Thai Festival Tokyo 2006

Yoyogi Park May 13^th – 14^th 2006

Well the rain certainly didn’t keep the crowds away from this year’s Thai Festival.

We finally got motivated to leave the house today at around 11am.  By the time we arrived at Yoyogi-koen it was pretty wet and dismal, however the festival was in full swing and the crowds were eating drinking and having a wonderful time.As I wrote earlier, this festival is one of my favourite yearly foodie events.  I love my Thai food and this is a great way to eat some tried and true favourites from various restaurants around Tokyo.  There must have been nearly 40 restaurants represented there today and they all had something I had a hankering for! 

I should of course mention that the festival also showcases arts, crafts, Thai products and services etc.

So, what did I shove in my face today… fish cakes, satays, duck soup, fried dumpling, tapioca, singha beer, po pia thot, crispy chicken, garlic fried prawns, chicken with holy basil, mangosteen… well, to be honest… yes.  I went with a friend and between us we ate far too much.  We didn’t always pick well, as some stalls/restaurants are naturally better then others, and we didn’t always finish each dish, but we did sample a lot of Thai food.  Anyway, here is a list of some of the restaurants we tried and enjoyed: Pho Thai (always a fav), Chao-Thai, Baan Rim Pa, Thai Country (the only Thai I’ve had in Shinjuku) and Krung Siam (though I am sure there were many more that we excellent… these are just the one’s I can remember).  I can only strongly vouch for Pho Thai as an actual restaurant, as I have eaten in its actual restaurant often and always enjoyed my meals there (the quality one expects from a food stall and a restaurant differ considerably after all).

At the festival you can also stock up on Thai cooking goods (coconut milk, fresh herbs, Thai soy sauce) and imported tropical fruits.  We got a box of mangosteen and I doubt it’s going to last long!  I’m posting this on the Saturday, so for those of you who read this in time and still want to go, you have tomorrow to make your way there and enjoy all that the Tokyo Thai Festival has to offer!

 

Cafe Dance

Café Dance   7-8-4 Roppongi Minato-ku Tokyo  Ph: 03-3478-7177

We had long been looking at the wine list on Café Dance’s website and longing to go.  It’s funny how you can plan to go somewhere for so long and just never get there… luckily we made it to Café Dance last night.

Roppongi is a place I usually avoid at all costs.  It doesn’t feel like Tokyo and there are so many nicer places to spend time.  That being said, Café Dance was worth the trip. The wine list is excellent and varied.  They import a number of wines not available anywhere else and their prices are very reasonable.

Having already been the Australian Wine Tasting event prior, we were already pretty “socially lubricated” and so decided to stick with just wine by the glass.  The owner (who was so friendly and accommodating) allowed us to taste a couple of the glass wines before we made our selection, which was an added bonus.  I had a glass of Best’s Late Harvest Riesling which was subtle and not too sweet and then I followed this up with a delicious glass of Joseph Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.  Joseph (Primo Estate) is only available at Café Dance. 

Food wise we mainly picked at Hors D'oeuvres: prawn and avocado salad, some cheese, prawn and basil wantons, pickles and then I had the veal in port vinegar sauce and my friend had the grilled scallops.  The food was simple and not overly priced, but clearly the wine is the main event.

Café Dance obviously has a lot of regular customers and we could see why.  The service is relaxed, attentive and friendly.  We’ll certainly be going back!

Wine Australia Tasting 2006

Radisson Miyako Hotel Tokyo (Friday May 12^th 2006)

Last night I attended an Australian wine tasting event at the Radisson Miyako Hotel.  It was a great event and amazing to see the amount of people interested in Australian wine.  There were a great number of wineries that already have distribution in Japan, but also a large number of wineries looking for distributors. 

Some of the highlights for me were; Sally’s Paddock, Skillogalee Wines, Bass Phillip Wine, King Island Cheese, Wild Duck Creek, Cullen, Leeuwin Estate and Wynns Coonawarra Estate.  I also lucked out at a stall serving Maggie Beer Quince Paste, I was telling some Japanese people what a wonderful product it was and the rep gave me a free Quince Paste for my “excellent sales pitch”.  Little bit of wine and I’m gushing I guess.

It was interesting for me to see the wines looking for representation and the number of people interested in (and aware of) Australian wine.  I have long been interested in starting an Australian wine shop (with tasting bar) or an Australian food purveyor here in Tokyo.  If I won the lottery tomorrow it would be my business of choice, so it was interesting to see that it could be quite successful.

If you missed this year’s event, then I suggest you keep an eye on the Australian Wine Office site and hope that they run the event next year too.  It was a great event and enjoyable for amateurs (like me) as well as connoisseurs.

THAI FESTIVAL 2006

Tokyo's Thai Festival runs this weekend (May 13-14) in Yoyogi-Koen from 10am to 8pm.

 

It's a great event! 

Thai Festival 2006 .
Date: 13-14 May 2006, 10.00-20.00hrs.
Venue: Yoyogi Park in Shibuya-ward, Tokyo How to access:
– 10 minutes walk from Yoyogi-Hachiman station (Odakyu Line)
– 10 minutes walk from Harajuku station (JR)
– 7 minutes walk from Yoyogi-Kouen station (Chiyoda Line)
– 10 minutes walk from Shibuya station

Wines That I’ve Enjoyed

Here is a list that I'll continue to update as it grows.

I have a number of favourite wines, but this is a list of wines that I've enjoyed recently (in no particular order).

And the wines are…

Delatite Dead Man's Hill Gewurztraminer 2004

Giaconda Nantua les Deux 2000

Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Dalwinnie Moonambel Shiraz 2000

Annie's Lane Coppertrail Shiraz 2000

Penfolds St.Henri Shiraz 1998/01

 Coonawarra,
originally uploaded by eattokyo.

Underground Mr. Zoogunzoo

Australian Wine Bar & Seafood Restaurant

http://www.unitedf.com/zoogunzoo

AoyamaCity Bld. B1F  2-9-11 Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-0002

Tel & Fax: 03-3400-1496

Open: 18:00 – Midnight.  Closed Sundays and Public Holidays

Underground Mr. Zoogunzoo has been a favourite restaurant/wine bar of mine since I stumbled onto it a few years ago, however I hadn't been there for quite some time.  Last night we ventured back and had an average meal, but some excellent wine.  From memory the food was better the last time we were there, so I don't want to say that it's not a good place to eat, but I will say this: Zoogunzoo is a place to go and drink Australian wine.  The food is secondary to the wine and the portions reflect this.  Arossa (also in Shibuya) has a better menu, but I love the atmosphere at Zoogunzoo.  The wine list has also decreased dramatically from when I was last there, but they had some good wines and the staff was very helpful and attentive.

Last night we both had a glass of white wine to start.  I had the Shaw & Smith 2001 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay (which was excellent) and my friend had a Turkeyflat Semillon.  My friend had the Tai Carpaccio and I had a duck confit in salad.  I followed my salad with penne gorgonzola and we shared a plate of olives and pickles.  The penne was wonderfully rich and there was enough on the plate for both of us to share.  We then ordered a bottle of Elderton Barossa 2002 Shiraz which was well priced and full-bodied.  For the mains I had the grilled lamb (which was small and not as good as I had hoped) and my friend had the Duck confit (a much better portion size, but unfortunately rather salty).  For dessert we had the Honey ice-cream with a shot of espresso and the chocolate terrine.  Both were excellent and the rich chocolate terrine went wonderfully with the Pfeiffer Rutherglen Tokay.

Not a cheap meal by any standards, but it was enjoyable.  I suggest going for the wine and just having a dish or two to compliment the wine, rather then going there famished like we did.

Underground Mr. Zoogunzoo has the feeling like a cave.  The walls have been rendered in a cracked mud like finish and the lighting works well to create a feeling of being underground.  The BGM was subtle and the staff was attentive and knowledgeable on their wines. 

Zoogunzoo lists itself as an Australia Wine Bar & Seafood Restaurant.  I suggest you think of it more as a wine bar.  It’s a wonderful haven to stop off at for a glass of wine and you’ll find them only too happy to have you.  Not pretentious or flashy, Zoogunzoo is a place I’ll be returning to – not to eat dinner, but to have a little food alongside a few glasses of delicious Australian wine.

The owner also has a restaurant in Ebisu specializing in New Zealand wine: Aotea Rangi http://www.unitedf.com/aotea_rangi

The House of Mao Noodles

The House of Mao
The House of Mao Noodles is a great little noodle shop located in Sendagi, Tokyo. Their Tantanmen (spicy sesame flavoured noodles) is one of the best versions on Tantanmen that I have ever had.

Today I had the ebi-soba, which is a light and clear broth served with lightly battered and seasoned prawns, thinly sliced negi and a couple of slices of lemon (nice touch). I also had a half-serve of fried rice, which is plain but delicious. My co-eater had the tantanmen and a half-serve of fried rice and his bowl was empty at the end.

The House of Mao Noodles is called 毛家麺店 in Japanese and can be found at 3-33-12 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku. It's on Shinobazu dori, right near an exit for the Chiyoda line's Sendagi station.

Highly recommended.

 Tantanmen

 Ebi-soba