Searching for Umeboshi - Chinriu Honten's Pickled Plum (Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture)

Umeboshis are pickled and dried Ume fruits, usually referred to as green plums, and very popular in Japan. Some are aged in salt-filled barrels for 1 to 3 years before consumption. More like apricots than plums, Umes are Japan's sourest fruits so one needs to get used to it to appreciate it. In the olden times, samurais used ume as energy boosters. 

Meanwhile, umeboshis are usually served as side dishes for rice (for added flavor) and rice balls (onigiri). They are extremely sour and salty that when I was offered a platter of Umes, I couldn't stop distorting my face when Umeboshi touched my tongue. I didn't mean to offend. I just wasn't ready for the acidic taste in it.

But I am getting ahead of myself, am I not?

First, I had to look for Chinriu Honten, a specialty shop selling Umes and Umeboshis in Odawara. The shop specializes in three product varieties with Ume, red Shiso or Sakura cherry blossoms as main ingredients. 

It was established in 1871 by the last chief cook of Odawara Castle - Monya Komine. Today, the company is managed by Takako Komine, a fifth generation Komine who married Nicolas Soergel, a French-German national whos helping out to manage and market the specialty shop, taking the business to a contemporary clientele. 

Finding it wasn't as easy. I sought the help of Odawara Tourist Information Center at the train station for the direction. Even with that, 'her English translation was limited. The old lady from the center eventually wrote the shop's name in Japanese characters, making the search a lot faster. Still, this took awhile. 

From the eastern exit of the station, facing the main street towards Sagami Bay, I took the stairs to the right, and down to ground level (not the underground shopping mall). I crossed the street and asked further. A beautiful black lady saw the struggle I had and offered to help translate my predicament. Chinriu Honten was just 3 shops from where I was asking. "You mean, you came all the way from Tokyo to find ume?" Her eyes lit up with a smile. 

There were no English signs outside. There should be if it wants to entertain foreign customers. I stuck my head inside and asked if this indeed was Chinriu Honten. I looked around first, then I was offered a platter containing different types of Ume preparations (green plums) prepared differently. 

Acquired Taste

Umeboshi was extremely sour and salty. I could savor a fruity flavor though mostly, it's hard to describe. It is an acquired taste. I had to beg off from buying a whole set. I realized it was what I came for, but hey, I've tasted a piece. I was happy with it. Most 150 gram Umeboshi costs 1,500 yen. My sweetened Ume (dried with honey) cost only about 700 yen. It looked like one of those dried mangoes from Davao (see photo). 

I was grateful that despite my inquisitiveness, the staff were accommodating and hospitable. I felt honored to be in the presence of a 147 year old establishment with a lot of history to their trade.

After visiting a castle and a Japanese beach, tasting the Ume completed my Odawara experience. The visit was spur of the moment. Sometimes, the best adventures are those not overly planned because you're bound to get pleasant surprises. 

This was a sour and salty surprise. 

My ume was honey-dried. This isn't the popular umeboshi but a variety of the delicacy. Not sure how it is exactly called.

They remind me of those dried mangoes from Davao.

If you pass by this shop, could you tell it's an Ume shop?

Chinriu Honten is in this building, just across the train station.

Pickled, salted Ume fruits are wrinkly and very salty/sour. This photo from www.japan-talk.com.

Ume fruits are more like apricots than plums. This photo from www.japan-talk.com.

K-Twins Restaurant - Ilocano Cuisine in Davao City

If you're craving for authentic Ilocano dishes in the heart of Davao City, you'll get your fill of igado, dinakdakan, Ilocano empanada, crispy dinuguan, etc. in a restaurant called K-Twins in Damosa Gateway in Lanang.  I was told they used to have a branch in Obrero, but moved to this new location, which opened last March 2015.

Ilocano dishes aren't exactly popular in Davao, except for bagnet. What caught my attention were a couple of dishes not quite offered in many Ilocano restaurants in Manila. So I ordered them to find out.

Crispy tambucho is a dish of deep fried, pork large intestines served with spicy vinegar. They're almost similar to "chicharong bulaklak" without the omentum. They're tasty and crunchy, though it's a matter of taste. Tambucho is a Spanish term for "muffler" - and is thus self explanatory why this is called as such. A serving costs PhP180.

Tahitian bagnet is "bagnet" (deep fried crispy pork dish similar to lechon kawali, but crunchier) spruced up with a salad of vegetables. The vegetables actually "lose" the taste of meat so if you love your veggies, you'd probably love this bagnet variety. Personally though, I couldn't appreciate the "concoction". I like bagnets and losing its taste (and even its crispness) to vegetables somehow dilutes the enjoyment of eating the dish. You might as well order their traditional bagnet. The dish will set you back by PhP255.

K-Twins Restaurant is located in Damosa Gateway, Mamay Road, Lanang, Davao City. They have a Facebook page too - or try this number if you need to contact them: 0928-397-6218.

This is the Eye in the Sky.

Crispy tambucho

Tahitian Bagnet

Vikings - Manila's Feast of Gastronomic Spectacle

Let's take a break from my travels and do something more universal: gastronomy! If you've never been to Vikings, a buffet restaurant at the SM Mall of Asia grounds (fronting the romantic Manila Bay), you should plan a visit with your family or friends. Recently, I took my small family at the Vikings for a feastful dinner. I was my second time and I wanted to share this amazing place with them. Since it's a buffet restaurant, it can't be anything less luxurious. After all, most buffets are statements of luxury, unless you're dining in Davao City where there's an inexpensive buffet restaurant in every nook and cranny. The price per person is considerably upper-tier dining: P900 ($22) bucks per per person on a weekday; P1200 ($29) or thereabouts on a weekend - and you need to reserve at least a week or two before the special occasion. Don't risk walking in unreserved; there's always been a long waiting list every single time I was there.

There are steaks, barbecues, roast meat, Japanese dishes and sushis, seafood, hotpot, European and Chinese cuisine, Filipino dishes, drinks that range from draft beer and sago't gulaman to sodas, juices and iced teas, desserts like cakes, Pinoy delicacies and ice creams, etc. I tried the different varieties of caviar, but they all tasted the same. The only difference was how each one popped in the mouth. :) They do have a policy of no left overs which is reasonable. You can have as much as you want, but you shouldn't waste food. There's "financial liability" for leftovers (they're weighed and computed). I am not sure though if this has ever been imposed.

Meals like these are for special occasions. After all, you don't just shell out $27 dollars every single meal, right? But what's really amazing is the spread of food all over the place. It's partaking fiesta every single time, and it's fun just roaming around, checking out new entries that are constantly on display. The restaurant is said to change menu 4-5x a year to keep the selection fresh and exciting.

For this post, we've posted some photos from the restaurant's website because, quite frankly, we didn't go there to take photos but to eat! The photos I got were quite limited! To give justice to the grandeur of Vikings, we're using some of their website's photos (#2, 3, and the last 7 photos posted in this page).

Please do not ask us about bookings, special events and reservations. We are NOT connected with the restaurant. Check out their website instead - http://www.vikings.ph/home.html. You can also email them at reservations.vikings@yahoo.com or call them at 846-3888, 846-4888, 846-5888 and 0917-5653888 & 0923-7303888. Peruse on their menu here - http://www.vikings.ph/menu.html.

If you require a special place for that special occasion, and money's no object, this is the place to be. They have occasional promos. Citibank once had 50%-off rates (and credit cards are accepted, of course). Children have special rates too. Paid parking is available in front of the restaurant which is some 4-5 blocks from MOA. If you're parking at MOA, expect a considerable distance of walking. Vikings is open daily: 11 AM to 2 PM for the lunch buffet; 6 PM to 10 PM for dinner. Bon appetit!

This is the Eye in the Sky!

This was just my first plate.

Sushi and shrimp sticks

Varieties of caviar. I didn't get the green one.

Japanese selection including a Japanese crepe (middle)

Pinoy delicacies

Red beans and coffee flavored jelly (above and below)

Sausages, barbecues, steaks. Pick them here then have them cooked and they'll deliver them at your table. The exquisite fish above was delicious and fresh, but took 30 minutes.

Acknowledgement: Photos number 2 and 3 and the last 7 photos below are courtesy of Vikings' website.

Off Central KL - Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah & the Surrounding Block

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Staying at the other end of Jalan Pudu - away from Puduraya Station (Hentian Puduraya) was interesting because it felt like I was left off center. It was still part of the Golden Triangle, the Bukit Bintang realm, but the place is really in the fringes of this backpack epicenter. In this area, I stayed in 2 nearby hotels or guesthouses: Hotel Orkid Inn and Beltif Hotel which were a study of contrasts. The area is also very close to Berjaya Times Square and the Imbi monorail station. From Jalan Pudu, the next intersecting street was that of Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, easily demarcated by the high rise of Taragon and Furama Hotel. The area is dotted with dated shop houses, turned into mostly Chinese-Malaysian restaurants. As you go further east and southeast, you find karaoke bars and massage parlors found in the areas of Jalan Baba, Jalan Nyonya and Jalan Brunei Utara.

My earliest association with the oddly named street is by gastronomy. though there's more than enough option, I stayed away from dark colored entrees. Kedai Mekanan Teochew is a safe choice for a restaurant. It fancies itself as a porridge restaurant, with several options on platters. A plate with several spoonfuls of mixed viand and rice is a measly 5.50 ringgit, plus 2 ringgit of Coke.

There's an upscale shopping complex in the vicinity called Shaw Parade which is decked in luminous red. There's a bank and a convenience store. Beltif Hotel is located in the same street. Though you will find a sign that says "Internet" along the same road, there's no browsing to be had there; just online gaming.

The area isn't exactly pretty, but its proximity to Bukit Bintang, Puduraya Station and the Bintang Walk makes it an ideal place for backpackers and other tourists. This post tries to document the area.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

This mixed plate at Kedai Mekanan Teochew Restaurant costs a measly 5.50 ringgit.

Food during late lunch.

My food at dinner time.

Kedai Makanan Teochew Porridge Restaurant

Beltif Hotel at the right side of the building.

Shaw Parade

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant (above and below)

Sunday Club

Jalan Basa

An altar in front of a Karaoke Bar

Dark corner along Jalan Pudu

Map of the area