Al Fresco Dining at the Hanezawa Garden

The Last Shabu-Shabu
Originally uploaded by bloompy.

While my compatriots in the United States are frantically finishing their income tax reports and filings, I took a casual stroll today to a favorite, nearby complex of restaurants that was the Hanezawa Garden.

I recently realized that during the warmer weather of Spring, Summer and early Fall (from April until October), the outdoor dining at the Hanezawa Garden offered Korean BBQ, but once the colder breeze reached the city, the main and only attraction at this al-fresco dining became the shabu-shabu. Today becomes the last day to have a taste of that traditional winter fare, as tomorrow, the restaurant will be closed for a wedding. Next week, the Korean BBQ will once again reign as the sole performer at this part of the restaurant. The word shabu-shabu is a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound that the meat makes as it is being moved through the water. It is the English equivalent of "swish-swish."

A small appetizers: a trio of mini bite-size fish, tiny slice of a rolled crepe and greens with miso, accompanied by a small bowl of fish in hot broth started the dining experience.

For the main course, there are only two choices in the shabu-shabu menu: pork or beef. Unlike other traditional shabu-shabu places that offer different grades of the beef, Hanezawa offers only one simple kind, but judging by the taste, it seems that the restaurant serves only the best. Oscar Wilde would have approved.

The vegetable plate was rather a pared down version of the same plate at other shabu-shabu places, but for just one person dining, it was enough for me. The presentation was rather lacking as compared to that of the complex's main dining room's.

Although I was provided with the means to clear the broth, it would have been nice to have that extra touch of service when someone from the restaurant would come by and clear it for you, as is the case at the Shabu Zen restaurant. Also, the udon at the end of the meal was presented for myself to mix with the broth instead of someone (again, at Shabu Zen) coming to prepare it for you at the table. It seems to me that there is more attention paid when one dines at the main dining hall.

Without asking, I can safely assume that the beef was domestic top premium grade. Sliced very thinly, the beef took just less than 3 seconds to become medium rare, and a full 7 seconds to reach well-done.

I am glad to have caught this menu before it goes into a seasonal hibernation. Until it wakes up again late next Fall, I can always review my pictures to remind me of how good a lunch it has been today.

(For another version of the trip to this restaurant, please consult http://bloompy.blogspot.com)

[UPDATED NEWS: December 20, 2005]
Sadly, the Hanezawa Garden has recently closed (December 17, 2005) due to aging facility. The architecture has been in existence since 1915. I have decided to keep this review here for sentimental reasons.

Plates (Hiroo | Tokyo)

Kelly restaurant may be gone, but thank goodness the mural work stays. In its place now stands Plates, a pizza and grill restaurant. The ground floor still retains a bar-like atmosphere with original limited prints by David Lance Goynes, the Berkeley graphic designer responsible for illustrating the Chez Panise and Alice Water's recipe books.

On the first try, on February 20, 2005, a brunch fare on a Sunday presents us with a menu with four options: plates A, B, C, or D, which consists of either a sandwich, a pasta, an omelet or another entree (I forget what the fourth one is) plus salad and a cold-cut appetizer in the form of a medium-sliced salami, and a drink. The price is very reasonable and the amount is definitely generous, but as far as taste is concerned, there is nothing that jumps out from the plate.

The second floor still has the same layout, but one side of the room has different furniture: they used smaller tables to accommodate more tables into that space (there used to be only three tables placed at a diagonal angle to the wall; now there are four). (The accompanying picture dated from the Kelly time.) For the grand opening, they have a 10% discount, available only with the flyer that they had put around Hiroo.

On subsequent visits (2 of them) during a Sunday brunch and a weekday lunch, I discover that the food was just slightly above average. This is never to be compared with the more exciting, daring, and experimental Kelly's entrées. The food at Plates is no doubt very safe: Japanese pasta dishes that are very popular throughout Tokyo. It is because of this reason that this restaurant may survive in this neighborhood.

Plates
5-3-15 Hiroo
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0012
Tel: (03) 6408-2481
info@plates.jp
www.plates.jp

M-F: 08:00-23:00 (LO 22:30)
Sa & Su: 10:00-22:00

Original photograph taken from the Kelly Restaurant website. © All Rights Reserved.

The Waterfront (Surabaya, Indonesia)

Ever since the opening of Cafe Sampoerna, chic cafes and restaurants have started to open in this sleepy city of Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia. One of the latest additions to the roster is Waterfront, a three floor cafe/restaurant on Jalan Kedungsari, a busy thoroughfare. The first floor features a dark interior with regular tables and booths, serving full menu of the restaurant as well as drinks. The second floor features a piano bar and lounge, although food can still be ordered there. The third floor, in the form of a traditional hotel ballroom, is used for formal occassions such as parties and conferences.

The food tastes good and the portions are generous; then again, this is East Java, whose food tends to have a sweet twist to it. My palate is very much amused by the result of their cooking, so caveat emptor; those of you who have a West Javanese palate (liking more salty and sour dishes) may not care too much for some of the food offered here. The Mapo Tofu is delicious; having had some in my new hometown of Tokyo, I was afraid that this restaurant would not execute it correctly, but on my second visit, I ordered the dish once more.

Their "Special Chicken", however, left much to be desired. These were small bites of chicken cooked in rather a sweet, sour and spicy sauce, but not drenched in the sauce. Unfortunately, the chef did not have the thought of removing the bones from these small bites; and the bones found in these bites happened to be the annoying kind: small and splintery. Do not order this, if you do not want to have to reach for the bones in your mouth.

There is a drink called "Number 1" that was basically a non-alcoholic fruit juice with crushed nougat in it. The taste was refreshing, but it depends on who mixes the drink and what fruits go into it; in other words, the drinks have not been prepared in a consistent manner yet. A friend who recommended it to me did not like the one she had while dining together. On my second visit, I ordered the same drink, and true enough, they did not taste quite the same.

One thing that annoyed me in both visits was the insistence of the wait staff to sell their products. On the first visit, while we were reading the menu, a waitress kept yapping about what food she or other guests liked; and she did not stop there. It got to the point where I had to ask her to come back while we tried to decide on what we wanted to order. On the second visit, this time only with one other friend, we ordered 4-5 dishes, which were quite a lot for only two people. The waiter then asked if we would like some vegetables, which we declined. After that, he started reciting the name of the vegetable dishes, which we again declined. Then he asked if we would like some soup, and again, we said no; but again, he started naming all the soups that were offered there. Finally we said no and made him realize that what we had ordered was plenty. The owner may have coached these people to sell, but s/he forgot to program these "robots" to recognize when to shut-up.

Places like these in Jakarta are like mushrooms, but here in Surabaya, it is just beginning...

The Lobby at the Peninsula (Hong Kong)

The hotel is still known for its grandeur and luxury, and the lobby is still remembered as an exciting place through which to watch guests and visitors pass. With the reputable Felix restaurant on the 28th floor, what's up with "The Lobby"?

There is nothing special about the food, but unfortunately on the last visit, the service was wanting: coffee came instead of tea; then hot tea came without the strainer, plus the tea had a fatty film afloat. Club sandwich came only sliced in half, not quartered; when my friend asked if the usually quartered "Club Sandwich" could be cut the same way, the waiter demured, saying that this was how it was presented. Well, the customer won.

In other places with the same reputation, wait staff would have come and refill the teacup, refill the hot water, or even ask if anything else or anything more was needed. The place was not chock full, but hardly any wait staff was to be found. I would still come back, but let's hope the service does not go southward.

Original photograph taken from the Peninsula Website. © All Rights Reserved

Sushi Saurus (Long Beach | California)

Lots of Japanese restaurants in America are owned and operated not by Japanese but by Koreans and Chinese. As long as they are run well, that is not a problem. Those handled by the Koreans naturally have a Korean twist to it: the food is a tad bit sweeter than the traditional Japanese taste, and the offerings included some menu entree that cannot be found in regular Japanese restaurant. The Korean-owned, in my experience, tends to be generous with their "on-the-house" items or freebies.

That brings me to Sushisaurus, a no-nonsense Japanese establishment on Long Beach's Second Street, the main drag lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants. I never check out who owns the joint, but it seems to be operated by Japanese sushi chefs and waitresses. What the restaurant lacked in interior decoration is made up in the freshness of the fish and inventiveness of the entree. On my visits to Long Beach, I never fail to visit this restaurant since I was introduced to it by a local friend.

There are some favorites of mine: Spicy Tuna tartar, which is a dish of chopped tuna sashimi mixed with chili sauce and surrounded with tempura crumbs. The idea is to mix the tuna and the crumbs to produce a crunchy effect on one's palate. Another favorite is Sawagani, the pan fried miniature crabs, where you eat the entire crab and its shells (the shell is tougher than a soft-shell crab's shell, but nevertheless, all edible). The cut is generous and to me, the fish always taste fresh, an important factor for my frequent visits.

I reside in Tokyo, but when visiting southern California, I always look forward to eating at Sushisaurus with the same friend who had recommended it to me. He took me to two other new sushi restaurants, one operated by art students from Thailand (not really that fresh; be warned!), and another owned and operated by a Korean (also on Second Street) but neither of them matched the simplicity and the taste of Sushisaurus.

T8 at the Xintiandi (Shanghai)

On the day I thought was a Tuesday, when the restaurant was supposedly closed, I wanted to start with a good lunch that will set off my exploring the French Concession. I arrived at Xintiandi for the first time and was thinking of eating at Xin Ji Shi restaurant. It was close to noon, and the area was still relatively quiet. I decided to go exploring the complex first and to snap pictures of the renovated shikumen-style buildings before the lunch crowd came in. As I was navigating through the labyrinth that was Xintiandi, I happened across T8, a restaurant once mentioned by a friend who had never been there, but had heard of it. I did some checking before flying to Shanghai and found that the restaurant, under Executive Chef Stephen Wright, is managed by the group GHM Ltd. (General Hotel Management), which is responsible for such resorts like the Chedi in Bali and the Leela in Goa. I was surprised to see that there was activity going on inside when I thought it was supposed to be closed. I decided to enter and ask if they were open. The hostess, Doreen, said yes. Quickly I realized that today was a Wednesday. What had gotten into me? I could not claim jetlag since there was only an hour difference between Shanghai and Tokyo.

The dark but warm décor and interior of the restaurant provided a contrasting break from the bright and cold late fall weather of Shanghai. I chose a seat close to the open kitchen and counter. The severe concrete wall on my left was softened by a floor-to-ceiling Indonesian woodcarving screen; the space in between was filled with soft lighting, producing a nice glow on this side of the restaurant. The kitchen, a square open-plan kitchen, protruded into the main dining room, providing diners with an uninterrupted view of the Chef who, aided by his staff, was performing his culinary magic. Concurrently, this gave the Chef a complete survey of the ground-floor dining area. A counter lining three sides of the kitchen was also available for a closer view of the activities happening in there.

The restaurant, serving modern Mediterranean and Asian fusion cuisine, offered two different set menus in addition to the a la cart items. I opted for the three-item set menu and chose beef carpaccio with sweet and spicy eggplant sambal for my appetizer; seared salmon on a bed of warmed vegetables for my entrée; and the triple chocolate cake with coconut ice cream as the final act of my lunch.

The appetizer arrived and immediately pleased me with the novelty of the presentation: sliced medium thick, the beef carpaccio encased the sweet and spicy eggplant sambal within. I could taste every element in this appetizer: the strong taste of the filling was tempered with the subtle flavor of the seasoned raw beef. Goodness, it was so delicious that I had no choice but to leap off my seat and to approach the Chef to compliment him. It turned out that he used to work in Indonesia for a period of a year or less. I mentioned to him that I was born and raised there, so we started chatting a bit about Indonesian food and spices. I also told him that he would spoil the rest of my dining experience in Shanghai, because after this, I was not sure if I could find anything this scrumptious. If the appetizer were any indication, then the main entrée would be really heavenly. As we were talking, I saw that every now and then he backed away from me to check something inside the oven. Quickly I realized it was my salmon he was preparing; I thought better to leave him alone so as not to ruin the dish.

As expected, my main entrée did not disappoint. He prepared the salmon the way I always liked it. Most of the places I went almost always messed up a salmon order by preparing it too dry or overcooked. Steve seared the salmon just so that it became crusty on the outside but very moist and wet pink in the inside. From the kitchen he shouted to tell me that this was his version of gado-gado (an Indonesian salad with peanut dressing) with a seared salmon on top. These two dishes convinced me to summon the hostess to reserve a table for a friend and me for the coming Friday night at 9pm.

While I was enjoying my dessert, Steve came to my table and invited me to come back for dinner. I told him that I had just made a reservation for Friday night and was going to take a friend. I asked him what he would recommend for dinner, and he told me that he would come to my table to suggest some. A true artist, he did not quite know yet what he would be in the mood for that night, and would prefer to wait until then to sound his recommendation.

Before leaving the premises, I was advised by Steve to have a look at the second floor with the Indonesian décor and some antique Chinese cabinets. I noticed that the restaurant’s name, as well as the number of resident goldfish in the tank near the hostess station was 8, an auspicious number in the Chinese culture. The second floor held a dining hall that could be converted into a banquet area. A small room adjoining this area was a Members-only dining room (members of the

Finding a good fusion restaurant is not an easy feat because San Francisco has always been rated highly when it comes to fusion dining (the California Cuisine, which basically is a fusion between the East and the West.) Even the well-reviewed “M on the Bund” had not impressed me quite as much as T8 did today. I look forward to Friday dinner. Located in the recently renovated area called the Xintiandi at the northeastern periphery of the French Concession, the T8 Restaurant and Bar alone is worth traveling to Shanghai for a great culinary experience.

T8
No. 8 Xintiandi North Part
Lane 181 Tai Cang Road
Shanghai 200021, China
Tel: +86 (21) 6355-8999
Fax: +86 (21) 6311-4999

Closed on Tuesdays

M on the Bund (Shanghai)

Giving the restaurant due consideration, I will say that I have been a patron here only once during lunchtime. I had planned to come back for dinner to see how the entree would fare, but another restaurant snatched my attention and left me with no time to return here.

The reasonably priced set-menu offering either two picks (at Y118) or three picks (at Y138) per set is an invaluable introduction to the cuisine at this restaurant on the Bund. I picked the latter as I would like to sample an appetizer, one main entrée and a dessert item. Unfortunately, none of the three lived up to my expectation.

The chestnut soup with a hint of olive oil was very bland. My being healthy at the time (which should guarantee a strong sense of taste and of smell) could not detect the subtlest hint of chestnut. I have to note that I am not one who usually would sprinkle salt on my dish, but this was one of those times that some dash of salt (and then some more) was needed to bring a semblance of taste to my palate.

The main entrée, veal tongue on a bed of vegetables and potato, did not fare better either. Two slices of tongue were placed on a mound of potatoes that were hidden underneath blanched greens. The tongues were chewy and not much for taste; and this comes from someone whose mother had prepared softer and tastier dishes of cow tongues. I know that there is a way to treat the tongue to make it less rubbery.

To complete my disappointment, the dessert was not much of an imagination; so unremarkable it was that, embarrassed to say, I forgot what it was. All I remember now was that it did not offer any break from the previous two dishes. To be fair, I would like to return at least one more time to prove myself wrong. Until that time, my review of this restaurant is just lukewarm.

No doubt that the location provides a great view of the Bund. Even from where I was sitting, an indoor seating about three tables away from the beginning of the terrace, the vista looked promising (look at the accompanying photograph.) Service was excellent, where all needs were anticipated and met. The hostess and staff standing at the entrance could be a little bit more welcoming and friendly, but maybe the icy attitude was part of the charm of the place. The gentlemen’s restroom was an exercise in minimalism with glowing Kelly green walls and a red-flowering plantain positioned on a ledge near the entrance door.

M on the Bund, located on the 7th floor of 20 Guandong Lu, has a non-descript entrance off the Xhongshan Dong Yilu. The restaurant, which is an offshoot of the M at the Fringe in Hong Kong (which I have never been), has a smoking/non-smoking section, with a terrace dining available during warmer weather.


M on the Bund
7/F, No. 5 the Bund (on the corner of Guangdong Lu; enter through the Guangdong Lu side)
Shanghai 200002
China
Tel: +86 (21) 6350-9988
Fax: +86 (21) 6322-0099