Review of the National Gyoza Festival in Sendai

Website:  http://gyoza.strikingly.com

Address:  Kokusai Center Subway Station.   

Map:  Check on their website.

Sunday, July 2^nd from 10 am to 4 pm.

For more info, please read my initial posting of this event HERE.

When I realized in the late afternoon that it would not rain today, I decided to venture on out and fight the crowds at the famed Gyoza Matsuri.  I was concerned that with today’s heat and humidity that waiting in line with a bunch of strangers for a small sampling of food might not make for an enjoyable afternoon.

But to my surprise upon arrival at around 3 pm, I discovered that the event was NOT crowded at all!  In fact, all but two of the gyoza stalls had lines.  There were lots of people there, but no lines.

This was the size of the crowd

For my first sampling, I chose the Utsunomiya Gyoza, which did have a line.  Of course it had a line; Utsnomiya and gyoza go hand-in-hand.  I had to wait a WHOLE five-stomach growling-minutes.  I was unable to find a seat under a tent so I went to one of the many standing tables available.  

This was good gyoza!  Crispy on the outside with a flavorful filling.  And at five dumplings for 300 yen, I recommend this one! 

There were 5.  I was starving and ate 1 before I took the photo.  Oops.

Next, I moseyed on over to the other stall that had a loooooooong line (I waited three-minutes tops) for a jumbo Tsu Gyoza from Mie Prefecture.  This was one puffy pot sticker reportedly registering 15 cm in length.  (This time I was able to find a seat under a tent, but it was so hot it didn’t feel like the shade helped that much.)  The wrapping was thick and a bit crispy, stuffed with all the flavors that you’d expect.  This was good, but I liked the Utsunomiya Gyoza better.

One chubby gyoza

For what I thought was my final taste testing, I decided to try the Fukushima Gyoza, as that booth had accumulated a short line.  Apparently, Fukushima Gyoza is popular due to its emphasis on vegetable fillings, and for the fact that 700 of these gyoza can be cooked at the same time.  This gyoza was very good!  I recommend this one, too!  Very similar to the Utsunomiya Gyoza.  

Fukushima Gyoza

How many gyoza do you see?

While waiting in line, I ran into my friend, Fumika, who graciously invited me to join her and her friend.  They had purchased the Hachiman Gyoza from Fukuoka Prefecture, which uses yuzu pepper as a condiment, and offered me a dumpling.

We all first tried the gyoza without the yuzu pepper.  It was good, as I detected a slight sweetness to it.  Then we all tried the yuzu pepper by itself.  The yuza flavoring was sour, the pepper strong.  I guess that was to be expected.

Hachiman Gyoza

I suspect that since it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow, that’s when the crowds will flock to this event, so I’m glad I battled the heat today.   

Also, if the tents are crowded, you might want to try the Kokusai Center Station viewing platform.  There are tables, chairs, steps, and most importantly, shade!  

If you try some of the other gyoza, please let me know what you thought of it.

Have fun if you go!

From the Kokusai Center Station Viewing Platform

National Gyoza Festival in Sendai 全国餃子祭りin仙台 022-259-3712

Website:  http://gyoza.strikingly.com

Address:  Kokusai Center Subway Station.   

Map:  Check on their website.

Saturday, July 1^st from 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday, July 2^nd from 10 am to 4 pm.

I stopped by late Sunday afternoon during last year’s festivities, and some of the gyoza booths had already sold out, while other stalls had lines that were more than a 40-minute wait.  This proved to be an extremely popular event in 2016.

Still, it was fun to sit, eat, and watch the crowd enjoy themselves.  I also got a glimpse of Gyoza Man (?-I don’t know he calls himself).

Gyoza Man?  Mr. Gyoza Head?

Kirin Beer is once again hosting this gyoza extravaganza and there are live performances scheduled throughout the event.  

All the vendors are selling their gyoza packages for 300 yen, which are usually four dumplings per pack.

I’m sorry, but I really don’t remember my impressions on the pot stickers from last year, but I’ll add a few photos just to give you an idea.

Hope to see you there!

Dashichazuke-en だし茶漬けえん 022-352-4596

Website:  http://dashichazuke-en.com/about/

Address:  仙台市青葉区中央１－１－１エスパル仙台東館2F.  Located on the second floor of the new S-Pal addition to Sendai Station, close to the East Exit.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  Everyday from 10 am to 10 pm, but apparently they sell onigiri from 8 am to 10 am.

A couple of years ago a world-traveling student of mine, Chiaki, told me of her favorite restaurant in Narita Airport.  She said she would often delay her return to Sendai just so that she could eat at だし茶漬けえん, which specializes in ochazuke (お茶請け).

I tried it on my next vacation and it has become my “go-to” spot whenever I fly out of Narita.

If you’ve never eaten ochazuke (お茶請け), it’s simply pouring green tea on a bowl of rice with varied ingredients.  It reminds me somewhat of the Campbell’s Chicken with Rice Soup that I loved as a kid.

While recently taking a leisurely stroll among the new shops and restaurants in the newly renovated S-Pal addition at Sendai Station, I was pleasantly surprised to find that だし茶漬けえん had come to Tohoku.

The restaurant is small and somewhat hidden.  The pink (?) circle marks the restaurant.  (Besides being picky, I’m also colorblind, so it may not be pink.)

You order your meal using an electronic touch screen monitor.  A nice feature of this device is that it allows you to choose the language you would like to use (Japanese, English, Chinese, or Korean).  You can also choose which size bowl of rice you would like (small, regular, large), though all sizes are the same price.  Once you have confirmed your order, insert your money to pay and it will spit out a receipt that you hand to the waiter.  

Easy to use touch screen order system

I ordered a regular serving of Chicken Rice and Amami Island’s Best Selected Products (奄美大島 鶏飯風だし茶漬け) for 721 yen and my wife ordered the Grilled Salmon with Red Salmon Eggs (the restaurant lists it as caviar-焼き鮭といくらの親子だし茶漬け) for 821 yen.

The rice bowl I received had small chunks of chicken, shredded egg yolk, spinach, sliced shitake mushrooms, and しば漬け (shibazuke-a Kyoto specialty of pickled eggplant), and the whole thing looked rather plain.  Then I had fun pouring the green tea into the bowl and watching it transform into a savory soup!  If you would like to savor the soup a little more, you can also order a refill of your green tea pot at no extra charge!

The chicken itself was just boiled chicken and didn’t have any special seasoning to it.  But because of the mixture of the other ingredients, the soup was quite enjoyable.  

The meal also came with a small serving of 冷奴 (hiyayakko-chilled tofu with a sesame soy sauce), ヒジキ (hijiki-a sea plant), and pickled cucumber.

奄美大島 鶏飯風だし茶漬け-Before the tea

After the tea

The chilled tofu had a definite sesame seed taste and was a little sweet.  I’m really not too keen on tofu but this was quite good.

I instantly classified the hijiki as seafood because it looked like seafood.  I don’t eat seafood.  I gave it to my wife.  She really enjoyed it.  I enjoyed not having to eat it.

The pickled cucumber was quite sour but it went well with the chicken-rice soup.

My wife said that her bowl of grilled salmon with salmon eggs had a definite nostalgic Japanese taste which she really enjoyed.  She also thought that because of the sesame soy sauce, the chilled tofu had a unique taste.  She described the entire meal as having a “natural, simple taste.”

焼き鮭といくらの親子だし茶漬け-Before tea

After tea

That natural, simple taste I feel translates into a light meal, which is one reason I liked eating this before boarding a plane at Narita Airport.  It satisfies my hunger but does not make my stomach feel heavy.  

If you’re starving and are hunkering for a mass quantity of grease, calories, and fat (which at times has a useful purpose), this may not be the restaurant for you.  But if you are looking for a gratifying, tasteful meal that won’t weigh you down, this is the place to go! 

Sendai Food Convention 2016 仙台フードコンベンション 022-224-5640

For a bit more of some of the food that my be featured, click HERE to see my wrap-up from the 2014 event.

Website:  http://foodconvention.net

Address:  錦町公園 (仙台市青葉区本町).  Nishikichō Park is located about a five-minute walk from Kotodai-koen Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open Saturday, October 1st and Sunday, October 2nd from 10 am to 7 pm.

This "convention" is a relatively small foodie affair, but it offers you a chance to sample some specialties from Sendai establishments.  I counted 29 restaurants that will showcase their finest this weekend.  Compared to the recent Oktoberfest and Niku Festa, this festival, in the past, has not been nearly as crowded and should be much easier on your wallet.

It looks like the weather might be better on Saturday, so that might be your best bet.

I hope to see you there!

Sendai Food Convention 2016 仙台フードコンベンション 022-224-5640

For a bit more of some of the food that my be featured, click HERE to see my wrap-up from the 2014 event.

Website:  http://foodconvention.net

Address:  錦町公園 (仙台市青葉区本町).  Nishikichō Park is located about a five-minute walk from Kotodai-koen Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open Saturday, October 1st and Sunday, October 2nd from 10 am to 7 pm.

This "convention" is a relatively small foodie affair, but it offers you a chance to sample some specialties from Sendai establishments.  I counted 29 restaurants that will showcase their finest this weekend.  Compared to the recent Oktoberfest and Niku Festa, this festival, in the past, has not been nearly as crowded and should be much easier on your wallet.

It looks like the weather might be better on Saturday, so that might be your best bet.

I hope to see you there!

Niku Festa 2016 肉フェスタ2016

Website:  http://www.nikufes.jp

Address:  仙台市宮城野区五輪1-3.   Located at Tsutsujigaoka Park, right next to the Tsutsujigaoka Koen JR Station on the Senseki Line.  Or about a 20-miute walk from Sendai Station, straight down Miyagino-dori.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  Thursday, September 22^nd to Sunday, September 25^th, from 10 am to 8 pm.

It may be the 11^th annual Sendai Meat Festival, but today was my first time attending this event.  Fifteen out of twenty-two vendors were marketing meat, meat, and more meat!  But at a price!

Scrumptious looking!!!

In order to partake in any grilled goodness, you need to purchase a ticket.  Cash is not accepted at any of the meat stalls, but they do accept electronic payment from such cards as Nanco, Edy, Suica, and others.  Each pre-paid ticket is 700 yen, however, most vendors sell their wares for 1400 yen, which means that you need two tickets for each dish.

My better half and I lined up at the end of a looooong line for the ticket booth, but were quite surprised on how quickly we were able to buy tickets.  We bought four tickets for 2800 yen.

All of the meats being solicited looked mouthwatering, so it was difficult to choose which stall to choose from.  

For our first venture, we decided upon booth M-4, 鉄板焼ごっつい (Teppanyaki Gottsui), a Roppongi-area restaurant which advertised beef tenderloin slices in a secret sauce.  I didn’t see it, but wife said she noticed a sign that stated that two of the three flavors in the sauce were pineapple and apple.  I handed over two tickets (a 1400 yen value) and received eight small pieces of beef with some corn mixed in.  

The beef was tender and had a distinctive flavor that was quite nice, but nothing special.  I was lucky that my wife ate only three of the slices and focused on the corn instead.  If this serving had been half the price, I might be satisfied with its value, but it definitely wasn’t worth 1400 yen.

1400 yen worth?  Hmm?

Our next attempt was at stall M-6, 神埼熟成肉格之進 (Kazaki Jukusei Niku Kakunoshin), an Ichinoseki restaurant, which proudly stated that its beef was aged for more than one-month.  Again, the cost was two tickets, and again, we received eight small slices of meat.  My wife went and bought a small bowl of rice from stand M-9 for 300 yen to accompany the beef.  This beef was remarkably flavorful, and initially we were quite impressed.  But then we were chewing, and chewing, and still couldn’t grind it down small enough to swallow.  It felt like I had meat-flavored chewing gum in my mouth.   My wife gave up after her second slice, and actually spit out the remainder of her final piece into a tissue.   I had to do the same with my last slice.  Again, a disappointment for 1400 yen.

Delicious, but cheeeeeeeewy.

Unfortunately, not even the rice was that good.  My wife commented that the rice from a convenience store onigiri tasted better.

The saving grace for my wife was the beer.  She tried both the 肉厚エール(Nikuatsu Ale), which she found to have a deep, rich flavor,  yet easy to drink, and the ゴールデンエール (Golden Ale), that she thought was light and smooth.

The event today was crowded with lines at almost every booth, but the lines moved quite quickly.   A good-sized tent with tables and benches were available, and despite the crowd we were able to find a seat a couple of times easily.

We did enjoy today’s venture to the Meat Festival just for the experience.  But like many festivals, it’s not cheap.  I recommend this event for the experience, and perhaps you may choose a vendor with a better cut of meat.  But I told my spouse, “I don’t think we need to come to the 12^th annual Meat Festival.”  She replied with, “Yup.”

Happy Happy Melon Pan is back this weekend!

ACCORDING TO THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
SAD NEWS.

Website:  http://happy-happy.jp/#6  

This is a new website that really doesn't have a lot of information, but you can also find them on Facebook under ...

幸せのメロンパンHAPPｙHAPPｙ.

To read a previous post about this scrumptious melon pan, please click HERE.

For delicious, mouth-watering, hot melon pan, head over to AEON (formerly Daiei Department Store) on Chuo-dori this weekend, Friday, July 8th to Sunday, July 10th.

A word of warning, they raised the price of the melon pan to 220 yen.  

Still, more than worth it!

2016 Thai Festival in Sendai タイフェスティバルin仙台 022-714-0545

Website:  http://www.thaifestival-sendai.com/index.html

Address:  勾当台公園市民広場.  Come up off the Kotodai-koen Subway Park exit and you’re there.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open Saturday, June 11th from 10 am to 8 pm.   Sunday, June 12th from 10 am to 7 pm.

Please click HERE for some information about last year's festival.

It's the 4th annual Thai Festival in Sendai this weekend, and hopefully, unlike the last couple of years,  the weather will be accomadating for the 50,000 people expected to enjoy the many features of Thai culture, but mostly the food!  (hee-hee)

By my count there will be sixteen different restaurants offering their Thai cuisine samplings, so there will be plenty to choose from.

Hope to see you there!

UPDATE: Natu-Lino Gelateria ナチュリノ・ジェラート 022-397-8235

Please read my previous post about Natu-Lino HERE.

Website:  http://www.natu-lino.jp

Address:  宮城県名取市飯野坂字南沖93-1.   Located just off of Route 4 near the AEON Town/MAX Foods in Natori.  Or about a 15-minute walk from the Morisekinoshita JR Station (taking the Sendai Airport Access Line).

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open everyday except Thursdays, from 10 am to 6 pm.

This bump up to my FAVORITES LIST is way overdue, but since I’ve made well over a dozen visits in just over three months, I thought I should finally write this post.

How heavenly delicious is Natu-Lino gelato?  

Well, I no longer care for Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors Ice Cream.   It now tastes bland to me.  And I used to love the Rocky Road and Oreo Cookies N’ Cream at 31 Flavors (that’s what I was brought up calling it)!

I visited the lusciously, creamy Natu-Lino yet again today, and because I’ve been loyally using their stamp card, I received a free single cup of gelato!  

For every 500 yen spent, you receive one stamp.   On the tenth stamp, you receive one single cup.  On the twentieth stamp, you receive a 500 yen coupon.  With the hot summer approaching, I’m sure it won’t take me long to obtain that.

I’m happy to see that this place is always busy, as a few times the line has been out the door and into the parking lot (though service is quite quick!).

Here are a couple of new flavors that they’ve added since my last post.

Tomato Sherbet

Coconut Milk

Soy Milk Banana

Pineapple Sherbet

Despite these unique flavors, picky me still sticks with my Double Chocolate.  Unfortunately, my wife’s favorite of Banana-Milk Chocolate is either not made or often sold out, so she'll also order the same as I do.

W チョコ

A helpful tip:  Because gelato is not served as cold as regular ice cream, it melts quite quickly.   Although the cone served here is quite tasty, I’ve encountered, shall we say, “problems” with the gelato melting much faster than I could consume it.   I’ve been sticking with ordering a double scoop in cups since it’s started warming up.  You should be safe with a cone when ordering a single scoop.

Again, I have to graciously thank my good friend, Michael Martin, for turning me on to this place.   His photography work graces the well-decorated interior of this shop.

A brief sampling of my friend's work

I hope you enjoy this gelato as much as I have!

Yakiniku Rose Garden 焼肉ローズガーデン 022-267-1710

Website:  http://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ000027613/

Address:  仙台市青葉区国分町２−８−１２KビルB１F.  Located across the street from the Don Quixote store on Bansui-dori, about an eight-minute walk from either the Kotodai-koen or Hirose-dori Subway Stations.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open every day from 6 pm till 2:30 am.

I thought this place was legendary in Sendai, as all my friends seemed to be regulars when I first ate here some fifteen years ago.  At the time it was always the “go to” place when you wanted to get your grub on along with a nomihoudai for a reasonable price.  But while helping to organize an impromptu night out with friends last week, I was surprised that most of my long-time Sendai-living companions had never even heard of Rose Garden.
So perhaps, I thought, neither have you.

It had been at least five years since my last visit to this basement dwelling, so I was hoping that things hadn’t changed.

They haven’t.

The Rose Garden, back in the day, was known for its famed party course, which we partook in just the other night.  

For 3410 yen, nine dishes of various meats and vegetables for grilling, Japanese-style kimuchi, salad, along with a two-hour nomihoudai were served throughout the night.

Sorry, I was so focused on the friendly, free flowing conversations that I forgot to take photos of all the plates that were brought to our table, but here are a few.

Vegetables galore!  (We actually waited till the end to grill these)

This may have been pork ... or beef.

Chicken bits

Marinated pork and beef

Is your mouth watering?

It's Sendai, so it's got to be gyutan!

Although this was not a tabehoudai, with the amount of food that was brought to our table, it sure seemed like one.  A couple of my friends also ordered a bowl of rice which was free of charge, but most of us dedicated ourselves to devouring as much protein as we could.

I asked my friends after the frenzied feast what they thought about their first experience at Rose Garden, and all seemed to be thoroughly satisfied.  Our main complaint was with the dim lighting conditions inside the restaurant, as it made it difficult to see whether or not the meat was properly cooked.

The salad was the first item to be brought to our table, and a few of my friends mentioned how good it tasted.   And this is a charcoal-grill yakiniku restaurant, which is supposed to be superior to gas-grill establishments.

Rose Garden offers a variety of party courses (which can be viewed when you click HERE) and you can also order individual food items off the menu, but I would imagine that’s a bit pricier.  The good thing about Rose Garden party courses is that only two people are necessary to be considered a party.

I highly recommend making reservations ahead of time, as this place seems to be still be quite popular.  Also, check to see if there is a coupon available for an extra plate of meat.  I failed to see this beforehand.  Click HERE for the coupon page.

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced yakiniku night out with your friends, it would be hard to beat dining at the Rose Garden.

Natu-Lino Gelateria ナチュリノ・ジェラート 022-397-8235

Website:  http://www.natu-lino.jp

Address:  宮城県名取市飯野坂字南沖93-1.   Located just off of Route 4 just before the AEON Town in Natori.  Or about a 15-minute walk from the Morisekinoshita JR Station (taking the Sendai Airport Access Line).

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open everyday except Thursdays from 10 am to 6 pm.

I found a bit of heaven today, and in Natori of all places!   I may be exaggerating a bit, but it always pleases me when I find a new place that I love from first bite (first lick, in this case), and I was certainly tickled pink today.

My dear friend, Michael Martin, recommended Natu-Lino Gelateria to me last July when it first opened.  Michael had the inside scoop on this joint as he was instrumental in the interior designing of the shop, as his photographs grace the walls of the restaurant.

Today’s featured flavors were as follows…

Matcha

Milk

Rice

Fig

Mushroom

Zunda

Chocolate

Vanilla

Cappuccino

Strawberry Rare Cheesecake

Sweet Potato with Black Sesame

Melon

Banana Milk Chocolate

Burnt Caramel

Yuzu Sherbet

Strawberry Sherbet

Kiwi Sherbet

Apple Sherbet

Wow!  What a selection to choose from!

Picky me had to go with the basics, a double scoop of chocolate and vanilla (420 plus 30 yen for the cone), while my better half decided upon a single banana milk chocolate cone (380 yen in total).  
The chocolate was exquisite!  
Rich, creamy, sweet, with strips of chocolate mixed in!  
The vanilla was also creamy and quite nice, but I preferred the much sweeter chocolate.  
I stole a spoonful of my wife’s gelato to find that the banana milk chocolate was bursting with banana flavor which she really enjoyed!  
I recommend going with the cone, as it was also quite sweet and flavorful.

Vanilla and Chocolate cone

I can’t recall a better gelato I’ve had in Japan.

The gelateria has a nice little patio with sofas that was covered for today’s blustery winter weather.   They also sell coffee for 150 yen and offer a free hot tea service which is a nice plus.   Take out is also available with an additional cost to cover for packaging.

The gelateria is not located on a main street, but it is just off of Route 4 and somewhat near the Aeon Mall in Natori.   I Googled the address and came up with accurate directions that made it easy to find.  There are ten parking spaces available and it was nice to see that business seemed to be doing well as people were coming and going with quiet regularity.

Today was my first visit to Natu-Lino, but if it were a bit closer to home I could easily see this Italian ice cream parlor having a permanent setting on my Favorites list.  I can’t wait till my next opportunity to delight in this dairy nirvana!

Oh, and by the way, if you’re ever in need of a top-notch professional photographer like the good people at Natu-Lino, drop my friend Michael a line at friedtoast@gmail.com.   

A sampling of my friend's work

Sendai Food Convention 2015 仙台フードコンベンション

Website:  http://foodconvention.net/

Please see last year's wrap-up HERE.

Address:  Address:  錦町公園 (仙台市青葉区本町).Nishikichō Park is located about a five-minute walk from Kotodai-koen Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open Saturday, October 3rd and Sunday, October 4th from 10 am to 7 pm.

Apparently, last year's event was such a great success that they added three extra hours each day for this year's gig.

For a more detailed description of the restaurants and shops showcasing their wares this weekend, please click HERE.

The forecast predicts great weather for strolling Nishikichō Park and sampling some great grub.

Hope to see you there!