Oh My Onigilly!

I was at a media preview dinner for this year's La Cocina Street Food Festival (a fantastic event that I highly recommend) and came across the folks from Onigilly, who specialize in making gourmet onigiri. For those of you not in the know, onigiri is just a triangular block of rice with some kind of topping, all wrapped in seaweed. Real simple, but oh-so-good ... and healthier for when I don't feel like stuffing myself at lunch and regretting it during the 3 o'clock doldrums.

When I studied in Japan, I would buy onigiri at convenience stores for snacking on the go, so I have fond memories of this particular food. I also have fond memories generally of Japan's convenience stores, which are far superior to the 7-11's and ampm's here. I think there was some social faux pas about eating while walking around in public, but I did it anyway. Hopefully the locals forgave my silly college-level gaijin attitudes.

Anyway, the onigiri I tried at the festival were delicious, so I was excited to hear that Onigilly was opening up a store front in downtown San Francisco – two blocks from my office. Score!

I chatted with Koji, the owner, for awhile at the festival, and he said that he was surprised and disappointed that he couldn't easily find onigiri in restaurants in the States. So he decided to start making and selling his own, to introduce the food here and hopefully get people to reach for healthier snack alternatives. With the support of La Cocina's food incubation program, he gradually gained support and is now a success story, having gone from a food truck to a restaurant on Kearny Street, which is really an ideal location catering to hungry office folks like yours truly.

The restaurant has over 15 onigiri toppings to choose from, ranging from the traditional to the creative, so I never get bored. My faves so far:

• Nasu – Fried eggplant marinated in this kick-ass garlic ginger soy sauce
• Chashu – Pork cooked in soy sauce, sake, sugar, and mirin (and mirin makes every better!)
• Spicy shrimp – With habanero aioli, yum!
• Kani – Crab meat with lemon agave aioli

You can order on your own or choose one of their themed prefix sets. Their sides – like miso soup, seaweed salad, and salmon teriyaki – are also pretty solid. And with the onigiri going for $2.75 each, it's easy on the wallet too. The restaurant space is super small and gets pretty crowded, but they do a good job getting your food out quickly (a necessity for lunch in that area), and I like how you can see them making everything fresh behind the counter.

Now I probably eat there about once a week, either for lunch or just for a snack. It's so damn addictive. Thank you, Koji, for bringing such a wonderful Japanese food to San Francisco!

And yes, go Giants!!

Onigilly 
343 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
onigilly.com

Recent Discoveries

To make up for my blogging hiatus, I'm presenting some yummy finds that I've recently discovered and loved. Warning: It's probably not a good idea to read this post on an empty stomach! More posts to come soon, I promise!

Duck Confit Ragout | chive-potato cake, poached eggs, béarnaise sauce | Absinthe Brasserie & Bar (SF) 

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich | eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, pesto, and Fontina cheese on ciabatta bread | Fontina Ristorante (Pleasanton)

Peking Duck | Great China (Berkeley)

24Hr Pork Belly Rice Bowl | Berkshire pork tom kiem style, five spice and sweet soy, preserved vegetable mustard | Hawker Fare (Oakland)

Uni Nigiri | Sasa (Walnut Creek)

Beef Wrap | Liangs Kitchen

 Spring Rolls | rice paper, poached tiger shrimps, pork, bean sprouts, mint, hoisin peanut sauce | La Sen (Fremont)

Kimchi Fried Rice | Toyose (SF)

Super moist and sweet cupcakes from Smallcakes (Fremont)

And finally, the Pinkberry 25 oz take-home size, so we can enjoy the best froyo right from the freezer!

Sushi Ota

Belated photos from a San Diego trip a few months ago, during which I made a visit to Sushi Ota, one of my favorite sushi places in all of California – yup, I think it's that good! Time to reminisce and drool...

Ankimo (monkfish liver)

 Mmm so rich and creamy...

 Tamago (egg omelet)

Sashimi trio - hamachi (yellowtail), maguro (tuna), and sake (salmon)

Salmon belly

Unagi (freshwater eel)

Otoro (tuna belly)

Uni (sea urchin)

Hamachi belly

Sushi Ota
4529 Mission Bay Drive
San Diego, CA 92109

Dohatsuten Ramen

When I need to satisfy my ramen craving and don't want to drive too far, I hop on over to Dohatsuten for my noodle fix. It's no Santa or Halu or Orenchi, but it gets the job done. Decent broth flavor and noodle texture; the toppings are usually hit or miss but everything tastes fine after you soak it in the soup for awhile. And the prices are reasonable!

Chashu Ramen

I will, however, openly lament about the difficulty of finding a ramen shop that knows how to consistently poach an egg correctly. I asked for a poached egg, and they gave me a soft-boiled one that was not nearly runny enough. I have this same experience most everywhere I go. Sad.

Dohatsuten Ramen

Their signature ramen with spicy minced pork and Korean chili

Ta-ro Ramen (pork belly)

Veggie Ramen

Usually loaded with lots of veggies, including my personal weakness -- corn kernels!

Dohatsuten Ramen

43691 Mission Boulevard
Fremont, CA 94539

Umami

Fusion cuisine has always been hit or miss for me. I'm not a dish purist in the least, and sometimes cross-cultural cuisine blending leads to some pretty amazing results (e.g., mentaiko spaghetti or Korean tacos). Yet like some dysfunctional couples, certain combos just aren't meant to be (e.g., foie gras fried rice -- what a waste of liver).

Though Umami plays off as a Japanese izakaya and has a traditionally-trained Japanese sushi chef, its menu features fusion fare inspired from diverse areas, including Korea ("bi bimu bappu" hot pot), Vietnam/France (Vietnamese coffee pot de creme), Italy (green tea gelato), and the Middle East (edamame hummus). I went in with a hungry stomach and an open mind, and here's the verdict on the dishes I tried.

 HIT: Ahi Poke Tacos

Sesame-marinated yellow fin tuna diced and mixed with avocado, tobiko, greens, and Japanese yam, in a crispy golden wonton shell. All the flavors of ahi tuna poke but presented in a new and fun way!

The wonton shell was what really held everything together ... just the right texture and thickness!

MISS: Hamachi Ceviche

I usually love ceviche, but this one didn't cut it for me. There was too much going on with the strawberry, mango, and vinegar-y salsa, so the normally rich texture and sweet flavor of the hamachi was just not there. Beautiful presentation though.

HIT: Shibuya Sliders

My favorite dish of the night! Seasoned Kobe beef, crispy shallots, and gingered pickles with spicy aioli sauce all stuffed between steamed, slightly sweet white buns. A wonderfully balanced and fun combination of four distinct taste profiles -- savory, sour, sweet, and spicy. YUM!!

 

MISS: Hotsui Roll

I ordered this roll because it had several great ingredients -- snow crab, avocado, cucumber, butterfish, and hamachi. It tasted great when I first started chewing, but then about halfway through, my mouth was flaming from chili oil and ginger and god knows what else. I guess it's good if you like really spicy sushi and don't care about tasting anything else you're eating after. 

So as I expected, the experience at Umami really depends on what you order. I'd definitely go back for the sliders and the tacos, and would probably try some of their other sushi rolls, but I'd steer clear of anything too experimental. Though I'm admittedly still curious about that edamame hummus...

Umami 

2909 Webster Street

San Francisco, CA 94123

www.umamisf.com

Sushi Tabemasho!

Photos from a recent sushi party that my friends Eugene and Joanie hosted. Super kudos to Eugene for being an awesome sushi chef without a recipe page in sight, and for managing to prepare everything with about 10 people gawking at him and snapping photos.


Maki ingredients

From the Tokyo Fish Market

My favorite - toro nigiri!

Baked rolls

And some tender teriyaki beef on the side! Oishii!

Baked Japanese Salmon in Green Tea Broth

I got the inspiration to make this dish by modifying a recipe from a friend, a crazy good cook whose facebook mobile uploads constantly make me drool (check out his blog here). I didn't know what else to call it, but since the marinade has a teriyaki-like flavor and the broth is just dressed-up green tea, "Japanese salmon" seems fitting enough.

The marinade is simple and can be modified depending on whether you want more savory or sweet elements. The broth is even simpler - feel free to create your own variation, as it mainly serves to balance out the intensity of the marinade. The only thing to be cautious about is the cooking time for the salmon. Baking the fish is healthier and easier if you have multiple fillets, but no one likes dried out meat. Or you can pan-sear the salmon if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 2 salmon fillets (8-10 oz)
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp of Mirin
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp miso dressing
• 1 teabag of green tea (I used Yamamoto)
• Salt
• Honey
• Optional: Your choice of garnish
  

Instructions

1. Whisk together soy sauce, Mirin, sugar, garlic, sesame oil, and miso dressing. Once the sugar dissolves, pour the mixture over the salmon fillets and marinate for 25 to 30 minutes.
   

   
   

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Line a baking tray with foil and place the salmon on. Drizzle the leftover marinade over the fish as desired.
4. Bake the fish at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. To check if it's done, poke at it with a fork - the flesh should flake into pieces.
   

   
   

5. Brew a cup of green tea (10 to 12 oz) with one teabag and pour into a small serving bowl. Add a dash of salt and a couple drops of honey to taste.
   
6. Place each salmon fillet in a bowl or shallow serving dish. Spoon in some of the green tea so it covers the bottom of the bowl/dish. (To use the words of my friend: "How much tea you use here is really up to you. If you like your flavors on the more intense side, use a little less tea. If you like it lighter, use more tea. If you like bland, flavorless fish, then dump the whole cup of tea in. Adjust accordingly.")
   
7. Optional: Add garnish as you wish. I used some Japanese rice seasoning (furikake), but you can use thin lemon slices, sesame seeds, seaweed strips, or even some small cooked veggies. Really, it's just for plating, right?

Enjoy!

Ebisu Sushi

Ebisu Sushi has been in the Sunset District for some time now, but they just recently opened a new location in the Financial District. A friend suggested trying it for lunch, so we went and each got big bowls of Japanese curry with rice. Even though they only do take-out and catering, the place was bustling with hungry lunch time customers.

The curry was quite good -- not as thick as some other places, but flavorful enough. And the portion sizes were very generous!

They also had a variety of handmade mochi, and I couldn't resist getting this white bean one topped with cute jelly decorations. Yes, I'm a sucker for presentation ... and for sakura blossoms!

Ebisu Sushi
336 Kearny Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
www.ebisusushi.com

Latest Bites

Long time no post, but just a few quick words on what I've been enjoying in the past month...

Filet mignon at Ruth's Chris for Dine About Town 2010. I figure I should just go here for DAT every year from now on, since almost every time I try a new, supposedly great restaurant, I'm left feeling underwhelmed. Ruth's has never disappointed me yet, even on a regular night.

In the noodle world, I finally went to Santa Ramen in San Mateo again...

...and also rediscovered my love for Turtle Tower in San Francisco.

For our sixth month anniversary, the boyfriend and I hit up Chapeau again. The food was wonderful as usual, especially this silky-soft black cod prepared to perfection.

And some new things I've discovered?

Some damn good pork belly at Oyaji -- sweet, savory, and fatty. Who could ask for more?

And finally, thanks to a fellow co-worker, I have fallen in love with the seared ahi tuna wrap at Cafe La Taza. Something about the combination of fish, mushrooms, cucumber, and sweet sesame dressing just makes any work day a little better.

Headed for Vegas this weekend! Ready to hit up slot machines, buffets, and Bouchon!