Japan food thread

[stars87]

i have ate at matsuya in japan before, i believe yoshinoya in singapore serves the exact tasting version in japan. Even there is a difference, it is only a difference in the types of combos sold, and maybe very little taste difference. U dun need to buy a ticket to fly to japan to eat fast food quality japanese food that are easily prepared in fast food chains or convenient stores. we have yoshinoya and tori q in singapore, all these are cheap and not bad quality, do you wan to go japan and eat similar type of food??? If it is so, then this is no means a japan food thread.

These kind of places are usually frequented by people who usually have no time to eat or on the rush. About expensive and all the ****.. most working japanese males often go to izayakas at night and spend hell loads of money there.. could be anything from 6000 yen and above.

Most restaurants have set lunches that cost less than 2500 yen.. Most tourists are just afraid to walk into a restaurant because of their lack of japanese language skill and lack of adventure.

some people in hwz have posted about ichiran and all those stuff.. they are quite popular are usually have queues... but all these are juz some good stuff out of the big ocean out there... yesterday i have juz found out another ramen stall that really attracted me very much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGyANEJmgPE

i pretty much disagree. for instance, yoshinoya singapore use australian beef. yoshinoya japan uses american beef. they taste much better with alot more flavour and texture primarily being in the way they are fed. australian beef is generally tends to be grazing / grass / hay fed whereas american beef tends to be grain or corn fed. totally different taste. totally different beef rice.

and take for instance how you order. in singapore its fast food style, order and take to somewhere and eat. in japan you seat in a U shaped bar counter where the food is prepared in front of you and served to you. totally different. sometimes, even quirky in the style that the food is prepared on the 1st floor but u have a 2nd floor kitchen and 3rd floor kitchen in the same U shaped manner where you are served food by a food elevator system (yoshinoya akihabara)

sometimes eating is not simply about the food content as well, its about the atmosphere the service and enjoyment value of the meal. this would be pretty standard across the board be it eating at restaurants or simple roadside food.

i think you are missing that point. there's no hard and fast rule saying : eating at this place means you are eating quality japanese food / genuine japanese dining experience. nothing wrong about the places you are suggesting, nor with others. this thread is about sharing and discussion not establishing absolutes.

this thread is about the sharing and reminiscing of those experiences. nothing definite or authoritative about it if thats what u intend to mean. if you want a food guide, go buy makansutra.

 

[mroneder]

smallkuku, are currently staying in Japan? Or do you travel to Japan often? Because you sound like you have been there, done that. So much so that you won't even bat an eyelid at the heartland/fastfood japanese food! I can empathize as I'm always looking for the best restaurant in Singapore, having gotten sick of hawker food and the same old restaurants. Having said that, perhaps this thread is not at your level... I think most of us here are tourists and even if there is yoshinoya back in Singapore, it's still worth checking them out in Japan. Because Japanese eat their beef bowl with soft boiled or raw egg and small differences like that fascinate me.

I was adventurous enough to try out a few restaurants for their set lunch despite the language barrier.It was no big deal, most established restaurant had English menus. I had painstakingly researched on these restaurants from the internet, and was eager to share how good their food are here, only to be dismissed as "nothing impressive", "there's an even better one elsewhere". And quite self-righteously too.

I immediately feel sian 1/2...it's not a very nice feeling. And it's not because I have missed out on the best/need-to-be-booked-three-months-in-advance restaurants there is in Japan.

 

[smallkuku]

i pretty much disagree. for instance, yoshinoya singapore use australian beef. yoshinoya japan uses american beef. they taste much better with alot more flavour and texture primarily being in the way they are fed. australian beef is generally tends to be grazing / grass / hay fed whereas american beef tends to be grain or corn fed. totally different taste. totally different beef rice.

and take for instance how you order. in singapore its fast food style, order and take to somewhere and eat. in japan you seat in a U shaped bar counter where the food is prepared in front of you and served to you. totally different. sometimes, even quirky in the style that the food is prepared on the 1st floor but u have a 2nd floor kitchen and 3rd floor kitchen in the same U shaped manner where you are served food by a food elevator system (yoshinoya akihabara)

sometimes eating is not simply about the food content as well, its about the atmosphere the service and enjoyment value of the meal. this would be pretty standard across the board be it eating at restaurants or simple roadside food.

i think you are missing that point. there's no hard and fast rule saying : eating at this place means you are eating quality japanese food / genuine japanese dining experience. nothing wrong about the places you are suggesting, nor with others. this thread is about sharing and discussion not establishing absolutes.

this thread is about the sharing and reminiscing of those experiences. nothing definite or authoritative about it if thats what u intend to mean. if you want a food guide, go buy makansutra.

prior to the lift on the US beef ban during 2006... all beef bowl chains in japan had been beef from other countries.. i believe some of these chains still continue to use other sources for their beef.. yoshinoya jp still uses 10% of australian corn fed beef in addition to us beef.

I have stated earlier.. do you want to eat something in japan that the u can find in singapore??? many japanese restaurants in singapore have quality standards that are rather high.. I have no problems if you or other forummers went to japan and ate some japanese food that you think was good... when u know there is something back in singapore that is of comparable quality...

 

[samshio]

smallkuku, are currently staying in Japan? Or do you travel to Japan often? Because you sound like you have been there, done that. So much so that you won't even bat an eyelid at the heartland/fastfood japanese food! I can empathize as I'm always looking for the best restaurant in Singapore, having gotten sick of hawker food and the same old restaurants. Having said that, perhaps this thread is not at your level... I think most of us here are tourists and even if there is yoshinoya back in Singapore, it's still worth checking them out in Japan. Because Japanese eat their beef bowl with soft boiled or raw egg and small differences like that fascinate me.

I was adventurous enough to try out a few restaurants for their set lunch despite the language barrier.It was no big deal, most established restaurant had English menus. I had painstakingly researched on these restaurants from the internet, and was eager to share how good their food are here, only to be dismissed as "nothing impressive", "there's an even better one elsewhere". And quite self-righteously too.

I immediately feel sian 1/2...it's not a very nice feeling. And it's not because I have missed out on the best/need-to-be-booked-three-months-in-advance restaurants there is in Japan.

If other people put down yr choices of restaurants, then it's their loss. I believe its better to share and let people make their own decisions. Your recommendations may not be to my liking, but still I would like to know it in case my friends or family may like it.

So go ahead and post. Just do not boast that it's the best XXX in the world, cause you know that's going to attract all sorts of attacks.

Just post in an informative and objective view, and I am sure other readers will appreciate it.

 

[smallkuku]

that is the reason why i do not share exact details of the places i think its good. it irks me to see sinkies who do not appreciate good food eating in the same place as me

 

[stars87]

prior to the lift on the US beef ban during 2006... all beef bowl chains in japan had been beef from other countries.. i believe some of these chains still continue to use other sources for their beef.. yoshinoya jp still uses 10% of australian corn fed beef in addition to us beef.

fyi, yoshinoya actually stopped sales of beef bowl for a period as they couldnt find a reasonable quality substitute for US beef.

and if you wanna pick a bone, read this

http://www.madcowblog.com/2006/09/a...hinoya-announces-resumption-of-hit-beef-bowl/

they never sold AUSTRALIAN beef bowl rice. grilled beef maybe but NEVER BEEF bowl rice. dont come here and spout your nonsense about them being the same. australian beef and US beef is as different as cheddar and edam cheese. cant quite compare. our singaporean yoshinoya FYI have been serving aussie beef since their inception.

if youve even bothered to read between the lines of my post , you'd have realised i meant that yoshinoya japan not = to yoshinoya singapore. if something is different and you think its worth the effort to check it out and eat it, by all means whatever floats your boat. but dont condemn others for deciding otherwise.

that is the reason why i do not share exact details of the places i think its good. it irks me to see sinkies who do not appreciate good food eating in the same place as me

you seem to have a incapacity to appreciate the irony that you present?

 

[samshio]

that is the reason why i do not share exact details of the places i think its good. it irks me to see sinkies who do not appreciate good food eating in the same place as me

What's the point of posting then, if not to share ?

to gloat or to boast ?

 

[stars87]

What's the point of posting then, if not to share ?

to gloat or to boast ?

i think its time to hang this sign up

DNFTT time

 

[smallkuku]

http://www.yoshinoya.com/shop/menu/pdf/leaf.pdf

and pls read the entire chapter of yoshinoya in wikipedia japan

 

[smallkuku]

fyi, yoshinoya actually stopped sales of beef bowl for a period as they couldnt find a reasonable quality substitute for US beef.

and if you wanna pick a bone, read this

http://www.madcowblog.com/2006/09/a...hinoya-announces-resumption-of-hit-beef-bowl/

they never sold AUSTRALIAN beef bowl rice. grilled beef maybe but NEVER BEEF bowl rice. dont come here and spout your nonsense about them being the same. australian beef and US beef is as different as cheddar and edam cheese. cant quite compare. our singaporean yoshinoya FYI have been serving aussie beef since their inception.

if youve even bothered to read between the lines of my post , you'd have realised i meant that yoshinoya japan not = to yoshinoya singapore. if something is different and you think its worth the effort to check it out and eat it, by all means whatever floats your boat. but dont condemn others for deciding otherwise.



you seem to have a incapacity to appreciate the irony that you present?

i only mentioned that beef bowl chains did not use american beef prior to 2006, and i did not singled out yoshinoya and said that they were serving australian beef bowl.. I said all gyudon chains were serving beef from other countries..

All i can tink of now is that u are putting words into what i am saying..

And as of now, U can see from the pdf and an article in wikipedia japan. from the yoshinoya pdf file, u can clearly see that they use beef from other parts of the world（その他） other than US（米国） for their beef bowl（牛丼）

 

[stars87]

i only mentioned that beef bowl chains did not use american beef prior to 2006, and i did not singled out yoshinoya and said that they were serving australian beef bowl.. I said all gyudon chains were serving beef from other countries..

All i can tink of now is that u are putting words into what i am saying..

And as of now, U can see from the pdf and an article in wikipedia japan. from the yoshinoya pdf file, u can clearly see that they use beef from other parts of the world（その他） other than US（米国） for their beef bowl（牛丼）

ok! you win. i was wrong on yoshinoya being 100% american beef. but i still dont think singapore yoshinoya = japanese yoshinoya. many more differences but i dont see the point of sharing it with you. you dont appear to be interested in sharing or appreciating it anyway.

All i can tink of now is that u are putting words into what i am saying..

dont think i did or will , i'd answer your doubts with my perspective on the whole issue. i personally share the same sentiments as you but maybe in a slightly different way or means of interpretation :

it irks me to see sinkies who[i.e: you] do not appreciate good food eating in the same place as me

i believe the same would apply to having some respect for others opinion of where and what to eat.

having the good graces to be a little more sensitive of how others might PERCEIVE or interpret your comments would stand you in good stead.

 

[panDaz]

alright.. lets get back to the topic, which is not about where yoshinoya gets beef from, we all know it taste different in singapore and japan.

anyone else has good and cheap food to introduce? (u are free to SHARE pictures/places of good, high quality food too.. but if you are uncomfortable with inviting us to your favourite restaurants, then stop criticising other people's taste. Sharing information has nothing wrong at all, and no one is in the position to criticise what is "good" or "bad".)

I'll be going there for a year, already planning to try out some of the places u guys posted, like the unagi place and sushi dai. looks damn good! Keep these posts coming! I'll love to visit places u have been to, or places u wanna go to. (If my budget allows me to.. lol..) I'll go take pictures and post them up here. Let's make this thread full of good food to drool at!

 

[stars87]

alright.. lets get back to the topic, which is not about where yoshinoya gets beef from, we all know it taste different in singapore and japan.

anyone else has good and cheap food to introduce? (u are free to SHARE pictures/places of good, high quality food too.. but if you are uncomfortable with inviting us to your favourite restaurants, then stop criticising other people's taste. Sharing information has nothing wrong at all, and no one is in the position to criticise what is "good" or "bad".)

I'll be going there for a year, already planning to try out some of the places u guys posted, like the unagi place and sushi dai. looks damn good! Keep these posts coming! I'll love to visit places u have been to, or places u wanna go to. (If my budget allows me to.. lol..) I'll go take pictures and post them up here. Let's make this thread full of good food to drool at!

cool !

uni exchange trip ? or rotating work there ? wonderful. you should try a maid cafe and tsukiji once. its kinda like quintessential quirky or weird japan experience imho.

dont keep coins, use them in vending machines. plenty of weird stuff all over the place. but surprise surprise ! melon milk isnt tt common there (mislead by too much anime) . learnt from harsh experience that MELON juice isnt MELON milk. quite a disgusting drink (melon juice) totally tastes and looks a world apart. just look at F&N fruitade and imagine a drink with the same colour but an even more horrible taste. thats somewhere about the level of melon juice. no kidding. avoid it like the plague. its terrible.

i love the variety of stuff you can get from vending machines. never ending array of surprises. my personal favourite in osaka was this hokkaido milk + fruit punch drink. before you go all "ewwwwwwwwwwwww" i must say. its the best damned drink ive ever had. great taste too. kinda like melon milk but with a fruity aftertaste.

japanese chocolates are fantastically wide ranging as well. dars is uber cheap there if you like dars.

shakey's pizza has a 1000 yen pizza "viking"/buffet. eat all you want but u need to bring 4 people or something like that. seems pretty cool. people were queuing up for it all over the place be it in ikebukuro and in shibuya. pretty great spread according to the menu, pasta, pizza, soups and sweets. but i didnt have the time to try.

 

[panDaz]

Yup, i'm going for an exchange~ Will be in Tokyo!

Shall avoid the melon drink.. well, maybe try once to see how disgusting it is.. lol..

I tried this milk from the vending machine the last time I was there. It wasn't too bad, but I prefer the fresh milk there. I tried it once like 4 years back, it tasted so good, I'm so gonna drink it every day. Haha..

I love the small bottles that they have for their drinks too, especially the Qoo ones. It's just so cute! Cannot find this size in SG.

I like their pocky too, all the snacks are just cheaper there.. haha..

Shall look out for the pizza buffet. Will go there when we are super hungry or something. 1000yen for a pizza buffet sounds good!

(Yup, I take pictures of almost everything I eat.. lolx!)

 

[stars87]

I like their pocky too, all the snacks are just cheaper there.. haha..

Shall look out for the pizza buffet. Will go there when we are super hungry or something. 1000yen for a pizza buffet sounds good!

(Yup, I take pictures of almost everything I eat.. lolx!)

awesome !

btw which uni will u be studying at ? todai ?

 

[panDaz]

no la.. not clever enough for that.. lol.. going to waseda..

 

[stars87]

no la.. not clever enough for that.. lol.. going to waseda..

awesome la !

btw you majoring in jap studies at NUS is it ? just a random guess.

let me know whats the exchange program like over there !! i m thinking of going too but havent applied yet.

another die die must try ! go eat okonomoyaki in osaka. after u eat that there, you will never want to eat anything like that in singapore again. it simply cannot be compared. totally different standards. like eating chalk and cheese.

since you going there on a student visa i am not too sure about how you can travel or can you buy rail pass. but during your term break there, you might wanna consider getting the seishun 18 kippu (student rail pass)

it cant be used on shinkansen but u can use unlimited local express trains to get from tokyo to osaka. apparently is a 9 hour journey but certain midnight trains qualify for it. pretty fun according to what i heard. might wanna give it a shot this winter when its avaliable

 

[samshio]

awesome la !

btw you majoring in jap studies at NUS is it ? just a random guess.

let me know whats the exchange program like over there !! i m thinking of going too but havent applied yet.

another die die must try ! go eat okonomoyaki in osaka. after u eat that there, you will never want to eat anything like that in singapore again. it simply cannot be compared. totally different standards. like eating chalk and cheese.

since you going there on a student visa i am not too sure about how you can travel or can you buy rail pass. but during your term break there, you might wanna consider getting the seishun 18 kippu (student rail pass)

it cant be used on shinkansen but u can use unlimited local express trains to get from tokyo to osaka. apparently is a 9 hour journey but certain midnight trains qualify for it. pretty fun according to what i heard. might wanna give it a shot this winter when its avaliable

yummy, okonomiyaki ... anyone has any good recommendations ?

will be leaving for osaka on sat

 

[stars87]

yummy, okonomiyaki ... anyone has any good recommendations ?

will be leaving for osaka on sat

eh ! have fun my friend. do go enjoy yourself.

i dont know if this is the standard but i thoroughly enjoyed it. pretty nice tasting.

when you get off the osakako station to get to the kaikuan aquarium, walk down the street and you will see a lawsons keep walking straight. on the opposite there should be a mcdonalds. pass it and cross one junction (no worries, hardly any cars there).

there should be one okonomoyaki store with a giant beer bottle outside on its display. the interior looks grubby and sort of run down. but it practically exudes warmth. kinda like one of those small mom and pop eateries.

the okonomoyaki is prepared on a giant central hot plate and is then pushed to a hotplate in front of you. but in a bar kinda setting. cant explain it to you and i dont have a picture of it cos i worried the owner would get pissed off if i took pictures

pretty wide range of flavours too. tried one normal and one other flavour (cant remember) at the lawson's you can find the cheapest takoyaki in japan (24 for 500 yen). its this tiny tiny window shoppe right beside the lawsons at osakako station( not too sure if its the right station but its the line to cosmosquare. the stop just before cosmosquare)

for the really super awesome "authentic" number 1 okonomoyaki, according to fodor's and lonely planet, they are located somewhere around dontembori. several shops too.

 

[samshio]

eh ! have fun my friend. do go enjoy yourself.

i dont know if this is the standard but i thoroughly enjoyed it. pretty nice tasting.

when you get off the osakako station to get to the kaikuan aquarium, walk down the street and you will see a lawsons keep walking straight. on the opposite there should be a mcdonalds. pass it and cross one junction (no worries, hardly any cars there).

there should be one okonomoyaki store with a giant beer bottle outside on its display. the interior looks grubby and sort of run down. but it practically exudes warmth. kinda like one of those small mom and pop eateries.

the okonomoyaki is prepared on a giant central hot plate and is then pushed to a hotplate in front of you. but in a bar kinda setting. cant explain it to you and i dont have a picture of it cos i worried the owner would get pissed off if i took pictures

pretty wide range of flavours too. tried one normal and one other flavour (cant remember) at the lawson's you can find the cheapest takoyaki in japan (24 for 500 yen). its this tiny tiny window shoppe right beside the lawsons at osakako station( not too sure if its the right station but its the line to cosmosquare. the stop just before cosmosquare)

for the really super awesome "authentic" number 1 okonomoyaki, according to fodor's and lonely planet, they are located somewhere around dontembori. several shops too.

thanks bro. Will be going to the aquarium on sunday, will try to find it for lunch.

probably will try cui-daore (the clown restuarant) when I'm at dontonbori