Patak ng patak

Last week, my partner and I were stuck in traffic one rainy night, and I thought this view of Tokyo Tower (without Godzilla this time) was quite a nice one. Kulang na lang ang bgm, take your pick, hindi kasali si Kenny G.

Anyway, we rarely take a cab since it's too damn expensive, but that night we just had to. Ganda sana ng view, until my eyes veered towards the meter. HOMYGASS!

Kaki Nabe

I hate winter, but I loove all the food in season! Our nabe pot is out of storage and ready for a hearty combo of seafood, like fugu, cod, salmon, hairy crab, oyster, then mixed with veggies, mushrooms, tofu and when there's some soup left, we add udon and break an egg and eat again!

Soba aaad!

Hmm, interesting, buckwheat pancakes for breakfast. Masubukan nga para maiba naman. That's what I said when I saw this on the shelves at Dean and Deluca.

Well, I guess our tastebuds have already been hardwired to associate buckwheat with noodles - as in SOBA! We had an uneventful breakfast courtesy of D&D, hikbi...hikbi... pass the wasabi please.

Back at my "hometown"

A business trip last week to Bangkok sent me to nostalgia overdrive.
Taxis still smelled of pandan or jasmine or that minty nose inhaler which is surprisingly still around 10 years after I have left!

Get a whiff of the countryside with fresh pandan car freshener!

I am forever hooked on "Cha Yenh" - this is really sweet strong tea and nothing compares to the one sold on the sidewalk, since the tea is brewed by hand and hawkers do not use the powdered ready mix stuff that one can also buy at supermarkets.

Here's a jumble of photos I took from work...
Really, there was nothing of interest to post here except for these warning signs I took from the machines that were on exhibit. I thought I might get myself into trouble from standing too close to these signs, like getting zapped or clobbered by some machine part. Shows how bored I was, huh?!

Almusal

Kape sa umaga! I had to try this, one of several pasalubongs I got from a friend in Manila, hand carried by her über-cool daughter who is visiting Tokyo. This was my first time to taste Kalinga Coffee, so I was a bit careful about the brewing. Turned out to be a tad weak, but at least I did not come into office bouncing like a spring bunny.

Pananghalian

I had lunch at my desk last Thursday, it was my turn to stay at the office at lunchtime - to answer phonecalls, etc. - dakilang receptionist. Maliit lang kasi opisina namin kaya kami-kami na rin ang janitor, gofer, atbp.

Of course in season ang salmon so I got this really good combo of salmon "toro" (fatty salmon meat scraped off the bony parts) , okra, pickled kabu, and freshly grated sticky potato as in raw "gabi", topping with fresh steamed rice of course! Hindi pa tapos, there's a poached egg (on the left) that you have to mix as well and then drizzle with toyo - wasabi !
KAINAN NAAAA!




If you look closely in the middle, there's some precious "ikura" (salmon roe).

Hapunan

Last summer, unagi was the fish in season. It's supposed to ward off "natsubate" - that lethargic feeling that one feels in the hot months, here in Japan. Hmmm, wala naman akong naramdamang "lethargy", (bakit kaya? hehehe...) pero kain pa rin ako ng unagi after a long day. Of course may kasamang chilled beer lagi! (walang yelo ha!)


This autumn, "sama" (Pacific saury) is in season. Sarap nito, freshly grilled, drizzled with freshly squeezed lemon juice, tapos sawsaw mo sa toyo, sabay habol ng mainit na subo ng bagong saing na "koshi hikari"!

Salmon is also fatter this time of the year, and I saw "harasu" salmon belly w/ skin at the supermarket tonight! My fave pulutan! Yun nga lang, grilled over charcoal tastes so much better than my dinner tonight, which I grilled in our range. No fun... buti na lang may nihonshu.
Ps. the "new" Nissin Miso Noodles also suck.

fresh "harasu"


my uneventful hapunan, save for the
super-sarap na nihonshu (hakkai-san)
served in a "bizen" cup which I crafted myself