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November 3, 2012: Tokyo Day #6! Pizza Seirinkan! The Molecular Tapas Bar!

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I’d been thinking about it since my last trip here and, finally, yesterday, I finally got a chance to pay a return visit to Pizza Seirinkan.  Joining me this time were Akemi and her friend Yukina…

The place is surprisingly easy to find, a mere two minute walk from the Naka-Meguro subway station.  It opens at 11:3o but, on this day, we got in early at approximately 11:26 a.m.
Yukina (the strawberry princess) and Akemi.
We did the octopus starter.  Tasty but a tad chewy.  Mogu-mogu as Akemi put it.
There are only two types of pizza on the menu at Seirinkan.  But, really, you don’t need anymore.  Why mess with perfection?  The Margherita is my favorite.
While Akemi preferred the more garlicky Marinara.  It’s all in the dough.

After lunch, we headed over to Electric Town, Akihabara, so I could track down a new Evangelion iPhone case and, of course, one of my favorite desserts –

I had the matcha coming and the custard going.  They’re sweet, cream-filled pillows from heaven.

Akemi and I kept the subsequent snacking to a minimum because we had a 6:00 p.m. dinner reservation at The Molecular Tapas Bar.  This would make my fourth visit, but we really went because Akemi was dying to try it.  It’s always an experience…

The view from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel lounge. Akemi called it beautiful. I’d lean toward terrifying.
The Sparkling Muscat. Like eating sweet, carbonated jelly.
Autumn Forest Snacks

From left to right: A porcini puff, mushroom cappuccino, crispy gingko, truffled potato, hunting pig (a bacon biscuit), matsutake gohan (a matsutake mushroom rice cracker), and an apple-manchego cigar.

Please, don’t eat. The dry ice is just for show.
An incredibly aromatic shitake mushroom soup. Akemi says it was the best thing she’s eaten so far on this trip. Totemo natsukashii!
Passion fruit caviar.  They burst in your mouth like fruity salmon eggs.

On to the mains…

Smoke (and smokey) tuna.
Akemi usually isn’t a fan of smoked foods so I thought I’d get to finish hers off.  Unfortunately for me, she loved it.
Langoustine Suquet – scampi in a Catalan broth.
Braised Iberico pork cheek. Guess what the cauliflower-looking stuff is. If you guessed cauliflower, you’re right.
Siu long bao. Actually, a reverse take on the Chinese soup dumpling. The lamb chop holds a pocket of the hot broth that has been injected directly into the meat. You’re cautioned to eat it all in one bite at the risk of making a mess. Accompanying the chop is a yogurt dipping sauce and some baby peach.
Wagyu cooked sous-vide for six hours.
Dobinmushi. Their take on the class soup sees its main ingredients encapsulated in a translucent globule created by dropping the soup in calcium water.

And then it was on to dessert.  We started with the “puff”, liquid nitrogen-dipped meringues that literally puffed in your mouth when chewed, venting its smokey self out of the nose’s of unsuspecting diners.

Leaf Littered

An intricate and beautiful dish.  Those maple leaves are painstakingly constructed from wonton wrappers.  But the highlight for me was the acorn ice cream.

Clockwise from the top: Buttery-great popcorn cotton candy, a lemon-olive oil gummy, szechuan meringue, uber-tart raspberry soda (in wafer for), and chocolate pumice.

And we finished with the restaurant’s trademark miracle fruit closer.

We were instructed to sample the various fruit – sweet orange, tart lemon and lime – then told to pop the little red miracle fruit into our mouths.  We chewed the fruit around the stone, moved it around our mouths and then, when a minute was up, we spat out the stone and tasted the fruit again.  The lemon and limes were miraculously sweet.  How is this possible?  Oh, you can read all about it here: Miracle fruit – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I’ve got to find a source so I can throw my own miracle fruit party where I can serve lemon wedges and vinegar shots.

Another day in Tokyo, then hopping on the bullet train and heading over to Osaka for a couple of days.

What have you all been up to?

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26 responses

  1. sylvia Avatar
    sylvia

    Everything looks super wonderful. The creme buns have the appearance of something that is, “…to die for…” because it is so good. Oishi!!.

    Akemi and Yukina look fabulous!

    If you are thinking to buy a camera, I think the advice was always to get an export model.

    Thank you…tonight the blog coincided with a home feeding. However, seeing your choices compared to what is available here….is NOT nice. But at least I have food in front of me.

    What am I up to, you ask…work…boooorrrrrinnnngggg!

    Reply
  2. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    Wow. That looks like an amazing dining experience. Um, I had some rotini with pretty decent homemade spaghetti meat sauce for dinner! Nothing like that awesome stuff, though.

    Otherwise, I’ve been pretty much ill with a cold/flu for the last few days. So, there’s that. Woohoo.

    Reply
  3. Airelle Avatar
    Airelle

    Joe, I hope you brought the elastic pants with you. You just might need them. Thanks for sharing all your fun, I am loving the pictures and play by play..

    Reply
  4. Alisa Russell Avatar
    Alisa Russell

    Yum on the pizza, sweet cream buns, and desserts. We just got back from our regular Friday night dinner out. Tonight we went to Cracker Barrel. I know, not near as interesting as yours. 🙂 Tomorrow, I will be going to a local write-in for NaNoWriMo, and Sunday is a fall baseball game day for younger son. There’s going to be a tournament next weekend. Should be interesting.

    Have a great night!

    Reply
  5. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    “I had the matcha coming and the custard going. They’re sweet, cream-filled pillows from heaven.”

    Usually when I say I had something come and go, it’s not a good thing… But I can tell by that little boy grin on your face that it was very good for you. 🙂

    The pizza looks devine too. All the pictures look devine! I fell asleep on the couch watching Dr. Phil, so your blog is the highlight of my day. Thanks for posting!!

    Reply
  6. LJ Avatar
    LJ

    What am I up to? I’m packing up my house so we can move! We bought a sign shop! Three weeks after our visit with the adoption caseworker, of course. ACK! Boxes, boxes everywhere! If anyone needs signage, you know who to ask! 😉

    Reply
  7. Barbaro Avatar
    Barbaro

    I’ve been doing almost nothing but working since I went back to work on Wednesday. Mandatory 12 hour days to try to get people’s phones working and we have to do 12 hours on Sat. and Sun.

    Reply
  8. sg1efc Avatar
    sg1efc

    Food looks very tasty, “miracle fruit” wiki info is interesting, thanks. That is a neat view from the lounge. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    I’m really enjoying your vacation!

    What am I up to? Work is kind of difficult at the moment – short-handed, busy and about to implement a new computer system or three in our hospital. And I just found out I have a torn meniscus in my right (driving leg) knee. Scheduling the MRI to see how bad it is and contemplating surgery after the holidays.

    So your vacation blogs are a very pleasant way to escape from all of that for a while.

    Reply
  10. DP Avatar
    DP

    Too good.

    —

    Passing through a little town, I asked at the ice cream stand, “do you have gluten-free cones?” The answer was yes. 😮 Sometimes, I’m proud of myself for bothering to ask some off-the-wall questions because those improbable yeses are fun.

    My husband bought a Flying Pizza, so it looks like I’ll be making nutella ice cream tomorrow to distract me from the temptation.

    —

    I’m really hoping the iPhone game app I’ve written some content for catches on before Thanksgiving. I have a theory there could be a word of mouth boon for those holidays where people sit around in their mother-in-law’s living room, needing to be vocal about what they’re so distracted by. Meanwhile, I get to angst about how much more content to bet my time on while we wait for it to catch on.

    Reply
  11. Deni Avatar
    Deni

    That Iberico pork looks to die for. 🙂 Love Akemi’s dress, she really looks gorgeous.

    Just got back from Mexican dinner at a new place. Ok, new for us, anyway. Really fantastic chiles rellenos, just when I thought I’d never have another good one. 🙂 Otherwise, Cody’s still boarding at the vet’s. He managed to get his E-collar off and destroyed his bandages (and opened up one of his surgical sites) and is now confined to a cage (instead of a run) with a huge E-collar at least until Monday. Good thing is, he’s really laid back and doesn’t seem to care. Riley and I went to see him this afternoon and I thought they would both keel over from happiness. Amazing how they love each other.

    You know, it’s weird that I can fly a small plane and be fine, but like you, put me in a tall building and I’m toast. Go figure.

    Have a good night!

    Reply
  12. DP Avatar
    DP

    *I’ll be making nutella ice cream tonight to distract me

    *I did make nutella ice cream, well, did mix some nutella and crushed Butterfinger bars into some ice cream.

    Reply
  13. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    Looks yummy, Joe!

    Still trying to get life back to normal after the storm, and it didn’t help that we hit the wholesale club today and now my house is full of giant boxes and bags of stuff that just won’t fit in the cabinets. I really haven’t had much time to spend on the net, and only checking in now due to my devotion to you and your blog. 😉 Oh, and because I’m trying to figure out if that shirt of yours is the Italian version of a bowling shirt, or what. 😀

    Also, after two tests in as many weeks, I am happy to say that I am neither lactose nor fructose intolerant! Woo! Bring on the strawberry ice cream!! 🙂 I am still opting for a gluten-free diet, and I swear it’s making me feel better even if I really don’t have an issue with gluten (I still have yet to be tested for it). Tonight we ate at my favorite restaurant, and they now offer a gluten-free menu. I had gluten-free pasta topped with broccoli, butternut squash, cheese (forgot which kind), and chicken, in a pumpkin (gf) alfredo sauce – it was to die for! The gf roll they served was damn good, too – pleasantly chewy, not crumbly like so many gf breads. It was great for dipping, too! Very satisfying meal. 🙂

    Today for the first time in a week I actually feel like sleeping, so I think I’ll turn in early, and pray that I can sleep for more than an hour or two at a time.

    Nites!

    das

    Reply
  14. Deborah Rose Avatar
    Deborah Rose

    @ LJ: congratulations on the move!
    As always, the food looks good and the descriptions make my mouth water. glad the trip seems to be going well. On this side of the Pacific the mayor of NYC finally got the idea and cancelled the marathon this weekend. All the resources that will be shifted from that to the hurricane victims is only a fraction of what is needed, but will make a huge difference for that percentage that receives it. Enjoy the rest of your trip, and looking forward to more reports.

    Reply
  15. archersangel Avatar
    archersangel

    I had the matcha coming and the custard going. They’re sweet, cream-filled pillows from heaven.
    you look very happy with that pastry.

    Reply
  16. stargateatlantisseasonsix Avatar
    stargateatlantisseasonsix

    Publishing Chapter Eight of Stargate Atlantis Season Six Blog’s First Episode “The Fifth”.

    Reply
  17. BoltBait Avatar
    BoltBait

    So, Saturday’s my birthday. How are you all celebrating?

    I’ll be reading my favorite blogs and having a TV dinner. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    Thinkgeek.com has them for $14.99 but they only ship to the states. You might have to get an old Stargate buddy to send some up if you can’t find another source.

    Reply
  19. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    🙁 Very sorry to hear about Aspen. Give your sister my hugs.

    The food looks amazing. Now I want popcorn cotton candy — okay and about half the other stuff.

    Reply
  20. rissreader Avatar
    rissreader

    Trip looks great.

    ThinkGeek has miracle fruit tablets. From the look of the package they’re available in Japan.
    http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ab3f/

    Reply
  21. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    You can get pretty much Evangelion anything in Japan these days Joe, it’s ridiculously popular.

    Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is out November 17th too. Pity you didn’t go to Japan a little later, you and Akemi could of caught the movie lol

    Reply
  22. SiSi Avatar
    SiSi

    I love your visits to Japan–traveling vicariously is better than not traveling at all, or something like that. The only problem is how hungry I get reading about your eating experiences, and how disappointed I am when I look in my kitchen.

    Reply
  23. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    The food pictures look great! I’m especially fond of the “sweet, cream-filled pillows from heaven”. I love bread!

    I’m glad, Das, that your gluten free diet is working but it would be so hard to give up bread. I was diabetic with my pregnancy and giving up bread was the worst part of the diet. When I had a sandwich back then, I had to use lettuce leaves instead of a bun. Totally sucked!

    Thank you so much for your descriptions on “food adventures”! It’s almost like “Japan-where science and art become food”.

    Not much going on here. I’m slowly getting slammed with unexpected bills. Then our big TV starts going out. So, this weekend we are TV shopping. After seeing the mess of wires in the back of our current TV, I’m going to label everything. Hubby has a whole NASA system going on behind the TV! Boys and their toys….

    Headache today, gonna grab some Aleve/Imitrex and get the day going. Have all kinds of fun!

    Reply
  24. Patricia Stewart-Bertrand Avatar
    Patricia Stewart-Bertrand

    Hi Joe: What have I been up to? Paying my sons university costs…and paying…and paying…Note to anyone who’s child will be attending university in another city, if possible, buy a house or condo for them so they can rent out bedrooms to friends. Then they can pay for their own damned costs. 🙂

    I am also busily doing on-line research for news articles I am writing on various topics. While browsing the net, I found something for our affable blog host.

    When you get back Joe, here’s an idea for those fabulous house parties you like to throw – Vancouver food trucks are on the move. In order to supplement their incomes in the colder (and rainier) winter, they will come to you. Check out: http://www.bcliving.ca/food/vancouver-food-trucks-catering?utm_source=MagMail&utm_medium=Food&utm_campaign=Food+-+November+3%252C+2012

    Patricia

    Reply
  25. Susan Bowden Avatar
    Susan Bowden

    Mouthwatering pizza! I still loved the pizza with the egg in the centre. Your trips definitely inspire me to be more adventurous with food.

    Well, I had a busy start to the week followed by a fun Halloween and my Birthday the next day! I’m playing with my new toy today – Kindle Fire – which I absolutely love. Okay, it takes ages to type, still faster to use a traditional keyboard, but I’m glad I waited to buy a combination tablet and e-reader. Also ate too much and have a ton of chocolate to enjoy, including Toblerone, my favourite!

    @Das: Glad to hear you’re okay, both physically and from the storm. Here’s hoping everything settles to normal shortly. Gluten free diet sounds like a good idea, I may experiment with it soon – late forties means too many digestive problems to stick with many of my old eating habits.

    Looking forward to Guy Fawkes tonight. Fireworks galore!

    Reply
  26. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    Oprah’s “Favorite Things” list is out, in case you need to shop for anyone: http://www.oprah.com/gift-list/Oprahs-Favorite-Things-2012/1

    Reply

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