We are in Japan folks! It seems ages since the last food adventure. How are you garmanvsfood family? You counting down to Christmas? Shopping for family and friends who are on your list? Gosh I still can’t quite believe that we are coming to the end of the year and about to start a new decade?! Yikes! Where does the time go? What have we been up to you? Us? Well aside from the daily 9-5 hustle, halloween, black friday and now the frenzy of Christmas as well planning this holiday, we good!
We have managed to have some mini food adventures which I am still working out how best to tell you about them. These are places where small plates or tapas style eating (our fave) is the order of the day and trust me, the food is worth talking about. Stay tuned for ‘small plate tasting’ coming to the blog real soon.
So, Japan? I know right? I guess this is a destination that is on everyone’s travel list. Why are we here? we on holiday lol…It kinda happened by chance. We had already planned to go away for Christmas and our destination this year was Thailand. Anyway, Neal finished work early this year and decided he needed to reset and said jokingly ‘shall we extend our Christmas break’? and I was like err… yeah, I am sure I can take a few days earlier than planned. I assumed it meant fly like on the Monday instead of the Thursday type thing. I should have known. I mean this is Neal we are talking about here. This conversation was maybe like early November. A week later, he goes, ‘can you tell Karen (my boss) that you will be off from the beginning of December’? I was like .. err no.. I have deliverables at work, so no can do. I still didn’t clock what he was on about. Till the night I walked into our home and he goes, ‘oh good, you are home, need you to look at these hotels in Tokyo. I was like Tokyo? Err???… and that’s when he goes, we are extending the holiday! And voila, 10 days in Thailand has been extended to include Tokyo and Ho Chin Minh City. I still didn’t believe it till like a day or 2 before departure and my man busy packing and ting.. and I was like.. right, this ish is happening!!! and here we are in Japan!!!
Now that the update is done and out of the way, is Tokyo ALL that they say? Yep it is. There is a ZEN here. It is DIFFERENT and so clean, like CLEAN!!! People are polite and respectful. There is the general understanding of ‘dont be foolish and break the rules’. Warning signs in the west always have a consequence clearly stated. So a do not enter sign will say ‘DO NOT ENTER, TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED’. Here in Japan, a warning sign will simply say ‘DO NOT ENTER’. However, the reader knows instinctively, you will not act the fool and try and test what could happen lol.
Since it is our first time here, we knew we were always going to be on the go. I mean it’s TOKYO! Trying to take in all the sights, sounds, and food possible during our time here lol. We have been to a temple where I met Yoko who gave me my first origami with what I can only call a blessing. That experience will never leave me. Had Japanese breakfast in Tsukiji fish market in a sushi stall that only had space enough for 3 standing people at a time and served you bottomless tea! All in the last 24 or is it 48 hours? All I know is we have been out and about in these Tokyo streets.
Brunch in Gyu-an is probably the most satisfying brunch I have ever had-Periodt! Neal insisted that we had to make our way to the restaurant as early as possible and to get there by 11:am at the latest even though brunch is 11:30am? Upon arrival, I immediately understood. The queue was already half way through the stairs.
In Tokyo, space is limited so instead of building wide, you either build up or down below. Buildings generally have a lower ground floor and basement! Apologies, I digress. I must be honest, I thought the queue at this time was a bit much and I doubted if the doors would open at 11:30. I should have known! This is JAPAN!
Let me just say something about my Japanese brethren (yes, we are kin, half Filipino, we from the orients) lol. These guys are on a whole other level of uniqueness when it comes to tech, fashion, crafrmanship, food, ERYTHANG! Anyway, back to this brunch, bang on 11:30am, the doors to Gyu-an was opened by a little Japanese lady who bowed in welcome and allowed us in. Getting through the door, we were given plastic bag for our shoes, why? it is custom here. But, when I tell you the floors in here gleamed with polish, G L E A M E D!!!
We were shown to a table (even though we didn’t have a reservation) and ordered the special, Massive s/o to Misa for being so gracious! It was while we were ordering that it dawned on me what we were about to have – KOBE BEEF! What is Kobe Beef? This is a breed of cattle – (Hyogo prefecture) which has been raised, feed, bred, slaughtered according to Japanese standards set by Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion association) simply put, this is PREMIUM, the best of the best type of beef you can find!
Now, because the beef is premium, you don’t do too much with when it comes to cooking, the beef is flavourful enough that doing the most takes away from it. This was exactly what the women at Gyu-an do, they keep it simple. Oh, yeah, if you haven’t figured it out yet, this is a place where women run tings! And when I tell you that these women are efficient you see? Ohhh chiillle! They got this down to a T!
The Kobe beef is delivered piping hot on a hot plate with vegetables accompanied with rice, miso soup and sauces. One bite in, and I thought – Japanese version of suya[1] but without the spice. It was good, so good that we had 2 portions lol (don’t judge). I promise you would have done the same too. The miso soup was the real deal, made with dashi and miso paste, done!
Brunch in Tokyo, check!
Kanpai
Ndidi
[1] Suya is spicy meat on a skewer popular in west Africa
