Archive for July, 2010

Pousse Cafe Restaurant, Yonago, Tottori – Japan

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Pousse Cafe

Pousse Cafe Restaurant, Tel. 0859-32-6688 is located on the second floor with a separate entrance up a stairway from the street. It has been proven to me to be consistently good over a long period of time, and is run by Mr. Kanyou Tsubokura, the same manager/chef that has been there for years. The restaurant focuses mainly on French bistro cooking, with the occasional Italian dish, to give a bit of diversification.  It is a comfortable place with a good view of the tree lined street below. On this latest visit the tuna was very good along with the tomato salad, pork belly and the outstanding potato crusted snapper with fresh basil leaves.

Pousse Cafe, Panna CottaA well made Vichyssoise was a good choice for a summer lunch

Tuna sushi, wasabi & ponsu saucetuna sashimi with wasabi and ponsu sauce

tomato salad with oil and sesame seedsTomato salad with oil and sesame seeds

Pousse CafeMarinated tuna with tapenade

Pousse CafePork belly sandwiched between zucchini slices

Pousse CafeSnapper with basil in shredded potato crust

Panna CottaPanna Cotta

Tampopo Curry Restaurant, Yonago, Tottori – Japan

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

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In downtown Yonago, Tottori prefecture, Japan, Tampopo has a small, bright and cheerful room with a counter-bar containing mainly tables for deuces, with one four top near the entrance. Their specialty is curry and they have a large assortment with a changing daily menu, all of the plates I tried were very good and they have on offer other dishes in the evening such as roasted chicken.

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Sushi Waka, Yonago, Tattori – Japan

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Sushi Waka

Sushi Waka is a conveyor belt operation, but don’t get the idea that it is the normal, tired-looking sushi traveling around and around endlessly on a belt. This place has the freshest sushi you can hope to obtain anywhere, as it is situated in the port city of Yonago in southern Japan. Actually, since my wife’s brother Eiji Kagawa and his wife Kumi are friendly with the owners, all orders were hand-delivered, and everything we sampled was excellent.

Below: a really fresh scallop

Scallops

TunaMaguro tuna

GingerPickled ginger

UniSea Urchin roe (Uni)

scallopsScallops

Computer Ordering 2Selecting your order on a touch screen by computer

SakeSake

Ice Cream Three cousins eating ice cream: Reina, Hoshino and Akiko

Sommelier 2010, Dusit Thani Hotel, Napalai Ballroom – Bangkok

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

Sommelier 2010, Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok

Sommelier 2010 took place last night at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Napalai Ballroom from 6-midnight. Over 100 wine labels were available for tasting. It was a fun evening and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Sommelier 2010

Sommelier 2010 Dusit Thani Hotel