Monday, March 13, 2023

ΦΙΤΑ Restaurant

金曜日の晩、ついにホテル近所にある「壁の穴」的な、地元の人に人気のレストランへ行けました。
ホテルから一番近所の「カスムーリ」というトラム駅前にある店なので、徒歩3分くらいです。

でも、今まで何度も行こうとして失敗…

 ・予約が一杯で入らない
 ・東方正教会の祭日にぶつかって休業
 ・夏は長期休暇

こんな調子で、2年ごしでようやっとアテネの先生が予約を入れてくれました。
きっと儂が自分で電話しても、英語で問い合わせた時点でアウトだったかも…。

やってきました。ここです。
レストランっぽい椅子と、内部にオープンキッチンがありますが、看板は無い。ここ、グーグルマップで好評価なので見つけましたが、レストランとしての看板が一切無いので、何度も通り過ぎていました。

入口がどこだかよく判らず、アテネの先生とウロウロしていたら、中にいた人がドアを開けてくれました。

アテネの先生がギリシャ語で、予約がある旨を(多分)伝えたら、席に通してくれました。
ここに通されました…。

「ここでいい?」
「いいんじゃね? 外は寒いし、キッチンの側もイマイチだし」

お店の中はガラッガラです…。
「なかなか予約が取れない店なのに、午後8時で誰もいませんが?」
「午後8時にディナーを始める奴はいないんだよ。早くても9時からだね」
「儂が午後6時頃に夕飯を食べたがるのは、無理して合わせてくれてた?」
「夕食が早い時間でも気にならないから別に良かったけどね」

そうか…ランチに置き換えてみると、正午前にはランチ食べない人に、朝の9時頃からランチ食べようと無理強いしていたようなものか…。ちょっと感謝しましたが、ギリシア人、晩ご飯食べるのが遅すぎ!!

食べ始めが遅いし、スペインとかと同じでゆったり食べるから、晩飯終わったら午前様!!
地中海人種は食事の作法がノンビリすぎます。GDP とかが延びないの、このへんが原因。

お店の人は儂がギリシャ語を解さないのがすぐに判り、英語のメニューをくれました。
英語でも、あちこちよく判らない…。

Grilled flying squid… 焼いた空飛ぶイカ?  サーブ・ビゲンが脳内を飛んでます。
Grilled leaping mullet… 焼いた跳躍する阿呆? シェフさん、飛ぶ食材が好きです。

何が出てくるのか、まるっきり想像がつきませんし、調理法がみんな Grilled ばっかり。

「ちょ、ちょい、念のために君のメニューも撮らせてよ…」
なんだか判らなすぎ!! しかも英語版と記載順序が違った部分があるから対訳にならない!

まるでヒエログリフ観てるのと何も変わらない…。数字を読めるのが奇跡のようです。
ギリシャ文字でも「カルパッチョ」とかの外来語は読めるけど、肝腎の魚が意味不明。
ビーフバーガーにポテトくらいは想像がつくけど、ここで食べても面白くないし…。

結局、やや英語が話せるウェイターさんと、アテネの先生の通訳とで、なんとか決断。やはり英語の Grilled は、正確にはソテーだったり唐揚げだったりしました。メニューが判らなかったらどんどん聞くべきです。

テーブルには、お冷やをこういうボトルで置いて行かれました。
浄水器を通した水道水と思われ。

この時もカクテルタイムをホテルのクラブラウンジで過ごしてきたので、前菜はひとつだけ…
セビーチェです。白身魚の角切りを、レモン、タマネギやコーンと和えたものです。

とりたてて美味しいわけでもないけど、不味くは無い。
倭人としては魚の鮮度が非常に気になっていましたが、悪くなさそう。
アテネの先生には好評価だったようです。

そして儂の頼んだおさかなは… なんか思ってたのと違う。
Fried Cods with rocket mayonnaise 鱈の唐揚げ、ルッコラマヨネーズ添え

事前に聞かされていたのは…(英訳が酷くてかなり憶測だった)

 ・魚種は「ほぼ鱈」
 ・調理方法は薄衣をまぶした唐揚げ
 ・唐揚げで美味しいよう、鱈は小ぶり
 ・ルッコラで風味を付けたマヨネーズ添え

鱈だったらクセもなく、唐揚げだったら鮮度を気にする必要が無いと思いました。

でも… ひとつ自分の皿に取ってみると、変な魚…。地中海の鱈って、なんか変じゃね?
人相が悪い。目だって、まるで氏んだ魚の目。

でも恐る恐る切断して一口摂取したら… お・い・し・い♪

見かけが悪いけど、皮がサクパリになっていて、身はジューシーでフッカフカ。臭みを抑えるつもりらしいルッコラ風味のマヨネーズは普通のマヨでもきっと大丈夫。わさびマヨでもいけるかも?

これ、かなり気に入りましたが、量的には…アテネの先生へひとつ譲っても、3匹は多かった。というか…味がやや単調で少し飽きてきました。頭は不気味なので残したら、先生がみんな喜々として食べちゃった。

そのアテネの先生がオーダーしたのが、これです。
Grilled leaping mullet pedal with lentil salad 跳躍するボラのグリル、レンズ豆のサラダ添え
跳躍するボラは、ヒラキにされているのでもう跳躍できません…。

てか、やたら身の厚い鯵の開きにしか見えませんが…。

「もう写真撮った?食べてもいい?」と、いつも以上に抑制の効かないアテネの先生…。
跳躍するボラも、緑レンズ豆も壺にはまって美味しかったようです。

この記事を書いている翌週にアテネへ行く予定ですが、アテネの先生へ「また ΦΙΤΑ で食べる?」ってメールしたら、I'll fix ΦΙΤΑ, which I love(大好き!予約入れとく)だって。続編を記述できればいいですが。

【脱肛後追記】iPhone なくしたので続編はアジャパーになりました。でも美味しかったです♪

そしてデザートタイム。

「え~!? お互いに糖尿だから甘いのダメなのは判ってるでしょ?」
「今日は特別な機会です。それに、ここんちのはインスタで見て惚れた」

無理強いして、2種類あるデザートメニューを両方トライ!
う~ん、映える。やたらこのデザートの写真ばっかりがインスタに挙げられているのがよく判る。

だって、主菜のおサカナさんたちはブスだったりヒラキになっちゃってたり。(笑)

アテネの先生へ押しつけたのは、エクレアです。
Eclair with caramel and chocolate ganache キャラメルとチョコレートのエクレア

先生は3分の1くらいしか食べてくれなかったけど、カラメルクリームがふわふわで美味。
お皿からズレないようにクリームが敷いてあるのが判るでしょ?気が利いたデザートです。

儂はこっちを。もちろん互いに交換して試食してます。
Xinomizithra cream, crispy crust sheet with petimezi チーズクリームのミルフェ、葡萄シロップがけ

英訳そのものが意味不明なので、無理矢理翻訳しています。

Ξινομυζήθρα xinomizithra というのは山羊乳の乳清を原料にしたチーズ。それをベースにしたクリームだそうですが、馬鹿舌さんには少し酸味のあるマスカルポーネくらいにしか感じられませんでした。上にかけてある petimezi というシロップは葡萄から作られているそうですが、これも馬鹿舌さんにはさしたる風味は伺えませんでした。

でも、パリサクのシートにふわっふわのクリームで、ミルフェとしての完成度は高い!

これ食べるのに、ナイフを空手の瓦割りの要領で振り下ろし、パリッ!とカットしたら…かなり驚かれました。

「お皿と接触しないようにしたけど…マナー違反だった?」
「いや… 君の普段の性格から想像できない挙動だった…」

これ食べる頃には周囲のテーブルも埋まっていたので、周囲の視線もヤバかったです。
ミルフェとか、こういうデザートを割って食べる場合の上品なお作法を知りたいです。

ここ、御値段もこなれてるし、気に入ったので次回も予約を入れてもらいました。

ΦΙΤΑ  Fita Restaurant
Ντουρμ 1, Αθήνα 117 45
+30 21 1414 8624

ホテルへ帰ってから、ラウンジでエスプレッソを淹れて、ベランダに出て廃墟を見物。
満腹で、こういう景色を眺めて談笑するのって、なかなかな旅行の醍醐味だと思いました。

結局、クラブラウンジが利用できると、晩ご飯がとてもリーズナブルになりました。
前菜&食前酒をラウンジで済ませ、ホテル近辺のレストランで主菜を食します。
ホテルへ帰って来たら、またラウンジでチーズつまんだり食後酒を飲って、終了。
お食事の合間に数分間の移動が入りますが、お散歩気分でなかなか良かったです。

次回、3月のアテネ旅行はスカイチームでの旅程です。
往路が KLM で復路がエアフラなので、それも記事にできるよう、がんばりまうす。
【脱肛後追記】iPhone なくしたので往路はアジャパーになりました。でも復路はこの後出てきます♪

記事掲載の方は、次はアテネ旅行の復路 ATH→MUC→SFO をいっぺんにご紹介。

28 comments:

  1. 確かに、このデザートをインスタで見たら、私もスキップできません!
    でも、とっても巨大なんですけど・・・汗
    私もミルフェ (ミルフィーユに近い?) に行っちゃうな~♪

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Campbell (F) さん、
      大きいけど密度的にはスッカスカなので、いけます。
      でもカラメルクリームの方が濃くてしつこいから、胃弱だと辛いかも。
      ミルフィーユとミルフェってアクセントの違い程度かと思ってました。
      どっちみちギリシアなので、ホントは別の名前みたいですが。
      先々週はタルトを試しましたが、それも美味しかったです。
      でも、もう暫くはギリシアへ行く事は無いと思います。

      Delete
  2. I understand that you will soon be returning to Japan and that the internet environment may not be very good after your return, but I will continue to leave comments (with or) without bothering you. So please feel free to ignore my comments.

    As someone who knows about hidden gourmet restaurants around the world, the fact that you specifically mentioned a popular local restaurant near your hotel that is like a hole in the wall also raises readers' expectations. Furthermore, are the two characteristics of being fully booked and closed for long summer vacations common traits among super-famous restaurants? As a customer, one would hope they would be open year-round to accommodate those on the waiting list, but perhaps they intentionally generate excitement among customers or simply want a break. In Japan, there is talk of "work-style reform," but in Europe, particularly in Greece and Spain, there has always been a feeling of "too much reform (lol)." As a hardworking Japanese person, I feel this way.

    By the way, it took two years for you to finally get a reservation, which must have raised your expectations. If calling in English is out of the question, should you pretend to be a regular customer and make a reservation in Greek?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      I’m already checked-in and leaving tomorrow morning at 11:40 am PDT. After I left Polaris Lounge, I might not have chance to reply, or just reply several words because if I didn’t have Wi-Fi for iPad, I only have small iPhone screen which I can’t or don’t type well. Sorry for my silence in advance.

      All of ‘hall in the wall’ places are now being disclosed by SNS or blog… I found this restaurant by Google Maps, a.k.a. Zagat, with the highly rated reviews. Then impressive pictures are also found on Instagram. Unless otherwise the restaurants set “members only” policy or something like that, all places are exposed in the public. But anyway I won’t visit Athens again so I don’t care…

      Delete
  3. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the difference between "ラーメンライス" and "ラーメン定食." This is just my personal opinion as a person who used to be a Kansai resident, and I'm ignoring the common sense in the Kanto area (lol). First of all, "ラーメンライス" is a combination of "ramen + rice," as you would expect. On the other hand, while there may be some differences depending on the restaurant or price range, a typical "ラーメン定食" includes "ramen + gyoza + fried rice + egg soup + draft beer" (this is the highest-ranked one). The former is too carbohydrate-heavy from a nutritional standpoint, while the latter is relatively balanced (?), so I would recommend the latter, but what do you think?

    However, even though this restaurant looks like it could be a place to eat when peeking inside from outside, the lack of a sign definitely gives off the impression of "first-timers or customers without reservations not allowed." I can understand why you kept passing by despite looking at Google Maps.

    Furthermore, it's not clear where the entrance is? It seems even more suspicious. If someone inside intentionally doesn't open the door... and if a local lawyer had to communicate in Greek that there was a reservation before being seated... even if you have a reservation, you might be turned away if you don't speak Greek?

    But it's true that Greeks have dinner very late. Do they not feel the impact on the following day's work? We Japanese working ants tend to worry unnecessarily about such things, don't we?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      I didn’t know ラーメン定食 is bundled with beer… then I can’t have one if the beverage choice can be replaced with Coke Zero or Diet Coke…. Also, ラーメン定食 you described is the full course of ramen shop, I guess. I don’t think I have prefixed combo of Ramen + Dumplings + Fried Rice + Egg Soup. Especially the soup is always missing from this list due to my experiences, and the fried rice in California never comes with soup as a side.

      I think because vast majority of the customers attend after 9 pm. Usually, I don’t go outside of the hotel in midnight, I didn’t see this place is so packed in weekends.

      And the recent time, when was less than two weeks ago, we’ve been there again, and the reservation wasn’t kept. The Attorney of Athens told me “Welcome to Greece.” Nobody works appropriately, all the confirmation is uncertain and people are lazy. Welcome to Greece where obviously went bankrupt, no wonder.

      This is my personal point of view – the late night dining doesn’t affect to the next day because they are not seriously working anyway. (lol)

      Delete
  4. When I see Greek words like "Ξινομυζήθρα" that appear later, I feel like I'm reminded of a physics exam or trapped in a cave like Indiana Jones (lol). Thanks to the waiter who spoke English to some extent and the interpreter who was fluent in Greek (which is a given) with you, you were able to understand the menu, but if it were just me... I would probably end up asking, "What do you recommend?" or "What's today's special menu?" and leave it at that. Oh, and English may also be difficult to communicate with here in at the restaurant (sigh).

    Although this tap water seemed to be filtered through a water purifier may be somewhat purified, how safe is Greece's tap water in general? Being a scaredy-cat, I would probably avoid even this water and go for bottled beer.

    At this time too, you spent time in the hotel club lounge before coming to this restaurant. If it were me, since this is the long-awaited restaurant I've been waiting for two years, I would have gone straight there without eating anything since morning.

    By the way, this Mediterranean cod certainly has an unpleasant appearance. Its eyes are like the eyes of a dead fish (well, it is actually dead. Oh, you mean it was already dead before it was cooked, right?). But even if it looks unappetizing, it would have been great if the skin was crispy and the flesh was juicy and fluffy, wouldn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      In Athens, half of signs are in Western Latin letters and the else are in Greek characters. There are some tricky rules but there are only 24 letters in Greek and we are familiar with these by physics classes and virus variants by WHO, it’s easy to remember. Even I could read some Greek letters during my stay which was helpful.
      Because I’m picky, I can’t ask their recommendations specifically in fish, seafood or vegetables featured restaurants.

      Usually, I always ask carbonated water because most of the cases, they can’t cheat by refilling the bottles of water. Also, in some European destinations, tapping water is drinkable but the flavor is not delightful because of the hardness, added chlorine or cleanliness.
      We also had carafe of white wine or bottles of beer besides this ‘clarified’ water. I sipped this water but no significant concerns were found, and my tummy was okay.

      Although I couldn’t eat at here, the priority wasn’t such high… I love to eat at ‘whore’s kitchen’ a.k.a. Pilot’s Café, the Attorney of Athens was rather more curious about this restaurant because he prefers fish dishes. I do like seafood but not fish… sorry I born and raised in beachside town, so the fish’ freshness doesn’t meet my expectations, sometimes even in Japan.

      Those small cod-like fish were severely dead… and looked awful, and my biggest concern was freshness. So I was hesitated to have it, but the actual taste was unexpectedly good.
      Same experience happened in Istanbul as well – when I had ‘kalkan’ (Turkish. “turbot” in English) at seafood restaurant in Kumkapı, Istanbul, that flat fish was covered with tumor-like bumps all over the skin which was so scary, but tasted superb after it’s cooked.

      This world is still filled with wonders! …but I don’t eat any insects!!

      Delete
  5. You have made friends with kind and considerate people in every country. The late Swiss scientist used to worry about you, asking, "Have you taken pictures of the food yet? Can I start eating?" Sometimes you would argue with each other over trivial matters (lol).

    Oh, the lawyer also had diabetes. Is that a common trait among foodies?
    By the way,

    "Eh?! Can't we have too many sweets since we both have diabetes?"
    "Today is a special occasion for both of us. Besides, I was drawn to this restaurant's dessert on Instagram."

    Who said the latter? Who recommended high-calorie and tempting desserts to the other person? It must have been you (lol).

    I have no idea about the mille-feuille, but like Campbell (F)-san, if I were asked to choose between the two, I would probably choose mille-feuille over éclair. But it looks like it has quite a bit of texture from the images. However, since you won't be going to Greece for a while, we readers will have to say goodbye to these lovely images.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      This reply will be the last one before I go to bed, and I’m not sure whether I can reply tomorrow morning from Polaris lounge. Again, apologize in advance...

      When I visited Zürich or Bourgogne, Dr. Stefan was the friend. When I visit Athens, the Attorney of Athens is the friend. However what we discuss is totally different – I would say those are quite ‘opposite.’
      With the Swiss scientist, the genres of conversations were biology, biochemistry, pharmaceutical, Mercedes Benz + Sushi-car (Toyota) + Mazda (Wankel engine), Gardening, and food+wine.
      With Attorney of Athens, the genres of conversations are; human rights, corrupt government, minimum wages by country, comparative linguistics, etc.
      Currently I don’t have an appropriate person whom I can discuss about computer science, mobile technology or modern photography.
      Sensei will help me talking about something pharmaceutical but no Mercedes... let me try learning of Barbarische Motoren Werke

      Level of Typ-2 DM at Attorney of Athens is almost nothing if it compares to me. He is just taking 500mg of metformin twice a day, and that's it. I think Greek pharmaceutical availability is behind as well… Therefore, I insisted him to take some sugary delights even he thinks those are critical poisons. At the restaurants, I do have the initiative. (lol)

      And for these two sweets, your stomach might be upset because of too much potion of cream. Even It’s fluffy and feels very light textures, it’s made from sugar, fat and air. Campbell (F) san would be fine since she got well trained by American greasy sweets like butter cream. But sensei, if you try these sweets in full, you might be in a big trouble… But no worries, you can settle any digestive sickness by yourself. ;)

      Delete
  6. After returning to the hotel, the two of you tasted espresso in the lounge and enjoyed the world heritage site leisurely on the balcony. I agree that enjoying the spectacular view and having a good conversation with a like-minded companion after a satisfying meal is one of the luxurious pleasures of traveling. I understand now why you insist on using the club lounge. You have appetizers and pre-dinner drinks in the lounge, have the main course at a nearby restaurant, and then return to the lounge to have snacks and after-dinner drinks before going to bed. It's like enjoying a full-course meal in two different places, with some exercise while traveling between the hotel and restaurant. However, if it were me, I would probably end up drinking too much while eating and prefer to have everything in the hotel restaurant.

    Will your upcoming trip to Athens in March be with Skyteam airlines? It's a shame that the KLM images were lost, as it's rare to see KLM on this blog. Nonetheless, since the return trip is with Air France, I'm looking forward to that article. Wait, are you going to introduce the entire ATH → MUC → SFO return trip in one article? That seems like a waste, or even disrespectful. I don't mind having the trip divided into smaller articles like the ones from your senior in Shonan. Don't let your senior hear I say that! (lol)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      Let me go sleep… dear…

      At this time I do remember one of the conversations. I introduced the minimum wage of San Mateo County, which was $16.64/hr (now $16.75/hr) then Attorney absolutely shocked his salary is lower than janitors or shoe-shiners in San Mateo. That is the start of his ‘jealousy’ but I can’t help him… He also asked if I know the rate for attorneys at law in California, then I told him our lawyer charges me $400/hr. He became quiet for a while and asked me to talk something else. He asked me the actual number and I disclosed it by his request. But since then, he became somehow somewhat envious and jealous, and he stopped saying “this meal is on me.” That’s not my fault! I told him the truth which is not nice to him at all, unfortunately.

      The hotel restaurants in IC Athens are no too bad. The top restaurant “Premiere” had Michelin stars, and other eating opportunities – lounge bar, breakfast buffet dining and club lounge are all inspired from Premiere restaurant. Therefore, if you stay at IC Athens and only dine within the hotel, nothing is wrong besides ultra pricy food tags…

      Unfortunately the pictures in KLM flights are lost, but memories are still remaining in me. I can’t guarantee how long I can keep it though. At least KLM’s Boeing 787-10 was comfortable. They modified the capsule-shaped seats for better privacy… which is little bit too much for me, but I can’t see anybody unless parser approaches me. And the KLM parser I met was a gamer and movie fan. He recognized I was watching Blade Runner 2049 by a second of shots, which was amazing. But this story can’t on the article because there are no pictures.

      The next and the following post are relatively large… there will be 31 pictures on ATH→MUC→SFO, and 51 pictures on ATH→CdG→SFO. Please stay tuned.

      Now I am going to bed. Good night, dear.

      Delete
  7. Huh? You're already checked in? Oh, I see. Experienced travelers like you must take advantage of the "advanced check-in" system. I'm not even sure what the benefits of using that system are, but I'm sure you're enjoying your time in ANA's first class, which you missed the last time you returned to Japan.

    I'll probably keep leaving comments persistently even after you return, but please ignore them, as you won't be able to type well on an iPad or iPhone screen.

    Calling it a "hidden gem" might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Azabu in Okayama is such a place. Of course, its existence, food images, approximate cost, and interior atmosphere are revealed by SNS and blogs, but it still maintains a membership system (though not all customers need to be members) and intentionally doesn't have its own website.

    Beer being included in a ramen set meal is limited to slightly special cases like a "特上ラーメン定食." But if you were to change the beer to Coke Zero or Diet Coke at least in Kansai ramen restaurants... well, that might be acceptable too? Since ramen itself has a lot of soup, it might feel a bit strange, but in Kansai, for some reason, soup often comes as a side dish with fried rice. However, it's a shame if the default California fried rice doesn't come with soup.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      Again, advanced check-in gives several advantages sometimes. Especially if upgrade is waitlisted, checking in must be earlier the better. But if the destination is Japan, we cannot check-in early because of stricter Covid survey is still ongoing… Japan is crazy strict and unwelcoming foreigners even the Covid serge is severer than overseas. Hence we have to show up in person at the airport and show the blue screen of passed result of” Welcome Japan Web” which is not really welcoming us actually.

      These days, it’s really tough to be the hidden gem. SNS discloses everything. If I search the real hidden gem is – The New Sanno. Because the guests are restricted by US military or State Department people, no one can enter the venue except the invitations or companionships.

      In terms of ラーメン定食, I am a bit curious the soup construction in Kansai. Are those somewhat similar to Udon soups which is salty and fishy, least soy sauce used? I remember the ramen at Ryuen didn’t differ from Tokyo ramens.
      I was already adjusted fried rice aren’t bundled with a bowl of soup… I would be really surprised if the ramen shop served a soup with Chahan. I would like to encounter such though.

      Delete
  8. Yamada Denki sensei,

    Sorry it’s me but I can’t verify my account during the flight…
    My flight delayed 2.5 hrs so far and I just finished the 1st meal, so I took eszopiclone to put me off…

    Advanced check-in helps several things. Especially if upgrade is waitlusted, then checking in earlier has better chance of upgrade.

    I can’t use my iPad during my airborne either, so I’ll get back to you as soon as I got a time and connectivity.

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  9. By the way, was your reservation at the Athens restaurant canceled? I see, even the local lawyer admits that people don't work properly and not all confirmations or promises are kept. And if counterfeit branded goods are rampant too... it's just like that big Asian country. The citizens of that country still don't trust their own country. That's why wealthy people come to Okayama's main hospital for "medical checkup tours" as a form of sightseeing. They probably can't trust the test results from their own country.

    Unlike you, I'm not picky, so I tend to choose menus like "today's special" or "chef's recommendation." I'm probably a person with no assertiveness and easily influenced by others. By the way, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've been confusing "fish dishes" and "seafood dishes" until now. I had assumed that the former was included in the latter. Or is it that fish caught in the sea belong to seafood, and fish caught in rivers are fish dishes? I might be getting even more confused now? Even though I'm joining the ranks of the elderly this year, I can't ask such a question in public (though I'm asking it now).

    I see why you often order carbonated water. In countries where tap water may have hygiene issues, it's more likely that bottles of water will be refilled as a disguise. On the other hand, in Japan, we can drink tap water safely, which is a great thing.

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    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      The reservation wasn’t cancelled but just not recorded. The Attorney at Athens told me it happens often in Greece because people are not working so seriously, just thinking themselves and don’t care of others. This kind of mid settings occurred that train crush, I think, and this is on of the reasons I am not enchanted Greece anymore..

      Talking about the healthcare services, Japan, US and some European countries, surprisingly including Türkiye, are good. But Türkiye has disadvantage of the supply of some most recent medications like SGLT2 inhibitors.

      If it’s a French restaurants I would be happy with Chef’s daily special, but in fish/seafood restaurant, I am picky. Last late November in Tokyo, I was with iSO-san and he took me to the high-end sushi in Aoyama. The sushi chef somehow somewhat insisted me to have his silver-blue skinned fish which has a chance of allergic reaction to me, so I had one… when I returned mom’s home and had a bath, I found some red bumps on me… sigh.

      For American English, “seafood” is pointing shellfish, squids, shrimp (‘shrimp’ is sometimes plural, sometimes not. It depends by the person who speaks) and prawns, etc. A word “fish” is for sea/water animals with vertebrate. (lol)
      But there are no strict rules, I guess. When we say seafood, it sometimes includes fish from the sea… I would like to specify it as well.

      In Mexico or some Mid/South American countries and Europe, if we enter a good restaurant and asked a bottle of water, the serviceperson open the bottle in front of us which is a evidence of the water bottle is certainly original. However the carbonated water is stricter to prevent the cheat. United Polaris Lounge is the exception… they carbonate tapping water in the kitchen and serve them from the carafe. (lol)

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  10. It's a shame that the reservation was canceled without any consent, but if your priority for this restaurant wasn't that high and you would rather prefer dining at Pilot's Café, I guess it's all right. I know you were born and raised in a seaside town in Chiba and are strict about the freshness of fish, so Pilot's Café might be even more satisfying for you.

    Regarding the flat fish with bumpy skin all over its body that you ate at the seafood restaurant in Istanbul, which looked quite scary, I couldn't help but think of "Okoze," a fish often eaten in Okayama. That fish also has an intimidating appearance, but once cooked, it's a delicacy that I quite like.

    By the way, when you fly ANA First Class, can you still only use the Polaris Lounge? Well, I guess ANA wouldn't have its own first-class lounge at SFO, and there might not be any other airlines in the same alliance that offer first-class lounges either.

    Indeed, in the past, this blog was full of articles about visits to Zurich and Burgundy. From my perspective, Dr. Stefan was indeed a science-minded person, but he was also deeply knowledgeable about agriculture, gourmet food, and wine, which must have made him the perfect person for you. On the other hand, the Athens lawyer seems like a typical humanities person. As for me, I can talk about clinical medicine to some extent, but I can't discuss serious pharmaceuticals. And of course, just as the Giants are for Tigers fans, Mercedes is an intriguing but avoidable presence for bimmers, so I can't bring up Mercedes just like pharmaceuticals. Oh, you deliberately wrote "Barbarische" again, didn't you? It's a "Bavarian automobile factory," so it looks like you need to learn about BMW from scratch (lol).

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    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      Actually the Attorney at Athens didn’t recommend having any fish or seafood at Pilots Café because their main clients – prostitutes and the horny guys, are meat eaters, not fish eaters…

      “Kalkan” the Turkish flat fish (Scophthalmus maeoticus) looks certainly scary. When I saw this actual big falt fish, I was so scared of the bumped skin which looked it’s under leprosy… no I am not being racist this time, just scared of the ugly fish. Okoze is good for tempura when I was experienced it in Futtsu.

      Unfortunately, for Star Alliance business/first class passengers, United’s Polaris Lounge is the only choice at SFO. But in LAX, there is Star Alliance First Class Lounge The Polaris Lounge is not too shabby though.

      When Dr. Stefan was alive and he met Dr. M of the CTO of pharmaceutical venture who invented the composition of carfilzomib, I couldn’t follow their conversations of biochem… shame.

      The Barbaric Motor Works produces barbaric cars… those are so noisy. I am wondering if they really move to BEV cars. DO they install speakers to imitate those barbaric engine noises? I would rather pick Lexus EV instead… sorry.

      Delete
  11. Even for someone like me who isn't a big fan of sweets, these two desserts look quite appealing when looking at the images again. By the way, can too much cream cause stomach pain? Indeed, there might be people who have that kind of reaction. From the appearance alone, it seems to have a very light and fluffy texture. It seems to contain not only sugar and fat but also a lot of air, so it might surprisingly fit into a separate stomach? Speaking of Campbell (F)-san, is she really that accustomed to greasy American sweets? If I were to try and eat a generous portion of these sweets, I might need to apprentice under Campbell (F)-san and train even harder.

    As for the matter of "you can cure your own digestive problems," I'm afraid that's impossible for me. Embarrassingly, when I get sick, I completely become a patient, and I totally forget that I am a doctor. The other day, I experienced discomfort in the anterior chest and visited a specialized cardiovascular hospital. The moment I entered the hospital, I transformed 100% into a patient. I underwent various tests and finally received an explanation from the attending physician. The doctor seemed to know in advance that I was a physician and used medical terminology, even abbreviations, very quickly. Since I was completely in the patient mindset, I couldn't keep up and begged, "Doctor, please explain it more simply; I don't understand as a layperson!" In the end, the doctor muttered, "Your condition might come from GERD." At that point, still fully immersed in being a patient, I responded, "GERD? It sounds familiar... Oh, GERD, I know it, I know it ♪," which made the attending physician laugh as well.

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    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      I don’t receive stomach pain by creams or butter. Probably my stomach is well trained with those ingredients, I guess. Instead, I receive severe ‘Oriental flash’ when I had alcohol. So I don’t have enough Aldehyde dehydrogenase but I do have Dairy product dehydrogenase. (lol) And… No, Campbell (F)-san doesn’t appreciate American sweets most of the time even she eats humungous amount of foods.

      Even I am not a doctor or healthcare giver, I am always suspicious to whom giving health treatments to me. This is a typical behavior of US people, I think. We do pay a lot for healthcare in the US, we do want to check the treatments are appropriately given!

      So… you also have GERD? When I had a stomach pain, what I did was searched over the Internet to identify what this uncomfortable symptom is. Then I started taking PPI, esomeprazole, by my decision. After several days, no significant improvements were given so I made an appointment with my primary doctor to ask upper side endoscopy, he told me he cannot give inner scope under such ‘mild’ symptoms because the health insurance company will deny covering. Instead, he recommended to keep taking PPI plus Maalox for immediate fix of heartburn. (English: even if it occurred around stomach, it’s so called “heartburn.”) The funny part is; doctor recommends Maalox brand, not others like Pept Bismol et al.

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  12. Replies
    1. Dear atu-senpai and Oku-shama,

      Thank you for sharing your time. The lunch at New Sanno will be shown on next Friday.
      Apologize advance if I described too much truth...

      Delete
  13. “Please take care”... Shonan senior, is that all you have to say in your comment!?

    Using this space (unilaterally) to reply to your comment to mine on your blog, I'll also respond (lol). You seem to be attending meetings with various people in various places. In your opinion, the purpose of an exchange of opinions is "to provide a forum for understanding each other's thoughts, to assert each other's ways of thinking in a mentally fulfilled state (in other words, to be candid... as commonly expressed), to create situations and settings where people can feel a sense of openness mentally, and to prepare to satisfy one's hunger." I don't think your opinion is a far-fetched argument at all (lol).

    Furthermore, in your opinion, Kaiseki-style refers to a way of eating where "proper dishes are served one by one," while a boxed meal is "a dish where slightly cheaper ingredients are served all at once in an assortment." I understand now.

    By the way, the restaurant you enjoyed, senior, is "a cafeteria-like place where a set meal usually comes on a tray that looks like it's for school lunches," right? And you were surprised by the sudden change to this labor-intensive Kaiseki-style meal?
    Also, there's a chef specializing in horse meat dishes at this restaurant? While I agree with your opinion that it's impossible without the appropriate knowledge, as the nature of horse meat is quite different from other ingredients, I also think it must be tough to continue cooking only horse meat...

    Nevertheless, senior, wherever you go, everyone seems to know well about your love for red wine. The fact that they immediately bring a glass of red wine to your table without even saying anything might be similar to the junior in this blog who quickly becomes a familiar face at the lounges of luxury hotels wherever he goes. The world of T-Gakuen is indeed profound.

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    1. "Take care" is like a dog's marking...
      Well, I never thought that there would be a reply to the reply of the comment here. Since the landlord is absent, do you want to do whatever you want? Well, I'll leave it at the dog marking level.

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    2. Yamada Denki sensei and Atu-san,

      The landlord is back and being terrified to reply those dam-corrupting like comments.

      To Atu-senpai: Thank you for your dog marking as well as giving me a ride around Tokyo downtown. That was a special timing for sharing lunch at US military restaurant during the WBC final game. Hope we can reunion on my next trip to Japan.

      Just for make sure for both: If you are talking a specific restaurant, Tsukiji Tamura is not a Kaiseki 懐石 restaurant but 会席 one. The dishes they serve are too luxurious as Kaiseki, but the highest-end of Japanese traditional meals with their inspirations and improvements.

      And talking about the school lunch, T-Galuen was very different from others… if I compare to Tokyo Institute of Photography or other schools my friends attended. I have never seen “shrimp gratin” on the menu, just for example, and it costs JPY1,200 over 45 years ago. When I decided to attend T-Galuen, one of my aunts told me that school is for wealthy parents hence I would spend a lot, and actually I did. I appreciate my parents about it.

      I think the wine connoisseur thing is not strongly related to T-Gakuen but… can’t tell right.

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  14. "Ah, so "take care" refers to the act of a urinating on a lamppost or a tree during a walk. The purpose is to assert their existence and territory to others. Since they are probably trying to show that they are big and strong, I will follow you, my senior, completely on this blog. That's why I replied to your comment here. I don't know if the landlord is absent or if they are just overlooking my behavior, but I have no intention of behaving recklessly on this blog. As you said, I'll keep it at the level of "dog marking."

    By the way, have you met the junior yet? Enjoy your fun "意見交換会" (lol)."

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    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      I can’t imagine why you keep banging Atu-senpai hereby… it’s funny though.

      Yes we had good time for 意見交換会 including the issues in West Japan. :P
      I also asked Atu-san to join the endoscopic trip to Okayama but his current answer si not clear unfortunately. At least he realizes we already entered the age who needs frequent medical check of digestive systems.

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