Did you say Food? Japanese food and contest? Stop calling my name! Just for this contest I decided to try some foods I have never eaten before along with some old favorites. I visited a restaurant in a favorite part of town yesterday (more like a few hours ago ) called Zen.
Many people are familiar with the word “Zen” in religious terms. In ordinary life it simple means good - and zen was very good to my palates. As is traditional at a Japanese restaurant you order your drink and you get appetizers (which you have to pay for) whether you want it or not.
Fortunately, this was really good. We got smoked sardines on top of sliced onions and tomatoes. We were encouraged to dip this in soy sauce. It was a fantastic blend made by the gastronomic gods. Time to order- I gave my father in law the go ahead to order up anything -I was in to try almost anything today. 1.
I’m a bigger fan of “sashimi” than sushi 🍣 as most Jamaicans are not big on cold rice. So we went for raw fish - to be more specific Ika known in English as ... 🦑 squid my friends. My first time! A bit chewy but not very different from a chewy fish. As is customary, you dip the sashimi in the soy sauce and add green horse radish and lemon to add flavor but also to reduce chances of food poisoning. It was okay for a first.
Gyusuji or beef ligaments is a delicious soul food cooked over a few hours. The beef is cooked with pieces of kobyaku or devils tongue In mirin (a sweet sake) ,sugar and sometimes a bit of dashi or fish stock. It is slow cooked and is excellent by itself or with rice. It is served with pieces of green onion or Negi on the top - it’s a must have.
Next :
Gesokaraage or just plain deep fried squid 🦑. The sashimi was made from the body of the squid but the karaage is made from the tentacles. It was really good - very similar to deep fried chicken. I’d definitely eat this again.
Coming up...Bonjiri
A very nice name for what we’d call in Jamaica 🇯🇲 as simply chicken batty. This simple thing Is grilled and made sexy with fancy plating. Beautiful to behold and much better to eat. Always a favorite of mine.
Since we are on chicken - we went into some chicken skin, salted and grilled as well. I prefer this fried but this was healthier and still pretty good. Let’s stay with chicken then
My food payday recommended tataki with Momiji Orashi and I didn’t back down. It’s chicken semi raw served with ponzu/citrus sauce , dried garlic slices , grated radish mixed with grated carrots which create a beautiful color. Jamaicans like to overcook that meat so this was a challenge- one I’m glad I accepted. It was soft and tender. Mixed with the sauce, garlic slices and long cuts of onion and Japanese ginger made for a wonderful experience.
I’m usually very conservative about sea foods - especially those not eaten in my homeland but today I took the bait and dived into some Tako no Nitsuke. Octopus 🐙 sliced and cooked in sake , mirin and a fine blend of gingers. An exciting mix of chewy and crunchy- slight ginger for the win. This is served cold - you should try it if you are into octopus,delish!
If you want to add a little spice to your life - there is the option of add this blend of seven peppers by yourself. This was an amazing food experience which should be repeated. The prices were reasonable to cheap and the service time was really good.
The spot is cozy and the staff friendly.
It’s a great place to visit with friends or family.
Please greet the little guys by the door who might make it onto your plate later
If you come into Hyogo and want a Zen experience then stop by the Zen restaurant located very near to the Itayado arcade for an exciting experience.
Restaurant Information
Yama no monyara Zen
Itayado, Suma Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 654-0000, Japan
Zen in Itayado Hyogo , Japan 🇯🇵
This post participated in the Tasteem contest Made in Japan