JAPAN - Nezu Tsutsuji Matsuri

JapanTrip - To Narita

Sono, Queen St

Like most Asian cultures Filipinos traditionally serve noodles during birthdays to symbolise long life. This comes in the form of pancit in all its variations.

But because this year is a milestone celebration for my dear wife cooking pancit just would not cut it. We wanted something extraordinary and intimate. Yes, you read it right, an intimate dinner with our family (including the kids), friends and friends’ kids.

A Chinese banquet, although special, seems too busy and not intimate enough. Then there are the Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean and Korean restaurants that we know of in Brisbane. They all lack that X factor we’re after fitting the momentous occasion.

And then there’s Sono more specifically Sono at Queen St. Situated right in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD it truly is a tranquil gourmet escape for city folks.

Sono offers various types of seating. There are Japanese booths, a sushi bar, as well as western style of seating. And for boutique parties like ours the restaurant also has traditional Japanese private rooms. But because we only booked on the day we missed out on having our own private dining room (note to self: book early).

The restaurant has got quite an extensive menu. They boast to have the highest quality hand made sushi in Brisbane.

For starters we had their appetizer platter composed of fresh oysters with ponzu sauce, simmered pork belly with sweet soy, soft shell crab with shiso sauce, crab croquette and edamame. The kids had tuna sushi.

And because we’re after some noodle component in our dinner we went for Sono’s Wagyu Sukiyaki. There’s a shabu-shabu version of it if you’re not too keen on the sweet soy. The kids had tempura udon, chicken karaage and more sushi.

All the dishes were very good as expected. Their sukiyaki servings were plentiful. We had enough leftovers for a couple more adults.

I would like to commend the restaurant’s staff for their high quality of service. Kids are not a big part of their regular clientele but we were accommodated without much fuss. A high chair for my toddler and a special table for the kids away from the steaming hot sukiyaki pots were effortlessly set up by smart and beautiful looking kimono clad staff.

But what made that night a lot more special was the company of true friends who indeed rejoiced with us. Thank you Patrick and Pilar, I almost ruined the surprise but anyway,… And thank you Lyndon and Carla (and Aaron, and Ayden and Anthony) for joining us, enduring the 12+ hour drive to Brisbane on a wet and stormy weekend.

Congratulations (to me) - Masterclass with Tetsuya Wakuda

I've always planned to visit Tetsuya's of Sydney one day...I just did not expect it to happen this soon.

Thanks to Electrolux I'll be walking through the doors of the famed Kent St restaurant in a couple of months time.

If memory serves me right the competition opened back in early March. I found out about it through Souvlaki for the Soul (thanks Peter G!). The idea was to answer, in 25 words or less, the question: What is your favourite feature in Tetsuya's new Masterkitchen? And so I did with very little expectations of winning.




Fast forward to 13 May 2010, my inbox received a new email with the subject "CONGRATULATIONS Tetsuya Masterclass Winner." I couldn't believe my eyes! I opened it immediately naturally and indeed I won!

I couldn't remember exactly what I wrote but it was along the lines of: the "touch" innovation makes it easier to keep the kitchen spick and span." Nothing brilliant I know but it's been judged one of the top 12.

a still from Food Safari (Chef Tets animatedly explaining to Maeve O'Meara that he still doesn't get Vegemite after 25 years of living downunder)

Here's a rundown of the prize:
1. An invitation to an exclusive Tetsuya Masterclass at Tetsuya's restaurant on the evening of Tuesday, 24 August from 6pm
2. Return airfare from my capital city
3. One night's accommodation
4. Transport by private car to and from the restaurant


Who says dreams don't come true?

Thanks be to God!

Pork Katsu (Tonkatsu) Curry

Thanks to Hanaichi, one of the fastest growing Japanese eateries in Queensland, Katsu Curry is now available all over Brisbane (in major shopping centres at least). They serve them cheap, fast, hot and very tasty. I figured, why bother making it at home?



But I was inspired after reading Cusinera's (of Busog! Sarap!) take on this popular Japanese take-away to try and cook it myself. It did not seem as fiddly as I thought it would be!





Trying to get the combination of spices spot on was to me very daunting so I never dared. But S&B's Golden Curry mix does away with all that (no, they did not pay me for this blog!).




Cooking this at home also give me more freedom on how it is served. In most Japanese restaurants the curry sauce is poured on top of the katsu. If you've been following this blog you know I prefer my sauces on the side. I decide when my rice gets mixed in with the sauce, not the restaurant (also keeps my katsu crispy!)





For the Curry Sauce:

100g S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix (I used mild but there are "hotter" varieties)
2 1/2 cups water
1 large onion sliced
1 large carrot cut in large chunks
1 stalk celery cut in large chunks
2 desiree potatoes cut in large chunks
A bit of oil for sauteing

1. Heat up a bit of oil in a pot.
2. Saute the onion until soft and translucent.
3. Add all the vegetables and saute for another minute.
4. Add the water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to simmering point. Simmer until all the vegetables are cooked.
6. Crumble the Japanese curry into the mixture. Stir until all dissolved. Cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Set aside

This is plenty for just one meal. You might want to halve the recipe if you don't like leftover sauce.


For the Pork Katsu (Tonkatsu)

2 pork chops sliced thinly lengthwise to make 4 thin chops
1 large egg beaten lightly
1 bowl of water
Plain flour with a bit of salt
Panko Japanese style breadcrumbs
Oil for frying

1. Heat up oil in a pan for frying.
2. Dip the pork chops in egg.
3. Coat each piece in flour and shake any excess.
4. Dip the coated pieces in cold water for a few seconds (I thought this was a crazy idea. It's a technique apparently used by fast food places to guarantee a crispy coating. It does work! I used the same technique in my Crispy Fried Chicken Recipe.)
5. Coat with the Panko bread crumbs.
6. Fry on each side until golden brown.
7. Chop into pieces and serve with the curry sauce on top or on the side.

Cheap Eats – HiMaWaRi Tea Room

HiMaWaRi Tea Room
Shop 24-25, Elizabeth Arcade
99 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane
Phone (07) 3210 0784

As a newly employed graduate beancounter (in the late 90’s) I was always in the search for “value meals” and I’m not referring to the McDonald’s kind.

Tempura Udon

I am fortunate to live in a city populated by a lot of university students who are after the same “value” as me. Brisbane, unsurprisingly, has got a wide range eateries (apart from the prolific burger joints) that cater to the budget conscious demographic.

Yakisoba Omelette

Naturally, for an Asian like me, rice wins hands down over any other type of meal in the full satisfaction category. I used to dismiss non-rice meals as merely snacks and therefore insufficient. My exposure to other cuisines has changed this…slightly.

Yakisoba Omelette 2

HiMaWaRi Tea Room ticks all the right boxes in what I am looking for. Not only are they real value for money their food also have got that feel and taste of authenticity. Their mainly Japanese crew, both in and out of the kitchen, have got a lot to do with it. Meals are nicely presented in what look like traditional Japanese bowls and bento boxes.

Chicken Karaage

Our family favourites at HiMaWaRi include chicken karaage, tempura udon, yakisoba omelette and agedashi tofu (all of which they do really well). Mains start at $9. You now have an option to add $2 to your main meal for a side of noodles, chicken karaage or agedashi tofu.

Fresh Tomato & Mushroom Salad

HiMaWaRi is located at the Elizabeth Arcade (destination for cutting edge fashion and all sorts of Asian kitsch). They’re open Mondays to Saturdays from 11am.

Chicken Karaage

Chicken Karaage is a better alternative if your kids love chicken nuggets. You can make it as low fat as possible by using skinless chicken breast and using less coating. The other bonus, you’ll be guaranteed you’re actually eating chicken and not some composite meat product.

It is also quick and easy to make which is another plus for busy parents. The most difficult part is cutting the chicken and grating the ginger. Other than those it is just a matter of combining the ingredients together and frying the marinated meat.

I think traditionally this is served with mayonnaise but we’ve opted for Tonkatsu sauce for that extra Japanese kick. It’s a fruity sweet sauce not very dissimilar to ketchup.


Chicken Karaage

2 pieces of chicken breast cut into nugget size
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 tablespoons mirin or sherry
Walnut size ginger grated finely (it’s best to use a ginger grater if you’ve got one)
Cornflour
Oil for frying

Combine the chicken, soy sauce, mirin and grated ginger and marinate for half an hour.
Heat up the oil to about medium heat.
Coat the chicken pieces in cornflour and fry until golden brown.
Serve with rice and miso soup. It also works well served with salad.