Inokuya

On one of my first car rides through Tokyo, Sarah briefly mentioned that we had passed by a restaurant called Inokuya, which her father wanted to take me to later during my stay. She also mentioned the words “pork sushi.” I thought it was an interesting concept, but for some reason, I had only moderate expectations for it. I had the impression that the restaurant would be small and casual, and the image in my mind of pork sushi was a roll with some kind of sauteed pork mixture inside. Well, I was completely wrong. About two weeks later, Sarah’s father took the family and I out to eat at Inokuya, and it turned out to be one of the best meals I had during my stay in Japan.

Inokuya turned out to be a really modern, upscale restaurant located in one of the swank skyscrapers of Roppongi. The restaurant specializes solely in pork dishes, hence its name “Inokuya” which roughly translates to “little pig” in English (or so I am told). On our way to our table, we passed by the kitchen and from what I saw, I already knew I was in for a great meal. It was nice too because we got seated in our own private room, which was quiet and dimly light, making for a really intimate environment.

Being from the States, I’m accustomed to having an appetizer, main, and dessert comprise most meals, which is why the multi-course, tasting menu style at Inokuya was a real treat.


The meal started off with this cold appetizer dish - a piece of chilled tofu, topped with some pickled okra slices and wasabi, on top of a briny gelee. It was clean and refreshing.


Next came this salad dish, which was dressed lightly in a simple vinagrette and topped with some slices of really fatty pork. I’m not sure what kind of cut it was, but it seemed almost like cured bacon to me. Overall, it was a nice dish but the pork was a little too chewy for my liking, and I would have preferred it if the meat were leaner.


This dish, some snow peas with a green tea infused mayonnaise, was really creative I thought. It was crisp and light, which is exactly what you want in a palate cleanser.

Served in this martini glass were more cold ingredients. The sweetness of the raw scallops and grape tomatos balanced out the sharpness of the pungent, acidic gelee. I personally liked the dish, but Bryan, Lisa’s boyfriend, later told me he hated this and had a hard time keeping it down. I thought that was kind of funny.

The next course was pork ribs with three different kinds of preparation – salt and pepper, herb butter, and chili tomato. I got to try all three and my favorite was the herb butter. The meat was really tender and the flavors were great.

Our waiter came by with this whole roast pork and carved us each a piece. This was definitely one of my favorites of the night. The seasoning was simple, but it really accentuated the meat and let the natural pork flavor come through. It was also cooked on the rare side to keep the meat moist and tender.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Consuming raw pork is dangerous and pretty nasty. Well, you’re wrong! I thought the exact same thing, which is why when Sarah first mentioned pork sushi, the idea of pork sashimi never crossed my mind. Normally, I won’t eat raw pork, but if there is one place where I will, it’s Japan. Japan’s health and safety standards when it comes to food are extremely high. We were served three kinds of sushi – one completely raw with a soy glaze, one slightly charred, and one lightly roasted. They were all surprisingly delicious. I’d say take my word for it but I know you won’t, so it’s something you’ll have to try on your own.

We had a little time to chill out and digest before the next course – pork shabu shabu. We ordered two platters of meat for six people, so to say that there was a lot of food is even an understatement. As usual, some vegetables were supplied to flavor the broth, which was slightly spicy and resembled kim-chi in flavor.

By this time, I was completely stuffed, but there’s always room for dessert, right? We finished the marathon meal with this soft-serve ice-cream. It doesn’t look like anything out of the ordinary, but it was actually really good. The cream used is from Hokkaido where the good stuff is from!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. I love pork in general, so to dine at a restaurant specializing in pork was a huge treat. I can’t stress enough how thankful I am to the Miyake family because they really did spoil me. Inokuya was one of the many memorable dining experiences in Japan, and I still have quite a few entries left, so stay tuned!

A Tribute to Japanese Quality

I just got back to the States from Japan, and honestly it’s a little depressing. I’m experiencing some serious Tokyo withdrawal. My girlfriend’s family absolutely spoiled me silly and I made some great memories, not to mention the fact that I ate some amazing food during my stay.

Having spent three weeks in Tokyo and having just returned, I cannot help but make comparisons between countries. The one thing that stood out most is the level of quality in Japan. It’s in a completely different league. From the freshness of ingredients to the precision of preparation and presentation, quality is in everything that the Japanese do.

A couple months ago during my final semester at BU, I took a course called Six Sigma, which was devoted entirely to quality in management. So much of what we learned came from Japan. My professors, class after class, almost religiously sang the praises of the Japanese - companies like Toyota and Motorola, gurus like Ishikawa and Taguchi.

As I listened during those lectures, I really didn’t think much about what I was hearing and casually accepted what was being said as truth. Yet, having visited Japan now and seen it all with my own very eyes, everything I read and heard about Japanese quality rings so loudly now.

Like it or not, we base our perceptions of things on what we are familiar with. I’m embarrassed to admit that I naively used to associate Japan merely with reliable electronics and affordable but well-built cars. Yet, there are so many examples of quality in everyday Japanese life that extend way beyond just automotive engineering.

Take, for instance, the Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train which runs so efficiently that only 30 seconds are provided for passengers to board the train so that the arrival times can be strictly met.

Or consider the streets and passageways of Tokyo, which are kept spotless despite the hoards of people who travel them daily.


Or consider Meidi-ya and Isetan, Japanese grocers whose cashiers will carefully wrap each individual item during checkout.


In Japan you will find world-class customer service, a level so high and so prevalent that is unheard of in the States. Wherever I went, from the upscale restaurants to the local sushi joint, from the large national retailers to the small neighborhood store, I was utterly amazed by how polite, kind, and helpful people were – regardless of whether I spent money at their store or not.

I believe it all stems from the Japanese culture, the way the Japanese think, and the way in which the Japanese are raised. They take pride in what they do, whether it’s serving exquisite chateau brion worth 7,000 yen or a simple o-bento worth 700 yen. They respect the environment, they respect themselves, they respect each other. And I leave Japan with the utmost admiration and respect for Japanese quality.

Jojo-en

One of the Miyake family's favorite places to go to is Jojo-en, a restaurant specializing in Korean barbeque. Jojo-en is about a 10-minute drive from Sarah's apartment located close to Roppongi. From what I hear, Jojo-en serves the best Korean barbeque in all of Tokyo. After trying it, I'm a total believer.


Jojo-en is a really nice place. It has very modern decor with marble and glass all over the place. It's nice too because we got seated in our own private room. As with almost all Korean meals, we started off with an assortment of small plates, including kimchi, tofu, pickled daikon, and seaweed.


The lunch set also came with this salad, which was a huge hit and major surprise. From the looks of it, it doesn't seem very impressive. However, the dressing on the iceberg lettuce was awesome. It was slightly tangy with a hint of sesame. If dressing in the States was this good, I'd probably eat salads more often.


The lunch set that Sarah's mom ordered came with the beef tartare dish shown above. This was my first time trying beef tartare, and the idea of consuming raw beef with egg doesn't seem all that appetizing. However, after trying it, it was pretty good although I'll probably need to eat it more often to really grow an affinity towards it.


So after the appetizer courses came the main attraction. We fired up the grill at the table and started cooking! My lunch set came with shrimp, beef tongue, and some wonderfully marbled sirloin. It was pre-marinated in some kind of vinagarette and garlic, so the meat was delicious as is after grilling. However, three kinds of sauces were provided for dipping as well.

As part of the dessert, we were served some orange slices in a jelly along with a choice of iced coffee, orange juice, or wheat tea. By the end of the meal, I was absolutely stuffed.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed lunch at Jojo-en. So far on my trip, it is hands-down my favorite meal. Everything, from the appetizer plates to the grilled meats to the dessert, was delicious. Some people think the idea of paying money to cook your own meal is absurd, but I love meals like Korean barbeque that are interactive and involve you as a diner. It's more fun and interesting that way.

Okonomiyaki

Despite the diversity of the Japanese culinary scene, I've made it explicit that I want to eat traditional Japanese snacks and meals that are less accessible to me when I'm back home in the States. After all, why eat pasta and meatballs in a country best known for sushi, azuki, and matcha? One such dish that is very "Japanese" is okonomiyaki, which I tried at a quaint little restaurant nestled inside the downtown area of Hiroshima.

The restaurant wasn't too big, and most of the restaurant space was taken up by the large kitchen area of which the sprawling grill top was the focus of attention. A handful of young, hip chefs manned the steaming hot grill and busily filled orders rolling in.


After trying it, I think of okonomiyaki as a cross between American omelette and Chinese scallion pancake. There are different versions of okonomiyaki, but it is mainly comprised of two pancakes that are first filled with various meats, vegetables, and egg and then pan-fried on each side on a grill top. It is eaten with various condiments like seaweed shavings or bonito flakes and then covered with bulldog sauce, a thick dark liquid that reminded me of barbeque sauce.



The okonomiyaki was very tasty. However, I think I would have enjoyed it even more had I eaten it on an empty stomach. I had been eating small snacks throughout the day and was pretty filled by dinner. I was absolutely stuffed after I ate the okonomiyaki, and that was even when Sarah and I shared one. The picture shown is half of one serving.

As I was eating the okonomiyaki, I couldn't help but think that it would be perfect chow after a long night of drinking. The huge portions in addition to the dish's savory, slightly greasy character would settle any drunk man's stomach. The way I'm talking here doesn't exactly make it out to seem like this stuff all that classy. It isn't. It is, however, some common, traditional Japanese food that truly enjoyed trying.