More Food in Tokyo (including fresh mochi!)

Totally forgot to get this posted before, but I have a bunch more pictures of random food from around Tokyo during our Christmas trip down there.  I guess it's a little but of Christmas in July!

Have you ever tried Siphon coffee?  I know it's been popping up in the US but I am not sure how popular it is.  The coffee is made in what resembles a high school chemistry lab.

One of the days in Tokyo we headed to Odaiba.  I tried out this Korean seafood pancake at the food court in DiverCity, one of the malls out on Odaiba.  It was pretty tasty!

While we were out at Odaiba we happened to catch a view of the Rainbow Bridge lit up.  This was actually a bigger deal than it seems because it isn't always lit up and we've never been here at night and able to get a view.  A lot of my friends have had the same experience.  It's very pretty when the lights are on!

The skyline itself was also an amazing view.

One night we had dinner at Spyro's, which is a Greek restaurant in Roppongi.  We love Greek food and it isn't easy to find in Japan.  I managed to locate a few options in Tokyo and we decided on this place.

Cute little place settings!  Similar to having a chopstick rest, I guess.

I love Saganaki so I couldn't resist the urge!

Some mushrooms

Hummus

Olives

Obviously we went with the Greek salad!

I had shrimp with feta cheese, which was really good.

I guess I skipped on taking a picture of Ryan's entree, but we did both get some dessert.

Of course we didn't just eat the entire time.  We also walked around...a lot!

We managed to find a Le Pain Quotidien, which is a restaurant we have been to in New York City before.  This happened to be Sunday brunch and the place was really busy.

I had these cute little toasts.

And this shrimp and avocado tartine. Yum!  

The next stop was a real treat.  I almost didn't stop because I thought the guy handing out flyers wanted us to go eat somewhere or go buy something.  They were actually inviting us into a temple for freshly pounded mochi as part of the New Year celebration (it was just before Dec 31).  This turned out to be really neat!

Here they are placing the mochi into some toppings.  This way it isn't just eaten plain.  You can see red beans on the left, black sesame in the middle, and then there is something else on the right (which I can't recall).

Green tea also.

Here is where the guys were pounding the mochi.

Here's a view of the temple where this was taking place.

So glad we ended up stopping in to check it out!

That wraps it up for our Christmas trip to Tokyo.

More posts from Japan coming up soon.  I promise!  I need to get a few more posted and plan to do this in the coming weeks since during that time we will also be moving!  So sad but it is time to say good bye to Japan and embark on another adventure.  Details coming soon!

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever tried mochi?  Have you ever tried siphon coffee?

Soba Noodle Making Class in Tokyo

One of the coolest things we did while in Tokyo last Christmas was learn how to make soba noodles. While I will never be an expert and I can't tell you all of the step by step details, I can share the pictures and tell you this was an awesome time.  We did the basic class, for fun, at the Tsukiji Soba Academy.

Here I am with our sensei, Akila.

We started off making the dashi, which is a broth and base used for just about everything in Japanese cooking.  One of the main ingredients in dashi is dried bonito.

As part of the cooking process we watched our instructor create a chemical reaction among the ingredients using a hot metal rod.  Here you can see it over the open flame.

Here are some mushrooms that are being prepared to eat with our soba.  We started off by learning to make all of the sauces and accompanying ingredients, then we watched him make noodles, and after eating lunch we learned how to make our own.

Here goes the metal rod!

Here the dry ingredients are being measured out for the soba noodles.

Sifting

Mixing it all up with some liquid added.

Kneading

Shaping

And here we have a Hershey Kiss!

But not for long, haha!

Then it was flattened.

And rolled out.

Bigger and bigger

Until it was at the right thickness to be cut.

Next it needed to be folded over a few times.

This is the special knife designed just for cutting soba noodles.

This board is used as part of the noodle cutting technique.

You cut it and then angle the board back and slide it a little.  Hard to explain and even harder to do it correctly!

Look at him go!

Pretty impressive to watch him quickly cut all of these noodles.

Then it was time to prepare, serve, and eat lunch.

Radish for grating.

Getting the fresh wasabi ready.

Grating the wasabi fresh for our soba.

Wow, that's a lot of fresh wasabi!

Grated daikon, which is a Japanese radish.

Then it was time to cook the noodles.

Some of the ingredients for the soup.

Almost ready to enjoy these fresh soba noodles.

The meal as it was set down at the table for each of us.  In the middle is soba for eating cold with a dipping sauce.

Lovely presentation of our hot soba dish.

And close up.  Yum!

Scallop soup

And if that wasn't enough, we finished off the meal with matcha ice cream.

After lunch it was time for Ryan and I to try out making our own soba noodles.  Since my hands were dirty pretty much the whole time there are no step by step photos and none of me in action.  But that is ok because I was able to fully concentrate on making my noodles.  And I have to admit, it was difficult, but I think mine turned out pretty well.

As did Ryan's!

What an awesome day!  

If you are ever in Tokyo and looking to learn a little about food and cooking techniques, I highly recommend this class.  It was just me and Ryan and well worth the time and money spent.

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever made soba noodles?  Have you ever made any type of pasta?  What was the last cooking class you took?  Have you ever taken a cooking class while on vacation?