When I wrote part 1 of this series two years ago, I meant to keep it going and post again with more food porn photos. I guess I forgot about it, but that’s ok because I’m back with part 2! Better late than never, right? This time, I’m going with the theme of Japanese food, which is one of my favorite cuisines. A couple are even from Japan! Like…
Katsu curry – Go! Go! Curry! (Tokyo, Japan)
I love curry, and Japanese curry is one of my favorites. We’ve tried many places in our city, and their Japanese curry just hasn’t hit the spot. We end up making it at home to hit that craving, but the one we make at home still isn’t the same as the one we had at Go Go Curry. There’s something different about it, especially in its consistency. It’s not as thin and sticks to the rice and katsu better. Plus, the katsu itself was good – crispy and thin, just the way I like it.
By the way, Go Go Curry is also in the US! They have locations in New York and Massachusetts. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to any of them yet, but I’d like to try them one day!
Miso Ramen – Sumire (Kyoto, Japan)
While in Kyoto, we discovered the “ramen floor” in Kyoto station, which has 8 different ramen places inside representing different regions. We went there 4 times! You would think after several times, the first one we tried would be forgotten, but it was the most memorable. We had the miso ramen at Sumire, and it was sooo rich. I am all about the rich, fatty ramens.
Tsukemen – Ramen Tatsuya (Austin, TX)
Uh yeah, I have to pick another one from Tatsuya, even though I featured them in part 1 already. Tsukemen is a dipping ramen, where the broth is separate from the noodles, and of course, I chose it because it’s another thick, rich broth that is amazing. The flavor is so bold, I can’t get enough of it. It’s also great for hotter weather since you’re not hovering over a steaming bowl. This one has taken the spot of the Tonkotsu Original for me, which used to be my favorite.
Tamago nigiri – Monstera (Big Island, HI)
For sushi fans, you might be wondering, “uh, isn’t tamago just an egg sushi?” It sure is! And it’s one that so many places do poorly. I hate when I get a plain tasting egg sushi when it should be sweet. Monstera does it so well, I actually forgot how the actual fish sushi tasted. All I can think about is their tamago. It was sweet but also didn’t overpower the egg taste. Definitely the best tamago I’ve had so far.
Unagi nigiri – Musashino (Austin, TX)
Musashino is my favorite sushi place. Since my husband and I order almost solely nigiri, we frequent the sushi bar so that we can place our order directly with the sushi chef. We also get to see how they make our sushi, which is always fun.
When we order unagi, we see the chef take the pieces and place it on a small grill behind him. Once it’s done, he immediately makes it into our nigiri pieces and hands it over to us. I’ve learned to wait a bit before eating because it’s still very hot! That extra touch of grilling them to order is what makes it stand out. The unagi is melt-in-your-mouth tender and still has taste lingering from the grill.
The pieces on the far right are unagi.
And 5 is the magic number! Hopefully I won’t forget about this series again and will make another post this year about my favorite dishes. I have so many to share!
Mmmmm so yummy! What stood out to me was the dipping ramen, which I have only ever had in Japan. I wonder if Sydney has any places that do dipping ramen. I need to look!
I am actually not a huge fan of egg sushi as I feel it’s boring and I prefer other sushi. But maybe I just haven’t had one that is so good. ?
AAAAHHH, FOOD!!! *^* I’m actually going to visit Japan this summer and I can’t wait to EAT. I’ll definitely look out for Go! Go! and the ramen places, because I love me some ramen. I’ve never heard of dipping ramen before, but I find it really interesting!
I can’t believe that post was made 2 years ago! Whenever I go to the Japanese market, I always see katsu curry being one of the popular menu items. I haven’t tried Japanese curry before, but I’ve been always curious. Maybe I’ll try it out one of these days ;).
I agree that ramen is delicious! I love it when the pork is seared before serving. Dipping ramen looks delicious too! It looks like an interesting concept where the broth and ramen contents are separated.
Major yes yes yes to the nigiri! Sushi is delicious, especially when the cuts of the fish are high quality. I’m totally loving this Japanese food post ;)! The unagi looks major yum yum!
Everything looks so delicious. I haven’t had Japanese food in so long. Ugh. I want sushi.
That Katsu curry looks incredible! I’d love to try something like that.
I’ve never tried any of these dishes before, unfortunately. I don’t think I’m that adventurous when it comes to food choices – I tend to stick to exactly the same dishes whenever I go to a restaurant just to be on the safe side. Maybe it’s about time I tried something new!
Really enjoyed this post. Hope to see more like this!
xxx
Oh, yummmm! Girl, you’re making me hungry! The ramen reminds me of the time I tried cold ramen for the first time a few months ago, and it was an experience I’m glad I tried. I don’t think I’ve tried the dipping ramen yet, though. I may have to one day!
And katsu curry *____* I could totally go for some right now!
Yummm! Japanese food is one of my favorites, curry in particular so that’s obviously my favorite photo. XD
I feel you on starting blog series and then updating for a long time! Remember that blog photo post I had last year? Totally meant to write a part 2. I’m still working on it! :’D Miitomo and Twitter are too distracting.
Love those food you listed in this post! Some of the Japanese food I tried were Shio Ramen, Katsudon and of course my favorite california maki. I never had a chance to try other food because Im afraid it might taste bad haha.
Of all the foods you listed, I want to try the Unagi Nigiri because Im just really curious on what it tastes like.
I love Ramen! I might look for that “ramen floor” when we visit Japan soon. Looks so yummy!
Okay, now I’m hungry, haha. I can’t get over how pretty all of these dishes are, especially the dipping Ramen, which I’ve never heard of before! I think that would really highlight the broth.
That is awesome that there is a Ramen floor in Kyoto station! I feel like I would want to try a bunch of the different ones as well to compare! I really like rich, bold, fatty flavors as well, so I think I would like the Miso Ramen as well!
It all looks so delicious! Katsu curry is one of my favourite foods, with jasmine rice. The egg sushi sounds really interesting, I’d love to give that a try. I’ve never had ramen, but my mum is very determined to try new foods, so maybe next time I go out with her I should try one of these dishes!
Also a huge fan of Japanese food!!! Your photos are amazing, this makes me want to eat. <3
OMG so many delicious looking foods! Good thing I’m not hungry for once! Haha. Those first two especially get my mouth watering though. I’ve always wanted to try Katsu Curry – I love curry. ♥ I get jealous when I watch these youtube videos of people eating at places outside of the country and they look like they are in hog heaven – haha!
Japanese curry is the best! I love love them! I love trying out different curry blocks from the grocery store too. I agree that chicken katsu is the best, best pair for when eating curry. and of course, rice too. I’m not interested in the idea of curry udon / ramen to be honest. it just doesn’t feel right for me.
Yay for miso! I love miso paste. I love miso soup. for someone who doesn’t like eating pork, I do enjoy the tonkotsu broth in ramen. Miso is good too but tonkotsu has such creamy texture it’s delicious.
I used to loooove unagi nigiri so so much hahaha it was the first sushi I’d grab from the sushi conveyor belt. I’m not like that anymore though. I’m more of a salmon sashimi kind of girl now :)) ugh SALMON. and tamago sushi is okay for me once in a while. sometimes it bored me, don’t ask why despite the sweetness that I find enjoyable. it’s funny that japanese use sugar to cook their egg 😛
Omg everything looks soooo delicious. I love Japanese curry as well – very flavorful, but not too spicy! The tsukemen looks really good as well, the broth does look very rich! I can’t wait till I go to Japan so I can eat all the curry and ramen to my heart’s content! xD