Raku

When the lights go out on The Las Vegas Strip, where do the chefs and restaurant staff go to eat?

Raku, it is.

We tend to to think that people working in the restaurant industry generally have pretty high standards and discerning tastes when it comes to food in restaurants. Before our visit, we held pretty high standards for Raku and were not in the least disappointed. Raku has what it takes to be a gem in Japanese cuisine. It opens up the world of Japanese cuisine to people who understand that Japanese cuisine is not all about sushi. In fact, no, Japanese don't eat sushi everyday.

Do yourself a favor and order off the daily specials menu. In fact, order the specials and the items on the regular menu which are darn good as well. The specials are written on a portable blackboard which the server brings to the table and then describing each special in detail. On the night we were there, the list of items on special was impressive in number. As the night went on, some of the specials were sold out and T noticed that some new specials were then added onto the blackboard.

Bai gai, Japanese sea snails

Such beautiful snail shells! Our server told us that the snails are first cooked for 7-8 hrs until tender and then steamed to order.

Seigo, Japanese sea bass

Seigo, Japanese sea bass

Seigo, Japanese sea bass

How the fish specials work is that we choose one type of fish from several options on the list (our pick was Seigo, a type of Japanese sea bass). Each order is for a whole fish. We then choose 2 out of 3 methods of preparation: sashimi, grilled, fried. Based on our chosen method of sashimi and grilled, half the fish was delicately sliced into sashimi and the other half was grilled to perfection (head and tail included). Now, when fish is grilled, no skin is wasted as it is always grilled together as well. At Raku, no skin should be wasted as well when preparing sashimi. The portion of the fish that is used for sashimi is first skinned and then the skin is grilled. The resulting curled and charred skin is a palate teaser in itself because of it's delightful taste in mini bite sizes (how much skin can you get out of half a fish, anyway?).

Kushi, Kobe beef tongue

We have no qualms in eating beef tongue but the best part for anyone who is wary of this might like to know that the texture of this Kobe beef tongue in no way feels like it is, well, tongue. Take out the word tongue and tell someone it is Kobe beef and it could be believable. The yakitori stick is drizzled with sauce that is intensely flavored with beef that even just a little smear on the beef tongue renders it perfect.

Kakuni, pork belly

The pork belly is braised until very tender that finishing the entire dish (meat and fat included) should not elicit any guilt. We normally don't include fats from meats in our diet but will make an exception for this.

Raku tofu

Its namesake Raku tofu is a must-order item on the regular menu. The Japanese take their tofu seriously as evidenced by restaurants in Japan which focuses its cuisine solely on different interpretations of tofu. At Raku, tofu is made fresh in-house everyday and the texture is the best we have ever had to date. Unlike any other we've had, the tofu is very, very creamy in texture. It isn't firm nor is it soft. It is creamy and rich in texture. The Raku tofu is served pure as it is with a side of shredded fresh ginger, scallions, and bonito flakes. It is meant to be enjoyed with sprinkles of green tea salt made with mushroom and seaweed. Drizzle lightly with soy sauce and savor the purity of the tofu.

Agedashi tofu

If you can't get enough of tofu, get an order of the agedashi tofu. Alternately, Raku allows a half order of Raku tofu and a half order of the agedashi tofu. The housemade tofu is slightly fried on the outside and sits in a bowl with dashi broth. Salmon roe, tiny mushrooms, seaweed, and scallions accompany the tofu. A tiny smear of Japanese chilli paste sits on the side of the bowl.

Juicy deep fried chicken

The name Juicy Deep Fried Chicken on the menu does not lie. It is really what it says it is. And better. This is Raku's take on karaage (deep fried chicken cutlets). The chicken is unbelievably moist and fried until it just crosses over the line from rare to cooked. When overcooked, chicken can be quite a pain to eat. I don't know how the Raku chefs timed it that well, but this is sure some juice pieces of chicken.

Oden, fish cakes

Select several types of fish cakes such as hanpen (cotton soft fish cake), chikuwa (hollow tube fish cake), and satsuma age (fried minced fish). Non-fish items include daikon (radish), pork intestine, beef tendon, and bean curd skin with mochi. Extremely popular in winter and considered as comfort food during the cold season, the items are served in warm dashi broth.

If you are visiting Las Vegas from out of town and have no access to a car, hop into a cab from your hotel or on The Strip. Raku is just a short ride away. When you are finished with dinner, call for a cab to take you back. No hassle. Be sure to make reservations.



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Raku
5030 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89146

Accolades
2012 James Beard Nominee for Best Chef in the Southwest, Mitsuo Endo
2011 James Beard Nominee for Best Chef in the Southwest, Mitsuo Endo
2009 James Beard Nominee for Best New Restaurant

Broiled Mackerel (Saba Shioyaki)

 

Admittedly, at home we generally don't make Asian-style food all that much despite our heritage. I don't think we really have a reason for that either. Ask me what I like to make at home and I'll throw out ideas like baked chicken wings, pasta, mashed potatoes, or shepherds pie. T will say he likes making pot roast. We do eat Asian food frequently but they are often from outside and not homemade. When the urge is strong enough, we would embark on making a pot of curry or mapo tofu at home.

It was one of those Saturdays with overcast skies that made laying low at home the perfect way to spend the night. If we were going to stay home on a Saturday night instead of heading out to enjoy the city, we were going to make an excellent homemade dinner out of it. We had a specific craving and it was Asian-inspired. We jumped into the car and made a quick dash to the closest Korean grocery store, a place that we rarely visit but probably should visit more often. Cravings for saba shioyaki (grilled mackerel) were powerful that day and though this is a Japanese dish, we knew we could find fresh mackerel at a Korean grocery store. While there, we picked up some banchan to accompany our dinner.

The preparation for saba shioyaki is fuss-free. It literally means broiled mackerel seasoned with salt. If you have a toaster oven that has a broil function but never really used it, here is a perfect chance to. We broiled the mackerel in our toaster oven and thanks to the small size of this appliance, relative to the oven, the heat was quick to distribute evenly while only requiring a short amount of time to cook the fish. The result: extremely moist fillets with perfectly charred skin. No fuss, no mess.

Ingredients
Whole mackerel fish
Salt and pepper

Method
1. Clean the mackerel and and half the fish lengthwise to get 2 pieces of fillets. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel. If you can get your fish vendor to fillet the mackerel, all the better.

2. Season both sides of each fillet with salt and pepper. The ratio of salt to pepper should be 2:1. Set aside.

3. Preheat toaster oven to 400F on the broil function. Using non-stick spray, evenly coat the broiler insert tray and place inside the baking pan that comes with the toaster oven.

4. Place the fillets skin side up on the broiler insert tray.

5. Put the fillets in the toaster oven for 10 minutes or until the skin begins to brown. The goal here is to char the skin until crispy.

6. Switch to the bake function and lower the temperature to 350F to finish up the cooking process for the rest of the fish. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Times may vary depending on the size of the fish and oven.

Nobu West Hollywood

When it comes to food, palette diversity could not be wider as everyone defines his or her own concept of what makes a restaurant worthy. We have friends who will always remain true to their ethnic cuisine and view with skepticism contemporary restaurants based on their ethnic cuisine. We have Chinese friends who, when in comes to Chinese cuisine, only patronize authentic Chinese restaurants. Similarly, we have Japanese friends who will only go to traditional Japanese restaurants. Nobu, who?

Where and how do we draw the line between what is authentic and not? There is no question of authenticity when a hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant is owned and operated by Japanese serving up traditional food items. What about when a Japanese restaurant takes on a contemporary spin in its food execution and presentation? Will it still be stripped off its right to authenticity? But what if the food item, as contemporary as it might be in presentation, is executed with ingredients native to the cuisine?

I ask myself that question all the time although I am never really wanting to seek the answer. Heck, even the most authentically delicious bowl of ramen you will find in Japan have grassroots from China. Chinese noodles were brought into Japan and gradually the bowl of noodle soup was shaped into Japan's very ramen. Where does the term authenticity begin?

Sure, when it comes to food, we want the true and original (or as they call authentic) flavors of the cuisine. Food can also be both authentic and contemporary at the same time. It is possible and Nobu is testimony to that. T and I are by no means sticklers to the term authentic and while we take great interest in beautifully crafted and creative foods in sexy restaurants, we also get tremendous fulfillment out of hole-in-the-wall and no-frills joints. A chef can stray from the traditionally expected way of cooking as much as he wants to with his innovation and creativity, and as long as the marriage of flavors work perfectly in execution, that is a winner to T and I.

Lest you think that Nobu gained its fame by being the most mentioned Japanese restaurant for celebrity sightings (and maybe that is partly correct), this place does deliver solid and fine Japanese food with uncompromising quality.

Our friendly server came over and introduced himself and saw our dSLR camera. I see that you brought your very nice camera. Don't worry, just take your time tonight and enjoy playing around with photographing your food. The food here is perfect for photography, he told us. Ah, yes, thank you.

Eva Sakura martini

The Eva Sakura martini is shaken and poured table side. The concoction is partly made up of Suntory Yamazaki 12-year whiskey and sake with flavors that make a smooth blend. Note that an order of this particular martini will have enough for a refill for your martini glass. After my cocktail was poured into my glass from the shaker, the server left the shaker on our table so that my glass could be refilled with the remaining cocktail. If you are planning to order a second and different drink during the night, be sure to pace yourself.

Shima aji sashimi with jalapeno

Having lived and worked in Peru for several during the early years of being a chef, Nobu Matsuhisa is said to incorporate South American ingredients into traditional Japanese cuisine. If this is supposed to be an indication of his cooking technique, we certainly did not see much of it, if any at all, as we looked over the menu that was mainly both traditional and modern takes on Japanese cuisine.

In fact, perhaps the one and only hint of anything being South American is the jalapeno in the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno dish that is widely popular. On the night we were there, the restaurant had shima aji that was just freshly flown in and our server recommended that we get this fish to substitute for the yellowtail since they carry yellowtail everyday. We never want to pass up on daily fish specials and agreed to his suggestion. The shima aji sashimi with jalapeno dish was drizzled with refreshing ponzu sauce accompanied with a slight hint of citrus. A cross between mackerel and yellowtail, the shima aji was at its freshest that night.

Wood oven-roasted leek with miso aioli

The wood oven-roasted leek with miso aioli is a work of delicate art. Heavily charred on the outside, the outermost layer is cut opened to reveal the inside layers that were meant to be eaten. This inner stalk is carefully sliced into miniature bite sizes before the miso aioli is delicately piped onto the inner stalk.

Black codi with miso

Nobu has been synonymously known for the black cod with miso. In our server's words, restaurants including Koi have tried to emulate this signature dish of chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Who wouldn't want to? The cod here is prepared to result in a smooth-as-butter texture.

Squid pasta with garlic sauce

Don't be deceived by the the name squid pasta with light garlic sauce on the menu. It is far from being a pasta dish. For those who are unfamiliar, ika somen is one of the more traditional dishes in Japanese cuisine where ika (squid) is thinly sliced to resemble somen (fine noodles). Ika somen is generally found only in traditional Japanese restaurants. Taking a play on the traditional ika somen where squid is meant to physically resemble noodles, Nobu creates its own representation of this dish. By calling the dish squid pasta, pieces of squid are sliced so that they resemble shell pasta. Now, that's ingenious.

If you have ever tried to cook squid at home, you will know that it cooks very quickly and even the slightest hint of overcooked squid will turn rubbery. At Nobu, the squid pasta is perfectly charred and yet it maintains the slight rareness to it. Seasoned with shichimi (Japanese chili pepper), the delicate spice lingers on the tongue without being overpowering.

Miso soup with clams

As far creativity has brought Nobu to its success, this place also does the Japanese classics very well. The sweet potato tempura is fried to perfection and the layer of batter is just thin enough. The sashimi (pictured above: golden eye snapper, squid, kampachi) is maintained at the freshest quality.

Green teas are often refilled with a fresh cup of tea from the kitchen. Nobu makes a wonderful night out without being pompous. There are different gorgeous dining sections at Nobu and we made sure to wander through them.




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Nobu
903 N La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046


 

Ramen Santouka

For the ramen aficionados, Santouka needs no introduction. For the unfortunate ones not in the know, you will be curious to see the perpetual line of people waiting outside this restaurant in downtown Vancouver regardless of the time of day. Japanese international students, as you will see, make up most of the crowd seeking the quality of ramen at Santouka. This name is nothing new. In fact, it is a ramen chain that originated in Japan with locations in different parts of the world. It is, however, not your run-off-the-mill chain. Santouka has friggin' excellent ramen and the Japanese know it.

Bonito+scallions+seaweed on rice, shoyu-flavored tonkatsu ramen

Miso-flavored tonkatsu ramen

The resulting process of simmering the pork bones for 20 hours is an excellently silky and robust tasting broth. The complexity of the smooth flavor shines through at every spoonful. The highlight of Santouka's broth was that the final taste of the simmered broth from various ingredients did not end up like a whole bunch of ingredients were just boiled together resulting in a homogenous flavor. Instead, the parts of the sum (I'm attempting to do a wordplay on sum of the parts!) were competing to shine through.

At other ramen restaurants, you choose among the flavors of shio, shoyu, miso, or tonkatsu. At Santouka, one of things that make them unique is that all the ramen selections have tonkatsu as their base broth and you get to choose how you would like your tonkatsu broth to be further flavored: shio, shoyu, or miso. We loved this take on serving ramen with a 20-hour broth and then further enhancing it with the various individual flavors that would otherwise be a standalone flavor in itself at other ramen restaurants.

Santouka is also well known for their tokusen toriniku ramen (which we unfortunately did not get a chance to try this time round) with the toppings served separately on a side plate. The meat for this ramen is pork cheek.





The texture of the noodles at Santouka are cooked to medium hard by default. We thought it was perfect to our liking with a nice balance between soft and hard, but trending more than medium. They do state on the menu that if you prefer your noodles to be softer or harder, then inform your server as they will be more than happy to cater to that since noodle texture is very much an individual matter of preference.

Order a side of rice bowl to complement your ramen. As if the ramen is not already very satisfying, the Japanese rice bowls add a great touch to your ramen pilgrimage. Among the choices are the bonito, scallions, and seaweed rice bowl and the salmon roe rice bowl.

When the bowl of ramen arrives at the table, pick up your chopsticks, and start slurping. As loud as you can.



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Ramen Santouka
1690 Robson St
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7

Japadog

Well, even Anthony Bourdain approves of this place. So it has to be good, right? Damn right he is. But first, Japadog needs to get the spelling of Bourdain right.







Japadog is reputed to be the icon for street food in Vancouver. While these Japanese-style hotdogs are sold in many Japadog food trucks across downtown, they have a restaurant location on Robson St where you can sit at the limited number of high-top tables and enjoy the freshly made hot dogs right there. If space at the tables run out (which is often the case), grab an open seat at the communal bench outside the restaurant. The other Japadog customers wouldn't mind as they are most probably more focused on devouring their own hot dogs.

 


I generally don't each much hotdogs and truth be told, before going to Japadog, I probably haven't had a hotdog in several years. But this place admittedly put me back on track to incorporating more delicious hotdogs in my life.

As authentic as it can get, this place is owned and operated by Japanese. Every employee at Japadog adds to the authenticity with their native Japanese accent. The place is extremely busy at lunchtime with people standing in line to order and then waiting for their orders made fresh. It is also quite a torture for any hunger pangs while waiting for your order in a place that is suffused with the smell of deliciously hot dogs. It did not help either when people who stood around me waiting for their orders commented to their friends, It smells so good. Who knew that hot dogs could smell that good? These aren't your regular hot dogs after all. They're Japanese-style hot dogs that deserve all the raves.







If you are having a bigger-than-usual appetite, try the yakiniku rice dog. This ever fulfilling choice comes with yakiniku (grilled thinly sliced beef) and rice which are both flavored with sweet BBQ sauce. A juicy grilled sausage is also served along with it on a bun.







The tonkatsu dog came with a piece of breaded pork cutlet that was deep fried until crispy and despite the entire surface of the meat being smothered with tonkatsu sauce, the breaded pork cutlet retained its crispiness. Inside the meat was moist with no signs of being over-fried. The tonkatsu dog was dressed with cabbage slaw and Japanese mayonnaise.

These fries are not just regular fries. They are shaked fries flavored with butter and shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), deep fried until golden brown, and immensely packed with the umami flavor. If a seemingly mundane fast food item of fries can taste this mind-blowing, Japadog is doing something right.



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Japadog
530 Robson St
Vancouver, BC V6B 2B7