Friday, March 27, 2009

foodie thursday in kobe

Satoshi was supposed to have the day off yesterday, but had an emergency at work. So that left me to go galavanting in Kobe on my own.

I first went to Kobe Grocers. I was reminded by a reader that there was an import grocery store in the Kitano area. Actually when I studied in Kobe, we went to this grocery store to buy ingredients to make lasagna (I am pretty sure it was the same store).

This store is super teeny, only 3 aisles, but the shelves are packed with all sorts of stuff. And there is not really much organization to the shelving, just putting stuff wherever it fits. I spent a good half hour in there perusing the different things.

The bulk of my purchases were stuff that I couldn't find at the gourmet supermarket that I usually visit...like Italian sausage, pitas (graham flour pitas), chicken broth. Everything was kind of pricey but I felt they were worth it. Especially since most markets don't carry these items.

Then I walked down Tor Road and went into this fancy bakery, Le Dimanche, which I think means Sunday.

Anyway, they had so many things that I wanted to get one of each.

I ended up picking up a croque monsieur, curry bread and a danish with caramel and nuts.

The croque monsieur and curry bread was delicious. Most times you can find fried curry bread but this one was baked and the dough was a baguette dough, nice and chewy. The danish was delicious too. The caramel was like a brittle and there were lots of nuts (cashew, almond and hazelnut).

Right around the corner from the bakery was La Pierre Blanche, a sweet shop. I had been wanting to visit them but they were under renovation the last time I was in Kobe.

I purchased their fig kugelhof and a rose macaron.

Both the kugelhof and macaron were dipped in dark chocolate.

The macaron was delicious. A rose flavored gel and rose flavored buttercream. Not perfumy but a light rose flavor. This was really good.

The kugelhof was filled with figs, with almost every bite you had seeds popping in your mouth. The chocolate was nicely balance with the sweetness of the figs.

It was too bad that Satoshi had to go into work today. I'll take him around Kobe some other day. (Thanks for working so hard Satoshi)

Kobe Grocers
2-19-2 Nakayamate-dori
Chuo-ku, Kobe
Phone: 078.221.2838

Le Dimanche
3-2-16 Kitanagasa-dori
Chuo-ku, Kobe
Phone: 078.331.8760

La Pierre Blanche
3-2-17 Kitanagasa-dori
Chuo-ku, Kobe
Phone: 078.321.0012

14 comments:

Deborah said...

Aloha Kat,

Your day in Kobe sounds wonderful. I just found your blog and enjoy reading all of your adventures. Two of my favorite places are Hawaii & Japan, so this "find" in blog land is a wonderful treasure.
Cheers!

Jann said...

oh, that macaron looks so good! This looked like a reallly fun day shopping for you~yes, too bad Satoshi was at work......

Eri said...

I thought I would say HI, because I absolutely love your blog and have been religiously following it for the past year. Please continue with your great work!

I think that lately there's been a huge rosewater trend. You can find it anywhere in pills that make your natural body scent smell like roses.

K and S said...

Hope you continue to follow our adventures, Deborah :)

Thanks Jann :)

Thanks Eri and thanks for being a loyal reader :)

Take care everyone.
Kat

Deb in Hawaii said...

What an awesome foodie day! Too bad Satoshi had to miss it but now you know exactly where to take him. The macaron looks amazing.

K and S said...

Thanks Deb, the macaron was really good :)

Take care.
Kat

Lynne said...

Another interesting day in the life of Kat, lol. I thoroughly enjoyed the post. Glad you found the lil store. Sometimes, I too will pay a bit more in the spirit of economics - it satisfies my wants, so it is worth it.

K and S said...

Thanks Lynne :)

Take care.
Kat

Rowena said...

I like the sound of that fig kugelhof dipped in chocolate. Must search for recipe!

K and S said...

The cake was kind of on the dry side but the part that was covered with the chocolate was still moist Rowena :) I look forward to seeing your re-creation of this.

Take care.
Kat

Anonymous said...

Johnsonville sausage - the best! I love using either the medium/hot variety for whipping up a quick pasta dinner. Yumm-o!

K and S said...

Thanks Shortearl! I wanted medium, but they only had hot, I hope it isn't too spicy. I can't wait to make some pasta sauce with it.

Take care.
Kat

Anonymous said...

Hi Kat,

I think it really depends on your taste, since when they only have medium in the store, I find myself adding a few more flakes of crushed red pepper into my sauce. It's terrific.

My one suggestion is: when you cook up the sausage (and before adding the pasta sauce), saute the meat with some Italian seasoning and red wine. It brings a whole lot of depth and added flavor to your pasta sauce.

Shirley

K and S said...

Thanks for the tip Shortearl :)

Take care.
Kat