15 December 2009

last lovely dinner

We enjoyed a dinner for two at a beautiful restaurant, whose specialty is fugu, sashimi and otherwise....a beautiful, small, quiet place where the chef prepared all the foods in front of our eyes. He hardly spoke, the food did all the talking. He did tell us that he had been cutting fugu for 17 years. It is amazing to watch and soak up this kind of culture, it is nowhere other than this place.
His knives are on the left, one for each task, a beautiful clean and organised workspace with minimal tools....here is our dinner by course, there is no menu, you just get the days special range....carefully planned and prepared for balance of flavour, beauty of colours and foods in season....
Just to tempt us, small tasting of various pickles, fish guts, tofu, sweet beans and spinach....
Followed by a dashi flavoured jelly with the skin of fugu in the bottom...OK I did try it at least....fish skin is not my favourite texture....
Followed by beautiful, beautiful fugu sashimi, sliced in front of us by expert hands....amazing....
Followed by daikon radish boiled in broth with some small veges (carrot and greens and skin of yuzu) and no, not a brain but balls! The testicle of a cod fish!!...so f.u.n.n.y translating that with gestures, the usual Aussie hand gesture - is as if you are holding two melons, the chef simply held his thumbs and fore fingers in a ring, about as small as two marbles and put them in the place so there was no mistaking what they were....I couldn't stop giggling....yep, I tried it, yep it wasn't that good, people eat it for texture which is like thick cream......not so much flavour, my loved one ate mine, so he ate two testicles, which has been very good fun to tease him about.....he said it was rude to leave it....
Followed by kara age, fried fugu...it is such a tasty fish....
Followed by horse mackrel simmered in soy and sweet stuff with a little bit of mushrooms and sesame seeds...
Followed by nabe, or a hot pot, which first had the tofu boiled in it, the most silky and beautiful tofu I have eaten, served in a ponzu, or yuzu and soy (and other things) sauce...amazing!
I had 2 glasses of wine and since I almost never drink I was forgetting to take pictures.....I missed the photos of the nabe which was fugu and a lot of beautiful veges and mushrooms and a piece of mochi...all dipped into the ponzu before you eat it. Usually the nabe/hot pot sits in the centre of the table and you just take what you want but we were served bits and bobs last night...lovely!
The dish above is a rice and egg dish which is poured into the remainder of the hot pot liquid to soak up all the yumness from all the previously cooked foods.....it was just so nice...but gosh, FULL...I couldn't breathe very well by this stage.....oh, the pickles on the right were also very special....in fact one of my favourite dishes, so delicious
LASTLY, chef pulled out a huge and beautiful kaki or persimmon. Since they have just about finished the season here, I have had my share of skinning and eating them, and they are a hard fruit, so takes some time to get the skin off without cutting your fingers....watching him skin it was like he was cutting butter. I'm sure his knife was very sharp but gee, it was so amazing to watch his skill. I could only eat one piece......The night sums up the best of Japan for me, quiet beauty, holding onto old and beautiful traditions, transient moments and respect. The rush and gush of the city is the flip side to what I love but taking time for the quiet things was so wonderful! And to have a last moment with my darling, just us two, and soak up the last few moments in this place. Leaving on a high is just so a good thing to do!

14 December 2009

lasy days...

Golden Autumn leaves still so pretty.....enjoying our lasts this week...foods, shops, places.....Long Long goes tomorrow....my fingers are crossed for him xxx

10 December 2009

10 days

or thereabouts...left in this place.......love it and hate it.....like anywhere. I sold my coffee maker and scanner, two of my most used possessions.......I will inherit and iphone soon and get a new scanner made in this century (well, I may exaggerate but 2 years is a long time for gadgets).........so there is nothing bad about it ;) Life is almost in boxes....I am enjoying just a few things to choose from to wear, not so many toys to clean up and just having less around.....I am excited to go home and hear those very flat and wide Aussie accents and the very relaxed manners of summer and the coffee shops open early when its still and quiet.....

8 December 2009

getting better

We are all recovering from the swine flu epidemic in our house and just having the left over coughs and sniffles. Being house bound at a time when you are supposed to be packing isnt so bad, unless you are 3. Bored, bored, bored.......It's the first time I have ever made mini chocolate self saucing puddings for morning tea...look at my apprentice!...He was so happy to help me, poor kiddo....he is taking longer to recover, I guess because he is a kid, but he is his usual self. We have been talking to him about going to Australia and everyone we will see what we will do and that we have to say goodbye to friends here and the usual routine of our life. He nods. We will see. Just take it daily, enjoy the space, the smell of dry air in summer, quiet, morning coffees at favourite cafe spots, beach, know that Long Long will be nearby and home after a few short weeks and that we are home.

6 December 2009

last of autumn and last days in Tokyo...

Yoyogi park was truly stunning today, sunny, leafy and lovely...it is the last time we will see it like this, it feels a bit sad.
golden carpet of ginko leaves...
still a lot of red leaves, so pretty. We sold our car, it goes today, the movers take half our stuff today and all the little bits have been sold to various people leaving us with just the bare essentials until we go. Long Long will leave before us and the long and detailed process of his import will be over. Soon time to say good bye to the people we have met and made friends with. Of course the timing of the swine flu in our family (I managed to get only the garden variety of flu) has not meant good things for getting things done and meeting people. But luckily, our health is strong so we all have not been too badly affected and now really just taking the medicine to ensure it goes and stays away! Feels so sad to leave a place like this! But also exciting to go back to summer, old friends and family xxx

1 December 2009

3 years today

Happy Birthday my little darling Mooch! You are such a bright, beautiful, cheerful, strong willed, happy, confident, funny and loving little boy. I am amazed how much you have changed and developed since you were the little blob of tofu below! I am sure your life will be wonderful and I hope we can provide the kind of start to your life that will help you survive and thrive in school, through adolescence and be a happy and successful adult. You are my world little one and I am so happy we can share so many wonderful days together. I love you xxx