Category: Specialty Shops

Sakuraco Subscription Review Box

I was approached recently by ICHIGO Inc., the parent company of TokyoTreat and Sakuraco. They offered me the opportunity to review one of their subscription boxes. I actually was delighted as I had been regularly seeing ads for both. I choose Sakuraco as I have such a fondness for traditional Japanese sweets which often can be challenging to find such authentic and such a variety of treats even here in California!

I invited my friend, Nancy, to join me in tasting this box of wagashi seasonal traditional Japanese sweets. She had never tasted any Japanese sweets so I thought it would be a nice balance to my more knowledgeable palate.

What is the Autumn Moon Viewing Festival?

Tsukimi (月見) “moon-viewing or looking at the moon”, are Japanese festivals honoring the autumn moon, which take place all over the country. I have very fond memories of going to a number of these when I lived in Japan with family and friends and of course, sampling and savoring delicious traditional foods, sweets and snacks, as well as admiring the beauty of the autumn moon made it always very special and memorable. To this day, you may find me outside often admiring the moon here in California!

This is a very clever, ambitious, generously filled, and curated seasonal subscription box that provides great value and variety as there aren’t many companies that offer locally sourced and made Japanese sweets sent internationally. I love these types of sweets so I may consider ordering for myself and my daughter in the future as a holiday gift. I am especially interested in what they may offer for Japanese New Year’s as that is a favorite holiday of ours.

Treats in the Sakuraco Subscription Box that We LOVED:

Kokuto Kinako Mochi—I love any type of mochi and Nancy loved it too

Tsukimi Candy—We both liked the pear flavor more than the grape

Black Sesame Miso Arare—with a glass of sake and or beer a perfect umami snack!

Hokkaido Sweet Potato—moist, rich flavor and not overwhelmingly sweet

Tsukimi Ryokucha (green tea)—a winner

Tsukimi Mikan Cream Cookie: So unfortunate these crunchy cookies arrived broken as they were visually so pretty. Despite that, we both loved the flavor.

Chestnut Dorayaki: Delicious

Custard Taiyaki: Yummy

We also really appreciated that it included a cute Tsukimi traditional tableware ceramic dish from Gifu Prefecture of rabbits dancing under the moonlight as a keepsake. I read the beautifully written, informative, detailed and beautifully photographed in-depth booklet cover to cover that not only included the history of the Tsukimi Moon Viewing Festival but also where each treat came from and detailed information on the local makers.

The breadth of the sweets offered from all over Japan was a really nice and thoughtful touch with introductions of different regions and prefectures as well. Sakuraco says that they work directly with many Japanese family-owned businesses who have dedicated their lives to the art of snack making. I love that they are supporting local businesses in Japan in many different prefectures around the country and introducing them to the international market.

Some misses:

Usagi Pon Senbei—not tasty at all

Kodaimai Senbei—loved the crunchiness but very dry

Cocoa Black Soybeans—Not a great balance of flavors

Usagi Hozui: We found the texture tough and not flavorful which disappointed me as I usually love this treat. Perhaps it doesn’t travel well?

Lemon Baked Chocolate—While I love lemon as a flavor, neither of us could taste the chocolate at all but the rice puffs for crunch was a nice contrasting touch.

Some Minor Quibbles and Suggestions:

Packing better to avoid breakages: This surprised me that more care wasn’t taken in the packing (although they say it is hand-packed) since overall, it is obvious such care was taken in all the other elements of the box. All the senbei included in this box arrived broken. A pity since many of them were so pretty and visually attractive.

Signing for the delivery of the box: I get a lot of boxes from Japan and have never had to sign for any of them, but I did for this one. Very annoying as it interrupted an important business call I was on.

Overall if you’re looking to try out a Japanese treats subscription box, I definitely recommend giving Sakuraco a try!
A Review of Kokoro Care Packages

I was thrilled when I heard about Kokoro Care Packages, who offers monthly and or seasonal Japanese care packages. I love that more companies are introducing Japanese foods and other products here in the U.S., and to other countries outside of Japan. So, I reached out to them and introduced them to Thanks for the Meal’s blog.

Kokoro Care Package Review

Here is what Kokoro says about their products:

“Every month and season, we curate unique care packages filled with premium-quality, all-natural Japanese food and deliver them straight from Japan to your home. Each item is carefully selected for its quality, purity, ease of use and of course, taste!”

In exchange for this review, I received the August Nourishing Essentials Care Package mailed directly from Japan. It was filled with seasonal summer foods and I invited my friend Nancy to come over for a taste test a few weeks ago on a very hot and sultry day.

Kokoro Care Package Recipes

First, I used the Izumo Soba and made Hiyashi Chuka. I used baby shrimp, simmered and sliced shiitake mushrooms, sliced Japanese cucumber, and tomato slices as our toppings. Sprinkled toasted sesame seeds over the top. These noodles were a big hit. Generous 2 person portion was included and we both loved the sprightly lemon soy sauce.

Izumo Soba

Hiyashi Chuka made with the Izumo Soba

Mixed Seaweed Salad

Next was the Mixed Seaweed Salad. I love seaweed salads, so was looking forward to tasting this mix which has five different seaweeds from Hokkaido. After soaking in water and rinsing, I added thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers, and mixed in Ponzu sauce and toasted sesame seeds. Another hit!

Japanese Summer Tonic

Japanese Summer Tonic using Yamanashi’s 5-year Aged Red Wine Vinegar

I’m a big fan of Japanese inspired cocktails, but even non-alcoholic drinks are a hit around my house! Because of the heat on our taste testing day, I made a summer tonic using Yamanashi’s 5 year Aged Red Wine Vinegar, sparkling water, and a touch of honey. Be sure to melt the honey before mixing in, otherwise you end up with a clump of it at the bottom of the drink which doesn’t dissolve.

We both loved this tangy, thirst-quenching and refreshing drink so much, that I made it again this week during the heat wave that the Bay area has been experiencing. It was wonderful!

Cooking with Furikake

I served freshly cooked Japanese white rice and we topped it with a sprinkling of Unagi Sansho Furikake. Of course Unagi (eel) is a summer favorite and I love it.

Nancy had never had Furikake, and we both really enjoyed this slightly sweet mixture with different textures, which included various seasonings such as sansho pepper and ginger along with unagi bits.

There were a few items that weren’t luminary, at least to us: The Blueberry Amazake, the Sweet Corn Rice Porridge, and the Ayu Furikake. We found them overall not as interesting or as tasty as the other products. But I have no doubt that Kokoro Cares, a company less than one year old will continue to improve and expand their offerings in terms of tastes and variety.

Would I try Kokoro’s Care Packages again? Absolutely. I am especially interested in The Seasonal Delights Care Package, which includes 7+ healthy and delicious Japanese foods. It also comes with a special artisanal gift made locally in Japan and is shipped once every three months to coincide with the four seasons.

Kokoro Care Package Discount

If you’re interested in trying a Kokoro care package, take advantage of a special offer! Use discount code THANKSFORTHEMEAL_10 and you’ll get 10% off your first order through the end of September. Order your care package today and be sure to comment below about which product you’re most excited to check out!

Description from the August 2019 Kokoro Care Package

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The Japanese Pantry

The Japanese Pantry is dedicated to bringing the best quality artisanal Japanese ingredients that we have found in our travels in Japan to professional and recreational cooks in North America.”

That’s The Japanese Pantry’s motto (started in 2015). And of course, I wanted to know more about this intriguing company! I found them a number of months ago on Facebook and was thrilled to see that they are also based in San Francisco like me! So, I met with Chris Bonomo, one of the Co-Founders at their local warehouse for a behind the scenes sneak peak of their operation. Greg Dunmore, the other Co-Founder and former chef/owner of Nojo, was in Japan on a sourcing trip (which is always a good sign to me!)

Although it was the first time we had met, we immediately started talking about how we fell in love with Japan, our families and kids, and recent and or upcoming trips to Japan. Chris then led me on a 2 hour taste test of soy sauces, sesame oils, sesame pastes, vinegars and spices. He was extraordinary, erudite, knowledgeable and so passionate about Japan and all of what they have to offer, especially food-wise. My taste buds just exploded with each taste, over and over. It was so much fun and I learned so much!

Posts may include affiliate links, so without costing you anything extra, I (Lucy) will earn a small percentage of the sales if you purchase these items through these links. Thank you for your support!

I have been using, cooking, and serving two products from The Japanese Pantry especially for the past few months;

Yugeta Shoyu Smoked Soy Sauce (it has now replaced regular soy sauce as a dipping sauce for sashimi in my kitchen). The smokiness comes from using cherry wood and is not overwhelming at all, instead it just adds another subtle layer of umami to whatever dish you are using it in.

I’ve used Osaka-based Tsujita’s Yuzu Shichimi Togarashi (Yuzu Japanese Seven Spice Mixture) with hints of dried yuzu (Japanese citron) as a condiment for a variety of noodle dishes and also added it to a cucumber salad, mixed with Sesame dressing to add another layer of heat and spice at a recent dinner party. And this morning, I sprinkled it on an avocado. Yum! Per Chris’s suggestion, I am keeping it in the freezer to preserve freshness.

On a side note, as we were winding up our taste test, I mentioned how much I love the flavor and seductive aroma of yuzu (Japanese citron). And wondered where does Chris like to shop for yuzu products? He recommended Nijiya Market in San Francisco, Berkeley Bowl and Tokyo Fish, both in Berkeley and Umami Mart in Oakland, which has a whole page on their website dedicated to yuzu products. He also introduced me Choya’s Yuzu Soda, sold at Tokyo Fish and other markets, which is delicious! More about yuzu in my next blog posting.

If you’re like me (and like Chris and Greg) and want a source for artisanal Japanese ingredients in North America (because you know we can’t just hop over to Japan every few weeks to do our shopping) I find the Japanese Pantry to be an excellent online choice with high quality ingredients. You can even learn about the producers they source their products from.

Here are a few highlights from their offerings: specialty kits such as a sesame kit are for sale, as well as Okinawan brown sugar, a gorgeous Japanese mortar and pestle and an extensive array of soy sauces, vinegars, sesame products, seaweed, spices and so on are sold on their website (even gift cards for that hard to buy from person).

I have to admit that I like to troll through the product offerings on their website every week or so to learn more about the products and producers and to see what else is new, and to check out their recipes. Let me know if you try any of their products and what you think.

The Japanese Pantry LLC
www.TheJapanesePantry.com

Photos © copyright The Japanese Pantry.

Where do you like to shop for Japanese ingredients? Leave me a comment below!

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Kettl Tea of Brooklyn, New York

Readers are always sharing new “Japanese finds” with me either when I am traveling or at home in the Bay area. This blog post about Kettl Tea is as a result of my niece, Corina Seligman. (Have you read her guest post on sake btw?) She knows of my passionate love of all things Matcha and suggested I go. Since I was staying in Brooklyn for a few nights after dropping my daughter off to college for her freshman year, (Sob, sigh, pride…) the subway was a breeze since my friend and hostess, Susan, is the Subway Master! I can’t wait to go back.

During a recent trip to New York City to settle my daughter into her first year of college, I discovered Kettl Tea, an absolutely charming little Japanese tea and ceramic shop, situated in a small gallery space, based in Brooklyn. Although Zach Mangan, the owner, wasn’t there during my visit (I found out later that he was in Japan sourcing tea), my friend Susan and I were excellently taken care by Emma Porter, who was managing the store in his absence.

It was a very hot and humid late summer day, so I asked Emma if she could make us an iced Matcha flight. She served us two matchas to enjoy. Uchu, from Uji City, Japan was classically elegant, sophisticated with a mild tart finish. The other one was Hibiki from Hoshinomura, Japan, was creamy, smooth and had a lingering grassy aroma that I adore. Susan had never had Matcha, but fell in love with the taste. Being Matcha-obsessed, I was in heaven. This little oasis of serenity was so enticing, that we lingered over our Matchas, talking to Emma about Kettl’s teas and exquisite teaware ceramics, and her passion for kaiseki ryori (traditional Japanese multi-course haute cuisine) for a long time.

Kettl sells a wide variety of Japanese teas, from Matcha, Sencha, Gyokuro to Soba Cha, Oolong, to Houjicha and so on.

They call themselves a NYC/Fukuoka based tea company. Like Breakaway Matcha on the West Coast, Kettl, sources their teas directly from 14 different growers/suppliers that they have a personal and ongoing relationship with from 8 different prefectures in Japan. They consider them all to be their partners. Their teas are shipped weekly from Fukuoka, Japan. Once again, I love finding small companies in the States who are obsessed with introducing hand-crafted Japanese beverages and or foods. I will be writing about another find of mine called The Japanese Pantry here in the Bay Area in an upcoming posting.

Next time, I plan to make a day of it and visit Okonomi Restaurant, which serves Japanese breakfast in the mornings and Ramen at night! I love it! Like Kettl, they also offer cooking classes. According to Kettl’s website, Japanese tea is their passion. No doubt about that!

Kettl Tea
150 Ainslie St., 2nd Floor, Brooklyn NY, 11211
Open Weekdays 11am – 4pm / Weekends 11am – 6pm
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday

All photos © copyright Jonathan Hokklo.

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