Dec 03, 2018
Food of Hiroshima
Most cities in Japan can boast exquisite and marvelous food, and many of them are rightly vaunted for it. Hiroshima, for all its international fame, is not one of them, and this is somewhat unfair in our opinion. Hiroshima cuisine is diverse and exciting and, most importantly, it is delicious.
Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki
Perhaps the best-known food of Hiroshima is its style of okonomiyaki. Of course, okonomiyaki – sometimes described as Japanse pizza or Japanese omelet – is most readily connected with Osaka, but many people cite the Hiroshima style, sometimes known as Hiro-yaki, as the most popular. The dish is cooked on a griddle and contains masses of cabbage, bacon and soba noodles sandwiched between layers of fried batter. Various toppings include mayonnaise, cheese, okonomiyaki sauce, eggs, and dried bonito flakes. A great place to find it is in Hiroshima’s Okonomimura – okonomiyaki village – where there are four floors of equally great restaurants from which to choose.
Oysters
With a history reaching back to the 16th century, Hiroshima prefecture’s oyster farming is responsible for 60-70% of Japan’s haul, so it is no surprise that ‘kaki’ is so popular here. Oysters fished in Hiroshima are large and plump, and are sold internationally as well as all across Japan with the springtime seeing large oyster festivals held in Tokyo and Nagoya. While in the west we expect our oyster to come raw, preferably on the half-shell and served with champagne, the Japanese take a far more prosaic, though extensive, attitude to the shellfish. Kaki-fry (deep fried) and kaki-don (baked and served on a bowl of rice) are the most likely way to find them served.
Tsukemen
If anyone was to ask you if you ‘like Hiroshima men’, they would probably be talking about Tsukemen. Possibly best described as ‘ramen’s strange cousin’ Tsukemen’s noodles are served cold in a dish separate from the broth with the intention of dipping before eating. The broth itself is served on an increasingly spicy scale chosen by the customer from one to five and so, if you take too many noodles at one time, the flavor can become a little overpowering. Dipping just two or three noodles in one go is advisable. Other ingredients include pork, eggs, cucumber, and cabbage among others.
Onomichi Ramen
If noodles are your thing, it is worth a trip out to Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture which among other things is famed for its Onomichi Ramen. Very similar to the soy sauce, or ‘shoyu’, ramen that you can find elsewhere in the country, there are perhaps two things that set the Onomichi style apart: one is the extra helpings of glutenous fat known as ‘seabura’ that, while sounding a little on the unappetizing side, actually enhance the flavor dramatically more than you will find with most shoyu ramen. The other is the heat at which it is served, in that it is scalding. Don’t be taken in by the little steam coming from your soup; this just means that the heavy layer of oil (thanks to the seabura) is retaining the heat. Proceed with caution.
Setouchi Seafood
Branching out from Onomichi are the islands of the Seto Inland Sea and, apart from the abundance of citrus fruit, this means primarily one thing: seafood. The Seto Inland Sea is one of the most productive seas in Japan supplying seafood specialties to the area including grilled eel for Miyajimaguchi, octopus for Mihara, and a shark called ‘wani’ for northern Hiroshima.
Momiji Manju
If anyone you know has visited Itsukushima shrine on the Hiroshima island of Miyajima, there is a good chance that they will have given you a souvenir of momiji manju. Manju, a cake made of a boiled dough pastry, are found all over Japan and are usually filled with red bean paste or flavored with Japanese green tea. The momiji manju of Miyajima are different in that, as their name suggests, they are not only shaped like a maple leaf, but have some of the flavor too. Created in the early 1900s to celebrate a local maple leaf viewing spot, they now come in many flavours including chocolate, cheese and custard.
Mark Guthrie
Main photo: flickr.com “Okonomiyaki – Hiroshima Style” by jlibrarianidol (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Oyster image by: Jason Gatewood
Tsukemen image by City Foodsters [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Onomichi ramen image by: chicatan from Onomichi, Hiroshima [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Dec 02, 2018
Mexican Food in Nagoya
Nagoya has a reasonable number of options available if you are looking for Mexican food. In order of preference, you can enjoy some pretty great Mexican eating at Los Tacos, Desperados, Los Novios, and Jerry’s Uno. Some people consider Bar Mexigan in Sakae a Mexican restaurant, but I can assure you that it is not. If all you want is a small selection of Mexican Beer and corn chips with sliced cheese on them you are in luck with Bar Mexigan. This opinion extends to “The Cerveza.” Neither of these options was added to this list, frankly because they suck. I wish I could tell you there were more options than this, or that tamales fell from the sky like rain, instead of being utterly unavailable, but this is what we have and to begin with in what we actually have; Los Tacos.
Los Tacos, Osu
Los Tacos has a limited selection to choose from, mostly consisting of tacos, and the food is of questionable cultural accuracy, but it’s consistent and tasty, and the cozy little spot has a nice Mexican feel to it. I have been going there for years, and I like it; more importantly, lots of other people like it. Get the beef tacos!
The lunch special is reasonably priced as well, but one taco is not going to do you. Be warned, but then again, who can eat just one taco? That is unpossible! From Osu Kannon Temple pass through the big red gate with the shopping arcade on your left side. Walk straight a bit until you see the restaurant on the right side.
Read more about the owners of Los Tacos from Nag Mag below, its bizarely entertaining.
052-203-5020 – Osu – Map –
www.nagmag.jp/los-tacos-big-tacos-in-little-osu
Desperados, Shinsakae
Desperados is widely considered the best Mexican place in Nagoya, though sometimes it is accused of being the best United States-style Mexican place in Nagoya. I am not sure if this is true, but either way, everybody likes this place, and the selection of tequila alone is reason enough to drop in. Did you know there is such a thing as a “sipping tequila?” Well, you know now, and they have multiple varieties of it. At best it is Mexican food, at worst US Tex-Mex; unless you are from Mexico, you probably don’t know the difference anyway. =) Its good!
Another bonus; it is foreign owned by a lovely couple. Rudy is Mexican born, and US-raised, while Takako is Japanese but speaks excellent English. You can order in English there no problem unless you have over-imbibed on their signature tequila and margarita selections, then you may need to resort to grunt and point.
I highly recommend the flautas.
052 264 0663 Osu – Map –
Los Novios, Takaoka
Los Novios is excellent, but it is also more expensive. I suspect that is why it is not as popular as other spots mentioned, that and the location between Takaoka and Kurumamichi Stations, on the yellow line. It is worth a look though, and they have an English menu that contains the classic Mexican dishes you would expect, supplemented by fusion dishes. Los Novios is the coolest about decor, it is interesting looking inside and a great place to take a date!
052-932-8220 – Takaoka – Map –
Jerry’s Uno, Various
Jerry’s Uno is not bad, but it is not that good either, in my opinion. Its good for what it is, and worth a shot; I have friends who swear by it. They mostly also offer tacos and burritos. Alas, there is not much else to say about Jerry’s Uno. If you happen to be near one of their locations (options, that speaks well of them right? ) drop by and give it a shot. You might like them more than I do. At least they beat Bar Mexigan… I wish more people would… with a stale taco or an empty tequila bottle…
The original is in Tsurumai; that might be your best bet. 052-242-4534 – Tsurumai – Map –
Another popular location is Osu. 052-262-4311 – Osu – Map –
