyaki in Hong Kong the past six months than I have had in my ten consecutive years of visiting Japan. I think we always prioritized sushi whenever we traveled to Tokyo, and thus never truly explored teppanyaki there, save for one magical experience.

Hong Kong has excellent Japanese food in general, and teppanyaki is no exception. Hong Kong restaurants are able to source a lot of premium ingredients from Japan, and yet they also have the flexibility to incorporate more western elements, due to the very international population that passes through this tiny island.

TeppanRoom Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is unique just for that reason. The menu is pretty Japanese, yet the restaurant incorporates some European influences into the dishes. It's fusion teppanyaki at its best.

The counter-style seating can only fit 16 guests at one time. The guests all sit around the Teppanyaki grill and can watch the chef in action. It's a fun experience for all different types of people....

IM Teppanyaki Hong Kong

November 17, 2018 by Jennifer Che

IM Teppanyaki

I've always preferred sitting at the bar or "chef's counter" of a restaurant with an open kitchen. It's fascinating to watch the step-by-step process required to create each dish. I also enjoy the interactions with the chef or the bartender. You can learn so much about the chef's passion behind a dish or a particular ingredient.

Teppanyaki, which literally means "iron board - grilled", is particularly fun because every single course is cooked right in front of you on a hot, flat metal plate. There’s no silly tricks where the chef throws food into people’s mouths. Gone are the dramatic flames and other flashy displays done purely for entertainment.

This is refined, classy teppanyaki. It’s all about the food and how to best prepare it with limited tools – namely, just a huge flat grill and two metal spatulas. The ritual is intriguing, almost mesmerizing to watch.

In 2013, Lawrence Mok, the former executive chef at Inakaya and Nadaman, ventured out on his own to open IM Teppanyaki in Tai Hang (not too far from Causeway Bay and Tin Hau). The restaurant focuses on showcasing premium Japanese and local Hong Kong ingredients in the form of teppanyaki. The main teppanyaki bar area is cozy, with room for only 12 people. There is another private room that seats 8.

People come here because they like Chef Mok. He's friendly, respectfully, and very, very good as his craft (which he has been honing for over 30 years). He speaks multiple languages. We were visiting with some Chinese friends, and Chef Mok easily switched between Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.

The menu has several smaller lunch sets (HKD320 to HKD880), two dinner sets (HKD1480 and HKD1800), and a la carte options as well. We were told that the more expensive dinner set included more premium ingredients, such as using Hokkaido abalone instead of local abalone.

We decided to go for the "Omakase", which costs 1800 HKD per person (plus 10% service charge)....

Yardbird Hong Kong

November 8, 2018 by Jennifer Che

I would like to think I've had my fair share of very good yakitori.

Although I don't seek it out nearly as often as I seek out sushi when I'm in Japan, I've still dined at some pretty good places, such as 1-Michelin starred Bird Land (made even more famous because it's located next to Sukiyabashi Jiro) and another lovely slightly less-discovered place called Nakameguro Iguchi. Because of that, I think I have a pretty decent benchmark when it comes to yakitori.

We knew about the insane lines and never-ending popularity of Yardbird in Hong Kong. In general, Hong Kong diners have short attention spans and constantly seek out the newest, latest, hottest restaurant. It's hard to stay "hot", yet Yardbird has managed to stay in high demand for seven years, even after moving from Soho to a bigger location in Sheung Wan at the end of 2017.

People say they love that the restaurant is family-owned and not run by a huge restaurant group (which describes many of the non-Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong). They feel that the restaurant has heart and passion. Chef and co-owner Matt Abergel is from Calgary, Canada, and fell in love with yakitori during a trip to Japan when he was 17. He pursued that passion, moving first to Vancouver to work at a Japanese restaurant before spending time at Masa in New York, Zuma in London, and then Zuma in Hong Kong.

He opened Yardbird in 2011, and lines have been out the door ever since.
Mushroom salad (HKD135) shungiku, mizuna, and wasabi

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Tsukiji Yamataka Seafood Market Wan Chai

October 30, 2018 by Jennifer Che

Tsukiji Yamataka Seafood Market

There was plenty of sadness and nostalgia when Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, easily the most famous fish market in the world, finally shut down operations and moved to newer, more modern digs at Toyosu Fish Market, two kilometers east.

Meanwhile, here in Hong Kong, we have a super mini version called Tsukiji Yamataka Seafood Market right at the Wan Chai ferry pier.

To be honest, I shouldn't really even be comparing them. Aside from the word "Tsukiji" and the fact that both sell Japanese sushi related products, the two are really quite different. The original Tsukiji Fish Market is an entire neighborhood with an active fish market, fish auction, and numerous vendors and restaurants.

The Tsukiji Yamataka Seafood Market is more like a large Japanese market that sells fresh seafood, gourmet Japanese groceries, and cute Japanese gifts. The market includes several restaurants inside, including a hamayaki joint (grilled seafood), a donburi (seafood over rice) place, a place specializing in lobster rolls, and a "standing sushi bar" (which also has lots of seats).

It's definitely a super mini version (just like everything else in Hong Kong). Nevertheless, I was thrilled when I found out we had our own "Tsukiji" fish market right in my backyard in Wan Chai. ...

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)

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....

Shari Shari Kakigori Hong Kong

May 23, 2018 by Jennifer Che

Strawberry Special kakigori from Shari Shari Kakigori Hong Kong

The Japanese have a way of obsessing over, tweaking, improving, and elevating things to an extraordinary level that never existed before.

Shaved ice is no exception.

I had never heard of kakigori before moving to Hong Kong. Sure, I'd had shaved ice. After all, my parents are from Taiwan, so I grew up eating the Taiwanese version all the time. We would make a big batch of "snow" with our hand-cranked ice shaving machine and top it with sweetened condensed milk (from a can!) and sweetened red adzuki beans. It was a match made in heaven, and I loved it in the summer time. I tried other types, such as American snow cones / slushies or Hawaiian "shave ice", but I always preferred the Asian version.

Then I discovered Japanese kakigori for the first time. I tried it at Shari Shari in Hong Kong. This, my friends, is truly shaved ice at a completely different level....

La Locanda by Giancarlo Perbellini - Harbour City HONG KONG

February 11, 2018 by Jennifer Che

La Locanda by Giancarlo Perbellini

This is post #21, part of my #50PostsIn50Days personal challenge to document my first 100 days in Hong Kong. Other posts in this series may be found at the bottom of the original post.

Before I moved to Hong Kong, a friend who grew up in Hong Kong kept telling me how great the Italian food was. Even though Boston is known for its Italian food, my friend told me that the Italian food in Hong Kong was at least as good, if not better.

Our first several months in Hong Kong were spent at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui. We lived at a serviced apartment attached to the biggest mall in Hong Kong. As a result, we had plenty of opportunities to just walk out into the mall to try new restaurants if we didn't feel like stepping outside. Trust me, during those super hot humid days in the summer, it's a blessing.

I didn't have much expectation for the food in the mall. After all, how good can mall food be?

I soon realized I was very, very mistaken, especially when it comes to Harbour City. Harbour City is one of the most dynamic and happening dining spots in the city. Many, many celebrity chefs as well as global restaurant groups try to open up in Harbour City. There are multiple celebrated Michelin-starred chefs, Tokyo's most sought-after sushi and ramen restaurants, Taiwan's well known noodle shops, and on and on and on.

There are several Italian restaurants. Because Italian is probably Bryan's all-time favorite cuisine, and because Bryan often didn't want Chinese food after spending a week in China, we ended up exploring almost all of the Italian restaurants inside Harbour City.

La Locanda, by the Dining Concepts group in collaboration with Italian chef Giancarlo Perbellini, was one that I enjoyed quite a bit.

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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!
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Jen's Guide - Best Places to Eat in Hong Kong for Visitors!

November 9, 2017 by Jennifer Che

This post was originally published on November 9, 2017. It has since been updated multiple times
[latest update, May 17, 2018]

Has it been one month already?

Temperatures are finally cooling down here in Hong Kong to tolerable temperatures. People are starting to go outside, and I’ve enjoyed hiking the many beautiful trails that exist all over Hong Kong. I’m still looking for a permanent apartment, and our shipment from the US has not arrived yet. Despite still feeling a bit temporary, I am definitely starting to get a feel of Hong Kong and what it’s like to live (and eat!) here.

I’ve only been here for a month, but I’ve already started receiving requests from friends who plan on visiting Hong Kong for recommendations on where to eat.

So . . . I decided to write this post!

I will caveat this entire post by saying that I’m still learning. However, I have also done a sizable amount of research, and I think I have a decent handle on many of the best places to eat in Hong Kong for visitors.

Please enjoy the list! I fully intend on writing more detailed write ups on most (if not all) of the restaurants listed in below. Over time, I’ll continually update this post with new favorites, as well as add hyperlinks to posts that describe each restaurant in more detail.

Enjoy, and feel free to recommend your own favorites for me to try in the comments!
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Sugidama Soba & Izakaya Davis Square

October 25, 2017 by Jennifer Che

Sugidama Soba & Izakaya

Finally! We have freshly made soba noodles in Boston!

I've been wanting to try Sugidama Soba & Izakaya in Somerville ever since I heard of its opening in 2016. I'm a huge fan of soba, the Japanese noodle made out of buckwheat. I tasted a fresh, handmade version for the first time in New York at Soba Koh and fell in love with its nutty flavor and chewy texture. I had it several more times in Japan, and continued to long for the day when freshly made soba would be available in Boston.

Hello Sugidama!

Sugidama fulfills that need, and even more.

Not only can you order their fresh soba noodles (and you must, that is their specialty!), you can also sample a variety of fun small plates to round out the meal. The term izakaya refers to a Japanese drinking establishment (like an American tavern or British pub) that also serves a wide variety of food to go along with the drinks.

Izakayas tend to have a broad menu spanning many different types of Japanese food. We sampled only a small subset of the entire menu, though we tried to order from different parts of the menu....

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!)