Me vs. Natto

     I'm always up for new culinary adventures and experiences to expand my palette. You'll never know if you like or dislike something until you have tried it (and even then, your taste buds may change over the years)!  My boyfriend constantly tries out foods he dislikes just to ensure he still doesn't like them.  Although most of the time though, he confirms what he believed prior.


     My palette has sent me on a lot of different adventures such as my search for stinky tofu, blood cakes, foie gras, fresh uni, and anything based on molecular gastronomy. I'm still on the prowl for fugu (aka puffer fish)!  Yes, I am totally aware of the effects of TTX (that was so last semester in physiology) and I still want to try fugu (for the taste, not the numbness). 


     Anyways, I digress... As part of one of my classes I was asked to expand my "cultural horizons" and I thought what a great time to try out a traditional Japanese dish called natto!  Natto is basically fermented soy beans. Which in retrospect sounds a lot like stinky tofu, but the soy beans are kept whole. 

     I didn't really mind stinky tofu when I had it in LA at Boiling Point.  I was expecting about the same taste from the natto, maybe a little bit stronger.  The smell was definitely more overpowering than I expected.  To me it smelled like a cross between durian and cheese that had been left out a little bit longer than it should have been.  Basically, the smell wasn't that appetizing and our sense of smell is one part of the mechanism through which we taste food!  I still wasn't convinced that I wasn't going to like natto though, since there are some funky smelling things out there that taste wonderful.  What was a little disconcerting however was the presence of a distinct slimy glycocalyx.

     Usually I'd associate a slime layer with a huge "do not eat me" sign, just like those toxic frogs from the rain forest who don bright neon colors.  However, I was not going to be that easily deterred!  Ok, there was a little wavering, but after some encouragement from my colleagues, I took my first bite!  And to make an already long story short, it's just not for me.  

     I find myself at a loss for words to actually describe the flavor profile...I think the word "natto" is probably the best descriptor I can give.  Natto tastes like...well natto!  I mean no offense to those who actually like natto, more power to you, it's just not for me.  The slimy outer covering imparted an "interesting" texture, one that I won't be forgetting any time soon.  The smell and texture alone nearly did me in.  X_x  I'm glad I tried it though, maybe in a few years I'll drum up the courage to give it another go.  After all I have to make sure I really don't like it, right?   

Genki Living (California - Rowland Heights)

     This is another back post from California - post 2 of 6!  I'm sad to report that as of the past February, Arcade Infinity has closed.  Arcade Infinity had a ton of fun import games such as Technika, Pop n' music, Para Para, Type for the dead, Beatmani, Guitar Freaks, etc.  Basically it was a gamer's paradise and it will be sorely missed.  =( 

     So Arcade Infinity brought us to this fun plaza where Genki Living is located.  We were looking for something to nibble on late at night after some gaming.  There was still quite a crowd bustling about, so we decided to stop by. 

     The decor gave the place a kind of funky/hip vibe to it, randomly colored furniture and equally random accessories strewn about.  I want to say it's not really my scene.  In typical Japanese fashion they had plasticized versions of their crepes on display, so you would have an idea of what you were buying.

     There was a pretty extensive menu posted over the cash register which included crepes, taiyaki, takoyaki, okonomiyako, etc.  We decided on just getting two taiyakis, my boyfriend got one with ham and cheese and I wanted to try out the mochi and taro taiyaki.  The kitchen area was open so you could watch them make your food, which I thought was a nice touch.

     So the taiyaki wasn't bad, it wasn't mind blowing either.  I want to say for my mochi + taro taiyaki, the mochi didn't really add much.  That's not really surprising though, mochi is mostly just a fun texture contrast. 

     Though the taiyaki was only so-so in terms of taste, I was pretty psyched to be eating a real taiyaki.  I think it has to do with all the Azumanga Daoih I watched during college.  If you watch around the 2:00 minute mark, my boyfriend and I basically re-enacted that scene.

     So if you're looking for a quick snack for a decent price late at night, I don't think Genki Living would be such a bad choice.  I'd definitely have to try more of their items to make a fair assessment of the rest of the menu.  =)   

     ...And if you're wondering, I eat my taiyaki head first!

Genki Living

Rowland Heights

1380 Fullerton Road

(626) 581-1395

Hiro’s: Yummy Specials! (February Edition)

Since we’ve been trekking down to Kendall almost every Monday for skating, we’ve also been frequenting Hiro’s Yakko-San every evening also. So I’ve just decided to update a monthly post with the new specials that we try. ^_^ Mmm…now onto the yummy goodness!


Seafood Kushi Katsu: Chilean Sea Bass, Scallops, and Shrimp.

What I imagined this dish to be and what it actually was were on completely opposite sides of the spectrum. I was thinking this was going to be some delicious amalgamation of sea bass, scallops, and shrimp mixed together into a patty shaped croquette. However, it was just each item separately breaded and lightly fried. I was sort of disappointed, but the dish was decent. The different types of katsu were good (nothing spectacular) and the accompanying horseradish sauce was nothing short of amazing. I typically hate horseradish sauces, but this was light in flavor without the lingering sour aftertaste that usually accompanies horseradish. However for the price we paid, I think we’ll pass on this dish the next time around.


Salmon Kama Miso Yaki: Grilled Salmon cheek, marinated with miso sauce.

The salmon was perfectly cooked and considering the cut was the collar, the meat was extremely tasty. The flesh was buttery, moist, flavorful, and even seemed to melt in your mouth. Wow, is all I have to say.


Okonomiyaki: basically a Japanese “pizza” made with cabbage and batter, topped with okonomiyaki sauce and special mayonnaise.

This item isn’t on the specials menu or their regular menu. However, if you ask really nicely and the kitchen isn’t busy, they will make this traditional Japanese dish for you. There’s a special batter and the base is made with cabbage traditionally, what they add after that is up to how they feel. ^_^ As I said it’s a “Japanese pizza.” When I make it at home, I usually add scallops and shrimp to my batter. It’s not bad and you should definitely try out the dish if you have ever wanted to see what all the commotion over it is about.


Kimchee Hotpot: shredded daikon radish, tofu, pork, sesame oil, ponzu.

This dish is always on the menu, this is just the first time I’ve tried it out. The hotpot is a single serving ceramic bowl filled with semi-spicy goodness. There’s enough to eat to satisfy one person or to share with a few people, if everyone just wants a small bowl of soup to taste. To be honest the kimchee isn’t as spicy as I expected it to be, but it definitely has a slight kick. I was cold that day, so it was a great way to warm up. ^_^ Would I order it again, maybe, but probably only if it was cold day out.


Batan Ebi Heads Kara-Age: Simple crispy fried shrimp’s heads.

This isn’t your average dish and definitely caters to a more sophisticated palette than usual (only because your average person would cringe in fear). But those who brave enough to try this dish will probably find themselves pleasantly surprised. Most Asians eat shrimps with their head still on and depending on how it’s cooked, sucked the oishii goodness out of their heads rather than eat them whole. The “head meat” is rich in flavor and has a creamy texture, definitely one of my favorite parts of the shrimp. Since it’s fried you can just pop these right into your mouth and eat it all! The shell is crisp and light enough to be easily chowed down upon.


Kabocha croquettes: Japanese sweet pumpkin with beef

Sadly this dish was one of the few that we’ve had at Hiro’s that was not to our liking. The pumpkin croquette was overwhelmingly pumpkin in taste and had very little beef within. We were hoping for a bit less pumpkin and a bit more beef to add a bit more complex flavor.


Black pork belly grilled

As described above, but definitely was left wishing for more pork on the dish. =) Was pretty yummy as an appetizer to share with everyone.


So those are my experiences this month with Hiro’s. ^_^ Hope you enjoy hearing about them!

Hiro’s Yakko-San
17040 W. Dixie Hwy.
North Miami Beach, FL 33160
(305) 947-0064

California: Shin-Sen-Gumi (Gardena)

Back Post #4:

After a day filled with pastries and fresh soba noodles, we ended the evening at Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori in Gardena. There’s no such thing as a restaurant that specializes in yakitori in Florida anywhere (I’ve looked!). So when I heard about this place, I knew we had to stop by.

Once again I had made reservations a month in advance so we could sit in a private room in the back. It’s an extra fee of $1 per person to use the private room, but it’s worth it in my opinion since the front room is a bit cramped for space. However, one day I’d like to go back in order to sit out front and experience the atmosphere.

When you first enter Shin-sen-gumi you are warmly greeted by the entire staff. Everyone shouts out greetings and it’s a very welcoming atmosphere. If you want, you can buy a drink for the staff and they’ll come by and share a toast with you with an enthusiastic “Kampai!”

The service here is stellar even though it’s always incredibly busy. The wait staff is attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and the specials. ^_^

So they brought us a menu, which is analogous to your traditional dim sum menu.

They also had a whiteboard conveniently placed in our room with the specials of the evening.

Halfway through our meal we figured out the trick to eating at Shin-sen-gumi. If you’re new there and don’t know what you want to eat, order one of each thing you want to try right off the bat, then order seconds of the things you do like after your first round. Even better, if you’ve been there before, order what you want straight away. Why? Because stuff sells out and things even an hour into service can go missing from the menu sadly. We learned this the hard way because around 5 items we wanted to try throughout the course of the evening just went “poof.” It’s not their fault; I solely place the blame on us not ordering fast enough. =)

I ordered the nankara, which is deep fried chicken cartilage.

Yes, I wanted to know what chicken cartilage tasted like. =P I like crunchy textures, so this was right up my alley. Honestly, I was the only person in my party to enjoy this dish. It wasn’t anything special and tasted entirely how it was advertised (lols?). It was even better when dipped in a little bit of salt mixed with lemon juice, Mmmm!

The boys ordered some roast duck, which I didn’t really touch so I can’t comment on.

However, I can tell you that dish of roast duck multiplied into four by the end of the meal. The boys really liked their duck!

I ordered a piece of mackerel off the special’s menu. I’m such a sucker for mackerel!

Mackerel is an oily fish and always has this subtle smoky flavor which I love. <3 Then came an order of takoyaki!

I’ve tried so hard to actually like takoyaki and I have come to the conclusion that’s it just not for me. It’s not that it isn’t made well; I just don’t really enjoy the taste of it. =(

My boyfriend also ordered this dish and it was delicious!

I’m not sure what it was called exactly, but it was an omelet with meat inside, garnished with bonito flakes. ^_^

Next came the parade of never ending yakitori! We ordered SOOOO much and I took SOOO many pictures, so I’m a bit lost as to which picture goes with which description, but I’ll try my best.

Eel livers:

I like liver and I love eel, so I thought that eel liver might appeal to me. Apparently, it really doesn’t and has a very fishy aftertaste which I didn’t enjoy at all.

Tofu:

We didn’t really enjoy this one either, the tofu was just sort of bland…

Onigiri (rice ball):

Sadly, once again, the rice ball suffered the same fate as the tofu and though I enjoyed the crispy texture, the flavor was just lacking.

Meataballs:

These were delicious! Absolutely delicious! So savory, tender, and extremely addictive. I can’t count how many rounds of these that we had.

Simply Grilled Shrimp:

Delicious, just lightly salted, and grilled.

Chicken Wing and Skin:

The chicken wing was good, but we were hoping for a bit more in terms of a serving. The skin was awesome, but then again, when is grilled chicken skin not awesome?

Chicken thigh with special sauce, Chicken thigh lightly salted:

The chicken with the special sauce was superb, definitely a must try if you go here. ^_^

Chicken Liver:

I love chicken livers, so I was happy with their rendition of chicken livers. Mmmm! Not really for those who don’t like the taste of liver already though…

Pork Sausage:

Honestly, once again, forgot what this tasted like. However, it was good enough that we got a second order of it. =)

I know I also ordered some chicken heart, onion, potato, chicken cartilage, and flap meat…but I’m not sure where those pictures went. C’est la vie! I can definitely say that the meat selection beat the pants off the grilled veggies.

I was honestly hoping to try some more daring pieces, such as the special heart, tail, special skin, gizzard, intestine, and feet…but sadly they sold out. *sniffles*

At the end of it all, this was our damage…

Look at all those sticks! Think of our bill! ^_^() It was soooo worth it though! Dinner took about 2 hours in total, as food came in small waves. But since our drinks were never empty, the awesome service, great good, and wonderful company we were blissfully happy the entire time.

If you’re looking for a casual night out with friends, good food, and don’t mind a bit of noise, I’d suggest trekking out for some yakitori. Food on sticks, never tasted so good before! ^_^ Oishii!

Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori
18517 S. Western Ave.
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 715-1588

California: Ichimiann Bamboo Garden (Torrance)

Back Blogging Post #3:

After having dessert at Patisserie Chantilly, we needed to find somewhere to have a proper lunch since Gaja Moc was closed until the evening. I suggested that we go to Ichimiann Bamboo Garden in Torrance since it was semi-close by, about a 15 minute drive away.

If it wasn’t for reading about this place from other food bloggers and seeing pictures of the front of the restaurant, we would have passed right by without noticing it was there. There was only a few spaces to parallel park on the street, thankfully we found a spot relatively close by.

Ichimiann has such a cute store front, it’s so quaint, simple, and welcoming. Nothing pretentious at all about this eatery about it’s exterior or its food. The noodles are made fresh every day (the real selling point for me)! I was shutter bug happy at the time, so I took a picture of the mini-menu at the seating area against the wall.

There’s not a whole lot of room to sit here. You can sit at the few tables outside or along the wall on one of these stools. There’s one or two more tables inside the restaurant, but when we went they were already taken. =)

There was one waiter manning the register and one cook in the kitchen. We were pointed to a menu and picked out our meal. To be honest, I had a bit of a rough time explaining what I wanted since I didn’t speak Japanese and the waiter didn’t speak much English. I felt like such a gaijin (foreigner) to have to resort to pointing at the picture menu.

Maybe this sign written as an informative flow chart was meant to help…but since it’s in Japanese hiragana/katakana, it didn’t help me at all. My boyfriend could make out some of the words though. This just served to remind me that I really need to start learning Japanese in my spare time…

My boyfriend ordered a bowl of curry udon and I ordered udon in a hot broth (I forgot what it’s called… *le sigh*) along with a bowl of rice with some mentaiko on top.

So once you’ve ordered and paid, you can take a seat wherever you find room. After about 5 minutes our food was ready and the waiter kindly brought it to us. My mentaiko bowl came out with my boyfriend’s curry udon. XD

The food was so simple, yet so full of flavor. Sometimes the best things are simply served, no fancy frills or anything; just good simple food. The servings were pretty generous too! We were pleasantly full after we left, I even had some of my rice bowl packed to go.

There’s not a lot of small “mom and pop” type of restaurants in Boynton Beach, Florida so I really enjoyed the experience. I wish that there were more of these types of places in Florida, but as my boyfriend so aptly put it, they wouldn’t survive out in Florida. It’s true, most of the time if you aren’t a franchise then you aren’t making it out here. *sigh* It’s sad too, because I had some of the best food I’ve ever tasted in my life in these small out of the way restaurants in California.

Ichimiann Bamboo Garden
1618 Cravens Ave
Torrance, California
(310) 328-1323

California: Patisserie Chantilly (Lomita)

Our second day of free time in California, we spent our time in and about Lomita. There were several stops on our list that day: Patisserie Chantilly, Ichimiann Bamboo Garden, Gaja Moc, Mitsuwa Marketplace, and Shin-sen-gumi. I’m only going to post about one eatery at a time though. =)

Our first stop was Gaja Moc, since it was right next to Patisserie Chantilly. I thought we could get okomomiyaki for lunch and then have some dessert right next door. Sadly Gaja Moc wasn’t open when we arrived, so we went straight to dessert (next time I’m noting hours/days of operation).

Patisserie Chantilly, just like Jin Patisserie, is touted as a fusion of Japanese and French desserts. True, it seems like an odd combination, but the outcome is truly oishii! We were greeted as we walked in the front door by this sight:

I was truly awestruck by the beautiful presentation of each and every dessert in the display case. If I had my druthers, I would have bought one of each dessert; however we had a pretty full eating schedule ahead of us (we had more places we wanted to eat, than actual meals per day) so we only indulged in two pieces each.

Wilson chose to order a Mont Blanc. It had swirls of chestnut paste which gently wrapped their signature Chantilly cream with chestnuts imported from Japan inside.

I’m a sucker for strawberries, so I ordered a Mont Fraise. It’s a strawberry mousse on a crispy tart with milk jelly, strawberries and cream. We also picked up a mini cheese bar, which is basically a piece of creamy cheesecake in bite sized stick form (it’s next to my Mont Fraise). ^_^

Patisserie Chantilly’s cream puffs are delicious! The cream is light and delicate and since they are filled to order, the pate a chou stays light and flaky. We passed on purchasing a chocolate cream puff, but we bought one black sesame cream puff and one filled with their Chantilly crème, which is more of a vanilla crème.

I especially loved the black sesame cream puff as the black sesame added a delicate nutty flavor to the cream! Now if only I can figure out a way to have them ship the cream puffs to Florida… *schemes*

Patisserie Chantilly
2383 Lomita Blvd.
Lomita, CA
(310) 257-9454

Hiro Yakko San's (redux) - North Miami Beach

For the past few weeks, we have been making roller skating excursions down to Kendall. The boys love to roller skate and I like to pretend I can jam skate as they practice their moves and routines. I’m more of a figure skater and at home on the ice, but jam skating is slowly growing on me.


On the long car drive home, I have been pushing the idea of stopping by Hiro Yakko-san’s for dinner since it is open late (2am on weekdays and 3am on the weekends). This was only after I learned how far we actually drove to get skating. I was previously under the assumption we were west of Dania and not deep into Homestead. We usually get out of skating around 10:30pm and it’s roughly a little after 11:00pm by the time we make it to the restaurant.


So this post is going to be an amalgamation of the past two visits to this establishment and only of the dishes that I have not yet reviewed. First up is the zaru-soba! Basically this is a cold buck wheat noodle dish served with a dipping sauce on the side. You are given scallions and wasabi to add to the sauce until it suits your tastes. For me, that meant I was only adding scallions as I dislike the taste of wasabi. However, I found the flavor profile of the soba to be quite bland without the wasabi added. No, I didn’t add the wasabi to find out if I liked it more that way. Sorry guys, I’m just not the wasabi type of girl.

Takoyaki is a quintessential Japanese snack food from Osaka, Japan. Fried balls of molten cheesy goodness that surrounds a “tako” (octopus) center. It’s frequently topped with bonito flakes, a special mayonnaise, and a takoyaki sauce. I have tried really hard to fall in love with this dish, but I just can not. I’ve eaten it several times at Yakko-san’s, once at another Japanese izakaya in South Florida, and twice in California to no avail. I just don’t think takoyaki is my thing. To Yakko-san’s credit, they are the best takoyaki I have ever eaten, but it doesn’t mean they are on my list of favorite things to eat.

On the other hand, I simply adore their onigiris (riceballs). It’s a simple dish, like most of the food they serve, executed perfectly. My favorite onigiri to order is the mentaiko (spicy cod fish roe) onigiri. I love the combination of spicy and slightly salty to complement the sushi rice. Even the rice has an ever so perceptible flavor which I can’t pinpoint, but it is definitely not bland.

I love mackerel, so when I saw mackerel as one of the specials of the day, I immediately ordered a portion. “Aji Himono” was described on the menu as being half dried Japanese Mackerel grilled and lightly salted. It was served with a small side of grated daikon and a slice of lemon. The fish was cooked perfectly and the bones were crisp enough to eat. The dish truly came together when you squeezed the lemon over the fish and ate each piece with a bit of daikon. The accompaniments added the perfect accent to the slight smokiness of the mackerel.

The boys have taken to ordering the yakiniku beef. They love it so much they have dubbed it “crack beef” for its addictive taste. I don’t blame them, the beef is always cooked perfectly (medium) and is always tender. The sauce itself is very addictive and goes great over rice! My boyfriend always pours the remnants of the sauce into his rice bowl. XD

The boys love their curry and it’s inevitable that a curry dish is going to be ordered (if not several). Curry Chicken Katsu is a breaded chicken cutlet served on top of a bed of rice with a side of curry. Chicken is a proteins which dried out very quickly if cooked incorrectly. As such, I usually avoid ordering chicken when I go out to eat. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the cutlet was tender and moist! The curry served on the side is the ubiquitous Japanese curry served in this establishment. Not to say it isn’t good, it’s delicious. But if you are ordering a curry dish, the curry is going to remain the same while the protein may change.

The boys’ love of curry knows no boundaries, so yet another curry dish was ordered. The beef curry was reminiscent of curry chicken katsu, except beef was substituted for the chicken cutlet. The beef seems to have been slow cooked with in the curry and fell apart/melted in your mouth. I definitely prefer this dish over the chicken katsu, despite my predilection for fried foods. =)

I’m sure there will be many more excursions to Yakko-san’s. I just can’t get enough of the Japanese tapas and their ever rotating and seasonal specials. It helps a lot that their prices are also quite affordable, though with the amount of food I order (our eyes are bigger than our stomachs usually) we usually leave with quite a sizeable check. It’s an average of $25 per person when we visit, so not horrible for an evening out and the superb quality of the food prepared.

Hiro's Yakko-San
(305) 947-0064
17040 W Dixie Hwy
North Miami Beach, FL 33160

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