shopping

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides iPhone App

maki — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:42:42 +0200

3 years ago, I mentioned a handy list of produce ranked by how much pesticide is used to grow them. The higher (=more pesticides) the ranking, the better it would be to stick to organically grown.

I recently got a new iPhone (yes…I’m the very opposite of an Early Adopter of tech gadgets) and discovered that the same list is available as a free iPhone app called DirtyProduce. Here’s a screenshot of the opening page:

It doesn’t do much beyond list the Dirty Dozen (the most heavily pesticide-treated fruits and vegetables), the Clean 15 (the last pesticide-used) and the full list of 47 produce items, but it’s handy to have around with you. Who knew for instance that peaches were the most pesticide-laden fruit or vegetable? I tend not to peel my peaches, and I ate, oh I don’t know, a few tons of them over the summer. I may start peeling them next season, or look for non-treated ones.

Anyway, if you do have an iPhone, take a look. And if you don’t, there is still the PDF list to print out and carry in your wallet.

EWG Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides

Borough Market, London: A Very Literary Food Paradise

maki — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:44:37 +0200

When I found out that I’d be in London this week for a couple of days, my thoughts immediately turned to what food-related things I could fit into my schedule. Tea and scones, check. Curry, check. A visit to Japan Centre, check. But at the top of my list was a proper roam around Borough Market.

Long time readers of Just Hungry may know that I absolutely love markets, and go to them whenever and wherever I can. One big reason I’ve decided to move to the south of France is because of the wonderful markets here. So, how does London’s oldest market compare to some of my favorites? While Borough Market is not the biggest market, nor does it have the widest selection, or even the best selection, of foodstuffs, it’s a very special place. In my opinion, it’s simply the most intellectually pleasing market there is.

Let’s start with the literary quotes on colorful banners, hanging from the beams:

Of course, there has to be at least one from Shakepeare.

I think this one is my favorite.

A little lower down, there are the boards displayed by individual vendors. This one is at the Fish Kitchen (aka Fish!), a fish and chips purveyor.

(This is the fish and chips they talk of, eaten sprinkled with vinegar and salt of course.)

This tree shaped sign stands next to a stall selling jams and chutneys.

This one is so beautifully done, I wouldn’t mind hanging it on my wall as art. I wonder if there are graphic design pros that create these display boards, or if the stall holders letter them themselves?

A sign of the times, but with a sense of humor.

How could you resist pies with such cheerful features?

Here’s the cheese display at Neal’s Yard Dairy. The contents and provenance of each cheese is carefully noted, though of course if you ask the cheesemongers they’ll happily explain it to you all over again, together with a sample.

One big cheese, made with love.

It’s not just the fans of the written word that are happy here. How about these displays of vegetables, just like still life paintings?

Even humble onions and potatoes get the artistic treatment.

I’ve seen witty signage and beautiful displays like this elsewhere in the UK, but at Borough Market you get to see the best, all in one place.

Food wise, the prepared foods are the main draw of Borough Market, especially for visitors. You can get everything from fish and chips to Thai green curry to hot dogs to chicken sandwiches. You can eat things on the spot, or take them home with you. And the samples are plentiful - here some rose-scented Turkish Delight; there some date and apple chutney; and how about some gluten-free chocolate brownies, or perhaps some Eccles cake? You could probably make a meal of just the samples. But don’t miss out on the meat pies, the sausage rolls, the domestic and imported cheeses, and so much more.

Having spent some of my growing up years in England, I have a special spot in my heart, not to mention my stomach, for British food. I know that British food still has a bad reputation in other countries, but a visit to Borough Market will do a lot to rid you of such misconceptions. At its finest, British food is grand.

Borough Market is open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Check for hours and directions on the official website.

(Footnote: My favorite food of the whole market:)

Japanese food shopping in Lyon, plus different Asian stores as sources for Japanese food

maki — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:43:42 +0200

This is a continuation of my series on Japanese food shopping, and frugal eating, in Europe. Previously I visited Paris and Düsseldorf’s Japantown.

Lyon, the third largest city in France and arguably the second most important one after Paris, does not have a large Japanese expat or immigrant population. However, there are some Japanese corporations that have factories or offices in the area, not to mention a large university population. So in terms of the availability of Japanese groceries in France, it ranks second to Paris, although it trails behind by a large margin.

The main reason I’ve been interested in Lyon as a source for Japanese food is that we are seriously considering getting a house in the Provence. Lyon is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from the Haut-Provence (northern Provence), the area we’re looking at, so it would be my closest source. (Marseille, which has a Paristore but no Japanese groceries, is about the same distance away, and Avignon, about a 45 minute drive, has two tiny Chinese groceries.) I could order non-perishables from the stores in Paris such as Workshop Issé, or from Japan Centre and so on, not to mention have stuff sent over or bring them back from Japan, but that doesn’t work for things like tofu, konnyaku, produce and frozen foods.

It also gives me a chance to talk a bit about where exactly you can find the Japanese ingredients that are mentioned here, regardless of the town you’re in, because the shopping options in Lyon are limited yet straightforward.

Option 1 - Kazuki: The Japanese-owned Japanese grocery store

Kazuki (storefront pictured above) is a tiny, jewel-like boutique. In terms of presentation, it has a lot in common with Workshop Issé, but where Workshop Issé is selling high-end food and alcohol, Kazuki is at its heart just a regular Japanese grocery store. Things like cans of wasabi peas, ochazuke packets and run-of-the-mill furikake which only cost a few euros at most are displayed as if they were Hermés scarfs on sleek shelves. This is the Japanese aesthetic and penchant for neatness gone to the extreme.

Everything about Kazuki is beautiful and well presented, even their takeout bentos, which are neatly wrapped up in ribbon:

With a few exceptions, Japanese grocery stores tend to be rather neat and tidy places (though I’ve never seen one as pretty as Kazuki). They also tend not to carry any other Asian ingredients, though they may have a few Korean items.

Obviously a Japanese grocery store should be the first place to look for Japanese ingredients. If you want things like Japanese soy sauce from Japan, real mirin (hon mirin) rather than mirin-flavored cooking liquid (mirin fuumi choumiryou), go to a Japanese store, However, they can be a bit more expensive than other options, and because many Japanese grocery stores are small, the selection can be limited, especially when it comes to fresh produce.

Option 2 - Kimchi: The Korean-owned Korean grocery store

Kimchi, which is just a few blocks away from Kazuki, is a tiny yet fairly typical Korean grocery store. Korean stores always carry a large amount of Japanese items; usually the selection runs around 50/50 Korean/Japanese. Older Korean people often speak some Japanese.

I really liked Kimchi, because it also carries some ‘biologique’ items such as nigari (used to make tofu) and kuzu or kudzu powder (used to make kuzumochi, goma dofu and other things).

If you are lucky enough to have a large Korean market near you, it may be your first stop in a quest for Japanese foodstuffs, since they are likely to have most of the fresh produce used in Japanese cooking too. (Kimchi is too small to have any fresh produce unfortunately.)

Option 3 - Supermarché Asie: A Chinese owned Chinese grocery store

In terms of larger Asian grocery stores, there are ones that try to cover all of eastern and southern Asia, and ones that just concentrate on a particular region. Supermarché Asie, which is in the same general neighborhood as Kazuki and Kimchi, clearly concentrates on east Asia: China, Korea and Japan. And, although I don’t speak a word of Chinese I can sort of tell apart Cantonese vs. Mandarin and different dialects/pronounciations (well, just aa bit), and I did get the impression that the store is owned by people from Taiwan. Taiwan has much stronger ties to Japan than mainland China, so a Taiwanese-owned store is much more likely to stock Japanese things.Of course, it’s difficult to tell apart a Taiwanese store from any other kind of Chinese store just by reading labels, so you’ll just have to look around.

The good thing from the standpoint of someone interested in East Asian cooking in general, is that a store like this can be a one-stop shopping destination.

Option 4 - Paristore: A general Asian/Exotic Food grocery store

Paristore is a chain of Asian supermarkets that has stores throughout France. I’ve only been to the one in Lyon so far, so my impressions are of this store.

Paristore is ostensibly a Chinese supermarket, but it also carries many other ‘exotic’ foodstuffs, from African to Middle Easten to Indian, Thai and so on. This does mean that the selection of Japanese products is quite small. While I did see Japanese-style rice (from Spain, Italy and California) and a few Japanese condiments, there were little else. However, many Chinese ingredients can be used in Japanese cooking, so it’s not a total waste of time to go to a store like this.

What you have to look out for (and this holds true of Supermarché Asie too) are products that may look Japanese, with Japanese writing on them, which really aren’t Japanese at all. For example, canned green tea is never sold with sugar in it in Japan, but it seems that green tea meant for the southeast Asian market often is. I also spotted some Chinese snacks (manufactured in Taiwan) with fake Japanese writing on them, in the way that many Japanese products have fake English, or Engrish, on them!

From the standpoint of Japanese ingredient availability, I think you can categorize most Asian markets in European and North American areas into these four categories. Three other categories are: Chinese stores catering to people who came from mainland China or Hong Kong (they carry very little if any Japanese food items); Thai/Malaysian Southeast Asian stores (these also carry very little if any specifically Japanese things); and south Asian/Indian stores (again not many Japanese ingredients if any at all, but may have vegetables that are used in Japanese cooking such as okra, taro root/satoimo, bitter gourd and sweet potatoes.) There are stores fitting all of these categories in Zürich, incidentally.

Special thanks to Céline, who has been great about keeping the Lyon and Provence sections of the Japanese Grocery Stores in France listing so up-to-date! That page is where you will find all the addresses and other pertinent information for the stores described below.

A Frugal Eats blitz through Düsseldorf's Japantown

maki — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:25:59 +0200

I’ve long been intrigued by the famed Japantown or Japan Quarter area of Düsseldorf, Germany, but haven’t had a chance to go there. It’s about a 5 hour drive from Zürich, and there was no work-related excuse to go there - until last week that is. So, following up on my mostly Japanese frugal eats blitz through Paris, here is my 2-day all-Japanese blitz through Düsseldorf.

Düsseldorf has a Japantown because a lot of Japanese businesses have their German or European headquarters there. It is said to have their third largest Japanese expat population in Europe. (I think the top two are London and Paris, though I can’t confirm this.)

The Japantown, or Japanese quarter, is centered around Immermanstrasse. There are restaurants, travel agencies, appliance stores and the like, all catering to the expat population.

There are grocery stores too of course. The two that are on Immermanstrasse are Shochiku and Taiyo Shokuhin. Shochiku is a cramped store that has just about all the Japanese groceries you could want. It seems to be Japanese owned and operated, since the store people were yelling out at each other in Japanese, though the cashier on the second day I went there was an extremely bored looking German woman. (She stared blankly at the Japanese customers asking questions in Japanese; eventually a young Japanese man showed up and sat near the register to politely respond to the Japanese customers. It was kind of funny.) It also carries a lot of Korean foodstuffs - about 60 to 70% Japanese food, 30-40% Korean. There’s a nice looking fresh fish and meat counter, which had sashimi-grade fish, and a small fresh produce section. There’s a small selection of prepared food like sushi and salads. I saw Japanese familes/couples with small children, Japanese businessmen on their way home from work juggling a shopping basket and a briefcase, and a few German people shopping there.

Dae-Yang Asiatische Lebensmittel or Taiyo Shokuhin is just a couple of storefronts down from Shochiku. It is Korean owned and operated (they were yelling at each other in Korean). The customer mix was similar to Shochiku, though there were more Germans there, perhaps because the aisles are bit wider here than at Shochiku. The stock is about 50/50 Korean/Japanese.

There are a couple of Japanese bakeries too. Here is Bakery Taka, again on Immermanstrasse; they have things like anpan, melonpan and of course, Japanese white bread or shokupan. There’s a small eat-in area.

Maruyasu, with several locations in Düsseldorf, is a Japanese delicatessen. They sell bentos, sushi, and cooked food or osouzai. (I wasn’t that impressed by their sushi or bentos though. The sushi at Shochiku was better and cheaper, and the bentos were just ok. The onigiri were pretty mediocre to be honest. Surely green seaweed is not supposed to dye the rice a bright green.)

At Takagi, a small bookstore on Marienstrasse, just a short block south of Immermanstrasse, there were a noisy group of German tweens squealing in delight at some cute manga or Hello Kitty or whatever. (Actually there were quite a few Germans who seemed to be treating the area like a tourist stop. There was a group of about a dozen older teenagers in Taiyo/Dae-Yang getting all excited by the Japanese candies, and a group of 5 middle-aged people loudly wondering amongst themselves what this or that food was and making rather rude comments, as though they thought none of the Asians around them could understand what they were saying. A bit off-putting.)

Once more to the ramen

What cheap Japanese food does a Japanese expat crave? That’s right, ramen, as I did in Paris. From perusing some Japanese web sites, there aren’t that many ramen places in Düsseldorf, but the one we went to, Takumi at Immermanstrasse 28, was not bad at all. All the seats, including the outside tables, were filled at 12 noon on Saturday, mostly with Japanese families. (At the table next to ours, a young mother breastfed her baby under a discreet large bib before tackling her ramen. That kid is going to grow up to be a ramen lover for sure.) Takumi is a Sapporo style ramen-ya, which means the soup is a bit lighter than other styles (Kyuushuu style, Nagoya style, etc). Here is negi ramen with shio (salt/plain) soup. It was very good, though the noodles could have been better. A level better than the ramen I had in Paris I’d say.

The Guy had their egg ramen (it had some cute name, like Ajitama Ramen or something, but I may have that wrong) with miso flavored soup. It was really nice, but what blew us away were the freshly cooked, crispy, juicy and meaty chicken karaage.

So is Düsseldorf worth a detour?

As a tourist destination, the city itself lacks the character and atmosphere that you get in many other German cities. It’s a strictly business kind of town. As for the Japantown itself, similar areas in say, New York’s East Village or Los Angeles or San Francisco, or even Paris or London, are really more vibrant and interesting. On the other hand, if you live nearby (especially in Germany) and want to do a bit of Japanese grocery shopping and the like, it’s a good place to go.

Overall though, I was a little underwhelmed by Düsseldorf. One thing I noticed was that the Japanese people walking around there really stood out, in the way that Japanese expats in Paris, or London, or New York, don’t (it’s easy to tell the tourists apart from the residents in New York for example). The way the girls/women dressed for instance was very Japanese and not at all adapted to their location, if that makes any sense. I am guessing that the Japanese community in Düsseldorf may stick to itself and doesn’t really try to become part of the overall city or German culture much. I could be wrong, but that’s the impression I got.

Addresses

Takagi GmbH Books & More 高木書店: Marienstr.41; 40210 Düsseldorf; TEL: 0211 2107238; Website; Japanese books, gifts, stationery; Japanese language learning aids. Has a small selection of Clickety-Clack bento boxes. The owner lady is very friendly.

Takumi: Immermannstr.28; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 1793308; Mon-Fri 12:00 - 15:00 and 17:30 - 22:30, Sat-Sun 12:00 - 22:00; Sapporo-style ramen restaurant. The young staff don’t seem to speak much German.

All the other addresses mentioned are listed on the Japanese food stores in Germany page.

Addendum: We stayed at a low-service apartment-hotel via Central Apartment. A low-service apartment-hotel means that they don’t come to change your linens and make up your bed every day, but you have a small equipped kitchen, laundry in the building and other comforts of home. The apartment we got was in a residential area just a few blocks from Innermanstrasse, and was large, modern, light and impeccably clean. The kitchen even had a Zojirushi rice cooker, and JSTV was available on TV. (They seem to market quite aggressively to Japanese travelers.) The rates were very reasonable too. I liked it a lot more than a conventional hotel. The only thing against it was that the furnishings are on the Ikea level, and feel rather flimsy, but it’s basically just like staying at a friend’s apartment while they are out of town, without their clutter to deal with.

Workshop Issé: Purveyor of the finest Japanese food and sake in the heart of Paris

maki — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:22:20 +0200

From the outside, Workshop Issé looks like just another unassuming little Japanese grocery and gift store. There are quite a few stores of this nature scattered about Europe these days. But inside this little boutique in the heart of the Japanese quarter in Paris, you can experience something quite special: A crash course on top quality artisanal Japanese food and drink.

Inside the tiny store, sleek modern shelves are filled with what, to the untrained eye, might seem like the normal Japanese cooking ingredients - soy sauce, vinegar, spices, sake and other alcoholic beverages. Look closer though, and you soon see that these are no ordinary products. There’s a soy sauce that’s been aged for 2 years in ancient barrels; a pitch-black sweet miso that’s been aged for 3 full years; finely sliced and dried battera konbu seaweed for making marinated mackerel. There are salted cherry blossoms that have been matured for six months, so no trace of bitterness remains. There are gardenia seeds (kuchinashi no mi), used as a natural yellow colorant - I’ve never seen these for sale outside of Japan, anywhere. There are what seem like dozens of fine sakes and shouchuus, and vinegars of all flavors and colors. This is a store with some seriously high end foodstuffs for sale.

The variety and quality of the selection is a little overwhelming, even for someone like me who at least knows what the products are. This store would be quite intimidating to someone not familiar with Japanese cuisine. But the Workshop part of Workshop Issé’s name is a clue to their selling approach. Here, you can do a sampling of products, a degustation in fact (the method normally used to by a wine maker or merchant to sell wines), gently guided by a knowledgeable staff member, at least one of whom is a sake sommelier.

I had a chance to sit down and chat with with Monsieur Toshiro Kuroda, the owner and president of Workshop Issé. Having owned and run a Japanese restaurant in Paris for nearly 4 decades, he started Workshop Issé two years ago. His main reason, he said, was simply because he couldn’t get a hold of the high quality ingredients he wanted from Japan through existing channels, so he decided to import them himself. There are no mass produced products here. All are of the highest artisanal quality; a typical supplier has 20 employees or less, and has been in business for more than 200 years. Here’s M. Kuroda with his dog Pii-chan.

Besides selling via their web site and the boutique directly to customers, they also supply some of the best professional kitchens in France. For instance, if you’ve had the yuzu-flavored macaroons from Pierre Hermé, the yuzu juice and powder came from Workshop Issé. They also sell to the Michelin three star restaurant Troisgros.

I asked M. Kuroda about his marketing approach. He said that his mainly French customers take very well to the concept, since they are after all used to buying wine this way. They also don’t blink an eye at the prices for their Grand Cru equivalent sakes, which can cost up to €250 per bottle and more.

It’s obvious that M. Kuroda, not to mention his staff, take great pride in what they are doing. And no wonder - their product lineup would be impressive even in Tokyo. I don’t know of a store like it anywhere, certainly not outside of Japan.

My budget that day was not up to buying a Grand Cru sake, so I picked up a few things that intrigued me. Here are a bottle of ume vinegar, and aged soy sauce. I love the classic labels, and the simple list of ingredients - for the soy sauce, just soy beans, salt, wheat. The ume vinegar is made from organic ume plums.

And here’s some stone ground yuzu powder. Now I usually have this sent to me from Japan (or I buy it there), but it’s nice to know it’s available on this side of the world. The fragrance of this slightly coarse powder is wonderful, and the slightly bitter citrusy taste is addictive.

Is Workshop Issé worth a detour in Paris, even if you go to Tokyo regularly? I would say absolutely yes, unless you are thoroughly familiar with Japanese cuisine, speak and read Japanese fluently, or have a Japanese gourmet guide at your side. The combination of the carefully selected range of products and the knowledgeable staff, who speak Japanese, French and English, make this store a real winner. And if you aren’t going to Tokyo on a regular basis and live anywhere near Paris or are visiting, and love Japanese food and cooking, it’s a must stop.

I guess the only negative things about Workshop Issé are: They don’t really have much in the way of fresh ingredients. There is a small refrigerated section with a limited supply of things like tofu and vegetables, plus real grated wasabi in a tube (€15, but worth it). Also, their prices are not cheap by any means, but you are paying for top quality.

Workshop Issé: 11 rue Saint Augustin (Paris 2); Tel: 01 4296 2674; Open 7 days, 11:00 - 19:30 with no lunch break. Closed on national holidays.; French and Japanese website. Mailorder within France and throughout Europe (but verify if they can ship something to your destination first).; Besides food and alcoholic drinks, they also have a small selection of dinnerware and gift items (they did have a couple of nice bento boxes).

You may also want to check out the rest of the Issé & cie. Japan-in-Paris mini empire: Bizan, a high end kaiseki restaurant; Issé, a ‘tempura and tapas’ restaurant; Momonoki, a tonkatsu and obento restaurant; and O-bento, a bento delivery service. All are described on this page (French). You can buy some readymade foods (osouzai) from the last three establishments at Workshop Issé too.

For a look at cheap Japanese eats in Paris, see A Frugal Eats mostly Japanese blitz through Paris.

(Merci beaucoup to Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini for telling me about Workshop Issé!)

A Frugal Eats (mostly Japanese) blitz through Paris

maki — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:54:30 +0200

As I wrote a couple of days ago over on Just Bento, I recently spent a scant 3 days in Paris, on the way from Brittany back to Zürich. A normal person would spend such a short time in the gastronomical capital of [insert your favorite geographic superlative here] exploring la cuisine française. But my objective for this trip was different. My digestive system and palate were rather exhausted from 2 weeks of consuming the delicious salty cultured butter, crême fraiche, galettes (crêpes), seafood in creamy sauces, and oh yes, pastries to die for, all washed down with cider both brut (dry) and doux (less dry), that are the specialities of Brittany. I was craving the plain white rice and tea like you wouldn’t believe.

Because of a lack of planning, we had to book a rather expensive hotel in Paris, which meant our food budget was really tight. No indulging on sushi fests and kaiseki dinners, even though both are possible there. So I made it my objective to pursue cheap Parisian Japanese eats. Therefore, this article is part of Frugal Food Month. (See how I shoehorned that in?)

There seem to be three major concentrations of East Asian food in Paris. One, and the biggest, is the Chinatown area in the 13th arrondissement. Then there’s another enclave of sorts in the 15th arrondissement. But for tourists with little time, like myself, the most convenient area especially for Japanese food is the area that straddles the 1st and 2nd arrondissements near the Opéra. Every other storefront on certain streets there seem to be either a Japanese restaurant, or a Japanese-oriented store.

You do need to take a good look at those allegedly Japanese restaurants though. I have been reading a lot of Japanese expat bloggers (and there are quite a lot of them in Paris), and most complain that these so-called Japanese restaurants are not good. Not all are run by Japanese people or have Japanese cooks. That does not of course preclude an establishment from not being good, but I guess you could say that the odds may worsen.

So, the best thing to do may to just follow the crowds. By 19:00 (7pm), the popular restaurants are crammed full. Some even have lines around the block.

The center of this Japanese community in Paris is arguably Kioko, a small grocery store that’s been in business for 37 years.

Inside, you’ll find a regular Japanese grocery store. The selection is comparable to similar stores you’ll find elsewhere - nothing fancy, all the basics. They also have a baby food club (join up to order Japanese baby food), special events, a free Japanese community paper, and so on. (For bento fans, they do have a small selection of boxes upstairs.)

BookOff is a Japanese second hand book store, with branches throughout Japan as well as in several North American cities. They have two stores in Paris right by each other. This is the Opéra store, at 29-31, rue Saint-Augustin. They have a Point Carte that you can also use at Kioko (get enough stamps on your card, get free stuff.) (Book Off English web site.)

There are also Korean grocery stores that carry a lot of Japanese food. Here’s Ace Opéra. I found their prices to be a tad cheaper for things like bottled green tea compared to Kioko and the bento store Jujiya.

The food

So, what did I eat? Well, the best cheap food I found in the area (besides takeout bento) was ramen. We tried a couple of places, and weren’t disappointed at either. Here is tonkotsu ramen (pork bone soup ramen) at Sapporo Ramen.　The soup was very good, the noodles could have been better. But then, this is Paris, not Tokyo, and I was happy.

And here’s negi ramen (ramen with lots of sliced leeks) at…I think it was Higuma. Again, soup was fine, the char siu a bit fatty but good, noodles could have been better, but was still ok.

A bowl of ramen on its own is around 7 to 9 Euro; as a set menu with gyoza dumplings and such, it’s around 12 to 14 Euro. It compares favorably to set menus at French restaurants in the area.

(On the other hand, cheap sushi in Paris - just say no.)

We did venture out beyond the Opéra Japanese area. Following up on a rave review on a Japanese blog/site aimed at expats and tourists, we sought out some Korean fried chicken at Han Lim, an established Korean restaurant in the 5e, right off the Rue Mouffetard at the Place Contrascope.

I had been craving KFC ever since…oh ever since I was in New York in November, to be honest. And the version here did not disappoint. It was some of the best Korean fried chicken I’ve ever had. Crispy, light, and juicy; very more-ish. It was 14 Euro per person for a menu starting with soup (I had a delicious spicy-pork soup), the KFC with the usual delicious Korean vegetable side dishes (kimchi, namul) and rice, and tea. I seriously wanted to take home a bucketful of that chicken, but was reluctantly convinced not to since we had other dinner plans. Not to mention scheduled afternoon stopovers at Sadaharu Aoki and Berthillon. I sometimes wish that I had an extra stomach. (Besides, I don’t think they do takeout…)

I wasn’t able to stay 100% focused on Japanese/Asian food. I couldn’t resist a stopover in the Marais (my excuse: I wanted to check out the newer bento boxes at Muji) for a Middle Eastern food fest at Chez Marianne.

I am not sure what I like the best: the tarama, the falafel, the bland yet oddly addictive chopped liver, or the green olive tapenade. It’s all good though. With a big basket of bread it’s 12 Euro per person.

And speaking of falafel, there’s also l’As du Falafel, right around the corner…we passed on it this time since we were full to the brim from Chez Marianne, but next time…

Epilogue: ‘Other cuisines’ and Paris

As I write this and look over my photos, it really strikes me that there’s something seriously wrong about the last sentence in this article about Paris ‘never embracing other cuisines’. Maybe not by the kind of people who participate in Zagat surveys, but judging from the lines forming around ramen places and okonomiyaki places and falafel places and more, it seems clear that many other Parisiens are embracing good food, whatever the origin. I would argue that people who are used to good local cuisine are likely to know what good ‘other’ cuisine is as well.

In any case, now that it looks even more likely that I’ll be moving to France, I’m looking forward to exploring Paris and its inexpensive yet good ‘other’ cuisines as often as I can. 3 days was far, far too short.

Next time, I’ll be talking about a very special Japanese store in Paris, one that’s not quite frugal.

A few addresses

The grocery stores are all listed on the Japanese grocery stores in France handbook page.

Han Lim: 6 rue Blainville 75005 Paris; Tel : 01 43 54 62 74; Métro: place Monge (7); Wed - Sun 12:00～14:30 / 19:00～22:30; closed Monday, Tuesday lunch; Korean restaurant. Has all the usual things - barbeque, soups, etc. The fried chicken is a house speciality. Yum!

There are many ramen stores in the Opera area; here are just two. Look at the menus in the windows, judge the number of people inside and waiting in line, and dive in accordingly.

Higuma: 32 bis rue Sainte Anne, 75001 Paris; Tel: 01 47 03 38 59; Métro: Pyramides or Opera; Ramen (or as they spell it on the storefront, Lamen) restaurant. Japanese spoken.; Mon - Sat 11:30 - 22:00, closed Sun; Also at 163 rue St-Honoré, near the Louvre

Sapporo Ramen: 37, Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001 Paris; Tel.: 01 42 60 60 98; Métro: Pyramides or Quatre-Septembre; Mon-Sun 11:30 - 22:30; Ramen restaurant. Chinese spoken.

Chez Marianne: 2, Rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, 75004 Paris; Tel. : +(33) 1 42 72 18 86; Métro: Saint-Paul, Pont Marie (Cité des Arts); Mon-Sun 12:00 - 00:00; Middle Eastern restaurant; a few tables, plus a takeout window.; L’As du Falafel is right around the corner on Rue des Rosiers.

For a report on a definitely not cheap Japanese food store in Paris, see Workshop Issé.

Zurich shopping news: Best of British store opening

maki — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:31:11 +0100

(This item is only of interest if you live in Switzerland, specifically in the Zürich area. Everyone else, just move along.)

The Cheese Club (previously), a mailorder purveyor of fine British and other artisanal cheeses, is teaming up with Spiffing Ales, a microbrewery specializing in British style ales, to open a Best Of British store in Thalwil, ZH. The official opening date is November 1, but they’ll be open tomorrow (Thursday Oct. 29) and Friday from 15:00 - 19:00 for a ‘practice run’. On November 1st they’ll have their grand opening from 10:00 - 19:00, and thereafter they’ll be open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and early evenings (the rest of the time they’ll be doing wholesale; consult their web sites for more info when they’re posted).

Besides cheese and beer, other British delicacies like back bacon and sausage, handmade pies, tea and biscuits, Christmas puddings and more are promised.

The address is 11 Seestrasse, 8800 Thalwil. The nearest SBB station (and parking) is at Obberieden BH, a 3 minutes walk away. Map. See also.

Silly product warning labels

maki — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:34:11 +0100

I was just opening a new pack of umeboshi (pickled plums) today, when I noticed this warning on the lid in Japanese:

WARNING: Umeboshi have seeds, and sometimes the seeds can be pointed.
So please be careful.

Here’s the label, with two pointy seeds.

(Edit: I could understand the umeboshi warning if it was in English (or language of the country in which the pack was being sold), since people may be unfamiliar with umeboshi. But this was a pack imported from Japan, with Japanese writing, so they are warning Japanese people, who are, or should be, familiar with umeboshi and their pointy seeds. Ume are related to apricots, so maybe apricots should have pointy-seed labels too.)

WTF? So…has it come to this now? We have to have warning labels on natural foods?

I can understand warning labels on manufactured products, say a pesto sauce, to warn about the existence of finely ground nuts. A small percentage of the population is very allergic to nuts.

But, surely the nut-allergic shopper knows to stay away from whole peanuts for example. Or will we have to have labels on those too? “Warning: This bag contains peanuts.” ….

What about warning labels on bags of beans? “Warning: This bag contains beans, which may cause flatulence and socially awkward situations.” Meat? “Warning: This pack contains meat, which comes from an animal. Vegetarians are known to have an aversion to meat.” A bunch of bananas? “Warning: Bananas have slippery skins. If dropped on the ground, they may cause an accident, or a horde of circus clowns to show up.”

Is this labelling gone too far? (Japan is not as litigious as the U.S. for example, but it’s slowly getting there.) Are there any other nanny-state labels you’ve seen?

Japanese grocery stores in Germany

maki — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:35:59 +0100

General notes on Germany: The biggest Japanese expat community is in the Düsseldorf area.

Updated May 2009.

Mailorder company based in Germany

Ja-Mart is based in Germany and also states on their web site (which is in German, English and Japanese) that they ship to various countries in Europe. Besides food, they sell kitchenware, tableware, etc. including some 220V electrical appliances such as Zojirushi rice cookers.: Comments on Ja-Mart: They tend to be rather slow in responding, though they do eventually ship! They sell some unusual items such as _natto kinase_ (natto spores) for making their own natto! For Swiss shoppers, they do ship to Switzerland though it’s not listed in their dropdown menu of countries. (maki)

Berlin

Daruma Japan Food: Uhlandstr. 61; 10719 Berlin; TEL: 030 8736131

Düsseldorf

See my in-depth report on Düsseldorf’s Japanese quarter around Innermanstrasse. Also see this article which described Düsseldorf as “Little Tokyo on the Rhine”.

Bakery My Heart: Marienstr. 26; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 5504760; Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat 9:00-18:00; closed Sun; Japanese-style breads, baked goods and sweets. Has a sleek modern cafe area for eating in.

Bakery Taka: Immermannstr.36; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 350374; Mon-Fri 7:30-19:00, Sat 7:30-18:00; closed Sun; Japanese-style breads, baked goods and sweets. Has a few tables for eating on the spot. (maki)

Dae-Yang Asiatische Lebensmittel/Taiyo Shokuhin: Immermannstr. 21; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 357227; Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00; closed Sun; Korean grocery store with a large number of Japanese foodstuffs (about 50/50). Dinnerware, cookware to the left of the store. Fresh fish counter. (One of the two grocery stores to target on Innermanstrasse - maki)

Kim’s Asia Center: Stresemannstr. 27; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 369922; Korean/Asian market with Japanese products.

Morozumi: Am Heerdter Hof 26A; 40549 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 5048661

Maruyasu: Several locations; Annoying Flash only site in German; A Japanese deli. Bento boxes, readymade foods (osouzai) and sushi etc. to go. Also does catering. (Was not overly impressed by the quality - maki)

Rewe Nahkauf: Luetticherstr. 17; 40547 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 588432

Shochiku Im-Export GmbH: Immermannstr. 15, 40210 Duesseldorf; Tel: 0211 365959; Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00; closed Sun; Japanese grocery store, also has Korean foodstuffs (about 60/40 Japanese/Korean). Nice looking fresh fish and meat counter, a small fresh produce area. Narrow aisles, crowded. (One of the main grocery stores on Innermanstrasse. I liked their takeout sushi better than Maruyasu’s. -maki)

Frankfurt

Akebono Catering: Hausenerweg 23; 60489 Frankfurt; Tel: 069 7894530

Himawari Handel: Niederurseler Landstr. 164; 60439 Frankfurt/M; Tel: 069 57001756; Japanese web site

Mori Craft GmbH: Schlossstr. 24; 60486 Frankfurt/M; Tel: 069 9520 8542

Hamburg

E-Shin Shopping: Grete-Nevermann-Weg 22-24; 22559 Hamburg; TEL: 040 810925

Heng Who: Gotenstr. 3; 20097 Hamburg; TEL: 040 230036

Sakai Shoten seit 1953: Grindelberg 41; 20144 Hamburg; TEL: 040 4221914; German and Japanese web site

Vinh Loi: Klosterwall 2a; 20095 Hamburg; TEL: 040 325889

Köln (Cologne)

Heng Long Asia Supermarkt: Aachener Str. 201-209; 50931 Koeln; TEL: 0221 2828800

München (Munich)

Munich also has several general Asian food stores. See this page for a big list.

Frischmarkt Sano: Frauenstr. 11; 80469 Muenchen; TEL: 089 23685941; Part of the Sushi Sano group, which does have a working website (in German), but they seem to have let the domain frischsano-markt.de expire.

Y. Suzuki - Japanische Feinkost: Rumfordstr. 40; 80469 München; S-Bahn - Isartor; TEL: 089-2166 9555; Fax:089-2166 9554; ysuzuki at t-online.de; Japanese and German web site

Japan Shop: Westenriederstr. 47; 80331 München; S-Bahn - Isartor; Tel.: 089 226663; Fax: 089 2904779

Mikado: Färbergraben 10; 80331 München; U-Bahn/S-Bahn - Marienplatz; Tel.: 089/26 03 343; Japanese web site

Two non-food stores:

Japanalia: Herzogstr. 7; 80803 München; U-Bahn - Münchner Freiheit; Tel.: 089/34 94 54; Fax.: 089/39 56 85; German web site; Non-food. “Japanese lifestyle” goods: furniture and fixtures, ceramics, handmade kitchenware, etc.

Japansalon: Ohmstrasse 3; 80802 Munich; Tel.: 089 33019644; Mon-Fri 11am - 7pm, Sat 11am - 4pm; Main store web site in German; Mailorder web site in English and German.; Non-food. “Japanese lifestyle” goods: books, manga, CDs, DVDs, Hello Kitty. Where Japanalia pushes traditional goods, Japansalon sells ‘hip’ and ‘cute’ stuff.

Japanese grocery stores in France

maki — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:09:12 +0100

General France notes

Many of the large supermarkets, especially in and around the big cities, carry a small selection of Japanese ingredients.

Paristore is an Asian supermarket chain with stores in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg and Toulouse.

If you are in an area with no Japanese stores, look for the ‘does mailorder’ indication of some Paris stores.

This April 2009 article in Le Monde (French) indicates that the popularity of Japanese cuisine in France may lead to more Japanese groceries opening up. (Hopefully!)

Avignon

Asia: 29 avenue Monclar; 84000 Avignon; 04 32 76 32 80; Comments: “An Asian store, but with some japanese supplies.” -(Céline); “Very tiny, nice people.” (maki)

Pekin: 45 avenue Monclar; 84000 Avignon; 04 90 85 17 71; Monday - Saturday, 8:30–12:00/14:00–19:30; Comments: “Again, an asian store with a few Japanese products.” -(Céline); “Very tiny, again nice people.” -(maki)

Bordeaux

Comments: “The frenchbento blog and the blog of another japanese expat in Bordeaux ; blog no longer updated, as she got a job, but lovely for homemade food anyway)often refer to these stores.” -(Céline)

La Maison du Japon: 28 rue de Cheverus, Bordeaux; French web site

Mostra: rue du Parlement Sainte Catherine, Bordeaux

Eurasie Bordeaux

Lyon

General comments: “And some precisions about the store I mentioned : Kazuki and Kimchi (real mirin, for instance, not the corn-syrup based one) and have some dashi, umeboshi, katsuobushi and kombu ; Whereas Paristore don’t sell these basic products (not to my knowing anyway). consequently Paristore is obviously cheaper, but often run short of some supplies in the japanese section.” -(Céline)

See this an in-depth look at Japanese food shopping in Lyon.

Japon Store: CLOSED

Kazuki: 35, cours Gambetta 69003 Lyon (Métro Saxe Gambetta-Ligne B ou D); 04-78-60-75-04; Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat　9:30 - 13:00，14:30 - 19:00; Sunday and Holidays 9:30 - 12:00. Closed Wed; Japanese web site (a little French); Comments: “The only store in Lyon with only Japanese groceries. Tiny but helpful, with a fairly large range of products ; the owner also sells bento on weekend, pre-order required -(Céline)

Kimchi: 21 avenue Félix Faure 69003 Lyon(Métro Saxe Gambetta-Ligne B ou D); 04 78 62 75 30; Tue-Sat 09:00 - 19:00, Sun 15:00 - 19:00, closed Mondays; French and Korean web site; Comments: “A Japanese-Korean grocery store, alike to Kazuki.” -(Céline

Paristore: 8 bld Joliot-Curie à VENISSIEUX ( bus 36, stop at Etats-unis-Viviani); also on the new Tram 4 line); 04.72.78.48.88; Comments: A big asian supermarket, with a wide range of supplies, some fresh vegetables, frozen food, and a Japanese department. -(Céline); Comments: Not much in the way of Japanese products when I was there. I found it rather depressing and scruffy. In Lyon, I think you are better off shopping at Kazuki, Kimchi and Supermarket Asie, all of which are within walking distance of each other. (maki)

Supermarché Asie: 12, Rue Passet; 69007 Lyon; Métro or tram - Guillotière; Tel : 04 78 58 92 65; Comment: It’s general asian store, but it has by far the largest selection of japanese items in Lyon for a reasonable price- A lot of their japanese stuff come from Kyoko (paris) or Kazuki. Shopping there from now on ! ^^ (Céline); Comment: I got the impression that this is place is owned by Taiwanese people, since I saw a lot of Taiwan-specific things here. Has a better range of Japanese products than Paristore. (maki)

Marseille

Paristore: 61 boulevard Plombière; Marseille; Groceries, a general Asian ‘all you can eat’ buffet, housewares, etc.

Orange

Naturel et Bio: Rue d’Italie; 84100 Orange, France; Tel: 04 90 34 43 03; French web site; Natural/bio grocery store; Comments: “What I spotted after a quick trip : A large section dedicated to brown rice ( several brands of thai long grain brown rice and round grain rice, but also glutinous brown rice!), albeit no japanese rice ; Azuki beans and azuki bean flakes, nori, wakame, kuzu,arrow-root and kanten powder, shoyu, tamari, various sesame seeds products, green tea of course, umeboshi, umeboshi paste and several kinds of tofu. I was pleased to see they had a good selection of brown rice - however I was a bit disapointed with the tofu products : they all had the typical rubbery texture of european-manufactured tofu. ^^p But overall it was a nice discovery!” (Céline)

Paris and environs

See A Frugal Eats Japanese blitz through Paris and Bento sightseeing in Paris.

There are two major shopping areas for Asian food: The Chinatown area, which is in the 13th arrondissement, and the 1st and 2nd arrondissements (Métro: Pyramides, Opéra, or Quatre-Septembre), which have a concentration of Japanese stores and restaurants. There are also a few stores in the 15th arrondissement (Métro: Charles Michels).

Ace Mart
: 63, rue Saint-Anne; 75002 Paris; Tel: 01 42 97 56 80; Metro: Pyramides or Quatre-Septembre; Mon - Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun; Korean grocery store; Carries a lot of Japanese groceries (as is the case with most Korean groceries). Prices a tad cheaper than area Japanese grocery stores. Doesn’t seem to be affiliated with Ace Opera, but rather with Hi Mart (see listing below).(maki)

Ace Opéra
: 43, rue Saint-Augustin; 75002 Paris; Tel: 01 40 07 93 57; Metro: Pyramides or Opera or Quatre-Septembre; Mon - Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun; Korean grocery store; Carries a lot of Japanese groceries (as is the case with most Korean groceries). Prices a tad cheaper than area Japanese grocery stores. Doesn’t seem to be affiliated with Ace Mart.(maki)

Big Store: 81 avenue d’Ivry (Paris 13ème); Wed - Sun 10:00-19:30, closed Mon, Tue; Large Asian supermarket in the Chinatown area.; According to a couple of Japanese blogs, this Chinatown store has the best selection of Japanese ingredients, followed by Paristore. Their “Pearl Rice” (_Shinju-mai_) from California is recommended.

Fast Don: 52, rue des Petits-Champs (opposite Kioko); 75001 Paris; Tel: 01 4296 8624; Metro: Pyramides or Opera; Open 7 days (?) 12:00 - 15:00 for lunch; 17:00 - 23:00; At lunchtime this is a ‘Japanese fast food’ place that serves donburi (rice bowls) and such; also has takeout prepared food (osouzai) and bentos. At night time it turns into an izakaya.

Hi Mart
: 71-bis, rue Saint-Charles; 75015 Paris; Tel: 01 45 75 37 44; Metro: Charles Michels; Mon - Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun; Korean grocery store; Carries a lot of Japanese groceries (as is the case with most Korean groceries). Prices a tad cheaper than area Japanese grocery stores. (maki)

Kanae: 83 Av Emile Zola, 75015 Paris; French and Japanese web site; Tel:01.40.59.98.03; Métro: Charles Michels; Tue-Sun: 10:30 - 20:00; Closed Mon.; Japanese grocery store. Does mailorder within France.; Comments: “The shop is off the beaten path of the 13th and the usual suspect of shops by the Opéra, thus less deleriously busy. Kanae has a great selection of fresh, packaged and frozen japanese products. The staff is always congenial and helpful. I highly recommend. (Jool)

Kiôko: 46 rue des Petits Champs, Paris 75002; French and Japanese website; Tel: 01 42 61 33 65; Tue-Sat: 10:00 - 20:00; Sun: 11:00 - 19:00; Closed Mon.; Metro: Pyramides or Opera or Quatre-Septembre; Japanese grocery store. Does mailorder within France.; A Japanese grocery store, with a fairly comprehensive selection of Japanese products. Downstairs they have refrigerated and frozen goods, snacks, condiments and alcohol. Upstairs they have dried goods, dinnerware, instant noodles, and a small selection of bento boxes. Be sure to pick up their free paper (available at the entrance) if you speak Japanese. (maki)

Jujiya: 46 rue Sainte-Anne; 75002 Paris; Tel: 01 42 86 02 22; Metro: Pyramides; Open 10:00 - 22:00 every day except Sunday, when it closes at 21:00.; Sells prepared foods (osouzai), bento sets for eating in or takeout. Small grocery store section in back.

Momonoki: 68 Passage Choiseul; 75002 Paris; Tél: 01 4296 4837; French and Japanese website; Open M-F, 12-14:30; closed holidays; A tonkatsu and fried stuff (korokke etc.) restaurant that offers takeout bentos; bento menu is fixed and changes every day. Delivers within Paris. Operated by the same people who own Workshop Issé (see below).

Paristore: Paris 13ème; Another large Asian supermarket in the Chinatown area.

Tang Frères: 168, avenue de Choisy; Paris 13ème; Tel: +33 1 44 24 06 72; Another large Asian supermarket in the Chinatown area.; Comments: “To me it’s the best Asian store in France!” -(a big store in paris)

Toraya à Paris: 10, Rue St-Florentin; 75001 Paris; Tél : 01 42 60 13 00 Fax : 01 42 61 59 53; E-Mail : f-toraya [at] toraya-group.co.jp; Métro : Concorde (ligne 1, 8, 12) ou Madeleine (ligne 8, 12, 14); Open Mon-Sat, closed Sundays and holidays.; Toraya is arguably the best regarded wagashi maker (with a nationwide presence) in Japan. Their yokan (sweet bean jelly block) is a surefire hit as a gift in Japan. The Paris location has a store and a small tea room where you can enjoy their sweets and green tea. (They used to have a NYC location which closed some years ago.)

Workshop Issé: 11 rue Saint Augustin (Paris 2); Tel: 01 4296 2674; Mon - Sun 11:00 - 19:30; closed on national holidays; French and Japanese website. Does mailorder within France and throughout Europe.; Purveyor of high end artisanal Japanese ingredients and alcoholic beverages. Mailorder and small satellite store.; Full report

Strasbourg

Paristore: 27 Faubourg de Saverne; 67000 Strasbourg; 03 88 22 69 20

Super Asie Tien Hung: 4 rue Charles Peguy; 67200 STRASBOURG; Hautepierre; 03 88 28 37 97

Thailong: 15 rue La Fayette; 67000 Strasbourg; French web site; 03 88 40 12 20; Also at; 211 avenue de Colmar; 67000 Strasbourg; 03 88 40 05 18; A Thai store, obviously, but looks worth checking out.

Village Coréen: 10 rue Ste Catherine; 67000 STRASBOURG; Krutenau; 03 88 35 55 52; A small Korean grocery store.

Toulouse

Asia Delice: 8, Rue Austerlitz; 31000 Toulouse; 05 61 12 00 90; Comment: “a little store which sells as much food as ustensils. The owner is not Japanese but knows well what he sells and answers your questions.” -(Nolwenn)

Paristore - Asia Center: 13 Rue Paul Gauguin; 31100 Toulouse (Le Mirail); 05 62 11 53 50; Comment: “this Paristore is centered on selling to restaurants’ owners but everybody can buy. It is not a Japanese grocery, but they have a range of japanese supplies.” -(Nolwenn)

Also see the excellent FrenchBento blog (French). She doesn’t know of any bento suppliers in France…and if anyone would know, she would I think!