Weddingbee

You may want to prepare a napkin before reading through this post. You’ll need it to wipe off the saliva on your monitor after you lick the screen. (click images to enlarge)

#1 ::SERYNA HONTEN:: in Roppongi

This was The Best Meal of our lives. It featured char-broiled Kobe beef sirloin cooked to a perfect medium rare and Kobe beef shabu shabu (hotpot).

Holy marbling, Batman! The Kobe beef was sooo tender and exquisite and flavorful and… mmm.. drooool. There were 3 different dipping sauces for the shabu shabu. 1. Ponzu, 2. Sweet, peanut based, sesame paste sauce, 3. Spicy, chili soy sauce with sesame oil

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#2 ::DAIWA SUSHI:: in Tsukiji Fish Market

Tsukiji’s best and most famous sushi bar. The reason why there are always people (both locals and tourists alike) willing to wait on the long line is that the sushi is truly worth it! When we got to the market at 9am, this place had what appeared to be a 2 hour line. That day, we opted for a shorter wait at another local favorite and vowed we’d return at 5am.

The next morning, we returned to Daiwa and got the “set-o” plus a few extra orders of our favorites. OMG.. the fish was so fresh and so delicious, it just melted in our mouth! It was by far the best sushi and sashimi we’ve ever enjoyed. Slimy and satisfying!

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#3 ::EDO-ERA KAISEIKI DINNER:: in Ryokan

In Edo-era Japan, the craftsmen actually had more extravagant meals than the samurai. At our ryokan, we enjoyed a 16-course Kaiseiki dinner that replicated the meal eaten by (apparently very fat and jolly) townsmen of the Edo period.

Particularly memorable dishes include: Assorted vegetable tempura with a light crisp, green salt & pepper dip, and edible flowers; Baked lobster; Cold soba noodles with toppings; Baked clam with shoyu-miso and sweet corn; and Rice-flour dumpling rice cake.

Just remembering this meal makes me feel stuffed! And overwhelmed! And sleepy… and happy!

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#4 ::EN:: in Shiodome

This was our first meal in Tokyo and it blew us away! It started out with one of those ambrosial fruit tomatoes and the pleasant surprises just kept on coming. Many of the dishes were exotic and tasted unlike anything we’ve ever had before.

We actually took a photo of the menu, so I can tell you exactly what we ate.

L: Grilled Seseri of Tanba Chicken (grilled, boneless chicken neck. yes, neck!)

Top row, L to R: Tofu made from Hokkaido Toyomusume soybeans served hot from the stove; Grilled skewered sea scallops with sea urchin soy sauce; Combination of Japanese Danities- snow crab shiokara (salt-cured), firefly squid, hoya (ascidians) and namako (sea cucumber) viscera

Bottom row, L to R: Steamed Koshihikari rice from Niigata with crab baked in an earthen pot; Broiled Japanese codfish with Saikyo-miso (soy bean paste) sauce; Cheesecake of Japanese Gyokuro tea flavor

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Upon our return to NYC, we were delighted to find out that there’s a branch of EN Japanese Brasserie right here in Manhattan! Of course, we ate at ENJB last November to celebrate our 1 year anniversary.

Top row, L to R: Freshly made Tofu, served warm with wari-joyu; Grilled Mongo Squid with uni-miso; Mochi Croquette (potato and duck, covered in cubes of rice cake, serve in hearty dashi broth)

Bottom row, L to R: Stone Grilled Wagyu with ponzu citrus soy; Uni & Ama-ebi Roll; Kakuni (braised pork belly)

What better way to celebrate one year of wedded bliss than to revisit the food coma that was our honeymoon?

Previously in this series: * Traditional Tokyo, * Modern Tokyo, * Mt Fuji and Hakone, and * Tokyo Food: Honorable Mentions

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