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!

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!

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!

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!

Izumi Marché 2015 this Saturday, September 26th!

Website:  http://www.izumimarche.com/2015.html

Please click HERE for my article describing last year's event.

I was really impressed with the 2014 Marché, and this year's promises to be just as good, if not better.
The difficulty is in choosing which of the delicious delectables to devour!

And easy to find as this festival is held above Izumichuo Subway Station.

Hope to see you there!

2015 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.  That was the closest I could get.

Open Saturday, June 27^th from 10 am to 8 pm.   Sunday, June 28^th from 10 am to 7 pm.

I’ve been looking forward to this year’s festival ever since I attended this event last year when over 40,000 people (according to the organization’s website) attended this two-day food-fest.  Unfortunately, the weather may not be kind to Sendai this weekend but if you’re willing to brave the elements and are searching for some great eats, head on down to the 3^rd Thai Festival in Sendai!

Besides the scrumptious cuisine, there will be stage performances throughout the day, many of them Thai related (traditional dance, Muay Thai demonstrations, etc.).

I can’t foretell how this weekend’s happening will turn out, but take a look at my write-up of last year’s festivities for a further in-depth report.  Just click HERE.

Hope to see you there!

38Mitsubachi Kitchen #2 ミツバチキッチン 022-302-6938

Website:  http://hitosara.com/0006048571/

Address:  仙台市青葉区二日町2-1.   Located about a three-minute walk from Kotodai-koen Subway Station, behind City Hall.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open Tuesdays thru Sundays from 10 am to 6:30 pm.  Closed Mondays.

**If you’d like to read about my previous posts related to this restaurant, please click HERE for the original post, and HERE and HERE for a couple of updates.

Last Friday night I inadvertently became lost downtown, but luckily ran into a sight that was news to me: A second location of the popular pancake restaurant, Pancake & Café 38Mitsubachi. 

The next afternoon my wife insisted on trying this new restaurant to see if it lived up to its inaugural store’s standards.

This second shop is just a tiny bit bigger than it’s flagship operation, but not by much, as it seems to seat a maximum of only 27 guests.  We were told that this restaurant opened in June of last year, probably due to the fact that it’s quite difficult to obtain a seat at the first Mitsubachi during a weekend.

My wife ordered the 1100 yen Berry Berry pancake (sic), which consists of five 11 cm in diameter pancakes, topped with a generous amount of fresh cream, yogurt, three types of berries (strawberries, frozen raspberries, frozen blueberries), berry sauce, almonds, and comes with coconut syrup if you so desire.  

ベリーベリーパンケーキ

Initially, my wife did not use either the coconut syrup or the maple syrup, and she was surprised how non-sweet the cream and the pancakes were.  She next tried a bit of the maple syrup and was quite happy with the outcome.  Towards the end, she poured the coconut syrup and remarked how coconutty the syrup was, but this was not to her liking.

There were four different offerings on the lunch menu, including an interesting Mexican pancake (which I have never heard of, and I’m Mexican).  The others were a hamburger type with fried egg in which the hamburger buns are pancakes, a chicken salad with pancakes (this was sold out), and a hamburger patty drenched in a stewed tomato sauce along with a mini-salad and panna cotta.

I chose the latter hamburger patty/pancake with the drink set for 1280 yen.  I ate the mini-salad, which had a very nice tangy dressing, first, as I did not want the salad dressing and the maple syrup mixing … I’m picky that way.  The three hotcakes were incredibly soft, fluffy, and grilled to perfection.  The homemade hamburger patty was very tasty, and indeed the tomato sauce was rich and tomato-y.   

完熟トマト煮込みハンバーグ

The panna cotta was topped ever so slightly with a raspberry sauce that complimented this dessert wonderfully.  In fact, when I had eaten all the raspberry dressing, I didn’t much care for the rest of the panna cotta, as it reminded me of yogurt, which I don’t care for.  Perhaps others would enjoy the sauceless panna cotta.

We were completely stuffed and satisfied as we wobbled out the door.   We will definitely be back again and again to delight in these pancakes.  My wife already has her eye on the chocolate-banana topped pancakes.

This new locale is basically situated on the street behind the original, just a couple of minutes walk away.  So if you go to either restaurant and find that it’s full, perhaps you could just walk around the block and see if you have better luck and the other restaurant.

One thing I’d like to add … I know Japan is known for their customer service, so we who live here are use to being treated well, politely, and in a timely manner.  But on this day the waitresses seemed to be just a little bit more enthusiastic, prompt, and friendlier than at a regular Japanese restaurant, which really made for a nice atmosphere when visiting a restaurant for the first time.  I enjoyed this and I hope this keeps up.

If you have a hankering for hotcakes, head on over!

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

Please see my previous post HERE.

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 tomorrow Sunday, October 5^th from 11 am to 5 pm.

Strolling into Nishikichō Koen this gorgeous afternoon, the many aromas of different delicacies wafted through the air.  Upon first glance, this Food Convention seemed much smaller than what I imagined, yet there was enough of a variety of goodies to choose from.

I started off with a steak sandwich (500 yen) from the JAMIN/Le Café de Herisson booth.  It was quite popular and I had to wait in line for about ten minutes.  The bread was soft and tasty.  The meat was very tender, but a bit undercooked for my liking.  However, I’ve noticed that many Japanese restaurants serve their steaks while it is still red in the middle.  I don’t mind pink, but I don’t like my meat still red.  The sauce was quite delectable.

ステーキサンドウィチ

My wife thoroughly enjoyed her Watari はらこめし bento (1000 yen) from たその, which included pieces of salmon, salmon eggs, and rice mixed with various ingredients.

はらこめし

Next, was the green curry (500 yen) from the SABAI SABAI Thai Restaurant booth.  This was quite spicy and caused some sweat beads to be formed, but the bamboo shoots had a hint of sweetness to them and the chicken was amazingly tender.  This was a good choice!

グリーンカレー

Dessert was in order so we went for the apple-cinnamon focaccia (300 yen) from the AL FIORE stand.  The apples were quite sweet and delicious, but there wasn’t enough cinnamon flavor.   The bread was soft, but I was expecting sweeter.

リンゴ＆シナモンフォカッチャ

I was thrilled to see my favorite fritters, サーターアンダーギ, being sold (150 yen) at the 仁藤商店 booth, but this was also a disappointment.  They were too greasy and not very sweet.

We left for a few hours but then returned for some more snacks.  I tried the grilled beef (350 yen) from 三丁目小福, but it was miniscule compared to the photo.  Still, it was flavorful, but not worth the money.  Earlier in the day, this stand was extremely popular, but maybe it was another item on their menu that was a big hit.

Tasty, but a bit on the small side

Lastly, I tried the salsiccia sausage (500 yen) from Café & Restaurant GALLOW, but unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo.  You could tell this wiener was grilled to perfection with the sensation of a tart, crisp, juicy sausage upon the first bite.

There were many other tantalizing tastes to be found, but I was just too full.  

If you get the chance, I recommend a trek out to Nishikichō Park for a food adventure!

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

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 4^th from 11 am to 9 pm.  Sunday, October 5^th from 11 am to 5 pm.

I saw this two-day event advertised last Saturday while watching my favorite TV program, あらあらかしこ, and if it's anything like the Izumi Marché from two weeks ago, it should be interesting.

Like the aforementioned Marché, The Sendai Food Convention is celebrating its sixth annual affair.  It appears as if 75 restaurants will set up shop promoting their goodies, although unlike the Izumi event, it doesn't look as if there will be any antique or crafts stores represented.  While perusing the list of participating eateries, I didn’t notice any restaurants that I have reviewed, so I’m looking forward to experiencing some new local flavors.

This event is sponsored by Suntory Premium Malts, so there's sure to be liquor to be found.

I hope to see you there!

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Izumi Marché 2014 泉マルシェ

Website:  http://www.izumimarche.com/index.html

Located at Izumi-chuo Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Saturday, September 20, 2014 from 11 am to 5 pm.

Apologies for the very late notice.  I have never been to this event, but luckily I was alerted this morning while perusing a Sendai message board.  And since I have never been, I cannot give a first-hand account, but the reviews I read gave it a thumbs-up.

It appears as if this is the sixth year for this annual grubfest, hosting 150 food/drink/boutique stalls, as well as two stages with live performances throughout the day and a wine festival (advanced ticket purchased required-so that’s probably not going to happen).

What I found notable were four restaurants that I have reviewed previously on this blog, three of them being in my Favorites List:  Bistro Ampoule, Café de Mieux, and Daily’s Muffin.  The fourth, Spica, is listed under my Recommended Eateries.

According to the reviews, it’s best to get there early, as the food stalls do sell out.

I can’t wait till tomorrow to try these tempting treats!  

Hope to see you there!

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