A day for Japan 1-2-3 ichi-ni-san by Dinings

This Saturday on 20 August, there is a charity event called 1-2-3 which is a fundraising event devoted to supporting the people aftermath of the quake and tsunami occurred off the coast of Japan on 11th March 2011. The profits from this event are donated to the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund to help people in the affected areas.

For this event, we asked our favorite restaurant "Dinings" to do "The Secret Japanese Tasting"."The Secret Japanese Tasting" is a gourmet selection of contemporary Japanese tapas and sushi put together especially for 1-2-3.

The menu offers a delightful biteful flavour, texture and colour for a truly Japanese culinary experience.*

It is very good opportunity to try their food if you haven't try. At same time this will be big support to people in Japan!!

You could get your ticket from http://www.ichi-ni-san.com(* The Secret Japanese Tasting menu will be available from 18:30 to 20:00 only to VIP ticket holders (£35 including drinks)or Relax Garden (www.relaxgarden.com)

Food in Istanbul

Antiochia concept(www.antiochiaconcept.com)is contemporary slow food kebab restaurants.

All ingredients are from Turkey.

Street food

Karakoy Gulliiogle is famous patisserie for Baklava. Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filio pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. Specially this double layered pistachio was tee best!

Look, how he proud of their sweets.

Next door to Karakoy Gulliiogle, there is delicatessen where you could eat nice breakfast.

So many of Botargo!! (is the poor man's caviar, the roe pouch of tuna or Grey mullet, or sometimes swordfish. It is massaged by hand to eliminate air pockets, then dried and cured in sea salt for a few weeks. The result is a dry hard slab, which is coated in beeswax for keeping/by Wikipedia).

Octopus

The main reason I come to Porto was to eat their famous octopus! but the Octopus restaurant I wanted to go was closed for new year holiday... Still I can't go back to London until I taste the Porto's octopus if that was the main reason to come. So we searched a restaurant where they serve octopus all over the city. We finally found the restaurant also with live piano performance. It was nice last supper in Porto but I definitely need to come back to try real octopus dish next time.

Cheese for desert

with Port wine

Bifana

Portugal pork hamburger; Bifana equivalent to kebab in London

Very juicy spiced slice pork sandwich

Relax Moment for the Bafina chef.

Portucale

We looked at a recommendation list from a friend and one of the restaurant in the list was in our hotel; The Restaurant Portucale

Typical Portuguese soup; Acorda Alentejana

Very friendly staff

The view was fantastic, we could see whole Port. Also again, very authentic 60's deco here. Feels like time traveled to 60's. Very special experience.

Ireland

A day in Dublin, I visited to Guinness brewers.

You could find Guinness sign every corner of town.

Even council state near brewers was Guinness color!

Then we went to Pig's Ear(www.thepigsear.com); one of best fine Irish dining in Dublin.

The Pig's Ear Country Style Terrine with Lyons Tea & Fruit Chutney

Main; haddock with a chicken wing.

Warm Chocolate Tart with Fruit & Nut Ice Cream

Little bit more about Marfa...

This little town Marfa has some style; this is one of clothing shop.

Food Shark; Lunch time only food van. I could see a lot of people familiar; receptionist in hotel, people from galleries, visitor i spoke yesterday and person work in some restaurant... Seem like this food shark feed every one in town!

They do make freshly in the van after order; Best Falafel so far. It is worth to wait half an hour.

Time say goodbye to Marfa.

Bye Bye

It's my Birthday!

Flying from LA to El Paso, Texas. In flight announcement said "Happy birthday" for Eriko sitting back row!! Wow such a surprise!!!

Driving from El paso another three hours

To do shopping in PRADA? Well, this is PRADA Marfa but whole of this is piece of art.

Marfa is tiny town in middle of nowhere in Texas but full of contemporary arts.

Pretty shop

Thunder bird hotel

Hotel reception

Very minimum and contemporary room

Even letter set is pretty!

I was invited to a restaurant; Cochineal for dinner. You never imagine this amazing restaurant exists in middle of nowhere in Texas. Their quality is top restaurant in NY, London or Tokyo or even Paris! If i pick up my favorite top 10 restaurants in the world then definitely they are in. Well, the fact this is a little town that art collectors from all over the world fly over here with private jet to buy art piece. Then make sense? This restaurant serve to those people who know all good restaurants in the world. Also I was amazed how contemporary to use different ingredients. Soon i found a reason; one of owner chef was Japanese! This handmade spaghetti with sauteed Shitake mushrooms, black forest ham and fresh sage was shocking! Harmony of all ingredients was just perfect! One of best pasta dish i had ever eaten.

Texas wedge Salad

Wood grilled loin pork with dijon mustard sauce, sauteed spinach and a leek and potato terrine

Rich flourless Chocolate souffle with a warm liquid chocolate center

Wops, they forgot to put candle for chocolate cake so they brought another cake with candle for me.

I put one more year on my age today. Thank you.