Archive for November, 2007

KARUIZAWA (軽井沢)

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A day trip to Karuizawa! One-way ticket is about 5000yen but a friend got us a cheap 6000yen two-way ticket so there we go. It is only about 1hr from Tokyo station so a day trip is totally possible. My friend brought champagne and olives so we started having a party inside the Shinkansen. She even brought ice to keep the champagne chilled, also wine glasses, which apparently were cheapy ones bought in 100yen shop so we just dropped them into the rubbish bin when we arrived at the Karuizawa station! XD!
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Hermitage de Tamula (エルミタージュ・ドゥ・タムラ)
Apparently this is THE place to go for a nice lunch in Karuizawa.
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サーモンのマリネを新米ともに。
Salmon marinade with rice. There is ikura(salmon roe) and a quail egg underneath.
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そばパン。 海の幸と野菜の一皿。
Soba bread. Olive paste is really good.
Seafood and vegetables dish - so pretty! Sauce is beets, tomato and Rucola.
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キノコのパイ包み、アンコウ添え。
Mushroom pie, with fried Anko(Monk fish).
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金目鯛、春菊のソース。
ドンブ産ウズラ、キャベツのプレゼ包み。
Kinmedai(Alfonsino) in Shungiku(Chrysantemum leaves) sauce.
Quail with cabbage. Under the quail leg is polenta.
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My friends’ desserts. The apple soup is the chef’s specialty apparently.
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コーヒー風味のモンブラン。
I had the safe coffee Mont blanc. Petit fours.
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Right pic is the madam sending off my friends. Lunch is 8400yen. Glass wine is 2100yen so it is better to share bottle wine which we did. Tax is included, service charge is 10%. I like the food alright. With a lovely environment like this, even cup noodles will taste fantastic. XD!! We sat inside in the main dining area but the tables next to the window have a better view of the greens outside. Oh by an amazing coincidence…I bumped into a friend on the way to the toilet!! XD!!
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We didn’t actually plan it but somehow we went at the perfect timing - red leaves! It was sunny so we took a long walk after lunch.
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Resort houses.
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Beautiful pond called Kumobaike(雲場池) which is about half an hour walk from our lunch place.
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Red leaves red leaves everywhere.
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It was more than half an hour walk from the pond to “Old Karuizawa”. It turned dark very quickly and got quite cold…but I couldn’t resist getting the famous “soft cream” while walking around “Karuizawa Ginza” shopping area. Also bought pudding and cheesecake from Paomu as souvenir.
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Kawakamian (川上庵)
Before we took the train back to Tokyo, we went to a popular soba shop, which looks more like a trendy dining restaurant than a soba place! Luckily we booked in advance cos the queue was really long.
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牡蠣天ぷら。 鴨南蛮そば(大)。
Oyster tempura and duck nanban soba(large size).

AUXAMIS TOKYO

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Fantastic view from the 35th floor of Marunouchi building.
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甘エビ、北海道産帆立貝と完熟マンゴーのタルタル カクテル仕立て。
I was surprised to see that they have very reasonably priced lunch course starting from 1800yen. We went for the special Southern France selection lunch course, 5040yen.
Sweet prawn, scallop and mango Tartare.
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パルマ産生ハム・吉田豚のリエット・本日のシャルキュトリーの一皿 オーガニックサラダ添え。
Parma Prosciutto, Pork rillette and pate with pistachio.
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南仏の香りをまとった仔羊背肉のロースト ラタトゥイユ添え ジュのソース。
Roasted baby lamb with ratatouille.
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本日のデザート。
Blueberry creme brulee with milk ice-cream.

AUXAMIS started off as a wine bar so we decided to go for the 1890yen wine tasting course which includes 3 glasses(2/3 glass each) of wine that go with the amuse-bouche, appetizer and main dish. I forgot to take pictures of one of the wine but you can check out my friend’s blog for the complete selection. The champagne and dessert wine in the pictures here are not included in the wine-tasting course. The food is overall good. The meaty appetizer is nice but indeed quite impossible to eat without wine. The massive lamb chop is tender and juicy; the amount of fat is a bit scary but with the help of the tasty veggy sauce I devoured the whole thing.

Menu: 1, 2, 3, 4.
AUXAMIS TOKYO

根津のたいやき (Nezu no Taiyaki)

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Famous Taiyaki shop that I have bought from many times but never blogged properly. I really like it! The skin is thin and crispy and the red bean is stuffed all the way to the tip of the tail. You must eat the freshly baked ones on the spot. Long queues on weekends!
根津のたいやき (Nezu no Taiyaki)
Add: 1-23-9-104 Nezu, Bunkyo-ku
Tel: 03-3823-6277

芋甚 (Imojin)

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Very nice local Japanese sweet shop that I visit often.
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小倉あんみつ、¥450。 アベックまめかん、¥530。
Anmitsu with Ogura(red bean) ice-cream.
Mame-kan(endou-mame peas and kanten) with Ogura ice-cream and milk ice-cream.
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小倉アイスモナカ。 寒天クリームぜんざい、¥530。
Ogura ice Monaka(take-out).
Kanten cream zenzai: Kanten at the bottom, with red bean paste and ice-cream on top(instead the milk ice-cream I had the Ogura one).
Menu(J): 1, 2.

芋甚(Imojin)
Add: 2-30-4 Nezu, Bunkyo-ku
Tel: 03-3821-5530

さんだ 六本木店 (Sanda)

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アキレス腱。ハツモト。
From the 5000yen wagyu kaisei dinner course.
Achilles’ tendon in ponzu. Hatsumoto(cow’s artery).
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肺。子袋。
Lung. Kobukuro(Uterus).
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牛タンの団子煮。レバ刺し。
Cow tongue and Nankotsu(soft bone) dango(dumpling). Liver with sesame oil.
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ハツ。タンユッケ。
Heart. Cow tongue yukke.
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牛筋の煮込み。
牛タン、すい臓、頬肉、ギアラ。
Simmered cow tendon.
From left to right: Cow tongue, pancreas, cheek, cow’s 4th stomach.
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ミノ、タン下、のどしびれ、ハラミ。
From left to right: mino(cow’s 1st stomach), base of cow tongue, sweetbread, harami(outside skirt meat).
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0709010052千切りキャベツのサラダ、ざるうどん、シューアイス。
Cabbage salad. Zaru-udon. Ice-cream puff.

For 5000yen you get to try a little bit of many different kinds of cow horumon. Most importantly they are presented nicely as in a kaiseki course so even my friend who normally can’t eat horumon was able to finish everything(well except the kobukuro which still had a distinct smell). Pancreas is rare and I’ve never seen it served anywhere else. My favourite part of the course are the cow tongue dango and the zaru-udon though. Rather than Japanese style, I think I prefer horumon prepared in Korean style.
さんだ (六本木店) (Sanda)
Add: 4-5-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-3423-2020

京くずし割烹 山城屋庄藏 (Yamashiroya Shouzou)

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丸十(さつま芋)の冷製茶碗蒸し 抹茶あんかけ。
鱧落としたての軍艦巻き、カボチャの煮揚げ、山口農家のだだ茶豆、穴子のにぎり、トマトの漬け、和牛のにぎり。
From the 4500yen dinner course.
Cold satsuma potato chawanmushi with matcha ankake(starchy sauce).
Hamo Gunkan-maki, Anago nigiri, wagyu nigiri, fried pumpkin etc.
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炙り新さんまの造り 肝醤油仕立て。
新銀杏たっぷりの飛龍頭 松茸と刻み鱧のうすくずあんかけ。
Aburi(seared) sanma.
Ganmodoki with matsutake mushroom and hamo etc.
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旬魚とスルメイカの麹漬け。
きずし マスカットの甘酢添え。
Fish and dried squid.
Kizushi - vinegared mackerel.
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新米 宮崎産コシヒカリ。玉吸い。水茄子、茗荷の梅肉和え、沢庵と胡麻の和え物、胡瓜の古漬け、ふりかけ。鯛のあら煮。
ライムとマンゴーのスムージー、定番ほうじ茶アイス。
Hojicha ice is so good! The lime and mango smoothie is nice too. We tried this really yummy sparkling nihonshu(pic here).

The restaurant is on the 2F/3F of a building right next to Shibuya station but the interior is so atmospheric and dark and quiet that you really wake up with a start when you step out of the restaurant into the busy streets. In fact, when we came out, someone covered in blood was being carried into an ambulance….^^;;;

京くずし割烹 山城屋庄藏 (Yamashiroya-Shouzou)
Add: 2-3F Dougenzaka, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-5489-0039