The Best Tonkatsu of My Life: Maisen (Harajuku/Omotesando, Tokyo, Japan)

Honestly, by the second day of my Tokyo trip I knew that my touring plan and my eating plan were quite unrealistic. I definitely underestimated how much we would walk and how tiring it would be... The usual Helen would make it a point to still hit up every single restaurant that was originally planned, no matter how inconvenient it was. But, the new "vacation" Helen decided to take this trip as a big learning experience and enjoy the trip for what it was: a wonderful week of exploring the beautiful city with my awesome bf.

I say all this because this post is exactly about that.

Before my trip, I had this very detailed and quite pretty looking itinerary sheet done on excel that laid out every little thing we were going to be doing each day. However, this was the day that excel sheet became nothing more than a scrap piece of paper. Okay, I exaggerate... It wasn't scrap, but so many things got switched and changed around, I just stared at that sheet with loathsome longing. I hated how it looked now... folded, marked on and just... different.

This was the day I realized I paid more attention to this piece of paper than my actual experience. I will not be a control freak... I will not be a control freak... So, J and I decided to just head to Harajuku and take it from there. The whole point of going on vacation is getting lost and then finding yourself, right? (I swear I don't mean to be corny...)

     

We took the JR train to the busy Harajuku station and walked over to the not as busy Yoyogi Park. I was expecting all these crazy people inside this park, but once we went in, I felt a little underwhelmed. I mean, we were in Harajuku and I read that Yoyogi Park was filled with interesting people. However, the scene was pretty tame. Most of the action was outside the park's entrance; we saw a group of dancers pop lockin' and another group of teens rehearsing a battle scene on our way out.

After Yoyogi Park, we then went on this quest to find a Samurai Gallery that J had read in our tour guide book (borrowed from our friend, Ryo - Thanks Ryo!). This gallery was pretty far (well, at least that's what my feet thought), so we walked and walked and walked. Of course, we stopped by a few stores and took pictures and all that fascinating touristy stuff, but mostly, we just walked. Holy mother of baby Jesus, we walked a lot.

side note: the stores in Harajuku are ridiculously cute. I wanted to buy everything in every single store!

We finally, sort of, get near this gallery... You see, it's really difficult to navigate around Tokyo with just an address because the numbers in front of the address are not numbered by sequence. No, they refer to what district or neighborhood and in what order the building was built on that block. (-_-) So, we finally find the building, but we can't find the gallery. Or we did find it, but it just so happened that it turned into a bar/restaurant instead... Maybe the ways of the Samurai were not for us...

As soon as we gave up on the gallery, my feet decided to give up on me. They were pulsing and aching - practically yelling all kinds of curses with each pulse (of course, this was me cursing at myself for wearing my not-so-comfy, but oh-so-cute boots). Good thing I remembered reading about a famous tonkatsu place called Maisen in Harajuku. I already had a tonkatsu place picked out for us to eat (NOT in Harajuku), but what can you do when you are hungry and in desperate need of a chair?

You walk some more to find that chair.

green tea and daikon

We arrived at Maisen about ten minutes later and we were immediately seated. Fabulous. The green tea and daikon were brought out and I kid you not, I was so tempted to slurp the entire dish of daikon down. But, of course I didn't. I'm a lady...

potato salad

I had to order a side of potato salad, since I am obsessed with them, especially the ones from Asian restaurants (usually Korean or Japanese). This was probably the best potato salad I've ever had. I loved the flavors and the crunch of the cucumbers - it was perfect.

soba and katsu combination meal

J wanted something light and refreshing so he opted for the soba and katsu combination meal. The combo came with shrimp katsu and something else that I cannot remember, as well as pickled vegetables. The soba noodles were nice and chewey, perfect for slurping. After a full day of walking around and shopping, the cold noodles with the pickled vegetables were very refreshing.

kurobuta tonkatsu meal

While J's soba noodles were nice, I wanted to EAT. I ordered the kurobuta tonkatsu meal not really realizing what a treat I was in for. The price tag was pretty steep for tonkatsu (Y2,995), so I had to see what this kurobuta pork was all about. When you order the kurobuta tonkatsu meal, they give you this amazing special tonkatsu sauce to go with the cutlet. The sauce is indescribable... just plain delicious with so much flavor. The fatty $35 kurobuta pork, was... heavenly. It was so fatty and juicy, something I've never experienced before with tonkatsu. I've always had good, but mostly dry pork cutlets and this, by far, was the best tonkatsu of my life. The sweetness from the sauce held up well against the fattiness of the pork. It was just plain amazing. How I'll ever go back to regular pork cutlets, I do not know...

sorbet

Since the combo meals came with dessert, we were served a sorbet at the end of our meal. I think it was a mango sorbet, but I could be wrong. Nonetheless, it was sweet and tart, great way to cleanse my palate after the fatty kurobuta tonkatsu.

With our feet rested and our stomachs full, we headed back out for some more walking and shopping. Like I said before, there are so many cute stores and clothes in Harajuku! It was bittersweet... I was loving all the shops, but I was hating the fact that I couldn't shop. I'm on a budget, yo... Seeing the pain in my face, J bought me a pair of really cute capri pants with suspenders. Told ya he was awesome. Besides all the cute clothing stores, there was this great jewelry store right in front of the Harajuku station with a lot of cute items. So, if you're ever there, check it out!

Even though the day did not go according to my plan, it was fun and eventful. When I look back at it now, I'm even glad we walked forever in search of the non-existent Samurai Gallery. We were tired, but it was something we did together.

But, damn, this post is making me want to spend $30 on a pork cutlet and SHOP TIL I DROP. See everyone at the Thanksgiving sales!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

gobble gobble, kids....


Maisen
4-85 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
81-3-3470-0071
http://www.mai-sen.com/
Nearest Station: Omotesando

Breakfast of Champions: Sushi Dai (Tsukiji Market, Tokyo, Japan)

J and I woke up before the crack of dawn (4:00 a.m. to be exact) so we can head out to the world-famous Tsukiji fish market. It was still dark when we walked out of our hotel, but the crisp morning air woke me up immediately. It was our first day in the city and there was a noticeable bounce in my step. The city was still sleeping, but I was ready to start my day.

My heart raced as we got closer to our destination... Sushi, my love... here, I come.

First days mean first everythings... It was our first time riding the subway, it was our first time trying to navigate through the city, it was our first time well.... being up at 4 a.m. to eat sushi... I love how trips force you to change your every day routine and help you to realize how much more you are capable of doing.

After a twenty minute train ride, we exited the train station and made our way to Sushi Dai, the famous sushi restaurant inside the Tsukiji market. Immediately, I smelled fish, not in an offensive way, but in that beautiful, salty, oceanic way. Besides the smell, another reaction I had was to the high energy level of this place. If you're not careful you can get run over by one of the many "turret trucks" zooming past you carrying fish and other goods all over the market. While trying not to get run over, we were borderline walking and running to avoid the inevitable massive line that forms outside - too late. The line was... like I said, inevitable. But, the line didn't seem too long... it was only an hour wait.

the wait

Sushi Dai

The restaurant itself is very small, small by American standards, but probably just fine and dandy in the minds of the Japanese. The place seats about 12-13 people at a time and like most Japanese restaurants, it is cash only. To speed up the process of waiting, a wonderful Japanese lady assists us in the how to form/stand in the line and when you get close enough to the front, she will also take your order (omakase? which size? everything ok?).

green tea

After an hour long of waiting and staring into the window at the faces of those happily stuffing their face with all the different types of sushi, it was finally our turn. We were seated in the corner and instructed to put our bags and jackets on top of a shelf along side the opposite wall of the sushi chefs. We were greeted with green tea which was a much deeper green color than what we are served in the States. It has a bolder green tea flavor and very soothing.

ginger

At Sushi Dai, they serve the sushi right on top of the counter. And as soon as we sat down, the amiable sushi chef smiled and set down the best ginger I've had in my life. I know, it's just ginger.. ginger is ginger. But, this ginger was on another level compared to what I've had before. It had more vinegar flavor, which I adore, which tempered the strong ginger flavor.

toro

We started off with a beautiful piece of toro that was so soft it melted in my mouth. The cut was generous and the fish/rice ratio was perfect.

hirame (fluke, flounder)

 Next up was hirame, much milder and leaner than the toro. It was a nice contrast in both texture and flavor.

miso soup

By the time we were served the hirame, our miso soup came out. Filled with seaweed and fish with the bones, the aroma from this soup was absolutely divine! With the first sip, you can really taste the depth in flavor from the fish and its bones.

tai (red snapper)

The color on the tai sushi was a gorgeous since the cut I got showcased the lovely red strip on the side. This picture almost looks like a golden eye snapper or kinmedai, but it is not. The snapper was extremely fresh, which you could tell by its soft texture.

tamago (sweet egg omelet)

I'm usually used to tamago being served towards the end of the meal, but in this case it was served right in the middle. I didn't mind this mini intermission and thought the tamago had the perfect amount of sweetness and a great fluffy texture.

uni (sea urchin)

The intermission came just in time... The brief break allowed me to fully bask in the briny and sweet flavor of  one of my favorite things to eat: uni. The uni in Japan, which is from Hokkaido, is clearly different from the Santa Barbara uni that we are all used to. A friend of mine who had the Japanese uni told me she favored the Santa Barbara uni because the Japanese one was more "salty." J, on the other hand, thought the complete opposite. He does not enjoy uni, he'll eat it, but he won't order it. But, as soon as he ate the uni from Hokkaido, I swear I saw a twinkle in his eye. He thought it was much sweeter than the uni he has had in the States. I, too, thought it was utterly orgasmic.

magurozuke (marinated tuna)

We move onto a brightly red magurozuke. The marinated tuna was beautiful to look at and looked almost too amazing to eat. The cut was, once again, generous and the hint of wasabi left a perfect lingering of heat.

hokigai (surf clam)

Next, we were given some sort of clam that was so fresh, it was still moving! I've been debating with myself if this is surf clam or red clam. It definitely looks different from what I've been served for both, but I chose to go with surf clam because the coloration matched a bit more. If anyone can clarify this for me, it would be much appreciated! Well, despite my lack of knowledge behind this dish, it was one of my favorites of the night. This wasn't surprising since I generally do really enjoy all kinds of clam sushi. The texture was not chewey at all, just snappy - a great bite.

ikura (salmon roe)

The ikura was salty, but not overwhelming. I love how they pop in my mouth, which is a characteristic I know some don't really care for. This was another case where J really enjoyed the ikura from Japan, but never liked it in the States. This was the biggest surprise for both of us.

shiro ebi (baby shrimp)

I was really looking forward to the baby shrimp since I've never had it. The texture was a mixture of creamy and slimy, while the flavor was sweet but also slightly briny. It was outstanding - one of our favorites of the meal.

toro maki (toro cut roll)

The toro maki, two with cucumbers and two without, was next. Eaten with just a little bit of soy sauce, these definitely pushed me to the "I'm full" point. At this point, I look over to J and see that he was definitely past the "I'm full" and venturing into "I'm uncomfortably full." Never really eating breakfast in the morning (he loves breakfast food, but never in the morning), I knew J was pushing himself to finish. I gave him the encouraging "hang in there" look...

aji (horse mackerel)

Here, we have the aji, which is an oilier fish that tends to have a fishier taste. I personally like mackerel and enjoy the fishy taste, but J doesn't. In the end, it didn't really matter because the fishy taste was fairly mild due to the ginger and onions on top that broke up the oiliness of the fish. 

unagi (freshwater eel)

The last selection chosen by the chef was the unagi that was lightly dressed with sauce. I found the texture of the unagi to be a lot smoother than what I'm used to, which I adored. The eel was warm and sweet and very delicious.

After we finished off our unagi sushi, the chef told us we could choose our last piece. Of course, I chose the uni and J chose the toro. He was so full by this point, I ended up eating the toro... I could barely finish my uni, but I took one for the team and ate his toro (nice teamwork, huh?).

uni

toro

After we finished our amazing sushi breakfast, we saw that the line for Sushi Dai had grown twice as long. The wait was now over 2 hours. I was so glad to have beat that horrendous queue! We walked around the fish market and tried our best to stay out of people's way. The tuna auction was long over by this point so it wasn't as hectic and as crowded as it was earlier in the morning. It was a bit overwhelming at first, all my senses were on high alert. I smelled ocean, but each corner I turned that scent morphed into another scent altogether. I saw lobsters to uni to tuna to baby shrimp... you name it, it was there.

Yes, the fish market was crazy, but the real journey, for us, began after leaving the Tsukiji market.

Why? Because we got lost.... of course.

We ended up taking the train going in the opposite direction which resulted in a twenty minute detour. But, it was all a part of being on vacation and exploring the city, so we remained in good spirits. Regardless of getting lost, J and I tried to go to the Imperial Palace Gardens, but, sadly, they were closed. So, instead, we decided to walk to the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo which was about "3 football fields away" (J's words, not mine). Felt more like 5 football fields....

There was another line forming to get inside the museum, but it was all senior citizens. J and I were the only younger ones in line. I'm guessing it was so popular because the Uemura Shoen exhibit was ending... Don't ask me who Uemura Shoen is...

Despite the museum being on multiple floors, the whole tour of the museum was pretty quick. I was getting tired, but I didn't want to waste the rest of the day so we headed to Ginza. Oh, Ginza... how i love thee.

LV and Chanel and Dior, OH MY!

Even during the daytime, all the shops are amazing. I wish I had the money to shop here every day.

After sightseeing and spending a good solid 2 hours in the Sony building, J and I needed to recharge. Still full from the sushi breakfast to eat a full lunch, we decided to get coffee (his favorite) and dessert (my favorite). We passed by this cafe while sightseeing which had a nice patio for people watching. Perfect.

coffee break

layered crepe cake

The iced coffee was refreshing, but the layered crepe cake was just AMAZING. It was so light and creamy - just plain delicious.

With my sweet tooth satisfied, I was exhausted and ready to head back. I needed to rest my feet and my mind. My first day exploring the city was, no doubt, more than tiring, but a small part of me felt like I had conquered something... I got my lazy ass to roam around the city desperately trying to stuff every essence of Japan into my being. I also stayed positive and good spirits throughout this somewhat stressful day. If you know me, you know getting lost is my number one pet peeve and staying positive under stress is extremely difficult for me. But, I had to let it go and go wth the flow.

Breathe and reboot.


I conquered myself. It was a good day.



Sushi Dai
5-2-1 #6 Tsukiji Market
3547-6797
Nearest Station: Tsukiji-shio