T UCKERB OX
OLYMPIC TASTES RAELENE TAN looks at the Japanese dining delicacies offered in Tokyo, this year’s Olympic city, that can be found right here in Singapore!
Nigiri-Sushi is a Tokyo speciality. The vinegared rice-ball is topped with wasabi (horseradish-paste) and sliced fish. Popular daily items include fish, seaweed, miso (soya-bean paste) soup, tofu (soyabean curd) and steamed rice. Noodles are also a staple, especially udon (made from wheat flour) and soba (made from buckwheat flour).
IN SINGAPORE
Tuck into nourishing Japanese cuisine here in Singapore where numerous restaurants offer such fare. The Japanese Association, Singapore at 120 Adam Road (jas.org.sg/dining) immediately comes to mind, where Akane Restaurant, which includes counter seating, private and semi-private rooms, fetes Members and their guests with colourful seasonal cuisine for lunch and dinner.
Tempura at Tajim aya Restaurant
A Japanese meal is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate, with tableware complementing the particular seasonal food. Summer is when capsicum, eggplant, corn-on-the-cob, grilled eel (unagi), grilled freshwater fish (ayu), takoyaki (fried octopus) and various cold ramen (noodle) dishes are available, as well as fresh watermelon, peaches and cherries. For sweet treats, try mizuyokan, a cold red bean cake, kakigori, which features shaved ice with colourful syrup in flavours of cherry, grape and melon, or anmitsu, jelly with sweet red azuki beans and fruit.
TRADITIONAL FARE
A Japanese set meal usually includes rice, soup, a main dish (fish or meat with vegetables), crunchy pickles, fresh fruit and green tea. Some Japanese restaurants specialise in certain varieties of food, such as Tempura (seafood and vegetables in a light batter, deep-fried), Teppan-Yaki (food grilled theatrically on a hotplate by a deft chef, in front of diners), Yaki-Niku (table-top barbecue), Suki-Yaki (food cooked and served in a flat pan together with sauce, served with an uncooked
Born in Adelaide, Raelene Tan is an etiquette consultant and a food and travel writer. She has authored five books and has been a regular guest on radio and television. 60 anza
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Creative Eateries
IN TOKYO
SEASONAL DELIGHTS
Photo: Courtesy
J
apan is set to host the summer Olympic Games this year from Friday, 23 July to Sunday, 8 August, and the Paralympic Games from Tuesday, 24 August to Sunday, 5 September, in the heart of capital city Tokyo. If the games do go ahead get into the spirit with these local delicacies!
egg), Shabu-Shabu (steamboat-style, cooked in a central pot of boiling stock at the table by diners), Yaki-Tori (a variety of chicken pieces threaded on bamboo skewers and grilled), as well as Sushi (pressed vinegared rice with fish and vegetables, often rolled in seaweed strips) and Sashimi (thinly sliced raw fish).
JAPANESE BEVERAGES
Apart from aromatic green tea (my favourite breakfast beverage), sake (rice wine, served warm or chilled), shochu (distilled spirit made from grains and sweet potatoes) and Choya Umeshu (plum liqueur), there are Japanese beers and whiskies to indulge in, as well as soft drink Ramune with its original lemonlime flavour, and well-known health drink Yakult. As we turn our thoughts to sports, let us focus on the Olympic motto, “CitiusAltius-Forticus” (“Faster-Higher-Stronger”), to help carry us through different aspects of life.
July/August 2021
9/6/21 4:47 PM
