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Perhaps it’s the different rules of society and etiquette in Japan but it is a very strange place when you need an introduction to eat at a restaurant.

I suppose London has a similar thing happening with its traditional Gentlemen’s Clubs. Then there is the more modern Milk and Honey in New York, and now London (and opening the less exclusive Match Bar in QV fairly soon once a few liquor licensing problems are overcome).

Anyway, last week I was talking to Masako Fukui from Kei’s Kitchen (you may have read about their classes on Grab Your Fork) about kaiseki and she was telling me about the culture of restaurants in Japan - and the biscuits too.

“There is a very exclusive biscuit company in Japan called Kaishindo and they even have a website but you can’t buy biscuits from them. You have to have an introduction.”

Masako has eaten some that her mother Kei, a kaiseki chef of over 20 years experience, got through a friend. On her website she says:

“This practice of turning back first timer is known as “ichigensan”, and for example, Kaishindo, a most exquisite handmade biscuit company, will only accept orders from people who have had a personal introduction into the clientele circle. This is the 10th year of my desperate search for an introduction”

Masako says that there are lots of restaurants in Japanese that would not even be considered in Australia as a restaurant. Many may be in dark dingy places that are difficult to find. “They do not have toilets. There are also a lot or restaurants that just won’t allow anybody off the street come in.”

“It’s very exclusive. Somebody who knows the restaurant has to take you there. Sometimes they serve the most exquisite food. But as a food critic or a regular punter they won’t allow in.”

Popularity: 18% [?]

Photo: Christina Simons
As the legend has it, at least the one I read, lobster a l’armoricaine was originally from the Cotes- d’Armor in Brittany. With time the name was bastardised to from armoricaine to amoricaine and finally americaine. That’s cultural imperialism for you. Now most of us don’t have the pocket for nearly a kilo of lobster in these troubled times. Instead and to celebrate the slow defrosting of the giant celaphapod by some New Zealanders (long term readers will remember that last time I did this was when Japanese scientists caught a giant squid) I thought I’d share my recipe for squid a l’armoricaine.
Remember it is my philosophy not to give long lists of ingredients and detailed quantities. The idea is to cook by taste and feel. For two people about 400kgg of squid is plenty. You’ll also need some good olive oil, an onion, a couple of ripe tomatoes, garlic, tarragon and parsley (fresh, of course), white wine, cayenne pepper, lemon and salt/pepper. If you are a wimp buy squid rings. If you are a real cook, buy a fresh monster from the deep. But you don’t want one that will make rings the size of tractor tyres.
If it’s fresh it should be purple and speckled. And you’ll probably suspect something if it has been lying around for days under a webcam defrosting - it will have a very acrid,fishy ammonia-like smell.
The book I have says to stun it by giving it a sharp blow on the head with a heavy instrument - I hope it’s not a giant. Ah, I see now that was for lobster so quite possibly the squid will already have been dispatched by the fishmonger. She (or he) who may also offer to prepare it for you. If not dispatched, avoid the snappy beak (which makes a great helmet) and I recommend protective glasses to avoid ink squirting into the eyes. As several minutes wrestling a la Jules Vern, strip the insides out of the squid (after ensuring it’s dead, of course). Cut below the eyes to remove the tentacles and remove the beak. Clean out the inside of its “head” and strip off the speckled skin. Wash thoroughly.Finely dice the onion and melt with crushed garlic in the olive oil until sweet and soft. Meanwhile, score the tomatoes at each end and blanche in boiling hot water. Peel, remove the pips and slice finely. Slice the squid into rings and seal in the pan. Add the tomato and finely chopped parsley and tarragon.Add a dash of white wine and a pinch of cayenne. Reduce for a few minutes, add more parsley and serve on a bed of rice. Enjoy with something like a Muscadet or an Anjou Rosé - that’s the stuff we almost always drank in Brittany.

adapted from original post September 2005

Popularity: 32% [?]