A couple of months ago my husband and I took a vacation in Asia. We visited Hong Kong, Macau, China, and Tokyo. We had a splendid time eating our way around Asia. We are already planning our next trip!
This was our first meal in Tokyo. We headed towards the new Muji in Shinjuku (there are 2), and we found a nice little Korean tofu restaurant across the street. The waiter was very friendly and tried very hard to communicate with us in our non-existing Japanese and his almost non-existing English. We all had a good laugh, but we managed to order with a lot of finger poking and head shaking.
We had a choice of soup base, either miso, soy, or pork broth (we both chose miso). We then had to choose the level of spice (I went for 2 chilis and D went for 4). Then we picked our main ingredient. D had the chicken, and I had the beef.
Afterwards the waiter brought us each a bib which he demonstrated how to tie around our necks. We looked around, and every single patron had one on. We love messy eating, but D is one of those men who would rather wear his food over a bib. But when in Japan, we did as the Japanese do.
A few minutes later our bubbling hot pots arrived on trays with veggie condiments, a bowl of steamed rice, and a light dessert. I've eaten many pots of Spicy Korean tofu, but WOW! The tofu was so smooth and so tasty. The beef had a little bit of fat on it just like bacon. It just melted in my mouth. Plus the miso soup really added some richness. I had a taste of D's. It too was delicious. The hot pot was definitely lighter in taste and much spicier. We both ate greedily and finished every drop of soup. We were so satisfied, but not overly stuffed that we were able to walk out of there and did a full day of exploring! YEAH!
