the nomblr: Archive

Which is my least favourite part about eating at Kappou Gomi.

Finally made it out there after a year of psyching myself up (and then forgetting) about it.

Whatever you’re expecting, it’s not that. But you can probably expect the following:

They use REAL wasabi. I’ve never had real wasabi until I went to Kappou Gomi. I cried, for many reasons.
I ate the best grilled fish I’ve ever had. And I hate grilled fish. Absolutely despise it. Whenever my mother told me we were having grilled fish for dinner I would stay back in the office and eat instant noodles.
OCHAZUKE. Nothing fancy, but super delicious and equally uncommon at Japanese restaurants.
GRILLED MOCHI. It’s like those Japanese rice crackers except IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY.

So basically, you can expect to cry a lot (or maybe that’s just me).

Mar 31, 2011

#kappou gomi #the richmond #san francisco #japanese

An interesting take on the plants-feel-no-pain argument when it comes to being vegetarian. Plants also don’t appreciate you picking them and tearing them up, too.

If you think about it, though, why would we expect any organism to lie down and die for our dinner? Organisms have evolved to do everything in their power to avoid being extinguished. How long would any lineage be likely to last if its members effectively didn’t care if you killed them?

The article plods along and then suddenly becomes a (IMHO) disconnected argument about the value of human life. Not the strongest analysis out there, but at least it’s a different perspective on pain and eating plants vs. animals.

Mar 30, 2011

#plants #science #vegetarianism vs omnivorism

fridge cleaner, cabbage edition: okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a sneaky way to get someone to eat a boat load of cabbage. It’s also a great vehicle for the takeout food that’s blocking your fridge light.

Two food woes solved with one giant vegetable pancake. And it only takes 20 minutes from start to nom. Genius.

Okonomiyaki
Recipe adapted from here. Sauce recipe adapted from here. Serves 2.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water or stock
1 egg
2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1/4 of a small cabbage)
1 green onion, sliced thinly
Leftover meat. I had a leftover beef burger patty and chopped it up with a knife. Pretty much any meat works as long as it’s chopped into small pieces.

Sauce (makes more than required):

1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 TB worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
2 TB mirin
1 tsp soy sauce
3 TB brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tsp honey

Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer for about a minute. Adjust to taste — add more soy sauce if it’s too sweet, or add more sugar if it’s too tangy. Cool to room temperature.

Okonomiyaki: Combine the flour and water into a smooth paste, then add all of the ingredients and stir through.

Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Spread and flatten the okonomiyaki mixture until it forms a pancake, about 1.5 cm or 3/4” thick. Fry for 3 minutes.

Flipping it over is a bitch, but I think I’ve figured it out. Slide the okonomiyaki out of the pan and onto a plate, cooked side down. Grease your frying pan with a little bit more oil, then cover the plate with the pan. Flip the whole thing upside down, and BOOM.

Fry for another 3 minutes, then serve with the okonomiyaki sauce. Bonus points if you have bonito flakes or nori lying around.

Mar 28, 20114 notes

#okonomiyaki #fridge cleaner #recipes

I used to ALWAYS get called out for not knowing the difference between chopping and dicing. But thanks to this chopping board, I can now school my future children in the ~~mathematical~~ ~~scientific~~ anal-retentive art of getting the perfect mirepoix.

Hopefully they won’t inherit my accident prone genes.

Mar 27, 2011

#OCD #chopping board #WANT

You won’t get your Whole Paycheck salad for any cheaper, but at least you’ll get bang for your 8 bucks.

Mar 26, 2011

#whole foods #salad bar

Mar 25, 20119,257 notes

#gif #food gif

“Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but Cabbage with a College Education.” —

Mark Twain

Saw this on a truck this morning in Dogpatch, that was also getting towed. That’s what you get for being a smartass and putting a Mark Twain quote on your truck.

But aside, while this is often misquoted (the first half is usually omitted), I’m not sure if Mr. Twain is being sarcastic or not. But I’ll take both, college education or not.

Mar 24, 2011

#cauliflower #quote #mark twain

And a case for the pour over:

With the pour over, the barista can now control all aspects of the extraction process; the precise timing and distribution of the water can ensure that the grounds are evenly extracted in both time and space.

Since this is a Scientific American article, I am obliged to issue a nerd alert.

Mar 23, 2011

#pour over coffee #SCIENCE #nerd #coffee

Mar 22, 20112 notes

#pan dulce #empanada

When you hear about some garage at the end of the 71 Haight/Noriega line (yes, THAT bus line) that has bitchin Korean fried chicken, a year is a pretty long time to make it out to Toyose.

But all that matters now is that I finally went, one mega long bus ride (+ $25 cab ride home) later. Minus points for no banchan, but there were many, many highlights:

FRIED CHICKEN WINGS (!)
F*CK YEAH SPICE LEVELS. Pretty good for ‘merica.
Appropriate for all sorts of liver-busting drinking games.
DUK BOK GI (!!). Just like in KOREA. Oh, y’know, that one time I was in Seoul, eating duk bok gi at a street cart…
Bell service. JUST LIKE IN KOREA. (Okay I’ll stop.)

And soju poster babes:

Mar 21, 2011

#toyose #korean #outer sunset #san francisco

Mar 20, 20119 notes

#pan dulce #conchas

Mar 19, 20116 notes

#tacos #typography #tacotype? #el vetica? #the mission #san francisco

Mar 18, 2011431 notes

#kim jong il #soup

Meat consumption trends in the United States over the last 100 years.

Chicken is in it to win it, apparently.

Mar 17, 2011