Tag: Japanese food

We made a big batch of umeshu (plum liqueur) today. Mariko has made it before, but it was my first time. It’s basically just ume (plums), rock sugar, and liquor, all combined and left to sit for at least 3 months. So this batch will be ready by the next time we’re back at our Japan house. I can’t wait. Right now is actually the best time to make umeshu, since the plums need to be at that perfect not quite ripe stage. Our local market even has a little umeshu station where you can grab all the supplies for your own batch. Fun! 🍶

We visited Akashi today, mostly to eat (obviously). We had an amazing omakase sushi lunch, then followed it up with the city’s signature dish, akashiyaki. I had no idea, but akashiyaki actually came before the more famous takoyaki. It’s dipped in a warm broth instead of covered in sauce, and the batter is eggier too. It was really good! But if I’m being honest, I think I still prefer takoyaki, sauce, mayo, and all those toppings. 🐙

Dinner tonight was chanpuru and harumaki. We had some friends over, which made it a special meal. 🥢 Good food tastes even better with good company! Our friend also brews his own beer, and brought over some for us to enjoy. It was delicious.

We had dinner tonight at Matsui Japanese restaurant, and it did not disappoint. 🍣 The food was genuinely good and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. You could tell just by looking around the room. Most of the diners were older, Hawaiian-style Asian, lots of flip-flops and casual clothes, the kind of crowd that knows where the real value is.

I went with the Manager’s Special, which turned out to be a popular call. I spotted at least three other diners ordering the same thing. It came with delicious tempura, several pieces of nigiri, a nice salad, and I chose soba over udon for the noodles. It was a lot of food and all of it was solid. Definitely a place to return to. 😊