ARTICLE - FOOD: In Japan, 'Eat Your Vegetables' Is a Pleasure

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June 22, 2003

In Japan, 'Eat Your Vegetables' Is a Pleasure

By ELIZABETH ANDOH

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/travel/22tabveggies.html?pagewanted=1

 

 

ROWING up in America in the 40{+'}s and 50's I ate the usual vegetables -

carrots, potatoes, peas and corn. Then I came to Japan in the 60's and

encountered the most incredible variety of plant foods. Indeed, the

botanical bounty here continues to amaze, delight and nourish me daily.

These five exceptional restaurants, three in Tokyo and one each in Kyoto

and Yokohama, celebrate Japan's rich array of native vegetables.

 

Gesshin Kyo

 

With designer boutiques dotting the landscape, the broad thoroughfare

running between Harajuku and Omotesando train stations in Tokyo attracts a

young, well-to-do crowd. My dinner partner and I mingled with them one

evening on our way to Gesshin Kyo, a dining spot that offers sophisticated

Buddhist vegetarian fare in an intimate, tatami-matted setting.

 

The owner and chef, Toshio Tanahashi, has managed to create a secular

space imbued with spiritual respect for food. Interrupting a business

career, Mr. Tanahashi immersed himself for three years in study at Gesshin

Ji temple, near Kyoto. He emerged profoundly changed and highly skilled in

the vegetarian culinary arts. Shortly after, in 1992, he opened Gesshin

Kyo, which has only two small rooms and five seats at a counter.

 

All meals at Gesshin Kyo are omakase ( " leave decisions to the chef " ) and

begin with a sesame pudding that Mr. Tanahashi insists on making with

traditional equipment. Considerable physical strength is required to grind

the sesame seeds to a smooth, nutty paste in a grooved ceramic mortar

known as a suribachi, with a prickly ash pestle. Buddhist culinary

philosophy suggests that effort enhances the merit of one's deeds, and Mr.

Tanahashi's worthy cuisine is not about shortcuts.

 

Gesshin Kyo's meals are bountiful. A progression of large, handsome

serving vessels, brimming with an incredible diversity of marine and

terrestrial herbs and vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and fruits, appeared

at our table. After five such courses came white rice served with pickles.

And then, dessert, a sweet full-moon dumpling made from ivory beans and

crushed grapes, which we were unable to finish.

 

At the conclusion of the meal, Mr. Tanahashi presents each group of diners

with a handwritten list of the foods he has prepared for them. Although it

makes a lovely souvenir, I would have appreciated a running commentary

from the servers as we were eating. They replied to my frequent queries

about some of the more unusual foodstuffs (like shirozuiki, the tender

stem of a tarolike potato plant) with " the chef will explain later. "

 

Sen

 

In the Japanese culinary world, particular respect is given those who

manage to transform humble foodstuffs into magnificent meals. Yumiko Kano,

the chef and owner of restaurant Sen, earns high marks for her skill and

ingenuity in this regard.

 

Ms. Kano calls her style of food na kaiseki, literally a vegetarian

banquet. Far from the rigid, painstakingly formal cuisine usually conjured

up by the word kaiseki, her version is creative, eclectic fare that uses

no meat, fish or eggs, no chemical seasonings like monosodium glutamate,

not even natural sugar or honey. The only sweeteners Ms. Kano uses are a

few drops of mirin (syrupy rice wine) and occasionally a spoonful of mizu

ame (barley malt).

 

Kelp stock extracted slowly and carefully from costly Rishiri kombu,

fabulous sea salt (her preferred source is from Vietnam), perfectly brewed

domestic rice vinegar and artisanal miso and soy sauce enable the chef to

draw out the innate flavors of the plant world.

 

Unpretentious peanuts and potatoes share the limelight with wildly

expensive matsutake mushrooms. Unusual items like tomburi (seeds of the

broom plant, known as " caviar of the field " ), faintly bitter shokuyo-giku

(edible chrysanthemum petals) and stalks of mountain mizu with their

crunchy, briny, marble-shaped buds, surprised and delighted my dining

companion.

 

Served to us with knowledgeable pride by Ms. Kano's kimono-clad sister and

assistant, Hiroe, our autumn luncheon was memorable. This gem of a

restaurant, tucked away in a residential corner of Tokyo's urban sprawl,

has just two rooms, one fitted with table and chairs, the other with

cushions on tatami mats.

 

Aen

 

This restaurant (pronounced ah-en and meaning zinc, thought to enhance the

palate) is devoted to serving wholesome, organically grown foods. Aen

features vegetables but is not strictly vegetarian.

 

Located in Jiyugaoka, an affluent Tokyo section at the junction of two

rail lines connecting Tokyo with Yokohama, Aen caters to an upscale,

eco-friendly, health-minded crowd. (There are two other Aens, one in the

Shinjuku section of Tokyo and the other near Yokohama.) On most days, all

five seats in the entry vestibule are occupied by waiting customers.

Orders, though, are taken as you wait. The food is then served, piping

hot, shortly after you are seated in the spacious, sunlit dining room.

 

On the main tray of my kisetsu (seasonal) lunch, a lacy tempura " pancake "

of shredded burdock root and sweet onions shared plate space with a thick

slice of rolled omelet, a small mound of creamy potato salad, and strips

of sautéed eggplant and zucchini. Down front and to the left - the

position reserved for the rice bowl at traditional Japanese meals - was a

tuna salad served over a bed of tartly flavored rice and crisp lettuces in

vinaigrette dressing. To the right - where soup bowls are typically placed

- was a bowl of thick green udon noodles in broth garnished with negi

leeks and shreds of nori seaweed. Komatsuna, a calcium-rich, leafy green

vegetable in the turnip family, had been kneaded into the dough, making

the emerald-colored noodles a nutritional powerhouse.

 

The catch of the day included in my companion{+'}s $18 lunch was

soy-glazed meji, a meaty but mild-flavored fish in the tuna family.

Accompanied by thick sticks of deep-fried gobo (burdock root), a

thimble-size cup of creamed fresh corn, a small mound of blanched okra

tossed with nutty, crushed sesame, a baby shrimp and mizuna salad,

whole-grain rice and a bowl of hearty miso soup, the Japanese-style meal

was filling, nutritious and beautiful.

 

Natural Harmony-Coa

 

As the Hanzomon subway line passes through Shibuya it undergoes a name

change, becoming the Denen Toshi line, which speeds Tokyo{+'}s

straphangers south and west of the city. A short way beyond the bedroom

community of Futako Tamagawa is a local stop called Eda. Here, in the

midst of an otherwise unremarkable community, is a wonderful macrobiotic

restaurant, Natural Harmony-Coa, adjacent to a market and shop called

Plant's.

 

I was glad I had called ahead to reserve a table on the holiday weekend I

lunched at Natural Harmony with a friend. The large dining room was

humming with cheerful chatter, mostly family groups, casually attired -

several fathers sported pony tails - with young children.

 

The food at Natural Harmony-Coa is essentially Japanese - genmai (brown

rice) and miso soup accompany all meals - though olive oil, balsamic

vinegar and other Mediterranean touches were apparent.

 

My $11 set vegetable luncheon featured a crisply fried kabocha (a kind of

squash) croquette and delightfully crunchy burdock root sticks. My

companion ordered the fish platter for $12. It turned out to be a filet of

kinmedai, similar to porgy, sautéed in olive oil and garnished with

threads of frizzy naganegi leeks.

 

One side dish was an intriguing cross between a tomato and sweet red

pepper. This new hybrid, called toma-piman, was cut in thick strips and

pan-seared, its mild, naturally sweet-and-sour flavor enhanced with a

drizzle of soy sauce.

 

Other side dishes included okara, the fiber-rich lees from tofu-making,

stir-fried with sliced onions and jet-black threads of hijiki, a sea

vegetable packed with calcium. Everything we sampled was well prepared and

reasonably priced.

 

Just why Eda became the lodestone for macrobiotic food four years ago

remains a bit of a mystery. My query at the restaurant and market was

greeted with bemused puzzlement: they in turn asked me, why not? In any

case, the restaurant is worth the 30-minute trip from midtown Shibuya. And

when you go, plan on stopping by the market next door.

 

Yaoya no Ni Kai

 

Whenever I am in Kyoto, I set aside time to stroll through Nishiki Koji,

the covered arcade market that locals affectionately call Kyoto's pantry.

Traditional foodstuffs that are hard to find in Tokyo are often available

there.

 

I have a passion for certain kyoyasai (vegetables of Kyoto) like Horikawa

gobo (burdock so fat that the center can be hollowed out and the root

stuffed with a forcemeat of fish or chicken before being braised), kintoki

ninjin (blood red carrots that turn sweet when cooked) and Kamo nasu

(plump, nearly seedless eggplants that are fabulous when broiled with

miso). These and other traditional vegetables are grown from heirloom

seeds on small farms near Kyoto.

 

On a visit last May I was delighted to discover that one of Nishiki Koji's

vendors specializing in kyoyasai, Kane Matsumoto Honten, had opened a

small restaurant - appropriately named Yaoya no Ni Kai, meaning on the

second floor of the vegetable store.

 

At the back of the shop, shoes must be removed before climbing a sturdy,

polished wooden staircase to a small, mezzanine-like space. I was seated

go-aiseki (shared table style, a common practice at casual restaurants

throughout Japan) at the largest of six tables. I found myself opposite a

Japanese woman who had lived in America for several years. We chatted

about our mutual interest in traditional Japanese fare.

 

There is only one menu at Yaoya no Ni Kai, the $12 choju (long life of

happiness) meal. A tray set with rice and miso soup, it also includes four

or five dishes. Always a celebration of vegetables, the menu on any given

day is based on the season and what's in the market.

 

The featured dish in my lunch was a riot of color: crisply fried tempura

" pancakes " of finely shredded pink-tinged new ginger, thin julienne of

sweet red pepper, golden kabocha (a kind of pumpkin) squash, woodsy

burdock root and bright green shungiku dandelion leaves.

 

Side dishes of soy-simmered kiri-boshi daikon (dried radish strips)

accented with just a pinch of spicy sansho pepper and spinach dressed in a

creamy sesame paste exemplified the Japanese version of comfort foods.

 

Restaurant Information

 

A 5 percent consumption tax is added to bills unless otherwise stated.

Cash only unless otherwise indicated. Tipping is not necessary; at some

establishments a service charge is added. When making a reservation,

request that the restaurant fax a map to you. All except Sen allow

smoking. At Gesshin Kyo and Sen, sake and beer can be ordered; Sen also

serves a house wine.

 

Gesshin Kyo, 4-24-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; telephone (81-3)

3796-6575. Dinner, by reservation only. Closed Sunday. Fixed-price dinner

$99 (at 121 yen to the dollar). Access: A seven- or eight-minute walk from

Omotesando station, which is served by the Chiyoda, Ginza and Hanzomon

subway lines. Leave the station by way of Exit A2.

 

Sen, 5-35-5 (second floor) Shimouma, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; (81-3) 5779-6571.

Closed Sunday and Monday. No smoking. A lunch menu is $52, at dinner $70.

Access: A 10-minute walk from the Yutenji station on the Toyoko train

line.

 

Aen Jiyugaokaten, 2-8-20 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo; (81-3) 5731-8251.

Lunch specials begin at $12, fixed price dinners from $29 to $41; entrees

on the à la carte menu begins at $8. Access: A seven- or eight-minute walk

from the Jiyugaoka station on the Toyoko and Oimachitrain lines.

 

Natural Harmony-Coa, 1-3-3 Eda Nishi, Aoba-ku, Yokohama; (81-45) 913-6994.

Closed Wednesday. Lunch specials begin at $11; add $4 for dessert and

coffee or tea. Dinnertime à la carte choices are $8 to $12. Access: A

five-minute walk from Eda station, a local stop on the Denen Toshi train

line.

 

Yaoya no Ni Kai, Yanagi No Baba Nishi Iru, Nishiki Kouji, Naka Gyou-ku,

Kyoto; (81-75) 221-0089. Lunch only; closed Wednesday. Choju menu is $12;

$2.50 extra for dessert Access: From Kyoto station, take bus No. 5 from

Terminus A1 or bus No. 4 from Terminus A4, getting off at Shijo Karasuma

Dori. A two- or three-minute walk from the bus stop.

 

ELIZABETH ANDOH is a journalist who directs a culinary arts center in Tokyo.