The official name is "Umegaoka Sushi Midori Sohonten". It is a famous sushi restaurant chain with its main store in Umegaoka, Setagaya-ku, and 7 stores in Tokyo, Nagoya, 4 stores in Hong Kong, and 2 stores in Taiwan. They also offer takeout options, with several locations in Tokyo and Kanagawa, including Super Ozeki. On this day, I tried the mackerel sushi. It had a refined acidity from the moderate vinegar seasoning, and the mackerel was delicious with a subtle sweetness. Next time, I want to try their original conger eel sushi. Thank you for the meal.

Category: [Home-cooked meal] Even though I went shopping in Tokyo, I couldn't bear my hunger and ended up buying a bento box. I think the last time I ate was probably around 3:30 PM yesterday. I slept deeply until late at night, wrote a blog post, then slept again. When I woke up, I went to work and had ginger pork lunch at 11:30 AM. Even though it was a large serving of rice, I had been fasting for 20 hours, so honestly, it wasn't enough. The simmered hamburger and crab cream croquette bento box for 498 yen was delicious! The meat dumplings for 398 yen and the classic chewy thick noodle Napolitan for 298 yen were also great. I have shopped at Ozeki many times, but this was my first time buying a bento box. Honestly, considering the price, it was incredibly delicious. The era where tasty food is expensive seems to be long gone. Japan is said to have high prices, but when it comes to food, I think it's incredibly cheap. I hope Ozeki doesn't go out of business until my dream retirement.

Here is part of my usual shopping list. The items I received are as follows (excluding tax): - Large shiso leaves 198 yen - Edamame beans 250 yen - Gold dried sweet potatoes 398 yen - Golden senkun sweet potato snacks 398 yen - Quincy melon 598 yen - Andes melon 598 yen It's heartbreaking to think that 100 shiso leaves cost 198 yen, considering the effort to pack them... I purchased them thankfully and followed a recipe by Gal Sone that was featured on TV, soaking them in shredded shiso leaves in noodle soup and sesame oil for a few hours. I enjoyed them as a topping on roasted edamame beans. They are very delicious. They also go well with cold tofu, rolled omelette, and bonito sashimi. They might even be good mixed with natto. The gold dried sweet potatoes are made from Beniharuka sweet potatoes, and while I usually toast dried sweet potatoes in a toaster, these are soft and moist as they are, and very tasty. They are rich in dietary fiber, making them a friend of dieters. The sweet potato snacks come in a large bag that you don't see elsewhere, but it's convenient with a zipper. The texture is great, and it's hard to stop eating them. They may seem like the enemy of diets, but when combined with dried sweet potatoes, it balances out. The strawberry season usually ends in early May. As a replacement, I splurged on two types of melons. When I cut them the next day, they were perfectly ripe and juicy. They were delicious in their own way. The red-fleshed Quincy melon has a rich sweetness, while the green-fleshed Andes melon is also rich but has a more refreshing sweetness compared to the red-fleshed one.

As it starts to cool down, the "Oozeki Ekiben Festival" begins. It's about 1/100 the size of Keio Department Store's "Original Famous Ekiben and Nationwide Delicious Food Festival," but I secretly look forward to it. Taraba crab seafood meal (Wakkanai Station) 1,350 yen (tax included) Recently, ekiben prices have been going over 1,000 yen, with some costing around 1,300-1,500 yen, which is becoming more common. This ekiben is full of seafood and delicious. Under the oysters is mixed rice, with the rest being vinegared rice. There's quite a lot of rice, so it would be even better if one block was all side dishes. ☆3.7 *Other items tried (all prices including tax) Dashi-scented sea bream and golden sea bream rice (Odawara) 990 yen ☆3.3 (You can buy it for under 1,000 yen! The flavorful sea bream rice is comforting) Sanriku eel, salmon roe, and salmon roe bento (Hachinohe) 1,380 yen ☆3.5 (Commemorating the opening of the Sanriku Railway Rias Line, it was good!) Roast beef sushi and beef stamina grill bento (Hachinohe) 1,280 yen ☆3.2 (I fell for Oozeki's strategy, haha)

*I have more to share, but for now I will summarize my reviews for four visits. (May 2020) On this day, I made various purchases, but I will focus on the strawberries. I received the following: - Skyberry 298 yen - Dansetsu 580 yen Skyberry, which tasted very sweet last time, couldn't compare to Dansetsu. Dansetsu was delicious - I felt happy. (May 2020) I always thought that fish collars were more expensive at the department store basement. But on this day, I found some! I received the following: - Fresh mekajiki collar 398 yen - Yubeni 298 yen - Skyberry 298 yen The very large mekajiki collar was salted, grilled, and flaked, then mixed with pasta sauce made from canned tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and capers. I added plenty of garlic and habanero sauce for a deliciously spicy flavor. Yubeni had a refreshing taste. Skyberry had a well-balanced sweetness and acidity. (April 2020) I buy a lot of things in bulk, so I bought various items. I received the following: - Kirapi-ka 398 yen - Amaou 398 yen I bought two packs of strawberries, each with about five varieties, all priced at 398 yen. Kirapika had a strong aroma and a distinctive sweet taste. I bought it thinking it sounded like a rice name, and my child said the same, which made me laugh. Amaou, when compared to Kirapika, had a more straightforward flavor. (May 2019) I saw an online news article about Lu-ka's retort curry. It's hard to visit Lu-ka due to the long lines, but you can easily enjoy their flavors with this retort curry. The article mentioned that at the restaurant, they serve it with turmeric rice, but many people at home eat it with plain rice, so they added a lot of turmeric and kept the spiciness mild. They recommended adding pepper before eating for extra flavor. On my usual way home, I stopped by and found it on display. I received the following: - Lu-ka fragrant chicken curry 239 yen I followed the advice of the owner mentioned in the online news, and it was just a delicious curry. I have forgotten the taste of the Hida's Hourai curry that I purchased in November 2017. My apologies...

I woke up in the morning thinking, "It's cold again today," and suddenly sneezed... and ended up with a backache (lol). So, I couldn't move at all, and asked my neighbor to buy me a bento for the day. Luckily, Oozeki was having a "Station Bento Festival"! The Beef Over Rice Box for 1,250 yen (tax included) is a classic favorite at Tokyo Station. The sweet and savory simmered beef goes perfectly with the rice. I've tried the "Shio" and "Miso" ones, but this one is still the best. By the way, here are the ratings for the winter bento I've tried so far: Beef Over Rice Box ☆3.5 (Generous portion, very filling!), Kanazawa Flavor Assortment ☆3.3 (Gentle flavors, could use more side dishes), Gozaemon Honpo Mackerel ☆3.7 (I love mackerel sushi! It's a bit hard to eat on the train though), Sea Urchin Flavor Comparison Bento ☆3.4 (Surprisingly lots of sea urchin).

In the area around Shimokitazawa Station, there are three large supermarkets, but "Oozeki" is almost dominating the market. One of the events held at Oozeki every 1-2 months is the "National Bento Festival" (although it's just a small section of the store). It used to be called the "Station Bento Festival", but now it includes items like "Kara-ben" and Imahan's "Sukiyaki Don", so it's now called the "Bento Festival". It has been going on for many years, and I always end up falling for their strategy on the day when you get 5 times the points... My favorite items are the "Four Great Crab Bento" from Wakkanai Station, the "Gyutan (beef tongue) Don" from Yonezawa Station, and the "Saba Pressed Sushi" from Fukui Station. This time, I tried the new "Luxurious Thick-cut Salmon Bento" from Sapporo Station for 1,100 yen (tax included). You can enjoy various types of salmon like fatty salmon, marinated salmon, shredded fresh salmon, and thick-cut smoked salmon. And the highlight is definitely the ikura (salmon roe)! I wish there was a bit more, but considering the price increase this year, it's understandable. It doesn't make me feel like I'm traveling, but there's something uplifting about eating station bento. They taste good even when they're cold, so I sometimes end up buying them for dinner. When you think about it rationally, they cost about twice as much as regular bento, so sometimes I regret it (lol).

When I looked at the bakery shelf at the nearby supermarket after a long time (a few months), I saw a product that looked just like Yamazaki Lunch Pack. I thought they copied it and released it, but the next day, my reviewer friend mentioned that the product has been around even before Lunch Pack... I'm sorry for doubting that they copied it! I apologized to Fuji Pan in my heart. A few days later, on my way back from Shimokitazawa as usual, I picked up grapes, white peaches, pears, and when I was heading to the register, I happened to pass by the bread section. What caught my eye was the rumored? bread. I received the following items (excluding tax): - Snack Sandwich Taco & Cheese 99 yen - Okinawa's first-picked mozuku 284 yen - Hebesu 4 pieces 78 yen There were several types, but since I love tacos since I encountered them in California in high school, I chose it. Oh, on the front of the package, there is a cute chef and the mark of "original since 1975" on the sandwich bread. On the back, there is even a QR code attached, prompting you to search for its history. Why all of a sudden? Why now? When I searched, it was about the characters of Snack Sandwich, "Hasamichan" and "Nnpa." I had it with beer at home. The fluffy and moist sandwich bread is delicious, but when you eat it as a taco, the taste is disappointing. There is no trace of taco anywhere, only cheese and sauce. Still, when toasted to a fox color and eaten, it was okay. Like Lunch Pack, there seems to be quite a variety. There were some flavors that caught my eye on the website, so I will try the sweet ones next time if I see them. This was my first time buying mozuku, but it's convenient to use without washing and use as much as you like, with the zip to seal the bag. The long-lasting crunchy mozuku is delicious. Hebesu had no seeds at all, not even one in the 4 pieces. I enjoyed it by adding it with the skin to carrot rape or making Hebesu sour.

When I go to Shimokitazawa, I always find myself drawn to the great deals on fruits and vegetables at this store. This time, I bought Andes melon, Sato Nishiki cherries, corn, zucchini, eggplant, and more. Unfortunately, they were sold out of okara powder again. The manufacturer is out of stock, so there's no telling when it will be back in. I also bought the following items: (excluding tax) - Ichiban Shibori Yokohama-made beer 178 yen This is a limited edition brew from the Yokohama factory. I wonder if it will be available in all 47 prefectures once it's released in Tokyo. It has a strong hop aroma and a rich taste. I've tried Chiba-made and Tokyo-made versions before, but I liked the Yokohama-made one the best. This supermarket is always crowded, but they have plenty of checkout counters, which is convenient. And of course, they also sell Midori Sushi.

A two-story supermarket located quite close to Shimokitazawa Station. When I visited, there were surprisingly a lot of customers, making it uncomfortable to shop. It was crowded, and there were many staff members. - Salt-boiled edamame (200 yen): Just the right amount of salt. The salt was evenly distributed inside, which was impressive. The beans were soft, so it might have been better if there was a bit more texture to the beans. - Salt-boiled peanuts (238 yen): The peanuts seemed to have been boiled too much. The peanut shells were soft. The texture was quite unique.

I will enjoy a Chaos Beer from Shimokitazawa (around 390 yen) while watching Sunday horse racing. The first sip is fruity like an IPA, but the aftertaste is a bit bitter (at least to my unsophisticated taste buds). The beer was bitter, and so were the results of my bets.

After visiting a friend's house in Sangenjaya on the way back home, I passed through Shimokitazawa on a Sunday. My mood changed as I found cheap Dekavita and made an impulse purchase. I am drinking it now. Tomorrow, I plan to make eggplant sandwich with minced meat. I got a discount on potato salad because it was night time. I tasted it a little and found that the crunchy lettuce inside was really good. I remembered a phrase I saw in a shiitake mushroom fortune telling a while ago, which said "You need a certain level of energy to go to a supermarket". I think it's true. I love supermarkets and department store food sections, but when I'm exhausted, I don't even go inside when passing by. I thought I saw an Armani store in Shimokitazawa, but it turned out to be Goma (sesame) store. When I first saw the Armani building in Ginza, I thought it was a sesame salt. Now I see it's white sesame. What else is in it besides sesame? I'm curious. Oozeki Shimokitazawa Store 03-6407-2551 Tokyo, Setagaya-ku, Kitazawa 2-9-5.

Just discovered fresh pickled mustard greens! I'm going to make a new batch. While store-bought pickled mustard greens are delicious, there's something special about fresh pickled ones that you can only enjoy during this season. I'll be making quite a large quantity. I plan to use them in sushi rolls, stir-fries with pork, and more.

A very precious Aichi prefecture-grown freshwater eel. Served with piping hot rice. Sweet, perfect texture. The liver is sautéed in butter. Also sweet, perfect texture. Absolutely delicious.