Yummy Malaysiana: 01/14/12

Japanese Food @ Japan Restaurant Ishihara, Nuremberg, Germany

Finding authentic Asian food in Germany is pretty much a chore, as many eateries tend to adapt their food to the local taste and in the process, the end result suffers. It is always in the larger cities though, e.g. Stuttgart or Munich, where the real deals can be picked out from the duds.

Before going for the Christmas Market in Nuremberg, we decided to go for Japanese food. Prior research led us to Ishihara Restaurant, as the menu looked pretty promising. The restaurant is located nearby Zum Gulden Stern Historische Bratwurstkche which is a famous eatery in the area; famed for their grilled Nrnberger bratwurst and being the first bratwurst kitchen in the world. Great for anyone wanting a piece of the historical action besides the Japanese food.

For lunch, we were led into the Teppanyaki area, where everyone gets an apron irrespective of whether you are having Teppanyaki or not. Most of the patrons I saw on that day were having the Teppanyaki though. The ambience is what you would expect from a Teppanyaki counter with many people seated beside one another. On the day, there were less customers so it was not overly crowded or rowdy. We were seated on a counter opposite a Japanese family. Decoration is simple and understated, lighting is sufficient; just how we like it in Japanese restaurants.

There is a separate lunch menu, so we did not get to look at the dinner menu.Some green tea while having a browse through the menu.

Chef in action.

I had the Unagi don which came with a beansprout appetiser and a miso soup (16.50). The portion was HUGE, which completely surpassed our expectations. The unagi was beautifully grilled, well complemented by the seaweed and the sticky rice.

Miso Soup

Large slabs of unagi

My dining companion opted for Teppanyaki Ebi, Sake, Tara, Ika no Toriawase (24.00) which alongside the main of prawns, salmon, cod and squid included an appetiser, miso soup, salad, rice and various vegetables. We loved the freshness of the seafood and also its smokey taste especially the squid.

Appetiser

Salad

Teppanyaki being prepared. Smokin' hot!

Done!

On a second visit, I had a sashimi starter (12.00 for 9 slices) and "sukiyaki" cooked teppanyaki style (13.80).The sashimi featured salmon, prawn and maguro; with the fattier salmon being my favourite of the lot. The sukiyaki consisted of chunks of beef, tofu, vegetabl! es, mush rooms, noodles and a raw-egg dip served in an onion-made bowl. Instead of the conventional hot pot version, the ingredients were cooked on the teppanyaki counter. The beef was tender and flavoursome with hints of the sweet sukiyaki broth. Paired with the egg dip and rice, it was just wonderful to eat.

Pre-appetiser of cucumber and seaweed.

Trio of sashimi

"Sukiyaki" being prepped

Don't expect this dish in a hot pot!

List of awards and decorations on their wall.

Verdict: From the lunch menu, we decided that we have seen and tasted enough to warrant another visit to the restaurant in the near future, should we visit Nrnberg again. Good food at relatively affordable prices places this restaurant as one of the best japanese restaurants in the area.

Opening times: 12:00 to 14:30 for lunch, 18:00 to 22:00 for dinner, Closed on Sundays

Service: Good

Location: Japan Restaurant Ishihara, Schottengasse 3, 90402 Nrnberg, Germany.

Tel: +49 0911 22 63 95

Website: http://www.ishihara.de/

*This is a guest post by The Unc. All photos taken with the iPhone 4S.

Japan Restaurant Ishihara, Nuremberg, Germany

There is a separate lunch menu, so we did not get to look at the dinner menu.Some green tea while having a browse through the menu.

Chef in action.

Miso Soup

Large slabs of unagi

Appetiser

Salad

Teppanyaki being prepared. Smokin' hot!

Done!

Pre-appetiser of cucumber and seaweed.

Trio of sashimi

"Sukiyaki" being prepped

Don't expect this dish in a hot pot!

List of awards and decorations on their wall.

The perfect roast

Coffess machines don't make a good cup of coffee... baristas do.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 For Leong Hoo-Yin, it takes more than going through the mechanical motions of grinding and brewing to serve a cup of coffee. A barista, he says, should be like a friend and a guide to the world of coffee.

They should know your name what your preferences are, talk to you about the weather, the stock market, how Man United lost to Newcastle last night. They shouldnt be snobs either, reciting all the facts about these beans and what elevation they are from, when all you want is a cup of coffee to wake up to, he says.

A perfect cup of coffee doesn't just happen... many things go into it.

As the founder of microroasters espressoLAB in Solaris Dutamas, Leong has ambitions to not only bring a wider, better, and fresher choice of coffee beans to the Klang Valley, but also to train baristas about the finer points of producing a cup of coffee that the beans deserve. After all, he adds, from farm to cup, the beans go through 40 pairs of hands, six months of processing and labour, and to be spoiled by a poorly-trained barista in the final 30 seconds is wasteful, to say the least.

Started last year, espressoLAB is the result of Leongs long-standing passion for coffee. It was about two-and-a-half years ago when I was looking for a business where I could bring in beans from the source, and serve them in a retail environment. Then I stumbled upon Third Wave Coffee, which brought in fresh roasted coffees, had great baristas, and from there I started espressoLab, bringing in coffees from Panama, Columbia, Brazil, Ethiopia and Indonesia.

Unlike coffee beans in retail and supermarket outlets, the beans at espressoLAB are roasted in small batches based on ! demand s o that customers get the freshest coffee.

When you roast coffee, they do get stale after a month, so I always advise people to get them as freshly roasted as possible, and in batches that they can consume within a month.

The beans sold here come from the worlds best coffee growing regions, with exotic names like the Ethiopian Sidamo, and Hacienda La Esmeralda. Some of them can cost a pretty penny too.

Just a few months ago, we brought in a Panaman bean called the Hacienda La Esmeralda, which produces a wonderfully complex cup, and its one of the best coffees Ive ever tasted. Its so good I cant do it justice by merely talking, he says.

For the past five years its been on auction, the price has doubled every year. But I say coffees the most affordable luxury in the world it may sound expensive to pay RM30 for a cup, but thats comparative to a glass of wine, champagne, or a single-malt whisky.

Brewing a better cup

Latte art is something you can learn at espressoLAb.

Beyond selling beans and cups of coffee, espressoLAB is launching its Coffee Academy to educate and train those who want to have the proper barista skills. A basic course takes about 16 hours, taught across four days, and covers the theory and practical side of coffee brewing.

After this, people should be able to go to a cafe, get a job, and produce a decent cup of coffee, says Leong. Additional levels would involve learning the finer points of coffee: understanding the beans, processes of roasting, blending and troubleshooting. He says those who are interested in taking up the classes come from wide variety of backgrounds, from home hobbyists who have an espresso machine at home, to professionals who want to know more about latte art pouring, roasting coffee, and pick up more soft-skills.

Ultimately, however, its not the amount of theory or expertise that makes a g! reat bar ista or a cup of coffee, but passion. I always say that were no experts in coffee; were all coffee enthusiasts with so much to learn and whatever we do with the coffee it has to be done with heart. I can teach you the skills but without the heart its really impossible, he says.

espressoLAB Coffee Roaster is located at D1-G4-6, Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Duta Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-6211-0662. To find out more about espressoLAB, visit http://myespressolab.com or their Facebook page.

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