Skip to main content

KIX: Food Court

I landed at Osaka Kansai International Airport in a hungry state and ready for some comfort food. So I headed for the airport food court. These sorts of food courts are common in train stations and airports in Japan, with lots of small vendors serving a variety of quick meals. Subway was in one booth but most of the food is very Japanese. One of the restaurants specialized in eel---very popular in Japan but not so much with me. I chose this spot with their appetizing grill out front.

Here are my pork with noodles. The sorts of Japanese food we see in the U. S. tends to be light and refined but the Japanese also excel at hearty, gut-satisfying dishes. My noodles were flavorful and savory with a hint of ginger and another taste I couldn't quite identify. The dish had just enough pork to add flavor without being too heavy. This is the sort of meal that hits the spot after 12 hours crossing the Pacific in coach.

And in case you have any lingering doubts about the Japanese palate's affinity for fried food, I offer exhibit 1, which I found just after eating my meal---a poster for a restaurant that combines two of Japan's favorite chains, MOS Burger and Mister Donut.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b

DCA: Cava Mezze Grill

Cava is a DC area chain with light Mediterranean food. Saibal encouraged me to try lunch at their airport location and I was very happy with the experience. I ordered falafel on SuperSalad with assorted other toppings. The falafel was tasty. The SuperSalad was light, flavorful, and very easy to eat. Overall, a healthy and enjoyable lunch, something you can't always say about airport eating.