SunDu Booyah! :: Tokyo Sundub

I really love Korean food. When I lived in New York, I worked on 34th and Madison which is like a black hole for good food. Subway? Guy and Guillard? Starbucks? How about some Sabarro's Pizza? One can only eat $10 salads and pre-packaged sandwiches so many days in a row before going crazy. The only saving grace is it's proximity to 32nd Street, aka K-Town. It is quite possibly the smallest K-Town you'll ever find, but quality trumps quantity. Korean fried chicken, BBQ and my favorite, sundubu. My sister first introduced me to sundubu in Oakland, CA and I later became obsessed with it after my Korean friend took me to Seoul Garden in K-Town. Breaking it down, sundubu is a hot tofu soup eaten with a raw egg cracked in it and you eat it with rice. Nothing is better on a cold, gloomy day or when you're feeling sick and cranky. It will literally kick all the bad out of your system and it's pretty healthy too! It is so good, that every time my sister came to town, our first meal was at Seoul Garden for sundubu. Ahhh, memories.

There are quite a few Korean restaurants in Tokyo and there is even a soon doo boo chain called Tokyo SunDub. I was hesitant to try it because it's a chain and I have only ever eaten sundubu in mom and pop type shops. Tokyo SunDub gives you lots of options - miso or salt base - meat, seafood of veggie - 5 levels of spiciness. I ordered mine "very hot" but it wasn't so spicy at all - I guess we're measuring spiciness on the Japanese scale here...also, just so you know, just because you order a meat soup doesn't mean there won't be seafood in it too. My pork sundubu also had scallops, shrimp and clams, but I didn't mind. The more the merrier. Speaking of more, check out all the yummy goodies that came with my soup!

 

I love banchan! Banchan are Korean side dishes like kimchi, pancakes and marinated veggies and you always get a ton for free at sundubu restaurants. The milky drink in the picture is Makgeolli, a fermented rice wine popular with girls because it is sweet.

Tokyo Sundub
Multiple Locations in Tokyo
Roppongi Hills, Hollywood Hills B2F

Toraya Cafe :: Classy Japanese Sweets and Tea

Keeping with the Japanese theme, I stopped by Toraya Cafe in Roppongi for some tea and sweets. Toraya serves Japanese sweets and yummy teas. I ordered the Kuzu Purin a la Mode. Kuzu is a white bean paste and a la mode in this case means a dollop of the best whipped cream I have ever tasted. Goes nicely with my Chrysanthemem (?) tea. Purin 「プリン」by the way is the Japanese word for Pudding. Purin is a childhood favorite in Japan and is more like a creamier flan than the JELL-O variety we eat in the US.

Toraya Cafe, Roppongi Hills
Roppongi Hills Residence-B 1F 6-12-2 Roppongi-keyakizakadori
Roppongi Station (Hibiya, Oedo)


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My Lunch :: January 22nd :: Sakura Shokudou

One of my goals for 2010 is to eat a little healthier. It's not really about vanity as so much health - I suspect my current diet is to blame for my low energy and overall feeling of blarg. It's silly that I live in Japan and don't eat more fish. It's more of a mental thing than anything else - I didn't like it at all as a kid but as and adult, I find that I'm more tolerant and even sometimes enthusiastic for fish and seafood. It still doesn't hold a candle up to pork in my book (NOTHING EVER WILL) but it's a whole lot healthier for me.
Today I had a classic Japanese dish, Saba Miso - mackeral in a miso sauce at Sakura Shokudou in Roppongi Hills. It was nummy especially with the many sides it came with - tsukemono (pickles), miso soup, green salad with corn and potato salad.


Sakura Shokudou

Publish Post

Roppongi Hills North Tower, B1F
Roppongi Station (Hibiya, Oedo)

My Lunch :: October 21st (Birthday Edition) :: La Boutique de Joel Robuchon

Brie, cracked pepper and jambon baguette from La Boutique de Joel Robuchon. One of my favorite things to do in Tokyo is browse around Roppongi Hills after stuffing my face at La Boutiqe which is a stress free and economical way to try some of "the chef of the century's" food.

La Boutique de Joel Robuchon
Roppongi Hills

ABC Cooking School :: Low Cal Brunch

In an effort to get out of the house and perhaps make a friend or two, I decided to take a cooking class at a nearby cooking school. I remember when I first visited Tokyo, I was super envious of all the ladies at ABC Cooking Studio at Tokyo Midtown. Upon further research, I learned that it is a popular place among young women and you can learn how to bake bread shaped like pandas as well as classic Japanese food. I was impatient, so I signed up for the first English class available which was how to cook a healthy brunch for less than 350 kcal total. This consisted of seafood risotto, steamed veggies with a cheese dip and coconut meringues.

I was told to arrive with an apron, a hand towel and house-slippers. My teacher for the day was Sumiko and she spoke very good English but I don't think we're going to be friends because she kept bringing up the fact that I don't know how to use chopsticks. There was one other person in the class, Miho. Miho is a Japanese girl around my age that wore a Chanel top to class. This is unrelated, but should be noted. She also is a big fan of Whitney Port from The City and "Rauren" from The Hills. She hates Spencer and Heidi and loves Linkin Park and Dr. House.

For low fat cooking, this meal was very tasty and filling. The seafood risotto used a mixture of rice and barley and was mixed with clams, octopus and prawns in a tomato broth. I've never cooked with clams or octopus, so I was happy to try something new. I learned that I enjoy eating clams and that you have to smash octopus before you cook it or else it will be to gummy. The steamed veggies were nothing to write home about, but they were tasty and inspired me to steam some broccoli last night. Other than helping make my own lunch, I had to wash a lot of dishes in the process, but it was a good opportunity to chat with Miho.

I hope to take another class at ABC, preferably cooking something that looks a little more like a panda.


ABC Cooking School International
Tokyo Midtown, B1F 


Roppongi Station (Hibiya, Oedo)