Asakusa Japan

Ben and I couldn’t go to Tokyo without spending the better half of an afternoon roaming through historic streets of Asakusa. Sure Asakusa can be a bustling tourist trap filled with excited travelers, but if you are willing to migrate past the food stalls and yukayta stands you are likely to find some delicious food, incredible gardens and a giant kitchen ware district.

This masculine “Treasure House Gate” stands like a brave guardian protecting the historic Asakusa temple complex….but what is it protecting? Tokyo’s oldest, and likely most visited, Buddhist temple, known as Sensō-ji . Past the vast gate small market like stalls line the perimeter of the streets where vendors sell everything from jewelry and handicrafts to samurai swords and Japanese confections. As we walk past the stalls, I wish that I had something I wanted to buy, but everything seems somewhat gimmicky. When I travel I seem to stumble upon treasures like intricately hand carved armoires and large ornate mirrors, basically things that I couldn’t possibly fit in my suitcase, or in my budget for that matterJ. I am not into trinkets as I always imagine them boxed up in an attic somewhere, someday. Any ideas for an international collection?

After clawing your way though hoards of people you can finally see the beautiful architecture of the Buddhist temples. I absolutely love the way the paper lanterns, painted perfectly with black and red calligraphy, dangle from the temple like a perfectly selected accessory.

Before entering the temple, several Buddhist saints seem to be cleansing themselves with the smoke billowing out of this large cauldron. After the smoke cleansing they make their way to the tortuously carved fountain to wash their hands and drink. I think this dragon was the inspiration for Mulan’s pet dragon Mushu.

After walking through the exquisite gardens we found a yummy Sukiyaki restaurant. Sukiyaki is a must, especially on a chilly autumn day. Very similar to Chinese Hot Pot and Vietnamese Pho, this simmering soup serves as the cooking vessel for fresh vegetables, savory mushrooms, and thinly sliced meat. Don’t get me wrong I love Pho and Hot Pot, but the Japanese version seems to be more complex and balanced in flavor. Ben was a little hesitant when he saw the waiters whipping around us with platters filled with thinly shaved raw meat, but once he realized that we cooked it at our table he was much more excited. He even suggested we make this when we go snowmobiling.

Tokyo, Japan

As I mentioned before, I lived in Japan as a foreign exchange student when I was 16 years old. I must admit that living thousands of miles away from family and friends was difficult, but after coming back to this incredible country I realize how wonderful it truly is....my positive perception may also be due to the fact that this time I had my best friend with me. Yep that's him below:)
Wow, he sure fits in with the locals. Look how they are hoisting him up for the parade.

Shortly after our arrival I asked Ben what he wanted to do. His response, “partake in the greatest Japanese contribution since Hello Kitty….Teppanyaki”. Ok maybe those weren’t his exact words, but he sure loves his Teppanyaki. When we first met and I told him I was a chef he said, “cool so that means you can cook like the guys at Benihanas?” When we were redoing our kitchen he even asked if putting a stainless steel griddle in would be practical. Needless to say, he was a happy camper.

I love this picture; we stood and watched these police men for 15 minutes measure and document which bikes were properly parked. And I thought Denver was bad.

While in Tokyo, we usually stay in the Ginza district. Ginza is known for its impressive shopping, entertainment and dining selections. My favorite part of Ginza is watching back alleyways and dead end roads transform into quaint streets filled with exciting restaurants.

Just a hop and a skip from the front of our hotel we found the best Tonkatsu I have ever had in a Katsu house....another thing I love about Japan....they have restaurants and chefs that specialize in one simple dish and spend their entire life making it perfect.

So, what is Tonkatsu you ask??? If you haven't tried it, it's a must. Tonkatsu is a scrumptious Japanese dish made from incredibly tender pork that is breaded in crispy panko breading and deep fried..... If you want the recipe, post a comment and I will upload one.

I loved all of these adorable saucers filled with different sauces. Sweet, sour, salty, and incredibly savory combinations that you can mix to create your own. My favorite was made by crushing sesame seeds with individual mortar and pestles (right) and adding spicy katsu-based sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Ben and I have been so blessed to visit many of the beautiful LDS temples throughout Asia. Our visits are often the highlights of our trips. Here is a picture of the Tokyo temple.

Adventures in Hong Kong

I found out earlier this week that I would have to fly to HK on Sunday evening for a quick meeting on Monday morning. As I started to plan my itinerary Ben decided he would take Thursday and Friday off so we could escape for an early weekend.

We started out the first morning with some delicious dim sum at Hong Kong’s famous Maxim’s Restaurant. Dim sum is not only a variety of food, but a way of life. Locals fill Dim Sum restaurants on weekend mornings, much like the English gather for tea time. It is a social occasion that allows diners to skip the time deliberating over the menu and allow them to focus on their company (something my husband greatly appreciates). Diners order by pointing to their choice of dishes found on ornate guerdons that dance around the dining room. Each cart is filled with a variety of tiny meticulously crafted dishes, steamed dumplings, and various fried small bites.

Dim Sum is the eastern version of Spanish Tapas or Middle Eastern Mezze. It is truly my favorite way of eating, my food philosophy…small bites of everything….I wouldn’t go to an amusement park and spend the entire day on one coaster and I rarely go to a restaurant and order a giant plate of any one thing. We had perfectly crimped dumplings, fluffy pork steamed buns, crispy pickled vegetables, delicate dumplings, crunchy egg rolls, Schezwan spiced pork ribs. Did I mention the dumplings?

For those of you in Denver, there is hope of getting your hands on some wonderful Dim Sum at Super Star Asian (off of Federal and Alameda). And now having tasted what Hong Kong has to offer I can honestly say that it is just as authentic.

After dim sum we made our way on to the famous Mid-levels escalator. This ½ mile long escalator weaves it way through the heart Hong Kong Island allowing 50,000 people to travel to and from the office more effectively.

Ben and I used it as a mode of transportation and a leisure way to see the city, jumping off each and every time we saw something interesting. Several of our jump off points included a few open air markets tucked between large buildings. The markets were incredible, filled with dozens of fish, vegetables and fruits that I had never seen before. We also found a small kitchen store where I bought an old wooden moon cake mold.

We also made our way through a small district filled with handmade shops, second hand stores and a small welding store. This man was welding sheets of metal together with nothing more than a small fire and a few hand tools (Dale this picture is for you).

After wandering through the streets we found ourselves eating at a “Private Kitchen”. I read an article about private kitchens on a plane last month and knew I had to experience this new style of dining. Due to the incredible price of real estate in Hong Kong, local chefs are opening up small restaurants in high rise apartments. It not only allows chefs to cut down on rent, but allows them to focus on a small dining room. We had an 8 course Schezwan style meal that was exquisite. The dining room was quaint, the services impeccable, and the company even better.

The next morning we decided to experience Hong Kong as typical tourists would. We jumped on the Big Bus Tour and made our way to Stanley Island. I don’t know which was more fun shopping in the small stores of Stanley Market; or weaving our way through the narrow streets of Hong Kong on the Double Decker bus through beautiful Hong Kong? It is interesting how much Hong Kong reminds me of San Francisco.

Our private kitchen experience was so great the first night we decided to try it again, but this time we went for dessert. We stopped in at a charming dessert bar called Riquiqui-a must if you are in Hong Kong. The menu was simple, but very good. I had the chocolate ganache cake with caramelized bananas and Ben had the carrot cake with coconut ice cream and candied walnuts. Mmmm.

Our final day in Hong Kong was spent on the beautiful Lantau Island. We boarded the Ngong Ping Cable Car and rode from the base of the island to Ngong Ping Plateau- vibrant green village nestled in the mountains of Lantau.

We walked through the village housed with various shops, restaurants, monastery buildings, and the Tian Tan Buddha-an 85 foot high bronze Buddha statue.

After our tour of the Big Buddha we made our way to a large monastery where we had a delightful vegetarian meal prepared by the monks who inhabit it.

Our next stop was one of my favorite places in all of Hong Kong, Tai O fishing village. It is a small and humble town filled with various modest stilt houses fabricated with rusty scrap metal, old wooden crates, chain linked fences, and basically anything that floats by.

We spent hours walking through the unassuming village, being fascinated with the daily routine of the people. We watched men playing a much louder version of dominos, children tending their family market stalls, fishermen taking a nap (below) and women making local delicacies. Although most of the houses were built on the water (as seen above); we did find a few brick buildings.

Some of the tasty treats we tried included some almond meal cookies-similar to pecan sandies (left), a sweet and crispy handheld cake similar to a waffle (center), and a tuille like pastry dough filled with toasted coconut and folded into small pouches (right).

Our final journey in Hong Kong and in the Tai O fishing village was on a rickety boat ride on the coast of the South China Sea. We were able to ride through the village and get a better view of the meek quarters, see the beautiful coastline and have one of the most dodgy boat rides of my life. (By the way this is not the boat we rode on, just a picture of a commercial fishing boat that I snapped as we cruised by)