Beer Review - Yona Yona Ale

Sadly this is an old picture as last time I went to the supermarket Yona Yona ale had sold out. That is really a testament to its quality I think. 'Yona yona' means 'night after night' in Japanese and this is a great choice for your regular tipple. Despite being brewed in Karuizawa, this has long been a staple of the Osaka beer scene as it is regularly on tap at The Ale House, one of Osaka's oldest craft serving bars. They serve it warm, however I honestly prefer it cold out of a can. It has a fantastic fruity flavour and is perfect for drinking with food or just by itself. Truly a magnificent beer.

Lamb in Garlic and Basil Sauce

This is something I cooked a couple of days ago based on a Paul Rankin Recipe. The sauce is a mix of cream, basil, mustard, garlic and white wine and really goes well with lamb. It also livens up the rice if you're willing to commit Japanese culinary blasphemy and allow it to come into contact with something that has flavour. A bit of spinach in there too for the vitamins. Looks good, tastes good but is actually pretty straightforward to make.

 

You can find the recipe here if you fancy having a go at it yourself:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/noisettesoflambwithr_67909

Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans

One of the most popular attractions in Osaka is Universal Studios Japan. One of the best bits of Universal Studios Japan is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where visitors can check out Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. If you go to Hogsmeade you can check out Honeyduke's, where you can buy your own real life Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. Fans of the book and films will remember these little marvels. They look like standard jelly beans, but feature every flavour you can think of, and a whole lot more.

We've been at them all week (nobody wants more than 3 or 4 a day because the unpleasant ones are, well, unpleasant. So far we've discovered Beef flavour, mud, drains, pizza and blueberry pie. There are plenty more left to try. These seemed pretty pricey but guessing what they are is a lot of fun and I'd wholeheartedly recommend them.

 

As well as Honeydukes you can also check out the Three Broomsticks which sells a few recreations of British favourites as well as the book's famour Butterbeer. Butterbeer is unfortunately non-alcoholic and very sweet. Luckily they also do a pretty good regular ale. I tried the Fish and Chips which were not too dissimilar to what you might find in a British pub.

There are all sorts of other things to buy in diagon alley - Hogwarts house scarves, wands, school uniforms so Harry Potter fans should be in their element. We also had a go on the Forbidden Journey ride, which was great fun and a must for fans. The ride had a 100 minute queue, but the route took us through Hogwarts itself and there were plenty of things to see while waiting. 

We'll definitely be back for another visit, but not until we've finished the every flavour beans.

Shin Osaka Station Curry - Jim Beam Bar

This is an example of Japanese station food. I enjoyed this spicy fare at Jim Beam Bar in Shin-Osaka station. It's a basic beef curry with rice and pickles, all for a couple of quid or so. There isn't a huge amount of beef but what is there is pretty satisfying. This doesn't look like much but it does compare pretty well with the kind of strewn together gunk you'd find in a British station. Along with the juice this went some way toward helping toward the hangover I gave myself by drinking too much of this, along with a couple of home made harvey wallbangers the day before. If it had been later in the day, and I hadn't been suffering so much I might have taken advantage of the range of whiskey based options on offer. Another time perhaps.

Toad in the Hole

This was my first attempt at toad in the hole. For those that don't know, this is a British dish combining sausage and a large sized Yorkshire pudding. Unsurprisingly, this is hard to find in Japan. There was a place in Takatsuki that did it but that has now vanished.
My shot at it wasn't bad for a first attempt. Slightly over crispy yorkshire. The baked potatoes though were fantastic! Plenty of butter and herbs - you can't go wrong. I'll give this another try sometime and see if I can make give the yorshire a bit more volume.

Sardine Thing

 

Lots of veg to use up at the moment, so chopped up an onion and some peppers, added a bit of garlic, turmeric and a tin of sardines. Had it with a bit of leftover bento rice. Very nice lunch for today and tomorrow! 

British Fair - fish and chips

The British fair was in town a while back, selling a range of produce from blighty. Quite a few places were serving favourites from back home. I decided to give the fish and chips a whirl.

These were very good! Ketchup and a plastic knife to go with the plastic fork would have been nice. Portion size was ok, better than the hub but not as good as nishinomiya seafood caravan.
This fair is in town every year, and I'll give it a shot again next year. They usually have scones, and a whiskey tasting area as well as an interesting selection of cheese.