175 deno tan tan men

I am not too sure when I learned about 175 deno tan tan men...but we recently went to try them.

Buy your ticket from the machine and give it to the server.

We tried their shumai...good but nothing special.

Satoshi had their tan tan men with soup...you know they are serious about their tan tan men when they serve you the bowl with "that spoon" (with holes) to get all the bits.

Boy, was Satoshi perspiring after eating this.

I chose their tan tan men without soup.

Mix it 15 times so that everything is coated well.

Boy was their spices tongue numbing!

Make sure to take a paper apron before sitting down for your bowl!

They don't have many seats, so get their early or be prepared to wait.

I'm glad we tried this and will be back!

175 deno tan tan men
2-6-2 Ginza, Yoshida Building B1
Chuo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6264.4044
Open everyday 11:30-22:00

saturday

Saturday started at Yushima Tenmangu.

The shrine for scholars.

There were many ume (apricot) trees on the property as well as ume motif worked into the lighting and architecture.

Down the street from Yushima Tenmangu is Kyu-Iwasaki Teien.

Another huge property of the Iwasaki family (owners of Mitsubishi).

Apparently, the land that is left is only 1/3 of what they had before (and it is still very huge)!

Lunch was at Aun...shirunashi (no soup) tan tan men.

Choose your numbing (ma) and heat (la)..I went with 1 for both (you could actually go up to 6!)

This was just the perfect amount of heat for me.

Satoshi went with 3 and was perspiring profusely...

Down the street is Kanda Myojin.

It is apparently the oldest shrine in Tokyo built more than 1270 years ago and moved to the present location in 1603.

Many in the warrior class including the Tokugawa clan worshipped here.

Yushima Seido, a Confucian temple is nearby.

Kind of eery with all the black.

A few minutes away is Nicolai-do (Holy Resurrection Cathedral)

We got to hear the bells because they were performing a maintenance test on them.

And around the corner is Meiji University, where Satoshi went to school.

They've extended their campuses and increased the number of high-rise buildings from the time that Satoshi attended, so it was nice to reconnect with his school.

While Satoshi visited the Baseball Hall of Fame at Tokyo Dome, I walked around the shopping mall.

I also tried the "concrete" at Shake Shack for the first time.

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunchcrete had chocolate custard, chocolate bits and peanut butter toffee.

It wasn't "stiff" like concrete, but super rich and thick!

Another day of lots of walking and eating.

Yushima Tenmangu
3-30-1 Yushima
Bunkyo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3836.0753

Kyu-Iwasaki Teien
1-3-45 Ikenohata
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3823.8340
Hours: 9:00-17:00

Szechuan Tan Tan Men Aun
3-25-11 Yushima
Bunkyo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3834.6350
Closed Tuesdays
Hours: 11:00-14:00 (lunch), 17:30-21:45 (dinner)

Kanda Myojin
2-16-2 Sotokanda
Chiyoda, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3254.0753

Yushima Seido
1-4-25 Yushima
Bunkyo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3251.4606
Hours: 9:30-17:00

Nikolai-do
4-1-3 Kanda Surugadai
Chiyoda, Tokyo

Shake Shack
Tokyo Dome location

the spoon

I had been looking for the spoon with all the holes in it ever since we had tan tan men at Hokkai-ramen Susukino...and finally found it at Shimojima...a shop in Osaka that sells all sorts of stuff.

Shimojima reminds me of a shop in Hawaii called Fisher Hawaii...they have paper goods, as well as stuff for the office and kitchen.

Anyway, I am glad I have these now, next is to put it to use.

mar ten

Having been gone from Japan for about a month, many changes occurred, some food places shut down, while new ones opened. Some markets got renovated and houses got built.

On top of that, the weather has been weird, at first it was summery-ish and now, brr, wintry, rainy...dreary if you ask me.

On Saturday, we tried a new place for lunch before Satoshi's German language class called Mar Ten.

This shop specializes in Mabo Tofu and other spicy dishes.

Satoshi tried their mabo tofu set, which came with a cup of consomme, some tsa tsai (chinese pickles) and lots of rice.  He chose the least spicy of the three levels and said it was quite spicy for him. Luckily, they offer a free refill of rice.

The guy sitting at the table next to us ordered the most spicy version of the mabo tofu and it came out looking almost "black"...eep!

I tried their dan dan men (tan tan men). Most times you see this dish in a red soup, but this version was soup-less.

After it arrived at the table, the waitress told me to quickly mix it with the sauce below or risk the noodles getting hard.  It was spicy and the noodles chewy.  I really enjoyed this dish.

There was an icy mango dessert that we were also eyeing, so we'll definitely be back.

Mar Ten (UPDATE: 6/2015 this shop closed)
Yodobashi Camera Umeda 8F
Kita, Osaka
Phone: 06.6292.6523

noodle-y day

The weather turned colder, very quickly! (there is even snow in the Northern areas of Japan already...brr!)

So what is a better way to warm up than with noodles? I love noodles in all forms and in all styles.

We recently went to check out Marugame Seimen. They actually opened a shop up called "Marukame Udon" in Waikiki earlier this year.

I was watching a show recently and they featured Marugame Seimen, how they have 500 shops across Japan and not one has closed in this down economy!

So I searched online to see where the nearest location was for us and we went after one of Satoshi's dentist appointments.

We arrived at noon and there was a slight line, but nothing too bad.

It is cafeteria style, so you order your udon according to the styles that they serve it, then pick up what tempura you want, then pay.

Satoshi ordered the kakeudon (which is udon in hot broth)...280 yen (about US$2.80).

I ordered the hiyashi gyugobo bukkake udon (udon served in a concentrated cold broth then topped with a sweet-salty beef & burdock)...480 yen (about US$4.80).

(Even though the weather is cooler, I usually try to choose a cold broth whenever I can because I almost always end up burning my tongue when I order a hot broth.)

Satoshi chose three different types of tempura (kakiage (a tempura fried with all sorts of veggies), nasu (eggplant) & kisu (sillago))...310 yen (about US$3.10)

And I chose a kakiage..130 yen (about US$1.30).

After paying, there is a little counter area where you can put your own green onions and or tempura kasu (the bits that come up when you fry tempura).

The food was good, I especially liked the gyugobo and kakiage. The gyugobo was tender and very flavorful, loved the sweet-salty combo. And the kakiage had lots of onions and carrot, think onion rings!

When we left, seating was scarce and the line was out the door.

We'll be back especially if we're in this area.

Then for dinner, we went to our favorite neighborhood Chinese place...Chaina.

I ordered their tan tan men set, this came with a bowl of tan tan men, some kara-age (fried chicken), cole slaw, takuan (pickles) and some rice...800 yen (about US$8)

Satoshi ordered what he always does, the stamina set...900 yen (about US$9) This comes with a stir-fry of beef and garlic shoots, gyoza, kara-age (fried chicken), cole slaw, takuan (pickles), egg drop soup and some rice.

It was my first time having the tan tan men here and I loved it, it was addictingly spicy! Can you believe after eating all that food and half of my rice, Satoshi was still hungry?!

All in all, it was a great noodle-y day.

Marugame Seimen--Kita-Shinsaibashi shop
3-8-14 Minami Senba
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6282.1150
Open everyday 11:00-22:00

tan tan men

Lunch on Saturday was Tan tan men. A spicy sesame seed based soup with noodles.

I've made this from scratch in the past.

Since I didn't have much time to get lunch together, I used a pre-made noodle with an instant soup packet.

The only thing with the instant version is that there are no toppings, so I had to make these myself.

The meat on the top is called ja jan, to make the ja jan (seasoned meat) this is the recipe I followed.

This time around I only used 100 grams of pork, added 1/2 a tablespoon of shoyu (soy sauce) and 1/2 a tablespoon of sake (rice wine) and 1 teaspoon of tenmenjan (sweetened miso) when the pork browned. I cooked everything until the liquid evaporated then drained the meat onto a paper towel.

I cleaned some chin gen sai, which I think is bok choy and wilted it in a warm pan with a little water.

Then after cooking the noodles according to the package, I added hot water to the bowls for the soup then added the noodles.

I topped our bowls with the bok choy & the ja jan (seasoned meat).

The soup wasn't as spicy as some restaurants serve their tan tan men, but this was delicious and perfect for a cold wintry Saturday.

odds & ends

Random photos...look how HUGE this yolk is? Must've been LL (what we call XL) sized!

Saw this cloud on a walk, it reminded me of a spaceship.

How are these 4 shih-tzu? (At least I think they are shih-tzu)

When I first passed by there was also another dog outside of the gate, so they were barking away.

When I passed by again, it seemed they couldn't care less.

A "sprinkling" of clouds at Suigetsu Park.

I have a kind of weird habit when it comes to eating instant noodles.

Not that I eat them all the time, but when I do, the noodles have to be on the firm side and I always throw out the soup.

(This was a tantanmen, nice and spicy! Lots of sesame seeds.)

A popular Japanese boy band, SMAP, came out with a sports drink through Asahi Beverages to kick-off their new album tour.

It was good, kind of citrusy....only 98 yen (about US$.98) at the market.

I try not to buy lunch from the convenience store because they use lots of preservatives in their foods.

Usually sandwiches in Japan, no matter whether you get them at a bakery or convenience store will have 3 main types, egg salad, tuna or ham.

And you can find combinations of the 3 types, like ham and egg, tuna and ham, which they tend to call "mixed sandwiches".

Anyway, on a recent visit to the convenience store, this sandwich jumped out at me because it was different...teriyaki chicken and egg...literally an oyako (parent-child) sandwich!

This was good...sweet teriyaki chicken paired with egg salad ....250 yen (about US$2.50)

Out on the lanai, goya (bittermelon) is looking good.

I replanted 2 times since March because the weird weather killed my first 2 tries.

I am amazed at this plant. It has these thin "feelers" that "reach" out for things to climb on.

This year I bought plastic netting at the 100 yen store, in hopes that this year I will be able to harvest some bittermelon. Last year, I had little ones but nothing got big enough to eat.

My chili pepper plant revived.

I kept it indoors during Autumn and Winter, which is probably why it revived.

I hope this year I'll be able to get some chilies from it.

Bell pepper, looking kind of small, but I'm hoping this time around I'll be able to harvest something from this too.

Senjaku's rock salt candy. Our family friend, D, who I mentioned a couple days ago, raved about this rock salt candy.

He said that it reminded him of those candies we have in Hawaii with the li hing mui (preserved plum) in it. Yup, sweet and salty, these are good.

McVitie's lemon biscuits...even though half the biscuit is chocolate, you can't really taste it. These are nice and lemony...105 yen (about US$1.05)

Meiji semi-sweet almonds have a crunchy nib wafer coating...210 yen (about US$2.10)

These purple sweet potato Kit Kat were a gift from our family friend, D.

Most "brand name" candies have special editions for different areas in Japan, which you usually can only buy when visiting that particular area OR at food fairs at department stores.

These special edition items usually represent the area's famous/popular food item.

This Kit Kat is a special edition for Okinawa and Kyushu.

Though I'm not a fan of white chocolate, these really did taste like purple sweet potato.

I recently saw this light fixture made by art students near the Hankyu station...made from cotton swabs!

I have been checking out this Mini from the train. I finally walked down to take its picture.

Sorry this post is so long...Satoshi is letting me "go on vacation" for the rest of summer, he'll visit with MIL towards the end of my stay.

I hope to meet up with friends and spend time with family while I'm there.

Maybe try some new foodie places and reconnect with some old favorites...next post from HAWAII! (Praying for tradewinds there!)

spicy and cool dinner

Summers in Japan are HOT, hotter than the summers that I am used to in Hawaii. In Hawaii, we have tradewinds, this makes the heat of summer bearable, in fact most homes in Hawaii do not have air conditioning, or at least where I've lived in Hawaii, we didn't. Japan's summers have this awful, wet humidity that makes every piece of clothing stick to you. (If you've been reading this blog, you know that I do not like summers here.)

One dish that I really like during summer is tan tan men. Most times when I eat this dish at Chinese restaurants I usually can't finish it and give it to Satoshi, it is so spicy that just a taste will do. I found out while watching a program that Japan added soup to this dish, apparently when you eat this in China, it is just the noodles and no soup.

I've been anxious to try making tan tan men after I found a recipe for it in a cookbook I have called "Tenyu".

First off, you need to make ja jan, this is the minced pork which I used to make ja ja men. I posted about that here.

Tan tan men for 1 translated from "Tenyu"
50g ja jan
30g spinach
1 bundle of chinese noodles

Sauce:
1 teaspoon tsuonyu*
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)
1/3 teaspoon minced tsa tsai (pickled mustard tuber)
2 tablespoons chimajan**
1.5 tablespoon ra-yu (chili oil)
1 tablespoon minced scallion

Soup: 320cc chinese soup

*tsuonyu is an oil that is made with leeks, ginger and lard
you can make your own with the following recipe:
300cc melted lard
50g green part of leek
30g thinly sliced ginger

Rip the leek with your hands and put into a pot with ginger. Put 50cc of melted lard into the pot of leek and ginger, cook until fragrant then add rest of lard. Do not mix too much and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Then turn up the heat to high and fry the leek and ginger. Strain the liquid. Keep up to 1 month in an airtight container, makes 300cc.

**chimajan is a sesame oil with more of a paste consistency like tahini. To make your own, follow this recipe:
500g sesame seeds
500cc canola oil

Roast sesame seeds in a pan until golden and fragrant, put out onto a pan to cool. The seeds roast pretty quickly so work fast, if burnt it will taste bitter. When cool, put into a food processor or meat mincer to create a paste, run through the processor/mincer twice. Bring the oil to 140-150C (I wasn't too sure what the Fahrenheit temperatures would be) and mix in with a wire whisk. Mix well. Keeps in an airtight container for up to 1 month, makes 850g.

Now back to making tan tan men....

Boil spinach and drain.
Prepare your noodles according to the package.
Put the ingredients for the sauce together.
In a bowl add the sauce, then add the soup. Place your noodles into the soup and top with the ja jan and spinach....enjoy!

NOTES: If you don't like it really soupy, the sauce and soup can actually be used for 2 people. I didn't use or make the leek oil, also I didn't have tsa tsai or spinach so I left that out. It still tasted great. I had somen (Japanese vermicelli) instead of chinese noodles. Oh, most important, I only put 1/2 tablespoon of chili oil. It was just enough heat to leave a little sting on your lips, without setting your whole mouth on fire.

So that was the spicy part of my dinner last night, the cool part was this 3-bean salad. When I was living in Hawaii, my mom would make this every so often and I like it because it is tart and makes your mouth pucker, plus I love beans! She uses 1 can each of green beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans and adds diced onion and bell pepper. I couldn't find canned green beans and refused to pay the ridiculous price for canned kidney beans, so I steamed green beans and soy beans instead.

The recipe for the dressing is as follows:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup oil

NOTES: Try to make this a day ahead so that all the ingredients will be nicely marinated. I made this salad at lunchtime and it was pretty marinated by dinner time.

So, summer is finally here, the rainy season officially ended in the Kansai area yesterday. The cicadas are out and creating a ruckus. The news said that Osaka has the noisiest cicadas (um, okay...). They also said that today will be humid (I guess I jinxed myself...ugh.)