j grub
january 28, 2005
haven't grubbed on japanese food in awhile (er, 1 week or so) so i was in the mood for something that would whet my appetite since i've lost nearly all use of my tastebuds recently. but...i didn't want any of the typical fare such as chicken teriyaki or tempura. so this is what i got tonight to share:
baby volcano - white fish, scallops, smelt eggs all topped with mayo mixture and then broiled to perfection. underneath the mixture was a bed of white rice wrapped in nori and topped off with a handful of the waving bonito. do any of you ever notice the bonito waving when the food arrives? it's like they're in some parade or something. observe next time kudasai.
my local eatery recently rolled out a new menu of sorts. it's an extension of the things they usually offer and there are some nouveau eclectic stuff that i've been wanting to try. although i make poke for myself at times, i wanted to give their version of poke a try.
poke - sliced maguro on a bed of julienned cucumbers all tossed in a delicate marinade of sesame oil, chili oil & shoyu. i really loved this dish as the poke i usually have in hawaii is a bit too salty for me. but this one was really full in flavor without being overbearing on the saltiness factor. i also found the balance of the sesame oil to be just right in combination with the spiciness of the chili oil. i can definitely eat this one all by myself next time! mm mm mm.
caterpillar roll - unagi, smelt eggs & tamago all rolled up maki style with a shell of avocados & sesame. you can say that i'm one of those sushi snobs that doesen't go for maki rolls that are too strange. i've been to a lot of so-called japanese restaurants where they have 50 types of rolls. overkill i say. don't get me wrong - i love maki rolls but when they start putting all sorts of weird shit in there, i think restauranteurs are trying a little too hard to be different. but i ordered a caterpillar roll tonight as i wanted something filling with a fusion of mind-blowing flavors. and plus, i like the look of the roll from above - it's like i'm eating caterpillars.
i just realized that i haven't updated this often in a really really long time. i forgot what it was like to update over 20+ entries in one month. back in the day that was what a typical month was like but now, i'm lucky if i even write up 13 entries, let alone over 20! hopefully this will be a sign of the year to come on this site as i updated pathetically little in 2004.
^ the daily (for the time being) gratuitous body shot
