Latest news with #Tasuku
SoraNews24
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Deep-fried mint chocolate croquettes and gnocchi gratin on sale at Tobu Department Store in Tokyo
It's a breath of fresh fried mint. We here at SoraNews24 are constantly seeking culinary oddities wherever they may appear, but sometimes we just stumble onto them too. Such a thing happened to our Japanese writer Tasuku Egawa while browsing around the Tobu Department Store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Japanese department stores often have large food sections on their basement floors that sell high-end cakes and chocolates or gourmet ingredients for meals. When Tasuku headed down there he spotted an interesting sign. It was for a special mint chocolate food campaign called Atsumare! Choco Minto, which is going on now. Minto is the Japanese pronunciation of 'mint,' but for this event the ' to ' part was written with the kanji used to denote a political party, often preceded by ' min ' to make ' minto ' as a shorthand for 'Democratic Party,' so this event roughly translates to 'Gather 'round! Mint Chococratic Party.' This pun is popular among foodies as an allusion to the very divisive nature of mint chocolate in which Japanese people seem to either love or hate it in such a clear way that it could be compared to political alignments. ▼ I've never been so politically motivated before. Many of the food vendors on the floor had special versions of their products adopting the great taste of mint chocolate. As expected, there was a vast array of cakes, parfaits, and milkshakes. But as Tasuku perused the menu, something far more daring jumped out at him. ▼ 'Mint Chocolate & Nuts Rich Mint Cream Croquette' In Japanese cuisine, cream croquettes are deep-fried globs of white sauce and some kind of savory meat or vegetable like crab or pumpkin. What Hakko Kitchen Rich Cream Croquette Tokyo seems to have done with this for the Mint Chococratic Party is add mint to the sauce and toss in some bits of chocolate and nuts for texture. Tasuku headed over to Hakko Kitchen and stared at the croquettes for a while. Sensing his disbelief the staff explained that this item sold out over the previous weekend and a TV crew even came to cover them. Not only that but they sold them at mint chocolate events in the past and there have been people waiting for them to come back. That was enough to intrigue our writer to try one despite the steep price of 681 yen each (US$4.72). While there he also spotted a Mint Chocolate & Cream Cheese Potato Gnocchi Gratin for 1,080 yen ($7.49) and felt compelled to try that too. He was reassured because department store food stalls are usually refined establishments that wouldn't just sell random foods for shock value if they didn't also taste really good. Hakko Kitchen in particular had been in this location for 60 years, so they probably knew what they were doing. But after arriving at home and staring his Mint Chocolate & Cream Cheese Potato Gnocchi Gratin in the blue face, he began to have second thoughts about this. He took a first scoop which had a big potato gnocchi in it and popped it in his mouth. The taste of mint chocolate was front and center while the gnocchi added some salty notes and the cream cheese kept everything grounded as a gratin dish. Tasuku concluded that it was good for him as a solid but moderate member of the Mint Chococratic Party, but the complexity of its taste might be an issue for hardline mint chocolate fanatics as the purity of the flavor could be described as diminished or corrupted somewhat. Next was the Mint Chocolate & Nuts Rich Mint Cream Croquette. It looked just as good as any cream croquette on the outside. Tasuku thought about how ice cream is sometimes fried in the USA, so this should work in the same way more or less. Breaking it open, our writer was greeted with a load of nuts and liberal amount of chocolate chips. His first bite was a full blast of firm mint chocolate flavor. Unlike the complex taste of the previous item, this was the clear taste of mint chocolate through and through. It's certainly too bold for anyone who's not a fan of mint chocolate, but who are we kidding? Anyone not into mint chocolate would have bailed on these croquettes a long time ago. But for those who want a fresh take on an old favorite, the Gather 'round! Mint Chococratic Party food fair will be held until 4 June. Event information Gather 'round! Mint Chococratic Party / あつまれ！チョコミン党 Hakko Kitchen Rich Cream Croquette Tokyo (croquettes and gratin only) / 発酵kitchen リッチクリームコロッケ東京 Tobu Department Store / 東武百貨店 Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Ikebukuro 1-1-25 東京都豊島区西池袋1-1-25 From 22 May-4 June Website Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Is the shrimp, strawberry, and cheese sushi at Kura Sushi right now mad genius, or simply mad?
We can't resist the temptation of a novel combination of toppings…but was it any good? Popular conveyor belt sushi restaurant Kura Sushi has been holding a special ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin), and meat promotional campaign since April 18 in commemoration of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo happening now. Even though our Japanese-language reporter Tasuku Egawa wasn't in the area, he could still feel the reach of the event when he visited his local Kura Sushi branch in Saitama the other day to satisfy a sushi craving. Once Tasuku sat down, he began browsing through the limited-time campaign merchandise on the digital tablet, which included products with the Expo mascot Myaku-Myaku. The special campaign menu items focused on variations of the ikura, uni, and meat theme. All of the offerings definitely looked delicious, but there wasn't anything that he felt was totally unconventional. Except…huh? What was that in the bottom right of the screen?! ▼ 'Shrimp, strawberry, and cheese sushi (230 yen [US$1.60])' Tasuku couldn't quite believe his eyes. Fruit and sushi…?! He'd never seen such a combination before, much less eaten anything with strawberries and shrimp together. It was also the exact same price as the rich uni sushi in the campaign, which seemingly indicated that they must be on par with each other. However, after getting over his initial surprise, he decided that he shouldn't judge the sushi before trying it. Maybe that blending of three flavors would prove to be on the same level as more classic combos. That's why he decided to order both of them and do a little side-by-side taste testing. ▼ Left: rich uni sushi, Right: shrimp, strawberry, and cheese sushi Tasuku started with the rich uni sushi, which boasted the usual delicious flavor of luxurious uni. Now it was time for the unconventional one. For starters, he didn't even know how he was supposed to eat it. Should he pop a piece into his mouth as is, or should he dip it in soy sauce as usual? There were more questions than answers, and ultimately he decided that there was no better way to find out than to start with its basic, unaltered flavor. ▼ A close-up of the sushi in question (questionable sushi?) The verdict? He honestly had no idea. It was such a new combination of flavors for him that he couldn't even find the words to describe this tasting experience. After some pondering, it was clear that the combo wasn't bad by any means, but he also couldn't decide it if were good enough to call it delicious. If he had to analyze it rationally, the first flavor to hit him was the sourness of the berries followed by the cheese. That's a good pairing in general, but as you can probably guess, the existence of the shrimp complicated things. Actually, the shrimp was almost overpowered by the other flavors to the point that its texture was the main contribution to the mix. He concluded that the mysterious sushi was simple, clean, and pretty good after all. To further test his conclusion, Tasuku decided to order another plate of the sushi to pair it with a kaisen uni temaki (seafood uni hand-roll) (190 yen) this time. There's no doubt that the temaki was delicious, but if you're looking for the best uni bang for your buck, then Tasuku recommends ordering the rich uni sushi instead. Before eating the shrimp, strawberry, and cheese sushi again, Tasuku decided to take a step into potential culinary chaos by drizzling some soy sauce on it. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought as he popped a piece into his mouth. It was actually great! He was vexed to admit it, but the soy sauce really brought out the flavor of the cheese and shrimp. It also paired unexpectedly well with the strawberry. Dare he say it, but he couldn't even choose which of the 230 yen-sushi plates to recommend over the other. By the way, for those in a more traditional sushi mood, here are some of Tasuku's other recommendations from the current campaign. ▼ Aburi yaki-harasu (grilled fatty salmon belly) (250 yen): The slices are generously sized, delicious, and the whole thing is a reasonable price. ▼ Thick akagai (ark shell clam) (280 yen)–It was consistently delicious from start to finish. Tasuku realizes that shellfish may polarize some people, but for those that like it, this one is highly recommended. ▼ Yuzu buri (yellowtail) (160 yen): Fresh yellowtail paired with the citrus of yuzu makes for a refreshingly delicious combination. ▼ Uni cream chawanmushi (egg custard) (410 yen): Uni is sprinkled into this creamy chawanmushi, which altogether packs a flavorful punch. On a final note, if you're not quite feeling up to going out to eat sushi at the moment, you could always opt to stay in and design your own conveyor belt sushi experience instead. All images © SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
Japan Times
10-03-2025
- General
- Japan Times
Monument erected in Miyagi to remember officials who died in March 2011
Minamisanriku, Miyagi Pref. – A monument was erected at the municipal office of Minamisanriku, a town in Miyagi Prefecture, on Sunday to commemorate officials who lost their lives in the massive tsunami 14 years ago. The monument inscribes the names of 37 town officials who died while working following the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, including by calling on residents to evacuate. "I hope that the lessons of the disaster will be passed on to future generations," said Aya Inoue, 33, a company worker from Tokyo who lost her older brother, Tasuku, in the disaster. Her brother was in his first year of employment as a Minamisanriku town official at the time of the tsunami.
